A Once Great Country Being Ruined For Most

Originally posted by nursery: ↑

Its worth looking at what we had then as opposed to what we have now. The first one was tariffs. Through the use of tariffs we maintained "Australian first" as a principle. That kept most employed and productive. Australia did ride on the sheep's back too.

The next was a much smaller percentage of "unproductive" public servants brought about by less "big brother" attitudes by those in the public service. This can be seen in the cost of housing. The cost of building a home is a real problem. I built my first home, actually built it myself, without all the council costs or costs brought about by current regulations. Without all the "donations" to council before I could start. I bought a block of "dirt" and just built it. It is still standing, has weathered cyclones and recently sold for millions (I sold it in 1970 for $15,000 and it had the one owner for the next 45 years). The last one I built was only a few years ago and extras demanded by council were 40% of the cost. GST was about 6% of the cost.

Take schooling. My average class size at school was around 45. With discipline the teacher managed. Look at what it is now, look at what it costs now and most coming out of school cant even write properly.

Then (call me racist if you must but please face the fact) we had the White Australia policy. That policy was not effective because it was biased against so called coloured races but it reduced the number of migrants from countries that had a lower standard of living than we in the lucky country had. When you bring in either people or goods from countries that have this lower standard of living then you do not bring them up to our standard but you bring them part of the way and average ours down towards theirs.

Another main problem is that we are now a throwaway society. Cars and house hold goods, excluding the basics comprise too large a percentage of income. Add the cost of junk food and the avo toast and coffee and you can see where it goes. A gap year spent in Bali and an expensive social life after schooling also puts people way behind in those early years. The cost of over education where useless degrees are obtained that add no value to a person as an employee has also to be absorbed by the general community.

Have now, pay later through credit puts a burden on ability to save for the real "things" we need. Living "beyond your means" is a common occurrence. Wanting a home now, larger and grander than the one parents saved for and paid for over 40 years is also a factor.

The answer. Cut immigration. Introduce tariffs. Cut the public service by 50%. Learn to do with less (Its easier than you think). Fix it don't replace it. Buy Australian.

One thing about Trump in America is that he saw these as an American problem and is trying to do something about it.

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The answer. Cut immigration. Introduce tariffs. Cut the public service by 50%. Learn to do with less (Its easier than you think). Fix it don't replace it. Buy Australian.

Turn everything over to business who have shown delight in ripping off the consumer and their staff as much as they can ?. Banks, restaurants, power companies, it doesn't matter they will gouge everyone they can for a profit.

Essential services like power and water should go back to government. They may not be efficient but at least they would be accountable to the taxpayers not foreign shareholders. I can see health and home insurance having to be taken over by government as they are simply becoming unaffordable.

Cut immigration I agree with. There is an over supply of labour which is why wages are not going anywhere. Business will have to compete for labour before wages will rise again.