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An Absence Of Political Vision For Australia

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

Australian political leaders and their parties offer little in the way of a real vision for our futures. There is an absence of political vision for Australia. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is predominantly an American invention, as is the entire digital economy. PM Anthony Albanese in his unmitigated support for the uptake of AI by Australian businesses and society appears to have no comprehension of the consequences of this. If all of our businesses and institutions are contracted to American AI companies, where is our independence and sovereignty in that position? If AI is essential and that AI is controlled by US Big Tech corporations, where does that leave us all? Under the thumb of big brother, of course. Already, the digital economy, in the form of Visa and Mastercard, largely control the money matters in our lives. Australia has effectively lost its sovereignty in all but name in the 21C. There is a vacuum of leadership downunder.Continue Reading

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Why You Are Feeling Poorer?

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

GDP is up, but most of us are still feeling that we have less than we want or need. Why are you feeling poorer? No less an economic boffin than Alan Kohler puts the onus on moribund productivity within the Australian economy. Now, that does not infer that you are not working hard enough, rather it is due to lack of investment by the companies at the heart of our economy. Why is this so? Have a look around at the markets making up our economy. They are largely controlled by one, two or a few giant corporations. Monopolies, duopolies and oligopolies abound. The distinct lack of competition in most sectors in Australia translates as neutered consumer power in the market place. These companies have no market driven need to innovate, as they have massive market shares already. Little to no innovation means they are not investing and that means productivity gains are not happening within the Australian economy.Continue Reading

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The Real History Of Australia

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

By Australia I refer to the European colonisation of this land mass. Terra Australis became Australia in 1817, although it had been referred to as New Holland prior to this by Europeans. The reality of its Indigenous heritage is far older and not the intention of this short essay to cover. It is, however, deserving of a deep respect by all who live here and who choose to visit. The real history of Australia is, then, limited to a more modest time span. It is my suspicion that many Australians are unaware that Australia began its British colonial life as a penal colony.Continue Reading

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Digital Imperialism: The New Colonialism

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

Have you been getting the message that machines do it better? That AI is smarter than you? Have you been replaced at work by some sort of artificial intelligence program? Digital imperialism: The new colonialism is here. Now, you get to experience what plenty of Indigenous peoples have had to deal with over the journey. The clear and present inference that you are not good enough and too dumb to matter. Your culture thrown on the scrapheap of progress and advancement. This time, however, it is humanity per se copping it in the neck via a form of Social Darwinism. Only a small group of investors matter, those who are shareholders in the Big Tech companies overlording the rest of us.Continue Reading

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Economics Is Anti-Community

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

Have you noticed that we have all become economists over the last 30 odd years? That economic-speak has become the lingua-franca of our modern world? We talk about the supply and demand of things, the dollar value of everything, and make all our decisions based upon economic principles to a large degree. This has not always been so. Prior to the American conversion to all things economic, which began with the Rand Corporation in the 1960s, governments and ordinary people did not bang on about economics. Economics is founded upon certain assumptions about individual behaviours driven by self-interest. Indeed, economics is anti-community.Continue Reading

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The Productivity Narrative Is A Scam

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

Have you ever thought that you might be being played like a guitar or a puppet on a string? Australia has been on an economic hold for the past few years in response to the high inflation post pandemic. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) steeply raised interest rates to dampen the economy and repeatedly told the community to pull its head in. Understandably, like good citizens we obeyed and economic  growth became sluggish and non-existent. Now, things are better, apparently, with inflation back in their band of acceptability at 2-3%. So, growth is back on the agenda and the conversation turns to productivity and the national figures. The productivity narrative is a scam.Continue Reading

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AI Will Decimate Income Tax Revenue Downunder

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

None other than James Packer, son of the great anti-tax champion billionaire Kerry Packer, is warning that AI will decimate tax revenue downunder. Why? It is because Australia depends upon the income tax from workers for the lion’s share of its tax revenue. AI has already started shedding jobs in middle management and the numbers are going to ramp up substantially very soon. The loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs to machines will impact the bottom line severely. Especially, as multinational corporations and rich people avoid paying tax in Australia.Continue Reading

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Wireframe head illustration, AI technology

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In: democracy, history, latest post, media

The overhyped AI bubble, which the US has been blowing up with nationalistic fervour has been rocked. Deep Seek bursts American AI bubble. Right at the time, when Trump 2.0 has been making its MAGA fuelled craziness felt this comes as a wake up call on the global stage. The Big Tech realm is no longer an exclusively stars and stripes affair, it seems.Continue Reading

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America Matters book cover Robert Sudha Hamilton

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In: consciousness, latest post, truth

Historians have to be interested in truth. The facts matter to those endeavouring to decipher things that have happened. Historians, then, tell us stories about the things that occurred and what were the motivating forces likely to have inspired them. It is an inexact science, as much of life and the accounts of its people often are. Historians might scour the media for the reporting and op-eds, which appeared at the time, to shed light on the matters being examined. If the time frame is fairly recent, they may well interview first hand sources – those who witnessed directly the events in question. Primary sources are the gold for any historical account worth its weight and wishing to be counted as factual.Continue Reading

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Figurative Abstraction

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In: featured, identity, latest post, media, mind, politics, truth

Humanity Is regularly celebrated for its technology, which has lifted us above all other animals. Curing diseases, motorised vehicles, supermarkets, splitting the atom, computers, mobile phones, and even space rockets. These are but a few of the amazing inventions created by humans. How come then masses of us think and act so stupidly? Why so dumb if some so smart? Has it always been the case that the majority of us are low intel creatures and only a minority are much smarter? The experts tell us that it is our ability to share information which has set us apart on the intelligence scale from the other species of animals on the planet.Continue Reading