Cost of good Government

The cost of good government

We all pay taxes one way or another. If it is worth paying taxes, surely it is worth ensuring that they deliver maximum benefits. That I think is what we might call Government Productivity.  It is worth paying a little more to make governments deliver us those maximum benefits.

When we are unhappy at how government runs some aspect of society, let’s say so. But it is not much use telling family, friends or neighbours. They can’t fix it! Many people sound off in the media, daily or social. But that  just makes the politicians who can fix it look silly. Then they defend the status quo. Those who suffer know many of the problems and their causes. Aussies often know the solutions to those problems too. So don’t tell those who can’t fix the problem. Avoid  public humiliation in the media of those who can fix it for you, the MPs. Spend a little bit more money on a Votergram to make sure you get value for your taxes.

Yet we are frequently not sure that we want to spend money on good government. Most of us value what we spend on our daily cuppa or  fuel for the car. It is not as much fun spending it on building a better society.

We get what we pay for

Sadly, paying for good government by speaking up is the only way we can help to build society. We Aussies live in a democracy. Democracy is defined as government of the people, BY the people, for the people. The key word is “BY”. Obviously we 28 million cannot all hold a giant zoom or teams conference online. We could not together thrash out what the government should do in every place on every issue.  A physical meeting  would be chaotic as well as impossible. And who cares anyway? Just a small group of voters.

Australians don’t have real “rulers” as in dictatorship or monarchy. They can be ruthless and selfish. We do have a very friendly kings who does not interfere in government. We  elect and pay one “representative” for every 120,000 or so of us. Voters send them to a conference called Parliament in Canberra. There they represent us  in continuous discussions on what should be done by government. Majority opinion decides everything. That seems to be the fairest way of pleasing the greatest number of Aussies.

How could MPs know?

But how do the 150 people in “The House of Representatives” know what we want done? Most of us don’t tell them. They cannot automatically know what problems each of us faces, what causes those problems or what the best solutions are. A community may just need an aged care facility. A suburb or town may be without police. A family may not know where to get urgent respite care for a relative. Department of Communities and Justice might be removing someone’s children completely unjustly. A person may feel that a defence strategy is badly flawed because of international factors.

A decision needs to be made in parliament to give Australians what is needed. For that, it is generally necessary for all MPs to at least know what Aussies want and why. They will only know if someone tells them. That way they will be aware of what we need. Then they can discuss it amongst themselves and get it done if it has merit.

Influence

But who is going to be the someone and what influence will they have? The task probably falls to the very small group within our population that actually does care what happens. There is a chance that people in that group feel that they are bearing the cost and responsibility for solving everyone else’s problems. That is a bit true too.

However, there is an upside. The government cannot please all 28 million Aussies all of the time on all of the issues. They can’t even please them most of the time on most of the issues. The government is directed by parliament. Parliament  hears the people. But parliament only hears the vocal people. It hears those who speak up most influentially. That gives a tremendous amount of leverage to those who do take the trouble to spend the time, effort and money sending Votergrams about what needs to be done. Votergrams inform all MPs without any party-political connotation.

Guiding MPs for good government?

“Why is that necessary”, you may ask. It is necessary because parliament is like the Australian Open, a tennis tournament, but much more serious.  It is a competition for raw POWER. Thousands of people constantly want thousands of things done all the time.  Voters may be concerned about the same issues or different issues. There are constant mini-competitions. Quite a few  would  warrant the description “Grand Slam”. About half the MPs want to beat the other half. Both groups seek the power and spoils of being in government. The chances of one local MP winning them all over alone is small. If you have explained the facts to all MPs the majority are more likely to agree to it.

Democracy has rules too!

One of the basic rules of democracy is this:
“The silent majority, by it’s own choice, can never be heard.”
Read it again and absorb it. Our parliamentary representatives are not psychic. Nor do they believe everything the media says. Those who remain silent can never be heard!
Another two rules are:
“ Parliament is the only sector of government over which you have any power.”

Individual Australians have no power over the public service or bureaucracy that denies them what they want.

AND
“The best way to influence government is to tell every MP what you want and ask them to get it done”. MPs do want to help you. They have enormous power to do so.

The Value of Votergrams

Votergrams put incredible power and influence into the hands of every Australian, rich or poor, young or old. The Votergram service was developed in Australia, by Australians for Australians. A young family was disillusioned by being lied to and cheated by a local council.  The family devoted 8 years to developing a fool-proof way of influencing governments. They decided to concentrate on  parliaments and forget local councils. In doing so they came up with Votergrams.

The cost of Votergrams

Votergrams cost coffee or fuel money, yet they allow individual Aussies to move metaphorical mountains. They cut the road toll, banned smoking on airlines, had chemists dispense generic medicines.  Victims impact statements were introduced into courts. Individuals got hospital beds and operations, school air conditioning and halls. Hospitals that government planned to bulldoze were kept open

It is worth paying the cost of good government to build a better country. That benefits you, your family,  friends and other Aussies. The returns from investing in good government are far greater than in real estate or shares. Votergrams pay big dividends