riots in australia, page-32

Delisted

No, I don't want to see Greek-style riots here where innocent workers (somebody's wife / mother/ father / brother) are burned to death by anarchists with no respect for the democratic process.

And despite your implication that re-election of Rudd's government would warrant such a violent response, I believe the thinking majority value our civil society too much to trash it wantonly.

Do you realize that you are sounding like a 'good ol' boy' from the Deep South? The sort who can't quite believe that certain 'uppity folk' (i.e. Labor voters) have been allowed to talk back, let alone vote.

I suspect your conscience was not troubled by Howard's lies about 'children overboard'; by his dog-whistle racism and wooing of Hanson's red-necks; by his Work Choices legislation that tried to emasculate the most vulnerable workers in our society so that businesses wouldn't be troubled by such pesky matters as over-time rates, minimum wages and the gains made since the days of the sweat-shop.

Nah, let's just pillory a government that has ridden out perhaps the biggest financial disaster of the last 50 years. Let's spill blood on the streets because this government has had the temerity to suggest that Australia's resources are not simply the property of the big miners but the inheritance held in trust for all Australian citizens.

My resource-heavy portfolio has been savaged like everyone else's this past week, but that doesn't blind me to the obvious: an Australian government has the responsibility to ensure the future prosperity of the entire nation and taxing the SUPER-PROFITS (i.e. you only pay the tax if you are making serious money) of the resource boom is entirely responsible and proper.

To imply that violence is an appropriate response to the measures of an elected government is petulant and dangerous. If you don't like a government's policies, exercise your vote as is your right. But do you really wish to see a Burma / Thailand style situation where a disgruntled minority resort to violence because they don't like the result of the ballot? I hope not.

Gupper