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The Forum > Article Comments > The envy of the world > Comments

The envy of the world : Comments

By Justin Denholm, published 23/11/2011

However rich we are financially, it is a sign of our moral and spiritual poverty that we are prepared to tolerate this degree of material inequality.

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Two articles in a row.

Why is it that those who live of charity, public or religious, always want to give away money they have never done a damn thing to earn themselves.

Guilt I suppose.
Posted by Hasbeen, Wednesday, 23 November 2011 10:38:35 AM
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I support strongly this article. David is asking us to consider the wealth of our country and to admit that even though many of us are doing quite nicely many many people in our wealthy environment are struggling. What is to be our response? Some respondents seem to think that this topic is not a worthy one. It is true that much of our taxes is redirected to already privileged pockets. We need to name this and actively rectify it. Not all people down on their luck have brought it on themselves. Our taxes are all messed up. We penalise people who work hard with more and more tax and then give tax breaks to people who invest (speculate) in land and who contribute nothing to the wealth of the country thus making it difficult to buy our homes, fund our schools and hospitals. We need to cease being duped by the 1% and demand a tax system suited to working people. It is much easier getting things done when we are not inhibited by a repressive tax system.
Posted by Margaret, Wednesday, 23 November 2011 11:03:48 AM
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This is better argued than many articles of its type, though its conclusions are challenging. I find myself at least in part agreeing with the perspective of Peter and Hasbeen, though – if we have a moral responsibility to use our wealth and good fortune to help those less fortunate, then it is surely more a personal, individual responsibility than a collective, government one. Coerced “generosity” is no virtue.

There tends to be a sacrificial element to the virtue of religious redistributionists – what matters is not that others are better off, but that we are worse off.

I also wonder at the efficacy of some aid programs and charities. They do a good and necessary job of addressing the symptoms and suffering caused by poverty and social breakdown, but often don’t have a great track record of addressing the causes. The countries that have been most successful at reducing poverty are those that have adopted policies delivering strong and sustained economic growth, such as China. It is not charity that will help us achieve the millennium goal of reducing world poverty, but economic growth.
Posted by Rhian, Wednesday, 23 November 2011 12:40:17 PM
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You are only doing better in Australia if you of the mining or big end of the finance industry. For everbody else, there is little to celebrate as our farming lands are closed for poisonous csg mining, our retail is staggering, the Governments lust of more taxation has driven the costs of living beyond our wages. Then if you're very ill or disabled, you are treated like as a leper.

In Queensland, children must wait years just to see a specialist, and many others who are seriously ill are being turned away from hospital, sent home to die.
Posted by WombatMan, Wednesday, 23 November 2011 12:52:51 PM
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You make some good points Justin.

Plasma TVs ? What about HSV Commodores !? Miners buy them by the thousands ! And when something happens to hold their money up or a mine runs out or people say they don't want exploration or mining on their sometimes, prime agricultural land, they start screaming poor ! And you wonder what happened to the thousands of dollars a week they have been earning ! And for years ! I spoke to a PNG woman by phone a couple of years back, and when I explained that people here get a average minimum $500 a fortnight on the Dole, those that don't work, she was Astounded !! and Amazed !! and blurted out, What !? Nobody will want to work ! And how right she was, is !! She told me that she has to work hard all day for six days a week panning for gold just to feed her family !

Arthur Bell ( aka bully )
Posted by bully, Wednesday, 23 November 2011 4:59:38 PM
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If the author wants to help people in PNG, perhaps he can preach
to his Catholic brothers, to start behaving ethicaly, when it
comes to family planning in PNG.

My sources tell me that those women don't want those large families,
there is an unmet need for family planning, but the Catholic Church
has done what it can to prevent that, including telling women about
the evils of tubal litigation.

Given that the Catholic Church is one of the largest landholders in
Australia, perhaps they could lead by example and flog off some
of their properties to send the money to PNG. Taxpayers already
send heaps as it is.

Now that would be ethical.
Posted by Yabby, Wednesday, 23 November 2011 6:14:52 PM
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