Andy Semple

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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Julia Gillard’s last hurrah to help her puppet masters

Let’s just step away from the emotion that’s attached to the ‘Gonski’ education and NDIS initiatives.

Just think about who will really benefit should both these two ‘noble’ programs be rolled out in full.

Sadly, it isn’t the disabled or the children of Australia.

It’s the unions, namely the public sector unions and the Gillard’s only true friend, the AWU.

Take the NDIS. It’s huge concern that Federal Gov’t bureaucrats (who are public sector union members) rather than a newly created Gov’t corporation like Medibank Private, will run the NDIS.

The Federal Dept of Health (DOHA) doesn’t look after 1 patient let alone 1 hospital but needs 4,522 bureaucrats to write cheques to their state government counterparts. How much bigger will the DOHA get when the NDIS is fully run out? Another 2,000+ bureaucrats? Don’t forget, it’s the States and Territories that actually deliver the services and they will be responsible for the frontline delivery of the NDIS and ‘Gonski’.

The ‘Gonski’ education idea will also mean a whole lot more federal bureaucrats will be employed. Like their federal health counterpart, the Dept of Education (DEEWR) doesn’t look after 1 student let alone 1 school but needs 4,000 bureaucrats to write cheques to their state government counterparts. Again, how much bigger will the DEEWR get when the ‘Gonski’ education program is fully run out?

You see, the unions have seen the writing on the wall and they know if Tony Abbott plays his cards right, he’ll be at least a three term PM. So union movement know they’ll be persona non grata and on the outta for the next ten years so they are pulling the strings on their puppet PM in a last minute bid to ensure they’ll be comfortable while on the sidelines.

I also think it's disgraceful for the PM to promote a false hope to the carers and people with genuine disabilities.  The PM is presenting the NDIS like it’s a done deal – it’s far from a done deal and it’s not all paid for. The scheme isn’t going to be fully implemented across Australia until July 1, 2018. That’s right – five maybe six years until its actually sitting in place.

Paul Murray again calls out the NDIS ‘scam’.

  

Tony Abbott has been wedged in supporting the NDIS, as there was no way he would want to be type casted as saying “no” to disabled Australians. The only hope for the team is when Tony Abbott becomes PM, he realises the continued subsidising of wind turbines needs to stop and he can redirect those billions to the NDIS. He should be able to turn the tables on Julia Gillard by clearly highlighting that he will fully fund the NDIS by scrapping the RET and at the same time, helping everyone lower their power bills. Not often does a two for one deal like this come along. Take it Tony, and the Prime Ministership is yours.

 

 

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There are more holes (exclusions) in the NDIS than a block of Swiss cheese

Here’s what I know so far. 

Anyone over the age of 65 is not going to be covered by the NDIS.

The NDIS doesn’t cover mental disabilities – meaning it doesn’t help anyone who suffers from Alzheimer's or Autism for example.

It’s excludes “chronic illness.”

The NDIS doesn’t cover for example a Cochlear ear implant to help a deaf child as it “excludes surgical services.”

The draft NDIS rules don’t lay out the types of support and services that are going to be available.

It appears “rehabilitative” therapies aren’t covered in the NDIS.

The NDIS specifically excludes support needs for disabled people if they relate to Education.

“Piece of equipment” isn’t defined, meaning does it cover accessibility assistance items such as automatic doors, electrically adjustable benches etc. in the home or is it limited to non-fixed items such as wheelchairs, body hoists etc?

Also in the draft definitions of a person with a disability how will the NDIS determine the eligibility of a person who "can perform tasks or actions required to undertake or participate in the activity only with the assistance of other persons or the person can perform tasks or actions required to undertake or participate in the activity only with regular supervision or training by other persons". It doesn't say at what level of support it will apply at. I am very concerned that the NDIS will ignore people who happen to have a child/young adult who has an intellectual disability and can do many things for themselves, but only with the prompting and/or assistance of another person. The NDIS needs to support not only those people with a severe disability but also those who cannot function without daily support.

It’s huge concern that Federal Gov’t bureaucrats rather than a newly created Gov’t corporation like Medibank Private will run the NDIS.

The NDIS essentially only helps those who suffer from a physical disability. I can’t tell if someone who suffers from cerebral palsy is covered under the NDIS.

And like Medicare, the NDIS won’t be means tested.

And it's going to cost $20 billion when the full scheme comes into place.

 

 

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What the Australian economy would look like under the Greens

And if you’re wondering what the Greens’ ‘plan’ of action is for Australia, just click here.

 

Thanks to Peter for the graphic.

 

 

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Labor’s Illegal Armada Update: This trend isn’t our friend

First quarter of 2012, 1,275 illegals arrived on boats. As of first quarter (18^th March) 2013, 2,079 illegals have arrived resulting in a year on year increase of 63%.

The Labor trifecta – the Carbon (Dioxide) Tax we were promised we wouldn’t have but got anyway, the continued silent invasion of illegal immigrants and the threat to censor the freedom of the press.  

 

 

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If the truth is out there, under Labor’s new media laws, no one will be allowed to find it

Meet Labor’s new Sith Lord - the Public Interest Media Advocate.

The Public Interest Media Advocate, an unelected media Tsar that will issue and enforce new regulations with power to impose serve restrictions, including the power to revoke a newspaper’s privacy protections if they didn’t abide by the advocate’s directives, could become law next week.

These new media laws will kill stone dead any form of investigative journalism and that alone should scare everyone.

If the truth is out there, under Labor’s new media laws, no one will be allowed to find it.

Under the Conroy scheme, newspapers that belong to the Press Council - and other self-regulatory bodies - will only be entitled to retain vital legal protections in the Privacy Act if those organisations apply standards that are approved by a planned statutory regulator, the public interest media advocate.

Without those protections media lawyers believe it would be extremely difficult - and perhaps even impossible - for newspapers to do their work.

They could not publish articles containing what the Privacy Act refers to as "personal and sensitive" information without the consent of the person concerned. The preparation of articles about wrongdoing would be almost impossible because the Privacy Act would require them to give people access to any personal information they might have assembled about them.

They would also be obliged to inform those people about its data collection practices,

Media lawyer Peter Leonard of Gilbert + Tobin said this requirement would have meant that former NSW Labor MP Eddie Obeid, who is under investigation by the state's corruption commission, would have needed to be informed by the media before any articles about his personal information were published.

 

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Stephen ‘Joseph’ Conroy's media regulation is government licensing in all but name

If you want to know who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticise.

The Daily Telegraph fights back while it’s still free

A government-appointed enforcer would oversee press standards and have the power to apply sanctions, which critics said would stifle news reporting, under proposed draconian media changes.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy yesterday announced a new proposed statutory position of Public Interest Media Advocate, among a raft of changes the government will attempt to ram through parliament by the end of next week.

The advocate would oversee the Press Council, the main vehicle for complaints about the print media, and could take back exemptions from privacy laws afforded to journalists to report valid news stories if the advocate deemed a breach of standards.

 

You know things are rotten when Burma ends media censorship while Australia considers media censorship. 

 

 

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Labor and Greens ‘plan of action for Australia’ foreseen in 1934

Via 1389 Blog

This cartoon was in the Chicago Tribune in 1934.

Look carefully at the plan of action in the lower left corner.

Remember the adage: Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

Make Saturday 14^th September clean up Australia Day – kick out the progressive scumbags.

Thanks to Rosie for the link.

 

 

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Ecotard Greens now call for a super asset ‘tax’ on the big four banks

The Greens and Labor just don’t get it - The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else and you cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

A mining tax-style levy would be imposed on the big four banks under a radical Greens policy to make banks surrender a slice of their earnings in exchange for protection from insolvency.

It comes in the same week that a former Reserve Bank governor, Bernie Fraser, rounded on the big banks for, in effect, penalising customers with high mortgage rates while passing too much money to shareholders.
The Greens will argue that the rate of the proposed levy is in line with a recent International Monetary Fund assessment, which found the big four were ''systemically significant'' institutions which had a price advantage over smaller institutions when raising wholesale funding because they were ''too big to fail''.

The policy would mean a 20 basis point - or 0.2 per cent - levy, on all bank assets above $100 billion and would thus apply exclusively to ANZ, NAB, Westpac and Commonwealth Bank, which among them have loan books worth $1000 billion.

Deputy Greens leader and banking spokesman, Adam Bandt, said the plan had been fully costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office which found it would raise $11 billion over four years.

Bit by bit, Australia under Labor and the Greens is becoming the Venezuela of the Pacific.

I wish someone would put a tax on the Greens.

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