My mistake. I believed that because Oz is a Commonwealth nation their system of gov’t would be the same as Canada’s. But Australia has a mix of UK Westminster style and US Congress style. They do still have a Governor General who represents the monarchy tho.

Probably because it’s proprietary to TransUnion. Needless to say it’s powerful and thorough.

Not if it’s an estranged husband/wife looking for retribution, or a stalker, etc. Lots of individuals would be interested in a single person’s info.

Australia is a Commonwealth nation so they follow the Westminster style … the same as Britain, Canada, etc. Senators would not be elected, they are appointed, and act as a check on Parliament.

The Australian Labor party has strict penalties for those who undermine its collective positions, and acts of defiance can lead to expulsion - a precedent with a 130-year history.

This is not unique to Auzzie politics. AFAIK every Westernized nation’s parties follow the same rule.

My question is if your nation touts its democracy as the best thing since sliced bread, how do you mesh that with dictatorial leadership forcing politicians to vote along party lines, especially on something like this?

Enforced conformity is about as undemocratic as it gets, yet I don’t see any big names standing up against it.

I think you forget that women and children still don’t have enough power, at any age, to deny any man what he wants. They still die doing that, or are beaten within an inch of their lives, or are fired/written up for refusing sexual advances, or are put in situations where they’ve received no training but have to run a dangerous machine anyway.

That is not something any child should ‘have’ to learn.

How about instead we crack down on the businesses that do shit like that … maybe 1st offense they lose their business … 2nd offense they lose their life.

My rule of thumb is if the kid can ask a cogent question (just not the Why? or How come? ones) then they deserve an honest answer.

50+ years ago when I was 12, I got my first job at an ice cream/burger stand making 0.75 cents per hour. The only downside was my creepy old boss who took great joy in pinching my non-existent breasts and child-sized ass.

2 yrs later I started working at the local pizza joint (legal age to work was 14 back then).

The real problem these days is owners who would abuse the privilege of having kids work for them. I mean you just know that’s gonna happen, esp under Shmoe’s ‘leadership’.

Which is kind of surprising because 25 years ago it was the opposite, based on Revelation 13:16 – “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead” …

which many took to indicate the use of mobile phones as the only way to purchase anything.

I guess they changed their minds. /s

First rule of checking whose voice you should listen to – the amount of people who are vested in your ‘approval rating’ vs the amount of people actually stating the facts of what happened.

Whichever number is greater is usually the one that’s right.

Somebody should tell him he’s listening to the wrong people here.

Fuck the Shrubs, fuck Rumsfeld, fuck Kissinger, and fuck the whole American military complex that believes torture will bring out the ‘truth’.

You wanna know where cops get their mindset from? It trickles down from the military, the CIA and the FBI. Cops see what they do and wanna be just like them, so adopt what has been proven they have done … from kidnapping to torture to outright murder.

Just because it’s big doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be opened. Only Sonlight can cleanse the shit that bullshit ‘Christianity’ has wrought.

The minute money becomes more important than people, it’s a problem.

Unfortunately.

I’ve lived on the streets. Cash allowed me to buy tampons and other things I needed.

Besides who am I to judge what someone needs. They know better than I do.

I would just turn my head or move further down the beach.

shrugs

I know lots of kids were/are playing those without parental supervision. Those same parents had/have existential fits if their child sees a penis or breasts in a movie.

If the DNC would get their heads out of their asses (a longshot, ik) and voted in another viable, smart candidate they could turn voter apathy around in a heartbeat.

Too bad they seem to be happy with the power status quo and fail to see the real danger they are in if/when Trump wins … cause he would not be adverse to using guillotines or nooses to fix that ‘problem’.

If Bernie is in, I choose AOC as his running mate instead.

Fuck Hillary.