rudd's average australian??

I thought I would have a talk today to an "average Australian" about the Mining Super Tax - the sort of person Rudd is appealing to.

So I went to a cafe, saw a postal worker holding a free cafe paper with a front page headline about the Super Tax and what followed was interesting and alarming for its lack of logic - it could have come straight from the Rudd Government.

Here is a cvery rough transcript of what followed:

"See that headline. What do you think of the tax."

"It's good The miners aren't paying their fair share. The resources belong to us."

"It doesn't concern you that hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested and the rules are suddenly changing."

"No. They're making super profits. They should pay their fair share."

"Does it concern you that business might invest elsewhere because of political risk here."

"No. They'll continue to invest here."

"But won't money go to where the tax rates are best. BHP will be paying nearly 60%."

"BHP can afford it. They'll still invest here."

"BHP is in your super. You are not worried that your super will be affected by lower rpofits and dividend payments from BHP."

"No. I'm prepared to give that up as long as the miners pay us what is fair. The resources belong to us. They are just digging it up."

"It doesn't worry you that this tax cuts in after just 6%."

"No. They're making enough. They can pay."

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Maybe this explains why Labor is $1.50 with the bookies. There are still enough "average Australians" who believe simplistic Rudd slogans like,

"The resources belong to all Australians."

"The miners must pay us a fair tax."

"The miners are making Super Profits by digging up our resources."