Lefty, mining may only employ 2% of the working population but both the federal and state governments collect billions in taxes and royalties. Queensland alone gets about $3 billion per year from coal. This money is then used for health, education, infrastructure, community sport, poodles - who the fuck knows. In other words without mining we would be down billions.
Whoever said anything about being without mining? Only that it's input to the overall economy is routinely exaggerated. And that compelling foreigners making an absolute killing from exploiting Australian resources to pay a bit more will not cause mining to pack up and leave - unless you ask a mining boss.
Everything else you said seems to indicate some level of jealousy of successful and rich people. McMansions? You mean large homes that people are free to build? Sheesh enough of these stupid class wars. If you have the money, then you're free to spend it however the hell you want.
What motivated that comment? Didn't I already say my household
will be paying the levy? "Successful and rich" people will have to pay more but so what? They earn more. The financial impact on household budgets is so small that if the levy was never publicly announced, many people wouldn't even realise that they were paying each week. What's the big deal?
I can't placate your fears that the feds will run off with the money and spend it all on wing-wongs for goose's bridles but especially given the very public nature of rebuilding, I'm just not nearly as cycnical as you are.
I'm just dismayed at the increasing Americanisation of Australian attitudes - a paranoid distrust of government to the extent that their ability to advance the public purpose is hampered. Small wonder the US has some of the highest rates of inequality in the modern world.
There goes that BER thing again. I just don't understand the problem. Every day, I drive around the Sunshine Coast, I see work in progress building a facility at a local School. At Rudd's Nambour High School, there is a huge and obviously very useful thaing going up, giving the School a valuable asset and local builders, work.
What is the problem?
Exactly Ned! I'm in a position to have personally inspected a number of these projects - the level of problems have been MASSIVELY exaggerated.
IQ - get your hands out from under that spot in your robe.
