Pollies Blind To Voltairian Warnings.

Counterpoint:
John Carter ( The Land 2.6.11 ).

Voltaire wrote, "Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all".

Australia's supposed leaders are now demonstrating the accuracy of his observation. Their concept of man controlling the earth's climate in isolation from the sun underlines this case.

We multiply our exports of coal and iron ore to enable China to produce more steel and atmospheric pollution, double world air travel in six years, and promote increased transport emissions through free trade.

At the same time we announce we will show the world how to control climate by taxing one of the many gases emitted into the atmosphere. Perhaps we should implement a tax to cool down the sun.

Urban dwellers are moving on from "saving the Murray-Darling" to saving the planet.

Anybody swallowing the claim that the disadvantaged will be compensated by government doesn't read history. This is all about moving money from the masses to the already rich - as has been demonstrated with the European emissions trading scheme.

Any of the few landholders who are still members of a State farm organisation - and as a consequence of the National Farmers Federation ( NFF ) - must be very confused. NFF has added to its depressing list of farmer sell-outs with the daddy of them all: carbon sequestration by tree planting as a reward for supporting a carbon tax.

The architects of this gem obviously couldn't grow a zucchini in a La Nina year.

The concept of independent assessor chaps coming on to properties to measure the carbon sequestration takes us into a land of fantasy and unlimited corruption.

The record of tree planting initiatives in Australia is woeful, as many saddened superannuants caught in managed investment schemes would attest. Most of our land is subject to severe droughts which play havoc with any crop from wheat to trees.

Country to go under trees would have to be higher rainfall, food and fibre producing country. Food is apparently now seen as something one buys from the supermarket - nobody cares where it originates.

In just a few years we have seen dairying become dominated by an Italian company, our wheat board taken over by our Canadian competitors, our rice board bound for Spain, and our beef processing dominated by two US and Brazillian government-backed multinationals.

Our farmers will have their prices determined by foreigners, who will naturally put their shareholder interest first. Meanwhile the flood of natural gas, coal and wind "farms" will take more of our scarce farming land out of food production.

The urban background of almost all in leadership positions apparently makes them incapable of seeing what is happening. Add the NFF support for importation of beef from countries with BSE to their carbon sequestration and Voltaire's case is sewn up.