Antony Green has issued updated election result predictions for the NSW general election on Saturday, 26 March 2011 showing the Coalition will gain an additional 27 seats off a 62% 2PP swing and, margins given for NSW North Coast electorates indicate that Nationals candidates just have to have their names on the ballot paper to win.
Date Processed: Mon Feb 21 06:00:31 2011
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT STATING MONTANA'S POSITION ON GLOBAL WARMING; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE."
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
NEW SECTION. Section 1. Public policy concerning global warming. (1) The legislature finds that to ensure economic development in Montana and the appropriate management of Montana's natural resources it is necessary to adopt a public policy regarding global warming.
(2) The legislature finds:
(a) global warming is beneficial to the welfare and business climate of Montana;
(b) reasonable amounts of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere have no verifiable impacts on the environment; and
(c) global warming is a natural occurrence and human activity has not accelerated it.
(3) (a) For the purposes of this section, "global warming" relates to an increase in the average temperature of the earth's surface.
(b) It does not include a one-time, catastrophic release of carbon dioxide.
NEW SECTION. Section 2. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 75, chapter 2, and the provisions of Title 75, chapter 2, apply to [section 1].
NEW SECTION. Section 3. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.
- END –
* Joseph L. Read is a Tea Party-backed GOP politician and, the principal sponsor of this bill as a member of the Republican controlled Montana House of Representatives.
Joe is living proof of both his election campaign observation; “ten words we should fear most – I’m from the Government and I’m here to help” and of the fact that one doesn't need to be able to count to get elected.
Apparently Joe didn't consult any scientists before authoring his bill. He states in an interview with the Wonk Room; Climate policy….is essentially an attempt to steer money and control into the federal government, which has been dictating the direction of climate science research for decades….“The purpose of this whole issue of carbon credits and pushing the agenda of global warming….is about directing levies and fees for carbon credits so the federal government gets an income source.”
One has to suspect that Teh Man from Montana is a distant relative of Australian Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott who pursues his own opposition to a carbon price because it is “great big new tax on everything” and is a closet climate change denier par excellence.
With Clarence Valley Shire Council seemingly under the thumb of the Grafton business district, most councillors bracing for yet another stoush with the valley community over its rates structure and Mayor Richie Williamson apparently desperate to defer trouble until after the March 2011 NSW general election campaign at which he is standing as an independent, one Yamba resident demonstrates that none of these elected representatives are going to have an easy ride by deferring the coming storm to a committee which will not report to council until 2012:
Get priorities right
CVC's recent decision to place on public exhibition Grafton's estimated $6.6m waterfront precinct plan at a time when the GM Mr McPherson attempted to increase rates above the pegged rate increase on the basis of councils diminished capacity to fund capital works, suggest a council out of touch with mainstream community needs.
It can hardly be said Grafton is doing it tough, $19.2m hospital, $5m Super clinic, $2m south CBD, $8m library, $2m Fisher Park, $78k Hawthorne Park, $50k Pioneer Park, $32k McKittrick Park, $50k rowing club etc.
Many of these facilities have to be matched with council funds as well as requiring extensive maintenance costs. Yet the stupor to this folly is that Grafton's rates are being reduced while the rates of the rest of the shire are being increased to make up the shortfall.
While council keeps records of the amount of rates each community pays, it does not keep records of the amount of services each community receives and therein lies a problem.
It is not suggested each community receives services amounting to the amount of income it provides. What is suggested is that as a democracy, we the people of this shire are entitled to transparent factual information that assists us in determining how we are governed.
That information should include where and how our monies are spent and not compromised by inadequate council records.
There is no excuse for council not disclosing that information. Upon amalgamation, council was provided with the financial records of each of the former councils including Grafton showing it to be living way beyond its means. Had these records been maintained, councillors as well as rate payers would know the present financial status of each of those former council areas.
It can hardly be argued those records would be too expensive to maintain when council can publish a $6.6m plan for a Grafton waterfront precinct.
Ray Hunt
Yamba
