RR Phantom
Location : Wasted Space Job/hobbies : Cayman Islands Actuary
| Subject: OZschwitz statist idiots, or 'It's great to have a conscience, now tell us how we'll pay for it' Tue Aug 07, 2012 3:57 am | |
| You may not have noticed, but last week was among the most significant of the Gillard government's term. The commitments made may do great good, but they will also cause much pain and gnashing of teeth in the years ahead.
Last week the nation made it crystal clear to its political leaders - federal and state - it wanted them to get on with implementing the national disability insurance scheme. After decades of turning a blind eye to the difficulties faced by the disabled and their carers, last week conscience struck.
Fine. You're a believer; so am I. But the scheme is very expensive: when fully implemented in 2018, an additional $8 billion a year. Or, as the politicians and the media usually prefer to put it, $32 billion over four years.
To give you an idea, $8 billion a year is more than will be raised each year by the carbon tax or more than twice what will be raised by the new mining tax. Advertisement
So how will the disability scheme be paid for? No one has any idea. The pollies were arguing about that very question when - urged on by the same radio shock jocks who on other days rail against ''debt and deficit'' - the electorate put a rocket under them: Just do it!
That's why I have reservations. We behaved like a teenager with his first pay packet who goes out and buys a car on the never-never, without a moment's thought about how he'll fit the repayments into his budget.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/its-great-to-have-a-conscience-now-tell-us-how-well-pay-for-it-20120731-23cut.html#ixzz22qSAqZKB
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