We are being played for fools

[Redneck]

Good Post by Valkie of Ozpol
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1459370667

We all know that every time a public service is privatized, the costs go up and the service goes down.
And we all know why, because it has to be made securely profitable so that the investors can make loads of cash.
But if these services are, while publically owned, still profitable, if to a lesser extent, why privatize them?

This is where we have been played for the fools we are.
Lobbyists, (faceless ex politicians) are payed an obscene amount of money to represent private interests thereby forging the way for political parties to sell off interests at the expense of the taxpayer, so that private interest can make more and more money.

But its not just selling off public owned business that has these lobbyists chomping at the bit. Other multinational interests have seen the way of using lobbyists to advance their control and market share by conning the less intelligent and easily led (lest I say bribed) politicians to implement laws that guarantee profitability for private interest groups.

Super for example, once was a good thing to be in. Years ago, before compulsory super, super funds had to appeal to people to join and had to have a product that was sufficiently attractive to be worth while. Moving forward, when compulsory super was introduced, super funds no longer had to work so hard, and over time found ways to increase profitability through fees charges and unwanted add ons that cut deeply into super savings.

Medical insurance is another example. When I was first married, I joined a non-compulsory medical fund. I was given 100% of all medical costs back and the fund was still profitable. Then compolsory medical insurance was mandated, first my medical fund informed me that they were no longer "allowed" to give me 100% back, it gradually went from 100% to 80% to 70%, then specific procedures had specific repayments. Now I pay $4000.00 a year and have recently been advised that virtually nothing is covered for my wife's knee replacement.

There are many other examples, third party insurance, privatization of the commonwealth bank, leading to a free for all (or is that a fee for all) banking system where you can actually owe a bank money for leaving money in the bank and that money being eaten away by fees and charges.

No political party should be allowed to sell off public interests, no political party should be allowed to sell off what we, the taxpayer have paid for.

Finally, what sort of nice person would sell off a lottery? Its mana from heaven, virtually no overheads, just pure profit, but some nice person of biblical proportions has sold off the lottery???????
Or is there another reason, such as perhaps brown paper bags or other favors involved???

We have been conned and played the fool for too long, its time to ask more questions, that is if we are allowed to?

[Redneck]

Email it to your MPs, you never know they may be listening in this election year.

[Neferti]

Why don't we All just vote INFORMAL for the Federal Pollies and see what happens?

Zed Seselja, Canberra's Liberal Senator, backed Tony Abbott ... I might vote for him in the Senate .... but otherwise ...... Turnbull does NOT deserve to be the elected Prime Minister and Bull Shitten would be a disaster.

ANARCHY Federally?

[IQS.RLOW]

What bullshit.

Private companies run businesses far more leanly than a govt ever could.

The examples cited are ALP concotions set up so their mates can have a nice cosy job at forced taxpayer expense.
Medicare.
Compulsory super.

The govt needs to get the fuck out and let the market work the way it is supposed to.

[Redneck]

Nonsense!

Nice to see the Private Health Insurers reducing their costs each year

Dickhead!

[AiA in Atlanta]

Private companies run businesses far more leanly than a govt ever could.

Not always true. Healthcare services run by the American government have 2-3% overhead. Private American insurance companies, 25%.

You are living in a Ronald Reagan fantasy: government is always the problem. private business is always better.

[mantra]

Not always true. Healthcare services run by the American government have 2-3% overhead. Private American insurance companies, 25%.

You are living in a Ronald Reagan fantasy: government is always the problem. private business is always better.

It doesn't seem to be the case here. So many government services are now outsourced and it's steadily increasing. Even consultants now are outsourced even though each department has more than adequate staff to resource and provide their own material. We are paying for a whole bunch of lazy ministers and public servants who can't work independently or innovatively. Government jobs used to be abundant and even though the numbers have been reduced - the slack has been picked up by private enterprise. What do the state and federal governments actually do independently? Very little. We're paying twice for everything - more when we include the states and local councils who do exactly the same.

[skippy]

I'm all for private enterprise but I believe some services still need to have a government alternative available. The Comm bank is a good example of what happens when you remove the government alternative to a sector.
banking, communications, electricity,health and education would all benifit with government alternatives that operated to supply a product rather than make outrageous profits from the consumer.
Private companies can offer alternatives and still be viable as they were in the banking sector before Keating sold off the CommBank. Governments have just become lazy. Bob Menzies would not recognise his own party if he were alive today.

[AnaTom]

But its not just selling off public owned business that has these lobbyists chomping at the bit. Other multinational interests have seen the way of using lobbyists to advance their control and market share by conning the less intelligent and easily led (lest I say bribed) politicians to

I agree.

Our political forefathers and builders of this country who put their heart soul and lives into making the country from nothing would be horrified and likely quite angry if they knew what the rats were up to.

It is a disgrace that our politicians sell the country out from beneath us. All of our wonderful public buildings, infrastructure and so on, all for a quick buck. It shows a high degree of laziness, incompetence, narcissism and lack of imagination.. In the old days, they built plenty of rail, now it is hard to find a functioning rail system. How is that?

Selling assets to survive the next political cycle, does not a nation build.

Innovation Nation? yeah right

More like NWO.