NSW Election 24 March

Compulsory voting for all Australian citizens over the age of 18 years is a corner stone of our democracy. Compulsory? Too right! Preserving our democracy is a responsibility for all adults. And while other democracies might vaunt their freedoms including their freedom to vote or not, Australians have recognised the danger of skewed results when voting is left to personal whim. Come the 24th of March all voters in NSW will go to the polls to determine who will form the state government.

Substance beats Style

In order to help you decide I have put together a series of links to policies, events, commentary, polls, and the transcript of the Stateline debate between Premier Morris Iemma and Opposition Leader Peter Debnam. It is interesting that a SMH poll dated 23/02/07 on Style versus substance : “What will determine your vote in the end?” found that only 8% thought the personalities of the leaders mattered; 62% felt policies of the parties were important while 30% would vote the way they’d always voted.

NSW vs NewcastleSydneyWollongong

I agree with the poll. I think policies are extremely important. And I’d like fair policies, not ones that favour major coastal cities at the expense of regional NSW. It irritates me that the current water tank rebate brought in by the NSW government can only be claimed by residents of the Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong.. It irritates me intensely that Morris Iemma will spend a fortune on a desalination plant and a recycled water system for gardens in Sydney but has no policy to provide decent water systems for communities in regional NSW.

Want policies that are friendly for regional NSW? Drop in to Katrina Hodgkinson’s office for copies. Or hop on line at home or at the library and check out my list of links. This article and its links can be found at the Web Weeds & Wisdom blog: http://webweedswisdom.blogspot.com

Sites to Visit

Katrina Hodgkinson MP for Burrinjuck
www.burrinjuck.com

NSW Nationals
www.nsw.nationals.org.au
www.andrewstoner.com.au

NSW Liberal Party
www.nsw.liberal.org.au
www.peterdebnam.com.au

NSW Labor Party
www.nswalp.com
www.morrisiemma.com.au

NSW Greens
www.nsw.greens.org.au

NSW Democrats
www.nsw.democrats.org.au

ABC Stateline: Transcript: Iemma vs Debnam Debate 16/02/2007
www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s1850166.htm

ABC Stateline: Transcript: On the Stump 23/02/2007
www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s1855943.htm

ABC: Carr bequeaths Iemma electoral buffer by election analyst Antony Green
www.abc.net.au/news/indepth/featureitems/s1428242.htm

ABC: NSW Nationals launch regional development plan
www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1850647.htm

SMH: Iemma recycles $2b pledges - Launch of Labor and Nationals campaigns
www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/02/18/1171733612746.html

SMH: Iemma accused of fudging spending
www.smh.com.au/news/national/iemma-accused-of-fudging-spending/2007/02/18/1171733612782.html

SMH: Love my family, love youse all: the cult of Morris
www.smh.com.au/news/national/love-my-family-love-youse-all-launching-the-cult-of-morris/2007/02/18/1171733612749.html

SMH: We'll recycle water: Debnam
www.smh.com.au/news/national/well-recycle-water-debnam/2007/02/16/1171405413490.html

SMH: Peter Debnam takes the yuck factor head-on
www.smh.com.au/news/editorial/peter-debnam-takes-the-yuck-factor-headon/2007/02/16/1171405437026.html

SMH: Voters' choice: it all comes down to water
www.smh.com.au/news/national/voters-choice-it-all-comes-down-to-water/2007/02/16/1171405446702.html

SMH: Polls
www.smh.com.au/polls/politics/form.html

Crikey: Does Morris Iemma understand how justice and democracy work?
www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20061214-Does-Morris-Iemma-understand-how-justice-and-democracy-works.html

Crikey: The silent Peter principle by Richard Farmer
www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20070212-The-silent-peter-principle.html

Crikey: The race starts in NSW: both nags are suspect
www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20070219-The-race-is-on-in-NSW-.html

Mumble: January 8 entry - change in government in NSW has favoured the loser's federal counterpart at following national election
www.mumble.com.au/index_oldish28.html

Happy Valentines Day

Aren’t holidays wonderful?
They help us to reconnect with our friends and family and to remember what we sometimes start to take for granted or have just forgotten in our busy lives. I truly love all holidays and love to mark special occasions with a celebration; large or small.

St Valentine?
So, who was Valentine? Well, I have no exact answer, but I have found lots of opinions from around the world. Wikipedia states that there were two Christian martyrs named Valentine, and another site states that there may have been three Valentines.

According to the many sites, he was a holy priest in Rome who assisted martyrs under Claudius II. He was beaten and beheaded on 14 February; not a very romantic person at all. However on another website it was said that while he was in prison he sent messages saying, “I love you” and “From your Valentine”. In another story it is said that Valentine was a priest who secretly married couples, defying the law of Emperor Claudius which forbid marriage of single soldiers.

Valentine Cards
In the Middle Ages, people began to send love letters on Valentine's Day. Early Valentine cards were handmade and four types are mentioned on the ‘how stuff works’ website. These included: pinpricks (with holes made by pins to resemble lace), cutouts (made by fold and cutting a lace design), acrostic (where the first letters in the lines of the verse spelled out the beloved's name) and rebus (where pictures replaced some of the words).

Then the exchange of commercial Valentine cards may have begun in the 1840’s. Anyway February 14th has been the day to honour LOVE, usually the romantic type.

When I was in primary school we all bought or made Valentines for each person in our class. We were very careful to find or write the appropriate words for each person. These Valentines were deposited in bags or boxes near each student’s desk, and then were opened at the end of the day during a small party with refreshments.

Some cards weren’t signed and it was fun to guess who had written them. Today there are a number of websites containing free online e-Valentines or patterns for making your own. It’s not too late to send one to a special friend!

Too commercial?
Valentines Day, like many other holidays, has grown commercially and now many people buy flowers or chocolates for their loved one, and others go out to a romantic dinner.

But what about just doing something special for the person (people) you love. Some extra kind words are always nice or make dinner special by adding candles and taking more care with setting the table with perhaps a nice table decoration. I have a wooden structure with red hearts hanging from it, and it always makes me feel good at Christmas and on Valentines Day. What about giving gift coupons that you write yourself: “good for 1 hour of my time”, “good for 1 hug”, or “good for one game of croquet”.

Should we celebrate 14 February?
So, should we celebrate Valentine's Day? Of course! Just because we're not quite sure who Valentine was, we certainly know that the idea of love, even romantic love, is so important in our world today.

Let's try to make Valentine's Day an extra special day by displaying even more love than usual to those around us.

Useful Websites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day
http://people.howstuffworks.com/valentine1.htm
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/golden169.htm
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/valentines.htm