Archive for July 15th, 2011

If the carbon dioxide tax was really about the environment…

Then public transport costs wouldn’t go up, and would probably go down.

COMMUTERS could be hit with public transport fare increases of up to $150 a year when the carbon tax kicks in, confidential state government figures show.
[..]
the NSW Treasury estimated that the potential fare rises for all modes of public transport in NSW alone – due to increased electricity costs for trains and fuel costs for buses and ferries – could be expected at an average 3.4 per cent.
[..]
[NSW Premier Barry] O’Farrell said yesterday it was “crazy” that public transport would be hit by the tax when petrol for cars would be exempt: “This will create more pollution and defeat the whole purpose of a carbon tax.

“The federal government is crazy if it thinks this tax is going to reduce carbon emissions when it will lead to higher public transport fares and create an incentive for people to use their cars.”

(h/t Simon Benson, writing exclusively for The Telegraph. Follow the link for more from his great article)

Precisely Barry. We get told that car drivers are evil and public transport users are saints, and yet it’s those “saints” who pay a bigger share of the tax, which will be more likely to encourage them to drive than to stay on the trains and the buses and the ferries.

I keep saying it. This tax has less to do with climate change and more to do with social change, even economic change.

Samuel

July 15th, 2011 at 01:39pm

Friday Funnies: Weird Al

This one was plastered all over the media a few weeks ago, but it amused me greatly at the time and it seems timely, so I’ll give it a run.

I’m sure that it would come as no surprise to regular (and even infrequent) readers of this blog that I am not a fan of Lady Gaga. I’m sure that there’s some talent there, but the act just doesn’t interest me. It is, however, virtually impossible to escape the media coverage of her tours, and she was in Sydney yesterday, so it reminded me of this little gem which popped up a few weeks ago. Weird Al Yankovic put together a rather clever and amusing parody of one of Lady Gaga’s songs, and also of her act. It amused me, and I hope it amuses you.

I’ll get back to the literal music videos next week. I think I still have one or two of them to share with you.

Samuel

July 15th, 2011 at 10:42am

Canberra cooling

An email to MTR 1377’s Andrew Bolt and Steve Price.

Good morning Steve and Andrew,

I think Julia’s tax is working. Up here in Carbon Tax Central (aka Canberra) it’s minus five this morning.

Either the tax is working and is about to freeze us all to death, or we could use a bit of global warming. I’m turning the electric blanket back on!

Have a great weekend.

Regards,
Samuel Gordon-Stewart
Canberra

July 15th, 2011 at 08:05am

Green, maybe; peace, nope

I have been quietly amused by the name “Greenpeace” for some time now as I rarely ever hear about them doing something peaceful. Yesterday was no exception.

Around 9:30am today (Thursday, 14 July), ACT Policing received a formal request from the CSIRO to investigate the destruction of a wheat crop. It is believed that entry was gained to the premises through a perimeter fence.

As much of the media reported yesterday, the crop in question was an experimental genetically modified crop, and Greenpeace quite proudly posted a video on the Internet of their operatives destroying the crop with whippersnippers. Greenpeace even provided a spokesperson to the media to go on and on about the supposed dangers of these crops if they were to be let loose in the wild, and also some conspiracy theory about a CSIRO plot to use the crops in bread products so that they could test them on humans.

Well I don’t know what this mob were smoking (the crop perhaps?) but there clearly wasn’t much thinking happening.

If the crops are potentially dangerous if released, then they’re not going to do anyone any harm while they’re locked away in a greenhouse. Strike one.

Using whippersnippers on the crop will make some of it airbourne, meaning that the next time the door to the greenhouse is opened (I wonder if they left it open during the destruction) there is a chance that the airbourne bits could escape and do all of that potentially dangerous stuff which Greenpeace are worried about. Strike two.

The experimental crop will be used in bread so that it can be tested on the general population??? Guys, stop smoking whatever it is that you’re smoking, because if you keep going down this path you’ll fine yourselves in padded cells where doctors will be asking you if the television and the radio talk to you. Strike three.

And I thought the CSIRO was Greenpeace’s favourite government body, what with all of the global warming doom that it preaches. Why threaten the friendship? Strike four.

Away from Greenpeace, and I was also disturbed to find out that Shane Rattenbury, one of the Greens MLAs in the ACT Legislative Assembly, got on the local communist ABC station to praise Greenpeace’s actions. Shane, it was an illegal act. Would you like it if somebody found it abhorrent that you grow flowers in your garden and decided to break in to your property and take a whippersnipper to your flowers? It’s the same thing.

Now Shane, I understand that you’re opposed to GM crops. That’s fine…but surely the better thing for you, as an MLA, to do is to introduce legislation banning GM crops rather than condoning illegal activity. I wouldn’t support such a bill, as I think research in to GM crops is a good thing which could, if safe methods can be found and proven, end world hunger, and will can only reach that point through research…but I would at least support your right to try to ban GM research through legislative means rather than anarchic means.

In the meantime, I hope that these Greenpeace loons get the full force of the law thrown at them, especially those lovely provisions about trespassing on Commonwealth property.

Samuel

July 15th, 2011 at 06:37am


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