like, duh

http://www.crikey.com.au/2013/09/16/stimulating-hypocrisy-from-hockey-joes-changed-tune/

so it already appears that [at least some of] the non-stop hysterical screaming from the opposition over spending the last few years was exactly that and nothing more. they're going to keep building the country. is this a good thing or bad?

- bad that the LNP has been able to assume office purely through repeating slogans, outright lies and a complicit media, but we already knew all that didn't we

- good that at least some of the absurd ideas put forward are unlikely to be implemented?

new figures from the usa reveal that wealth inequality there has reached its highest level since records began. so like, not in a hundred years, not even during the great depression, were the rich as relatively rich compared to the teeming poor. additionally, since 2009 a full 95% of income gains have gone to the richest 1% of americans. free market ideology goin' strong as ever

why is this relevant? well aside from being the bellicose, unpredictable and unrivaled world hegemon and our current government emulating the republican party in opposition as much as they thought they could get away with (oh plus murdoch), our lovely new prime minister has proudly declared that he doesn't consider the united states to be a foreign country

that's right; not foreign. as in the same. i wonder if he meant australia is not a foreign country to americans or the other way round? or both? presumably he sees the hard and soft power dynamic as largely equal then, yes? otherwise would it still be fair dinkum?

what's it called again when one country exercises control over another country in a totally one-sided relationship? even down to prime ministers proudly declaring themselves to be no foreigner to the land of the free? (coincidentally also the most imprisoned, exploited and exploitative land in the developed world)

oh yeah! an alliance haw haw haw. anyway...

it's a good thing that (at this stage, at least) it looks as though our fat-piece-of-shit future-treasurer may responsibly-ish manage the economy (i.e. by building stuff we will need) because it means we may just still be on track to avoid the worst excesses of US-style "progress" (i.e. gated communities situated amongst crumbling cities)

that's not to say that the abbott government isn't sticking to their backward-thinking and misogynist guns: minister for climate change no longer exists as a position and 95% of gaylord's cabinet will be penis-havers

all the same it would seem that --can you believe it-- the abbott government is already exceeding my expectations. that is to say, it looks like abbott wont be transforming the australian continent in to New Texas within a matter of months as i had feared

were my expectations too low? no, they weren't. the LNP government is still the worst we've ever seen (maybe the worst we've had ever) and deserves to die. just ask a young person who lives in a city

HOWEVER, credit where credit is due-- it looks like all the crazy stupid things the LNP said to get in were indeed only said in the first place to dupe idiots who see government debt as one of the largest problems facing us in to voting liberal and being vocal about it. you know, the kind of people who find comparisons between managing a small business and a national economy helpful

so suck it all you ideological freaks opposed to government spending and common sense. even your precious whacko abbott government is going to borrow money to invest in infrastructure

(just not better internet or public transport)