Infrared - thanks for your response.

As for the hysterical, rabid ranter above me - umm, you're just showing yourself up. You don't like my opinions because 1) You're incapable of being rational about certain subjects and can only respond like a child;


2) You certainly appear to have difficulties comprehending a board devoted to debate and discussion. If others' opinion articulated systematically and coolly cause you to throw a tantrum I suggest you keep away.

You are probably one of those people that Australians I knew talked about when I lived and worked there. Attempts to have a debate are silenced by the hissy fits, tantrums, misrepresentation of others' views and intimidation by those whose interests lie in the status quo.

There's a real paranoid edge there to the spiteful accusations you make - clearly there's a little too much truth in my posts. You probably are one of those who makes a lifestyle out of intimidating other Australians who don't hold your opinions.

Sad. Sorry, can't help you. I'll let you and other hissy fitters talk to each other. I won't give you the benefit of replying from now.

[edit on 22-10-2009 by dontbelievehype]

[edit on 22-10-2009 by dontbelievehype]

All these previous arguments aside, I am an australian and i do not consider myself particularly educated in any sense with regards to finances or markets etc so i and doubtless many others find myself a bit worried when i read about crashing economies etc and how that would affect the layman. I left school at 16 and spent nine years in the military followed by doing manual labour up to now. I cant help but wonder if the sky does fall will my ignorance of financial knowledge leave me and my family behind the eight ball. I find the situation here in oz disturbing because if you have no assets to speak of, the possibilities of getting them are getting mighty slim, from what i can gather and i worry for my family and other peoples in the same boat

Keep in mind that investing in the stock market is hit and miss. I know people who were always careful with their money and had good jobs, were affluent, but they invested at the wrong time - eg the dotcom bubble in the US and lost big wads of cash.

With the recent 5 years plus of greed when we were all being urged to invest, financial institutions and managers looked down at the little guy. People were disparaged for having 'only' 100,000 dollars to invest.

Hedge funds (including those that did crazy things and criminal things with people's money - eg Bernie Madoff's pyramid scheme) were and are only for the wealthy or relatively wealthy because they ask for a deposit that is huge by ordinary folks' standards.

I'd say that you shouldn't regret not having been able to put money in the money markets. You'd be surprised at how many professionals (lawyers etc) have sunk money into the market and reaped modest gains. Slowly. Ordinary folks couldn't afford to tie up their money that way, if they had some to invest.

Don't sweat yet. I know Australia has banks and other institutions where you can put in small plus savings and get some interest from special deposit funds. The interest aint great at the moment but putting small amounts aside can add up. The meltdowm is making this all a new game. But if you've contributed to a pension fund (superannuation0, you'll have lost a little but you still have that sum waiting for you.

And so long as Aus keeps its national healthcare that's a big plus. That's a great system, wish the US could model itself on but the trouble is we're a collection of states with huge cultural/legal differences and the fine print in what Obama's trying to do creates opposition to national health care.



[edit on 23-10-2009 by dontbelievehype]

[edit on 23-10-2009 by dontbelievehype]

Yeah you really do have to hand it to the government when it comes to fleecing the public on a mass scale with no consequences. My old man was due to retire this year but suddenly his superannuation has vanished due to the bad investments made on his behalf by the government superannuation policy he has. Then we see the same people who lost this money giving themselves a nice fat pay rise to 500 odd thousand a year for their superb business sense. The government should be run like a business with a board of directors who should have to justify their continued employment to us the people based on what they have done to improve things for us

Can we get over the personal attacks on each other, debate the statements not the person. I'm not here to pick sides but Dontbelievehype is posting his perception of our country, whether he was here for 15min or 15 years it is his point of view and there is nothing wrong with that.
I would find it very interesting if other people who have spent a short time here have a similar perception, they are looking at things from a different perspective and some times an outside view to a problem is what we need.
Im sure if we spent a short time in another country we would have a different perception of the country compared to the people who have lived there their whole lives.

Any way back on track.

Dontbelievehype mention population earlier on. i heard on the radio last week they were talking about Australia's population and said due to migration and births Australia's population will increase 27% over the next 20 years bringing us to approx 28 Million.
Sydney will have an increase of 20% bringing the population from approx 4.4 Million to 5.5 million. They said it will be mayhem in Sydney which is why they will be turning small towns into small metro cities, they mentioned Castle Hill and Coffs Harbour will be a couple of a hand full of towns to become mini Sydneys in an effort to try and move people out of Sydney to reduce the population because we don't have the infrastructure to support it, we don't have the infrastructure to support what we have now imagine another 1.1 million people in the streets or cars on the road.... INSANE!

hmmmm might be a good time to invest in those areas.

Hey, thanks for not jumping into the deep end because I happen to be an American who gave their opinion on economic/social/financial issues in the context of the global meltdown.

Those who were offended by my reference to the native population and were quick to call me a racist obviously didn't read my contribution to the thread about the supposed 'IQ difference' between races. I worked in Australia for 5 years, 3 of those in Sydney.

I found Australians down to earth and hospitable but I also saw what you call the 'she'll be alright' mentality mixed with a fear of saying things that the politically correct who are very powerful in govt are ready to call 'racist', 'discrimination; etc on.

With the urgent problems facing Australia's and other countries' economies (which overlaps with issues like population/welfare/tax base/migration to countries), I feel that attitude is leading nowhere fast.

Interesting points about welfare - Australia's system has very strong points but I also think the fact that so much depends on squeezing the ordinary workers and professionals is not good. Australia's economy needs more private businesses that are going to provide alternatives and complement the very strong public oriented sector.

You just don't have enough alternatives there. That's something I was trying to emphasise. The public sector can be very good and Aus citizens are protected against the worst effects of economic downturns by your welfare system. I have lived in other countries, too, where welfare was cut off after a number of months and that is not a model. Some American states have shockingly inadequate welfare provisions.

But again what I was saying is - if you're going to have such a welfare oriented system you need the taxation base and like everywhere else, the tax base is declining. This is where concerns about how many new arrivals (refugees and immigrants) and whether they are going to be able to have financially stable within a good timeframe and contribute rather than be dependent on welfare, are reasonable and should be allowed to be aired without attacking everybody who is concerned as 'racist'.

I didn't see new arrivals wanting to move to the countryside and the Aus countryside needs more people. The refugees and immigrants want the city and urban areas which is understandable but maybe your govt is going to have to say no, we've been generous and let you in and we're generous and support you but you're going to have to give something back.

One of the posters who attacked my posts and refused to read them as they were expressed rather than as he/she wanted to read them, made a big deal out of being the offspring of people who came to Australia and contributed.

My own background is similar - I'm the son of people who left their homeland to make a new life. But the America then is very different from the America now in terms of opportunities and the ability to meet difficulties. Same in Australia - as someone who lived in your country for 5 years I saw firsthand that the new arrivals now are coming to a very different country from that post WW2 to the 80s.

The reference to 28 million is something that should make all Australians wonder just who is deciding that you need massive strain on your water etc, and huge sprawling cities where so many residents rely on the public sector and a declining taxation base.

[edit on 24-10-2009 by dontbelievehype]