Geoff's Blog - Kevin the great giver

If, perchance, it is more blessed to give than to receive, then Kevin 07, our chairman, wonderfully endowed with the much media maligned John Howard’s careful savings and debt elimination, must feel within himself a sense of entitlement to blessings beyond measure.

See Kevin give $1000 to a huge number of the grateful populace. Of course it’s a measure to stimulate the economy. Vote buying? Goodness! How could I conceive of such a thing in the face of his generosity? Forget that a good proportion of this money will end up in the pokies, TAB or on certain alcoholic beverages, or even a Chinese manufactured flat screen TV. How could I not understand that this is instant vote grabbing, rather than a considered and sustained pension increase, where it would actually do the economy a world of good?

Six billion to the car companies? As Stephen Mayne asked, why did he give them that money? For that, he could have bought General Motors America in its depleted state, lock, stock and Holden too.

And so it goes on. His largesse is directed at any highly visible rescue or photo opportunity. But what is it doing for the economy really? Has he any idea about what makes this economy go? I am beginning to suspect not, in the strongest terms. He will bail out the failures (like the NSW State Labor Government), but the real people who make this economy go – the small business owners who risk their own personal capital - are to be given a significantly different present. IR laws which will take the country back to the days of draconian union influence over the workplace, and to a fear of actually taking risk and putting on employees.

And so, as the sun pulls away from the shore, and our economy sinks slowly in the west (bye bye Chinese demand for our minerals), Kevin is hooked on a giving binge. Of course, “It’s the government this, and the government that,” from the mouth of Kevin and his busy media spinners. But when he says “government” try reading “taxpayer”. There is no free giving. Someone has to pay in the end and that is the PAYE worker and the small businessman. It is “us” who are giving in such largesse. And we will pay. These handouts are the future debt for us, our children and grandchildren.

Kevin does not, and may never, understand that true giving comes at a cost to the giver. The story of Christmas, from which we take our giving cue, is one where the givers do so at great personal cost to themselves, and those around them. Jesus’ mother gives the world a son described as a saviour at great personal cost, in the isolation from and the derision of, her very family. Wise men leave their home and travel far to present gifts to a baby, they will never see again, in response to an astrological event. These are people who understand the true nature of giving.

True giving is not generated by debt on a credit-card. It is that personal decision by the giver to put aside their own desires and, whatever it costs, enhance the life of another by the gift of themselves or something which has personally cost them to bring.

In the words of a letter writer summing up Christmas, “ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not consider equality a thing to be grasped but emptied himself and became a servant being born in the likeness of men.” This is the true meaning of Christmas and of giving. Perhaps Kevin and all of us need to rediscover this as we generously give ourselves both a food-fest and credit-card hangover this year.

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I am also very pleased with the bonus--and pleased to get it--- I also notice that the chemist rate has gone up to $6--and aslo the phone and internet allowance also--and also the U/ allowance--not by a lot but every paenny is welcome

I take it Plan B that you mean the Pharmaceutical benefit allowance has gone up to $6 as the for payment from 1.1.09 is $5.30 gone up 30c which of course means in their bountiful generosity they have held back 10 c of the rise in script as well as the fact that once the PBA was for one script co payment.



Goody goody for the poor old married buggers who will gt a whole $3 a fortnight because they were silly enough to actually tie the knot and not live in sin and not tell the government about it.

I understand where you are coming from Val--and know that it is not at all fair

I for another am grateful for the bonus , some spent some saved ,and as for the forum being to unpleasant to visit, but i notice you still do> strange that), perhaps it is getting the dubious virtues of John Howard shoved down our throats ,and the crap laid on K evin Rudd by some, and the same thing in reverse from the other side , it all gets a bit tiring ,, We all have a reasonable idea which side most favour ,so we dont need every statement made here to be politicised one way or the other ,,Personally if they raffled the lot at 5 cents a ticket ,i wouldn't open my purse to buy one ,but at least Kevin made xmas easier for some of us ,and for that I thank him,,,,, what ever folk decide to do with the money is up to them if they are daft enough to waste it , thats their choice , same a it is your choice to do as you will with yours ,, to those of you who dont agree with it , send it back,(I'd like to see that), get over it and find something interesting to post ,and we may get a better response for the work the admins put into the site ,,,,before someone jumps up and down saying I dont participate a lot ., no I dont , and thats because I prefer not to be force fed politics ,and though I am sometimes tempted , I have no wish to be banned for obcene language ,so I refrain I do read right through the lot and wonder at the narrow lives some must live,,, to be able to bombard us with all this political waste, get out and smell the roses its a wonderful world out there

A very eloquent post Dusty!

.................................................I

I think that is what we are mostly on about not which Party we give our vote to but to have people SO vicious and disrespectful to Kevin Rudd makes me disappointed in my fellow Aussies. who are not willing to give a bloke a fair go at least....



Like you Dusty, many people given the $1,000 plus dollars just before Christmas are

relieved to be able to have some spending money and it has been a better year for Seniors surely. Seems Kevin is helping the homeless folk and that makes me grateful to him also.

All the best

Phyl.

The reason I am not grovelling is that my one off payment is I consider only what was due to me and everyone else on the Age Pension because of the horrendous rise in the cost of those things we all have to buy to live. Labor should have given it to us immediately because it was obvious that prices had risen sharply. Liberals may also not have done it - but that is not relevant as they lost government.

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Others may consider it a bonus - carer's and Self Funded Retiree's the those with children on Tax benefit A which is welfare but for Age pensions and other pensions in particular it was just giving us what they should have done in the May Budget or even earlier.

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One thing Age Pensioners have in common - they are the only ones who cannot work - others do get the opportunity. Many employers do seek to employ disability people but none that I know of go out of their way to take on people over 65.



Also the government said that for Age Pensioners it was the equivalent of 26 weeks rise to make up for inflation in prices.

So who is grovelling Bigval ???? I do not consider someone with the good manners to say thank you for something that made life a bit easier at this time a groveller ,,, as you said the precious John and his lot could have done it ,but they didn,t did they ",, and speaking just for myself ,if the liberals had got back, I dont think we would have got a cent , they were too concerned with screwing the working man to give a pennith of thought for the likes of us,,,,,,I was brought up in a labour household , but gave up on that idea years ago,and for many years have voted for the party that I considered would do the least damage to me and mine ,,,there is not one person in either party who puts their" employers" first ,,,its a gimme occupation they are in,and they grab all they can get and when they leave , they still grab all they can get and if you think there is one that gives a damn about you and I , then i,m sorry,but you are dreaming

they still grab all they can get and if you think there is one that gives a damn about you and I , then i,m sorry,but you are dreaming

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Hear hear

Just today on the ABC .Kevin Rudd while on the Cricket show said something very interesting.

The commentators congratulated the Gov on the Sports Sponsorship. Mr. Rudd replied, "I cant take the credit for that on my own as MY PREDESSOR (Previous Prime Minister) syarted the sports sponsor ship scheme.

Now if Mr Rudd can give credit , where credit is due, WHY cant the rest of us.

I always thought to to say thanks was good manners, not grovelling.

So once again, THANK YOU MR. RUDD. It is appreciated.

I think Rudd is very gracious that way and but also at the same time does not put up with any rubish from anyone.



He also seems to have more class than others before him.

i do not grovel but am prepared to say THANKS when it is nessescary and to deny anyone thier comments it is just as well for you to go and let the rest of us normal people say thanks and to wish everyone a great new year for 2009

You hit the nail on the head Bryan. It is very normal to say "thank you" as isn't that

what we have always taught our kids to do?

All the best

Phyl.

Been reading the comments given about the bonus and yes I do thank the government because as a recipient of the widow allowance-it has not been a pension since 1997- I was not sure if I would get it and still am not sure if I got it because of that or because I am 61-not age pension age by any means.I used some of it to pay off bills completely, other bills partly and did take myself out , unfortunately the plans I had to use it to get the front of my house painted and possibly the carpet cleaned have had to go by the board as I am going to have to take my dog to the vet in the new year -when my friends are free, as they run me up there- and any money left over has to be held for those bills.My hope for the new year is for the widow allowance to be returned to being a pension so that it can be increased to above the poverty line, however if that is not possible then I just hope we get an increase anyway as with the way it is administered now we come under the newstart-yes the dole- division of centrelink and as such that is the money we get paid.

Thank you so much for your informative posts







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