ON THE ELECTION TRAIL
This last week, as I made the round of local clubs and was prompted to upload my digital ID: (see our Back to Basics substack). It did remind me of my experience with “Dropping Down Dead Horse Disease” that I encountered in Mongolia.
Dropping Down Dead Horse Disease and the Local Council Satisfaction Survey – Similarities?
I realized that election campaigns are not easy, and there are many unforeseen barriers. It is quite a challenge to simplify a message that people remember and that tells them what your campaign is about in an easy-to-understand way.
President Trump’s repeated message of "Make America Great Again" has been a political winner, and he must have used the phrase thousands of times. We did think about “Make the Snowy Mountains Great Again,” but we may have received a desist order from the Trump campaign that is undoubtedly monitoring the elections in the Snowy Mountains of Australia!
Our core message Back to Basics is a shorthand way of saying that what we need our local council to do is to focus on the important local functions: fix the roads, collect the rubbish and live within its budget. Our local council has been presented with a grandiose plan to build a new council headquarters with a projected cost of more than $40 million (sure to blow out to double that). This is just one of the ideas that the managerial class promotes and would undoubtedly be a significant additional cost to ratepayers.
If you find your mind becoming numb, skip the next sections, which only will be of interest to some Australians or international readers who have masochistic tendencies.
You can go to the final section of this newsletter where I write each week about STORIES THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION THIS WEEK.
IPART – The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal
Raising rates on houses and lands is a political hot potato, so the New South Wales State Government has established an “independent” bureaucratic group called IPART. This is a group that was formed by the state government to take the pressure off the politicians so they can blame the “independent” group for an “approved increase” in taxation. IPART says that it is:
“led by the Chair of the Tribunal and supported by two other permanent members. The Tribunal is supported by special purpose committees which are delegated by the Tribunal to carry out specific tasks. The Tribunal is advised by a Secretariat consisting of highly experienced economists, financial analysts, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals. The Secretariat is headed by a Chief Executive Officer, supported by an Executive Leadership team, who is delegated to ensure effective management of IPART.”
If Joe Stalin was still alive, he would be proud of this “tribunal”, which seems to take people into a government-regulated and bureaucratic morass, for which there is no way out! Positions on IPART are undoubtedly well-paid and so I am sharpening up my resumé in case I miss out on the local council.
The Black Box Produces A “RATE PEG”
So, immediately you can see that the whole “rate fixing” process is an impenetrable bureaucracy that has created a “black box” where rates are approved via a process that no one can understand. It may be a bit like the Federal Reserve!
IPART has an amazing tool called a Rate Peg. This is described as follows:
“IPART has set the rate peg for the 2024-25 financial year using our new rate peg methodology. The core rate peg for the 2024-25 financial year for each council (i.e. before applying the population factor) ranges from 4.5% to 5.5%. IPART’s rate peg takes into account the Base Cost Change (BCC) by council group (metropolitan, regional and rural), in addition to a population factor based on each council’s population growth and an Emergency Services Levy (ESL) factor to reflect annual changes in each council’s ESL contributions that differ from the changes to the council’s BCC.”
Clear? No – because they have applied “our new rate peg methodology,”, i.e. a black box that we cannot understand.
In practice, in our region, there seems to have been a Robin Hood approach applied, where some areas where land prices have increased at a greater rate are “robbed” to subsidise those areas where prices haven’t increased. The increases are obscured by IPART’s “rate peg,” which no one can understand, but I think that the essential message is: “Trust us, we’re from the government, and we’re here to help”! Councils can apply to IPART for a “special rate variation” to tax ratepayers at a higher rate. What do you know? Our council applied and was successful!
Of course, there was no chance that an application for higher taxes to an “independent” group of government bureaucrats would be refused. And so the local ratepayers suffer as the council bureaucrats grow fatter.
What I’ve realized is that it is almost impossible to beat the system, but elected councillors do have some power to change the direction of the council. Council staff are under the thumb of the state government bureaucrats, and council staff try to push the elected councillors toward decisions that give the government more power.
The United Nations and the Global Control System
While most council staff, want to meet the requirements of government and the UN, councillors represent ratepayers. The ratepayers don’t want more bureaucracy and government control.
Of course, over the whole of this terrible system lurks Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with the United Nations (UN) having been able to push its globalist program down to the local council level. There is even a UN program called Localizing the SDGs.
Then there is ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability). ICLEI is another globalist and climate alarmist organization that describes itself this way: “ICELI is a global network working with more than 2500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125+ countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for zero emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development.”
It's difficult when we come back to the same conclusion each time: the globalists are trying to take over the world and corral us! Unfortunately, it’s true.
Current Satisfaction with the Council
Probably under a state government requirement, the local council is required to do a regular survey about how satisfied ratepayers are with their performance. The results for the surveys over the past three years have been published in a 54 page, beautifully presented report titled: Research Report: Community Satisfaction Survey, Snowy Monaro Regional Council.
This report has some shocking information that seems to have been noted by the council but after several years, nothing has changed. The terrible scores for community satisfaction are highlighted in beautiful graphs but there are no strategies to address the problems.
There are a few notable things about the survey. Almost 60% of the respondents were 60+ years of age, so it probably isn’t representative of our local community. However, the results are devastating, and if I were a council employee, I think that I’d have to resign.
Overall Satisfaction with Council Performance
Figure 1. Graph from Snowy Monaro Council Residents. Community Satisfaction Survey.
Over the three-year period from 2021 to 2023, the percentage of respondents agreeing they were very satisfied ranged from 2 to 3%. At least the results were consistent! Those who were very dissatisfied (in the graph above) reached more than 50%.
You could think that perhaps all councils have poor satisfaction from residents, but fortunately, the survey group has a helpful graph that demonstrates that the Snowy Monaro Regional Council (SMRC) is significantly below the average satisfaction and only barely higher than the lowest-scoring regional council.
Figure 2. Graph from Snowy Monaro Council Residents. Community Satisfaction Survey.
When respondents to the survey were asked to indicate why they gave the rating they did, the highest priorities were: poor communication, need better roads, rates too high and council too wasteful. The graph is shown below:
Figure 3. Reason for dissatisfaction by ratepayers in the Snowy Monaro Council Regional Council from the Council Survey.
Looking at this information, the great news is that there is a lot of room for improvement. The challenge is that it looks very difficult to achieve better outcomes.
Our group of six nominees for local council is working hard to ensure that our message is getting out. In a sign that we must be on the right track, there have been a number of negative comments on various Facebook noticeboards.
It is only two weeks until polling day and so I will give a weekly update to readers. Results may not be available for one month.
STORIES THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION THIS WEEK
The Staged Democratic Party National Convention
I must be a masochist because I have listened to Kamala Harris’ DNC speech a few times this week. What I realized is that the whole speech is probably “fake”. Kamala claimed that her mother said “stay close” at the park while her father said “run Kamala run. Don’t let anyone stop you”. She seems to have concocted a fake past and “borrowed” stories from Martin Luther King Jnr. She claimed previously that when she was attending rallies with her Marxist parents, they asked her (when she was a little girl in a stroller) what she wanted and she claims she said: “FWEEDOM”. It was reported that she had been groomed and prepared by various Hollywood moguls.
As I looked and listened, I realized that what we were seeing was just a show. There was no reality in it and Kamala even airbrushed out of her background the extensive period of time she spent in Canada. She has avoided any questions for five weeks and early voting commences in some states in only ten days. Now she and her team are trying to avoid the September 10 debate. The whole campaign is a mirage and will only work if her team can keep her away from questions that demonstrate her Marxist agenda.
Tyler Durden wrote a detailed report of the DNC in ZeroHedge and World Affairs Brief reported this section of his article, which I enjoyed:
“Seeing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz dance around on stage and almost cannibalize each other with fake enthusiasm is uncomfortable enough. Then add a glaze of Orwellian gaslighting, communistic economic policies and the promotion of trans child grooming and most people would feel as if they were dropped into the middle of a horror movie. For progressives, though, this is a normal Tuesday.
Perhaps the best way to make people who don't closely follow politics understand how bizarre the DNC in Chicago has been is to showcase some of their guests and invitational speakers. Take, for example, TikTok "influencer" Jeffrey Marsh, a man pretending to be a woman with a habit of engaging with minors, asking them to entertain private discussions with him on Patreon and convincing them to break contact with their parents.
Yes, this man has been invited to the Democratic Convention. And how about this hilarious case of gaslighting from Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow, who continually flicks her tongue like a snake.
Some random state senator says that Trump "could even weaponize the Department of Justice to go after his political opponents!" ... that's EXACTLY what Kamala Harris and the Democrats have done to President Trump.
New Zealand pandemic totalitarian Jacinda Ardern who is in Chicago this week for the convention: [Lesbian] Ardern made laws to lock citizens in quarantine facilities permanently if they refused to take a PCR test…It was never about SCIENCE, it was about CONTROL
Think it can't get any worse? Oh, it can get worse. How about this bewildering speech from Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota Peggy Flanagan, who boasts about her membership in a "wolf clan." "My name in the Ojibwe language is Ejee Wei-Woddam Ukwe. I'm a member of the White Earth Nation and my family is the wolf clan."
For a party running on the narrative that their opposition is "weird", they sure do present quite the circus freak show. Outside the convention there has been even more weirdness, with leftist protesters hijacking yet another cause from another group (Gaza) and trying to exploit it as their own. It's hard to say how Kamala plans to appease them but the Biden Administration threw their full weight behind woke activism and now they are stuck with these people.
And, finishing out the DNC's image for 2024, Planned Parenthood has offered free abortions and vasectomies outside the venue from a mobile health clinic. It's hard to get any more grotesque than that…..”
September 10th is the first (and likely only) debate between Trump and Harris. Mind you, it may not go ahead as Harris’ team wants to change the rules and allow Kamala to have a folder with all the answers on her desk. The Democratic (??) Party is very clever in the way that they have kept Kamala in a sealed cage and prevented her facing any questions or unscripted remarks. Somehow, they will spin the story to make Kamala look like the hero.
Tucker Carlson is very worried about the debate and believes that Harris can be made to appear credible despite having reversed her position on everything, has no policies and has not taken any questions from reporters. Her clever campaign staff have been able to keep her away from any unscripted responses and the Hollywood mafia may even be able to spirit her into the White House.
What is Your Plan B?
Doug Casey is a remarkable commentator and investment advisor who has a big picture view of what is happening in the world and sees chaos and disaster ahead. I was struck by the following section from the substack, Doug Casey’s Crisis Investing:
“Most of us just want to live our lives and be left alone.
Unfortunately, events outside our control are coming to a head: a government run amok, millions of migrants flowing across the border, and increasing crime. We face escalating wars abroad and rising social tensions at home. And… the elections. Plus, there's the expectation that sometime soon, the Greater Depression will finally be upon us.
It feels like something's gotta give.
With so much out of our control, it’s important to focus on things we can do to prepare. That’s where Plan B comes in.”
Doug has presented his Plan B workshop recently for his subscribers. I thought that his overview was excellent and something we all need to consider. He says:
“Plan B is about being prepared for when things go sideways. Whether it's an overzealous government, financial troubles, or a global crisis, having a backup plan can mean the difference between thriving and barely surviving.
It's not about paranoia; it's about pragmatism. While we can't control everything, we can control how we respond. A solid Plan B isn't just a safety net - it's peace of mind in turbulent times. Because when the proverbial s..t hits the fan, you'll be glad you thought ahead.”
Doug’s admonitions are important for all the Sons of Issachar readers. There are dark forces at work deliberately attempting to destabilize societies. In Australia, the collectivist government is relying on the complacent attitude of Australians to bring 3,000 Hamas-supporting “refugees” into the country, and hoping that no one will notice.
A backup plan is needed. If there are supply chain disruptions and chaos, then you need to consider:
Backup supplies and provisions – what would you need to survive for several weeks if supermarkets would were out of commission?
Supplies of water – ensuring access to clean water is critical for survival and sufficient water should be organized and stored.
Off-grid power – it is evident that in all jurisdictions, it will be necessary to have electricity supply that is independent of big providers who are all committed to “net zero”. Of course this means zero power!
Medical supplies – Most vital medications are manufactured in China and are certain to be unavailable in a crisis. Ensuring a backup of vital medications and emergency kits will be critical in a Plan B.
Communications – will be the first thing to go down in the event of a major crisis. It is important to work out in advance appropriate communication strategies that are independent of the internet.
These are just a few ideas and it is worthwhile discussing Plan B with you family and friends.
The Brazilian Plane Crash
The plane crash on 9th August, 2024 involving a twin-turbo aeroprop plane operated by VoePass airlines in Brazil, raced fleetingly across our news screens a few weeks ago. Now it appears that there may be something more sinister behind the crash. In an article on the Truth About Cancer website, the authors posted this assessment:
“On Friday, August 9, 2024, in a shocking tragedy that has raised more questions than answers, Flight 2283, operated by VoePass Airlines, carrying 62 passengers, crashed 50 miles northwest of São Paulo, Brazil, killing all on board, including six oncologists, two resident doctors, and a prominent attorney who was known for suing airlines. According to Daily Mail, there were initially fifteen doctors who had been scheduled to take the two-hour doomed flight, but seven took an earlier plane.
The doctors on board, who dedicated their lives to battling cancer and researching the controversial link between mRNA vaccines and aggressive "turbo cancers," were en route to an international oncology conference in São Paulo. The group included renowned radiologist Leano Ferrera and pediatric cancer experts Sarah Stella and Silvia Osaki, who were allegedly prepared to present groundbreaking evidence linking the COVID-19 mRNA shots to an increase in autoimmune diseases and aggressive cancers.”
Of course there are always coincidences. For example, a lot of people associated with the Clintons have died. It is just bad luck. However, it is strange that this flight with so many experts opposed to the mRNA vaccines was unfortunate enough to fall out of the sky. The authors of the website concluded their article as follows:
“As the inquiry progresses and conclusions are drawn, this incident highlights the risks faced by those who confront powerful entities. Whether or not foul play is ultimately proven, the loss of these doctors is significant—not only for their families and colleagues but also for the global fight against cancer and ongoing debates about the safety of mRNA shots. Until the whole truth is uncovered, the plane crash in Brazil will continue to be a source of deep concern and speculation.”
Are We Being Groomed for the Next Pandemic?
As we all made our way through the dramatic overreach by Western governments (except for Sweden) in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which devastated businesses, changed education (for the worse) and resulted in forced injections of an experimental mRNA product, it became clear that this was only the start of something bigger to come. Governments became more authoritarian and they like it! Leaders like Justin Trudeau in Canada had already lionised the Chinese one-party system and wanted to achieve more dictatorial decision-making. Governments already are trying to force “vaccination cards” on their citizens and the European Union is “trialling” European Vaccination Card. Vaccines Today reports:
“One key tool that EUVABECO (the EU loves acronyms. This means European Vaccination Beyond COVID-19) will introduce is the European Vaccination Card (EVC). Scheduled for launch in September 2024, the EVC will initially be piloted in five pilot countries: Latvia, Greece, Belgium, Germany, and Portugal. The card aims to empower individuals by consolidating all their vaccination data in one easily accessible location. It will be available in various formats, including printed cards, mailed copies, and digital versions for smartphones”.
If one were suspicious, you could think that this was an underhand attempt to monitor and control citizens with yet another form of digital ID!
The COVID-19 pandemic provided governments with the best opportunity in recent times to implement a dictatorial approach, in the name of “saving lives”. There were wild predictions of tens of millions of deaths unless we locked down and then took an experimental “vaccine”. Emergency “health” legislation provided the legislative tools to oppress Western populations and I thought at the time: for governments, the control of populations has been so successful, that they will try it again.
Sure enough, Avian Influenza as been “bubbling along” in the background since the early 2000s. A review in PubMed in 2007 reported that:
“The rationale for particular concern about an H5N1 pandemic is not its inevitability but its potential severity. An H5N1 pandemic is an event of low probability but one of high human health impact and poses a predicament for public health.”
I even facilitated an Australian government workshop in 2007 dealing with plans for an emergency related to Avian Influenza. All was quiet for 16 years but suddenly there were reports of Avian Influenza outbreaks in chicken flocks in various countries. If one was a conspiracy theorist you could be worried than many of the outbreaks were suspicious in proximity to laboratories doing virological research.
A recent US report had the headline: “After Killing 100 million Birds in the U.S., Avian Flu Spreads to Household Cats, Suggesting Broader Outbreak”. In many of the bird flu outbreaks, authorities stepped in a killed hundreds of thousands of chickens at a time. The intention seemed to be to promote fear in the broader population and then of course, the need for a “vaccine”.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is gearing up for another crisis from what is now termed MPox (formerly monkey pox which was said to be “racist” - or at least “speciest”! Just two weeks ago, the WHO noted on its website:
“WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has determined that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR).”
Dr Tedros has been attempting to give the WHO more power during a “declared pandemic” and has also been attempting to make MPox an international emergency for which forced vaccination may be necessary.
Operation Warp Speed under President Trump was a complete disaster and because it set aside safety checks, will lead to ongoing severe health consequences. The normal “vaccine” development time was compressed from 5-10 years to less than 6 months. The experimental injections then were mandated and have killed or debilitated millions of people. This has been largely unreported by the mainstream media. The compressed time frame now will be used for other virus “crises”.
mRNA “vaccines” are still so new that no one knows long-term effects and safety concerns have been swept aside to allow companies to rush products onto the market. Most doctors are unaware of the issues and blithely reassure patients. There are all the elements of a disaster (for us but not Big Pharma) in the making.
I recommend readers listen to the interesting podcast where Alex Newman interviews Dr Kat Lindley in his series - Behind the Deep State. This episode is titled: Is the Next Pandemic Here or Coming Soon?
It is good to be alert but not alarmed. The trick is to view with scepticism authoritative claims of a “pandemic crisis” that will kill millions. I have become increasingly suspicious of public health and climate specialists armed with spreadsheets, telling us that the end of the world is nigh - unless we do exactly as they say!