Showing posts with label income. Show all posts
Showing posts with label income. Show all posts

Darwin Rebellion had Three Main Causes



All kids are instructed in history class about the Eureka Stockade yet they don't find out about the rebellion in Darwin. The Northern Territory was absorbed by South Australia in 1863. In 1911 the national government took control of the NT. Dr John Gilruth was named overseer. He had extraordinary plans to build up the region, however he was standoffish and would not tune in to the people. The administrator was involved in opening a meat works and would not deal with workers. Thus, Vesteys Meatworks fizzled.

On December 16, 1918 Dr Gilruth did not allow two bar workers at the Victoria Hotel to take night off in order to go to a gathering commemorating the finish of WWI. The union leader Harold Nelson went to the police headquarters and got a permit for a street march. Four weks later a gathering of men walked from Vesteys Meatworks to Government House. The little gathering of dissenters developed into a horde of thousands.

Things became serious. Individuals requested the director. Dr Giruth to stand down. The administrator turned spoke to the crowd which exacerbated the situation. The group moved into the grounds of Government House and a likeness of him was torched. To quell the disturbance the Royal Navy took control. The manager remained in a virtual jail for the following two months.

Dr Gilruth unobtrusively left in the night, late February. The circumstance stayed much the same for Territorians. Strikes increased. Individuals left to seek work elsewhere. The single positive thing to come out of the rebellion was the NT picking up a non-casting a ballot at the national House of Representatives.

There can be not question that different components added to the defiance action. The cost of ale rose 30 percent from 1915 to 1918 because hotels in Darwin were nationalized. New legislation in 1911 preferenced white laborers over Chinese. This increased the power of unions.

rebels, protest, anger, powers, canberra, rule, income, pay, money, work, 
Crowd at Darwin rebellion
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People on Newstart Cannot Afford Rent - Welfare

Australians on welfare do not have enough to pay rent even with the $67 week assistance. They land a position which is generally part-time, however they find that they are still in hardship. Transport costs are at least $20 a day. Centrelink is now stopping payments when the unemployed do the smallest thing wrong in their work applications. They are ending up living on the streets. +
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Australian electric car Ace
FORGOTTEN HOMELESS
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Facebook Has a Very Long Nose

Plants destroyed in australia
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Facebook is nosey
LONG NOSED FACEBOOK
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Aged Vote Conservative

As people go through life they change their voting, moving to the right.research social public voting years bull social age center political social research party steadfast immigrants media research bull research conservative research social government religion republican study research republican government left conservative politics pew report typology conservative tank pew research political government years email research main bull fact years conservative liberal pew bull research middle liberal middle government bull business government liberal conservative fear early research media attitudes conservative years bull bull political part pew republican business political political years research social liberal lives president public pew liberal issues age social research politics desilver lived class generations politics pew social years government people lost part trends americans people center politics bull center bystanders attitudes americans political center politic spew 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liberals telecommunications note happy not staying interesting it is were members typologies difficult similar die bold change tilt senior york columbia enterprise reasonable terms experiences joke boils buddies careers engendered through attention married strongly copyright students general relationship young realizing money liberal || As people go through life they change their voting, moving to the right. young liberal on social issues the poltics of american generations attitude and voting behavior not registered to vote how age affects attitude and voting
One's political view does change over time - for some people. It is well known that the young tend to lean to the left. As they get older conservatism sets in. Of course, there are exceptions. Furthermore, do those who start out as conservative move further to the right and become fascists? Not really.
People move to the right politically
Low-income people are more likely to vote Labor. While high-earners favor parties on the right. The problem is complicated by the fact that the word Liberal is a label that can mean center-left or center-right depending on the country.

Those who stay Left all their lives feel put-upon by society. They never get a fair bit of the cake. Government makes changes too often and they feel that it is to take more away from them. It hits them hard, in the pocket. High-income earners are, for the most part, in control of the changes. The less well-off know this.

The "slide" to the right is curtailed in many because they remain on low incomes all their lives. If you have little spare change you cannot easily adapt to change. The world becomes a frightening place.
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FLOATING RIGHTLY
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Is Australia More Equal Than Other Countries

SOCIOLOGY
Class in sociology is based in income - low, middle and high income earners, plus wealth. This is in conflict with assumed class by the ordinary person who believes that class is based on status. In England, for example, one's position in society can be inherited. An English earl will remain high class even though he has little income and lets the paying public into his home to pay for its upkeep. Anyway, let's get back to the issue, "at large", which is how income and wealth inequality has changed in Australia.
Income and wealth equality in Australia
Egalitarianism is an Aussie "thing". There is a strong belief that all Australians are equal, in daily interactions at least. An Australian can have a drink with the CEO of the business where he works. In England this is unthinkable. It simply will not happen because the boss will not allow the lowly employee into his/her circle.

In the 1950s income in Australia was relatively level. It was far more equal than in other Western countries. It even got more equal until the late 1970s. There has been a widening gap in income since then.  The Gini coefficient which measures income differential rose from 0.27 per cent in the early 1980s to 0.34 in 2011 (when one household has all the income the coefficient is 1.0).

Wealth inequality has, unfortunately, not been tracked over time. This is an unfathomable situation. After all, this should be a thing of great interest for sociologists. We do know the present state though. The wealthiest 20 per cent have A$2.2 million dollars in assets. The poorest 20 per cent have an average of $31,000. Of course, some people do not have any real assets at all.

How does Australian stand in regard to other nations? Of the 34 OECD countries, Australia is number 23 on the measure of income equality. On wealth Australia does much better. The Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report puts Australia as the second most equal country of 34 "advanced" nations, after Japan.
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sociology income inequality equality wealth australia 1950s 1970s 1980s gini coefficient articles news politics economics society anthropology historiography history sociology people nations country asia europe africa u.s. south america central Mediterranean eastern western interesting funny technology free news sex
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Guaranteed Minimum Income is Fairyland Stuff

SOCIOLOGY
Many in Australia are calling for a guaranteed minimum wage whether a person earns it or not. If a low paid job for say 30 hours a week is below this minimum then the state will top it up. This sounds fair at first instance, but there is the problem of government income to pay for this and the world economic environment that thrives on low wages.
Guaranteed income in Australia
If every country in the world did it, the system would be viable. Unfortunately, humans are greed driven. We are nice to each other. This in only to a degree, however. Man is torn between egalitarianism and competition. The Star Trek world where only those who want to work abandon their sloth and actually go to work is far off in the future.

When I was young the dole was quite high. It was meant for times between jobs to maintain family income. Indeed, in England those who paid more tax got a higher rate of unemployment. This was definitely not egalitarian. The Australian benefit has fallen way behind the cost of living - the lowest in the OECD. It is only food money now. Forget putting a roof over you're head. It can't be done, unless you are female with eight dependent children.

The question has also been made about voting rights. If you have no abode you do not have the right to receive unemployment benefits nor can you vote in elections. The marginalized get more marginalized.

Paul Keating, ironically a Labor politician, brought in compulsory superannuation with the aim of virtually eliminating the old age pension. This concept has gone by the board now with a series of conservative governments messing around with the rules to reduce accumulation of capital for retirement. The idea of allowing drawing of superannuation to purchase houses was an idea to 'feel the waters". It was quietly dumped.

There has always been a pool of very poor people to fuel economic growth. They are essentially needed for manual or repetitive tasks to generate income for the already rich. The poor do drive the world economy even today. If this pool did not exist, consumers would have to pay a higher price for goods. It would make for a better world to live in.
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The Young Need to Change Their Attitude to the Elderly

There is a lot of talk about the percentage of elderly people in the population increasing as time goes on. It seems rational to suggest that they should stay in the workforce. Unless there is legislation to force young Australians out of the "desk" jobs and into manual labor, this will not happen.
Elderly working
As one gets older the body lets you down. You no longer have the stamina to keep going, on a production line for example. Persistent pain that you have to live with is also a problem. Chronic illness can only be treated, not cured. Where do you draw the line between keeping someone at work who is clearly sick or sending them home? When an elderly person says, "I can't do that anymore", maybe they can't.

If you are young good health is taken for granted. You heal quickly and continue to enjoy life. For many, to be old is to be sick. Medical specialists do refuse treatment to the elderly because it is seen as a waste of money, notwithstanding the fact that a new knee or hip would make life less painful.

The whole structure of society will have to change to keep the elderly employed. Young people have the feeling that a "mature" person should work as hard as an employee in their twenties. A significant proportion of the young believe that the assets of the elderly should be taken by the government and spent on them, even though retirees worked hard in their younger days to buy homes.

We will need a Star Trek world where people choose to work not for financial gain but to benefit others. Such a world is too utopian to be believed. It is not the elderly who need to change, it is the young. Respect and consideration of the elderly is not something the young understand.
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Complacency and Support for Drug Taking is Dangerous


We are far too complacent about drug taking, assuming that we can just stop at any time. With alcohol use it is clear that this is not the case. Road breath tests frequently find no alcohol in a driver's system, but a drug test shows up positive. It seem that drugs can be substituted for alcohol. So it is wise not to take any drugs even as an experiment.

Drug addiction is not rare for the number of drug takers out there. Many think they can stop. They cannot. Even taking drugs regularly in the short term means withdrawal with occur. Furthermore, there is no know real cure apart from complete abstinence.

Not much is written about the health risks from drug taking. Many believe that smoking cannabis is completely safe. However, all the problems of smoking tobacco are possible.  All illicit drugs destroy the body.  Drugs are poison, just like alcohol.  Take them at your peril.

Another real issue is permanent damage in brain functioning that can affect national economies. Forgetfulness and lack of emotional control do not make for success in the workforce. Someone has to pay for supporting those who cannot function "correctly" in society.

Drug taking is destroying societies. Take an illegal drug once and you are hooked. You will come back to it when times get tough. People who take drugs are looking for a crutch. The truth is drug takers soon fall out of the workforce and can no longer contribute.
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Government Beliefs Have No Foundation

The present federal government has a policy of the market will solve all problems: we will get rid of regulatory bodies and legislation. This would be good if it was right but it isn't. Private industry will not build roads, for example.

Getting rid of regulation on investment advisers was a mistake. Thankfully it was resurrected and defeated in the Senate. If it had stayed, advisers would have pulled the wool over the eyes of the poor in society - those who do not know how the system operates.

The government is trying to abolish the body that reviews charity organizations. Senate opposition will put an end to this. Why is the government wasting its time and taxpayers money throwing legislation at the Senate that clearly will not get through?

There is no debt problem in Australia contrary to the wild obsession put forward by the Coalition. Australia has only 17 per cent debt. This compares to over 90 per cent for most other Western countries.

The economy has had a dramatic fall in growth. This could be seen as due to spending cuts. However, there have been only small spending cuts. The national debt is higher now than it was under Labor.  Blaming Labor would seem to be right, but Independents, Greens and the Palmer United Party are blocking radical changes.

Abolishing the carbon tax is seem as a win for the Coalition. This is only for the short term. There is no doubt it will be back when we have a labor government after the next election. Just the threat of cuts is offending voters right across the board. Putting it bluntly, Tony Abbott looks like a fool stumbling in the dark. Reason and common sense are not part of his arsenal. National debt is a furphy: people don't care about debt as long as they can earn an income.
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Bitcoin is an Asset According to the Australian Tax Office

Everyone thought that bitcoins would remain untraceable and out of the reach of national revenue collections. This belief has proved to be fairyland. The Australian Tax Office now values bitcoins as assets to be included on your yearly income tax form.

If you have millions of these things when there value increases you will have to give part of it to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) if you reside in Australia. Don't think that this is the end - it is just the beginning. Other countries are looking at making bitcoins taxable income.

BitPos an Australian company which arranges an exchange and purchasing service for people dealing in bitcoins say owners have to pay the Goods and Service Tax (GST) on the full value of coins not just on the fee. This is when buying the actual "currency" itself.

Because dealers say bitcoin it is not a currency it opens the door for countries to interpret it as they like. It is possible some jurisdictions will class it as currency and capital investment. Indeed, some countries could make bitcoins illegal. This would throw a spanner in the works.

The ATO has issued a warning to businesses that purchases of goods and services with bitcoins must be recorded in the books and the government is planning to collect GST on it. Essentially, the currency is going to be taxed twice. Banks praise this because bitcoin is a treat to them.

Businesses do not know whether it is legal to charge the GST at the moment.  It could be levied on them when they have not collected it from customers.  This is a gray legal area at present.  Charging for GST when it not yet payable could be classed as price gouging, a trick to charge more.
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Capitalism Is Bad for Us

Research shows that capitalism is bad for us. Since the 1970s there has been an increase in mental illness of adults and children. Indications are that it is due to capitalism because the rise has been noted in English speaking capitalist countries and not in non-English speaking non-capitalist nations.

About 23 per cent of Americans, Britons, Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians suffered in the last 12 months, but only 11.5% of Germans, Italians, French, Belgians, Spaniards and Dutch.  Could language itself be a factor? Selfish Capitalism has massively increased the wealth of the rich, robbing the average earner to give to the rich. But there is no "trickle-down effect" despite what politicians say.

Real wages have decreased in the US over the last three decades. Governments have reduced tax payments of the rich, placing responsibility for payment on low income earners.  Nothing is being done to reduce "middle class welfare".  Many people use the term middle class when they are really speaking about the wealthy upper class.  There seems to be an odd taboo about saying the words "upper class". 
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The Part-time and Casual Culture

Despite the boom times in Australia which has finally peaked, a significant proportion of working Australians do not have permanent full-time positions. This is because both sides of politics have freed-up the hiring contract between employers and employees.

The claim that bank holiday and annual leave pay is included in the casual rate is rubbish. People are hired for a per hour fee. No moneys are set aside for rest day payment.  Part-time employees can be called in to work at any time of the day or night.

Even in management the market is distorted. Tests to find the "ideal" personality to do the job have never been tested in the real world. They have been written by university people who teach and must write a certain number of papers for "respected" journals.

Governments are reducing employment in the public sector. When they have to get the work done in future by the private sector the real cost will become apparent.  While contractors offering specific skills do well, many are not making a profit.  Many private contractors, for example truck drivers, run at a loss. As they work, their debt to the banks increases. Ultimately they may have to sell their homes to clear their debt. Furthermore, they have to take drugs to stay awake because they drive day and night. In effect they are forced to break the law.

Today, production runs are getting shorter. This is due to improved production-line machinery. If the line is run for a few years the world market can be flooded. Restricting production by monopolies becomes a genuine profit maximizing policy.

The future job market looks spasmodic and uncertain. The forced superannuation policy of government will break down as the newly unemployed take early payments from their retirement fund to survive in the present.
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Conservation
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We Have Never Had It So Good - Maybe

According to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey we have never been able to buy so much with our income. Over the last decade income inequality has hardly changed, Wages have risen faster than inflation. Of course, we know that announced inflation is lower than real price rises.

Although Australia's debt is low compared to other developed countries, less than half of Australians believe this. Despite the good times, many are feeling down and depressed feeling that the country is not doing well economically. This is probably due to the negative political arena at the moment with any bad news being blown out of proportion, with political blame and counter denials being kept uppermost in people's minds.

We should be happy but the minority, politicians, are pulling us down. Things are certainly changing now with Chinese demand for primary products falling as well as prices producers receive. The new government, in September, will have to deal with rising unemployment. There isn't much doubt about this. Pressure to reign in national debt will mean job cuts in the public sector, and reduced government spending will push up unemployment.

The job market has structurally changed over the last 10 years. More people are in part-time and casual employment, good for business bad for job security. Welfare is being cut and will fall further as politicians take larger income rises for themselves and a "couldn't care less" attitude to the poor. Charities are feeding more of the less well off than they ever did before.

While incomes have remained the same, wealth inequality has risen. This continues as wealth is solidly held and increased by a few. The top 1 per cent have assets of $5 million. The bottom 10 per cent enjoy less that $10,000. Some of these have no assets at all.

Good times are not for everyone apparently.  We should be laughing or at least smiling.  If you are poor and without a job or assets you have to grin or grimace and bear it.  No help for you mate either today or in the future.
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Conservation
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