5 questions that keep me awake or occupy my brain in moments of quiet

1. Why, when we can look to countries like the US who have an entire working-poor underclass do we have a government who wants to introduce policies that will entrench socially and morally reprehensible systems on parts of our community we should be helping, not punishing? 2. Why, when we can look to countries like the US who are living with a government, a media and public agenda being driven by the conservative religious right are we doing so little to ensure the same insidious power imbalance doesn't happen here? I'm talking Howard's commitment to overhauling media ownership laws that will allow cross media ownership and relinquish foreign/local ownership quotas? I'm talking Brendan Nelson giving oxygen to movements who in their heart of hearts think creationist theories should be taught in the science classroom, not the religious studies one. 3. Why do we constantly re-elect a government that is so hell bent on the bottom line it has forgotten that bottom line is only reached by people. With lives. 4. Why do governments fail to see that money spent now - on infrastructure, on a quality education system for ALL, on a quality healthcare system for ALL - is not only money saved in the future, but a sense of community, a sense of pride, a sense of hey-we're-not-in-this-for-ourselves-but-for-each-other, and that those things are what make people feel safe, not ad campaigns about being "alert not alarmed". 5. Why are we so reticent/afraid to tackle the big questions and make the hard decisions? Much of this is just the standard internal monologue I have with myself at any given time of the day. I figure its good to get it out before baby brain returns well and truly. It also comes from a growing sense of unease I have about the good things in Australia being lost to the bad things from everywhere else as we have a government committed to us being one of the big guns in the world, when we simply don't have the population size (nor should we, the environmental impact of such would be horrendous on what is an incredibly fragile and already abused realm of ecosystems that is the Australian continent) nor the geography to sustain such a creation. It comes from just proof-reading amost 40,000 words on the history of Australia in relation to other world events, and realising (well more having it reiterated) just how dreadful human beings can be to each other on any given day and write it off in the interest of economics or the betterment of the world. It comes from meeting up with some great friends today for lunch and us just limping from conversations focusing on pedophilia, refugees, cancer, divorce, politics, child birth (I was there afterall) and other profound things - including the Swans' win of course. And I guess it comes from being about to bring another sprogget into this world which seems so much more focused on the me and less and less caring about the us.