Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.
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Question: Please Australia, don't let abusive boxer Floyd Mayweather in. While the boxing world's attention is focused on whether a fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao might finally happen , Mayweather has announced that he will visit Australia at the end of the month . The world's best boxer and highest paid athlete won't be fighting of course, merely making promotional appearances in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane . Even leaving aside the disturbing idea that real, living people might pay to see the petulant man known as "Money" do anything other than box, there' s an issue: his extensive history of domestic violence . As Phil Lutton points out , Mayweather has been arrested or cited by police in seven assaults against five different women . Mayweather's history of domestic violence began in 2001, just a month after dedicating his fight against Diego "Chico" Corrales to "all the battered women in the world." He allegedly closed a car door on his then-partner Melissa Brim before repeatedly punching her while she lay on the back seat . Not six months later he punched Brim in the neck at a Las Vegas shopping centre . He pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence . In 2003 Mayweather allegedly punched two friends of his then-partner (and the mother of several of his children) Josie Harris in a nightclub and shook a female security guard . He was issued a citation and found guilty of two counts of battery , though the verdict was vacated and the charges were "dismissed per negotiations." The same year he allegedly pummelled Harris and dragged her from a car by her hair , though she later dropped the charges and testified that she had lied to police . Mayweather bought Harries a $500,000, 25-carat diamond ring shortly afterwards . In 2011 he finally did jail time (90 days) for savagely beating Harris in front of their children . He might have done many more if he wasn't a multi- millionaire and a linchpin of the economy in his home state of Nevada . Even boxing fans, who are usually loathe to judge fighters for their conduct outside the ring(few boxers are angels, after all), are unimpressed with Mayweather . And though boxing is a bit of a cultural afterthought these days, comments Mayweather made in support of abuser Ray Rice before his most recent fight focused the attention of the mainstream media on his unsavoury past . Nevertheless ,  he was unrepentant . Though Mayweather's criminal past might not automatically disqualify him from receiving an Australian visa , he would have to sit a "character test" on arrival . If you watch the video above , I'm sure you'll agree that such a test could be a major stumbling block . In a similar case, Australia granted Mike Tyson, who was jailed for rape in 1992, a visa in 2012 , though New Zealand did not . So should Australia bar Mayweather? What's to gain from him visiting? He's a disgusting, unrepentant assaulter of women and his"I do what I want-ism" is totally undesirable . America might be stuck with him , but I don't see why we should welcome him and allow him to make money in our country . Last year Australia cancelled the visa of pick up artist Julien Blanc, whose techniques included simulated choking of women in bars, after a social media campaign and protests at venues . There has been nothing simulated about Mayweather's repeated punching of the women in his life , so I'd imagine he (and the venues that welcome him) can expect the same treatment . On a more selfish note, I simply can't face the prospect of sections of the Australian media writing seriously about Anthony Mundine fighting Mayweather . Mundine has begun to retweet fans(they are out there) who want him to call Mayweather out . The flow of indistinguishable-from-parody articles has already begun . Please Floyd, concentrate on fighting Manny . We'll be fine without you . No, really .

Answer: Even leaving aside the disturbing idea that real, living people might pay to see the petulant man known as "Money" do anything other than box, there' s an issue: his extensive history of domestic violence


Question: Forget the GST on food. Abbott needs to present a new 'grand bargain' to the nation. The problem with not applying the GST to fresh food is that rich people aren't paying GST on fresh food . Taxing the purchase of fresh food is estimated to provide an additional $6bn in government revenue each year . For a federal government with a revenue problem, it must be infuriating to forego billions from people who can fairly easily afford to pay . The problem with applying the GST to fresh food is that poor people would be paying GST on fresh food . Households in the lowest 20% of income earners pay almost two and a half times more GST, as a percentage of income, than households in the highest 20% . For a federal government with a now-cemented reputation for unfairness, it would be foolhardy to make life even more expensive for those who can least afford to pay . Sure, the government could provide GST relief through compensation payments to low-income people , but such payments are inefficient at meeting the actual cost of the tax . They also create another ongoing obligation on the public purse . Some people might consider this a political conundrum, but not some of the fearless members of the Abbott government . Senators Ian Macdonald and Dean Smith, MP Dan Tehan, and trade minister Andrew Robb are rushing forth to call for changes to the rate and base of the GST, including applying the tax to fresh food . The father of Australia's GST, John Howard, has opined in recent years that it was a "pity" Labor did not support the GST on fresh food in 1999 . Now others are stepping forward with proposals . Unsurprisingly, business groups want to increase the GST and decrease company tax . The Australia Institute has argued the government could lessen the regressive impact of the GST by expanding the base to include private education and private healthcare- services largely consumed by those on higher incomes  - which it estimates would raise an additional $2.3bn a year . It's an intriguing idea with political appeal , but there are potential budgetary disincentives if the tax pushes people off private services back on to free government services . All this public speculation is leading to the impression that the Abbott government does not have control of the GST agenda . The implications are dreadful for the Coalition . Just ask Campbell Newman and Mike Baird how delighted they are to campaign in a climate of GST hypotheticals . Some conservative commentators have claimed that all the Abbott government needs to do to stem the freefall in the polls is to get its messaging right . Surely in 2015, they say, a better sales pitch - and a fresh-faced young assistant treasurer in Josh Frydenberg - will turn around the public's opinion of the government and its budget . What these folks misunderstand is that good policy makes good politics and no policy makes terrible politics . Right now, the Abbott government has no overarching policy agenda, no coherent narrative, no holistic approach to the nation's current budgetary challenges . Rather ,  it has surprise measures (reintroduction of fuel indexation), broken promises (cuts to the ABC, health, education and the pension), wild new spending commitments (PPL), counter- productive new taxes (GP co-payment), and random thought-bubbles of the kind currently proffered by minister Robb and co . Where to start in solving the problem? First ,  instead of pushing a lot of random levers in its budget and hoping some of them work, the government needs to put forward a "grand bargain" to the people of Australia : fixing our budget means we need to fix our complicated, inefficient federation . We need to work out who is going to do what to whom, and who is going to pay for it . It also means fixing our tax system, not just tinkering with high-income levies or raising the GST by a couple of per cent . In short ,  the federation and tax reform white papers should come out as soon as possible . Frankly, these should have come out much, much earlier . What were Coalition members doing as they sat on the Opposition benches waiting to win the "unloseable election"? Secondly, as part of this "grand bargain", the government needs to get real about ending the age of entitlement . Right now, it is just code for punishing the poor and protecting the rich . The tax system doesn't just have to be fair ; it has to be seen to be fair . Asking the lowest income people to pay GST on fresh food while continuing to give high-income superannuants and investment- property owners massive tax concessions would keep the age of entitlement alive - for those at the top of the income scales .

Answer: For a federal government with a now-cemented reputation for unfairness, it would be foolhardy to make life even more expensive for those who can least afford to pay such payments are inefficient at meeting the actual cost of the tax


Question: Ferguson: Obama contines to undermine police departments around the country. As a response to the police shooting of Michael Brown, President Obama proposes $263 million for police training and body cameras . But more police training wouldn't have prevented the Brown shooting and the president's proposal plays into the hands of those who blame the police . President Obama has continually undermined police departments around the country , and his demand for more training fits that pattern . In 2009, he jumped to the conclusion that Cambridge, Massachusetts police "acted stupidly" when they arrested Henry Gates . He personalized the Trayvon Martin investigation in a way that to many implied the murder was radically motivated . And yet again last week, he emphasized that the anger to the verdict was "an understandable reaction" and blacks' distrust of police is "rooted in realities." Nevertheless , whatever Obama implies, there was absolutely no evidence Officer Darren Wilson was motivated by race and he did exactly what he should have done . Brown's robbery of the convenience store, his decision to reach into the police car and punch Wilson while trying to take his gun, and finally Brown's decision to charge Wilson was what caused the teen's death . Under Missouri law, people can defend themselves with deadly force if they have a "reasonable belief" they need to use it to protect themselves against serious injury or death . Wilson claimed:"I felt that another of those punches in my face could knock me out or worse... I've already taken two to the face and I didn't think I would, the third one could be fatal if he hit me right." When Brown later charged Wilson, despite repeated warnings to stop, Wilson worried that he no choice but to shoot Brown . But we don't have to take Wilson's word for what happened . The forensic evidence is overwhelmingly consistent with his story . There is no doubt that Brown reached in Wilson's car and hit him . Brown's DNA was found on Wilson's gun . Despite strong social pressure, three black witnesses confirmed Wilson's testimony . Police officers in America have a more dangerous job than many people realize and they behave remarkably well under these circumstances . In 2013, the assault rate for the general public in the United States was 229 per 100,000 people . But the rate police were assaulted that year was 9,300 per 100,000 officers- a rate 41 times higher . The only reason that police don't die at as high of a rate as people in other professions is because of their training and the fact that they are armed . Would you consider it "dangerous" to live in Detroit? After all ,  it has by far the highest assault rate in the country, at 1,257 per 100,000 people . But police are still 7.4 times more likely to be assaulted(=9,300/1,257) . Aggravated assaults don't necessarily involve injuries, just the attempt to cause serious bodily injury , but police are injured at a very high rate - 2,700 per 100,000 police officer . That is still much higher than the total assault data for civilians . This data also suggests that police are not actively looking for excuses to fire their weapons . The number of justifiable killings by police equals less than one percent of the assaults on police . Thus even when assaulted, police rarely resort to killing their attackers . As Ferguson is showing us, physical risks aren't the only risks that police face . On Saturday Officer Darren Wilson resigned from the Ferguson police department , fearing that protestors would use his continued presence to justify rioting . He is going to have a hard time getting a job , and he didn't get any severance pay . Who will hire him now? Surely no other police department will hire him . And, any company that would hire Wilson would fear the same protests . With Wilson facing civil suits and Attorney General Eric Holder's federal investigation still ongoing, the pressures on Officer Wilson are not likely to fade away anytime soon . It's safe to say that other police officers will be carefully watching what happens to Wilson . Yes, racism is despicable . And there have been abuses by police in the past . But 2014 isn't 1960 . Police have a difficult and dangerous job , and President Obama could help to calm things down if he and his administration weren't so quick to assume that police officers are the only ones at fault . John R  Lott, Jr  is a columnist for FoxNews.com . He is an economist and was formerly chief economist at the United States Sentencing Commission . Lott is also a leading expert on guns and op-eds on that issue are done in conjunction with the Crime Prevention Research Center . He is the author of eight books including "More Guns, Less Crime." His latest book is"Dumbing Down the Courts: How Politics Keeps the Smartest Judges Off the Bench" Bascom Hill Publishing Group (September 17, 2013) . Follow him on Twitter@johnrlottjr .

Answer:
President Obama has continually undermined police departments around the country his demand for more training fits that pattern


