tigerman said:
Shawry.
I know that I'm not going to change your political persuasion, but i just can't help myself. ;D
The Howard government may being do ok with the economy. Although mortgagees are now paying $350 a month more on their interest rate payments due to house prices, than they were when interest rates were 17%.
It's industrial relations strategy is not good for the working class. Over 30% of the work force is now made up of part time and casual workers, almost doubling under a Howard goverment.
Labour hire companys have thrived under the Howard government, and are a blight on the country.
Of those part time and casual workers over 40% of them when surveyed said that they would like to work more hours.
How are young people ever going to fulfil the great Australian dream of owning your own home.
The number of home owners has has fallen nearly 10% in the last decade.
John Howard, in some peoples eyes, may of done a good job in keeping the illegal arrivals from coming to this great country, I'm hoping that they think that he has failed them in most other areas.
Jeepers I can't wait until footy season.
OK i'll try to cover everything I said before that didnt show up due to some timeout error.
In regards to monetary value of interest rate payments. You cannot compare the actual amounts as this is not a good indication. The time of value of money suggests they will not be even as the $350 extra would probably buy you the same equivalent of what you would back then. People are earning more as an average wage which must be taken into account if you are going to compare apples with cows which is what you are doing. The two amounts cannot be compared as the time value of money says that a dollar in teh past would get you a lot more than it would in the present.
The interest rate itself is the best way of showing this (which incidently is much lower as I am sure you know) and also inflation and average wages should be taken into account.
In regards to the workforce, i think the number of casual and part time workers is a good thing. IF they were all to be full time they could not possibly be accomodated. Half would be unemployed and the others better off. At least the yare all employed and earning a decent living. It gives people in general a better self-esteem knowing they are employed, should coincidentally reduce crime because of the greater self esteem and ability to be self sufficienta dn enables them to buy things without sponging off the govt, adn eases the govt's burden on dole payments meaning the money can be better spent elsewhere. Yes people may want to work more, but if it is not possible surely having some employment and form of income is better than a higher possibility of having none.
Owning a home is not impossible. I did it 2 1/2 years ago with the help of a mortgage. 6 years ago I was a struggling uni student whose sole source of income was income as a pizza delivery driver where I had to pay car expenses myself. I would get paid every Friday and wit hliving expenses everything was gone by Tuesday. I struggled but I made something of myself and saved and gave myself teh position of being able to buy a house. Too many people waste money on crap they dont need (and I am guilty of that aswell).
People can do whatever they want if the yreally want it and strive for it. People make their own decisions adn should be responsible for them. Housing is not out of reach if you wish to live in the right places and save enough adn are disciplined with money. Teh govt cannot be blamed for this they have introduced schemes to help people such as the home owners grants which herlped me out.
It is worse in Melbourne than Adelaide, but people do have a choice.
Ia gree with Howard on the boatpeople not being allowed access to Australia illegally. I ahev no problem with them coming in through the correct channels, but to come in illegally is wrong . They have the option of doing it the other way but choose to do it illegally. I dont agree with detentioning them, but I believe it is better than jsut allowing them to settle here adn encouraging more and more people to do it.
I do agree however education is becoming ridiculously pricey, adn that needs to be looked at as all people should have access to education, not jsut the rich otherwise people like myself would never have been able to get to uni to set themselves up like I ahve, and also in regards to public transport I think that ti should be cheaper and more readily available t oencourage people to use it.
Overall I think the Liberal govt has done a great job. John HJoward is not a yes man, he makes the correct decisions because they are jsut that, he does not bow to popular demand, adn he makes the right decisions for the country rather than to ahve a seat in Parliament. For that he has my utmost respect.
He sent our troops to Iraq despite popular opinion,adn I agree with his decision. USA is an ally and saddam Hussein is an evil dictator who treated people like *smile*. He needed to be disposed of for human rights purposes andwe needed to back the USA as they would us should an Indonesian attack occur.
People only ever worryabout what happens to them, but htere is a bigger picture, overall he has done a good job. People are never happy anyway. I doubt Labour with their conservative views would ahve done a better job.