Wednesday, 30th May 2001
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Website
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 14:10:51 +1000
Dear Angstythink,
Thats not my name. Thats my site.
I have been to your site a couple of times and I do agree with most of what you say. After your last post though, I realised that you have serious issues. Obviously, you are not a liberal supporter (which is fine) but I ask you to use you brain and think OBJECTIVELY (if you can) about the policies.
fine
I am not really politically minded, and like you, think that they are a bunch of wankers. I do realise that all policies are designed to appease the public and garner votes. Economists have to balance sound economic management while dealing with a largely stupid public.
You think there all a bunch of wankers? What happened to being objective?
While you say that you did economics for a few years in high school and uni, you obviously neglected to switch your brain on.
I failed.
I have just finished high school economics and I managed to pick up a few things about stimulating the economy. While I put these down to common sense, you obviouly missed the whole idea.
Obviously.
The fundamental budget principles are that when the countries economy is growing strongly then it is good to take money out of the economy (to pay off overseas debts and to save for times of neg-growth). We have been seeing this (large surpluses) in the last few years.
Right. Basic fiscal policy.
When the economy is doing badly (like now) then it is detrimental to take more money out of the economy as it makes the problem worse. Instead more money should be spent (saving from previous growth) to kickstart it again.
Ok fine.
As opposed to what you think, a huge budget surplus now would be the worst thing possible. The government would have been in deficit if they hadn't recieved an unexpected windfall from tax cheats. Economically, a budget deficit would not have been a terrible thing.
Excuse Moi? Im re-reading thru my post and im struggling to find where i said that the budget surplus ought to be greater then it is. Did you actually read my post at all? Are u familiar with the concept of satire? My gripe with the budget surplus is not that it should be greater.... my gripe is that its not really a surplus at all. Its a surplus made of paper. Costello, and indeed former treasurers such as Keating, are notorious for exagerating the value of credit items and ignoring or underestimating the value of debit items. Theres not much that can be done about it: politicians will be politicians... i only point it out and make light of it so that people will see Costellos budget surplus for what it is: numbers on paper.
Take for example the auction of mobile phone spectrums in the 2000 Budget. Costello pegged it at 3 Billion dollars ..... it was going to be a huge windfall for the Government, and yet it ended up falling woefully short of the forecast price. Why? Because Costello was under pressure to manufacture a surplus.
You also say that the government is wrong in saying that giving money to old people will stimulate growth. You attribute this to some crap about low weighting and Old People Per Capita. If you thought about this you would realise that it is smart as it gets votes AND is economically responsible. Probably more than 90% of old people are not that well off and the extra $300 dollars that the govenment is giving them will get spent immediately. This is good, as it is injecting the money back into the economy QUICKLY, which helps to stimulate the economy.
Sure. Fiscal spending of ANY sort will stimulate the economy in some way or another. But the reason that governments dont dump a few billions dollars in the center of each of the major cities is because.... some aspects of fiscal policy are more productive then others. Costello said on budget night that giving 300 dollars to seniors will help to boost the economy, and therefore indiretly said, that giving money to other sectors of the economy WOULDN'T boost the economy to the same extent. As if giving money to old people were some sort of economic snake oil that will save us from all that ills us.... which it most definitely is not. Old people are getting such a good deal out of the budget for 2 reasons and 2 reasons only:
- The Government have realised how completely and utterly the GST has fucked old ppl up the arse.... and their keen to rectify that.
- The Government have realised that old people vote. And that the majority of them will be voting for a return to the 60's.... and they see that happening with Pauline Hanson as PM.
The only thing that most of the public understands is dollar signs. All Governments have to put up with the ignorance of most of the population regarding fiscal matters. I ask you to actually think about the principle behind the policies and not just have your vision clouded by ignorance.
- Joe Keegan
In summation.... dont lecture me on macro-economics. I undersand the basic concept of Budget Policy. What im wondering is if u understand the basic concept of Budget Politics?
- I never said the budget should have a larger surplus.
- I never said that giving old ppl money wouldnt stimulate the lagging economy. Well maybe i said something similar... but i was refering to the relevance of Mr Costello's statement..... not its accuracy
- Be very sceptical of supposed budget surpluses.
- Understand that the motivation behind being so chummy with seniors has NOTHING to do with economics and EVERYTHING to do with politics.
Who else misunderstood my little post on the budget? Leave your comments here!
Monday, 28th May 2001
Its budget time here in Australia. Federal treasurer Peter Costello just the other night released his 6th Budget. Aparently there is a whole heap of money ear marked for old ppl. According to Mr Costello this extra money for old people will stimulate the economy. Which is strange.... because in the few years I studied economics at high school and University..... i never remember much weight being attatched to the Old People per Capita, or OPC, of a given nation. Maybe its from one of the more obscure yet brilliant economists that only Mr Costello and a select few are familiar with. Namely the rest of the liberal party.
Or could it be that this extra money for the over 55 demographic of the Australian electorate, is a political cry for help. "Older Australians deserve a fair go" shouts Costello, "The architects and builders of this nation deserve to be looked after", yet what we really know him to mean is "If you vote the coalition back for a 3rd term, you too can be called a builder of Australia and subsequently be showered with money".
Or could it be a combination of both? Could it be that Costellosian Macroeconomic theory dictates that giving money to Liberal Voters, or potential liberal voters, stimulates the economy? Then again one has to wonder if old people can really be concidered hard core liberal supporters anymore. Their really ex liberal voters these days. These days they worship that red haired hanson bitch.
And whats with the budget surplus? Are we REALLY expected to believe that this government can deliver a 1.5 Billion dollar budget at the end of this impending financial year? Can we REALLY trust the governments pricings of key budgetry components. Many many credit items in the last budget ended up falling woefully short of what the government supposedly expected. Well what they expected ON PAPER anyway. What they expected privately in their minds and behind closed liberal party doors, is another matter altogether.
Anyway, enough of my sanctimonious rants and ill informed political views. I spoke to Mr Costello on the budget and other associated issues on budget night.....
ExistentialAngst: Good eveing Mr Costello.Ill wager you'll never see Laurie Oakes get an interview like THAT out of Peter Costello. Maaaaaan... im SUCH a 1337 interviewer.
Peter Costello: Good evening Angsty. (mean/tricky smirk)
ExistAngst: I see your smile is coming along nicely? Theres hardly a trace of sarcastic smirk left in it.
Costello: Yes thankyou, My Smile Coach and I have been working hard on getting it right.
ExistAngst: Yes. Well lets get onto the subject everones keen to hear about, this years fiscal plan for the year to come. It says here that your expecting to maintain a budgetry surplus of 1.5 billion dollars. My calculations show that with all the credits and debits expected over the next year that the budget should actually be 2 billion in deficit. Where is the 3.5 Billion that i cant account for?
Costello: Expected returns from the sale of Government resources.
ExistAngst: Such as?
Costello: Were going to have a Liberal party garage sale. Its in page 63 of the federal budget documentation.... in really small font.
ExistAngst: Im sorry???
Costello: Eh? Sorry? Whats there to be sorry about? Dont be sorry! Sorry is bad. Saying that word might mean you will have to pay compensation for stuff and admit you made a mistake of some sort. Sorry is for chumps.
ExistAngst: No.... I meant it as in.... i dont understand your answer because maybe I didn't hear you properly. Did you say you were going to be having a GARAGE SALE?
Costello:Ohhhh that sort of sorry! You mean the sort you can bandy about anywhere you please. I thought you meant the sort you give to aboriginals...... Yep, we've decided to free up a little bit of space around Coalition HQ, and make a little bit of money at the same time. John (Howard) has got some pritty naff, antique notions of the Monarchy that he won't be giving up cheaply. He's also thinking about flogging off a "sorry" too. Dont expect that little gem to go cheaply.
I'll be selling Shane Stones his heart on a silver tray. I expect it to fetch a good price.
Mr Reith will have a stall selling his excessive Parlimentary perks, I hear he has got some mad deals on phone cards.
ExistAngst: Mr Costello were talking about billions of dollars here. The figures just dont add up. NOBOBY makes 3.5 Billion dollars in a garage sale!!!! Be serious Mr Costello.
Costello: I am. Have a good look at the figures. Were expecting atleast half a billion for one of Mr Reiths phone cards alone!!
Of course.... i might just point out that I can not be held accountable if it turns out to not go for half a billion. One of my secretaries gave me a market appraisal on some of the stuff we will be floggin off..... and she has assured me it will go for atleast 3.5 billion dollars. Its not my fault if this garage sale doesn't cover the budget deficit. My budget still has a surplus ON PAPER... and thats what REALLY matters.
ExistAngst: Ok Mr Costello.... lets talk old people.
Costello: Sure.... im hoping to be one myself someday (Stupid grin)
ExistAngst: Yes indeed... many of the major lobby groups for the social intrests of the young and poor have slamed this budget as offering nothing to anybody other then the aged. How do you respond to that.
Costello: To young people I say this, "Young person.... if you can afford those trendy dreadlocks in your hair, and that other sort of stuff you prance around in ...... then you can afford to pay the GST." You know i've heard that most of these young people dont even vote! So what can i say..... they really can go tell someone who cares.
ExistAngst: I seeeee. And what terrible fate to you have planed for poor people?
Costello: Well poor people dont vote for the coalition. Never have. Same deal with aboriginals. So we dont really care. You see theres no point crying over spilt milk. Poor people can be thought of alot like spilt milk.... amd crying for them can be thought of alot like caring for them.
ExistAngst: Ummmm, im sorry we'll have to leave it there Mr Costello. Thanx for your time and thanx for speaking to AngstyThink.
Costello: My pleasure big guy.
???- Rammstein Lyrics from the Mutter album.
Its with some pritty naff Rammstein lyrics about linking to sites, that i present to you this selection of links to some other sites....
comments?
Wednesday, 16th May 2001
I dont feel funny at the moment. I feel depressed cause ive got so many assignments to do at uni. I dont feel passionate about anything either. Because i feel stressed about how many assignments ive got to do at uni.
I think i might just write stuff untill i've got a couple of paragraphs as long as the piss funny comic on the left. Perhaps the one issue i want to write about is the very funny man in Utah with 5 wives. He is going to Jail soon. One of his main arguments for not going to jail will be that "God" allows bigamy and that him having 5 wives is for religions purposes. Aparently alot of the prophets in the old testament had multiple wives. A prophet of God, this guy most certianly is not. I can't help but think that perhaps the part of the bible mentioning polygamous marriage was symbolic of the greatness of the prophets in question, and not meant as an example to be followed by some punter thousands of years latter. Not that having 5 wives is a particularly good display of greatness when your a poor inbred piece of shit living in a trailer park in Utah. Bah. He can have his 5 wives. There all skanky hoes anyway.Damn i can't belive im not even with the cartoon yet. Even after i crapped on about that Utah guy.
Maybe, i need shorter...
...paragraphs?
Ahh there we go.
comments?
Wednesday, 9th May 2001
Its high time i updated. Its not that I don't love you guys anymore, it's just that there doesn't seem to be anything really interesting to write about.
Theres really nothing much up in my world or even the real world, both of which i normally find a constant source of amusement.
There is of course Dubiya Vader and his plans for the son of Star Wars. I spose thats fairly interesting, but I still dont have much of an opinion on it one way or the other. On one hand Dubiya is a wanker.... and i want to disagree with everything he says. On the other hand I have to agree that the world is a very different place to what it was 20 years ago. Its all well and good to say that a non-proliferation treaty has been signed and must be adhered to.... but its also true to say that terrorists, likes of our afghani friend Osama Bin Laden, don't usually sign treaties, and the traditional methods of containing nuclear war, (discouraging a nuclear attack by threatening a nuclear attack) dont really apply to the modern atomically capable terrorist. What i mean to say is that if Osama Bin Laden were to launch a big fat nuke on New York its not really a very fair retaliation to drop a bomb on Afghanistan (or where ever it may be that said terrorist is hiding at the time), so you have to investigate other ways of discouraging nuclear attacks.
On the flip side, I can also understand what everyone else is getting so riled up about. China doesn't want America to build this nuclear defense system. If it gets built without any sort of consultation with the Chinese then China will retaliate with more nuclear weapons of its own. If China makes more nukes you can bet your curry ass the Indians will follow suit. And if the Indians build more nukes you can bet your islamic backside that the Pakistani's will make some more nukes. In the end you end up with a much more dangerous world, as the reasonably stable equilibrium of the cold war evaporates.
I spose the crux of the problem in this issue is that the idea of building a nuclear defence umbrella can't really be concidered just a defensive move. It's equally as much a defensive move as it is an offensive one because as everyone well knows, and as it particularly relevant to the nuclear arms business.... the best offense is a good defense. And DONT tell me America will never drop another nuke. Dont tell me the Americans only hold a stockpile of nukes so they can just retaliate againt nuclear attacks from rouge states. That's a crock of shit. What happens next time Saddam starts playing up? Dubiya sends in the troops. What if Saddam starts kicking butt? Do you think Dubiya is going to think twice about hitting that big red button to wipe out a handful of Iraqi factories and a few million civillans? Its not like America's not done it before. America was struggling through WWII: out come the big bombs. And that was under the command of one of the greatest Presidents americans have ever had. Were talkig about Dubiya here. He'll hit that big red button faster then you can say....
Untill the underlying offense nature of the son of Star Wars program is dealt with there will continue to be criticism of the proposal from American allies. But then again, Dubiya doesnt really give a dead rats clackers what his allies think.
Sheesh: ive written alot about this crap for someone who didn't really hold an opinion on it.
What i ACTUALLY wanted to talk about was North Korea and there really top espionage skills. The Communist Dictator of North Korea recently sent his son, a computer nerd cum international man of mystery, to Japan to spy on the Japanese high tech industry. What are the North Koreans doing spying on Japanse high technology? Is the standard little red book going to be replaced by a little red Toshiba Notebook? And we all know that only Macs come in red so inevitably the whole trip was never going to be a success.
What were the North Korean Government doing sending a computer geek to do there shifty espionage work? What ever happened to suave sofisticated types doing the worlds espionage work? Cause this guy is none of those. He is a pudgy computer nerd.... and u can just tell he spends alot of time on his Linux pc, idling in irc whilst consuming= much too much of the Korean equivalent of Doritos and Coke.
And why the Dominican passport? Was that really the best they could do? If i ever become an international spy, someone please remind me to forge a passport of a country where I can speak the language. Its no use someone like myself forging an Tanzanian passport for a covert operation in New Zealand, if i can't at very least do a credible impersonation of Swahili. In fact me pretending to Tanzanian is no where near as stupid as a Korean pretending to be dominican. Atleast there might be a few white people in Tanzania.... but how many friggin Koreans do you spose live in the Dominican Iles? Not too fucking many. And its not that im saying Koreans shouldnt be allowed to live in the Dominican Republic, or even that Dominicans with asian heritage shouldn't be allowed to go to Disney World in Japan. Just that international spies are supposed to be in the game of NOT attracting undue attention to what their doing. The forging of Dominican passports by our Korean friend is akin to saying "Hey look at me everyone!". Not very good spying work.
Customs Man in Japan: (reads papers, looks up at Mr Kim the Spy, looks back to papers this time squinting slightly) Ahh so your from the Dominican Repubric Mr Kim Il?
Kim Il: Yes
Customs Man in Japan: Spanish for would u speak some spanish please?
Kim Il: Buch dich bestrafen mich.
Customs Man in Japan: Ahh Sir.... not onry that is German.... but i REARRY dont think you know what it means.
Kim Il: Hey shut the fuck up. If ExistAngst wants to work a bad Rammstein joke into this post then he fucking well can.
Customs Man in Japan: So your a Spaniard with Asian features that can't speak spanish, is that right? Sighhhh. Your not another one of these North Korean Spies are you?
Kim Il: Ummm. No Comprehende?
Customs Man in Japan: Im afraid your going to have to come with me Sir.
comments?