Nope, a mere economics graduate. My real passion is development economics - being the good bleeding heart humanitarian that I am.
I do think you are right to be concerned that our "wealth" is coming about because our properties are worth more, rather than because we are becoming more efficient.
So then you need to think about what ought to make us wealthy? What should we be doing to increase our GDP?
Bob Katter will argue that we ought to restrict banana imports and grow more bananas.
Adam Bandt will argue that we ought to invest in technology so we can sell green tech to the rest of the world.
And then there is a myriad of other opinions.
Personally I am of the opinion that we ought to go down the tech road. So who ought to pay for the NBN? Business or govt? Being a good neo-liberal I should be arguing that business should do it, but the other side of me believes that business will only do what it has to do, govt will do a more thorough job of it, but why should govt be interfering in that? Maybe they could build it and sell it off? And so the argument goes (in my head).
PS Tom, I like your analogy.
I do think you are right to be concerned that our "wealth" is coming about because our properties are worth more, rather than because we are becoming more efficient.
So then you need to think about what ought to make us wealthy? What should we be doing to increase our GDP?
Bob Katter will argue that we ought to restrict banana imports and grow more bananas.
Adam Bandt will argue that we ought to invest in technology so we can sell green tech to the rest of the world.
And then there is a myriad of other opinions.
Personally I am of the opinion that we ought to go down the tech road. So who ought to pay for the NBN? Business or govt? Being a good neo-liberal I should be arguing that business should do it, but the other side of me believes that business will only do what it has to do, govt will do a more thorough job of it, but why should govt be interfering in that? Maybe they could build it and sell it off? And so the argument goes (in my head).
PS Tom, I like your analogy.