Editor’s note: This article has been slightly altered and republished.
The Rebbe
It has emerged that terrorists have been abusing welfare systems in their western homes. The orchestrators of the October 2015 Batacalan Theatre attack were receiving welfare from the Belgium Government, with at least five receiving up to 50,000 Euros in welfare combined, with the main surviving Paris suspect, Salah Abdeslam, collecting unemployment benefits until three weeks before the November attacks—€19,000 in all. The same was true of jihadist Khaled Sharrouf who was still receiving his disability pension of $766 a fortnight at least two months after he left Australia to fight for ISIS in Syria in 2014.
This seems to be a common occurrence, that jihadists and Islamic radicals who wish to remain segregated from the wider community are able to whore the Australian taxpayer for welfare.
Another interesting fault with our government is that they permit organisations like Hizb ut-Tahir to actively spread hate, with Man Monis, the Lindt Café gunman, having contacted members and attended their events, while spokesmen of the group refuse to condemn ISIS.
Another fault is that the government permits teachings of ideologies that espouse terrorism to go unnoticed in our prison system, further radicalizing convicted terrorists instead of rehabilitating them, with Halal food available and access to Imams and Korans. While religion should be constructive for inmates to pursue redemption after criminal actions, the religion that landed you in prison in the beginning should not be available to you while in prison.
And the last mistake is the continued permission of Muslims into our country. While immigration rates have been down in recent years, the government has humanitarian quotas it has committed to fill, such as the 12,000 Syrian refugees to be resettled in Australia.
So here is a five-step common sense solution to prevent Australia from becoming the cesspool of Jihadism that is France or Belgium.
1. Closer oversight of welfare payments to Middle Eastern migrants to prevent abuse of the welfare system.
2. Scrutinise existing welfare payments to Australian-born recipients of Middle Eastern origin.
3. Ensure Islamic texts and teachings are not available to convicted terrorists in prison.
4. Suspend Islamic immigration into Australia.
5. Outlaw all groups tied with terrorism, Jihadist ideologies or convicted terrorists.
Sure this might not solve the problem that is Islamic terrorism, but it’s 5 steps in the right direction.
Here is something to keep in mind over the next couple of weeks:
Months before the Olympic games were to begin, the leftist Dilma government of Brazil was overthrown using, more or less, constitutional means. Ironically, despite the ousting of a government led by someone who had actually murdered someone as part of a Communist terrorist organisation in the past, leftists around the world claimed that democracy had been murdered in Brazil, and complained that there were too many white men in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, we keep hearing the word diversity, and people associated with the Clintons seem to keep dying.
It’s been heavy going in the lead-up to the Rio Olympic Games, with the supposedly apolitical games being used as a pretext to shove politics down our throats. So it is with delight that we can leave this behind for another post, and celebrate the excellent start our Aussie athletes have given our country in the pool and on the archery field.
It all started when strapping young lads Taylor Worth, Alec Potts and Ryan Tyack won their bronze medal shoot-off to win Australia’s first medal at the Rio Olympics. Not long after, gentle giant Mack Horton won gold in the men’s 400 metre freestyle, and the women’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay team of Bronte Campbell, Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon and Brittany Elmslie won their final in world record time.
It has been thrilling to see Australia’s best succeed, and even when they don’t, to do their best. It has been just as thrilling to see the pure joy they display in victory, and their humility and typical Aussie humour when under the media spotlight. And it is just tops to see Australia’s youth giving such a good account of themselves on the world stage, and singing their nation’s anthem with gusto on the podium.
After the Australian Olympic team had a bit of a dip at London in 2012, it was important that we had a good start, as momentum is everything, and the confidence from early medals can quickly spread throughout the team. We could very well post an Aussie Legends of the Week segment every night for the next fortnight, but for getting the ball rolling in Rio, we’ll just award it to the magnificent eight.
After conducting the Tesla review, I started thinking. Why so many payments to the government for a purchase you make?
GST, the Luxury car tax, Stamp Duty, registration for purchasing a car.
GST, Fuel Excise, on petrol.
GST, Wine Equalisation Tax (yes, wine has its own tax).
GST, Federal excise and customs duty, State tobacco licence fees.
I could go on.
With the GST everywhere, it feels like governments are double- and sometimes triple-dipping. As well as income tax they have a huge amount to work with. Herein lies my rant.
The GST was, from my memory when it was being spun, supposed to replace all other taxes, streamlined and simple. Why then is this not enough? For what reason are there taxes on taxes for the consumer?
If it is to “get to surplus again” then stop rampant spending for stupid reasons, stop throwing money away to the UN, stop giving it away for no reason! Government funds need to be spent; we need police, medical, rescue, fire, roads, etc. However those guys holding the stop/slow signs playing Pokemon Go on their phones (I have seen this) being paid over $100 an hour (in the right circumstances) to hold a sign and use their mobile is just plain stupid. A street cone could do that job much more efficiently, and cheaper!
However, government spending isn’t the main rant today. It is a symptom of lobbying by those with loud voices and little brains wanting more than they deserve. Because of the pandering to the greedy, there is a need for more funds, so on go the taxes, and it is the secondary taxes that are raised – these unnoticed ones:
Petrol – 39.6 cents per litre as of 1st of August 2016 is what you pay in tax at the pump. Not including GST, of course. We could be paying 80c at the pump (metro Vic) currently if not for this.
Luxury cars – 33% of the remainder that goes above the LCT threshold (in the case of the Model S it was over $45,000 in tax!)
When the GST was proposed to be raised a few years back; in the RuGilludd era I believe, there was a huge outcry against it. Rightly so. The GST was proposed to be raised without any tax being removed. Now, had these other taxes been removed and the GST raised, then I would say that is fair; it would finally be the tax to replace all others.
However this won’t happen. In the end politicians don’t change, they just wear a different face and sing the same song.
Perhaps that headline is misleading – as much as the concept of Islamophobia itself is. I understand in the ACT they want to outlaw criticism of Islam – but graciously extend it to criticism of religion in general.
This is a great leap forward – to the Middle Ages approximately – though the punishment by death or trial by social media resulting in painful death is still a few steps away.
Let me aid the Greens. Why not outlaw criticism of Global Warming / Climate Change. Outlaw criticism of Clinton. Outlaw criticism of the safe school teachings. Outlaw criticism of migration policy – heck – just outlaw dissent with the Greens policies in general, really.
Now, I have a serious proposal for the Greens:
Why not outlaw the teaching of homophobia and the call to violence against those who engage in it.
Why not outlaw the teaching of gender segregation – real, not imagined.
Why not outlaw the teaching that a woman’s testimony is worth half that of a man’s?
Why not outlaw the teaching of armed violence against “others” (and heck – explicit teachings about conquering others and denying their religious freedoms) as a guarantee of eternal salvation?
Why not outlaw parallel legal systems which act on a rather retrograde moral and ethical code which is forbidden from “progressing” and is hence stuck in the 7th century?
Why not outlaw teachings of hate towards people who tend to represent your voting base?
I know it makes a lot of sense – and yet you do the opposite? Why not take the time to listen to and study the materials which are at the heart of that which you seek to protect from criticism.
Your actions are disconcertingly illogical. All that can really explain it is the thought that the best way to explain the actions of an institution is to assume that it is controlled by a cabal of its enemies.
Having written that – I can now make sense of your actions. I only hope those who will be punished by your actions – and I do not mean the critics of your real ideological enemy – will wisen up to the disservice that you seek to impose upon their future rights.
(A short while ago, Grumpy Motorist and my good self (David Hiscox) borrowed a Tesla. Yes, a Tesla. Grumpy has compiled an extensive report. If I can add a few comments before I leave the rest almost entirely to Grumpy (the italics within parentheses will be my small additions). I noticed no discernable change in Grumpy’s demeanour when he drove the Tesla. On several occassions he referred to other motorists as “peasants,” a term I have heard him use not infrequently. Anyway, enjoy.)
Welcome to the XYZ’s first car review. As this is the first review of our motoring series we decided to put our judging gaze on a vehicle and company that is changing the face of global motoring, Tesla Motors.
A quick back-story on Tesla and the Model S: Tesla began with its goal to create a mass-marketable and affordable, zero emissions, fully-electric car that can compete with the internal combustion big boys; spearheaded by none other than Tony Stark… I mean Elon Musk. There really isn’t a difference between those two. The Model S is their in-house-designed, mass-marketed, production car.
(When I asked one of the Tesla staff what it is like to work for Tesla, they described it as a company which just got things done. Because they are still, essentially, a start up, they have a lot of flexibility and move very quickly on new ideas, as compared to more established organisations. In this regard, we may humbly compare ourselves here at The XYZ..)
Now, onto the car…
The Model S P90D
Dave and my grumpy self were lucky enough to be given their performance, top-of-the-line flagship model, with all added options, for a couple of days to review, and overall it was a fantastic experience in what I can safely say is the future of global motoring.
Let’s start with the negative aspects of the car, as it is a short list.
Firstly, something I found that could be potentially very dangerous for the complacent, lazy, impatient, or just unlucky, is the rear and peripheral vision with the vehicle. With such a sturdy roof frame, the pillars of the car (whom I named Ruby) are incredibly thick. While this reduces the roof crush effect, currently the safest tested in the USA, as a driver I couldn’t see obstacles or other road users from my position, even with moving around in the seat. As a rear passenger I could not see at all when exiting for anything coming – the back pillar with the boot is that thick. The large headrests on the rear seats, while comfortable, limit the stifled view even more.
Rear camera, shown in a split screen on the main control pad.
There is an extreme wide angle, almost fish eye, camera to the back that you can have on at all times, but this still doesn’t assist your vision diagonally rear of the car, and sensors can only pick up so much.
Secondly, there is no spare wheel. Not even the room to have a spare unless you want one floating around loose in your boot. So if you have a flat or a blow out you’re stuck until the Tesla roadside assistance comes and changes your tyre or tows you away. The roadside assistance is free for the life of the car. Alternatively, if you’re like me and prefer to do things yourself, you can opt for a puncture repair kit.
These were the only flaws that I discovered which concerned me safety-wise, everything else is a cosmetic/comfort grumble.
Battery location for the Model S is under the floor, the whole floor! This adds stability, strength and ultimately, greater safety to the aluminium frame. However, if you’re an adult in the back your knees will sit quite high, due to the low seats and thick floor. On the other hand, distance between the front and back is very spacious, and comfortably sits adults in the back, even the larger of human beings.
Other design issues found with the car were:
The centre console bin with charging points ended up swallowing my (AWESOME) car key under the pivoting lid curve. I eventually got this out with dexterous fingers and many swear words.
The front luggage compartment, dubbed the “frunk” by Tesla Motors staff, requires even pressure on both sides of the lid to lock it back in place, so as to not warp the bonnet. This is fine, however when operating a luggage compartment I always had something in my hands which made the task awkward for me, yet probably comical for those watching. Now, this would have been easily glossed over had the car not had an automatic closing boot. If you have auto for one why not the other? Adding to that the glove compartment and the charging point cover open automatically but not close automatically. With the amount of detail gone into this machine, a little bit extra would have been the cherry on top.
Rounding out my grumbles and gripes was the sound system. In the end, after fiddling with the equaliser on the system, its low register was still lacking. If I were to purchase one for myself I would be asking about how I can change the speakers, as my current 1998 stock Toyota sound system (with stock sub) still out performs the Model S in overall audio quality.
TO THE GOOD STUFF!
Red brake callipers with 21″ wheels.
When I first pulled up at Tesla Motors I was awestruck by the cars. Their paint is immaculate, the lines are so sleek and flowing and sadly the photos on their promotional material and the ones we have taken just don’t do these vehicles justice. They are, before even getting in, a gorgeous car. I would have to say red, with the red brake callipers and the black 21″ wheels, would be my favourite. It was elegant and sporty, something that catches the eye (and that it did when we were driving as well.)
Isn’t Ruby just beautiful?
Cars are not only something practical, they are a work of art. Whether it is restoring something or creating a new design, like any art form, if it is rushed without care, it’s going show in the end result. Take a look at the Ssangyong cars, the Toyota Rukus, the Nissan Juke or Cube; these cars, while practical (not sure about the Juke) are eyesores. As such, the bond between man and machine is less because you will always covet the better-looking ride.
There is something very important with the look of a car as well as its practicality. Tesla have done that inside and out with the Model S. Not only have they made a good-looking car, they have incorporated some impressive quirks into that design as well. Walk up to the car with the key in your pocket (the key is a mini Model S, the size of a matchbox car!) and the handles extend from the doors and the mirrors unfold, and that’s the car unlocked! With the chrome handles on the fantastic red finish, I felt like I was Tony Stark!
“Look mum, no hands.”
When recharging the car you point the plug at the area where it plugs in and the cap is released, opening up the port for access. “Look, mum! No hands!” is what I wanted to say each time I went to do something with this car.
This car is fast! Fast doesn’t even describe how quick it is. I went into this review without anyone else’s prior experience in one to alter my expectations of the vehicle. I knew that electric motors are able to put power to the wheels faster than an internal combustion engine. There isn’t the need for cylinders to fire faster and faster, you just alter the power and instantly an electric motor changes its speed; that’s just 8th grade electronics.
When Dave and I got into the car and drove for a bit, we had no idea of the power under the… well, between the wheels. We had a couple of tests planned for speed, so we went to a safe area and got the stop watch out:
0-60, about a second
60 – 100 was 1.7 seconds
0-110 was 3.7 seconds
(All of these times are marred with human error). The rate of acceleration meant that by the time I registered we had hit the speed it was already 10km over by the time I told Dave to stop the clock. Officially from Tesla Motors they state that 0 – 100km/ph is 3.3 seconds in a standard Model S P90D, and 3 seconds when engaging “ludicrous mode,” which of course we did!
(I love the fact that Tesla have referenced Spaceballs. Also, the G-forces gave me a head-ache. Some upper-body training, akin to that undertaken by Formula 1 drivers, may be necessary.)
The acceleration is phenomenal! Unlike an internal combustion engine, there is no lag as the engine kicks in. Your foot goes down and you welcome the Gs.
The handling is so responsive. I threw the car around corners and it would not falter, it was there every step of the way with what I was asking of it. Even on grass it held true. This can be attributed to the almost 50/50 front to rear weight distribution and 4 wheel drive.
Just beautiful.
I was also lucky in the fact that of the two days I had the vehicle, I had one day dry and one day wet to really see how the handling held up. After a bad crash in the wet in the past, I’m always very wary of driving when wet. Once the rain drops there’s a sense of unease I get as a driver and as a passenger in many cars. I didn’t feel at all unsafe while driving in the wet (both damp and extreme wet.) The car didn’t slide or slip, even on paint.
The motor. Wow.
The Model S is so quiet, there’s no engine noise at low speeds, only a whine as you push the engine a bit and even then it’s super quiet. The road noise and wind is louder. It’s a strange sensation. I have a powerful car and I want everyone around me to know, but they never will. I foresee a few pedestrian with phone related accidents as they step onto the road without looking because there is no sound.
(An upside to this is that as an overworked XYZ editor who frequently doesn’t sleep, if you need to take a nap in the passenger seat, it is nothing short of glorious.)
A few other minor changes to my driving habits had to be altered to compensate for how the Model S operates. The biggest one was the use of the accelerator pedal. When in a combustion engine car you reach your speed, then you release the pedal briefly to encourage a gear change and then sit on your speed with the pedal down again, in the Model S, just put your foot in position and leave it. Likewise in a combustion engine car, when slowing down to a stop, you release the pedal and coast, using friction to slow down. In the Tesla, you do that and regenerative braking starts to occur and the vehicle brakes, putting charge back into the batteries. So releasing the pedal had to be done later to compensate for a quicker deceleration.
I use the term “car” very loosely with this review. It’s less a car and more a smartphone/tablet… a mobile device that can also throw your insides into the back seat. Everything from the Model S is controlled by the centre touch screen computer. A big 17″ control surface.
It runs like a smartphone or tablet. It is very quick to get used to, and like any new phone, there will be a teething period where you get to grips with small changes with the system but from then on you will have no problem with it. Only having the car for two days, I got a good grasp on the central control system, however, I knew there was still so much I was missing out on.
The screen, and therefore the car, has its own 3G data connection (at no cost) that allows the computer to be updated with live traffic congestion Google maps, run Spotify (also at no cost) and most importantly, be able to be accessed by Tesla Motors for software servicing (for example, for an owner in a remote area).
You can set up different driver profiles, and changing each profile will change the settings of the car to the preferred operating conditions of the driver, including seats, mirrors, steering wheel etc.
The screen can be split in two showing two of the main operating options, for example the rearward camera and maps, or have one of the apps taking up the full screen. The choices are:
Radio/media: Giving you not only digital radio but access to Spotify streaming and Bluetooth to a device.
Calendar: synced to your phone, all your appointments are accessible here.
Google Maps: with navigation.
Statistics: Energy expenditure and projected range plus trip details
Rearward camera: because seeing backwards with your eyes is actually worse without it. This also has car direction indicators that come on when reversing.
Phone: from here you can dial a number, access your contacts, and previous call lists of your mobile.
Going further down the technological rabbit hole you can enter the control panel. From there you can alter the car. Change the handling, raise or lower suspension, adjust the sunroof, toggle on or off driving modes like creep or ludicrous, alter crash avoidance systems, access the vehicle manual, and oh so very much more.
Autopilot
No, not cruise control, AUTOPILOT! This is one of the great selling points of the Model S. This feature uses road lines to centre itself in the lane with auto steering and cruise control. As you come up on a slower car the Model S slows to keep pace at a set distance (I had Ruby set to three car-lengths) and centred in the lane. Once you have grown weary of the slow-poke Holden in front of you driving at 15km/ph under the speed limit in the centre lane the Model S can, at the flick of your indicator (YES, YOU HAVE TO USE AN INDICATOR!!!), change lanes and return to your original speed. (Although when you try this, make sure the lane change feature is turned on, unlike me who sat in a lane for a few minutes trying to change lanes with nothing happening and wondering why.)
A feature I like about the autopilot and lane changing is that you have to keep your hands on the wheel. The car knows when you don’t. This is good as it keeps the driver somewhat attentive as to what is happening on the road around them. In my first experience with autopilot I had my hands on my lap talking with Dave, the car kept yelling at me to put my hands on the wheel but I kept refusing. It reached a point where the car finally cracked it at my lack of compliance, cut the systems and started to stop, making me take control of the car again.
(It must be said, watching Grumpy Motorist argue with one of the most high-tech computer systems ever devised and put into a car was among the highlights of my day. Oh and also, he tested out the autopilot by eating a chocolate bar.)
When the car is in control of the speed (cruise control, autopilot) it will automatically break if there are cars ahead of it. This feature kept me in a good mood while driving in heavy traffic, as instead of constantly turning my cruise off and on, I didn’t notice the speed change until someone was overtaking me. This feature is able to be turned off and also it’s able to be adjusted for sensitivity. I found Medium to be too sensitive as it would slow right down, almost to a stop for a car turning 20m ahead.
Auto parking is also available however I didn’t succeed in getting this feature to work while I had the machine. I did however get one of the Tesla staff to show me. It will, automatically, from a command from the centre computer, park itself either at 90 degrees or parallel.
There is still a dashboard in the Model S, unlike the release photos of the Model 3, and its focus is on the car and what’s around it. Centre is a little Model S and will have surrounding alerts come up as obstacles/cars get close, indication where the lines are and vehicles in front. This works well with the autopilot/lane change feature, as you can see the limitations and why actions are happening. The speedo is top centre, and going from an advisory speed check, is 2km/ph slower than it states.
To the left and right of the dash are changeable pieces of info. It was the left side that interested me more as when your surrounding sensors started to detect something, it would zoom in on the location (again, another car diagram) with a flowing alert ring. Unlike the other sensor displays I have seen, this digital diagram bent around what was there. So if you were coming up on a pole, it had a curve in the sensor band marking it out, and as it got closer a distance would show until you get so close that it yelled at you to stop. It is the most accurate and useful I have seen to date.
Comfort
I didn’t at all feel like I needed to get out and stretch; the leather interior looks like a European design and is nice to the touch. Climate control is able to be controlled in regions and individual seats, even the three in the back, can be heated at different temperatures. If you have never experienced a heated leather steering wheel, please treat yourself, it’s wonderful. The climate control also contains a bio-defence option, which is interesting to have. I’m not exactly sold on its necessity, however, the HEPA air filtration system that it comes with is interesting to me, filtering out the fumes from that belching diesel monstrosity in front of you that is trying to accelerate from the lights.
Unlike a petrol engine, as you run more and more extras in the car it doesn’t take away power from the motor. It of course lowers the range that the car will have; however if you want to go from 0 to 100 km/ph, you will still do that in 3 seconds.
So we don’t have petrol, and electric cars take so long to recharge: how will this car be any different to the Nissan Leaf?
Firstly, you will get far more admiring looks from people around you in the Model S than the vomit-worthy Leaf.
Secondly, when you purchase a Tesla, the company will install a charger at your home for easy home charging. This system of charge will give you approx. 10km per hour of charging and runs at about 7.4kw/ph. Now that’s still pretty slow, but better than other full electric cars on the market at the moment.
But wait! There’s more! Upon owning a Tesla you will have access to the Tesla supercharge network (so far it’s only available in two locations in Melbourne and at town locations between Sydney and Melbourne) which will give the car battery a full charge in about an hour… for free! So if you live near, or get a super charging station built near your home or work, you could essentially never need to pay for road transport in your car again (outside of that dreaded registration fee of course) as you laugh at all us peasants paying through the nose for petrol.
A full charge will give you about 500km range. There’s a funky little app on the Tesla Model S webpage that will give you projections on ranges in different conditions with each different type of Model S. With my harder driving and use of as many features as I could, I reduced the charge on Ruby quite a lot. However, after the two days, I didn’t need to recharge to get the car back to Tesla, even with long highway driving included.
Storage in the Model S is quite generous. The trunk has a secondary lower compartment, can have its top canopy removed for bulkier items, and of course you can lower the back seats to fit the surfboard in with no issues of getting wax all over your nice upholstery.
The space in the “frunk” is limited, as much of the space there is taken up by what a unsuspecting person would think was the motor, but it’s more components for air con, brake fluid, computer witchcraft, etc. This was perfect for small items like bags, jacket, etc. Also I enjoyed the gimmick of putting items in the front of the car.
Running costs
Will an owner of a Model S save money, verses buying a comparable combustion machine?
Short answer is yes, and while the initial outlay for a Model S will be dear, in terms of ongoing costs you will save plenty.
Firstly, as stated earlier, you won’t be at the whim of the oil companies paying about $50 a week on fuel. It will be part of your home electricity bill, and if you have solar panels then that’s even cheaper for you.
Secondly, with so few moving parts in the Model S there are less things to go wrong; instead of needing a service every 3 months/five to ten thousand kilometres for basics like fluids and filters, and needing big, costly services for belts and water pumps every 100,000 kilometres, the Model S is serviced once a year and much of it is software based. The servicing is all prepaid up to the first 8 years (see the Tesla site for the different options) and due to frequency, works out much cheaper.
So how much will this sting?
Lightning feature comes free of charge..
If you go to buy Ruby, the top of the line Model S P90D with all the bells and whistles plus the kitchen sink, it will set you back about $282,000. That includes $11,000 stamp duty, $45,000 luxury car tax and $37 Victorian rego costs.
There are, of course, lesser variants of the Model S which will drop the price, and maybe you don’t need the $15,000 ludicrous speed upgrade or the $6,000 21″ rims. The thing with Tesla is you can go onto their site, pick the type of Model S you want, add all the options, tell them which state you’re in and then you will be given the price for it with all on-roads. With Tesla, the price is set no matter who you are – you pay the same as the individual before and the individual after.
Personally, I like that. While I have haggled down prices before, it’s annoying to talk to someone who got the exact same product for cheaper from the same dealer. Also it doesn’t cheapen the product. Once you start taking $2,000 off the marked price the moment you walk in the door the respect for the product is lost.
When I first saw the price sheet sent to me from Tesla Motors I was incredibly sceptical that this car was worth the price of a small house. Especially if they’re trying to mass-market them. After driving it for the two days, I can confidently say that it is worth every dollar (except the luxury car tax!)
If, like me, spending almost $300,000 on a car is a bit out of your price range, then next year there will be a release of a more affordable Tesla: the Model 3. With no released Australian price yet, I can only speculate that it will range between $40,000 and $60,000.
This experience with the Model S has won me over to electric cars, well… good ones that is. I acknowledge that there is a place still for combustion engines; I don’t want to go camping with an electric car that’s for sure. But for daily commuting vehicles this really is something so much more!
If you have any questions about this car that we haven’t covered, ask Dave or Grumpy in the comments below.
(Standby for the up-coming review of the SpaceX Falcon 9 in a couple of years’ time).
Last week, Australia narrowly avoided inflicting one of its own darker periods on the rest of the world. Having initially planned to back Kevin Rudd’s bid for Secretary General of the United Nations, PM Malcolm Turnbull was soon forced to renègue once it became apparent that Rudd was not held in high esteem by Australians, nor by a significant portion of Liberal MPs.
“They wanted to give an official endorsement for the post, sometimes referred to as the world’s chief diplomat, to a man so disagreeable he throws temper tantrums at female air force staff because of a lack of cheese.
“They wanted a man put in a position of influence over international refugee agencies, who opened Australia’s border to people smuggler rackets that led to over a thousand drowned bodies of men, women and children. Not to mention the billions of taxpayer dollars wasted even to this day.
“A supposedly conservative Prime Minister was going to support handing the reins of a giant global busy-body to the man who is almost single-handedly responsible for the fact that our country will likely never have a budget surplus again.”
Now that international embarrassment (and perhaps disaster) has been averted, it is time for us all to bury Rudd in the manner every narcissist of his ilk hates – laughter. While some have suggested that perhaps sending Rudd to destroy the despot-controlled UN with his signature micromanaging may have actually been a good thing, we prefer to revel in the fact that we have been able to take away one of Kevin’s nice things.
As journalist Peter Schweizer detailed in his compelling book Clinton Cash, The Clinton Foundation is a charitable organisation that essentially pays lip service with minor contributions to global charities, while the lions share goes to the Clintons themselves (and their inner circle) to facilitate their lavish lifestyle, and most recently to a war chest for Hillary’s Presidential run.
It should be noted that none of the allegations raised by Schweizer in his book or the subsequent documentary film of the same name have been disputed or challenged in any way either publicly, or privately by the Clinton camp, so we can only assume that Clinton Cash is accurate, or at least accurate enough to negate legal action.
Clinton Cash was first published in 2015. It was a revelation of corruption in the halls of the highest office in the United States of America. Schweizer alleges that the foundation is a glorified wealth accumulation racket under the guise of charity, and question marks surrounding the foundation were common knowledge for any potential benefactors who knew how to Google.
So why then did our government feel compelled (and why was it even justified or necessary?) to donate between $10 million and $25 million of taxpayers’ money to a questionable foundation, as a lump sum, sometime between 1997 and 2015? (Editor’s note: an article from Greg Sheridan in The Australian from 20/2/16 suggests it could be as high as $75 million over the course of a decade). Of even more concern, why did the Australian taxpayer contribute a further $10 and $25 million in the first quarter of 2016, by which time the Clinton Foundation was well and truly setting off alarm bells and raising serious questions about whether it had any kind of legitimacy?
You can see both contributions in this screenshot. The first is listed as AUSAID, but no date is given. The other is listed as Commonwealth of Australia, and was banked by the Clintons in early 2016, coincidentally when an expensive Clinton Presidential campaign requiring some serious cash flow to sustain it was just heating up. Both contributions are vaguely identified as ‘Government Grants’.
AUSAID is of course Australia’s foreign aid programme, as administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A highly capable organisation that helped coordinate the 2004 Tsunami relief effort, yet inexplicably needs a go-between in the Clinton Foundation to distribute (to use the term loosely) between $10 million and $25 million in foreign aid. When did DFAT become so unsure of its ability? It makes absolutely no sense. The question needs asking, did any of that money make it beyond the Clinton Foundation’s ‘administrative fees’?
The early 2016 donation of a similar amount is even more vaguely listed as ‘Commonwealth of Australia’. Such a vague descriptor suggests that it may not have even been costed and charged to a particular department, which makes it all the more suspicious. It could have come from Education, Defence, Welfare, the National Broadband Network… virtually anywhere. Taxpayers have a right to know where these millions came from, and a justification given for it being handed over essentially as a gift to the Clinton dynasty for no particular reason. Again, why are we outsourcing foreign aid when we have a perfectly capable agency to do such things, even if the money hypothetically did go to foreign aid?
The timing is also concerning. Hillary was facing a challenge for the nomination and the Presidency from unexpected quarters. Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump had defied all odds to become legitimate threats. A bigger campaign budget was needed to starve out Sanders in the interim, and Trump at a later date.
Given what we learned from Clinton Cash, is it possible that Australian taxpayers are unknowingly influencing the outcome of the democratic process of one of our biggest allies, by providing millions in campaign funding for the Turnbull government’s preferred leader of the free world?
We now know that little of the money that flows into the Clinton Foundation flows onto those most in need. So any way you look at it, the Clinton dynasty have profited off the back of oblivious Australian taxpayers.
Taxpayers should be angry. They should be outraged. They should be demanding answers to some very disconcerting questions. Why are our tax dollars being used to subsidise the lavish lifestyle and political aspirations of Hillary and Bill? What exactly did we get for our $10 to $50 million contribution? Who is responsible, and how did they benefit?
The 2016 donation is most concerning, and indicates that the Australian Government has knowingly influenced the democratic election of a close ally with financial support to a Presidential Candidate, presumably to ensure that the TPP isn’t scrapped under a Trump presidency.
It’s most disturbing that our elected representatives can be as easily bought by the Clintons as two-bit tin-pot dictators with appalling human rights records in third world countries. Perhaps a Royal Commission is in order.
Eh?nonymous was a thoroughly repellent unemployed social justice warrior until a one in a million glitch in his Facebook account affected the algorithms in his news feed, omitting posts from his much loved left leaning Huffington Post and I F**king Love Science, and inexplicably replacing them with centrist and conservative newsfeed items that slowly dragged him kicking and screaming into the light beyond the safe space that Mr. Zuckerberg had so carefully constructed for him. It’s a long road to recovery, but every Mark Steyn share he sees in his newsfeed is like another day clean from social justice addiction.
Editor’s note: Recently, a meme appeared on the internet of Josh Thomas mocking alternative medicine. Good show. However, Vic Timms cannot help notice a little hypocrisy. Naturally, The XYZ is here to help out:
It’s nice that Josh can express an opinion that mocks the language of an extremist fringe minority. All we want is that same right.
Your matter of life and death and tears and righteousness is my idea of stupidity, and no way to run public debate. And vice-versa. The gay marriage crowd are the new Mrs Lovejoys of the world.
The marathon US Presidential Election race is finally into the home stretch, with the two major parties choosing their candidates; Donald Trump for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats.
Both candidates have caused, and are also the result of, major fissures in each party. Donald Trump represents the anti-establishment wing of the Republicans. Establishment Republicans have come out in force attacking his credibility, but he has also brought large numbers of new supporters into the party, and is polling well across all segments of society, despite attempts to paint him as a bigot.
Clinton is the establishment Democrat, but has fought off a major insurgency led by Bernie Sanders within her own party to secure the nomination. The Democratic party machine may well have sunk to new depths of corruption to ensure Clinton’s nomination. Also, the mainstream media has colluded extensively with Clinton to largely ignore the email scandal, the Benghazi scandal, the Clinton Cash scandal (to name just a few) and the fact that a massive array of fences had to be erected around the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia to keep out fellow Democrats opposed to Clinton’s nomination.
Despite the corruption and downright criminality of the Clintons, serious doubts about Donald Trump as an alternative for conservatives remain. Given his apparent support for a government-controlled medicare system, he does not appear to hold “pure” conservative economic credentials. And despite challenging politically-correct taboos, and openly discussing the threats of Islamic terrorism and lack of border protection, his crudeness in doing so can be unnerving.
But it is indisputable that this bluntness is one of the characteristics which has made him such an effective candidate, and both his successes and mistakes as a businessman make him exceptionally qualified to make decisions which will affect the US economy; far more qualified than the socialist agitator, sorry, “community organiser” Barack Obama, who has overseen the doubling of US debt, ever was.
Thus, the US Presidential election presents us with a number of challenging questions. The XYZ wants to know who you support for US President, and why. Given that the election is one which affects the whole world, but in which only Americans can vote, we have framed the question accordingly. We have also included the possibility of Greens candidate Jill Stein, and Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, because, you know, throw your vote away.
As ever, we await the faint possibility that Ronald Reagan will return from the grave and restore order to the galaxy.
It’s your XYZ.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
It has emerged that terrorists have been abusing welfare systems in their western homes. The orchestrators of the October 2015 Batacalan Theatre attack were receiving welfare from the Belgium Government, with at least five receiving up to 50,000 Euros in welfare combined, with the main surviving Paris suspect, Salah Abdeslam, collecting unemployment benefits until three weeks before the November attacks—€19,000 in all. The same was true of jihadist Khaled Sharrouf who was still receiving his disability pension of $766 a fortnight at least two months after he left Australia to fight for ISIS in Syria in 2014.
