NATIONAL

As a result of Telstra's failure to curtail access by customers who were guilty of using foul language on the forum operated by airgunletter, the staff of airgunletter have banned all telstra customers from access to the forum.   (Click the "forum" link.  If you are banned, the word "forbidden" will appear.)  About 40% of Australian internet users belong to Telstra.

A week ago SPIN complained to Telstra, but apart from a form letter dated 14 February at 11:53AM there has been no response.

Thank you for your e-mail to abuse@telstra.net regarding

"ban by www.airgunletter/forum"

This is an automatic response to acknowledge receipt of your e-mail.
A Telstra Customer Service Consultant will attempt to personally
acknowledge all e-mail within 1 working day of receipt.
Occasionally this personal response may take longer due to unforeseen
workloads.

The question must be asked:

- NSW GOVERNMENT PROBLEMS

The Carr Labour government in NSW is desperately plugging financial leaks.  The Olympic ticket saga is a public scandal.  Details of spending (or overspending) on the Olympic site are a closely guarded secret.  No money is available from sale of the financially mismanaged power network.  People are dying whilst waiting in lines outside underfunded public hospitals.

- FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROBLEMS

The Howard Liberal government is attempting to quell public fear of the GST (goods & service tax).  John Howard believes that the last election gave him a mandate to introduce the tax, despite public polls showing opposition is running 2:1 against.

A case could be made that Prime minister Howard won the last election because the opposition Labour Party lost the trust of the people, not because the Australian people wanted "a more efficient tax system".

- MANDATORY SENTENCING.

The Northern Territory has mandatory sentencing laws that caused the sentencing of an Aboriginal youth for three months to a hostel for the theft of goods valued at about $100.  A few days before release the youth suicided, apparently because he was sent in disgrace to his room for refusing to do the washing up.

Opponents of the law refer to the suicide and state that the law is inhuman, that mandatory sentencing does not prevent recidivism, and that it is contrary to international treaties.  Defenders of the law state that the NT government has a mandate from the people of the NT, and that anyone who has obtained three convictions between age fourteen and sixteen is really working at being a criminal, and that perhaps a stay in a youth hostel is the appropriate remedy.

INTERNATIONAL

- THE WORLD ECONOMY.

US interest rates have risen.  The US Stock market has begun a slide.  The price of oil is around $30/barrel.

This follows nine years of business boom in the USA.  During that boom the stock market rose, investment money poured in to the USA.   Interest rates and inflation have been stable and low.

IT & the internet has been changing & destroying the "middleman" corporations by permitting more efficient contact with the public.  In the last ten years the "Fortune 500" list has had a more than 50% turnover.  Examples of efficiencies reducing costs are banking & travel agencies.  An example of a middleman being destroyed is the supermarket-v-cornerstore and amazon.com-v-bookshops.

Just where does dotcom wealth come from?   Does it come from desperate investors, looking to move their capital from corporate dinosaurs into internet mammals.  Does it come from funds managers, elected by large shareholders, desperately following the latest "fashion"?  Does it come from gamblers, floating on a sea of cheap mortgage money provided by desperate investors looking for a guaranteed return?

Wherever it derives they should be wary.   Archaeology shows 99% of the new species that succeeded the dinosaurs failed.
 

This page published during the week starting 20 February 2000.

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