RUN OUT OF IDEAS
We are in a recession and the Feds are bragging about creating a surplus. A surplus created by putting the brakes on government spending-crazy economics.
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When the Global Financial Crisis emerged in 2008, the former Treasurer Peter Costello wrote an article in the Sydney Morning Herald proclaiming the way to solve the economic downturn was tax cuts to promote spending. Sound familiar?
Australia, at 216 per cent of net disposable income, has among the highest levels of household debt in the world, ranking only behind Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
In the midst of this backdrop, Scott Morrison, now in the first stage of his much vaunted $36 billion tax cuts, is puzzled why cash strapped taxpayers are not spending the extra $1080 many received in their tax return.
Scott Morrison, a former treasurer must have been aware that the monetary bribe would be used to offset household debt.
This is further proof that the government has run out of ideas as far as the economy is concerned.
John Macleod, Berry
EXAMINING NUMBERS
Adrian Devlin (Illawarra Mercury, September 16) again shares his delusion that climate change is Green propaganda.
He also shows he does not understand the statistics he quotes by comparing Chinese per capita CO2 emissions in tons to Australia's percentage share of world CO as if it meant anything.
He cites Australia's production of 1.3 per cent of world emissions, comparing it with seven per cent for China.
The Chinese figure is in fact China's per capita production of CO2 in tons, not its share of world output which is in fact much higher than seven per cent.
If he understood the figures he would have quoted the real ones readily available on Google.
The Chinese seven per cent should be compared with the 15.9 per capita Australian CO2 output. We thus produce over twice the Chinese output of CO2.
We produce 1.3 per cent of the worlds CO2 with 0.3 per cent of the world's population, i.e. over four times our share.
It is over 10 times the amount Indians produces per head but India produces 1.8 per cent of world emissions, 50 per cent more than us due to larger population.
That prolific Indian writer to the Poona Post Devi Lin could well write to ask why India should not climb to Australia's level.
And does he really think we owe it to the Greens that the fires season started this year in September two months early? The only thing accurate in Devlin's letter was its heading "All hysterical piffle".
DC Goss, Woonna
NOT SUSTAINABLE
The world's top scientists (IPCCC 2018 Special Report) tell us we need to reduce global coal usage by a minimum of 59 per cent by 2030 to keep warming below 1.5 degrees.
So the extra 500 jobs in coal mining trumpeted by the Minerals Council (Illawarra Mercury, September 19) are not sustainable. Paul Scully should be planning for a transition for these workers rather than welcoming growth in a climate destroying industry.
Stephen Young, Thirroul
