Dingo bytes

The GST imposed a higher cost of living on everyone, regardless 
of whether particular goods and services were officially exempt 
or not. In the coming federal budget there's a strong chance that 
the Education Textbook Subsidy Scheme will be scrapped. The 
scheme came as an attachment when the Democrats allowed the 
Gargantuan Sucking Tax through the Senate. It subsidises 
textbooks bought from participating booksellers. So we have the 
meaning of economic rationalism: the imposition of user-pays and 
privatisation is rationalised by the stitching together of deals 
to pass legislation that facilitates user-pays and privatisation. 
These deals have an inbuilt mechanism which gives the whole 
process increased momentum. Thus the rational Textbook Subsidy 
Scheme helped the Government to rationalise its privatisation 
program for education.

* * *

A natural part of economic rationalism is war, which goes hand-
in-hand with free trade i.e. the plunder of nations by 
transnational corporations. Next month PM Howard will be winging 
his way to the US with a bag of economic rationalist give-aways 
i.e. more of Australia's economic independence. Flackjacket 
Johnnie will be preceded in Washington by Trade Minister Mark 
Vaile who will have already signed off on the free trade 
agreement. In the US, Flackjacket will meet with fellow war 
criminal George W to deliver Australia's sovereignty on a plate. 
Said Flakjacket: "I will consult on the challenges ahead [the 
next target for invasion] as we as we confront together the 
threat of global terrorism [endless war for the plunder of 
nations]."

* * *

Q: When is a newspaper article not a newspaper article?A: When 
it's an advertisement. "Who wants to be a Big Brother 
millionaire?" ran a headline in the Australian newspaper last 
week above a piece with a byline that was actually a promo for 
the so-called reality television show. It talked about the show's 
host, the participants, the cost, what it's about, the number of 
camera's and microphones involved — all masquerading as 
journalism. It's called the capitalist press.

* * *

Good news, everyone. Anglican archbishop and Flackjacket 
Johnnie's choice for G-G, Peter Hollingworth (he who covered for 
paedophile priests), has been brought to the revelation that 
child sexual abuse is bad! In a forward to a book by an abuse 
victim, Hollingworth announced, "I did not understand the 
'emotional mechanics' of child sexual abuse." Certainly not when 
he was clinging to the prestige and money that goes with the G-G 
job.

* * *

CAPITALIST HOG OF THE WEEK: has to be our Federal Government. In 
the coming budget military spending will increase, including the 
purchase of two US airborne early warning aircraft — cost $250 
million. And the secret police, ASIO and ASIS, will get a big 
chunk of a $400 million increase for "intelligence gathering". 
You can't have economic rationalism's grand plan — globalisation 
— and democracy.