Iraq
John Howard yaps behind the US and British dogs of war while his faithful warmongrel, Larry Anthony, obsesses with the vital events of our time — the Casino/Murwillumbah railway and the Ocean Shores sports field — in an attempt to blinker us from the effects of the criminal policies of the HoWARd regime.
The illegal invasion of Iraq has now cost over 1000 US military lives and many thousands of Iraqis have been killed. Vast areas of Iraq are irradiated with aeons-lasting depleted uranium which is thought to have boosted US 1991 Gulf War veterans from the initial 7035 wounded to the now 518,739 on medical disability.
Perhaps the minister for youth and children's services will never know the full extent of the Iraqi civilian radiological casualties and perhaps will never visit the children's cancer wards. He probably shares former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright's view that the death of half a million Iraqi children from sanctions was "a very hard choice, but we think the price is worth it".
A concerted anti-war effort can send Larry into political limbo and this could just oust Howard "the lying rodent". News of this could well affect the US and UK elections as Australia joins Spain in getting rid of the governments of gore. Let us all think global but vote local in this crucial election which will decide if law will prevail over war.
Gareth Smith
Byron Bay [Abridged]
Latham's tax package
Mark Latham has again demonstrated his bias against social security recipients with his response to valid criticisms of his mean tax policy decision to take over $1000 a year from some of the nation's poorest families.
In Latham's world, problems can largely be solved by obtaining employment. However, many people are too elderly or unwell to be employed. Others have a significant domestic job caring for children or other dependants, or are studying. There are already far more people seeking employment than there are job vacancies.
Labor's tax package will at most increase employment by a very small percentage. Millions will continue to require social security. Rhetoric about opportunity is no substitute for cash to pay for regular expenses.
Several European nations combine substantially higher social security payments than Australia has with the encouragement of people to find employment. Both the ALP and the Coalition are determined to keep the lowest-income Australians poorer than they could and should be.
Brent Howard
Rydalmere, NSW
NSW cleaners' strike
I sympathise with the situation of the workers participating in the current industrial action in support of job security for the cleaners in NSW schools, and would like to take this opportunity to say that their concerns about the possibility of increasing job insecurity are not without foundation. At the moment almost 30% of the national work force is considered as fully employed when they are in fact underemployed as casual workers.
I fall into this category. This means that we don't show up on unemployment stats, even though we may experience extended periods of unemployment, unless we register and pass all the eligibility tests. For many contractors, such as cleaners, casual teachers, tutors, etc., the breaks are long enough to eat through our savings, but not long enough to qualify, or necessitate seeking assistance. During these breaks our obligations such as mortgages or rent, bills, food, expenses and running costs for ourselves and our families continue unabated.
The really disturbing part of this scenario for me, is that when I was working in an "ongoing" casual position in July of this year, employed as a higher education officer in an accounts section of the University of Sydney's Institute of Transport Studies, which is coincidentally part of the university's School of Economic and Business Studies, I experienced first hand how this new system will operate.
Apart from some blatant OH&S oversights, there were also some contractual anomalies. I was asked to "fill in" for our cleaner who had been artificially "given a holiday" — remember that casuals don't get holidays, so this was unannounced leave without pay, so that this casual staff member wouldn't exceed her 14-week limit (under our workplace agreement they have to offer her a permanent contract after that point). I refused, pointing out that it fell outside my job description, and that it took work away from another employee whose job it was, I was also a casual, and I was sacked, without being given a reason.
Basically the university is using this seasonal stop start contracting to avoid ever offering permanent contracts to their cleaning staff. What's worse is that the Department of Industrial Relations is funding the Sydney University's School of Economic and Business Studies to research and inform them on methods of "best practice" when it comes to workplace relations.
Elizabeth Eldridge
Sydney [Abridged]
Climate change
The ecological wisdom of the "economically rational" is like the wisdom of someone who refuses to pay to maintain their car. They are fascinated by the fatuous amounts of cash they amass until a catastrophic breakdown renders their vehicle too expensive to be repaired. Why are we waiting to phase fossil fuel back away from the heart of our economy? How extreme does global warming have to get before you finally recognise it as a real phenomenon?
I am frustrated that many of our greatest minds are also blind to our most urgent needs, and are distracted by relatively superficial threats. Yet the source of my frustration is also the source of my hope. It is those in this world with the best management skills who are refusing to responsibly manage the planet which supports them.
One day, born of necessity, our most driven leaders will work within an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable framework. It is just a shame the majority are being directed to want deeper climate pains before choosing to make that change.
Zane Alcorn
Newcastle, NSW
From Green Left Weekly, September 15, 2004.
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