Andy Semple

Australia’s gross national debt is far worse than what the Gov’t and the MSM are telling you

And you can squarely blame federal Labor and state Labor gov’ts from 2007 onwards for blowing the dough.

Australia’s net debt figure is almost twice the 10.6 per cent estimate you’ve been told is so comforting – the real number was around 20 per cent in 2012-13. Importantly, this has exploded off a sub-zero base in 2007 when we had allegedly no net debt.

Excising the influence of the Future Fund and “other investments”, total government net debt rises to roughly 25 per cent (see above chart).

When financial markets consider a company’s riskiness, they focus on the gross level of borrowings relative to assets. We can do the same.

In 2007, the Commonwealth and states owed about $150 billion. These were just the bonds on issue and ignore other borrowings. By December 2012 Commonwealth and state government debt on issue had more than tripled to $500 billion. That’s nearly 35 per cent of GDP and excludes government-guaranteed companies. The true gross debt-to-GDP ratio is probably circa 40 per cent. While that is still relatively low, it is not the ultra-benign image that has been projected.

Make sure you read the AFR’s Christopher Joye’s article in full.

It’s Labor that has sentenced your children and grandchildren to paying off their reckless spending. Remember that when you vote on September 14.

 

 

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Socialism in action: Venezuela runs out of toilet paper due to state price controls

Revolutions have started on less…

 

Via Rare

First milk, butter, coffee and cornmeal ran short. Now Venezuela is running out of the most basic of necessities — toilet paper.

Blaming political opponents for the shortfall, as it does for other shortages, the embattled socialist government says it will import 50 million rolls to boost supplies.

That was little comfort to consumers struggling to find toilet paper on Wednesday.

“This is the last straw,” said Manuel Fagundes, a shopper hunting for tissue in downtown Caracas. “I’m 71 years old and this is the first time I’ve seen this.”

One supermarket visited by The Associated Press in the capital on Wednesday was out of toilet paper. Another had just received a fresh batch, and it quickly filled up with shoppers as the word spread.

“I’ve been looking for it for two weeks,” said Cristina Ramos. “I was told that they had some here and now I’m in line.”

Economists say Venezuela’s shortages stem from price controls meant to make basic goods available to the poorest parts of society and the government’s controls on foreign currency.

“State-controlled prices — prices that are set below market-clearing price — always result in shortages. The shortage problem will only get worse, as it did over the years in the Soviet Union,” said Steve Hanke, professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University.

President Nicolas Maduro, who was selected by the dying Hugo Chavez to carry on his “Bolivarian revolution,” claims that anti-government forces, including the private sector, are causing the shortages in an effort to destabilize the country.

The government this week announced it would import 760,000 tons of food and 50 million rolls of toilet paper.

 

If we’re stupid enough to leave Labor in power, it will most likely happen here too…

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Research study explains why lefty blokes like Swan and Bandt support the welfare state

Explains everything.

Via Daily Mail

Men who are strong are more likely to take a right-wing stance, while weaker men support the welfare state, researchers claim.

Their study discovered a link between a man’s upper-body strength and their political views.

Scientists from Aarhus University in Denmark collected data on bicep size, socio-economic status and support for economic redistribution from hundreds in America, Argentina and Denmark

The figures revealed that men with higher upper-body strength were less likely to support left-wing policies on the redistribution of wealth.

But men with low upper-body strength were more likely to put their own self-interest aside and support a welfare state.

The researchers found no link between upper-body strength and redistribution opinions among women.

 

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Alan Jones buckets Joe Hockey on why the Liberals will continue to subsidise Wind Farms

No friend, no favour – well done to Alan Jones for having a good go at Joe Hockey.

I am on record saying that the Liberal Party will continue to use our money to keep funding the global warming scam. Labor are foxtrot hopeless, the Liberals are just hopeless.

Listen to Alan Jones - Joe Hockey

 

 

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The UN’s flagship anti-poverty agency is more interested in getting funding than in setting up programs that make the best sense

Just another reason why the UN should be defunded and ultimately disbanded. 

Via Fox News

The $5.7 billion United Nations Development Program, the U.N.’s flagship anti-poverty agency, is poor at producing lasting results, sets unrealistic or unfocused priorities and often seems more interested in getting funding than in setting up programs that make the best sense, according to an internal assessment that will be discussed at a top-level meeting next month.

Moreover, in a sweeping examination of some $19.7 billion worth of UNDP programs between 2008 and 2012, the report says that only in “just about half” of the country-by-country efforts was the agency “likely to have made, or make, a significant contribution to the intended outcome.”

Nor is the agency very good at judging where it is going wrong, the report adds, meaning that “strengthening the efficiency of projects and programs is a major challenge.”

The sobering evaluation of UNDP’s usefulness was carried out by UNDP’s own Evaluation Office, whose director is appointed by UNDP’s top official, Helen Clark. So far, only an executive summary of the evaluation is available to members of UNDP’s 36-nation supervisory Executive Board, which holds its semi-annual meeting in New York City starting on June 3. According to a UNDP spokesman, a full version of the report will be made public next week.

…One of the biggest causes of UNDP’s incoherence and chasing after short-term or ill-planned projects, the evaluators judge, is its business model, which increasingly depends on making use of earmarked funds from its big donors.

Unlike the U.N. Secretariat, where rich countries are assessed dues — with the U.S. at the top of the donor list, contributing 22 percent of the Secretariat’s “regular” expenses —contributions to UNDP are voluntary, and increasingly come with long strings attached —in part to ensure that the donors get some specific value for their money.

The only people on the planet worse than the UN at wasting money is the Australian Labor Party.

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Looney Budgets aren’t limited to Australia – EU to spend 20% of budget on Climate Change

European heads of state and government have agreed to commit at least 20 per cent of the entire European Union budget over the next seven years to climate-related spending.

The seven-year budget was agreed at 960 billion euros ($1.28 trillion).

That’s a staggering €192 bn or $250 bn AUD being spent on an imaginary problem.

 

 

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Julia Gillard’s budget’s advice to Wayne Swan

Well, we all know what Julia Gillard’s imaginary friend John, would do…

It would seem the time tested proverb; “those who don’t know shit are doomed to stand in it…” will come home to roost tomorrow night.

The definition of a budget deficit is when Government spending exceeds the funds the Government receives from taxation and other revenue in any financial year.

2012-2013 Budget Deficit $??.?bn - pick a figure anywhere between $10bn to $35bn

2011-2012 Budget Deficit $43.7bn

2010-2011 Budget Deficit $47.7bn

2009-2010 Budget Deficit $54.8bn

2008-2009 Budget Deficit $27.1bn

Wayne Swan has presided so far over $173.3bn in total Budget Deficits.

He has also presided over $272.8bn in total Federal Gov’t debt (When John Howard left office in late 2007, the Federal Gov’t was debt free.) 

Economist Milton Friedman was right: “If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 yrs there’d be a shortage of sand.”

 

Special thanks to Steve Hunter for permission to reproduce his cartoons exclusively on Andy’s RANT!

Steve Hunter is a freelance cartoonist and illustrator and lives in Buderim Queensland.

 

 

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Obey the State: Subliminal message from the artist behind the Obama ‘Hope’ poster

Via the People’s Cube

 

The above two posters is our spoof (People’s Cube) of a new anti-gun sign (below) by Shepard Fairey, who is also known as the artist behind the famous Obama "Hope" poster.

Shepard Fairey produced the poster last month in support of the failing anti-gun legislation, and most recently had it printed on hundreds of protest signs in anticipation of a massive anti-gun rally in Washington. From sympathetic Buzzfeed.com: “Artist Shepard Fairey will paper downtown D.C. Thursday with copies of a new work aimed at reigniting the push for gun control.” Reality check: the advertised Occupy The NRA rally attracted only about 60 participants.

That the anti-NRA poster looks Orwellian is not a coincidence. Fairey probably believes he has a spiritual channel directly to George Orwell: after all, he had designed book covers for Penguin’s Animal Farm and 1984, in addition to a series of nightmarish posters collectively titled Nineteeneightyfouria. His Orwellian connection, however, is very unflattering. Lacking the depth and, apparently, the slightest understanding of Orwell’s actual message, Fairey rather channels some mind-numb Party functionary out of George Orwell’s novel as he manufactures establishment propaganda that facilitates the takeover of the individual by the all-powerful state.

But Orwell advocated gun ownership and even left us this powerful quote: "That rifle on the wall of the labourer’s cottage or working class flat is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there."

Pacifism is a frequent theme in Fairey's posters. Misrepresenting America's war against Islamic terrorism, he likes to depict Muslims as victims of U.S. military aggression. But Orwell has another message for Shepard Fairey: "Pacifism is objectively pro-Fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side you automatically help that of the other."

And even more to the point: "Since pacifists have more freedom of action in countries where traces of democracy survive, pacifism can act more effectively against democracy than for it. Objectively the pacifist is pro-Nazi."

Clearly, Fairey hasn't read Orwell. Instead, by the artist's own admission, his inspiration comes straight out of John Carpenter's B-grade sci-fi flick They Live, from which he borrowed his logo and the "OBEY" slogan that became a trademark of his entire artistic career.

  

The plot of this conspiratorial movie is centred around a drifter who discovers special Ray-Bans which reveal hidden messages behind billboards, television, magazines, and posters, such as, "Obey, consume, reproduce, watch TV, this is your God," and so on. He then joins the underground and helps to eradicate the lizard-like aliens who had hypnotized humanity into obedience.

Continue to read the entire piece here.

Also, make sure you check out Oleg’s other Obama poster parodies found at the end of this article.

For example,

 

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The Militarisation of our Police

How the “War on Terror” has militarised our Police. Introducing the Ballistic Engineered Armoured Response Counter Attack Truck or BEARCAT.

Via Perth Now

A $400,000 counter-terrorism armoured vehicle has today been added to WA's police crime-fighting arsenal.

Federal Fremantle MP Melissa Parkesaid the vehicle was an excellent example of the Federal Government’s commitment to building our national security capability.

"National security remains a key focus of the Federal Government," Ms Parke said.

"The recent and tragic bombings in the United States have once again highlighted the importance of being prepared and vigilant.

"This vehicle provides the Western Australian Police Force the capability they need to quickly and effectively respond in the unlikely event of a terrorist incident.''

"The vehicle is being provided to the Western Australia Police by the Federal Government to provide extra capability in the unlikely event of a terrorist incident.

"It will increase the protection of our police officers in very dangerous and hostile situations.''

'Bearcat' has an impressive list of features which includes gun ports, rotating roof hatch, two electric winches, emergency light/sirens, spot/flood lights, battering ram, tear gas deployment nozzle, thermal cameras, common remotely operated weapon station and protection against chemical, biological, radiological nuclear and high-yield explosives.

There are two uses for a vehicle like the BEARCAT – one) if a fictional Zombie apocalypse were to ever eventuate, then that’s the truck you want or two) if there should ever be a “Citizens” revolt, then a few of these would help restore “order.”

Next we’ll see Predator Drones flying in our skies? Why not? A Predator surveillance drone flown over the U.S. border in Texas costs the Department of Defense US$3,234 per flight hour. That equates to a dozen or so officers on the ground. Community policing, actual officers walking the streets and interacting with civilians, instead of patrolling in cars or rolling-in armoured response vehicles, has by far proven the most effective form of law enforcement – budgetary and statistically. The militarisation of local police is inherently opposite of strategies that have shown the best results.

 

 

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Survey: 72% of Indonesian Muslims Favour Sharia Law

Great…that’s all we need. An Islamic state like Iran to our north…

1 and 5 surveyed think it’s okay to be put to death for leaving Islam…

Via Jakata Globe

Despite being touted as the Muslim world’s largest democracy, a new survey released by the Pew Research Center on Tuesday revealed that 72 percent of Indonesia’s Muslim population would favor an Islamic legal code as the “official law of the land” if given the option.

The survey, which focused on 39 countries and interviewed 38,000 people, found that most followers of the world’s second-largest faith want their religion to shape not only their personal lives, but also their social and political interactions as well.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Indonesia is home to roughly 216 million Muslims, or 86.1 percent of the country’s population.

“Most Muslims believe Shariah [Islamic law based on the teachings of the Koran] is the revealed word of God rather than a body of law developed by men based on the word of God,” the report read.

The survey revealed, though, that most countries were selective in which aspects of Shariah they wanted to implement, and 44 percent of Indonesians said  that there were “multiple interpretations of Shariah.”

In Indonesia, half of those who wanted Shariah enforced in the archipelago said that it should be applied to both Muslims and non-Muslims, and only 18 percent held the belief that one should be put to death for leaving Islam.

The study also found that Muslims, especially in Indonesia, are generally more comfortable with applying Shariah to their family lives than in the public sphere.

For instance, 93 percent of Indonesian Muslim men and women surveyed expressed the view that a wife is always obliged to obey her husband. However, 81 percent stated that a woman should be able to decide for herself whether or not to wear a veil.

When asked if sons and daughters should receive the same inheritance rights, 76 percent of Indonesians championed equal shares for men and women.

Fewer than half of Indonesian Muslims (45 percent) polled who advocated for Shariah as the law of the land were in favor of dishing out punishments like amputations for thieves and robbers.

 

 

 

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