Are We Really That Stupid?

Hello Rambling Masses,

Well, the real election campaign has started here in Australia, with a predictable economy-based grab for votes by the incumbent Prime Minister, Beige Howard. He and his Treasurer Peter Costfellow have promised tax cuts to all, costing the country some $34 billion over the next 3 years.

Are we really that stupid? Are we really going to buy into this shameless vote grab, choosing short term selfishness over a real progressive future plan for the country and our progeny? Beige certainly hopes so.

Let me just break it down into really simple terms for everyone - just a bit of elementary mathematics.

FACT 1: The average wage earner will be $30 a week better off after the 3-year tax reform currently on the table. That's $1560 per year.

FACT 2: In September 2007, the average mortgage nationally was $329,489, with the average New South Wales home loan at $382,790.

FACT 3: The inflationary pressure caused by a staged $34 billion injection into the economy will lead to a 0.25% interest rate hike at the very least, most probably a 0.5% interest rate hike.

FACT 4: Pursuant to Fact 3, the average home owner will be paying an extra $1380 per year on mortgage repayments.

FACT 5: The total effect of the tax cuts on our hip pockets is an average grand total of $180 per year.

Now, I ask you, do all of the dense bastards out there in Ramble land actually think that this is a sweet deal? I personally hope not.

Here's a staggeringly intelligent alternative that I've got. Take that $34 billion and use it to put a water tank in every single household in Australia. There are approximately 8.5 million households in Australia. With an average installation cost of $4000 per house, that comes to a grand total of about $33 billion. We can then save $4.5 billion per desalination plant that our stupid state governments are proposing as the solution to our water shortage problems.

There's even $1 billion left over to spend on the biggest mother of a party ever, to celebrate the first sensible political decision in the modern age...