In the months leading up to the last election, the mainstream media lost the respect of many people. Murdoch headlines became stories within themselves. All news seemed to be about Labor’s leadership tension and polls. Scrutiny such as we are seeing now from some sections of the media was sadly lacking and many of us turned to online sites such as The AIMN.

Whilst I have learned a great deal here, it must be acknowledged that many of our articles are inspired by information in the MSM, or from source documents quoted in articles we read.

In our disgust with Murdoch, we rejected MSM and decided they had no journalists worth listening to, but that has never been the case. Tony has been extremely successful in perfecting the ‘look over there’ technique. Well, I am sure it wasn’t Tony, but people more schooled in the art of mind manipulation through the media who decide what we will be told and how.

Throughout this time journalists have been providing us with information, but it gets drowned out by the sensationalism being directed, presumably, by Credlin and Loughnane.

In light of the horror budget of all time I would like to remind you how tough Tony is doing at your expense, courtesy of just a few stories from the MSM. The thing that struck me as I put these few articles together was the secrecy, lies, and detachment from whether something is right or not, just whether he is “entitled.”

Canberra Times

Staff in Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s office have blocked the release of information on the year-long restoration of The Lodge, fearing “negative comments” about the $4.45 million project.

Last week’s federal budget included more funds for maintenance and the refurbishment, but the total amount was deemed commercial-in-confidence.

Taxpayers forked out $65,000 in lease-termination fees in April after it was revealed Mr Abbott wouldn’t use a $3000-a-week rented home in Forrest chosen by the PM&C during the pre-election caretaker period.

Daily Telegraph

John Howard’s unprecedented decision to live in Kirribilli House citing continuity for his children’s education cost the taxpayers $18.4 million in flights between Canberra and Sydney.

news . com

“Tony Abbott has spent more than $120,000 overhauling Kirribilli House since winning the election – including $13,000 on a family room rug.”

news . com

The Abbott Government will seek a truce with media outlets and taxpayers so it can buy or lease larger VIP jets to fly politicians, officials and journalists overseas on the same aircraft.

According to senior government sources the new plan would involve aircraft such as the Airbus A-330 or Boeing 777 that can fly hundreds of passengers over long distances with fewer stops.

The Boeing 777 and Airbus A-330 each cost about $250 million and both can carry in excess of 200 passengers in VIP configuration.

Sydney Morning Herald

The top-of-the-line Holden Caprice was recommended by the Attorney-General’s Department in 2012 as the preferred option for a fleet of nine specialised blast-proof VIP vehicles to be used by the Prime Minister and other dignitaries, according to confidential government documents.

The revelation appears to contradict reported Abbott government sources as saying Holden had not even submitted a bid in the tender because the car-maker simply ”was not interested”.

The report also cited government sources revealing the multimillion-dollar contract to replace the ageing fleet of Caprices, was about to be filled with ”off-the-shelf BMW High Security 7-Series vehicles” worth $525,000 each.

news . com

SOME OF TONY ABBOTT’S EXPENSES:

Derby Day with family travel November 2012 – $2271.61

AFL Grand Final with family travel September 2012 – $2150.89

Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge, Coffs Harbour August 2012 – $1002.24

Hervey Bay surf life saving pier to pub swim April 2012 – $2372.81

Charter jet to Tamworth Country Music Festival January 2012 – $8800

Australian Open Men’s tennis final Melbourne January 2012 – $1639.82

Tour Down Under Adelaide January 2012 – $2174.82

Pier to Pub swim Lorne January 2012 – $1444.24

Port Macquarie Ironman November 2011 – $1290.10

AFL Grand Final with family travel September 2011 – $5663.58 (flight Bris-Syd included in the fare for Melbourne return)

Melbourne Cup November 2010 – $2154.40

news . com

PRIME Minister Tony Abbott has again defended claiming a travel allowance from taxpayers for a charity bike ride.

Over the past few years, he has claimed thousands of dollars in allowances for overnight accommodation and flights for the time he’s participated in the Pollie Pedal fundraising bike ride through regional areas.

Three years ago, Tony Abbott said of Kevin Rudd’s response to the GFC:

“He has saddled us with years of higher interest rates, higher taxes and higher debt to avert a disaster that never was.”

Apparently the GFC was not a disaster but our recently reaffirmed AAA credit rating portends doom for the nation unless something drastic is done right now. The situation is so dire that the politicians have agreed to forego a pay rise they weren’t being offered.

In comparison, the Sydney Morning Herald informs us:

“We find that people on benefits do the heaviest lifting. An unemployed 23-year-old loses $47 a week or 18 per cent of their disposable income. An unemployed lone parent with one eight-year-old child loses $54 per week or 12 per cent. Lone parents earning around two-thirds of the average wage lose between 5.6 per cent and 7 per cent of their disposable income. A single-income couple with two school-age children and average earnings loses $82 a week or 6 per cent of their disposable income.

Compare this to the $24, or less than 1 per cent of disposable income, paid through the deficit levy by an individual on three times the average wage – close to $250,000 by 2016–17. High-income couples could together bring in up to $360,000 a year and not contribute an extra cent.

These calculations are conservative. They do not take into account the proposed abolition of the ”schoolkids bonus” because this is not a new budget initiative. They do not deduct rent or childcare. Nor do they include increased costs of health care and fuel or changes to education.”

But never fear … we have jets, lots of jets … or at least we might have, sometime in the next decade, so we will just sit on those billions until they are ready.

“The $12.4 billion cost of the RAAF’s 58 new Joint Strike Fighters plus another $12bn to keep them operational is not new money” Tony Abbott says. The Prime Minister said the money had already been provided for in the budget as “money which successive governments have carefully put aside to ensure that our nation’s defences are strong’’.

We will also sit on the $20 billion raised by our co-payments for medical services. Why we aren’t using those billions to reduce our debt or to make Medicare and pensions sustainable is something only Mr Hockey can explain.

It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world.