2 May 2006

Foskey, dogs and vomit

| Ari
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Everyone’s favourite tax sponge Deb Foskey has fired up the tofu-powered word processor to take issue with an opinion piece about the ACT’s woes by Angela Shanahan in The Australian.

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Hear Hear Chris,

Now that the principle has been raised, move it onto the wider problem.

Re: the post-grad life, my comment was more aligned towards the fact she could have obtained employment at any time with the qualifications she had, yet decided not to. It wasn’t intended to be a slight on her choice to persue her Doctorate, merely the choice to continue living off the Government’s teat while doing so.

If I had my way, I’d be a Doctor as well, I’m sure everybody reading this post would have loved the opportunity to stay at school and obtain a doctorate of whatever field they consider they are best at.

The fact is though, most of us eventually find out that we have to take a break, obtain part-time work, or abandon our potentials due to lack of fiscal credit.

Heck, if I had the money do you really think I’d be sitting where I am right now over a beach in somewhere sunny and warm with a few lazy cocktails ?

As Chris quite rightly pointed out though, it’s time to switch focus to all of the other abusers of the system, since I haven’t yet heard of a Government refunding taxpayers due to the common perception that they are not spending their tax dollar wisely enough.

The point that Lex makes is a valid one – the money from the sale of the property will simply go into the overall budget, not specifically to purchase any particular properties. If one were silly enough to track the money through, it could end up anywhere.

I accept that Deb Foskey is her own worst enemy on this, and was either very foolish to continue her tenancy, or was poorly advised (or both).

The point remains that she was simply acting in accordance with the current ACT Housing rules. Vilifying one particular tenant is useful where it highlights a major discrepancy in the rules (and also probably a level of hypocrisy), but I think this debate needs to move on to the much wider problem where there will no doubt be many tenants paying this fictitious “market rent” who should be moved on.

Pressure now needs to be applied to the ACT Government to overhaul the way in which Housing is operated, and let’s get rid of the fiction that those paying full rent are supporting the system – obviously full rent means different things to different people.

I agree with Johnboy’s comment re studying – most of the PHD students I have known have had to tutor at some point to make do on the “luxirious” lifestyle that is post-grad life. Re: Deb’s ex-house, I will wait to see whether the ACT Govt will actually buy a (or 2) new residences (anywhere) with said money or whether they will use it for ACT Housing debt.

I thought Shanahan’s article could be summed up as “government by wankers for wankers”.

The writing’s already on the wall BT, if she doesn’t move out of Canberra to her interstate retreat after the next election she’s either dumb or stupid, take your pick.

barking toad4:08 pm 02 May 06

Oh, I see.

A doctor in moonbat theory.

When’s the next election? Or rephrased, when’s she going on the waiting list?

Noooooooooooooooo, she’s studied at the ANU!

I wonder if Deb’s going to go back into Govt housing once she’s kicked out of the Assembly next election?

Global politics of population according to this page.

barking toad2:05 pm 02 May 06

As an aside, exactly what is the discipline to which deb’s doctorate applies? I’m assuming she’s not a GP.

Deb only opens her mouth to change feet.

barking toad12:59 pm 02 May 06

Ohh, deb, why do you keep trying to defend the indefensible.

It was bad enough you harping on when “your” property was on the market and now you go to print again to demonstrate your stupidity and how out of touch you are with the real world.

As well as Ms Shanahan exposing deb’s shameless rorting of the system, her article is a damning indictment of the mayor’s delusions of grandeur that have emptied the till and left the ACT with a totally unnecessary deficit.

It’s sad to see all the good work done by Kerrie Tucker in making the Greens a viable alternative party (I think we need more alternatives on general principle) in the ACT being blown away by Dr. Foskey with her tin ear.

What’s worse is that suggestion, that the furor has been driven by the development lobby, is so deeply offensive to the very great number of people who thought that her occupying the house was (while technically legal) wrong.

Les, Foskey’s weasel words try to counter your point by talking of a “supportive neighbourhood”.

[Translation]: “I prefer to hob-nob with the Yarralumla crowd.”

To be fair it’s more than possible to tutor and study at the same time.

I just love the way in which Dr Foskey has gone out of her way to express woe at the fact the ACT Government housing has lost a property, but makes absolutely no mention of the fact that the sale price will allow the purchase of two further properties in a less affluent area, thereby INCREASING the pool of available housing.

Thanks Ari – I needed a laugh. Two equally contemptible people sniping at each other from their respective high horses…

But…I find myself agreeing with parts of what Shanahan wrote.

Oh God! NOOOOOO!!!!!

Deb (via Roland) you are a big fat whopping great mother of all liars.

Before my election, in October 2004, I lived in a government house in Yarralumla for 10 years as a low-income sole parent, while studying and, when possible, working part-time.

I work right next to somebody who you TUTORED at UC (DOCTOR) FOSKEY. That neither implies you were studying, nor does it imply that you were scant of a dollar or three.

The fact of the matter is, and allow me to point this out;

You were ripping off the system and you got caught out. You were siphoning off your income into an interstate property, and living the easy life off the broad back of the local government.

As a Doctor, yes you were studying, for your doctorate. Then as a Dr, you were subsequently employed by UC, and have had absolutely no difficulty in obtaining further employment elsewhere.

At any stage during that time, you could have abandoned your doctorate and obtained employment.

You chose not to, and you are most welcome to make up your own life decisions, however unlike the majority of the rest of us, you elected to attempt to rip off the public.

That was your choice, now reap the consequences.

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