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The Forum > Article Comments > Egalitarianism under threat > Comments

Egalitarianism under threat : Comments

By Andrew Leigh, published 24/4/2014

Rising inequality is not an inevitable feature of economic growth. Indeed, from the 1920s to the 1970s, Australia became more equal.

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I used to be in the Labor Party Andrew, until I found out that ordinary branch members had no collective power to do anything. I lived in a Housing Commission complex of 84 flats, and I soon realised that many people there had no intention of ever working. The economics are simple, Andrew. A person on the dole earns almost as much as a person on the minimum wage So why work? Plenty of my teenage mates went surfing every day and laughed at me for continuing my apprenticeship. They thought they were smart and that I was stupid. One of the reasons why I left the Labor Party, was because a Labor politician made a public statement that dole bludgers did not exist. I knew then that Labor, and people like yourself, do not have a clue.

After awhile I figured out how Labor works. Labor represents two classes of people. The ever growing dependent class and public service class. It is in Labor's interests to keep these two classes growing because they can be relied upon to keep voting for Labor. That is why Labor supports boat people. With 95% of Afghans unemployed after five years of living in Australia, Afghans alone are a great Labor voting bloc. With 80% of Muslims unemployed, it is no surprise that Muslim seats are critical to Labor winning office, and is the primary reason why Labor has switched from a Pro Israel stance to a pro Arab genocidal imperialist one.

The ABC supports Labor because it is a public service. The ABC supports boat people because they will become Labor voters. It's symbiotic relationship.

Labor's enemies are the productive people who pay the taxes to support Labor's electorate. So, Labor always spruikes the idea of making the rich pay more tax. What this really means is that the productive people should pay more to keep the unproductive and counter productive Labor voters happy. The problem for Labor, is that the working class has figured out that they are now "the rich" who must keep paying more to support Labor's supporters.
Posted by LEGO, Friday, 25 April 2014 4:07:56 AM
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There is not a labor member of parliament who isn't a unionist and who at sometime stood behind the likes of williamson, thompson, the awu, or has been associated with what is about to be on display at the Royal Commission into Unions.

They are all uni educated and have only known the cloistered worlds of the union, public service or politics.

Yet they try to define and twist our tradition of egslitarinism to suit their own stupid socialist ideas. Then lwcture those if us who reject not only their policies but slso their utter incompetence.

What are you on YEbega? Besides drip feed welfare.
Posted by imajulianutter, Friday, 25 April 2014 5:28:53 AM
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Lego,
this is weird, you can express my thoughts better than I. cheers for being so sober & rational
Posted by individual, Friday, 25 April 2014 9:08:49 AM
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The ever widening gap between rich and poor in Australia has been happening since the 1960s, when I think we led the world in having the smallest difference between the top and the bottom. It has been happening under both Labor and Liberal administrations. It has become so entrenched that Union officials and political staffers now expect to end to end up extremely wealthy. Arthur Sinodinos made his ill-fated venture into Australian Water Holdings because he saw an opportunity to make $20 million on the backs of people paying water rates, from 50 hours work a year. Michael Williamson would not have ended up in jail if he had confined himself to his outrageous salary, courtesy of some of the lowest paid people in Australia.

The benefits to societies with flatter wealth distribution are well known, and include better outcomes in health, education and social cohesion. An interesting analysis of this phenomenon, is The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett.
Posted by Candide, Friday, 25 April 2014 9:58:15 AM
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Yes Yegg;
Obviously, people on the extreme far right, were burying their collective heads in the sand, (as usual) when engon and their (on the side of the angels) ilk was ripping billions off of the unwary!
And how many wall street bankers are cooling their heels in jail, for the GFC, they and they almost alone created?
Or conversely, how many have had their ill gotten gains, (hundreds of millions) protected by an act of congress or the lack of one, and how many now have lucrative jobs inside the US govt, as financial security advisers?
And then some blinded by the light,(brilliant BS) right wing advocate, bags unions and or unionists!
[Well it's a good diversion and popular among the extreme right or religious lunatic fringe? Not that any are posting here?]
Ponsi seems to be one of a small handful cooling his heels in prison?
But then, he made the unholy mistake of ripping off the rich!
Yes sure, one or two corrupt union officials have given the whole joint a bad name, but I can hardly find a single millionaire among them, let alone, a billionaire robber baron?
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Friday, 25 April 2014 11:52:51 AM
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The problem is NOT Labor or Liberal, since dogma is dead, and has been since at least the Hawke government...a Labor government that espoused conservative policies, forcing the Liberals (under Howard) to promise social policies (every single one broken) to win government. Perfect role reversal.

Neither side serves political dogma, but merely use it as lip-service for the naive who still believe in dogma. Both sides serve the same masters...big business and banking...oh, and of course, they serve themselves.

We live NOT in a democracy, but a democratic aristocracy, where we elect the puppets of the puppet-masters. So any talk of left or right wing politics is the articulation of naivety.

Real wages have NOT risen the 16% quoted, since the 70's, but have remained stagnant. Calculations of CPI are moot, since under Howard the criteria for those calculations now exclude the price of housing, fuel, interest rates and a plethora of other previously considered important factors. These exclusions made those calculations look more attractive, but in no way reflect the reality. They are in short, doctored figures.

Egalitarianism is a social attitude, not a financial one. But the top 1% are certainly working hard to feather their own nests with the money of the working classes.
Posted by Dick Dastardly, Friday, 25 April 2014 1:54:08 PM
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