03/12/2012 – West Australian Agriculture Minister Terry Redman can’t shed light on reports a Chinese agricultural giant could buy up to $4 billion worth of prime farmland after snapping up some 30,000 hectares in the past month. Excerpt from industrysearch.com.au

As a nation Australia lead the world in innovation and technology for many years, the 60’s, the 70’s, the 80’s and the 90’s. What on earth are we playing at now? The mining and CSG industries were booming, now they shed hundreds of jobs, we sat on our hands for 15 years, steering our education monies away from the trades and into universities. We have no tradesman!

Now we seek trades people (slaves) from overseas, so our foreign landlords can harvest our resources and use cheap labour to steal our wealth, avoiding tax at every link in the chain. What’s in it for Australia? Exactly what we deserve – NOTHING! Slowly but surely we are losing our middle class and the few who now earn are expected to pay the welfare for those without, the jobs have disappeared. Slowly but surely the opportunities are disappearing, statistics show there is now a better than even chance of a new business failing in the first two years. Not encouraging for any potential small business hopeful.

As this progresses we will soon hear of diplomatic missions to countries like Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines to learn how to live in poverty or at least to fine tune the mechanisms that make it work. If you think this is silly, take a good look around you.

Have you noticed the self serve scanners at the supermarkets. I refuse to use them even for one item. On a recent business trip to Milan, Italy we visited a super market for some wine and nibbles to have before dinner. The supermarket was underground covered 3.5 hectares and had less than 50 people working in the whole establishment and of those working, 15 were security guards to make sure no one left without paying. Stock was prepared in the warehouse on sections of shelving and wheeled in on forklifts. There were no cashiers or even anyone to assist. If you don’t help yourself leave and shop somewhere else. Absolutely disgusting…and the prices were similar to the corner store. Who wins?

If these systems are adopted, where do our university students and those who don’t make it to university go for a job. Technology is great but do we really have to push the profits up so high for the few businesses who have survived to milk the purse, for a society to work we must have jobs. Without work the social issue of drugs and alcohol only escalate as the people need something to take their mind off the hopelessness. Bring on anachy and social disturbance. I appreciate they have introduced a police state over the past 15 years to control the masses better, Fines for everything including thought. Is this what we want?How long can this go on before the bubble bursts?

Should we be looking at euthanasia for our elderly and sterilisation our less intelligent. Maybe this will reduce the population gradually to avoid mass starvation and anarchy. Everyday we hear how there is a need for growth, business cannot survive without growth, the current system is unsustainable. We are allowing the drastic changes in our society and just roll over and say, “Baah”! If you think this is outrageous, the evidence is piling up. Our governments are all living on borrowed money, borrowed money can only be paid back with extra taxes. To pay taxes there has to be income, without a future and jobs we cannot pay taxes or even earn. What is the solution?

Every business demands growth to survive. Growth may be great for investors but where does the increase in wealth come from to pay for the continued increases just to make the bottom line look good in the board room. It is unnecessary and unsustainable.

We must work together to find a solution. As we see reported from Western Australia, the cancer is spreading; as Nero fiddles  – Rome burns!

Please note: The views and opinions expressed above are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher; www.theissue.com.au