Letter of the Week
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A BALANCED budget is not necessarily good – Soviet Russia often ran a balanced budget – they took 100 per cent of people’s income and spent it all.
The constant striving by conservative governments to “balance the budget” just gives a free lunch to the big spenders who will inevitably take over from them. This happens every electoral cycle. It is time to break this destructive spending ratchet before we reach bankrupt Soviet status.
There is only one tax on the people and that is government spending. That should be slashed but taxes must be reduced even faster, maintaining or increasing the deficit. That way, no new treasurer will have scope for extra wasteful spending or vote buying. VIV FORBES, WASHPOOL
HOW things have changed for the worst since John F Kennedy asked his country to think what it could do for their country not what the country could do for them. Unlike the US our country has put such nation building to one side when it comes to the election.
Instead it has taken on buying votes.
Those pocketing the few pieces of silver will pay dearly and the country will be the poorer for such short sightedness. D. J. FRASER, CURRUMBIN
HERE’S a grab-bag of life skills tips for kids for their general wellbeing.
Keep off your mobile phone on the street. Be aware, not distracted.
Stand behind steel posts or other protection when waiting at intersections.
Appreciate your parents and let them know it. Know their birthdays.
Show courtesy to others, give up seats, behave on public transport.
Do not swim at dawn or dusk, or in murky river or surf water.
When bushwalking carry mobile, water, compass, lighter, map, snake bandage. Inform others of your plans. Have sun and mozzie protection.
Girls, look behind you when entering enclosed residential yards and have keys ready in your hand. Lock car doors when driving.
Always use rear-mirrors and know what traffic is behind or around you.
Avoid injury-prone sports like football. That’s ALL silly football.
Learn proper self-defence, eg boxing, to give confidence and deter bullying.
Do not BBQ using petrol. Never use candles in the home.
Unplug electrical appliances before tinkering. Wear rubber thongs.
Run cold water after using the hot tap so as not to burn the next person.
Do not sleep in swags at events where vehicles are moving about.
Feed horses with an open hand, and do not walk behind them.
That’s a start for them to mull over, other readers will have more. KEN ALLEN, SOUTHPORT
RON Nightingale sadly didn’t have access to the small print in the Federal LNP Budget this week because if he did, he’d have found for Gold Coast residents the devil is well and truly in the detail.
The Federal Government funded a new M1 project with $1.6 billion in federal funding at 80 per cent of the total $2 billion cost. Sounds great right? Only catch is, this section of the M1 is in NSW, just north of Newcastle.
The Federal LNP Government rips off Gold Coast motorists with only 50 per cent federal funding and Queenslanders are supposed to just cop that?
They did the same thing last year too under Malcom Turnbull with 80 per cent federal funding for the M1 Coffs Harbour bypass.
The second devilish detail in the Federal Budget was that the new M1 promise is not only just over half of what NSW gets, it’s not even in the actual budget four-year projection and is allocated in the ‘2023-24 and onwards’ column two elections away.
To rub salt into Gold Coast residents’ transport wounds, the majority of the lowest ever federal funding offer for the next stage of the light rail of 16 per cent is also not even in the next four years of the budget either, with $62 million in the same ‘2023-24 and onwards’ column.
With three safe federal seats on the Gold Coast with LNP MPs who never secure a fair share of infrastructure funding from Canberra, it’s clear the LNP spends the Gold Coast’s share of infrastructure funding in Queensland’s marginal seats to cynically try to buy the upcoming election.
With four M1 upgrades fully funded under the Palaszczuk Labor State Government, Gold Coast residents can see its Labor doing the heavy lifting on the M1 compared to NSW, while the Morrison Government makes last minute election promises on the never never.
I can assure Ron and M1 motorists that the M1 will continue to be upgraded under the Palaszczuk Government, and we will never ignore its need for upgrades as happened in three lost years of Newman Government inaction. MARK BAILEY, QUEENSLAND MAIN ROADS MINISTER