Greg's View of Todays News - 02/18/2009

• Speedway - Win A Ride In A Race Car This Saturday

  The Wangaratta Motor Sports Club are throwing their full support behind the Victorian bushfire appeal, with all proceeds from a raffle at this weekend’s race meeting going directly to the appeal.

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  • Racing will start at 4pm and will continue until around 11.00pm with all categories racing several times during the night. Finals at the end of the program will follow preliminary heats.

    Entry to the track is $20 for adults, $15 for pensioners, with children under 16 admitted free. A full commentary, event program and catering facilities are offered, as well as access to the pits for those interested in taking a closer look at the competing cars, and for a chance to meet the drivers.

• Turnbull sees merit in carbon tax - ABC News

  Federal Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has not ruled out supporting a carbon tax as a way of cutting greenhouse emissions.
  The Federal Government says it wants a carbon trading scheme to start by July next year, but there are increasing criticisms of the plan. The Greens say it is too generous to the big polluters.

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  • "A carbon tax has got the obvious advantage that if individuals make investments in energy efficiency, if individuals try and use less energy in their house under a carbon trading scheme, those efforts would be pointless," he said.

    "But under a carbon tax those efforts would help reduce Australia's emissions, so a carbon tax is quicker, it's fairer and it won't discourage individuals from trying to do their bit."
    • A 'carbon trading scheme' is a con that does not reduce carbon emissions at all. As pointed out in this article, it protects the major polluters at the expense of everyone else.
      
      Reducing carbon emissions is a job for everyone - it should not become just another 'free trade market' where the wealthy thrive by trading credits and juggling the books. Blind Freddy can see that whenever you create a new market, you also create a new form of corruption. That is not what is needed in a new world order. - post by gnaylor

• More Aust troops needed 'if Afghan war is to be won' - ABC News

  A retired Australian general who helped to command the Coalition forces in Iraq says Australia must be prepared to put up to 6,000 troops into Afghanistan. Australia has about 1,000 soldiers currently deployed in Afghanistan.

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  • Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has consistently called for NATO countries to increase their troop numbers.
    • ... but Auatralia is not a signatory to NATO so why should we be there in the first place, let alone consider sending more troops.
      
      I'm not sure that many Australians understand anything about the Afghanistan conflict - post by gnaylor

  • "Of course our troops operate in the south in Oruzgan province, so I expect we would be working together, but none of us really know what this announcement means in practical terms," he said.

    "We know the numbers but it's a little unclear what Secretary [Robert] Gates and the US administration has in mind.
    • If it is unclear what Secretary [Robert] Gates and the US administration has in mind, how can Australia consider deploying more troops. - post by gnaylor

• Ai Group wants changes to Fair Work Bill - ABC News

  The Australian Industry Group has proposed a substantial number of amendments to the Federal Government's Fair Work Bill.

  • "The Bill substantially reduces the rights of employers and substantially increases the role and power of unions."
    • It seems the intention of the Bill has been lost - should it not be about protecting the rights of workers against unfair work practices. After all, the Bill is to undo the damage done by the Howard Government's 'Work Choices" law. - post by gnaylor

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