Yoh ma' homies, wadd'up?...(sorry what?-Ed)...sorry, just trying to sound hip and street...(yes well don't please, you sound ridiculous-Ed)...fair enough...hello and welcome to the blog Canada, Macedonia, Taiwan, and Turkey...and late yesterday the blog briefly hit exactly 66,666 views...(but it says 160,000+ views on the Google page thingy-Ed)...yeah, dunno' what's goin' on there exactly either, whether the 'blog stats' are part of the 'Google count' or not...whatevs...(***and apologies again for missing another post by again falling asleep on the couch, again, whilst taking a break from 'posting'***)
Strewth: Keith (1/2 way between Mt Gambier and Adelaide) received only 4mm of rain in October, only 1/10th it's average 42mm, and across the South East similar drops were recorded...(or rather lack of drops-Ed)...clever...and I've been giving my garden/fruit trees/whatevs small regular waterings from the tap for weeks already because 1) my knees are too sore to handle much bucketting of the rainwater I've 'tanked', and 2) hopefully these small exposures to the crap in Mt Gambier's water supply, the Chlorine and Sodium Flourodose or whatevs toxic 'Flouride' sludge they're using now, these brief 'poisonings' will make them less susceptible to the stress that killed half my garden when I just suddenly watered it 2 years ago...
Sick Puppies: at Country Health SA just ain't giving up when it comes to their ludicrous bordering on deceitful declaration that they're going to get the 15 staff they need for the 6 private-bed Mental Health Care Unit (real name for unit?)...15 full-time staff including a resident psychiatrist, dedicated Aboriginal Health Care worker, occupational therapist, care nurses, etc...and they've apparently been successful in recruiting in their similar units in Whyalla and Berr...(but that's not Mt Gambier, here recruitment is the no.1 hurdle to service provision-Ed)...indeed...
And I did hear bits of an interview earlier today re a new 'incentive funding plan thingy' to address this exact issue...(but that was also about how the re-zoning stuff meant that Regional centres like Tailem Bend (100kms from Adelaide, near Murray Bridge) are still far more desirable/attractive than somewhere like Mt Gambier-Ed)...yeah, well when I worked in Adelaide in the early 1990s, I knew several people who lived out near The Bend...(oh, so they were Benders then?-Ed)...settle...and commuted the 1 hour drive down the South Eastern Freeway to work in Adelaide, so it makes sense that someone would move to the Adelaide Hills for example and commute to The Bend...
On Friday I happened past the Country Health SA 'Info Booth' at the Centro/Lakes/Central/whatevs Plaza to grab the latest glossy load of crap they've produced asking 'the public' what we think they should do to fix the health system, Transforming Health - Discussion Paper...this a clumsy and obvious excuse to shreck about with faux consultation and just fudge everything along for another 18 months...it's nothing but an excuse to not have any policy and do nothing to advance Regional Health...but it gets better...(oh gourd, do I really want to know?-Ed)...no no, it's all good...
I walked up to the display and was just going to grab the 46 page A4 size colour booklet and whatevs else was there, but the woman standing there engaged me and asked what I thought...it was only then that I realised I was talking to Ms Jayne Downs from Country Health SA, and she asked me what I thought could be done to improve health service provision, and I responded that I thought it was too late because of the privatisation of the SA health system...(and she made the mistake of asking what you meant?-Ed)...indeed...
Whilst being politely scathing of the profit-guarantee contract that the Labor state government has entered into re the new Royal Adelaide Hospital, and how that guarantees that Health will suffer across the state as Labor pulls funds from everywhere else to meet the contractual obligations re the new RAH, I stated that this is guaranteed to happen because Health Services always run at a loss...Ms Downs politely grabbed at this hint of familiar ground, sayin 'well it is very expensive'...I continued, using her agreement to further emphasis/explain my point...Ms Downs said it was an 'interesting theory'...(I note that she didn't argue with and/or try to contradict you-Ed)...indeed...
It was a funny exchange in that we sortta' both recognised each other as we spoke and so sortta' knew who was whom without saying it, and Ms Downs was clearly 'mildly anxious' because, well...(because it was a Large Angry Hippy with a reputation for politely bludgeoning politicking-Ed)...indeed, but hers was not the wide-eyed fear of persons such as Frank 'The Ghost' Morello...(you know he's a Councillor candidate?-Ed)...indeed, 100% stooge-athon...speaking of which...
Council's Micheal Silvy was on the ABC this morning stating that the Rail Lands will be mostly open in time for Christmas, 'maybe about 81% open by Christmas'...(that's a very specific maybe-Ed)...whatevs...and then onto the bleedin' obvious, there's no funding for the old Rail Station and the Sound Shell, a brief mention of a fence around The Deathpit Of Stupidity, etc...the good ol' Rail Lands eh...pardon my fury but this is another Council debasco motivated by the desire to pour Ratepayer's money into Councillor's mates and/or each other's pockets...it's a bloody disgrace what these people's corruption and greed have done to this town...
And kudos to Mt Gambier Ratepayers for supporting/sponsoring/subsidising the Dycer's having a horse in today's Melbourne Cup...the people of Mt Gambier have paid dearly for it too...(I don't follow-Ed)...well how much does it cost to get a horse there and in, there-in?...(no idea, probably a bit-Ed)...I don't know either, but yeah, it ain't free...(but how have MG Ratepayers paid for it?-Ed)...because Dycer Constructions are one of Council's 'preferred contractors'...(well actually in the Agenda 21st October 2014 it refers to them as one of several "currently pre-qualified local contractors"-Ed)...we quibble over terms sir...
Bottomline, and as expressed to me by a coupla' people now, Dycer Constructions have made a profit on Council contracts like the Main Corner and Library, projects that went double over cost to a total over $20million, and, as Council funded contracts, whatever that profit is, it's Ratepayer's money what paid it...(fair enough-Ed)...and therefore the good citizenry have directly at least partly subsidised the Dycer's racehorse...(Lifestyles of the Rich and Pre-Qualified Contractor-Ed)...well indeed...
And I re-iterate, it has been repeatedly stated to me that on top of the Council-acknowledegd massive cost blow-outs, there are costs re the Main Corner and the Library that do not appear in the official Council figures, eg, works costed through other Council depts...there's also the issue of the $345,000 that was 'obtained' somehow by former CEO Greg Muller...this is not my allegation/complaint/whatevs, it was raised in Council by Councillor Richardson, been in TBW, etc, etc, and remains unaccounted for...and if this has happened, what other monies are potentially missing?...this also raises the issues of 1) who is auditing Council and 2) what else they've potentially missed...(I'm gettin' that headache again-Ed)...fair enough...
And heard another interview with Electoral Commission SA Comm Kay Mousley stating that the 2010 Local Government Election saw a 33% return...(so only 67% unaccounted for?-Ed)...exactly, but that this election the numbers are down to nearer 30%, even a tad lower...(but on the Win TV 30 Second Jammed In An Ad-break News Service as sourced from The Border Watch, on that it stated that Mt Gambier was doing great things return wise, and then quoted "25%"-Ed)...I know...
(***now Wednesday 5th November, cheers***)...and that's about it for this post anyway...this is where I fell asleep
last night...today is pretty much the last day to get your vote in for
the Local Government elections so's get amongst it homies...if you're too late to post it snail-mail, there's a booth at the Council offices open till 1700hrs Friday 7th November 2014 so take your voting envelope directly there...and this self-contradiction re voting returns has continued this morning with Kay Mousley stating 30% across the state, but local media saying that the Regional SA rate is slightly higher at 25%...(which is usually described as 'less' than 30%, rather than more-Ed)...well this is a Sow Strayn election...(enough said-Ed)...and, so, we end today/yesterday/both, and sorry, but the Council meeting stuff will have to be,
Tomorrow: Everything's Just Peachy, Everyone's Just Terrific
Just paraphrasing the farcical mutual praise-fest that was the Council meeting 21st October 2014...2 weeks on it's still just sickening given the reality of what damage they've done to Mt Gambier...
Written and Authorised by Nick Fletcher, 16 Kooringa St, Mt Gambier, SA 5290...cheers and laters...
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