Wednesday 22nd June 2016

Here's a bit of fun!

As a self funded retiree, I’m frustrated with Canberra’s continuous fiddle with Superannuation contributions and rule changes, plus the measure to Rebalance the Pension Assets Test to be implemented on 1 January 2017.

So here's fair warning to all politicians of any persuasion, this group of aged voters may be about to make the greatest impact on any Federal election in history. Ignoring them may be the start of a changed political environment in this country.

Change the Entitlements

I absolutely agree, if a pension isn't an entitlement, neither is theirs. They keep telling us that paying us an aged pension isn't sustainable. Paying politicians all the perks they get is even less sustainable! The politicians themselves, in Canberra, brought it up, that the Age of Entitlements is over:

The author is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn to ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in Australia will have this message. This is one idea that really should be passed around because the rot has to stop somewhere.

Proposals to make politicians shoulder their share of the weight now that the Age of Entitlement is over:

• 1. Scrap political pensions. Politicians can purchase their own retirement plan, just as most other working Australians are expected to do.
• 2. Retired politicians (past, present & future) participate in Centrelink. A Politician collects a substantial salary while in office but should receive no salary when they're out of office. Terminated politicians under 70 can go get a job or apply for Centrelink unemployment benefits like ordinary Australians. Terminated politicians under 70 can negotiate with Centrelink like the rest of the Australian people.
• 3. Funds already allocated to the Politicians' retirement fund be returned immediately to Consolidated Revenue. This money is to be used to pay down debt they created which they expect us and our grandchildren to repay for them.
• 4. Politicians will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Politicians pay will rise by the lower of, either the CPI or 3%.
• 5. Politicians lose their privileged health care system and participate in the same health care system as ordinary Australian people. i.e. Politicians either pay for private cover from their own funds or accept ordinary Medicare.
• 6. Politicians must equally abide by all laws they impose on the Australian people.
• 7. All contracts with past and present Politicians men/women are void effective 31/12/2015.

The Australian people did not agree to provide perks to Politicians, that burden was thrust upon them.

Politicians devised all these contracts to benefit themselves.

Serving in Parliament is an honour, not a career.

The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so our politicians should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people, then it will only take three or so days for most Australians to receive the message. Don't you think it's time?

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX Parliament and help bring fairness back into this country! If you agree with the above, pass it on.

If you wonder why the above individuals are asking for your help look at the figures below.

STATUTORY OFFICES
Date of Effect 1 July 2014
Specified Statutory Office
Base Salary (per annum)
Total Remuneration for office (per annum)
Chief of the Defence Force > $535,100 - $764,420
Commissioner of Taxation > $518,000 - $740,000
Chief Executive Officer, Australian Customs And Border Protection Service > $483,840 - $691,200
Auditor-General for Australia > $469,150 - $670,210
Australian Statistician > $469,150 - $670,210

Salaries of retired Prime Minister and Politicians

Salary as of 1 July
Prime Minister $507,338
Deputy Prime Minister $400,016
Treasurer $365,868
Leader of the Opposition $360,990
House of Reps Speaker $341,477
Leader of the House $341,477
Minister in Cabinet $336,599
Parliamentary secretary $243,912
Other ministers $307,329
Shadow minister $243,912
Source: Remuneration Tribunal.

So if I press all the right buttons, the TOTAL annual wages for the 150 seats in the Parliament are: $17,317,752

The TOTAL ANNUAL SALARIES (for 150 seats) = $41,694,311 - PER YEAR!

And that’s just the Federal Politicians, no one else!

For the ‘lifetime’ payment example (below) I used the scenario that:
1. They are paid ‘lifetime’ salaries the same as their last working year and
2. After retiring, the ’average’ pollie’s life expectancy is an additional 20 years (which is not unreasonable).

It’s worth remembering that this is EXCLUDING all their other perks!

SO, for a 20 years ‘lifetime’ payment (excluding wages paid while a Parliamentarian)
Prime Minister @ $507,338 = A$10,146,760
Deputy Prime Minister @ $400,016 = A$8,000,320
Treasurer @ $365,868 = A$7,317,360
Leader of the Opposition @ $360,990 = A$7,219,800
House of Reps Speaker @ $341,477 = A$6,829,540
Leader of the House @ $341,477 = A$6,829,540
Minister in Cabinet @ $336,599 = A$6,731,980
Parliamentary Secretary @ $243,912 = A$4,782,240
Other ministers** @ $307,329 = A$6,146,580 x 71 = A$436,407,180
Shadow ministers** @ $243,912 = A$4,878,240 x 71 = A$346,355,040

Conclusions:
TOTAL ‘life time’ (20 year) payments, (excluding wages paid while in parliament) = A$833,886,220 – OVER $833 MILLION.

Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, John Howard, Paul Keating, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, et al, add nauseum, are receiving $10 MILLION + EXTRA at taxpayer expense.

Should an elected PM serve 4 years and then decide to retire, each year (of the 4 years) will have cost taxpayers an EXTRA Two and a half million bucks a year! A$2,536,690 to be precise.

A 2 year retirement payment cut-off will SAVE our Oz bottom lineA$792,201,909 *** NEARLY $800 MILLION.

There are 150 seats in House, minus the 8 above = 142 seats, divided equally for example = 71 each for both shadow and elected ministers.

This example excludes all wages paid while a parliamentarian AND all perks on top of that - travel, hotels, secretarial staff, speech writers, restaurants, offices, chauffeured limos, security, etc. etc. 150 seats, 20-year payment of A$833,886,220 less annual salary x 2 years of A$83,388,622. [$41,694,311 x 2]

“Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.”

YOU’RE RIGHT, YOU HAVE FOUND WHERE THE CUTS SHOULD BE MADE!

ACTION: Push for a MAX 2 year post retirement payment (give ‘em time to get a real job).
Spread it far and wide folks. People should know.

Get your tissues out, this one's a tear jerker.

You still think you can get one over your teacher.

I was asked recently if I would recommend an alternative political party for the upcoming election. Here are two who policies seem to be more aligned to protecting our interests than those of the corporatocracy. I strongly encourage you to do your own homework on the issue.

Citizens Electoral Council are against stealing your bank deposits in the event of a financial crisis. I agree with that.

The Health Australia Party has the following which I cannot fault:

THE PRINCIPAL PURPOSE OF THE HAP
Some information put on Facebook for discussion has stimulated vigorous debate here and in private forums. We want to make sure that everyone understands that the principal purpose of the Health Australia Party is to have Senators elected in 2016 who will fearlessly:
1. Change the national health paradigm from a disease management system to a health creation system.
2. Defend the future right of all Australians to be free to choose the forms of healthcare they prefer.
3. Ensure that natural medicine practitioners remain able to continue their profession without disruption.
4. In time, have the patients’ of properly qualified natural therapists covered by Medicare.
5. Promote open and transparent Government decision making based on unbiased and objective research.
6. Expand the concept of health to include the health of people, the economy, the environment, our democracy and our society.
There is only one Party in the 2016 election committed to these six goals – the Health Australia Party.

According to a study in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, which cites the Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the United Nations International Study on Firearms Regulation, the more guns a nation has, the less criminal activity.

The decision on whether to renew EU approval for the herbicide glyphosate is to go to an appeals panel on 23 June after a last ditch attempt to get a temporary re-authorisation failed on 6 June (for some background information, see this). It is unclear if the meeting will produce the majority vote needed to pass the authorisation. The current licence for glyphosate in the EU expires on 30 June.

In an ideal world, glyphosate would be taken off the commercial market due to its obvious adverse effects on human health and the environment. In such a world, the EU would at the same time be facilitating policies that would ensure a major shift towards more sustainable agricultural practices.

In the world that we exist in, however, commercial and geopolitical interests trump any notion of what is in the public interest, what is good for the environment and strategies that could result in localised food production systems to ensure food security, thriving communities, nutritious food, replenished soils and climate-friendly practices.

These interests have succeeded in rolling out a system of economic plunder and bad food and poor health across the planet. If the ordinary person were to engage in biopracy, ecocide, the devastation of livelihoods and to knowingly poison the environment and food, as these corporations have, they would face years of incarceration.

Instead, we find these corporations securing privileged access to or control over institutions and co-opting politicians, policy makers, scientists and regulators, who sit on powerful bodies masquerading as ‘public servants’ or mouth platitudes about serving humanity, while effectively serving the interests of their real constituents: the global agritech/agribusiness cartel.

Until next time,
dream big dreams,
plan out how to achieve them,
be continually executing your plans,
enlist people to your causes,
travel and/or read widely, preferably both,
all the while observing what you observe
rather than thinking what you are told to think,
think well of your fellow man,
take time to help your fellow man,
he sorely needs it and it will help you too,
eat food that is good for your body,
exercise your body,
take time to destress,
and do the important things
that make a difference -
they are rarely the urgent ones!

Most of the content herein has been copied from someone else. Especially the images. My goodness some people are talented at creating aesthetics! The small bits that are of my creation are Copyright 2014-2016 © by Tom Grimshaw - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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