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Moore / Weird, but it works: let’s swap Tony!

LET’S swap Tony Abbott for Barack Obama! A joke?

Of course, but think about it; in principle, it just might suit everyone.

Michael Moore
Michael Moore
There’s no point in swapping Abbott for “Canadia’s” Stephen Harper, they are peas in a pod.

The Abbott government yearns to be like the American Tea Party and moulds itself on the hard right, small government and give no details until after an election approach.

Obama is at odds with the same people, particularly when he attempts to reform health care and US gun laws.

He wants to deal with climate change while Abbott wants to pretend to deal with it.

The emphasis of the Abbott government is on personal responsibility and while Obama struggles for a fairer distribution of wealth, the Abbott government actively pursues a better deal for the wealthy (the only tax break in the Budget went to corporate Australia).

This is at a time when an ANU, Australia21 and the Australia Institute report “Advance Australia Fair” find: “There is a growing gulf between those in the top range and those in the lower ranges of wealth and income distributions.”

It identifies that the wealthiest 20 per cent of households now account for 61 per cent of total household net worth. The poorest 20 per cent account for only 1 per cent. And “large tax cuts and tax exemptions… in recent decades have disproportionately favoured the rich”.

For the same 20 per cent it does not stop there. The Abbott government has moved to undermine Australia’s system of universal healthcare. The idea is simple – it does not matter how wealthy or poor, any citizen in Australia should be able to access the highest level of health care possible. The system should start with access to prevention and primary health care with the family doctor and allied health professionals, and move through the specialists to hospital treatment.

Obama has been attempting to introduce his “Obamacare” universal health care system in the US. As it stands, with a permanent job comes health care paid by the employer. Having a job or being wealthy provides access to some of the best health care in the world. Too bad if you are poor and do not have a job.

The Abbott and Joe Hockey Budget goes in the opposite direction. It increases barriers to access primary health care and medicines through the co-payment.

The Budget also means reducing better access to preventive measures and plummeting funding for hospitals.

As Hockey told the Sydney Institute: “In health, it is more medical research combined with new technology and better global partnerships that will deliver better health outcomes.”

Obama knows this is not true – except for the wealthy. It is fairer distribution, more effective prevention and primary health care that delivers better health outcomes. Prevention and early intervention are better than cure.

The small government approach is welcomed by so many across middle-America where any government regulation other than in policing and defence is an anathema. To name just a few, they resist health reform, changes to the gun laws and action on climate change.

Obama would love to be able to have Australian gun laws. He told a press conference: “Australia had a mass shooting, similar to Columbine or Newtown. And Australia just… imposed very severe, tough gun laws, and they haven’t had a mass shooting since.”

Abbott thinks the President is “leading the most left-wing government in 50 years”, but the Obama is too polite to counter with the obvious for the man who is the philosophical diametrical opposite.

Flushed from agreement with Canadian Prime Minister Harper, that short-term economics is much more important than effective action on climate change, Abbott arrived in the US where Obama is using his presidential powers to bypass a hostile Congress and Senate to implement action on climate change.

The President recently announced a 30 per cent cut in emissions from coal-fired generation by 2030. The Abbott government is dismantling the single-most effective way of dealing with climate change – placing a price on carbon.

The difference between the two men is that the American believes in a “fair go” while the Australian supports the wealthy getting wealthier.

A swap would be great. Barack Obama might have to change his citizenship. He could come as a businessman and would be welcomed – provided he does not come by boat.

Michael Moore was an independent member of the ACT Legislative Assembly (1989 to 2001) and was minister for health.

 

 

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Michael Moore

Michael Moore

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2 Responses to Moore / Weird, but it works: let’s swap Tony!

John Hawley says: 22 June 2014 at 5:49 pm

How could anybody in principal disagree with Michael Moore on his article about replacing Tony Abbott with Barack Obama? Naturally Michael’s article is all based on a principle of how these two leaders think differently about the world on many different important issues, however, clearly we Australians who voted this mind numbingly ignorant person as a PM are definitely the losers whilst ever he and his nasty cronies are anywhere near the “hill”.

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Kev from Canberra says: 13 July 2014 at 1:55 pm

A lazy article full of anti-Abbott rhetoric and uncritical adulation of a Democratic US President who is fast losing his ‘gloss’. Only in Canberra could this tosh fly. On what planet would Obama be “welcomed as a businessman”? He only knows how to spend other people’s money!

And can’t let this one go by: “The Abbott government is dismantling the single-most effective way of dealing with climate change – placing a price on carbon.”

‘Dealing with climate change’ – you obviously have an unwavering belief that the earth’s climate system can be changed with a tax! But please, can you drop the deception and call it what it actually is – CARBON DIOXIDE – you know, CO2? If your argument was sound you wouldn’t need to use the classic alarmist’s deceptive term of choice – ‘Carbon’. Do you also believe that old line that “97% of scientists agree…”?

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