Tag: Spending

ALP Government,

Half a bil per aerial truck for the Royal Australian Air Force – what’s the scam? – Michael West

RAAF Hercules

It’s not often the Australian Government acquires the same type of aircraft, from the same company, to perform a similar role across a span of 66 years. The Albanese Government’s purchase of new transport aircraft provides an interesting insight into the eye-watering costs of defence procurement. What’s the scam?

Put simply, the C130J, like the C130A before it, is an aerial truck.

No doubt the C130Js are more capable aircraft than their predecessors. But can they carry 10 times as much cargo in a given time, or fly ten times as far? Is each one ten times more capable? I doubt it.

Source: Half a bil per aerial truck for the Royal Australian Air Force – what’s the scam? – Michael West

Politics

Opinion | The Unlimited Campaign Spending by Corporations and Billionaires Has Destroyed Democracy | Common Dreams

Global Economy On Precarious Footing Amid High Interest Rates

If that had occurred during the days of the East India Company’s global activities it would never have become the British East India Company. When over 40% of British MPs were investors, joint shareholders and it’s protectors.

When corporations use their vast wealth to distort or seize control of the political process, they have ceased to operate within the constraints established at their creation. They are in violation of their own corporate charters and should be shuttered or sold off.

Source: Opinion | The Unlimited Campaign Spending by Corporations and Billionaires Has Destroyed Democracy | Common Dreams

Fight against Fake News, Fighting Fake News

Old Dog Thought- Why Murdoch Media is a Climate Change Denialist and a supporter of the Fossil Fuel Industry

Fighting Fake News with REAL,15/2/23, Decade of Spending Influencing Climate Change Policies, Australians are entitled to an Eplanation on the Government vote Against the IJC.

LNP, LNP Corruption, LNP Government

Morrison government’s record spend on advertising

Graph showing annual federal government spending on advertising campaigns

Morrison the Salesman

. In the first six months of 2022, the previous government was the biggest advertising spender in the country.

Source: Morrison government’s record spend on advertising

Climate, Climate Change

Climate for ‘great reallocation’: Deloitte – Michael West

A “great reallocation” of spending is needed to achieve a net-zero economy by 2050, modelling by Deloitte Access Economics shows.Some $20 trillion in forecast investments by Australian governments and industry by 2050 needs to be spent differently to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report released on Thursday.But it is a transformation that Australia can afford, the research commissioned by the National Australia Bank shows.

Climate for ‘great reallocation’: Deloitte – Michael West
LNP

Morrison government’s advertising spend tops Coles and McDonald’s | Australia news | The Guardian

The prime Scott Morrison and his government spent $145.3m on advertising campaigns in the 2020-2021 financial, which the Australian Institute says was more than Coles.

The Ad man Cometh! Who was and will that money be it spent with? It’s why the corporate and private MSM invest so heavily in supporting the government? For their and their supporters advertising dollars of course. Didn’t we notice just how much Harvey Norman spent and Clive Palmer is spending”  Mega – bucks are being spent on “government announements” and soon to be election advertising. Private Media Isn’t FREE. SAVE OUR ABC because sure as hell the LNP hate it.

Coalition spent $145m on advertising last financial year, with defence recruiting and Covid vaccines among biggest campaigns

Source: Morrison government’s advertising spend tops Coles and McDonald’s | Australia news | The Guardian

Informed Comment

The Week Ahead: Crunch Time | The Smirking Chimp

Yet senate Republicans, along with Sinema and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, say we can’t afford to spend what’s needed for childcare, education, or paid leave, and we can’t afford to reduce climate change? My friends, this is truly nuts.

Source: The Week Ahead: Crunch Time | The Smirking Chimp

Fossil fuels

BBC: Leaks Show Saudis Pressuring UN to Downplay Danger of Fossil Fuels as UN Warns G20 is putting $300 bn into Sector

Angus Taylor’s $240bn is doing Australia’s share in the dirty lifting

The report notes, “G20 countries have directed around USD 300 billion in new funds towards fossil fuel activities since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic — more than they have toward clean energy.” The only way to cap the temperature increase at a sweltering but perhaps not catastrophic 2.7F would be to slash those investments in half. In other words, if they stay on their current path, the richest 20 nations are making a laughingstock of themselves with their CO26 pledges next month.

Source: BBC: Leaks Show Saudis Pressuring UN to Downplay Danger of Fossil Fuels as UN Warns G20 is putting $300 bn into Sector

Health & life, Healthcare, Public Health

US ranks last in healthcare among 11 wealthiest countries despite spending most | US healthcare | The Guardian

The other countries analyzed in the report were Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Greg Hunt Australian Health Minister so admires the American Medical System he believes we should adopt it here. The latest report however thinks otherwise.

The US is last on a ranking of healthcare systems among 11 of the wealthiest countries in the world, despite spending the highest percentage of its GDP on healthcare, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.

Source: US ranks last in healthcare among 11 wealthiest countries despite spending most | US healthcare | The Guardian

The Deficit

Deficits Aren’t a Burden on Our Children

Billboard showing the national debt and each Americans share is displayed on Sept. 24, 2019 in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.

For decades, the Washington, D.C., political class has condemned deficit spending as an act of selfishness. We’re profligately throwing ourselves a party, they say, but paying for it with our credit cards, leaving our descendants to pick up the tab.

Source: Deficits Aren’t a Burden on Our Children

Election

Creeping Plutocracy after ‘Citizens United’: How US Election Spending skyrocketed to the GDP of some whole Countries
https://www.juancole.com/images/2020/10/Screen-Shot-2020-10-16-at-11.48.55-PM.png

Currently Trump is out of noney

The 2020 election cycle is forecast to smash previous spending records, with the Center for Responsive Politics estimating it will cost US$11 billion. That would be comparable to the 2019 GDP of Equatorial Guinea or Chad.

Creeping Plutocracy after ‘Citizens United’: How US Election Spending skyrocketed to the GDP of some whole Countries
Election

Election 2020 sees record $11 billion in campaign spending, mostly from a handful of super-rich donors

Total spending in the 2020 federal elections is projected to set a new record of almost US$11 billion by November. When adjusted for inflation, that’s over 50% higher than 2016 election spending. This year’s federal election spending – for the presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives – is on track to be double what it was in 2008.

The real challenge for American democracy is where this money comes from.

Election 2020 sees record $11 billion in campaign spending, mostly from a handful of super-rich donors
Israel, Uncategorized

Can the Israel Lobbies succeed in unseating Ilhan Omar?

America’s biggest danger of foreign interference comes from Israel. It’s spending American Aid to boot. (ODT)

via Can the Israel Lobbies succeed in unseating Ilhan Omar?

LNP Economic Management, LNP Government, Uncategorized

Defence spending continues to rocket in spite of coronavirus recession

Defence spending continues to rocket in spite of coronavirus recession

via Defence spending continues to rocket in spite of coronavirus recession

Trumpland, Trumpland Revealed, Uncategorized

The US’ Covid-19 death toll is soaring, but it keeps wasting billions on overseas military ops. Is that what taxpayers want? — RT Op-ed

The US’ Covid-19 death toll is soaring, but it keeps wasting billions on overseas military ops. Is that what taxpayers want?

via The US’ Covid-19 death toll is soaring, but it keeps wasting billions on overseas military ops. Is that what taxpayers want? — RT Op-ed

Trump, Trumpland, Uncategorized

As Global Military Spending Hits Nearly $2 Trillion, These Weapons Are Useless Against Biggest Threats We Face | The Smirking Chimp

It’s time for the global community to come together in the realization that weapons don’t make us safer. Investment in people—including public health and global cooperation—is infinitely more important than propping up the military-industrial complex.

Fortunately, advocacy and community groups across the world are already mobilizing for change. Even during a time of social distancing, people are finding ways to come together and demand better from our governments.

As the leading military spender, the U.S. has an important leadership role to play in transitioning the world away from military spending and towards spending public funds on things that actually build more resilient communities.

If we’re successful, the next generation will get to experience well-funded public health systems, peaceful societies, and the many benefits that come along with investing in people rather than the Pentagon.

via As Global Military Spending Hits Nearly $2 Trillion, These Weapons Are Useless Against Biggest Threats We Face | The Smirking Chimp

Media

Peter Dutton spends $8 million on spin doctor army

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton’s army of spin doctors and communications staff is costing taxpayers more than $8 million a year.

Source: Peter Dutton spends $8 million on spin doctor army