000) to set about conserving the stricken Murry-Darling system, once ranked in the top five of river systems in the world but now a series of ponds. How the "Mighty Murray" has fallen. All these moves to save it seven years into a drought.

PS This hopeless government has just announced its soul contribution to the whole Global Warming debate - change all the light bulbs. The incandescent bulb will be phased out and completely replaced by the low-energy-longer-life fluro bulbs. Considering a significa

Johnny-come- lately, the Right Honorable John Winston Howard, Prime Minister of Australia has a ten year tenure on this Nation. Just what has happened in that decade reads like a tragedy. We have slipped behind the eight ball where it counts.

Education - where tens of thousands of students slip through the system leading to a major literacy crisis. One in four of this once great country have some form of literacy impediment. Education investment has plummeted in the tertiary area by nearly 40%.

Health - As in the U.S.A., people in desperate need are still being turned away from hospitals because of the bed shortage. Third rate doctors have been seen to populate our regional hospitals. Why? Is it the cost of a university education - $50,000+ leading to a career beginning with debt. Having said this, there are good doctors out there but many are leaving because of the system. Across the nation a Mental Health system barely exists as patients are cast out into society and remain social outcasts.

Housing - Sydney, population 4.5 million, is haemorrhaging. There are now "auctions" on leasing and renting where money is the only criteria. For others there are names literally pulled out of a hat while those who missed out join that growing queue of third rate accommodation or homelessness. The gap of home affordability is the widest in the O.E.C.D. world and widening.

Industry - as in the U.S.A. the bulk of the heavily-subsidised manufacturing icons have been swallowed up by multinationals, closed their doors and/or moved off shore to the likes of China, India, Malayasia and whatever country has offered them incentives/bribes to relocate. The Masters of The World call it survival but I prefer to call it greed.

The drought - yes it's a big one but NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO ALLEVIATE IT. All the promised billions after stage 1 of the telco giant Telstra sale seven or so years back have come to nothing. And now Johnny-come-lately panic election mode has "set aside" ten billion dollars ($10,000,000,000) to set about conserving the stricken Murry-Darling system, once ranked in the top five of river systems in the world but now a series of ponds. How the "Mighty Murray" has fallen. All these moves to save it seven years into a drought.

PS This hopeless government has just announced its soul contribution to the whole Global Warming debate - change all the light bulbs. The incandescent bulb will be phased out and completely replaced by the low-energy-longer-life fluro bulbs. Considering a significan

ealth - As in the U.S.A., people in desperate need are still being turned away from hospitals because of the bed shortage. Third rate doctors have been seen to populate our regional hospitals. Why? Is it the cost of a university education - $50,000+ leading to a career beginning with debt. Having said this, there are good doctors out there but many are leaving because of the system. Across the nation a Mental Health system barely exists as patients are cast out into society and remain social outcasts.

Housing - Sydney, population 4.5 million, is haemorrhaging. There are now "auctions" on leasing and renting where money is the only criteria. For others there are names literally pulled out of a hat while those who missed out join that growing queue of third rate accommodation or homelessness. The gap of home affordability is the widest in the O.E.C.D. world and widening.

Industry - as in the U.S.A. the bulk of the heavily-subsidised manufacturing icons have been swallowed up by multinationals, closed their doors and/or moved off shore to the likes of China, India, Malayasia and whatever country has offered them incentives/bribes to relocate. The Masters of The World call it survival but I prefer to call it greed.

The drought - yes it's a big one but NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO ALLEVIATE IT. All the promised billions after stage 1 of the telco giant Telstra sale seven or so years back have come to nothing. And now Johnny-come-lately panic election mode has "set aside" ten billion dollars ($10,000,000,000) to set about conserving the stricken Murry-Darling system, once ranked in the top five of river systems in the world but now a series of ponds. How the "Mighty Murray" has fallen. All these moves to save it seven years into a drought.

PS This hopeless government has just announced its soul contribution to the whole Global Warming debate - change all the light bulbs. The incandescent bulb will be phased out and completely replaced by the low-energy-longer-life fluro bulbs. Considering a significa

Housing - Sydney, population 4.5 million, is haemorrhaging. There are now "auctions" on leasing and renting where money is the only criteria. For others there are names literally pulled out of a hat while those who missed out join that growing queue of third rate accommodation or homelessness. The gap of home affordability is the widest in the O.E.C.D. world and widening.

Industry - as in the U.S.A. the bulk of the heavily-subsidised manufacturing icons have been swallowed up by multinationals, closed their doors and/or moved off shore to the likes of China, India, Malayasia and whatever country has offered them incentives/bribes to relocate. The Masters of The World call it survival but I prefer to call it greed.

The drought - yes it's a big one but NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO ALLEVIATE IT. All the promised billions after stage 1 of the telco giant Telstra sale seven or so years back have come to nothing. And now Johnny-come-lately panic election mode has "set aside" ten billion dollars ($10,000,000,000) to set about conserving the stricken Murry-Darling system, once ranked in the top five of river systems in the world but now a series of ponds. How the "Mighty Murray" has fallen. All these moves to save it seven years into a drought.

PS This hopeless government has just announced its soul contribution to the whole Global Warming debate - change all the light bulbs. The incandescent bulb will be phased out and completely replaced by the low-energy-longer-life fluro bulbs. Considering a significa

their doors and/or moved off shore to the likes of China, India, Malayasia and whatever country has offered them incentives/bribes to relocate. The Masters of The World call it survival but I prefer to call it greed.

The drought - yes it's a big one but NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO ALLEVIATE IT. All the promised billions after stage 1 of the telco giant Telstra sale seven or so years back have come to nothing. And now Johnny-come-lately panic election mode has "set aside" ten billion dollars ($10,000,000,000) to set about conserving the stricken Murry-Darling system, once ranked in the top five of river systems in the world but now a series of ponds. How the "Mighty Murray" has fallen. All these moves to save it seven years into a drought.

PS This hopeless government has just announced its soul contribution to the whole Global Warming debate - change all the light bulbs. The incandescent bulb will be phased out and completely replaced by the low-energy-longer-life fluro bulbs. Considering a significa

000) to set about conserving the stricken Murry-Darling system, once ranked in the top five of river systems in the world but now a series of ponds. How the "Mighty Murray" has fallen. All these moves to save it seven years into a drought.

PS This hopeless government has just announced its soul contribution to the whole Global Warming debate - change all the light bulbs. The incandescent bulb will be phased out and completely replaced by the low-energy-longer-life fluro bulbs. Considering a significant number of household electrical items will not take these bulbs and that most people realise that they are much more "duller" than the standard bulb, the whole pathetic idea is ludicrous.

Now - 8-9 months before that crucial 2007 Federal election all that surplus taken from the sweat of a nation is suddenly released - so predictable. I only trust that the voting millions see them for what they are - bigoted and blind to the real ills that are slowly strangling the grass root of a once mighty Nation.