Following a sponsored visit by Reagan adviser Arthur Laffer, Malcolm Turnbull’s budget is based on the fallacy of his trickle-down economics.

The story goes that in 1974, at the Two Continents restaurant of the Hotel Washington, a conservative economist named Arthur Laffer met with two rising stars in the Republican Party, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

A report that recommends putting a price on emissions from the electricity sector has been held back by the Climate Change Authority until after the election, prompting calls from Labor and the Greens that it be made public to inform debate.

The independent authority, whose board is now dominated by appointments made last October by Environment Minister Greg Hunt, was to have released its policy options paper for the power industry by the end of April.

Australia is a sick country, primarily because it has become such a selfish and self-centred country. A sense of entitlement pervades, indeed is encouraged and fostered within the ruling class and politicians. For sure it's all about us, that is, the white Anglo Christians who comprise the bulk of the Australian ruling class.

Mr Fraser said Treasurer Scott Morrison spoke to him personally at about 6pm on Thursday to instruct him to publish the full 10-year costings, following days of the government refusing to confirm the figure.

"You've finally been dragged kicking and screaming to fess up," Labor Senate leader Penny Wong said.

Mr Fraser said he had only been permitted to release the costing of two of the 11 prongs of the plan: reducing the company tax rate to 25 per cent, and increasing the threshold at which small businesses qualify for a lower tax rate.

Image from The Ugly Truth

The day that Malcolm wants to take you to the cleaners — I mean vote for himself — in the next Federal election, could be the "coldest" of the year. It's not a fluke.

from John Passant …

This is a Budget of smokers and mirrors.

Waleed nails why Labor is fighting for housing affordability.

You could have been dazzled by this budget to end all budget since even Mr Morrison does not call it a budget but a way of life or such...

Impressive. So many rabbits, one does not know where to look. Even Leigh Sales was so impressed she asked ScotMo what was the point of the Liberals (CONservtives)' three years in government. I believe she thought the Libs could have released the rabbits earlier... Another economists tells us that this budget asks "for an act of faith"...

I suppose that the big earners that will be hit by the budget will find loopholes in the rabbit warrens as one would tunnel towards the Cayman Islands to deposit some cash. 

The clincher for me is "real work for the dole"... I am in tears....

When Vice President Joseph Biden travelled to Iraq a few days ago, he did it, as always, under a shroud of secrecy. The mainstream press was asked in advance to keep the trip secret and dutifully complied. Biden declined to spend the night in Iraq, staying only 10 hours before whisking away to Italy, where presumably he slept safe and sound.