MARK M ALDRIDGE - Regional promises please?           a.userlink { color: #000000; } a.userlink:visited { color: #25120d; } a.userlink:hover { color: #25120d; } font[size="1"] { font-size:10px; } font[size="2"] { font-size:13px; } font[size="3"] { font-size:16px; } font[size="4"] { font-size:18px; } font[size="5"] { font-size:24px; } font[size="6"] { font-size:32px; } font[size="7"] { font-size:48px; } .GuestBookMessage { font-family: Times New Roman; color: #25120d; font-size: 13px; } .GuestBookMessageRow { font-family: Times New Roman; color: #25120d; font-size: 12px; } .GuestBookHeader { font-family: Times New Roman; color: #25120d; font-size: 12px; }                                                                                         Lets see the Regional areas promises please.    With what seems like many billions of dollars in promises to buy our precious votes, why does it seem the regional communities are of the agenda?   The broken record regarding the great hospital debate seems to lack any way forward in regards to a genuine increase in beds and services for either the city or country regions.   Mike Rann’s ideal of building state of the art empty wards, and the liberals newly renovated ones, both come no where near hitting the mark, any proposed increase in beds and services is reliant on staff, services and funding.   Might I suggest to both the majors, that we first ensure that all our hospitals are adequately funded and staffed before we move forward, could we not finish what we have nearly completed with the revamp of the RAH, then consider increasing the capacity of all of our city and country hospitals so as to share equally infrastructure spending.   Some of our country regions generate more income to our state than their city counter parts, yet our political parties seem to be ignorant of providing their fair share of the funding pie.   The proposed southern freeway duplication is a prime example, while lives are lost as a direct result of the declining condition of our country roads, the vote buying hundreds of millions on offer, to safe city commuters a few minutes takes precedence, which I consider nothing more than a disgrace.   While issues like the proposed 650 million dollar new stadium, out shine the few dollars it would take to improve local country footy clubs and local services, it is easy to see why the hard working country people feel totally left out of the equation.   As an upper house candidate whose job it will be to scrutinize legislative change, I feel somewhat helpless to address the concerns of those left waiting in regional areas, and while much needed reforms to that of WorkCover, Families SA, mental health funding and the like, will see me fight for equity in funding, I will do my very best if elected to continually remind those in charge of our destiny, to go for a drive in our regional areas before they spend our hard earned tax dollars.    Mark M Aldridge Independent Candidate for the legislative Council “Change is Necessary” 08 82847482 / 0403379500 www.markmaldridge.com                        Website provided by Vistaprint