The long, soul-destroying national debate has begun. Should the Commonwealth find yet another way of pick-pocketing the citizenry by taxing sugar?
Predictably the Greens are behind the push, having gone to the last election with a sugar tax as part of their grab bag of feel good policies. The Greens have said they will introduce a “sugar-sweetened beverages tax” as a private members’ bill in the ongoing freak show that is the Australian Senate at some time over the next 12 months.
Barnaby Joyce was incandescent – well, more incandescent with rage at the proposal.
“People are sitting on their backsides too much, and eating too much food and not just soft drinks, eating too many chips and other food,” Barnaby said.
Perhaps inadvertently, the Deputy Prime Minister had outed himself as a hand wringer for the public good of a different kind. He’s pro-sugar but anti-fat.
Full column here.
The world is rid of a murderous tyrant Mr Insider, with reports Cuba’s Fidel Castro dead at 90yo. The man who not only murdered and tortured and imprisoned his own Countrymen but who also wrecked the Cuban economy. Lets hope Cuba can advance now although with his brother Raul Castro we may have to wait for the entire Castro regime to disappear forever. Good riddance!
http://tinyurl.com/jvabsu6
If we are serious about childhood obesity then those with the taxing/punitive obsessions should put another tax on school buses and vehicles; maybe fine parents who drive their little butter balls to school. Walk you bastards.
Personally I think it is cheaper to eat healthily than not. Go to the markets and get a load of fruit and vegies. Buy cheaper cuts of meat. The rest should be basic staples that really don’t cost that much: rice, pasta, salt, tea, flour, chick peas, lentils etc. Grow your own herbs (marijuana) and plant a couple of chooks.
And whilst the education seems overburdened as it is a compulsory home economics course would be to the good. Those in a lower socio economic situation would be best served being made aware how to shop smarter. Never buy a 6 pack kids!
Agree – I used to walk to school as a tacker (until I changed to a school that was too far to walk to, and then we took the school bus.
Regarding food – buying fresh food is definitely cheaper (and healthier) than take away. However are some now too lazy to prepare food, although with both parents commonly working maybe it is too time consuming? I won’t get started on my thoughts of demographics and the employment status regarding those who are more likely to eat takeaway – I haven’t the facts at hand and may be chastised by some on the blog!
But talking about eating healthily, If you shop around good quality fresh food can be got for reasonable prices. And as for exercise, sport used to be a compulsory part of school.
As an anecdote. I have a colleague who grew up in a country town, and he recalls the story of a primary school kid who had never eaten an orange (until given one at school)… Sad.
Trivalve:
Castro was a great leader! Stood up to big brother and maintained his country’s dignity
Only trouble is, he maintained their poverty too Yvonne.
Castro the great dick tater murdered tens of thousands while doing it. But the killers were lefties so that does not count. Pinochet another great dick tater only murdered 1/30th of what Castro achieved but because of his politics was loudly condemned by the left. There is no dignity in death by trying to avoid the oppressors
Dismayed
I saw your holier-than-thou quip at the tail end of the previous topic about me being an AGW “denialist of fact”.
Bit rich coming from you mate, especially as you constantly and proudly proclaim yourself as being able to put bread on the table as a result of your successful livelihood in the fossil fuel industry. An activity that is apparently responsible for much of the looming doom and gloom me old mate JB often goes on about.
Or perhaps you don’t believe in anaerobic decomposition and would rather accept the rantings of blokes like Jerry Mazza?
Also, whilst you appear to be most comfortable residing in a binary world, you are obviously unaware that “facts” in science are observations that are accepted as ‘true’. However, truth in science is never final and what is accepted today may be modified or even discarded tomorrow.
Don’t defame me Carl. You clearly stated you do not believe the science or in dangers presented to future generations by humans effort over the last 2 centuries.. I have never boasted about my profession. To claim I “constantly and proudly proclaim” is an outright LIE. No Surprises coming from you. Gas will be the transition fuel as I have stated before.
Being “in the tent” enables me to help ensure, as has occurred that the Environmental aspects of the industry continue improve. Your final paragraph highlights that you are very confused you actually defeat your own lies with it. Stick with your denial it will stop you from having to take responsibility for your actions. How does your apparent epiphany on science co-exist with your believe in unproven sky fairies?
Dismayed – So now you’ve fessed up and admit you’re NOT proud of being “in the tent” with the CO2. That’s what it does to you mate. It addles the grey matter as is evidenced by your silly threadbare claims of innocence.
Don’t defame me Carl. More lies form you. No surprises. Somebody check old Carls meds. He does not know if he is Arthur or Martha on any given day or even which day it is. Very sad. I feel for your family.
Dismayed – Its a pity you appear to have a need for resorting to bottom of the barrel stuff mate, because you occasionally post insightful comments on cricket and AFL.
No need for personal family related slurs.
Dismayed: I am curious – what exactly is the defamatory imputation in Carl’s posts?
That you are loose with the truth; comfortable with hypocrisy or part of the fossil fuels industry? Given your posts over the years hard to imagine why you would have a problem with any of those or how they could be defamatory.
Is it merely that whilst you have stated you are proud of the drilling work you have done (apparently with good grounds) you haven’t done it constantly and you aren’t proud of actually being in the sector? Semantics Dismayed.
Dismayed: ”Defame”? Do you know the meaning of the word? If you regard these comments as defamatory you need to have a long hard look at your own comments – which are normally personal slurs on the character of those with differing opinions to yours. Chill man
Ahh Sigh. Your obsession is showing again. Some time ago on morning television Prissy Pyne did not like what Carl Stephanovic was saying. “Don’t defame me Carl”, Pyne cried. Due to Cotc consistently misrepresenting information and comments from all and sundry it is appropriate to address cotc in this manner. “Don’t defame me Carl” You should eat some bread. It may spur some dopamine and serotonin production. As usual you are looking for an issue where none exists. Instead of trolling my comments you should consider actually reviewing the policies of those you support instead of blindly following.
Don’t eat bread – my serotonin is fine thanks. I’m just surprised you regard Pyne as a role model.
Fidel gone to hell. Or wherever.
One of the great figures of the 20th Century. Cuba can now set about true reform.
yeah, right up there with Mao, though Mao managed to kill even more people and to keep many many more people poor and tyrannised.
still fidel did his best with the numbers he had
I, too, see Fidel Castro has finally evaded the CIA once and for all.
A very mixed legacy at best, shading to baleful at best, particularly on economics, human rights, democracy, and foreign policy.
Tried to give Cubans and Latin Americans back their dignity and independence, and took it away for the former with the other hand eventually. Simply sticking up two fingers at the Americans isn’t heroism at all, if you leave your country in decrepit poverty as well (or wouldn’t have minded becoming a radioactive moonscape in the process) or keep it as one of the worst dictatorships in the Western hemisphere when most of the rest have either crumbled or become democratic.
Communist Brady Bunch fans
Just to finish that last bit: Communist Brady Bunch fans must be bawling their eyes out this evening.
Let’s not forget Fidel did his best. Did his best to incite a global nuclear cpnflagration in 1962, I mean.
Joined the USN a week after turning 18, in June 1962. I went to Great Lakes NRTC in Chicago. We were tagged Stillwater Sailors and Canoeists by the rest of the Navy because we trained on the Lakes. Training was cut short 2 weeks and my whole intake sent to Atlantic Fleet on 10 October. I had never seen the ocean. I joined the USS Essex and assigned to assist the Met Officer, first steps of a lifelong career. I was at sea for the duration of the quarantine.
Joined the USN a week after turning 18, in June 1962. I went to Great Lakes NRTC in Chicago. We were tagged Stillwater Sailors and Canoeists by the rest of the Navy because we trained on the Lakes. Training was cut short 2 weeks and my whole intake sent to Atlantic Fleet on 10 October. I had never seen the ocean. I joined the USS Essex and assigned to assist the Met Officer, first steps of a lifelong career. I was at sea for the duration of the quarantine.
Fidel’s just gone to Mexico to hang out with Elvis and Lady Di and Michael Jackson and Idi Amin. Bet he opens a Margarita and Cigar Bar in Tijuana.
George Mega with a great piece in the NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/opinion/powering-australias-economic-surge.html?ref=opinion
the last couple of pars are misconceived but he is right about the rest.
an immigration policy based on skilled migration which is run in a rules based fashion means wide-spread public support and economic growth,
open borders such as exist in the US and now the EU mean economic chaos and little to no public support.
George has been banging on about how post war immigration made modern Australia and has extreme difficulty in recognizing the contributions of the native born.
We used to have a few cross words when he ran his blog.
If all the good jobs have gone to the immigrants, what is the point of immigration for the locals?
Darren, I didn’t say it was perfect, or achieved the right outcome in every individual case, no immigration system does, but Mega is right in saying that ours contributes greatly to our sustained economic growth.
I would add that it also enjoys public support at levels about twice that of Europe or the US.
I have never done work in aus and been paid off shore, I must ask you for some tax advice when I do.
HK jack, our skills based immigration system is IMO badly broken. My missus tried for years to pass the academic english IELTs test – she needed to get straight 7s in one sitting to pass (the academic and business standard) because we first tried to get her in on the skills visa for accountants (which is what she is, or was – and a highly skilled senior one with lots of experience with E & Y in China). The bottom line was that that is impossible to do if you are not a native english speaker. She managed to repeatedly score over 7 in each category but never all in one test. She would usually get 3 straight 8s and a 6.5. At $300 a test it became apparent after the 6th time that the system was rigged against such people. In the meantime the university requirement score is and AVERAGE of 5.5. Which I can tell you is completely non fluent in english and inappropriate. Although some Australian universities have increased that to an AVERAGE of 6.5 – still completely inappropriate but better.
Incidentally IELTS was never intended to measure fluency in the way Immigration, or border farce, or whatever they are called, intends. Its a simple misuse.
My missus now makes a huge amount of money from her work, which she can conduct via the internet. She makes that money in China though – we have things organised so that she is not an Australian tax resident. Why let her pay tax for a country that is so miserable in its attitude towards her. Soon she will be a full Australian resident and start paying Australian tax but I am going to arrange it so her income stays in China. I for one dont celebrate the system as you seem to. Its rotten and just plain bad and I dont think this rotten system – which represents the Australian taxpayer – deserves any free kicks. And that comes from a person who has claimed maybe 5 tax deductions in his whole life, so hopefully that will indicate the measure of my anger over what you – mistakenly – call a “rules based system”.
Big Russ had never looked as fit and terrific as he did in that photo.
It’s all relative isn’t it Milton? It took those two blokes to make Russ look that way. Must have been the German ancestry, all those sausages and whatnot.
At his peak Milt without doubt! A hell of a beer gut that a drinkin man could be proud of! Only met him once but he was a hell of a knock around no nonsense bloke.
Russ and his mates would be great to nearby on a sunny day. No need for sun screen.
I see reports Fidel Castro may have enjoyed his last cigar.
No doubt you will mourn. I mean him of course not the thousands he killed. Why? Because a leftist conscience allows one to be selective.
And a rightist can interpret and expand negatively on anything a leftie says, even if it’s just ‘good morning’
All I did was state that a polarizing figure had died. Your pathological dishonesty and trolling does not allow you to see anything other than your backwards ideology and an enemy in every shadow you jump past through your fear of everything which has been part of your indoctrination into the flock of brainless sheep. Unlike you something people who have been empowered to think for themselves have is the ability to consider information for its sake not just along a political or ideological view. Another ability thinking people have is the ability to be able to have different views,(due to that thinking ability). Something someone like you who has been indoctrinated into the neo-con right wing dullard flock does not have the ability to do. Dou continue to highlight what a very poor excuse for a human you are.
I get it now! You aren’t indoctrinated into any ideology. I should have picked up that fact simply by your middle of the road posts and your sensational abi.ity to see both sides of an argument!
Now! Now! Settle petal.
Having visited Cuba, I reckon that Fidel got some things right, particularly in relation to social equality. The health system there is good and Cuban nationals have access to food and manufactured goods at far lower rates than foreigners (there were two currencies in use when I was there in 2010).
However, I also heard a lot of complaints about how hard it was to be an entrepreneur in Cuba.
Overall, I’d say that Castro was better for Cuba than Fullgencio Batista.
i have never really understood this desire to tell people what to do, eat, drink etc.
it is amusing when it is selective. i have talked to friends who are in favour of taxes on fat or sugar, or more restrictions on booze and gaspers on the basis that these things are bad for people, but those same friends advocate for public funded heroin injecting rooms.
i believe the injecting room at King’s Cross is a non-smoking place.
now that is funny.
of course, it may be that injecting heroin users have statically better health outcomes than smokers, but it seems unlikely.
Yep, hat’s a good one jack. Probably the effect of a blanket law though. I guess that means they can’r smoke the heroin either?
I guess there’s no such thing as second-hand smack . . .
Thats cheating JTI. Most heroin abusers have mental health and additional social and drug use issues. It is possible to use heroin with addiction problems, but such people dont turn up in injecting rooms.
Talkin about sweet. Good to see big John Hastings back playing for the Vics. Faulkner taking wickets for the Tassies and young SACA opener Jake Weatherald continuing to make runs. Jake Lehamann not so much. I hope Maxi makes some runs when he gets a bat also.