It's Been So Cold....

.......must be that global warming.

I'm sure that there would be a climate change argument to explain what feels like cooler than usual weather. But for now I'll revel in the irony.

“Desperado, Why Don’t You Come To Your Senses?”

There are a few phrases that I have heard federal opposition front benchers proclaiming very frequently. They are:

• This is just an election stunt
• This is a sign of a desperate government
• They are just trying to earn political points

I find it funny because in pointing these apparent faults in the government they themselves are trying to earn political points from an elections stunt, which shows how desperate they are to win power.

Let’s not forget that the Labor party has suffered years of embarrassment from not just election defeats but leadership coups and a lot of in fighting. This is as close as they have ever come to winning an election, and the polls declare that a lot of people actually like Kevin Rudd. But be sure that they are as desperate, possibly even more so than the government, to win this fight.

Rates Hike

I always have a chuckle at the media when they make an event sound like the end of the world is upon us. Earlier in the year it was “Rental Crisis” and now it is “Rates Hike.” One quarter of a percent is hardly a hike, if anyone has gone on a decent hike you will understand my disapproval in the use of the word. You could maybe call it a step, which is a tiny part of a hike.

Plus, why is everyone so down on interest rates? Does everyone need another lesson in basic economics? Dr H has already given one about inflation and the negative consequences that result from irresponsible financial management. Interest rates are used to curb this inflation so that our money won’t become worthless and so prices don’t spiral out of control. So perhaps people should start to think of interest rates more as a friend than an adversary. Try and imagine living here with the same situation Zimbabwe is in financially. It would be a heck of a lot worse than one little step up in interest rates.
What about the banks and financial institutions lending money with what seems a blatant disregard for what the customer can afford. We have credit card applications in the mail every week it seems, Motor Finance Wizard is saying yes when the banks say no, and Radio Rentals is encouraging us to join the “rental revolution” this month, as they have no credit history checks. All of this, meanwhile, is adding to an individual’s debt.

Not all blame can go to institutions though, as the public seems very willing to jump in the debt pool of their own accord. “Three years interest free” Gerry Harvey might shout enthusiastically. “Woohoo” says Gullible Joe Citizen, “Now we can get that big screen plasma that we wouldn’t be able to afford normally.” If you can’t afford it now then most likely you won’t be able to afford it in three years. Then you will be paying something like 25% interest on your TV, is it really worth it?

How about getting into a habitual savings regime and go without the big TV that isn’t really necessary. One thing people forget is that interest rates on savings accounts should go up with every rise as well, but that’s not newsworthy enough for 6 pm. One guarantee is that if we save more and spend less you’ll be watching the interest rates come down again.

Global Warming Debate

I have been sick for the last couple of days with nothing to do except watch TV and DVD’s. I hired Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” followed by a taping of ABC’s presentation of Martin Durkin’s “The Great Global Warming Swindle.”

Here are some thoughts:

Finding what you want to find
I think both sides of the debate are guilty of this. When searching to prove an hypothesis both sides of research could potentially use the same figures to explain why their hypothesis is correct.

Biased ABC interviewing by Tony Jones
He gave director Martin Durkin an absolute grilling. This is not suggesting Jones should have taken it easy on Durkin by any means. After all Durkin has said something controversial and needs to be questioned.

Jones, however, took it to the next level where he seemed to go in with a preconceived idea that he will discredit Durkin as best as he could instead of letting him answer the questions and try and defend his position. Jones frequently got bogged down in his own interrogation times that he had to say, “Let’s move on” numerous times.

Al Gore’s presentation
I can see why Al Gore has been successful in lobbying action from governments and individuals all over the world. His presentation is fantastic to a large degree it makes perfect sense. I can’t help but think though that he is trying to pull at our heartstrings in order to sway our opinion. Either way it’s probably well deserved of it’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The big business of climate change
If you were to call me a climate change sceptic this would probably be the main reason why. People are making a lot of money out of this science, especially the scientists. Every area of research is competing for funding in the form of government grants. Climate change scientists are making a windfall from governments to study weather changes and I would be sceptical that they all have the best interests of the planet in their hearts. Money makes people do silly things and financially it is in their best interests to maintain their livelihood that their funding continues.

Last word
It was good and bad to watch them back-to-back. Good in the way that I have seen both sides of the debate. Bad in the way that I still find myself mainly sitting on the fence while trying to decrease my energy usage at home.