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The Forum > Article Comments > On poverty > Comments

On poverty : Comments

By Don Aitkin, published 13/6/2019

In our country, and others like them, at election times, and indeed pretty well all the time, poverty is seen as being somehow wrong in principle, and my political party or yours will end it, or at least reduce it.

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Poverty in Australia is created by the crisis in housing.
Rents are beyond the reach of people on fixed incomes.
A stark choice between homelessness or hunger.

I was talking on the subject of housing with an acquaintance recently who had done his sums with the capital gains of one of his numerous properties. One house in particular has increased in value from $26k in the late seventies when he bought it, to a staggering $1.7m current value.

Out came the calculator to compare wage increases needed in order to maintain a relative chance to purchase the same property today: For wages to increase at the same giddying rate, a justifiable $280 per hour should be expected, based on wage levels at the time of the original purchase.

Over on another page, an acquaintance who has worked as a tradesman for thirty years, gave up his trade in disgust, as his hourly rate of pay had remained unchanged since the late eighties.

These two examples are a stark reminder of the inequality created by the manipulated housing market, and stagnation of wages over many years.
Both of them lead to increases in poverty and homelessness.

Dan.
Posted by diver dan, Thursday, 13 June 2019 8:39:31 PM
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Yes, runner. The break up of families has contributed to poverty - and just about all of the other problems caused by the neo-Marxists who attack the family, which is the basis of society.
Posted by ttbn, Thursday, 13 June 2019 8:51:02 PM
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Alan B. I was going to use that quote in a previous thread.
Coincidentally, I believe that some of the poorest countries are either those whose inhabitants worship God as revealed by the Catholic church or Mohamed.
David.
Posted by VK3AUU, Thursday, 13 June 2019 10:59:15 PM
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Why do so-called first world Nations have poverty in the first place ?
In Australia for example, many homeless could benefit from participating in a National Service which would house & feed them & provide them with a foot in the door to not be homeless.
Many don't want the discipline so, they remain homeless. May who have homes & jobs simply don't care about others or they don't have sufficient means to care because of Govt regulations.
Many choose drugs in preference to finding work whilst many others choose to spend their Australian-earned Dollars overseas. Why it was only recently on this forum that it was revealed that that the chair of a big Australian welfare agency was on $316,000/year. Why so much ?
Govt themselves are too irresponsible with their economic/social guidelines which cause homelessness. Poverty is a 50/50 scenario orchestrated by indiscipline & greed !
Posted by individual, Friday, 14 June 2019 2:16:19 AM
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Now steady on.
You all speak as though you know the reason and have the solution 'On poverty'.
Well I don't want to be the one to burst your collective bubbles but, the reality is that the poverty and homelessness issues are but two of many.
I must agree and forward your attention to the first comment on this topic by Bernie Masters.
Things really began back in the 70's when the bastard govt of the day shut down asylums and literally ousted all the 'patients' onto the street, and that's where most of em stayed, till they died.
Now this current lot are to a certain degree made up of the same kind of 'socially challenged' people.
There is no 'quick fix', unless the govt is prepared to re-open or establish institutions like asylums again, we can forget about it.
The best we can do for the moment is the charity groups, local govt's and other entities who help support, feed and assist these people.
I know many believe these people are bludgers and simply refuse to get up and improve their own life, but it's not that simple.
There are too many different categories of homeless people so it is not something that can be resolved easily, unless we throw a LOT of money at this problem, we have to accept that like un-employment, it will never reach or get anywhere near zero.
Poverty in itself is not something that money can fix.
Again there are too many factors at play.
Even a simple yet egregious act of convicting someone for driving drunk or on drugs, then cancelling their drivers license for, say, twelve months.
Now before you all start flapping on about the dangers of 'driving under the influence', let's just examine this as an example.
Firstly, drinking or drugs are the norm.
Secondly, this guy's one of the many tradies, or self employed.
Even if he drove for a company, he's finished, and with a young family.
Renting or mortgage, it makes no difference, he's got no income.
They have to move in with his parents.
Posted by ALTRAV, Friday, 14 June 2019 3:28:48 AM
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continued............

He gets a part time job but it's just enough for the basics.
Time starts to put a strain on the marriage and of course as it usually happens, the wife leaves with the kids and goes to stay with her family.
Eventually followed by divorce.
This then puts further strain on them both.
The kids grow up delinquents, the wife makes unreasonable demands on her EX, and so it goes on and bloody on.
All because the bastards in the legal system, all the way up to the govt, make these stupid draconian, BS, 'one size fits all' laws, without a care in the world about the consequences.
These same people become a burden on the welfare system and/or end up on the street.
All because a ignorantly run flawed system, lacks the people with the intellect and imagination to find other ways of dealing with drink/drug driving.
Posted by ALTRAV, Friday, 14 June 2019 3:38:59 AM
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