Praying for wisdom in leaders

In Church on Sunday we prayed that “God would give wisdom to our leaders”.

But why put that on God when in democratic countries it is really in our hands?

Firstly we could elect wise people instead of electing people whose abilities or wisdom we simply do not know.

Secondly in a democracy the people we elect are not really  “leaders “ in the sense that monarchs or dictators are. They are followers. Even some dictators are followers in order to govern more easily. Take Pontius Pilate’s judgement of Jesus based on what “the crowd” wanted, rather than the law.

In a democracy the elected politicians must do what active voters want because if they do not, they stand a good chance of being voted out of office.

So, instead of praying for God to do the work for us, we could pay more attention to the individuals we elect to office to see that we elect wise people to office. We waste our votes when we elect those whose qualities we do not know.

To help us, FairGO has for decades provided a Politicians Honour Roll of the MPs who best respond to Votergrams. Voters Network enables voters to rate how well  or badly politicians are doing what those voters want.

God has given us democracy through the efforts of some great Christians. Let’s use it to have governments that at least work for the people more instead of making their priorities as follows:

1 themselves and their families
2 their parties
3 donors to their parties
4 professional lobbyists
5 voters

It is in our hands. As long as we refuse to take an active role, those who do will dominate.

FairGO’s experience shows that when we work with all of our elected representatives in parliament, congress or assembly, regardless of political parties, we the people get most of what we want as long as it is fair to others too.

Our rule should be to treat our politicians as we would like to be treated ourselves, politely and persuasively, giving more praise than criticism, for they are just ordinary people like the rest of us, with a very difficult job.

He came to show us how to live

Jesus did not come just to be crucified and forgive our sins! He came so that we might live life to the full in a way that worked well for others as well as ourselves, regardless of their faith. He urged us to take up our cross and follow Him. When it comes to fixing society, our crosses might be made of balsa wood like model aeroplanes, if we go about it in the right way.

God leads us in mysterious ways and we were led to develop Votergrams and FairGO through experiencing blatant government dishonesty. I was led to move away from my lucrative Chartered Accountancy practice where one of my proudest achievements was to own a Ferrari and drive it to work and back every day. As a young 20 y.o I dreamt of becoming a millionaire. By the time I was 30 I had decided to serve God instead and was a partner in a Chartered firm, on my way to forming my own. It was as I neared 40 that a 5 year old Ferrari came on the market in perfect condition for the sort of money one would pay for a new Holden. I grabbed it with both hands and drove it all over the state for years saving people battling unaffordable debt. After 5 years I sold it for $1300 less than I paid, so financially it worked well. To an accountant that is quite important.

Over the past 35 years God has taught me that democracy is nothing like what we think it is and that through that knowledge we can in fact move metaphorical mountains – personal or societal.

When a church group approached me about getting government to ban smoking on commercial airliners for the sake of the health of other passengers, they could not believe our costs were so low when the issue was so vast and meant outsmarting the powerful Tobacco industry. That church group won a world first smoking ban on commercial airliners. That was like moving a mountain. Prayer and Votergrams. The tobacco industry peak body later offered me a job with them. At a funeral recently I met the same tobacco executive again. He greeted me saying “I know who you are. You’re the “Votergram Man”.

If you will bear with me I am going to try to work through some social issues and talk about how Christ teaches us to deal with them in our modern democracy, so different to the Roman occupation under which He lived. If I am less regular with posts than you would like, please forgive me. Running voluntarily and funding most of FairGO, Votergrams and Voters Network except for a couple of thousand dollars a year in donations, then working as a bank loan consultant to earn a living, sometimes leaves me a bit short of time.

Take up your cross and love your neighbours, for society’s sake.

The most common response we get in Voters Network or FairGO when asking people what they think about the way governments are acting or how society is being shaped is surprising. Essentially it is “I am interested in the topic, but not interested enough to do anything about it that would require my time, effort or money”.

Fair enough! Given that we live in a democracy of ‘Representative government” it is reasonable to conclude that the representatives we elect to parliament or congress, will also be interested in the same topics, but will not be interested enough to do anything about them either. ” They are representative of us and are there to represent us in accordance with our expressed wishes.

If we don’t care, they won’t care! It took me about 30 years to realise that, long after I had invented Votergrams and formed FairGO.

So now look at what Jesus said to his disciples. “Take up your cross and follow me.” He also said ” I have come so that you may live life to the full.” so he was not suggesting that we give  up all Earthly activities and pleasure. He was just telling us that if we want to live life to the full we will need to make some sacrifices while we are here on Earth and contribute to making life worthwhile for others as well as ourselves. “Kindness is what God wants, not animal sacrifices”, he said. By linking them together we can understand that dishing out kindness would involve some sacrifices.

He lived under Roman occupation. We live in a representative democracy. The disciples and apostles were Christ’s representatives to spread his philosophy and words. He did not just appoint them and leave them to it. He trained them on the job as he spoke to the people of his time. When they did not understand, they asked and he explained. He provided them all with direction. So too it is up to Christians today to give their representatives directions in accordance with Christ’s teachings.

We should not be so conceited as to imagine that the people who represent us will be totally honest, competent in everything, always telling the truth and always doing the right thing. Jesus said “let the one who is without sin cast the first stone”. We all have our failings from time to time. Let us not fantasize that our politicians will be perfect. They are just like us. No better and no worse.

Numbers are the key in democracy. Numbers of soldiers were the key in Roman  Occupation too. Decisions in parliaments, assemblies and congresses are made by majority opinion. It is not always by vote, but the majority rules in parliament, cabinet and the party room. So when we want to influence government we must make our views and reasons known to every Member of Parliament. As in the parable of the sower, some will ignore or forget our views, but some will help us achieve our goal. If a Christian can get 10 Christian voters to support them, they will carry much more than 10 times the power and influence. If a thousand, they almost cannot lose. But we must have a good number of reasons and it will be better if all those people some from most of the electorates. Jesus explains the benefit of planning a campaign before embarking on it.

But what he mostly tells us about our form of representative government is that if we do nothing, we will gain nothing. We must pick up that cross of having to direct our elected representatives to do what we all want. That in itself means that we must confer and be tolerant of other viewpoints to present a joint front.

It is not a heavy cross at all. When Jesus carried his own cross it was so heavy that he crumbled under the weight and a supporter was called in. But if  just 10 people had carried that cross it would have been much lighter for each of them. So with campaigning for a fair and just society, it becomes a very light load when borne by 100, 1,000 or 100,000 Christians or other voters and our influence is enhanced exponentially.

FairGO sets the pattern of kindness.
Votergrams provide the parable of the sower multiplier technology.
Voters Network provides the load-lightening leverage of many people working for the common goal.

Jesus also extolled us to treat others as we would like to be treated. Our politicians have a thankless task and the media pours scorn on them every day for every false move. So at FairGO and in Voters Network we try very hard to treat our elected representatives very nicely, to praise them frequently in public for the many good things they do and to criticise them in the relative privacy of parliament when they get it wrong.

In preaching and teaching about God and a spiritual life, Jesus also gave us clues as to how we might enjoy life on Earth. Democracy is so different to the Roman occupation, to dictatorships and to monarchy in all of which the decisions are made for us and we play no decision-making role at all, that most people fail to comprehend how it works.

Our politicians are mostly not “leaders” any more than Pontius Pilate was a leader. They are followers of the voter-crowd just as Pilate followed the Jewish crowd who wanted blood. It could not be any other way, because in the end the voters determine the careers and pay packets of the politicians.

When we care for one another and work together with our MPs  we  will enjoy the most satisfying lives, shaped by ourselves through them.

You might like to join Voters Network and do your small bit along with others. The you will be able to say on that last  day, “I have truly loved my neighbours as myself.”

Numbers of Votes & Voices combined bring Victory, if you don’t SHOUT!

A very small minority controls Australia, getting what it wants by asking the right people in the right way, for exactly what it wants, and saying how it can be achieved.

The silent majority of Australians miss out, hoping that someone else will get it for them. That’s just Fantasy!

Power originates with votes. Each pauper has one vote at elections just like each billionaire.

It is not voting alone that gives them power. It is asking the right people in the right way at the right time and using their votes as an enticement or punishment.

The belief that your local MP or the PM will fix things for you is pure fantasy. That is not how life works!

Join Voters Network  and learn how to use your amazing power yourself to shape the aspect of society that worries you most. Hundreds of Australians are doing that now.

Parables & stories like the sower, woman seeking justice from judge, do unto others,  throwing stones, the walls of Jericho and knocking on doors give superb guidelines on how to shape democratic society in the way that works best.

If you want good Christian values as taught by Christ and adapted for modern democratic society, then you should take up your cross and get involved in Voters Network. It is not a “Christian” network as such, but it was started by Christians and there are a good few Christians involved. Everyone is welcome, just as Christ welcomed everyone.

You know what  Christ taught that could make a world of difference to our society. Knowledge is all very well, but it is a question of how you use it to accomplish what Christ set in motion.

“Having knowledge but lacking the power to express it clearly is no better than never having any ideas at all “- Pericles (Athenian statesman)

Together FairGO, Votergrams and Voters Network give every Christian all the power and influence they need to start shaping Australian Society. If they live outside Australia they they can be show what to do in their own society.

When we read Christ saying “Take up your cross…” we see it as extremely hard to do, but shaping society is not hard at all. His followers have been doing that for centuries. You need to do it in a way that suits a 21st century democracy

You can speak up too, in the right way, to the right people, at the right time. We have helped Aussies do that for the past 35 years, avoiding media or public attention to focus on quietly persuading the decision-makers in parliament.

Using the God-given power that we have

Prayer is very powerful and it is great once one understands its purpose as well as its power. But I sometimes think that we pray for God to do things we could well do ourselves with a little bit of our time, effort and money. In Australia we do not live as subjects of an all powerful monarch or an occupying military dictatorship as Christ did. We live in a democracy in which we have truly amazing power and influence to shape society and  our own lives. Far too often we pray for God to make it work better, when we could easily do that ourselves.

I think it was God who prompted me to move from my comfortable Chartered Accountancy practice and make our democracy work better for the broad community – making it do for others what I wanted it to do for me. So I invented Votergrams, formed FairGO and Voters Network.

FairGO and Voters Network have spent 30+ years developing secret strategies that enable every Australian voter to exert power and influence over their society and over matters that affect their own lives. It takes a little time, effort and money, like everything worthwhile.

To persuade voters to elect them in the 2019 election, each member of Federal Parliament spent on average $350,000. It costs money to gain power ! Most people want a good return on that sort of spending.

If you put in $50 plus 30 minutes a month to Voters Network you could exert incredible power and influence and enjoy a far better society and life. If every Voters Network member put in $20 plus 30 minutes a month you could probably all do the same.

If you wanted someone else to handle it all for you and others like you, FairGO is an expert at that.

Power and influence are yours for the taking – like the love of God. Many have done just that over the past 34 years and achieved exactly what they wanted, both on personal and national level. One small Christian group had smoking banned on commercial airlines using FairGO’s Votergrams. It was a world first! Look what those seeds have produced.

When I started I “knew” that politicians did not care what voters wanted and just primarily worked for the people who funded them into office. Now I know that politicians DO want to help voters even more than they want to help those who fund them into office. BUT voters mostly don’t tell them what they want done, don’t build relationships with their MPs, don’t even know that is how to get power and influence because that is how democracy works.

When I started my understanding was wrong and in 34 years I have learned how to enjoy amazing power and influence for the benefit primarily of others.

In those 34 years politicians too have changed. Once voters started approaching them in the right way through FairGO, they discovered that they could help people just like they had always wanted to do, because we gave them new opportunities to do that.

So we have all learned and gained a better understanding of how we can share power for our mutual benefit. If you would like to see hris

Learning at Christmas to benefit from Christ’s messages

Christmas is a Christian holiday so let’s see what we can learn from it that helps us build a better society the FairGO and Voters Network way. Christians can have an amazing influence on society that way.

We are celebrating the birth of a child. The child grew up and taught some interesting lessons.

Treat others the way you would like to be treated

So send your federal and state (territory) MPs a personal note thanking them for all their work, wising them a happy Christmas and a productive and satisfying New Year.

Love your enemy

Do that regardless of whether you voted for or like the party in power, or not. Do what will bring MPs onside with you regardless of their party. That is how to influence government.

Ask and you will receive

If you want government to do anything, you need to ask ALL of the MPs in that parliament, because they all have a say and the majority opinion carries a lot of weight. You want a majority to  back you.

Faith can move mountains

Most of the time when I tell people that I help Australians get government doing what they want done, people respond with a comment like “I bet that does not happen” Or “As if…”

Years ago I would have said the same because I was so cross that government had treated me and my community like dirt. But as the Americans might say “I didn’t get angry. I got even.” I developed a system so that they would never treat me like that again. They never have. Wouldn’t dare, but don’t want to. They want to help me and I want to help them. They want to help you too.

Once you settle into Voters Network, use FairGO and Votergrams, you will find that you have faith in your ability to influence government and you will do it whenever you have a good idea.

Have a Happy Christmas and a most enjoyable New Year working with, not against, the government you elect and pay to serve you.

Seeing that others are treated as you would like to be

Christ was born before big government and wide community education. Do Christians have a responsibility to use the influence to improve the treatment of others in their society? If these matter interest you, join Voters Network and have your say in a more effective way.

Should Australians be allowed to use their earnings to buy a home, which is the best form of superannuation imaginable? Or should they be forced by the MPs they have elected, to put it into super to further enrich the multi-millionaire moneylenders?

Renters are shown to suffer most in recession. Their own roof over their head is gold.

What would you think of government selling affordable/social housing to poorer people interest-free over 50 years so a couple of generations can pay it off, rather than renting it to them for “dead money”?

Should the government force high density housing in your suburb for immigrants or develop regional Australia before more immigrants arrive to spread population density for all residents.

Should “for-profit” educators be able to qualify foreign trades students who have never spent even a month working on the job?

Should the NSW Premier control the Greater Sydney Planning Commission and what should it do?

Politicians and bureaucrats, like the rest of us, generally think of themselves first and they don’t necessarily even know your problem, let alone the solution to it. Good government depends on you politely telling every MP about your problems and solutions.

Voters Network is the free and party-politics-free, source of information about how to improve your life and society by making the most of democracy. Join up now and tell us what you want done.

If you want to campaign seriously for something, contact the FairGO Voterlobby . It is your best solution.

 

Using our God-given power and influence

Prayer is powerful when we understand its purpose as well.

However, I sometimes think we reply too much on asking God to do what we could well do ourselves using this superb system of government that we enjoy.

I think it was God who led me from my comfortable Chartered Accountancy practice into discovering how democracy really worked and showing other people how to make it work for them.

FairGO and Voters Network have spent 30+ years developing secret strategies that enable every Australian voter to exert power and influence over their society and over matters that affect their own lives. It takes a little time, effort and money, like everything worthwhile.

To persuade voters to elect them in the 2019 election, each member of Federal Parliament spent on average $350,000. It costs money to gain power ! Most people want a good return on that sort of spending.

If you put in $50 plus 30 minutes a month to Voters Network you could exert amazing power and influence and enjoy a far better society and life. If every Voters Network member put in $20 plus 30 minutes a month you could probably all do the same.

If you want someone else to handle it all for you and others like you, FairGO is an expert at that.

Power and influence are yours for the taking. Many have done just that over the past 34 years and achieved exactly what they wanted, both on personal and national level.

When I started I “knew” that politicians did not care what voters wanted and just primarily worked for the people who funded them into office. Now I know that politicians DO want to help voters even more than they want to help those who fund them into office. BUT voters mostly don’t tell them what they want done, don’t build relationships with their MPs, don’t even know that is how to get power and influence because that is how democracy works.

When I started my understanding was wrong and in 34 years I have learned how to enjoy amazing power and influence for the benefit primarily of others.

In those 34 years politicians too have changed. Once voters started approaching them in the right way through FairGO, they discovered that they could help people just like they had always wanted to do, because we gave them new opportunities to do that.

So we have all learned and gained a better understanding of how we can share power for our mutual benefit. It was a handful of Christians who first used FairGO’s Votergram service way back in the later 1980’s or early 1990’s to have smoking banned on commercial airlines. It was a world first and has helped spread the concept far and wide. It was the use of the power that resides in all of us here in this wide brown land. We should thank God for that and work to continually update and improve it.

To Protest or to persuade

Protest

Protesting is demeaning for protesters – they have to beg their own government to change

Protesting is like a battle that is contact free – a battle of words

Ptotesters
Protesters photo courtesy of The Australian

It is a fight  with a winner and a loser

Its basis is strength to make the government do what is wanted

It takes on the government when both sides know that the advantage lies completely with the government

If the government does what protesters want it looks beaten – like a loser

Persuade

Persuasion is gentle and private – in parliamentary inboxes

It is based partly on logical arguments

When it is done by voters it carries a much more important message that the government might lose votes

That is particularly so if the voter cares enough to pay to send Votergrams

Votes are much more important to politicians than the logic of any issue

That voting power of political persuasion can be exercised by a voter going into a marginal electorate and upsetting the status quo

With persuasion, the politicians look like winners if they do what is wanted, so it is more appealing to them

 Teachings of Christ

“Do to others as you would like others to do to you”. Christ’s message is as important when influencing politicians to improve society as in every other aspect of life.  Voters Network and FairGO are based on many principles of Christian teaching whilst by no means being limited to Christians