Daniel C Phillips

Business Owner,Tour guide, Historian, & Author

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

The deepest irony is that he lived in Greenacre in South Western Sydney for a short time with his first wife and kids when working on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There are bullet holes in the front of houses only hundreds of metres from his former family home. Hoges is getting his information from people like the ABC and the Turnbull Times AKA “The Guardian “. Not first hand observation. He has been living in Los Angeles for decades…!

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

@KrisztinaMaria I am betting that the Golden Retriever is the hot favourite in this scenario! 🤣🤣🤣

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

@ImtiazMadmood Am I seeing things, or is that Rob Lowe to Edward Norton's left, and Brad Pitt to his right?

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

@Boody11av As a fellow GSD owner....!

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

I have seen it up close. It is the norm rather than the exception. It is a lifestyle that burns people who are by nature conscientious into the ground.
Parliament often sits stupidly long hours of them and their staff for starters.
Demands on a local member's time from constituents, public events, party events and the never ending fund raising and campaigning just to stay in the job at all are also insanely demanding of time - and that is just at the back bench, bottom rung of the ladder.
They are, as local members, expected to be there and available, for everyone, for whatever reason, all of the time. To be super helpful, pleasant miracle workers - and often resented and attacked, when they are not, or cannot be at that moment in time. To be able to wave a magic wand and make a constituent's problems with government departments, rules or regulations instantly disappear in a puff of fairy dust.
When you add to that how viciously and personally these people are often attacked and their direct families are attacked, frequently for things they are not actually responsible for, it is a miracle that sane people would keep doing it.
Particularly when many people who stand for parliament have already had successful careers in other fields.
While morons would retort " They chose it"as some kind of justification for appalling behaviour towards a politician - it is frequently debateable whether personal attacks on the politician are fair. Arguing the policy is fair - attacking the person usually is not. What is certain is their families and children sure as hell didn't chose publc life, or deserve to be abused at all. I have seen this happen, and it is beneath contempt.
I think we need to wake up and realise that regardless of frustrations and disagreements, that we are dealing with human beings, and need to start treating them and setting expectations based on being human. Which starts, at a minimum, with being civil.

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

Looking at politicians through the lens of the media- I agree with you. It is easy to make a snap judgement based on a video clip or sound bite on radio- and this is exactly what those media outlets want you to do. My take is based on two decades of seeing how members of parliament work and try to live. It becomes a chicken and egg argument about whether politicians earn bad treatment through bad behaviors or whether politicians look out for themselves because they are treated poorly. My experience is that most people stand for parliament for altruistic reasons- and the life beats that altruism out of many of them. Given how appallingly many are treated for things they are not responsible for creating- by the general public- I can understand why. At the end of the day they are human beings, and need to be treated that way. Too often they are not.

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

@RodneyFrenda @BrissyG47 @RositaDaz48 Then you have not seen how they live up close. I have . Over decades.

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

I remember Bill O’Chee. He was one of very few who got out of politics relatively intact and young. Most don’t. They enter politics later in life after they have a career first. He was very much the exception, not the rule. There is an element of self defeating stupidity to expect people to volunteer for a very demanding job that people expect super human performance, be constantly pilloried and vilified no matter what they do- and then engage in petty Penny pinching, pretending that they don’t earn every cent they get. Then complain that the people standing for election aren’t really good enough to do the job. There is an element of getting what you pay for- and in this arena, being cheap is probably costing us dearly in compounding dumb decisions and policies.

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

You are right about the changes in the parliamentary pension system. I think that sets up politicians to have to position themselves for careers as lobbyists after acting as members of parliament. Which I think does our country a lot of harm... Think people like Matt Kean and Michael Photios....or Paul Keating acting on behalf of Chinese companies!

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

The thing is this - there is nothing normal for most of the population about working 18 hour days 7 days a week, which between parliament, meeting constituents, any ministerial or parliamentary committee work, public events, press and media, and party political duties, is fairly normal for being a state or federal member of parliament .
Or being expected to contribute to every cause, including the never ending political campaigning and fund raising. People also ignore or minimise the sheer volume and viciousness of the personal abuse, and the cost that all of the never ending work and stress takes, on your physical and mental health and relationships.
It is not an accident so many politicians are divorcees - it is a cost of the job that spouses and families end up paying as well as the member of parliament
People see the headline numbers of salaries and benefits, but don't account for what comes out of that amount to do the job at all - or the life you have to live for it. When a large chunk of your salary is paid out in expenses needed to earn it - the net take home money is a whole lot smaller than the gross numbers people like to throw around. It is as ignorant as throwing around gross turnover numbers in a business, rather than looking at net profit ( or loss) after tax in a small business...
Most normal people exposed to the reality of political life as a member of parliament would willingly give up the money attached to it, and any spare organs they might have, to get away from it, to be invisible and anonymous again, just to get away from the sheer nastiness of it.
Unfortunately that bastardry comes from both your political competitors from other parties, political enemies within your own party who are often even more toxic and ruthless, and the abuse and contempt of members of the general public.
It is not paranoia when there is a conga line of people really trying to hurt you. Sadly, the moment you stand up for a set of beliefs, you become a target, like a duck in a shooting gallery. The thing is, even those ducks get time off, and respite from being shot at. Politicians never do - on the job or off, and continue to be abused long after any time spent in parliament.
I would not wish that life on my worst enemy. I don't think it is in the interest of our country, who desperately needs to have good leadership, to make an already difficult and unpleasant job even less attractive.

[Papa Woof und Krampus und Bleaken @woofknight]

Author unknown shared from Everyday Magic
"Calvin? Calvin, sweetheart?"
In the darkness Calvin heard the sound of Susie, his wife of fifty-three years. Calvin struggled to open his eyes. God, he was so tired and it took so much strength. Slowly, light replaced the darkness, and soon vision followed. At the foot of his bed stood his wife. Calvin wet his dry lips and spoke hoarsely, "Did... did you.... find him?"
"Yes dear," Susie said smiling sadly, "He was in the attic."
Susie reached into her big purse and brought out a soft, old, orange tiger doll. Calvin could not help but laugh. It had been so long. Too long.
"I washed him for you," Susie said, her voice cracking a little as she laid the stuffed tiger next to her husband.
"Thank you, Susie." Calvin said.
A few moments passed as Calvin just laid on his hospital bed, his head turned to the side, staring at the old toy with nostalgia.
"Dear," Calvin said finally. "Would you mind leaving me alone with Hobbes for a while? I would like to catch up with him."
"All right," Susie said. "I'll get something to eat in the cafeteria. I'll be back soon."
Susie kissed her husband on the forehead and turned to leave. With sudden but gentle strength Calvin stopped her. Lovingly he pulled his wife in and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips. "I love you," he said.
"And I love you," said Susie.
Susie turned and left. Calvin saw tears streaming from her face as she went out the door.
Calvin then turned to face his oldest and dearest friend. "Hello Hobbes. It's been a long time hasn't it old pal?"
Hobbes was no longer a stuffed doll but the big furry old tiger Calvin had always remembered. "It sure has, Calvin." said Hobbes.
"You... haven't changed a bit." Calvin smiled.
"You've changed a lot." Hobbes said sadly.
Calvin laughed, "Really? I haven't noticed at all."
There was a long pause. The sound of a clock ticking away the seconds rang throughout the sterile hospital room.
"So... you married Susie Derkins." Hobbes said, finally smiling. "I knew you always like her."
"Shut up!" Calvin said, his smile bigger than ever.
"Tell me everything I missed. I'd love to hear what you've been up to!" Hobbes said, excited.
And so Calvin told him everything. He told him about how he and Susie fell in love in high school and had married after graduating from college, about his three kids and four grandkids, how he turned Spaceman Spiff into one of the most popular sci-fi novels of the decade, and so on. After he told Hobbes all this there was another pregnant pause.
"You know... I visited you in the attic a bunch of times." Calvin said.
"I know."
"But I couldn't see you. All I saw was a stuffed animal." Calvin voice was breaking and tears of regret started welling up in his eyes.
"You grew up old buddy." said Hobbes.
Calvin broke down and sobbed, hugging his best friend. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry I broke my promise! I promised I wouldn't grow up and that we'd be together forever!!"
Hobbes stroke the Calvin's hair, or what little was left of it. "But you didn't."
"What do you mean?"
"We were always together... in our dreams."
"We were?"
"We were."
"Hobbes?"
"Yeah, old buddy?"
"I'm so glad I got to see you like this... one last time..."
"Me too, Calvin. Me too."
"Sweetheart?" Susie voice came from outside the door.
"Yes dear?" Calvin replied.
"Can I come in?" Susie asked.
"Just a minute."
Calvin turned to face Hobbes one last time. "Goodbye Hobbes. Thanks... for everything..."
"No, thank you Calvin." Hobbes said.
Calvin turned back to the door and said, "You can come in now."
Susie came in and said, "Look who's come to visit you."
Calvin's children and grandchildren followed Susie into Calvin's room. The youngest grandchild ran past the rest of them and hugged Calvin in a hard, excited hug. "Grandpa!!" screamed the child in delight.
"Francis!" cried Calvin's daughter, "Be gentle with your grandfather."
Calvin's daughter turned to her dad. "I'm sorry, Daddy. Francis never seems to behave these days. He just runs around making a mess and coming up with strange stories."
Calvin laughed and said, "Well now! That sound just like me when I was his age."
Calvin and his family chatted some more until a nurse said, "Sorry, but visiting hours are almost up."
Calvin's beloved family said good bye and promised to visit tomorrow. As they turned to leave Calvin said, "Francis. Come here for a second."
Francis came over to his grandfather's side, "What is it Gramps?"
Calvin reached over to the stuffed tiger on his bedside and and held him out shakily to his grandson, who looked exactly as he did so many years ago. "This is Hobbes. He was my best friend when I was your age. I want you to have him."
"He's just a stuffed tiger." Francis said, eyebrows raised.
Calvin laughed, "Well, let me tell you a secret."
Francis leaned closer to Calvin. Calvin whispered, "If you catch him in a tiger trap using a tuna sandwich as bait he will turn into a real tiger."
Francis gasped in delighted awe. Calvin continued, "Not only that he will be your best friend forever."
"Wow! Thanks grandpa!" Francis said, hugging his grandpa tightly again.
"Francis! We need to go now!" Calvin's daughter called.
"Okay!" Francis shouted back.
"Take good care of him." Calvin said.
"I will." Francis said before running off after the rest of the family.
Calvin laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. The time to go was close. He could feel it in his soul. Calvin tried to remember a quote he read in a book once. It said something about death being the next great adventure or something like that. He eyelids grew heavy and his breathing slowed. As he went deeper into his final sleep he heard Hobbes, as if he was right next to him at his bedside. "I'll take care of him, Calvin..."
Calvin took his first step toward one more adventure and breathed his last with a grin on his face

[Lola voting Reform 🩵 @Bebs1000]

😂🤣😂

[Planet Of Memes @PlanetOfMemes]

Bingo.

[NWRain-Judi @RYboating]

I might be bad for posting this. 🙄

But it's my mood tonight. 😐

[Daniel C Phillips @D_C_Phillips]

@Mens_Corner__ No- this is a Charger!!!!

[Rosita Díaz @RositaDaz48]

He lied 🤥.. he’s a pathological liar 🤥