Thursday, January 26, 2012

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Spam of the Week: The Economy

*Dear Prime Minister Gillard, *

Please find below our suggestion for fixing the Australian economy.

Instead of giving billions of dollars to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 5 million people over 50 in the work force.

Pay them $2 million each severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire. Five million job openings - unemployment fixed

2) They MUST buy a new Australian car. Five million cars ordered - Car Industry fixed

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage - Housing Crisis fixed

4) They MUST send their kids to school/college/university - Crime rate fixed

5) They MUST buy $100 WORTH of alcohol/tobacco a week ... And there's your money back in duty/tax etc

It can't get any easier than that!

Also:*Let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing home. This way the pensioners would have access to showers, hobbies and walks.

They'd receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment,wheel chairs etc and they'd receive money instead of paying it out.

They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance. Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them.

A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell. They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.

They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling,pool and education. Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ's and legal aid would be free, on request.

Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard, with gardens. Each senior could have a PC a TV radio and daily phone calls. There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to.

The criminals would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised. Lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week. Live in a tiny room and pay $400.00 per week and have no hope of ever getting out.

Think about this (more points of contention):

COWS:* Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Goondiwindialmost three years ago, right to the paddock where she slept in the feedlot at Bony Mountain? And, they even tracked her calves to their stalls.

But they are unable to locate 125,000 illegal immigrants wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow. *

Also:* Think about this ... If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone -- YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! It is time for us grumpy old folk of Australia to speak up!

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On behalf of my fellow Curmudgeons, I thank the original author - whose identity is now losts in the mists of the ethernet - for so clearly articulating these thoughts.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A terribly sad day

We went to Bowral for a family picnic today, and I had been intending to write on the plethora of bookshops in the Southern Highlands township.

But on the way there, we were witnesses to a triple road fatality. The truck travelling beside us on the dual lanes - literally a metre from us - left the road as we watched, crossed the bushy median strip, and drove into incoming traffic.

If you are of a religious bent, please say a pray for the three people who died. If you are not of such beliefs, I hope you can spare some time to reflect on the fact that no matter how awful your day was, your family and friends will get to see you another day.