RE: teraforming mars

Patrick Wilken (patrickw@cs.monash.edu.au)
Tue, 20 Jul 1999 15:25:16 +1000

>> Then again, since the Australia project would
>> probably be delayed for centuries and go into cost overruns because of
>> legal and protest action by environmentalists, not to mention the
>> inefficiency of a socialist government, Mars might actually be cheaper.
>> ;)
>>
>That commie, pinko Australian Liberal Party... socialist scum.

Do you really think Australia has a socialist government? The liberal party is our equivalent to the Republican party (lacking a strong pro-gun or anti-porn stance or for that matter lots of weirdo Christians). We seem to be moving pretty rapidly away from any form of governmental assistance (who can afford it with a dwindling tax base?) and are very strong supporters of free-trade.

Of course taxes will never be abolished by politians from whatever side of politics they come from (they have to justify themselves don't they?). Since we don't have a huge military to give lots-and-lots of $$$ to it tends to be distributed back to the people a little more. So for that reason we are a little more 'socialist'. This doesn't mean we have fewer rights or pay greater taxes.

ciao, patrick


Patrick Wilken 
Editor:        PSYCHE: An International Journal of Research on Consciousness
Board Member:      The Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness
http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/                 http://www.phil.vt.edu/ASSC/