lev.lafayette's blog

On October 1st, 1949 the the People's Republic of China was proclaimed, making this year the 75th anniversary of its founding. It followed decades of civil war, the invasion from Imperial Japan, several internal conflicts involving regional warlords, and over a hundred years of being subservient through unequal treaties imposed by Western powers. To establish a central government under such circumstances was an impressive achievement in its own right. As Mao Zedong said at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference several days before

Between work and study this week I scooted down to the Port Melbourne town hall yesterday to cast a "Yes" vote in the Voice referendum. I recognise ATSI people as the original inhabitants of the land. My respect for this means that I think it is right that they, like other indigenous people throughout the world, should have an advisory body to the government on matters that affect them. And that's the entirety of the constitutional change.

Abstract: The Voice Referendum seeks to provide recognition to the First People of Australia and a body known as the Voice which can make representations to the parliament and executive. The Australian Parliament will determine the powers and procedures of the Voice. According to current aggregated opinion polling, the "No" case to the Voice is currently leading.

A few days ago I landed in Brisbane to, once again, attend the ALP National Conference. As is usually the case, the results on contested issues are pretty well-known before the vote is actually taken.

I rather feel that in the past few days I have become increasingly disappointed by the intellectual partisanship shown by others. This includes encounters with racists, with anti-vaxxers, and - perhaps the most disappointing of all - by ignorant political partisanship by those who lack experience in housing economics but have become enchanted by the Australian Greens' policy of a rent-freeze (also argued, quelle suprise, by the New Zealand Greens).

There is a barely noticeable meme making the grounds that promotes the virtues of Modern Monetary Theory. As with other low-quality memes, it's basically a text screen saved as an image which, of course, sends anyone who knows even a modicum of systems programming into exasperation about levels of computer illiteracy. But what is also frustrating is the astounding ignorance of monetary theory.

Ending the inequality of power and wealth in the world is a complex and challenging task that will require a multi-faceted approach. Here are some potential solutions:

Promote economic policies that reduce inequality: Progressive taxation, minimum wage laws, and other policies that redistribute wealth can help reduce economic inequality.

Q: What would be some ways that economic resources could be harnessed to make quality of life better for all?

A: Investment in infrastructure: Economic resources could be used to invest in and improve infrastructure such as roads, public transportation, and access to clean water and electricity, which can greatly improve the quality of life for all members of a community.

Tony Abbott (2011): "It's actually pretty hard to do this [implement a price on CO2] because carbon dioxide is invisible and it's weightless and you can't smell it"
https://www.smh.com.au/national/he-says-she-says-in-a-faux-election-camp...

If the opinion polls and betting markets are to be believed, the Labor Party will be returned to government for a third term on November 26. It is certainly true that in the course of the campaign the Coalition has narrowed the odds, but Labor has started with a significant majority (Labor 55, Coalition 27, Greens 3, Independent 3). A key (and strange) decision of the Coalition was to put Labor last in preferences, even behind extremist parties and the Greens; the last time they did that they elected Adam Bandt, who has been there since.