A Dose of Patience

I was impressed to hear Labor MP and current Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, come up with a poignant statement regarding the prospect of a hung parliament. That prospect has since become a reality.

I paraphrase, she said that the Australian people will have to be patient as the political process will be slower given neither party has majority in the lower house.

Perhaps that’s what we need, a dose of patience. Since most of the population these days are in it for all they can get. As if the govt were a piñata. Like when people saw dollar sign when Rudd delivered a $900 stimulus cheque. That was pure short-term thinking on their part as much as ours.

Good on Roxon for acknowledging this need. It has been needed for a while. Perhaps now we will also get more vigorous discussion on policy instead of rushing into unnecessary actions.

Pedestrians Beware

There have been recent incidents of pedestrians being fatally injured on our roads. The pedestrian council becomes vocal every time this happens. After the most recent incidents their first reaction was to apparently call for fences along the footpath on main roads. What we need are smarter, more aware pedestrians. The pedestrian council does have education initiatives with the aim of changing current attitudes. It would be good if they could focus on these methods rather than trying to protect the public from their own stupidity (as is most often the case in these incidents). Perhaps they are resigned to people continually doing stupid things, no matter how educated they might be. Let’s face it, we live in a sinful world that holds a long history of human stupidity.

With my own eyes I have seen pedestrians step onto a road at an assigned crossing, blissfully unaware of the traffic. All of one metre was the difference between life and severe injury or death on one incident where I was a bystander. So fences might be good around pubs and clubs but at crossings they would be rather impractical.

Is there a permanent solution? Well the pedestrian council seems to be trying hard with it’s limited resources. What it would take would be a dramatic cultural shift. A turn away from our self-obsession and ‘everything now’ mentality. People need to take responsibility for their actions as pedestrians, as their decisions can affect many others, not just themselves. There shouldn’t have to be a pedestrian council to keep you safe.

The Stable / Unstable Government

Independent MP, Andrew Wilkie, wants a stable and competent govt. So he sides with the incumbent Labor govt. He did this after a successful negotiation with opposition leader, Tony Abbott, as if to throw his offer back in his face. Like school in January, No class. Still, I’d be interested in his justification given these well-known facts on Labor’s stability and competence.

On Stability:

• Knifed the popularly elected PM, Kevin Rudd, in a faction war prior to completing his first term in govt
• Went into the election without an assigned treasurer and finance minister
• Lost many sitting MP’s after a huge swing against them in the election
• Lost majority in the House of Representatives

On Competence:

• Gross waste with the BER
• Gross waste in the insulation scheme, resulting in house fires and loss of young lives
• Failed grocery watch website
• Failed fuel watch website
• Failed green loans scheme
• The announcement of the “super profits tax” without negotiation with affected parties

It’s no surprise that Mr Wilkie sided with Labor given his Greens links. But whom is he trying to kid with this sort of justification? Perhaps himself. Say the buzz word “stable govt” enough and you will start to believe it.

A Short Life

“Jesus: A Short Life” by John Dickson

While I was in the mood for reading Dickson I moved on from his books for teens to one of his more adult efforts. “Jesus: A Short Life” is Dickson’s attempt to make scholarly history accessible to the mainstream. The purpose being that the majority of historians studying biblical history are often overshadowed by the sensationalised claims from the lunatic fringe who dominate the headlines.

One example is Bishop John Shelby Sponge who, despite his title, seems to undermine the core tenets of Christianity at every opportunity. Needless to say he gets a lot of attention with his books and other outlets, even though what he says and writes has nothing to do with historical fact.

I enjoy reading Dickson’s work. Sometimes though I feel I need to extend myself in regards to content. As a friend likes to say, “He’s too mainstream”. This is true, but he’s still good. There are not many of us that could stand reading through tomes of scholarly writing. But Dickson does all that so I don’t have to.

Another Oldie

“Don’t Stand Too Close To A Naked Man” by Tim Allen

Written in 1995 at the height of his ‘Home Improvement’ fame is Allen’s take on life in general using personal examples.

Another book that somehow made it onto my shelves, it began as one to read during breaks at work. Unfortunately breaks were increasingly less forthcoming. If it hadn’t come into my possession I don’t think I would have missed much. I presume my sentimentality to a TV show I enjoyed made me pick up this book from a garage sale or something like that.

There must have been something good about as adorning its cover is a star with “New York Times #1 Bestseller”.

I’ll admit, it was funny. But there was little to be gained from reading it.