17% of people don't have $500 saved

[willair]

So who are the working poor in Australia??,middle class wefare give me your vote handouts will come too a massive full-stop once a new spend less Government comes into power later this year,.

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2010/12/07/Down-and-Out-on-250000-a-Year.aspx#page1

 

[Angel]

Now that I've sold my stores, I want to work- back in the IT field. I'm not eligible for the dole.

I don't mind not getting the dole. My problem is that I cannot find anybody to help me to work out what to do. The normal employment agencies, especially in IT, have heaps of people on their books. An old fart with out of date experience is a very low priority. But the ones which are set up to really help jobs only get paid for helping people off the dole- so they don't want to know me either.

The best I can do is to study (one agency did at least suggest a TAFE course)- but I don't really have a handle on how employable I will be.

Hi Geoff, welcome to my husband's world.

And thanks (?I think?) to the person here who mentioned the other day that Hubby will be made redundant next year when he turns 58. That will really screw with our plan to make it to retirement age.

Remember none of us can access the age pension until about ten years after we get made redundant. Even those of us with mediocre savings will all be wondering what are we supposed to do in that time?

 

[The Fence]

Unemployment benefits...?

That's the trouble with being self employed and taking higher risks to gain a living, you are the one picking up the tab for all the other bludgers out there who are kept poor but happy with that regular reliable free income with no effort required.

Kept poor meaning you have to use all your assets/cash before you can be a bludger.

Even then, I see bludgers every day working for cash part time and bringing in totals far exceeding ours doing it the law abiding way.

Go to dob one in and get told "we can only go on what they tell us..."

Another thing I found out from a friend who works in centrelink call centre.
The recent $1000 flood relief payments could be claimed by anyone in the affected areas even if they dont live there, just visiting. Only have to call up and say you were stuck in affected area....bingo $1000, and for each member of the family mind you....!!!

What a waste and shambles is the social security system.

 

[Aaron_C]

That's the trouble with being self employed and taking higher risks to gain a living, you are the one picking up the tab for all the other bludgers out there who are kept poor but happy with that regular reliable free income with no effort required.

Amen to that. Hopefully once we turf out these communists in Canberra we can take back control of our country.

 

[Ideo]

Amen to that. Hopefully once we turf out these communists in Canberra we can take back control of our country.

Nah, the welfare payments will just shift from the poor to the middle class.

 

[weg]

Hi Geoff, welcome to my husband's world.

And thanks (?I think?) to the person here who mentioned the other day that Hubby will be made redundant next year when he turns 58. That will really screw with our plan to make it to retirement age.

Remember none of us can access the age pension until about ten years after we get made redundant. Even those of us with mediocre savings will all be wondering what are we supposed to do in that time?

You can't be made redundant because of your age.

Have you been told this will happen, or are you assuming it will based on someone saying that happens once you turn 58 .

Also, it's incorrect that you need to wait 10 years to access the pension after being made redundant.

You receive the pension when you reach pension age, whenever that is (65 I think).

You can however access your super from aged 55 - depends on the year you were born.

Even if your husband was made redundant at 58 he could always get another job away from IT, or create one.

 

[kathryn d]

Amen to that. Hopefully once we turf out these communists in Canberra we can take back control of our country.

Rob and I were talking about similar things last night.
The carbon tax will be scrapped (hopefully) because once a tax comes in, the government doesn't like to part with it.
Just like our tempory income tax. I said i wouldn't mind if we actually got to keep our incomes,I be more than willing to pay for any usuage.Toll roads etc.

It was the 1960s (I believe) when Canada got universal healthcare. We survived before this, and never heard of anyone going bankrupt because they couldn't pay the bill. (I'd still be happy to pay for this in taxes)..but also happy to pay for my own insurance policy.

Our system, along with Australia's has become so bloated with government, we are being strangled with debt and taxes.

I am getting so fed up, I'm actually looking forward to drastic changes, if that means we can get back on track.

For me drastic, would be a complete overhaul. Keep police,fire,healthcare ,schools. Scrap all the other programs and start over.

 

[nhg]

Amen to that. Hopefully once we turf out these communists in Canberra we can take back control of our country.

As Plato put it “good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws”

No matter what the law, not everyone is motivated the same way. I personally see it as a social responsibility to help those who genuinely struggle, yet there are always those who will take advantage.

I do however like to believe that a little common sense would go a long way. Eg. Why does it seem like housing commission housing is for life. Shouldn’t it just be temporary to help people establish themselves? My family came to Australia as migrants 20+ years ago, and I’m sure they would have appreciated a helping hand the first couple of years. Perhaps a pre-determined period of assistance and then you’re on your own. The question is, would that create a new social class like the rest of the world where functional people live on the streets?

I still remember living around the corner from a housing commission area, everyone there had the nicest cars and boats parked out front.

 

[Crabnet]

It was the 1960s (I believe) when Canada got universal healthcare. We survived before this, and never heard of anyone going bankrupt because they couldn't pay the bill. (I'd still be happy to pay for this in taxes)..but also happy to pay for my own insurance policy.

One reason Australia introduced the compulsory Medicare system was to combat a problem that hospitals were having with the growing number of debtors on their books due to treating people without private healthcare who couldn't pay their bills. Presumably compulsory insurance spreads the cost of covering those people across the whole tax paying community. It's a cost we pay for civilized society.

 

[citystar]

A large majority of the people I work with in an office of 100+ PAYG employees are like this. By the end of the weekend they are broke, having paid rent, filled the tank with petrol, filled the fridge with some food, and spent the rest on alcohol and cigarettes. I hear them in the staff lunch room every day complaining about being broke, having large credit card debts and yet they smoke and drink a bottle of wine each night, maybe even more on the weekend. They consistantly go on holidays overseas and live well beyond their means upgrading their luxury vehicles every few years. Those that are over 50+ years of age are getting worried, you can tell just listening to their lunch room conversations. They don't have enough in super for a comfortable retirement and yet each couple of months they go overseas for a holiday which you know is going onto their second or third maxed out credit card. I'm not one to judge but I can tell you I wouldn't feel comfortable being in their shoes.

I keep the fact I invest in properties to myself these days and how much I have had to and continue to sacrifice (lifestyle and entertainment) to continue to invest towards an early retirement on passive rental income.

 

[kathryn d]

congrats citystar

funny thing is, they probably feel sorry for you....depriving yourself every week of fun.

 

[Peter 14.7]

IMO Medicare is OK.

Yes high income earners pay more but it does great good.

Pensioners get free care and that is what matters. Society must protect the most vulnerable.

Also when we had our baby that ended up with with every machine and help under the sun to get healthy girl. In hindsight it was great to know being public that we where not incurring debt to bring her into the world. We would have but when you are being told we need ot do this and emergency section that you don't need to worry about how much. With private health insurance you do.

Free essential health care underpins many social goods like volunteers, cheap school car, etc.

Welfare is mess but the issue if more mindset.

As I said with my sister, she could have been wealthy. As wealthy as me through no hard work due to inheritance. She wasted that opportunity due to mindset.

A BIG factor why people talk but don t act is because acting means you are taking responsibility for your own actions. That is why poor people like LOTTO. It is a guess so no shame on them when they lose. But to invest or study to get a better job and fail, it a statement on you. Too risky.

As Ben Affleck said in Oscars. It no how many times you get knocked but that you get back up.

Being willing to accept you may fail is the first step to succeeding.

Regards Peter 14.7

 

[The Fence]

Being willing to accept you may fail is the first step to succeeding.

Peter 14.7

Great quote from Peter 14.7.

 

[nhg]

Great quote from Peter 14.7.

Haha, I've always been more partial to:


"There is no such thing as failure or being a failure.

To fail only means to achieve a result you did not desire; but nevertheless, so-called failure gives us beneficial information; information we can use to arrive at the result or goal we desire."



Read more: http://dherbs.com/articles/no-such-thing-as-failure-184.html#ixzz2MFsNGOPY

 

[The Fence]

The best yet that Ive seen is from Henry Ford was it...?

"whether you think you can or can't, you are correct"


or something like that...

 

[Peter 14.7]

Great quote from Peter 14.7.

Thanks, it just came to me. Peter Copyright ME

 

[nhg]

The best yet that Ive seen is from Henry Ford was it...?

"whether you think you can or can't, you are correct"


or something like that...

Was than Henry Ford? I thought it was Rocky Balboa

Ok so I watched all 6 films this week with my housemate. I should plot his insights over the six movies, he goes from dumb, to INCREDIBLY insightful, though in Rocky V he seems to relapse to dumbass for about half the film, oh and his kid myseteriously ages 5 years over 2 months.

 

[Peter 14.7]

The best yet that Ive seen is from Henry Ford was it...?

"whether you think you can or can't, you are correct"


or something like that...

I like:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

often sad to be from Eleanor Roosevelt

I quote these to my young staff and they go it is a worry they don't get the meaning. I guess it is not said by "Sonic the Hedgehog" or "Angrey Birds" it is all greek.

 

[HotRod]

Was than Henry Ford? I thought it was Rocky Balboa

Ok so I watched all 6 films this week with my housemate. I should plot his insights over the six movies, he goes from dumb, to INCREDIBLY insightful, though in Rocky V he seems to relapse to dumbass for about half the film, oh and his kid myseteriously ages 5 years over 2 months.

No it was me, see my sig..........

 

[nhg]

No it was me, see my sig..........

Haha,

And to move further off topic...

“The person that you will spend the most time with in your life is yourself, so you better try to make yourself as interesting as possible”.

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible” T.E. Lawrence.

My friend blew me away with that last one... until he told me he saw it on a ad for a new game.