Two published reports alerted the need for this post.
One, the facebook revelation that highlights the politicians’ ignorance of, or their being oblivious to, real world economics and its relationship to the disadvantaged, linked here.
Two, an article titled “Too Many Going Hungry”, from the ‘Whitehorse Leader‘ by Rebecca David, reporting on ‘Feed Melbourne Appeal 2016’, http://www.feedmelbourne.org.au/ , which I quote, says:
“Ten percent of Australians say they can’t afford to buy enough food”
“The ‘Feed Melbourne Appeal’ raises money to do something about this”
” Foodbank Victoria’s latest Hunger Report revealed almost 9000 Victorians – 2700 of them children – were being turned away from food charities that couldn’t keep up with the demand”. The report, compiled from responses by 1197 food agencies, shows that more than 90,900 people accessed food relief each month “
” Community Support Frankston manager Steve Phillips said the Commonwealth Government cut $100,000 in emergency relief funding in the area during the last financial year. “
” Make a Difference co-ordinator Marion Harriden said they had lost 100% of their government funding, and now survived on grants, donations and sponsorships. “
” The appeal is led by Leader Community News, Fairshare and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation. “
Opinion: A combination of factors which obviously require urgent attention and future action –
The failure of our society to achieve moral standards and economic balance in Australia. This means a balance in understanding and priorities that should not be lacking in our country of plentiful resources. A balance in the national economy that limits the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, at least to the extent shown to be true here.
A balance in the international economy that avoids unnecessary expenditure overseas at the expense of our own citizens welfare.
An education of our political leaders and aspirers, apparently only available from the activist blogging fraternity, as to the real-world economy.
An awareness of the extent of our existing Australian welfare system –
that it is currently so essential yet neglected by the authorities, and should not be!;
that it is already supported by an extensive volunteer network which has more understanding, compassion and drive than the whole collective political leadership put together;
that it is a disgrace to our country’s heritage and pride of being one of the best in the world.
From here? Citizens, please consider supporting this Food Appeal and perhaps also help educate our leaders and candidates understand this dire situation. Perhaps vote for those most compassionate and patriotic.
The GOLDEN RULE 
“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for the rest of his life.”
Unless, of course, the government tells the fisherman he has to fork over 40% of his fish. See how that works?
I am not a free person if the government usurps 40% of the fruits of my labor. Indeed, I am 40% slave to the government. Few know who John Locke is and fewer still would even consider his theory on property. We would be a better country if we did.
Redistribution of wealth – forced slavery through taxation – is a communist dictum and we know, or at least should know, that communism is a failed theory.
Welfare weakens the work ethic. Government interference in the economy weakens markets. Nanny-statism – aka over-regulation – kills just about everything.
Welfarism forces people to learn to be dependent… and dependent on something as corrupt and mismanaged as ‘government’ is a huge mistake.
Government should not be a charity. Once it becomes involved in charity people begin to think, ‘Why should I give to a charity? I already gave at the ATO.’
Then there’s just plain old government stupidity, like conceding to the United Nations on just about EVERYTHING. Agenda 21/2030 controls EVERYTHING a country can/cannot do, especially its economy. Being part of the anthropogenic global warming scam is also a costly business (again, thank UN! /sarc) There is no such thing as an Australian Government – it’s just a sycophantic operation bowing to an unelected, international bureaucracy. As far as I know, every council has incorporated at least some aspects of Local Agenda 21.
Now I don’t mean to offend you by writing this because this is your blog and you’re the master here and I totally understand and respect that – but I really, really don’t like that you are calling certain people ‘political leaders’. I pay their stinkin’ salary – they are my public servants. I give no one authority over me. No one is my ‘leader’. I defer certain jobs to certain people, but that does not and never will mean that they ‘lead’ me. And it’s because people look up to these evil politicians – and I’m certain that 99.9% of the politicians out there have an twisted bent toward psychopathy/sociopathy (look at what Merkel is doing to Germany/what the EU has done to Europe, Gillard outright lied) – that no one even really thinks to rein them in. They actually created a system that makes it extremely difficult to get rid of them – having to wait x amount of time for an election to oust someone when people are suffering now.
The only thing these ‘leaders’ lead us into is more oppression, less individual rights.
Also, as long as we allow the public servants to create better benefits for themselves using our money, there’s no hope for anyone.
Read this, especially the comments section:
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/politicans-enjoying-generous-lifetime-pensions-agree-other-australians-should-have-their-superannuation-taxed-more/news-story/a9c450847248281f5211deed6a0cdde7?nk=008cffd7a9139cde57711b23971da316-1463016685#load-story-comments
More government, more poverty. Less government, less poverty.
I won’t even get into how the banksters have destroyed wealth for everybody…
Instead of a handout, why not a hand up? Anyone with access to a yard should be using it to grow at least some of their food. Give out seeds and free help on how to grow their own food. Every area, from city to suburb, should have allotments/community food gardens. If New York City can do it, so can Melbournians.
http://ecowatch.com/2013/11/08/urban-farming-projects-new-york-city/
Projects like the above examples in that link would not only feed the poor but make them healthier, relieving the Medicare system. Medicinal plants should be included in every such garden. You don’t need a flu vax if you have access to elderberry and echinacea and your kid plays outside everyday.
http://www.naturalnews.com/026354_flu_Tamiflu_elderberry.html
http://wellnessmama.com/1888/elderberry-syrup/
Lets prune back Big Pharma.
Which brings us full circle in a very round about way. Why would government want a healthy citizenry when those very same politicians most probably invest in or get payments from Big Pharma? So it pays for government to keep the people downtrodden. There is so much more I could say.
My apologies for a long, somewhat disjointed quasi-rant. I think a lot about how governments ruin people’s lives, how its inherent greed destroys the personal wealth of the common people and wonder when people will wake up to the fact that the world still basically operates like it did in Medieval times, the minority group of lords and ladies dancing giddily on the majority of us serfs.
Thanks for your trouble and a great deal of opinion.
All very related and meaningful as far is it goes, but, whereas I am connecting with the problems that do currently exist within our country and its inherent systems, you are stretching to ideologies far wider reaching.
I would have to agree with much of what you do say, except that your ideals would seem to not solve the consequence of poverty and starvation that accompanies any political system political system.
Self-sufficiency is a solution, for food survival, providing the government does not make it illegal, as is happening in the US. But this is a small, even though absolutely essential, part of surviving.
(Going off-grid and growing your own vegetables, keeping chooks, collecting your own water etc,. are not only offences in the US but are integral with the NWO plans for all, it seems)
So, as much as I abhor what is being enacted and planned for us by the NW banker-cabal and its henchmen, all of which I actively oppose on my blog, dealing with the present, local issues affecting our own disadvantaged people is appropriate for me.
Appreciate your contributions.