We, the people, are the threat to fiscal reform

The Australian ^ | 18th February 2015 | Janet Albrechtsen

[naturalman1975]

THE Prime Minister came to off­ice 17 months ago with the right instincts about structural reforms to fix the federal budget. To be sure, mistakes have been made, but last week a contrite Tony Abbott said: “We are determined to work for you, the people, who elected us.” If it’s fair to censure the government for errors on the reform front, we should be equally straight shooting about the chief reason reform has stalled in this country. We, the people, are one of the biggest hurdles for a reforming government.

According to record low polls for the government, we, the ­people, have told the Abbott government it will be obliterated at the next election for aiming for a budget that spends only as much as it earns. We have said we don’t much care about paying $100 million a day interest on our borrowings.

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Let’s not forget the mess in the Senate where the government is hamstrung by a rainbow coalition of bright red Labor obstructionists, Green economic Neanderthals, and other colourful but clueless dimwits, one-trick ponies and attention seekers. But maybe this motley crew represents the make-up of the nation more than we care to admit.

Reform comes down to us. It always does. As economist Chris Richardson said last week, it’s time we looked in the mirror. Try it. If you find yourself looking at Shorten or maybe Sarah Hanson-Young, that explains why reform has become so difficult in this country. If we really are saying we’re happy for our children to foot the bill for our selfishness, we, the people, truly get the government we deserve.

[GraceG]

If we really are saying we’re happy for our children to foot the bill for our selfishness, we, the people, truly get the government we deserve.

AMEN to this!