Being paranoid edition
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Category Archives: Philosophical and speculative
It is about human rights, you dimwit
He really is the most ignorant, not to mention outright stupid politician I have ever witnessed. A straight out Stalinist who knows only the logic of force. This is the essence of Andrews.
I’m always happy to have a debate but ultimately our policy will not be changing.
What he really said is that he is not in the slightest interested in having a debate, his mind has been made up and the personal freedoms of others have no meaning to him. More here: Daniel Andrews dismisses human rights complaint over Melbourne Covid curfew.
On Thursday, The Australian reported that Liberal Party MP Tim Wilson had written to the Human Rights Commission, urging it to examine the curfew on the basis that “citizens’ rights and freedoms [are] being limited based on the ease and efficiency of the powers of the state against the rights and freedoms of Victorians”.
Wilson has asked the commission, which he once headed, to examine whether it had grounds “to take action in light of the significant limitation on the rights and freedoms imposed on Victorians by the curfew for the ease of government interests”.
But Andrews dismissed that complaint on Friday, saying the curfew was “not about human rights. It is about human life.”
“That is my answer to Mr Wilson. And what he chooses to do with his time is a matter for him. Police need rules they can enforce,” Andrews said.
A complete disgrace. If he is remembered at all it will only be for the warning he has provided to future generations about the dangers of totalitarian evil that can easily seep in through the cracks in some Parliamentary socialist sewer.
And then, of course, there are the economic effects. This is from the PwC report to Melbourne City Council on Cost of Pandemic.
A vicious cycle of higher debt and lower growth has commenced. Higher debt means less control over events; a government facing debt pressures will be unable to use fiscal policies to the same extent. A reduced ability to service that debt will leave less for other services.
Federal government transfers represent 50% of Victorian government revenue. Transfers will fall as GST collections fall. With a dramatic fall in employment in the state, numbers in the Victorian public service must fall. It had employed 9.4% of the Victorian workforce but will increase to 12.4% in two years, an unsustainable level. State taxes will need to increase by prospectively 25%.
A downgrade in credit rating of Victorian debt is inevitable. Net debt will increase to 20% of GSP and net interest will exceed 6% of revenue. Interest rates on debt will increase as spreads widen. Victoria’s population will at best be static. If overseas students are hesitant to enrol with universities in Victoria, a declining population will emerge and there will be fewer taxpayers.
We’ll see how much the folks in Victoria will love Dan the Man then. What a reckless thoughtless incompetent fool.
Liar Dan and the fine art of casuistry
This is the front page of the Oz: Andrews letters: PM’s offers met by silence. And then see precisely what Silent Dan says:
Revelations of the Prime Minister’s offers of help to Mr Andrews came as the Premier said on Wednesday that he stood by his statement to a state parliamentary committee hearing last month that it was “fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no”.
Get it. No one said no. What a disgusting weasel. Responsible for hundreds of deaths and he wants to start defending himself by parsing the meaning of words. Will accept no responsibility for the catastrophe he has overseen and largely caused by his incompetence.
As for casuistry, perhaps he learned it when studying the classics, one of the fine arts of dishonest politics:
the use of clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions; sophistry.
“the minister is engaging in nothing more or less than casuistry”
I wonder if he was crossing his fingers when he said what he said. I also notice that on the new citizenship test there is this question:
Should people’s freedom of speech and freedom of expression be respected in Australia?
I wonder how Dan would go with that.
LET ME ALSO ADD THIS: Despite 10,000 new cases a day, the French are embracing life – not imposing new rules.
No one is dying from the Covid any longer. The contrast between Melbourne and Paris is incredible.
AND FROM THE COMMENTS:
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) is composed of 20 salient traits that a psychopath may have:
1. Pathological lying
2. Glib and superficial charm
3. Grandiose sense of self
4. Need for stimulation
5. Cunning and manipulative
6. Lack of remorse or guilt
7. Shallow emotional response
8. Callousness and lack of empathy
9. Parasitic lifestyle
10. Poor behavioural controls
11. Sexual promiscuity
12. Early behaviour problems
13. Lack of realistic long-term goals
14. Impulsivity
15. Irresponsibility
16. Failure to accept responsibility
17. Many short-term marital relationships
18. Juvenile delinquency
19. Revocation of conditional release
20. Criminal versatility
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist categories four major traits. These traits are Interpersonal, Emotional, Lifestyle, and Antisocial. Here are the discussions of each trait.
1. Interpersonal Traits
Pathological lying is one of the most salient characteristics of psychopaths. They use lies to cover up their true purpose. By using the charm that they have, psychopaths win over their target victim.
Their high self-worth makes them crave for more power. As a result, they want to maintain the authority and power they have.
2. Emotional Traits
Psychopaths lack remorse and guilt. Consequently, it is easy for them to manipulate or inflict pain on their victims. They will simply get away with the crime they commit.
The lack of empathy makes the psychopaths unaware of their victims’ emotional or physical turmoil. They never hold the responsibility of their acts.
3. Lifestyle Trait
Psychopaths are impulsive and irresponsible. They typically have no long-term and realistic goals.
4. Antisocial Traits
Psychopaths always have difficulties in controlling their behaviour. As a result, developing a social relationship is a constant and huge challenge for them.
Although psychopaths are rare, they are difficult to spot. You have no idea whether one of your co-workers, classmates, or friends is a psychopath. The 20 traits of a psychopath listed in the scale (PCL-R) will help you assess the suspected person.
The help of a mental expert may aid the assessment process. Like other psychological disorders, diagnosing psychopathy is also a tricky thing to do. It requires expertise and experience.
Being stupid is not a barrier to political success
Let me add a bit more on Daniel Andrew’s lack of intelligence. Being stupid does not mean one does not have other attributes that might make for political success. The school bully is seldom the same person who sits on top of the Honour Role.
When I say he is stupid, what I am saying is that he is unlikely to be able to make sense of complicated arguments. You will not be able to reason with him since he has his own agendas, he is too thick, not just to follow what others are saying, but is bored by such things.
We policy types like to sit and discuss ends and means with a specific matrix of theoretical and practical considerations that lead to various conclusions that are embedded in policy proposals which are then implemented. Daniel Andrews has never shown the slightest ability or interest in any of that. He’s a brute with his own ideas of what to do, who wants his own way at all times and is determined to get it, however much harm he may do. He is a far-left Marxist-Leninist without the slightest interest in creating an environment in which the private sector can succeed. And he is as dumb as a box of rocks as well.
Reading the comments from the previous thread brought two things to light of particular interest to me. This was from Rohan:
In fact, Daniel Andrews has botched every single thing he has done. He has not had a single success in anything he has done since becoming premier. Try to find anything he has achieved with all the billions he has gone through. Victoria was already bankrupt even before the virus arrived. Dwell on this from the link.
It wasn’t just his current stint as Premier either. Remember the ER waiting times where people were waiting over 24 hours on gurneys to be admitted as a patient, when he was health minister?
Remember how he told the bureaucrats to fudge the figures so he wouldn’t look bad but the front line ER docs blew the whistle?
Remember how he never addressed the root cause of the problem and it only got better after the LNP won in 2010?
Because he can’t solve problems. But he has rat cunning, is a master in the art of bullying, obfuscation and lying his arse off to cover for his lack of intelligence and practicality and common sense.
Then there is this from Tim Neilson commenting on the six years it took for Andrews to get through his pass degree at Monash in politics and classics. I was surprised by the classics which does show some intellectual interest but see below:
He is of above average intelligence by today’s standards. He has a BA, majoring in Classics and Politics. Granted, that is not what it used to be, by a long shot, but stupid people don’t earn such degrees, even today. There is real work and intelligence required, even today.
It’s pretty difficult to fail an Arts subject if you hand in assignments and turn up to exams.
The Classics should have more rigour than some pseudo-disciplines. However, Andrews would have had the Classics belted into him at his Catholic school. Then he could go back to square 1 at Uni and get a Classics minor in his pass degree pretty much just off what what the Brothers had strapped into him.
As for a Politics major, if you think pass marks in that required anything much more than “four legs good, two legs bad”, you’re sadly overestimating Australian universities.
Yes, he’s not full illiterate level stupid, but his pass degree in the Arts doesn’t mean that he’s got any real intellectual ability.
He has superficial polish and a determined ruthlessness which work for him. He is also well supported by the many many standard-issue cliches of the left on being kind and caring and the evils of capitalism. I am only pointing out his vast intellectual limitations to help explain the predicament we are in. And how useless it would be to try to talk him out of the kinds of things he is doing that are ruining the State.
I don’t say that intelligence is the be all and end all of political ability or even common sense. Universities are filled with people whose political views are unbelievably idiotic. What I am saying is that Andrews stands out as much stupider than the average and his limitations are having a terrible effect all over the place. He is certainly doing much to ruin the Labor brand in Australia.
What Daniel Andrews needs to understand about Covid-19
The problem with Daniel Andrews has been from the start that he’s not very bright and has only a limited grasp of the issues. He does however like to tell people what to do and has little time for actual discussion and debate since argument is not really his preferred form of persuasion. The video will bring you up to date on where the Covid story now finds itself. It is a shame Andrews doesn’t get any of this. The video although somewhat long (but not too long) really is an eyeopener.
If you ask any Democrat why do they hate Trump so much …
This year will be one of the most pivotal years in all of world history, and that is an understatement. We’ve seen a complete breakdown of American civil society over the last several months.
I don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the world, but when I walk down the street to get a coffee in 2020 New York City, I have to thank God that I have 2020 vision and the reflexes of a champion boxer to duck any knockdown sucker punches. And this is on 57th Street, what they call Billionaires’ Row. I can’t imagine what’s going on way Uptown, Downtown or in the Bronx.
Bonfire of the Vanities is like nonsense compared to this. The city has gone to the dogs, the pits, in drerd. Makes you want to stay inside and order food.
That’s what everyone was doing until all their favourite restaurants shuttered.
I have a new name for restaurants that are recently closed. They are ‘cloved’. Covid schmovid cloved. One after the other, all of my favourite restaurants are finished.
Where can you get a decent sandwich in this town? And if you even think of going off on me about some sort of privilege shpiel, you know where you can shove it.
And you know who is solely responsible for all of this? Our two schmegeggi state and city leaders, Mr de Blasio and Mr Cuomo. These two schmucks have led us down a dark and dreary path. Mason
The two Putzes-in-chief, but really putz is too nice of a word to call either of them. Actually, it’s an insult to putzes worldwide to include them in that estimable category. These guys have made our lives intolerable.
The degradation of my beloved city has happened in front of my eyes, well at least from what I can see on the TV screen while 60 floors up. It’s a nice view, but it cost a pretty penny. I know the last time this kind of thing happened, it took someone like my favourite dinner partner Giuliani to come to the rescue. Who’s going to be our Giuliani this time?
Only in America can murderers and criminals be put on pedestals. The world is upside down and topsy turvy. No one would believe it if I said in my act that you should let criminals out of prison, but if you don’t wear a mask you’re going to be arrested.
A murderer is let out because of fear that they will contract the coronavirus, and they’re free to commit crimes again.
The truth is I retired at the right time. With all due respect, my genius was that I was able to say exactly what I thought, and left my audience laughing, but more importantly, thinking. I wouldn’t be able to do
that today.It’s not a good time for comedians to speak their minds unless, of course, it’s to say that they hate Trump and then it’s easy. You don’t even have to make up jokes you just repeat over and over ‘I hate Trump’. That’s why I just like to do private dates now, where I can say and do what I want. Otherwise, anything you say is immediately called racist and sexist. You get called a pig and a degenerate.
You really gotta put yourself out there to be a public figure. So the next time you ask me to write this for nothing, I’m not so sure I’m going to agree. And while we’re talking about it, I have to mention that you can find me on Cameo. It’s a website, you can look it up. I’m not going to tell you anything else. See, you’re curious already.
In regards to the frightening times we’re living in, the political climate is the most pressing matter of all.
If you ask any Democrat why do they hate Trump so much, they answer because of what he did to this country. I ask them, what did he do to this country and they answer, I told you because of what he did to this country. I ask, is there one thing he did that is wrong? Is there something he shouldn’t have done? Name one thing that if you had a choice you would overturn. The taxes, the tax law? Did you make money or did you lose money? If he did anything wrong, why did you take the money, why didn’t you send it back? He opened up trade with Canada, he saved everybody money.
Even the Democrats admit it was a good deal, so much so that they tried to take credit for it after it was passed. Before this whole corona thing, he created less unemployment and higher wages. So what did he do wrong? The economy was the best it’s ever been. So what did the president do that everyone should be cursing him all the time? I’ll tell you what he did wrong. He’s wearing the wrong jacket. He has the wrong hairdo. He has the wrong attitude and you don’t like the colour of his tie. What does your side want from him? A new stylist? You don’t like the way he sounds, get some earplugs, turn off the volume on your TV. You don’t like his attitude? He’s not moving in to live with you! So what’s the problem? We ask them and they always say these nonsense things like he doesn’t sound like a president, he’s not presidential. He doesn’t even look like a president. So don’t look at him! Who told you to look at him? You have a TV that only has one channel? Change the channel if you don’t want to watch him.
Let me ask you, if I give you $3,000 would you care what I look like, what suit I wear, and the way I comb my hair? Would you care about what my attitude is?
Give me bad attitude all you want as long as it comes with a cheque and tax refund. Let me ask you, if you needed to go to the dentist, are you more concerned about the dentist being a good dentist or having a good personality? I’ll take the guy who wrecks my teeth, but is friendly. No! I want the guy who fixes my teeth, and he could have the worst bedside manner of all time. Same thing when I call the plumber, and same thing when I vote for president. Really, how can a Jew not love Trump? I heard a rumour from my high-placed sources, but shhh, please don’t tell anybody, that in four years, after Trump leaves office, he’s going to run for president of Israel and he’ll win.
Would you trust a vaccine that hasn’t been thoroughly tested?
This is how a vaccine works.
A vaccine works by training the immune system to recognize and combat pathogens, either viruses or bacteria. To do this, certain molecules from the pathogen must be introduced into the body to trigger an immune response. These molecules are called antigens, and they are present on all viruses and bacteria.
So to work we have to inject some variant of covid to train our immune system to respond to the real thing. You don’t have to ask why every pharmaceutical company working in this area is insisting on financial immunity from prosecution if something goes wrong on a grand scale.
The first cause was a precision craftsman
Everyone already knows this but this is nicely put. The alternative of a “multiverse” is so absurdly improbable, and of course intrinsically unprovable, but it’s all they’ve got. This only points towards a creator but in no way attempts to prove the truth of any religion. Only that there was an act of purpose in the universe that allowed us to come into existence. To deny that shows no sense.
Hidden reality edition
Ruining you is just the aim
People still think of socialists as well-meaning and on their side. I watched the trains go by yesterday, half a dozen passengers on each at most in the middle of the day, but running on a normal weekday schedule. The state is already bankrupt but going further and deeper each day.
Dan does not care about anyone. He is an ideologue of the left. He wants power and he hates private business. To trust people like that with power is an invitation to disaster. Covid was a chance occurrence but it is exactly what Marxists keep their eye out for.
“Please don’t ruin us.” Don’t you simpletons understand anything? That is exactly what he is out to do.
What seems essential for the future is that everyone becomes educated in the Leninist addition to Marxism. Lenin added into the mix how the capitalist system could be overthrown. He was a strategist.
We are watching Leninist practice before our eyes. Every public servant still working with the private sector being shut down. And, of course, virtually no one is dying while our freedoms are.
The other aspect is that Dan is basically a coward along with being a bully. His lack of intelligence is just an added feature. I just saw the other day a story about how there has been no back burning in the forests as fire season approaches because we cannot afford it.
His cowardice is shown in how he will happily attack the weak but never attacks anyone capable of fighting back, in this case the union movement.
What else is being demonstrated for the congenitally stupid is evidence that a centralised economy can continue to “work” as in we can still get by with these dictatorial powers in place. Who needs free enterprise? If this were a national government, we would be heading straight into Venezuelan territory, and there is no certainty at this stage that we will even avoid it now.
Understanding how Lenin operated: From Mack in the comments.
It’s all spelt out there: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/not-happy-dan-victoria-s-premier-cops-a-pandemic-pounding-20200626-p556h7.html “Andrews quickly became known as a factional hardhead. A long-term Labor player puts it this way: “Daniel was the first one to go to war in every internal battle. He was the one saddling up saying, ‘Let’s kill the person.’ ” “Any perceived internal enemy, or even someone who feels threatening to him, is frozen out, socially and professionally isolated. In cabinet, Andrews….. is supremely confident in his own views and sometimes unyielding. Criticism is met with anger and, for these reasons, few challenge him.”
Let me add the following from the article to flesh things out a bit.
To make things worse, Andrews now has the cover of the pandemic to hide anything that might have been going wrong before (the budget was looking shaky and the West Gate Tunnel project has been bogged in commercial dispute). O’Brien opens with a question about Andrews’ signing of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The deal, which promises cooperation between Victoria and China on policy, infrastructure, trade and finance, is controversial, putting Andrews at odds with his federal Labor colleagues, the federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and all other states in Australia….
Despite all sorts of scandal and controversy, from using taxpayer money to fund campaign workers to spending $1 billion on dumping the Napthine government’s East West Link road, he’s won two remarkable elections, vanquishing Denis Napthine’s Liberals in 2014 (the first single-term government since 1955) and then the “Danslide” election in 2018, which gave him a huge majority of seats in the lower house. (In 2012, when, as opposition leader, he was identified by focus groups as “the guy who looks like an accountant and hunches”, Andrews sought the advice of former prime minister Paul Keating. What did he want to know? I ask Keating. “About the getting of power and the use of it,” Keating says. “He had a hunger for power … and the leadership gene.”) …
But the picture that emerges is consistent: Andrews, they say, is loyal to his office staff but as party leader, can be vindictive and demands total fealty. Any perceived internal enemy, or even someone who feels threatening to him, is frozen out, socially and professionally isolated (such as former emergency services minister Jane Garrett, who found herself shunned by Andrews, and the minister for the prevention of family violence, the late Fiona Richardson, who the Premier refused to meet with for many years)….
Heading into the pandemic Andrews … was rolling out a popular $70 billion Big Build infrastructure program, funded mostly by debt and the leasing of the Port of Melbourne to a private consortium (it includes the level crossing removals; the Metro Tunnel, a major upgrade of the city loop with five new underground train stations due to open in 2026; and the West Gate Tunnel Project, an alternative road to the often bottlenecked West Gate Bridge, due to open in 2023)….
So he’s dominant, yes, but also, watching him in parliament, I wonder if an arrogance is creeping in. He shows a worrying dislike of transparency, with successful freedom-of-information requests at their lowest in five years.
… “Our Premier has done his best to cruel the city,” Grant Cohen, owner of the city’s beautiful Block Arcade shopping precinct, told The Age. “The only thing missing from the city is the tumbleweeds.”
Law of Markets 