West Australian Elections

PERTH, Western Australia

Parlimentary elections are in their final week here in WA, and they are getting wild and wooly. The current Premier (state governor) has been running a Chicago-style machine apparatus for the last 2 years, since he was handed the job when his predecessor resigned do to "depression". Now not only are the parties fighting dirty against each other for votes, but the ministers within the Premier's party (Labor) are already fighting for survival in the new (assuming they win) Government.

FYI: Labor is the equivalent of the US Democrats. The equivalent of the US Republicans is called--get this--the Liberals. This refers to liberal economic policy, not social policy. So, Labor is liberal and the Liberals aren't. Typical Aussie contrary thinking.

Other parties are the Greens (environmental and social left-wing), Family First (religious right), the Nationals (rural and country), and the Democrats (who's motto is "we keep the bastards honest"). The Nationals and the Liberals form a Coalition to counter Labor's majority.

Newman Iron Mine Mill

Issues in the election: banning uranium mining, not allowing genetically modified crops, managing the mining and energy boom economic windfalls, prohibiting new drivers to operate cars with V8 engines, corruption and lobbyest influence, managing development of the Perth metro area.

The election is Sept 6. More on the unique way votes are counted in the next blog.

Remembering Bernie Mac

This has little to do with Australia, but I was working on the Bernie Mac Show the year we were applying for Australian migration. In fact most of my DIMA forms were written in the camera office next to Bernie's dressing room.

Bernie died this week. He was only 50. He was a very nice, sweet, caring man. That might not seem like the edgy, politically incorrect image he projected, but that was truly what he was: funny, irreverant, but thoroughly decent. He told the truth the about life the way he saw it. He never forgot his roots but enjoyed his accomplishments and the position in life he'd achieved. A real loss, he had a lot more to give the world. Last time I saw him was when I visited the set our first trip back to the US in '04. He remembered me, invited me into his dressing room. He put on his oxygen tubes and wanted to know how I'd been. He was truly larger than life. He loved to walk around the set singing in his falsetto: "You can stick it in the crack of yo' ass..." I can still hear him. I'll miss him. If there is a heaven I'll look forward to seeing him again...and having a good laugh.