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Break Up These Big Companies & Bust Their Monopolies

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In: corruption, democracy, economics, featured, Government, latest post, politics, power

We need to break up these big companies and bust their monopolies and oligopolies. Capitalism only works effectively for all when there is real competition in the marketplaces. Right now, this doesn’t exist in Australia and in most countries around the globe. There are too many sectors where only 2 or 3 corporations control markets. This prevents consumers having buying power and employees having any wage bargaining power. The chips are all in the corner of the bosses and the shareholders. Think about Coles and Woolworths dominating the supermarket and the liquor sectors. Think about the 4 big banks and the 4 big accountancy consulting firms. The insurance business is, likewise, dominated by a small number of giant companies. The telco business is Telstra, Optus and not much else. Big Tech is even worse, with most of them holding monopolies. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta and their ilk control their markets monopolistically. Consumers are screwed when multinationals have such domination over markets and sectors. Capitalism does not work when competition does not exist.Continue Reading

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Albanese Backs Gas Industry Over Ordinary Australians

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In: corruption, democracy, economics, featured, Government, latest post, politics, power

Labor is in the pocket of the Gas Giants, obviously, why else would they rather kick off 160, 000 disabled Australians from the NDIS than properly tax the gas industry to improve the budget bottom line. The facts are that the LNG export sector is worth tens of billions of dollars annually but the majority of the companies involved have not paid corporate tax for years and years. Most of the gas is sold royalty free and the PRRT fails to derive tax from LNG sales, according to the current rules in place. The whole thing is a scam. Why do our governments  support this ripping off of the Australian people in favour of foreign multinational companies? It is a combination of politics over good policy, revolving door corruption and stupidity. Albanese backs gas industry over ordinary Australians.Continue Reading

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American Lies Ruining Lives

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In: corruption, democracy, economics, featured, Government, latest post, media, politics, power

We live in a time of technological wonders. Technology, however, is not something just of itself, rather it comes loaded with revenue making deals for the vehicles that promote it. Think about the great choice of digital entertainment now available through all these streaming services. In the old days, we only had free to air TV offering limited content via broadcasting networks. Televised ads paid for these networks and programmes. Cable TV changed that and consumers paid a subscription fee and watched content ad free. Now, we get to pay those subscription fees and watch ads as well – how great is that! This is the progress running through Big Tech operations these days. The bean counters and CEOs are demanding ever greater ROIs to boost the share price. We were all promised better futures from these technological advances but instead we are saddled with higher fees and charges making our lives unaffordable. In reality, we have less now and are asked to pay more. American lies ruining lives, as ruthless business models exploit the citizenry.Continue Reading

One Nation Has Sung The Praises Of Donald Trump

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In: corruption, democracy, featured, Government, latest post, media, politics, power

I observed an older white woman proselytising about One Nation to another woman of her vintage at the local shopping centre the other day. I did not listen closely enough to pick up on the details of the diatribe. It got me thinking about this spread of disinformation being funded by billionaire sponsor Gina Rinehart and those of her ilk. Pauline Hanson, the leader of One Nation has sung the praises of Donald Trump and visited Mara Lago, quite recently. Pauline has, for all her time in parliament, rarely been in government. She has been a fringe player and outsider looking on. There are parallels here with the administration of President Donald Trump, in that nearly all of his cabinet are similarly inexperienced outsiders.Continue Reading

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Humanity Is Not Primarily Interested In Truth Or Factuality

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In: corruption, democracy, featured, Government, history, latest post, media, politics, power, Reading, religion, truth

There are rare exceptions, of course. Humanity is not primarily interested in truth or factuality. How do I know this? The evidence is there for all to see. Most of us prefer to read fiction over non-fiction. It is the same for viewing video/film, with documentaries trailing far behind made up stuff in popularity. In truth, what we call biography/memoir is largely fiction as well. Escapism is what most of us seek from our reading and watching stuff on screens. Many would say to this, I live in the real world and don’t need to be inundated with it in my free time. I hear you. The global success of the Harry Potter books and movies are a testament to this fact. The Christian bible purports to be the biggest seller in the printed books category but, again, I can tell you, as someone who has studied it academically, it is mostly fictional in content. This is why it has been popular, with content including unsubstantiated miracles and historical exaggerations and inventions. Telling a good story was the most important factor for historians and those selling religion in ancient times.Continue Reading

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AUKUS Means Albanese Has To Support Trump’s America

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In: corruption, democracy, featured, Government, latest post, politics, power, security

Australians who are looking for independent leadership in geopolitical matters will be sorely disappointed. AUKUS means Albanese has to support Trump’s America. Illegal attacks on Venezuela and, now Iran by the United States military have all received the green light of approval by the Albanese government. Australia as a vassal state of the US is well under way via the $368 billion AUKUS program dangling as carrot for this Aussie rabbit. Hey, we get to pay for the privilege of ceding our bases to the US and observing our own sovereignty as an illusion. When push comes to shove the little Aussie has to back the big bad Americans or we won’t get any boats.Continue Reading

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Trump Illegally Collected Some $170 Billion In Tariffs

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In: democracy, economics, featured, Government, latest post, politics, power

The US Supreme Court has struck down the Trump IEEMA tariffs on the grounds of unconstitutionality. SCOTUS has ruled that only Congress has the authority to set these types of tariffs. President Trump illegally collected some $170 billion in tariffs over the period in question. This money will have to be repaid and that creates a whole host of new challenges. This dysfunctional government continues to go from bad to worse. In reality, tariffs act as a consumption tax, as prices rise to cover the added impost of the tariff. The American people have been taxed by the Trump regime via these illegal and unconstitutional tariffs. My guess is that ordinary folk will not see a dime from this crooked administration.Continue Reading

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America Was Slow To Take Action Around Climate Change

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In: corruption, crime, democracy, economics, featured, Government, latest post, politics, power

The Trump regime is rolling back regulation designed to protect public health and limit the warming of the planetary atmosphere. America was slow to take action around climate change in the first place and this reversal is a dangerous and irresponsible action. This backward thinking by Donald Trump is further evidence of his unsuitability for leadership in the 21C. Scientific consensus regarding climate change is unanimous and has been for decades. This wilful disregard for the reality is a crime against humanity. To do this in a bid to prolong a US car industry which has been outmanoeuvred by China tells the world a lot about America.Continue Reading

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Trump’s ICE A Threat To Democracy

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In: corruption, crime, democracy, featured, Government, history, latest post, morality, politics, power, Sex

If you have ICE, already, targeting brown skinned Americans in Democrat cities, then the next obvious step for the Trump regime will be to do this during elections. American citizens have been beaten up and detained illegally by ICE. If you don’t realise that this will be a huge deterrent to voting for these Americans you are a fool. How would you feel about the possibility of being grabbed off the street and taken away to be locked up in some concentration camp facility wherever? The United States is in the grip of an authoritarian regime committing lawless acts every day. ICE is a paramilitary force targeting brown skinned Americans and progressives. Trump’s ICE a threat to democracy.Continue Reading

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Under Trump The South Rides Again

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In: democracy, featured, Government, history, identity, latest post, media, morality, politics, power, truth

Much of what President Donald Trump is doing is not new in United States’ terms. Indeed, you can categorise it as another chapter in the South vs North civil war. Remember what flags flew in the hands of the January 6 violent protesters as they broke into the Capitol. The stars and bars were proudly displayed numerous times on that day. Under Trump the South rides again. Armed militia claiming to be patriots smashed up property and bashed in the heads of police protecting Congress. The Trump revisionism of that day cannot truly hide the scars and deaths incurred on that rebellious occasion. Presidential pardons cannot rewrite history, no matter the lies and bluster.Continue Reading