So...
The Irish Times reports that Mary "Hanafin told a meeting of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party last week that savings of €81.3 million could be made in a year through a weekly reduction of €1 in [Social Welfare] payments,... affecting nearly 1.5 million people."
So in other words, once again the poorest of the Irish poor are being hit up for money to shore up the staggeringly selfish and irresponsible spending of their Government ministers, as reported almost daily in the nation's newspapers. That's just great.
So here's MY idea, Mary. My idea is that Ireland gets rid of every single one of its current Government ministers (preferably by public execution) and replaces them with people who are willing to do the same work for a comfortable salary but without the benefit of a shining new black Merc every year, without charging taxpayers for every €900 dinner with their friends, and without hiring €30,000 private jets to 'meetings' in Florida during which daily hairstyling and nightly pay-per-view porn films are charged as expenses.
Is that what this €1 cut per week is about? You want us rabble to stop buying a newspaper each week so we no longer know about these things? That might also explain the cuts in education, such as the one that recently took away my son's Special Needs Assistant: in a generation or two, nobody will know how to read such damning articles anymore anyway, right?
Yes, doing away with our current government is a good idea I think. I'll send it in to Idea Aid when it opens this Saturday.
What's Idea Aid? Mensa Process is supporting a "global brainstorming benefit where people will donate ideas instead of money" to help solve world issues, such as this year's theme of poverty. The goal is to make a contribution -- as in Band Aid and Live Aid -- but with solutions and ideas instead of individual donations of cash.
You don't need to be a Mensa member; everyone's invited to chip in for the week-long event. Signing up is free and going on right now at Idea Aid's website. You can also become their fan at Facebook, or follow their updates on Twitter.
Many of us feel helpless in the face of global poverty, especially if all we can afford is $5 once in a while, which we send while knowing it doesn't really solve anything. So go on over to Idea Aid and hopefully, we can watch great things happen; we might even manage to be part of some small answer to make a difference to somebody, somewhere. Helping even one family would be worth it. I've signed in.
Meanwhile, here are some Irish markets for fiction and poetry. If any of them currently depend on Arts Council funding, they probably now need all the support they can get, so please pick up an issue too if you can:
Moloch is an interesting blend of various art forms. I'll let them explain: "Moloch is a journal of new art & writing, providing a forum for the arts to compliment and enhance each other using a variety of styles and mediums. We are looking for submissions of art, poetry, and short stories." They also need "people willing to create new art pieces based on poems/stories, and people to write new poems/stories based on art." Not a word about payment however; you might be doing it for the love.
Crannóg is a literary magazine with a blinding website design: put on your sunglasses before clicking. Send in your poetry, flash fiction or short stories; contributors receive a copy of the magazine in which their work appears.
Albedo One is "always looking for thoughtful, well written fiction. Our definition of what constitutes SF, horror and fantasy is extremely broad and we love to see material which pushes at the boundaries." These are the folks that sponsor the Aeon award, and they pay their chosen authors along with a contributor's copy.
The Dublin Review publishes fiction and other creative writing, but is not currently considering poems. I like the way they request a "typescript" which is of course far more correct than the more usual "manuscript" which indicates handwritten copy. Bravo. Not sure if there's payment here however: let me know if you know.
Southword and the Stinging Fly are (I believe, correct away if I'm mistaken) temporarily closed to submissions.
26 comments: join in!:
I don't think Government Waste will ever be gotten rid of. It is like that here in "The Dominion", Oops we are now our own Country. Oh did you know Charles and his Wench are visiting?
There is an Old Saying "The Rich get Richer and the Poor get Poorer". It really boggles the mind what Rot comes out of our Government Representatives Mouth's. Oh well come election time we have the final say. If we have the courage to make the change at the Ballot Box.
Smile Susan, in 8 months you will have visited Vulcan.
Spock would be Most Impressed.
Bill, you're so right; governments waste their money dreadfully and that won't change. What I'd like to see change is people's silence about it however! LOL
I AM looking forward to Vulcan--I've got a busy week ahead but next week will indulge myself in more summer planning I think! Thanks for that happy thought Bill!
Oh, I'm in! {You had me at public execution.} ;)
The biggest problem isn't just public apathy. It's the fact that politicians have droned on for so long about nothing that we see them as a fly that needs swatting but we can't find the swatter. Or we're too tired to care since we have to work twice as hard for half as much as they give themselves.
Okay, stepping off the soapbox and back into the kitchen to cook for the seniors.
Rant on Rebel! I'm bringing up the rear. I promise not to trip and stab you with the pitchfork. ;)
heading over to check it out
Your wee bit of a rant is just how I've been feeling. Let's get rid of them all, world wide. We might have to throw out some good ones, but we can get them to re-apply for the job ...and then we can vote them in and keep the terrible pompous and greedy ones out!
A virtual execution appeals to me too...maybe I'm the problem! "Off with their heads"
You said it all and I love your "wee ranty thingy"! You sound like me grumbling and ranting even if it's just to the dogs -- who just turn over in their beds and go back to sleep. Obviously, both our governments officials do the same thing. Sometimes I can't believe the things that I read/hear regarding the government, but unfortunately most of the worst is true!
Well, have a good day anyway, Susan, I'll be thinking of you!
Sylvia
Thanks Hope--I love that classic image of pitchforks and torches btw. Why did we ever give that up?? And DANG now I know what I'm going to be next Halloween---an Angry Villager. LOL
Thanks CC!
Peggy, we're so not alone; it just seems there's no shame among them for spending huuuuge amounts of money while people in their own countries suffer in terrible poverty or homelessness. So frustrating!
Sylvia, while the worst is often true, aren't we wondering what they do that we DON'T know? Yes! LOL
I have nothing constructive to add right now but I do agree.
Blast from the Past
I am always up for a bit of a revolution (but I have to be home by nine). Will you be dressing up like Braveheart and leading the way Susan?
I will check out Albedo One as it sounds right up my street.
I'm in agreement with your rant. It has been so frustrating in the USA. If the politicians had to live with the same social security, medicare, health plan as the rest of us, it just might change. But No, their above the common herd, she ranted...holding her pitchfork high...
Thanks Nessa--I'm trying to come up with a real idea for the 14th but, umm... nothing yet! LOL
Braveheart sounds good Dan, as long as I'm not the one getting shot in the ass with an arrow LOL. Home by nine, check.
Brighid, I was once quoted in our local paper saying the very same thing---that if those ministers tried to live on our 'salary', they'd be bewildered. With an F.
;-)
Perhaps your government should "give" the pensioners something. We had a budget stimulous which increased their payments and a free $900 buckaroos for us all before christmas last year, new homebuyer incentives new business incdentives . . the result. We skipped the recession, we are now in recovery and interest rates have been raised two months in a row because we're growing too fast! Go figure. I love the concept of actually bringing ideas to the table instead of throwing money at poverty in the hope it's spent in all the righ places.
I'd pay the $5.00 to support the removal from office of all current politicians.
Hear, Hear, string the lot of them up!
Baino, that sounds like heaven! I don't think our government would give anybody but *themselves* a bonus. It sounds like a great idea however!
Quilly, I'd pay more that that if only it would happen!!
Cheers, Akelamalu!!
You're not alone in wanting to get rid of the current government to be replaced by a new system and of course, new officials who haven't the slightest idea what the word "corruption" means.
We could use some good ideas in Hawaii that make sense.
My friend works for the unemployment office here in Hawaii. All the state offices must close on Fridays for those 17 furlough days. However, my friend's office is too bogged down and can't close... but they must. They want to work on Fridays for the regular pay but they're not allowed to. Instead... get this.
They must come in on Saturdays and work with OVERtime pay. Now how crazy is that?
Thanks distresseddamsel---I suppose it *is* the impossible dream isn't it? LOL But sometimes it seems anything's better than this.
Kay, WHAT?? There can't possibly be a single working brain at the decision-making level of that, can there? I'm going to go right now to tell my husband--it will make him feel better about the state of THIS country, and that was a tall order!
The thing about curing poverty is that money IS needed -- and actually every $1 helps. I just read a book that stated if every Christian throughout the world contributed just $1 - just ONE - it would be enough to cure world hunger! It would be enough to provide food for long enough to ALSO provide training and livestock and water irregation systems so that they could grow their own crops and/or wool to have a farm or a business that would provide saleable merchandise and get on their way to being self sufficient human beings! So if that is true with JUST counting the Christians... imagine if every PERSON contributed $1.... just ONE. Because it's not just about feeding them... it's about training them and offering opportunity to take care of themselves.
Melli, that's *exactly* what Idea Aid is saying, that's what it's about.
Basically they're looking for ideas to raise that kind of money annually, that feeds the world's poor *while setting them on the road to self-sufficiency* with gifts of livestock, training in management and handcrafts, etc.
One trouble is, right now a lot of money pours into to many different organisations, all of them with their overheads and administrative costs, and a lot of money donated is lost before it can help anyone.
Then of course, many of the desperately poor are living that way because of the regimes they live under, so that getting supplies to them is dangerous or impossible---and that needs to be overcome.
So ideas are needed along with the cash, to make the cash more effective and make sure it makes a difference to someone.
But I still don't have a single idea yet! LOL I think I'll be looking in, and hoping to be inspired by some of the other ideas coming in when it kicks off.
Right On Sista!!!
oh, I'm with you on this - All Riot Now as we used to say in Liverpool :-)
Seriously though, if Ministers could be curbed in their spending and do away with the free bar in the Dail - a particular pet of mine, TDs drinking on the job - are they DRUNK when making decisions? You can kinda tell, can't you? - and turn the heating off in the summer blah blah...there'd be enough money for SNAs and community development. But you're right I think, this is about keeping the poor down: Close Down & Shut Up!
Hope you're school meeting today gave some hope. Himself dropped the Anth. CD down for me, thanks. But could you - or He - please order a group bank statement asap or else I will lose my mind altogether??
See you in Belfast - I hope!
Ah just get the taser guns out and taser 'em all and while your at it do it to our DC politicians over here as well. You never hear of them giving up anything but boy they sure can take away from everyone else that they want to or tax the crap out of us. But you know, I don't blame them. It's the voting public that keeps putting the same assholes back in office year after year after year. It makes no sense to me. So we just go along listening to everyone bitch, especially those that dont vote and watch them get away with this every single damn time ENERGIZE
Back...the Idea Aid possibly a good idea but you know how it is when everyone gives their opinions. Everyone thinks theirs is right and all others wrong, is what I think. Get a room full of people and you get a room full of bull shit most of the time. And this being on the web...i dunno.
Thanks G-Man!
Hayley, the perks they get while robbing the elderly and disabled should make them hang their heads in shame---and would, if they had human souls. I doubt that anymore. He was supposed to give you that CD LAST WEEK don't even start me, but I'm glad you've finally got it. Call HIM about the group bank statement please; I'm not speaking to him. Still. or Again. You know what I mean.
:-(
But Thom, who else is there to vote for besides a politician?? We're all doomed. And yes, the idea aid might come up with nothing useful---but trying unsuccessfully is better than not trying at all, I think. I just figure there's *always hope*. Isn't there?
You vote in non-politicians...real people...and yes there is hope...but it's got to be an organized hope. I'm just saying
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