The next crisis

ON behalf of the People's Liberation front of Erskineville (Rozelle chapter) I issue a fatwah on ian! You will be spammed.

In a tough and telling speech Rudd said: "To accuse the Democratic Party of the United States of being al-Qaeda's party of choice, to accuse the Democratic party of being the terrorists' party of choice, to accuse the party of Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and Johnson of being the terrorists' party of choice is a most serious charge ….

"Prime Minister, can you imagine if I stood up in this Parliament as the alternative prime minister and said to the people of Australia that the terrorists would be advantaged if the Republicans were to return to the White House at the next presidential election?"

Barrak Obama and Jimmy Smits / Santos have the same speech writer. Clever both of them.

When I was at Uni there were no poor students, they weren't allowed ... and it was fee-free. Services on campus were fabulous, but compulsory union fees were contentious even then.

Austudy just paid my rent. I worked to live.

Crisis-we-had-to-have: The Australian economy will totally collapse and the gnome will blame the combined effects of El Nino, the Coriolis Effect, the Whitlam Government, Bazza the Flying Plumber and Barack Obama.

Roll on election time, I say, there's quite a few major infrastructure projects just waiting to go ahead with a healthy injection of pork barrel funds in this extremely marginal electorate that I reside in.

He announced a $1 billion injection into schools' maintenance and 'special project' funding at the last election. Over 4 years. The final year was to be 2008.

He has spent only about 25% of it, and brought all funding forward to mean all announcements will be finished by end 2007.

That leaves an approx $750 million slush fund over the next 8 months just for schools (and no new money need be promised). You won't be able to open your local rag for pics of pollies cutting ribbons opening minor renovations, playground repairs and shadecloth structures at your local public and catholic school. (The $10 million for Kings new pool is not part of that - their votes are assurred anyway and shored up by the $3 million a year per capita recurrent grants)

Quite right ryb. At MsW's local Catholic school, all the teachers traipsed home last night with a brand new laptop each - some special grant moneys for the Mick schools (maybe all of them).

ryb - have the state funded christians been sent to the schools yet?

Many of the Diocesan education offices are now providign laptops.

In terms of overall total state and federal funding, many Catholic schools receive more in total govt funding than publics do.

Labor doesn't want to know about it of course well they do know about it - and endorse it - - hence then Latham big hit on the "elite private schools" who receive big bucks considering how much they have in resources, but overall are a drop in the funding bucket...

Nah, the fed- funded Xians (ie 'chaplains') thing hasn't been worked out yet. They will have to sign up to a pledge promising not to proselytise, allegedly.