A Socialist View from Outside the Box

The carbon debate continues to rev up in Australia as we get closer to there being a Price on CO2.  I made the following reply on an online forum for a political party against pricing Carbon (the same party who repeatedly call it a tax)…

Most people on both sides of the debate concede we need the NBN to advance future technologies. Where the political difference is one party wants it to be a Private Venture the other is getting on with it and using public funds.

Unfortunately the overall opinion is most if not all Private companies will not touch it because of the initial cost and length of time required to see a return for investors (that doesn’t mean we don’t need it, only that the lengthy ROI is stopping private enterprise from getting it started).

Oil has reached its peak and supplies are going down hill fast – Coal not far behind it. If alternative energy sources are not found within the next 20 – 50 years we are going to have a lot of cars and nothing to run them.

War has already been going on in the Middle East for decades fighting over oil supplies. If we don’t find alternatives soon we are going to be up shit creek without a paddle.

Like the NBN the expense of researching and moving to cleaner energy options is beyond the ROI strategies of most companies. Therefore the money has to come from somewhere for public investment into research and construction of wind, solar, wave and other alternative energy sources.

I guarantee if the Government put a Price (or Tax if you prefer) on dirty cars tomorrow, we would all be driving the cars that looked like they just came out of the showroom – because no one wants to pay a tax and will do what ever they can to avoid it.

Likewise, with a Price on CO2 we will do whatever we can to move to cleaner technologies, reduce CO2 in the atmosphere and reduce the need for fossil fuels.

If we have to have a “Tax” (read- Carbon Price) why Tax Soap, When Dirt (CO2) is the Problem ?

If we put the Price on the Dirt, we will do everything we can to clean it up!

The first time I ever voted I put a Number 1 in the Greens Box. Shortly after that I started a Gardening Business and was encouraged to vote Liberal. Not being very politically minded I looked into what the Liberal party represented and in my mind (at least) they stood for similar principles to what I believed in. For the next 17 years I voted Liberal and developed a Compassionate Liberal mindset.

In the last 12 months I have had a chance to re-evaluate and educate myself on what I believe represents compassion.  I asked myself what (and more importantly WHO) represents compassion for us as humans as well as the environment and its wildlife and the social implications of living without compassion.

I came to discover that firstly there is no such thing as Compassionate Liberalism and more importantly I had been living, supporting and voting for something I believed in and never truly existed.

Three years ago our family happened to cross paths with a VERY Liberal individual who over the course of the following 2 years began to show me what true liberalism and greed actually is. I am thankful to this individual for finally breaking me out of the liberalistic trance I was in. I could not bring myself to be like him.

For the first time in 17 years I voted Green in the last Federal Election in Australia (Local Greens Candidate Scott Jordan received my number 1 vote). Shortly after this I joined the Greens Party in Tasmania and am now an active participatory member of the local branch.

There is hope out there for all of us… change is a good thing.

I heard a story once about a dog that would sit on the same step of his owner’s porch for years. Day in day out he would sit on the same step. Over the years the step wore out and nails and splinters started showing through the boards. The dog however would continue to sit on the same step, even though on occasion he would moan and yelp as a splinter dug into him or a nail scratched him.

The pain of sitting there was less painful than the idea of having to Change his ways and perhaps move to a less painful part of the step.

We are a lot like that dog. We know the current government system is wearing out. It needs upgrading to a newer model. But the thought of changing to an unknown or untested governing system is more painful than just going with the flow of the current system.

There is no doubt that change is needed because if we keep going in the same direction we are likely to end up where we are headed. The step is only getting thinner. At same point it is going to break and the dog will be forced to consider something new.

It would be a good idea to give the system a much-needed service now, before it breaks down altogether.

His mind is like concrete, all mixed up and permanently set. That may well be the quote we have to contend with when considering any change in Government.

Life is full of many changes that happen naturally but when faced with reason to make a drastic change that could be considered “life altering” we ask ourselves if its absolutely necessary and 9 times out of 10 we end up doing what we always done.

5 Key reasons for change:

1. The world is changing and Governments are not The system needs to catch up with the wants and needs of the Country.
2. Governments are at a point where they are governing people and not services such as Health and Education.
3. Governments today are focusing more on their own power and less on the services they are governing for the people.
4. There are currently too many levels of government.
5. Governments DO need to exist to provide a systemised deliverance to services such as Health and Education as well as support for businesses. Governments are also required to provide domestic services like waste removal and water supply.

We have to be willing to accept change.

Eric J. Smith

A recent forum conversation planted a seed and sparked an Internal debate within me about Governments, Change and Politics. 

Governments in most parts of the world follow a 3 Tier system. Federal, State and Local Government divisions are generally found around the world. 

In Australia, as in other parts of the world many have highlighted the need for less governance and a more streamlined approach to deliverance of services. 

I am all for the reduction in the size of Government but I can’t help but feel the implementation factor is the biggest problem in reducing the size of Government at ANY level. 

To highlight the services offered at the 3 tiers of government in Australia: 

At a Federal level, the Government supports:  

• Trade, Commerce, Employment, Corporations, Industrial relations & Taxation;
• Postal and Telecommunication services, Banking, Currency, Bankruptcy, Census & Statistics
• Defence Forces, Quarantine, International Treaties, Foreign Affairs, Immigration
• Navigation, Airports, Air Safety, Copyright and Patents;
• Social Security and Pensions

At a State Level the Government Supports:  

• Education
• Public Health and Hospitals
• Railways, Public Transport and Roads
• Police, Fire Brigades, Ambulance Services; Law Courts
• Forestry, Conservation, Water Control, Wildlife Protection and Tourism
• Local Government, Mining and Agriculture

At a Local Level, the Governing Council Supports:  

• Town Planning and Urban Use Planing; Land Subdivision and Building Standards
• Local Roads, Footpaths and Drains and Traffic Control
• Garbage and Sewage Disposal, Health Inspection;
• Childcare Centres, Public Libraries,
• Local Tourism Promotion and Sporting Grounds

When implemented at Individual Levels it could easily be said that Inefficiencies, Duplication of Time and Talent and a Waste of same is obvious. 

As with most things in life when fronted with the possibility of change people will usually choose to stay the same. 

At all government levels things DO get done. Promises ARE broken, People WILL be disappointed others SHOULD feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Its called Democracy. Change fails to take shape not from lack of want but more so from a case of “Better the Devil you Know” whether we are happy with the situation or not. 

Politicians in Government and Opposition won’t take on the change process realistically because it will hit them hard at the ballot box 

The system does need cleaning up. This is obvious. The question on most people’s lips is not if or when but How? 

Perhaps, rather than individual governments regulating a varied range of interests, perhaps we need a Federal governing body with sub councils implementing and running a smooth Implementation of Services currently delivered. 

For example, At a state Level councils could be established for – Education, Roads and Transport, Health and Hospitals etc, with Implementation arms at a Local Level. 

At least with that structure we could travel anywhere within Australia and expect the same level of deliverance across states. 

It works for McDonalds around the world, Why not For a Country ?