ChrisPer,

you refer to those unfortunate people who have become the “permanent non-working” as “parasites” yet I wonder if you are considerate of the massive changes in the economy, industry base, skills required, cultural and demongraphic changes of historic levels . . . etc.

. . . before making that unfair claim?

The working to poor classes in Australia have been overwhelmed by these extreme changes which were not properly dealt with by having the government assist in the changes. People were just left to fend for themselves whilst the price of land and first homes became more and more out of reach over the last few decades.

Regardless of any statistis of wage increases etc., the bottom line is that the poorer working and lower classes have gone from being able to easily purchase a family home whilst raising a family before 40 (in 1950s & 60s) to in modern day being essentially unable to purchase any land or home without wining the lotto or putting yourself through university.

Ask yourself this: why did all those poorer peoples always have jobs and manage to buy houses and have families just a few generations ago, IF as you claim, they are just bludgers and parasites who like not wotking and being poor?

Well Dick, I wrote two polite 350 word articles illustrating why you are wrong. If the best that you can throw back at me is a sneery one liner full of insults, then I must be ahead on points.

If you want people to agree to your point of view, then the onus is on you to submit a reasoned argument and at least try to counter your opponents premises. Especially when your opponents arguments were reasonable and politely put. Running out of the arena while hurling insults at your opponent is the mark of somebody who's convictions are poorly held, but who has linked his self esteem to his advocacy of his subject. Just spitting insults and jumping up and down is not the mark of a mature individual, especially on a site like this.

Try doing your homework first before you come on a site like this and start sprouting Socialist nonsense to opponents like Individual, SPQR, Spindoc and Imajulianutter. Of course, if you did your homework first, instead of parroting the slogans of the tertiary educated, Social climbing Socialists, we would not need to deprogram you anyway.

If you come on OLO thinking that you need not know your subject because us right wingers are all stupid, because your tertiary educated peers say it is so, then we are going to cream you every time.

LEGO, you didn't illustrate anything other than your right-wing ranting, and in the opening of your post previous to my "one-liner" opened with "I don't need to look...". A statement of the choice of ignorance. Not an insult, but a fact. If you're insulted by facts, then keep hiding your head under your right wing.
You then get into a rant of socialism, again demonstrating your inability to comprehend what you read, or again, your choice to ignore what was said. I'm not a socialist, or any "ist", since I'm apolitical. So both of your ill-informed rants were meaningless. Take some of your own advice, and READ what is said, comprehend, even ask questions of clarification. But off-topic rants do you no service, and only point towards the soap-box you stand upon. You addressed absolutely nothing of what I said.

And if you think the quality of discourse at this forum is so high, then think again...it's mostly parochial ranting by the puerile. I just pop in while another forum I attend is slow...out of boredom. So your opinion means less than nothing to me

Lego>> Anyone who thinks that Australia was in a better economic position 50 years ago, was obviously nothing more than a dirty thought between a couple of teenagers at the time./Sorry, I can't agree that Australians were better off financially in the past. Australians are much more prosperous today.<<

Err.... Lego my name is dirty thought and I am 50 years old....but I can read statistics....here are some:

In 1970 Australian household savings were 39% of GDP
In 2013 Australian household savings were 22% of GDP
In 1970 Australian household debt was 43% of GDP
In 2013 Australian household debt was 163% of GDP

Lego old mate, that Dastardly bloke (wasn’t he a cartoon character?) has a factual point...we have the modern devices...but we are poorer....and getting poorer.....the banks are the only winners.

While I am on banks I will take the opportunity to laugh audiably (once again)at Shadow Ministers ongoing and proposterous claim that the banks make 1.5% gross profit

Lego this link gives a snapshot of how all economic indicators are going in the wrong direction.
http://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2012/mar/pdf/bu-0312-2.pdf

Oh Lego, you have made my day. Referring to yourself as polite!

Which one is that, Dick? Me and the boys will come over and liven things up for you. Pacifying pacifists, deprograming social climbing socialists, and making chardonnay sucking elites choke on their own contradictions is our specialty.

Not Debate & Relate, I hope. Things went pear shaped on that site when the lefties took over running the page, and the site went from a debate site to a stonewalling site. And not Newmatilda either. I got chucked off that site after only three posts. If there is one thing that lefties like you don't tolerate, it is a difference of opinion.