In the grand circus of human governance, where the clowns of federal and international politics usually hold the spotlight, I turn my jaundiced eye to a humbler ring: the local council.
Quote of the week here: "Here, in this microcosm of democratic rot, we see the eternal truth: government, at any level, is a machine for squandering treasure and crushing spirits. The boobs rule in name only, the bureaucrats triumph, and the ratepayer foots the bill. Hallelujah."
68 councils serving just 1.9 million people. Thats an entire council bureaucracy for every 28,000 people; barely half a football stadium of people. Mount Barker has 25000. $100M debt in 2 years is $4000 for every man woman and child; or $16,000 debt for a typical couple with 2 kids. But that is only the local council debt. The SA state government has $28B in debt! Thats $15000 per person in SA, and forecast to rise to $23000 in 2027. Per PERSON. Then there is the national government debt on top of that. And all of this is just EXTRA debt, on top of the waste and fraud that burns through the >50% that the government already steals from people's earnings. This is beyond unsustainable, and beyond the point of no return. This is going supernova.
Six out of eleven have no idea how to manage money is par for the course these days in any level of government. Western civilisation has now plumbed the depths of mediocrity. Let’s face it, Kenelm, the imbeciles are in charge, and those that do know, don’t want a bar of it. Yet, there lay within the problem - if good people don’t stand up, we are doomed and damned.
HA, you jest sir! Mount Barker Council is but a trifle when compared to the magnificent City of Burnside. Of course we never saw the insides of the $2m State government report into Burnside Council corruption, but the spendthrift incompetence of the City of Burnside Council is evident on an almost daily basis. My method? Why simply walking my dog…I observe. From the endless revenue streams comes an almost endless supply of council workers equiped with shiny new stuff, and even more council workers to watch the others taking a work break. The most recent fiasco has been the renovation of a small area of native plants which required no less than 5 workers to spreads sand and more recently 2 workers with a brand new Toyota van to move tree mulch - one man shovelling while the other man watched, with the roles reversed when the other man pushed his wheelbarrow.
Of course if anything involves hard work, like scrub clearing or paving, then all of a sudden the council workers disappear and contractors are brought in!
Quote of the week here: "Here, in this microcosm of democratic rot, we see the eternal truth: government, at any level, is a machine for squandering treasure and crushing spirits. The boobs rule in name only, the bureaucrats triumph, and the ratepayer foots the bill. Hallelujah."
It pained me to have to write that. Truth is often painful. Thanks for the encouragement Brian.
68 councils serving just 1.9 million people. Thats an entire council bureaucracy for every 28,000 people; barely half a football stadium of people. Mount Barker has 25000. $100M debt in 2 years is $4000 for every man woman and child; or $16,000 debt for a typical couple with 2 kids. But that is only the local council debt. The SA state government has $28B in debt! Thats $15000 per person in SA, and forecast to rise to $23000 in 2027. Per PERSON. Then there is the national government debt on top of that. And all of this is just EXTRA debt, on top of the waste and fraud that burns through the >50% that the government already steals from people's earnings. This is beyond unsustainable, and beyond the point of no return. This is going supernova.
Supernova ... black hole ... cataclysmic either way.
Six out of eleven have no idea how to manage money is par for the course these days in any level of government. Western civilisation has now plumbed the depths of mediocrity. Let’s face it, Kenelm, the imbeciles are in charge, and those that do know, don’t want a bar of it. Yet, there lay within the problem - if good people don’t stand up, we are doomed and damned.
Wise words. Good people must stand up and say ... enough! Thanks Gerardine.
Councils are glorified slush funds for tradie mates. Change my mind.
Don't forget the time & motion study consultants and the green tape compliance specialists ....
HA, you jest sir! Mount Barker Council is but a trifle when compared to the magnificent City of Burnside. Of course we never saw the insides of the $2m State government report into Burnside Council corruption, but the spendthrift incompetence of the City of Burnside Council is evident on an almost daily basis. My method? Why simply walking my dog…I observe. From the endless revenue streams comes an almost endless supply of council workers equiped with shiny new stuff, and even more council workers to watch the others taking a work break. The most recent fiasco has been the renovation of a small area of native plants which required no less than 5 workers to spreads sand and more recently 2 workers with a brand new Toyota van to move tree mulch - one man shovelling while the other man watched, with the roles reversed when the other man pushed his wheelbarrow.
Of course if anything involves hard work, like scrub clearing or paving, then all of a sudden the council workers disappear and contractors are brought in!
To Mount Barker, Norwood and Glenelg, we now add Burnside. Worrying indeed. Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Andrew.