Prime Minister John Howard called Wednesday on Australians to pray for drought-breaking rain as the government dismissed reports it underestimated water shortages in the country’s main farming zone. Howard had last month warned that without a significant downpour by June, irrigation to farmers along southeastern Australia’s Murray-Darling river system would be cut.
Although the area has had some rain since that announcement, it remains firmly within the grip of drought, with dam levels at less than six percent of their capacity.
“It’s still a worry because it hasn’t rained enough,” Howard said.
Howard learned his public speaking from the Howard Cosell School of Overstating the Obvious.
“This affects all of us, this drought, and I say without any hint of irony you should all continue to pray for more rain because we need it very, very badly.”
Howard’s comments came amid reports that the amount of water flowing into the Murray-Darling system has been overestimated by as much as 40 percent.
Don’t you love politicians who appoint politicians to be in charge of science?
Hey, putting a hack directly in charge cuts out one step in censorship. That’s called “efficiency in government” by the pustules in power.
Maybe they should stop subsidizing crops and there wouldn’t be as much demand for water.
I thought Auzzies are better than this. Apparently not. It explains, actually, why that Howard dude is such a staunch supporter of GW.
(sarcasm) Nice to know that we in the U.S. are not alone in our incredibly silly attachment to 2000+ year old mythology. (/sarcasm)
I really thought the rest of the world might be a tad further along than we are. I guess this will help to show once again that a universe in which there was a personal god to whom one might pray for the temporary suspension of the laws of physics would be a demonstrably different universe than the one in which we live.
#4 – Huh?
You know that when you say “the rest of the world” you really mean parts of Western Europe…
You think Africa, South America, Asia, The Middle Freaking East, are somehow beyond the foolish belief in supernatural BS?
Dude, what are you smoking… Because I want my world to look that hopeful too.
Number two. If there is a drought they may get assistance in the way of interest free loans or in this severe case cash to stop them from killing themselves but in general we don’t subsidise our farmers here. They are either profitable or they aren’t.
#6 – unless they’re making money for political hacks off the Oil for Peace Program.
#5 – OhForTheLoveOf,
It was a temporary bout of optimism. I’m over it now. And parts of Europe are almost as bad as we are too. Maybe I meant Iceland. Or maybe I meant the rest of the observable universe.