Ok, Noam Chomsky was right.
As I pointed out once before, he said if you want to find out what’s going on, the business pages are a good place to start because people are less impressed when they’re lied to about money.
Or something like that.
Anyway, I read the Business Pages from time to time. Actually, I read almost anything. I don’t know why. I once read the booklet that some Jehovah’s Witness gave me in return for opening the door, which means that any time a Jehovah’s Witness comes to the door and tries to sell me “Watchtower”, I always point out to them that only 144,000 will be saved when the Apocalypse comes and won’t they be pissed off when they discover that their conversion of me pushed them out to first emergency, while I spend Eternity in Heaven with the other chosen ones. Isn’t it better to walk away now and not take the chance, because I’d really be happier with friends in Hell, and they’d be better off trying to convert someone who’s no competion.
Which sort of brings me back to the Business Pages and the Abbott Government.
So did anyone else notice the footnote to the Budget Papers where they moved the dividends from the Future Fund into the Budget bottom line, or was it just the financial writers?
Yes, yes, if there’s any economists or accountants out there who want to argue that it should be in there, I don’t have a problem with that. You’re right. But I just feel that the way it was done was the equivalent of removing fifty dollars from my wallet while I was asleep because I owed you the money and the person to whom it was owed had left me a note in the middle of a whole group of receipts which is where it should be, so it’s my fault if I don’t go back and check absolutely everything…
* * *
So here in Victoria, Tony Abbott opened a Billboard.
Now, I have enough empathy to understand that this is of little interest to most of you, but it said, “If you’re stuck in traffic, blame Labor”.
That’s because the recent Victorian election was – according to Mr Abbott – “a referendum on the East West link”, which the Liberals lost.
Now, apparently, within six months of the election, we’re stuck in traffic thanks to Labor even though I was driving south about thirty kilometres from where the road was due to be built. (For anyone interstate, where the billboard was placed would be the equivalent of saying “Stuck at Perth Airport? Blame xxx for not building Sydney’s third airport”)
But, I’m not even going to go down the ridiculous path of trying to use logic, reason and other things that may be related to science when economics is the thing.
However, I would like to just simple point out that Abbott now no longer relies on three word slogans. “Blame Labor” has become his only explanation or justification for why he should be re-elected.
Which, at my count, was two words.
At this rate, if he wins the next election, when he goes again, he’ll be only able to use one word slogans.
