Politics: Who Will Set Us Free

This poem was inspired by a leader of the Democrats who was about to cross the floor of Parliament and do a deal with the then Prime Minister John Howard. Her decision was to bring in the GST. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) enabled government to tax every consumerable. That is a large revenue stream extracted from economic activity. So the Government has a vested interest in consumption, it gains the more you consume. So the core issue was not just about raising tax revenue, it was to make the Government a vested interest in societal consumption. When we look at petrol prices and the duty inherent within those prices, the Government again becomes a vested interest in retaining the taxes.

So to move towards a sustainble society (not economy) runs counter to government and corporate vested interests. This of course is obvious and the duties, levy’s add to the the sticky prices. We call sticky prices in economics a variable resistant to change.

WHO WILL SET US FREE?

Looking back over times ancient and old,
The players live out their prospective roles,
The spectators are left out in the cold,

The struggles are composed from a familiar tune,
Power and money always leads us to ruin,
Casting out the ashes of humility from an ageless urn,
It appears we are too slow to learn,
Sadly it is to the nape of insecurity which we always turn.

It is the law of nature,
Not the nature of law,
Which penetrates its truth to your inner core,
And if you look hard,
The answers lie within,
Seek and you will find,
The goodness that giving brings.

For to take away makes you small,
A darkness coverts your face,
Fear leads to conflict,
An illusion which has plagued the human race,
So if you want to grow,
It is wisdom you need to know,
The short term is the past,
The long term is here at last,
So put your wheels in motion,
Bring joy to the nation,
For they are in need,
Of a champion to cast out fear and greed.

I yearn for individuals who see the light,
Who look further than self interest,
Know you are being tested,
Positive choices are a guide,
Intrinsic to the web of life,
See new ideas which float like seeds,
Full of real promise and re-growth
…you see,
Could it be you …
who sets us free?