Greybeard says...

...because you can is not a good reason to do anything.

2008-02-26T10:07:00.001+10:00

Greed rears it ugly head again, in one of our politicians.

In The Sunday Mail, February 24, there is a small story about one of our politicians, Malcolm Turnbull the Shadow Treasurer. The Sunday Mail reports Mr. Turnbull as 'Australia's richest politician' and worth about $150 million. The story goes on to report how he claims $190 per night in taxpayers money for rent to his wife to stay in 'his' luxury $2 million waterfront penthouse in Canberra.

Now I don't know how many nights he stays there, but at $190 a night I hope it is not too many each year.

In my opinion just one night a year is too much. This man is 'Australia's richest politician'. Isn't a politicians job to represent the people, to protect their interests? Is this protecting our interests, or his own?

Mr Turnbull defended his action by saying it is legitimate to be making this claim and suggested that if he did not it would undermine Australia's democratic system.

"One of the great achievements of the 19th century was securing salaries for parliamentarians. Without them, only the wealthy or those employed by vested interests could afford to be MPs." he said.

Yeah, sure My Turnbull. Do you think somewhere in your logic to protect the interests of Australians, Mr. Turnbull, there is space for this thought -

'Just because I can doesn't mean I should.'

Do you really need that $190 each night? Do you really think it is going to cause irreparable harm to our democratic system if you don't claim it?

I suggest that if you seriously believe in what you are saying then I don't want you anywhere near the position of Treasurer.

...criticism can be seen to threaten stability.

2008-02-25T09:16:00.001+10:00

This morning my wife mentioned to me some comments she received after posting to a forum. She posted a short message to a dog forum and incorrectly called our Shorkie a 'breed'. If you don't know, a Shorkie is a cross between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Shih Tzu. In fact, depending on the website I have seen them called Shorkie Tzu, Yorkie Tzu and a few other names. So much for an exact science.

Anyway, a number of people got very upset about this mistake and reacted with quite aggressive responses. And even after my wife apologised for her mistake - she does know they are not a 'pure breed' - the responses persisted. I thought about this a little as I wondered why people do this, and I have seen many instances of this sort of response to innocent mistakes or misunderstandings.

Why do some people have such little tolerance and feel so threatened by such an innocent comment?

Well, I think it's that old B & W issue. To feel good about ourselves we construct a simple view of our world. A view where we 'know' certain things as being 'fact', and in doing so we have defined the world we live in, made it more predictable and thus controllable. And when it is controllable we feel more comfortable about our future. Things are in their place, the world is ordered and comfy.

Well, if you really want to look at it there is no such thing as a 'pure breed'. If is only 'pure' relative to a definition of the breed at a particular point in time. I defy anybody to prove to me that any 'pure breed' of dog was not crossed at some point in the past. In fact, I defy anybody to prove the same about ourselves.

I can only assume that those individuals that refuse to see the comment as an innocent mistake and insist on criticising must be very insecure in their beliefs. They need to do this to reassure themselves that 'everything is in its place'.

So is this something we should be upset about, their constant criticism. No, not upset, but certainly disappointed that they have such a narrow view of things and such little tolerance.

Mmm...does this sound a little familiar.

...oil and the dollar still rule over commonsense.

2008-02-24T19:24:00.001+10:00

In a news item on MSN our beloved government, Australian that is, is concerned about the diminishing supply of oil in Australia and the rising oil deficit. So guess what, they are backing a push for further exploration to find more oil fields.

Another Aussie oilfield needed

Apparently, we are facing a deficit of some $25-billion. This is enough that our Energy Minister Martin Ferguson has suggested the government may offer incentives to help producers pay for more exploration.

Now there is something about all this that seems a little screwed.

First up, if we as a country can afford to 'give' private companies incentives, cash in other words, then surely we can afford to 'invest' that same amount, each year, in finding alternatives to oil. When I last checked we had a little problem called 'global warming' and, unless I am very mistaken, the use of oil based products is the main cause.

I don't know just how much the government invests in this type of research, but it really doesn't matter. We could obviously be doing more. Global warming is not a theory, it is fact. The evidence is so obvious you have to be in a coma to miss it. The consequences for the future are horrendous. Surely, this should be a priority for our government and for all governments.

But, as usual, politics and the dollar reign supreme. No, it is not a simple problem and the solution will need to be dramatic, but unless we are actively pursuing a solution with vigour and urgency it will beat us...or has it already.

...justice is sadly lacking.

2008-02-22T23:05:00.001+10:00

This evening, on the news, there was story about the sentencing of a hit-and-run driver.

This person was three times over the legal alcohol limit. He ran over and killed a person crossing the street, and then bolted.

His sentence, five years, but possibly out in two, if he behaves himself. Does that seem like justice to you?

Unless he has been living on the moon his entire life he is well aware of the laws to do with driving while under the influence of alcohol. Unless he is in some way incapable of understanding the dangers of driving drunk, surely he was aware that he was not only placing his life in danger but the lives of others. Surely he is responsible for placing himself in a situation where he was drinking and intended to be driving afterwards.

Now this man was a mature man, and as such should have learnt a few lessons in life, should have seen first hand the suffering of others at the loss of their loved ones.

In my opinion he should have not only received a higher sentence, but be made to confront those whose lives he has changed with an apology, and then be made to pay restitution for any and all costs involved in the case and to any persons affected by the tragedy.

I firmly believe that what is missing in our justice system is accountability. A term in confinement is comforting to victims, but really does nothing to compensate victims who have to replace possessions, pay for extended health bills as a result of injury and loss of income during this whole process.

The proceeds from fines imposed on criminals go into government coffers, and often there is no penalty imposed to compensate the actual victim or their family.

On top of that we now see these criminals getting light sentences to start with, and then being released well before the full term.

When will we see a system that looks to the needs of the victims more than those of the criminal?

Oh...by the way, the victim was in a wheelchair.

...as I get older it has become extremely clear that I will die.

2008-02-22T19:05:00.006+10:00

That may sound like a strange thing to say, but I used to feel a little immortal and the reality of dying, well, it wasn't reality then. I am sure if you think about it you also are guilty of believing 'it will never happen' to you. Smoking, excess alcohol, eating all the wrong foods, no exercise, cheating on your partner, unprotected sex, stealing from the boss, speeding, the odd 'harmless' drug, these are all evidence of our ability to convince ourselves of our immortality.

For me however, I really did have a slim hope that I would live forever, but more on that in some other post. Does this make me sound a little strange? Probably, and I do care about what you think of me, but in the end it is what I think of myself that really matters. The only real problem I have is that the reality has set in and I now ponder how it will happen.

Anway, along with this realisation has come some other wisdom, if you can call it that.

Over the years I have tried to keep an open mind about the existence of a 'god'. I have read most of the Bible, and many other books, articles etc on very many related subjects. Another realisation is that I don't think there is a god. I don't know, but so far the evidence does not support the premise. Will I ever know, of course not. So I still remain open-minded, a little.

At the moment of writing this I believe we have but one life. Prior to this life I did not exist, and following it I will also not exist. The atoms and energy of which I am made will change form and continue to exist, but I, that intangible 'I', will not. No more than a chair exists after it is burnt to ashes, or a conversation after it ends.

There probably is no inherent 'right' and 'wrong' in the universe, just what works, sort of, for our society, or more correctly for us as individuals. If right and wrong are built into the universe, that infers the existence of an entity capable of making such decisions, and I have already dealt with that. And 'right and 'wrong' in societies is dependent on a lot of factors, including who is in power at the time. Really, I believe the only 'right' and 'wrong' that matters is that which gives each individual the right to exist, live their lives and follow their desires, as long as what they do does not impact on the same rights of others.

Our society at the moment is probably on a downward spiral into extinction, like most in the past. It is addicted to pleasure and stimulation, all driven by greed and the almighty dollar, or whatever currency you use. I doubt that humans will grow out of this, after all we are human and just animals, so our demise is probably without question.

So in this blog I will be talking about a lot of subjects, expressing a lot of views, and I will contradict myself at times, use bad English, make typos and probably piss you off occasionally. Get over it. I am human, opinionated and very infallible. New experiences will change the way I look at things, my conclusions and emotional responses.

If you disagree, that is your right and I invite you to post a comment. In fact, please do, as often as possible. Your input is what I am looking for to answer the remaining questions I have about this short life and to find purpose.