More than a week ago Super Typhoon Haiyan went on its way across the Philippines. Three islands of the Philippines suffered catastrophic damage. Many aid organisations in lots of countries immediately organised aid transports to the Philippines. However the aid to the worst struck areas arrives for the survivors of the typhoon only slowly. Too great is the destruction on these islands. This makes the transport of these aid supplies very difficult.
Some people say there have always been typhoons and bush-fires. Of course this is true. But did they always occur with such frequency and severity? Do these people really believe that our way of life does not make any difference at all?
These days all first world countries have an extremely high standard of living. Would it really hurt us people in first world countries very much if we all cut back a bit on carbon emissions? Some economies in some first world countries may suffer a bit from time to time. But do we really make it a better world and a better society by spending more and more? I do not say we should not spend on ourselves anything extra at all. For Christmas for instance it is important for the economy that people should spend a bit extra. However I do not see that there has to be an increase in last year’s Christmas spending. Why not aim for a slight decrease? Why does there always have to be an increase? I don’t get it.
And here my thoughts on our Aid Budget in Australia: Why do we have to reduce it? Are we really so bad off that we cannot afford the previous level any more? And why is our Defence Budget so much more important than our Aid Budget?
AuntyUta 
“Are we really so bad off that we cannot afford the previous level any more? ”
Good question Aunty Uta. We are the worlds riches nation per capita. During the GFC our wealth has increase under a Prime Minister people say he was no good. We halved our aid budget and doubled our defence budget in percentage terms.
We gave Sri Lanka two patrol boats not to defend their country against an enemy but to stop people running away from their country, to Australia, because of an oppressive regime. We abolish the Science Ministry and sack researchers by the hundreds. We don’t want to know about climate change.
For the people of the Philippines it will be a meagre Christmas.
Yes, Abbott likes to abolish everything in sight. You wonder about giving naval vessels to the Shri Lanka regime who are thought to have killed 100.000 of its own people. At least the UK prime minister David Cameron, also a liberal (Tory), is asking for an inquiry into possible human rights abuses.
Good question, Aunty. Is Australia also messed up when it comes to its finances? Over here, we are in terrible shape. It’s such a shame.
We are the envy of the world, Mary-Ann, because we survived the GFC without any major problems. However our new government keeps telling the people we are in bad shape. You can always frighten people with talk like this. Everybody is scared to be worth off in future. Of course some people at the bottom have it pretty tough. It seems to me so far not many fall into this category here in Australia.