Michael Lapina

Dad, Operatic Tenor, Educator, Artistic Director, try-hard fisherman

[Aaron Smith @aaronsmith]

Thank you, Dave. I appreciate you reaching out to ask what you got wrong.

The clip we’re discussing is less than 90 seconds long. What I’m about to do demonstrates Brandolini's Law: where the amount of energy required to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude greater than that required to produce it. Or, in this case, it takes around 600 words to correct 90 seconds of your economic fan fiction.

1⃣ Between 0 and 30 seconds

You begin by confusing government debt with the Future Fund and appear to suggest that the Future Fund can't exist along side Govt debt.

They’re different things. One can exist without the other, and in Australia they do.

Australia's Future Fund was established in 2006 with an initial govt investment of about $60B. Its first annual report, in 2008, showed assets of around $64 billion - not the $100B you suggested.

Then, at around 27 seconds, you talk about the Future Fund as though it ceased to exist (you used the word 'had' as in past tense).

It still very much exists Dave. In fact, it's grown every single year since it was created. Today it's worth around $270 billion, or over $330 billion once the other funds under management are included (eg Medical Research / Housing Australia / Drought).

So before we're even 30 seconds into the clip you've managed to confuse government debt, the Future Fund, its size, and whether it still exists.

That’s a lot of economic history to get wrong in under 30 seconds.

2⃣ Around 32 seconds

You then claim Kevin Rudd used the Future Fund to "flush money through the economy".

Again, that’s simply false. The Future Fund wasn't used to fund the stimulus. It wasn't used to build school halls. It wasn’t used for any of the things you’re describing. In your defence, you do briefly flirt with the possibility that you don’t actually know what you’re talking about. Sadly, it was a very short-lived relationship.

The GFC stimulus was funded through government borrowing.

For context, construction approvals were collapsing, more than a million Australians worked in construction, and the objective was to stop unemployment exploding during the worst global financial crisis in generations.

You're welcome to argue that was the wrong policy (but you didn't). You’re not entitled to rewrite where the money came from.

3⃣ At about 44 seconds

You say, "I might be wrong".

I concede you were correct during this part of the video.

4⃣ From 44 seconds onwards

You make a series of broad claims about the GFC response.

Yes, government debt increased. That's true.

What you omit is that Australia's stimulus largely went directly to households rather than primarily rescuing financial institutions, as happened in many other countries.

The aim was simple: keep people spending, businesses operating and Australians employed while global demand collapsed. It's known as counter-cyclical fiscal policy.

Whether you agree with it politically is your business.

The specific outcome for Australia isn't contested though - Australia was one of only two economies in the OECD to avoid recession during the Global Financial Crisis. There's no reality where that wasn’t a comparatively impressive outcome.

The money didn’t need to "trickle down". The entire point was that it started at the bottom.

5⃣ Government debt

Throughout the clip (and in life generally) you repeatedly return to the theme Labor is responsible for Australia’s debt (which btw is comparatively low).

Here are the actual numbers of net debt added by each Govt since 2007.

> Rudd/Gillard: about $190 billion over six years.
> Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison: about $366 billion over nine years, around two-thirds of which pre-dated COVID.
> Albanese: about $75 billion over four years.

Those figures don’t support the story you've been telling people. And that’s really the issue.

This isn't about getting one date wrong or misremembering one statistic. Nearly every claim in your 90-second clip turns out to be either wrong or misleading.

If you're going to publicly lecture Australians about economic history, the bare minimum expectation is that you’ve first acquainted yourself with it.

Because once the errors have been pointed out, as they have been to you multiple times, every repetition stops looking like an accident and starts looking like a strategy.

Given your very public coffee with Angus Taylor last week, perhaps people are entitled to ask what that strategy might be.

[Roshan Rai @RoshanKrRaii]

BREAKING : Absolute scenes at the UN 🔥

US 🇺🇸 Ambassador to the UN 🇺🇳 Mike Waltz brutally BOOED after he mentioned “ President Trump” in his speech.

People even started shouting things like“WAR CRIMINAL & MURDERER”

Mike Waltz looked visibly ashamed and embarrassed.

[Kamala Harris @KamalaHarris]

The President of the United States is threatening to commit war crimes and wipe out a "whole civilization" — all because he started a disastrous war of his own making and had no plan and no strategy for how to end it.

This is abhorrent, and the American people do not support this.

Trump's recklessness is needlessly putting our brave service members in harm's way, destroying America's global standing, and making life even more unaffordable for the American people.

We must all stand against this and oppose funding this illegal war of choice.

[Michael Haynes 🇻🇦 @MLJHaynes]

BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV on Trump’s warning to Iran of “civilization” destruction —

“This is truly not acceptable. Here there are certainly questions of international law, but even more than this a question of morality for the good of people.”

He adds the war is “continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything… is only provoking more hatred throughout the world.”

“attacks on civilian infrastructure are against international law, but it is also against sign of the hatred and division that we are capable of.”

Video @Reuters

[InfoGram @_InfoGram_]

🚨BREAKING : French 🇫🇷 Senator EXPOSED Trump indirectly like no one else did 🔥

​"A handful of drug addicts and alcoholics have seized power in US, whenever something regarding the Epstein case is published, they bómb a corner of the world" 🔥🫡

This is absolute Savagery 🔥

[Trump Lie Tracker (Commentary Account) @MAGALieTracker]

BREAKING: There has never been a better time to retweet this video of six brave lawmakers reminding the men and women in our military to REFUSE UNLAWFUL ORDERS from Trump.

Let’s make this go viral again.

[Headquarters @HQNewsNow]

Gen. Mark Milley: We are unique among the world's militaries. We don't take an oath to a king or a queen, or to a tyrant, or a dictator, and we don't take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We don't take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution. It is that document that all of us in uniform swear to protect and defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic. We will never turn our back on the Constitution. That is our North Star.

[Acyn @Acyn]

Iranian Ambassador: I think that, once more, this war has shown that the United States will not bring security and stability to the region.

In response to the representative of the United States, I only want to refer to some remarks by the U.S. president, who initiated this war of aggression against Iran.

On March 21st, he threatened to hit and obliterate Iran’s power plants. On March 28th, he escalated this threat, saying he wanted to blow up and completely obliterate critical infrastructure, including power plants, oil facilities, Kharg Island, and desalination installations.

On April 1st, he declared his intention to bring Iran “back to the Stone Age,” explicitly threatening to strike all electric generating facilities. On April 5th, he again openly threatened to target civilian infrastructure, stating that “Tuesday will be power plant day and bridge day. There will be nothing like it.”

And two days later, he resorted to language that is not only deeply irresponsible but profoundly alarming, declaring that “the whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back.”

Such rhetoric is unbefitting of any political leader, let alone the head of a permanent member of the Council entrusted with the maintenance of international peace and security.

[Protect Kamala Harris ✊ @DisavowTrump20]

Liz Cheney: “I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the indefensible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.”

Republicans, your dishonor will remain.

[Manolo De Los Santos @manolo_realengo]

Explosions now shaking Caracas.

Trump has launched an illegal bombing campaign. Families, children, people sleeping in their homes across Caracas are under attack. Bombings confirmed in La Guaira, Fuerte Tiuna, La Carlota.

This is a war crime. Stop the bombing of Venezuela!

[Michael Lapina @MichaelLapina]

@metrotrains Thanks for keeping us informed.

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: MAGA billionaire Elon Musk issues a disgusting message about wanting to get Taylor Swift pregnant after she proudly endorses Kamala Harris.

These Republicans are so weird and creepy...

"Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life," Musk wrote in a post on X.

Obviously, Swift wants nothing to do with Musk or his fascist politics. These right-wing men see women as nothing but objects which is why they talk about them in such a disrespectful, dismissive fashion.

Swift has really kicked the MAGA hornet's nest with her endorsement, which was posted to Instagram and is worth reading in full:

"Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most," Swift wrote.

"As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country," she stated.

"Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site," she continued. "It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

"I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for
@kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them," wrote Swift.

"I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos," she continued.

"I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades," she wrote.

"I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make," she went on. "I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.

"With love and hope,

Taylor Swift
Childless Cat Lady"

We stand with you Taylor Swift!

Please retweet and ❤️ if you think that Taylor Swift wants nothing to do with Elon Musk — and consider joining the growing exodus to Tribel, a new pro-democracy social network that is exploding in popularity because Twitter and Facebook are trying to stop its growth — which is only making Tribel grow even faster. Please follow us on Tribel to get all of our breaking news alerts sent straight to your phone or computer by clicking the following link: https://t.co/HnJzSKjCwX

[Democratic Wins Media @DemocraticWins]

BREAKING: Kamala Harris just delivered a knockout punch with her closing statement. Retweet to make sure all Americans see Kamala’s forward looking vision for America.

[Roshan Rai @RoshanKrRaii]

- Wasnt his country
- Weren't his people
- Wasnt his job

But Australian Arnold Dix, President of the Internation tunneling association rushed to India, worked 24/7 to spearhead the rescue operation in challenging conditions at this age.

He treated those stuck workers like they are his own sons, kept talking to them, reassuring them. Prayed with the locals for them.

Heroes are built different ♥️

#UttarakhandTunnelRescue

[Michael Lapina @MichaelLapina]

@HelenaDix I love this post so much... and unfortunately, can relate to it....

[Michael Lapina @MichaelLapina]

Can this guy get any better! Not only is he a great guy, but also supports #TheRotaryFoundation at this morning's #PaulHarrisBreakfast. You're an #HonoraryRotarian in my books, @phitchener9

[Dan Cohen @dancohen3000]

BREAKING: Al Jazeera digital investigation DEBUNKS Israel's claimed that a Palestinian rocket hit Gaza's al-Ahli hospital.

Israel bombed the hospital. End of story.

[Michael Lapina @MichaelLapina]

@___benthomas Oh shit... Get better soon, Ben... Beat this one! The world needs more of your wonderful art/photos! And it definitely needs YOU! #fuckcancer