Politics: Elections

Some mornings I look up into the sky and wonder what the point is. All around me people are hurrying to get themselves ready for the work day, I can hear the cars along the main roads near my home ferrying people to their destinations. Nearby I hear a TV broadcasting the days news and I really have to wonder what's it all about? We dedicate so much of our time to work so we can have leisure time that we are almost always to tired to enjoy.

And then, every four years we have an election where the politicians throw around catchphrases like work life balance and it gets under my skin and crawls. These politicians, so removed from the every day world that the rest of us live in, telling us that their goal is to create a better balance.

And that brings me to what people do to entertain themselves. On the news over the past few days (and repeatedly on and off when there is nothing better to say) the state government has been putting forward the idea that 'hoon' drivers should have their licenses stripped permanently if they are a repeat offender. This topic came up at dinner last night and it got me wondering: Why do they always jump ahead to the banning stage? Surely there must be steps in between for them to consider.

Regarding the 'hoon' driver: Has the government considered setting up licensed arenas/tracks whereby these people could fulfil their urge to do burnouts, race others, or just get their cars up to very high speeds for a nominal fee? The track could be equipped with first aid, fire control facilities, safety barriers, etc. Surely, if these people wee given a legal alternative, they would take it? What's that you say, there already exists such places? True but you have to use their cars and they are quite expensive. The 'hoon', I believe, wants to use their own car that they've had kitted out to their specifications.

Now there is another thing, the car kits. We have made easily available all manner of ways to improve the performance of cars over and above the factory specifications. Are these to be banned as well? Or maybe restrictions made on their sale – not available to anyone under the age of 21, subject to successful completion of Defensive and Offensive Driving Certificates?

Maybe the government needs to look at the skills we give to drivers, the basic knowledge we ask them to have to hold a license? There is a written test to get your Learners Permit, followed by a mandatory number of lessons behind the wheel to get your Probationary License. A Full License is granted upon a certain amount of time spent with your probationary license. There are also certain limitations on the vehicles that people with these licenses can drive. I believe this should be enhanced. In order to gain your full license, I believe that you should have to undertake Defensive and Offensive driving lessons and need to pass a skills test. By adding these hopefully the driver will learn more about handling a car in a variety of conditions and make the roads safer.

And that is a big point – Safer. This I all about making it safer to travel on the roads and simply banning repeat offenders from holding a license won't do. How do you stop them driving unlicensed? You can't. If you want to solve the problem you need to go back to basics and start at the beginning. But what of the hundreds of thousands of drivers who have licenses but are poorly skilled? You enforce them to do undertake these Defensive and offensive courses to improve theirs as well, then you make mandatory skills testing every five years to maintain your license.

Too far you think? Certainly not as far as banning outright for life and promoting the unlicensed use of cars.

Dangerous driving is serious issue and one that cannot be buttonholed into 'Hoon' or 'Drunk' or 'Drugged' drivers. The problem is global and needs to be treated as such.

Another entertainment topic: Drinking

Having a drink is part of our culture. Friday night after work, Saturday night on the town. These are things that are promoted as being OK by most. However drunkenness is not.
Most nights in any country/city/town that allows for the consumption of alcohol there will be people drinking to get drunk. If they keep it to themselves and avoid making a spectacle most people let it slide. It's when it becomes a spectacle that people start o take offence (usually completely ignoring any time they might have done it themselves). That's when the media circus starts and society is bombarded by tales of drink gone bad.

I personally like a bit of a drink and spent time last week tasting a variety of wines in Victoria. Did I get loud? No I did not, but I did get nicely buzzed. I did however see a great many people completely snozzled and making asses of themselves. And of course it all makes me wonder, if this such a taboo thing to do, why do we allow it to keep occurring? A large part of it I think is cultural – Australia has long talked itself up as a working class beer swilling culture able to handle copious amounts of alcohol. We also spend a great deal of money on anti-drinking advertising which does little to dissuade people.

So, do we invest more in the anti-drinking advertising? Do we continue to raise taxes on alcohol?We've been doing these things for years with little effect. Maybe we need to think of a new way of teaching people about moderation. Who knows? Certainly not me. I do enjoy my alcohol, be it wine, beer, or spirit. And I do it in moderation for the most part.

So what is the point of this blog entry? Nothing really. Maybe it is just to complain about how none of the political parties actually understand the people, their responsibility, or anything that really matters. And for those that don't vote, don't come complaining to me when the government does what you don't want because you couldn't even be bothered to take part.

So, on the election... What's there to say? I'm not sure what any of the parties are going for although I have been told that Labor launched a website today. Maybe it will contain more lies for the public to chew on like week old gristle. Maybe there will be promises of water resources and environmentalism. I doubt it will be substantial and like most things this current government has said they'll do, it will disappear like so much hot air.

The election is but a few days away and I've only heard hot air and personal attacks. I heard that the Liberals want to do 5 things immediately upon entering government:
1.Fix the RAH. A fine and noble thought, but in order to fix the RAH there are some serious works that need to be done. The RAH is our central hospital. It is a mismatch of architectural styles having been added to over decades. It is a rabbit warren and not particularly user friendly. I would rather see a new one built and the land handed over to the botanic gardens to create a wonderful public space. Although, I don't want it built over the rail yards.
2.Use Storm water retention for drinking water. Have they looked at the toxins that are in our storm water? The run-off of the city is filled with a vast array of pollutants. How about they actually build the reservoir expansions that have been promised us for years? How about they force industry to use recycled water instead of potable drinking water?
3.500 Tasers for police. This should have already been done and it is a crime that it hasn't. Wasn't this already blocked by the upper house?

There were two more, but at the moment I can't remember them. That's how memorable the liberal hyperbole is. I'm not sure if I've even seen a Labor advertisement. I think I'll look them up today and see what I can find out. Maybe there'll even be another blog this week.

I guess this means that my only reader will7 be asking me what I do want out of all this. Well, here we go, and please remember that I'm an idealist.

I want and honest government, with complete transparency.
I want every politicians earnings to be laid bare for the public to see.
I want every decision and debate published. I want politicians to use the common language and talk straight.
I want politicians to declare their individual beliefs and stand by them, and if the party overrides I want them to tell their constituents.
I want a strong opposition that doesn't spend their time arguing for the sake of arguing and blocking things because it wasn't their idea.
I want parliamentary privilege revoked and politicians held accountable for their words.
I want them to stop playing Sudoku (or any other games) in Parliament.
I want a progressive government willing to do what it takes to bring this state forward rather than waste another 4 years..
I want government that is unwilling to sacrifice public service and infrastructure for the sake of a credit rating.
I want a government that will accept the best bid not the lowest for projects.
I want a government that supports its citizens.

There's more, but I'll leave it at that. Like I said I'm an idealist. If ever such change is to occur we need, like so many other things wrong with our society, to go back to basics and start rebuilding from the ground up. The current administration and its opposition are equally poor choices to serve the people.

In politics, the elected officials serve the party first and the party sets its own agenda for what should be done.

When was the last time you as a citizen were asked your opinion regarding something in your community/electorate/state? I've never been asked. I have sent suggestions and received a form letter response, but never a personal one.

Welcome to democracy, Australian style, where your vote counts for less than the printed ballot paper.