Thanks for nothing Mr Koutsantonis

Hypothetical scenario for Tom Koutsantonis.

A highly paid, city based politician is involved in a serious accident on a South Australian country road. Within 20 – 30 mins at least one CFS unit has arrived at the site. Among the crew are a farmer who was repairing farm equipment, a couple who closed the door of their small family business and a 78 year old pensioner who was mowing his lawn. These people, along with many others, laid out traffic cones, assisted police with traffic control, swept debris off the road and hosed down fuel spills. These people gave up their time and possible earnings to VOLUNTEER their services because that is what country people do – after all someone has to do it, right!

To reward these people our Treasurer and his Labour cronies have decided to massively increase the Emergency Services Levy, so now, CFS and SES volunteers not only give of their time, they have to pay through the nose for the privilege. Thanks for nothing Mr Koutsantonis.

Australia Post - an expensive, inefficient monoply

Does Australia have the most expensive and inefficient postal service in the world? It would certainly seem so after two recent transactions I have had with them.
Firstly, why did it cost me nearly $15 to send a small box of scrap booking paper and embellishments, weighing less than 500g, from Mt Gambier to Alice Springs, and why did it take 15 days to arrive!!??!!
Secondly, why can I purchase a video from America and have it posted to me for $AU10.90, and for it to arrive in perfect condition, halfway around the world, within a week. However, when I post this same item, with similar packaging, to a friend a few hundred km's away, I am charged $9.95 and it arrives broken. Thanks for nothing Australia Post, you obviously don't care very much about your customers.   I think it's about time this monopoly had a huge shake-up, or allow private enterprise in for some competition.

Why are they killing children in Nigeria?

We are continually being told that Islam is a peaceful religion, that Muslims are non violent, amicable people. Why then, are Muslims killing Muslim children in Nigeria? Apparently just because they are going to school! Are these killers worried that educated children will see them for what they are and won't want to join them in their cause, but just might want to go on to become teachers, doctors, nurses or some other worthwhile occupation? Yes, I can see why militant rebels would not want anyone to get an education.

Sticks and stones will break your bones and words CAN hurt you!

 “Sticks and stone may break my bones but words will never hurt me” - WRONG
As soon as I heard about Charlotte Dawson's death, I thought, OK here we go - now all the ugly trolls will come out to play, but I certainly did not expect the Rev. Fred Nile to be among them.
Obviously I did not know her personally, but she seemed like a nice, genuine person, who like 99.99% of the human race had some tough choices to make in her lifetime. However, it is NOT up to the righteous few to judge or condemn her for these choices, so Fred Nile, butt out! You sound like those fanatical religious nuts in America who disrupt funerals of fallen soldiers or stand on street corners proclaiming God hates everyone but them. There is nothing good, charitable or benevolent (all the things a good Christian is supposed to be) about people like this, and for all the good things you proclaim to do Mr Nile, it is all too easy to alienate people with ill chosen words.

What does Sarah Hanson Young do to earn her huge salary?

Every time I see Sarah Hanson Young on TV, she is standing under a tree, waffling on. I suspect it is just generic footage that the news programs bring out as a filler to a refugee story. Does this lady not know (or not care) that right now in Australia there are many thousands of Australian born citizens either homeless are living in substandard conditions, children and elderly people who are hungry or malnourished, and single income families who cannot afford medical, dental or legal services. She should know, because just last week there was an article in the daily paper on the number of Australian families living below the poverty line. If she was to advocate for these people then she might seem to be earning her large parliamentary wage and even earn some credibility!

Channel 9, please get rid of Shane Warne!

 I love cricket, real cricket that is – test cricket, especially the Ashes, so I could not have been happier when our boys won 5 – 0. Well done, well deserved, especially Mitchell Johnson and Michael Clarke. However, I have two complaints. Firstly to the English cricket team, the so called best team in the world, the team that was so superior and soooo cultured that they celebrate their wins by pissing on pitches, thanks for nothing. You (to quote G Swann) were “so far up your own backsides”, so overconfident and arrogant, that you actually forgot to compete and cost the paying public, the viewing public and especially your travelling fans almost one week of cricket. I should be watching the 4^th day of the Sydney test right now, but it's all over!!!!!!!!.
Secondly, to Channel 9, thanks for broadcasting the series on free-to-air, but I do have a small request. Could you please get rid of Shane Warne, or alternatively post a five minute warning when changing commentators to that I can hit the mute button when he is due on. In this technically advanced age it should be easy to do. It may come as a surprise to Shane, but not everyone agrees with his opinions and once he gets on a topic, there is no shutting him up. (Also, please don't team him with David Lloyd because I love Bumble and don't want to mute him.) I would listen to the radio, but we don't get very good radio reception and it is not synchronised.