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The Forum > Article Comments > Grumpy old voter > Comments

Grumpy old voter : Comments

By Tony Smith, published 20/11/2007

The grey vote should not be isolated from the general vote: older voters have precisely the same concerns as other voters.

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Born in 1943, I’m pre-boomer and, if they still use the description, a ‘war baby’.

I actually like high interest rates to improve my investments. I think that around 40% of the population feels the same way, compared with about 25% of the population with mortgages who don’t. Interest rates are ‘high’ only because most people are fools with money and don’t know how to control what they have.

I don’t believe that I have “precisely the same concerns as other voters”, as the author opines and, for a fair dinkum conservative, there is really is no candidate in my electorate to vote for, particularly the sitting Liberal candidate who, like his party, is no more conservative than the ALP candidate who is a totally unknown female. There’s no point in mentioning the Democrats and Greens.

Now, I don’t expect people to wring their hands in sympathy for me. But I and other truly conservative people are effectively disenfranchised in Australia.

“You little beauty”, a high number of OLO posters would say. But the paucity of political choice in Australia is the reason we are such a soft, wet society where most labels say ‘Made in China’, and where national pride has all but disappeared under oppressive government multiculturalism and both major parties’ bone-headed high immigration policies and slack importation of so-called refugees totally unsuited to any Western society.

We don’t necessarily need a hard right government. But we should have enough realists in politics to restore the balance before it’s too late: people with more intellect and ability than the One Nation losers whom no self-respecting person could vote for.

No matter which party forms Government this weekend, we will continue on the same down hill run
Posted by Leigh, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 10:10:36 AM
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While not being (quite) as old as Leigh I must say I share his take on interest rates. They are only a problem for people who have not managed their situation properly. If one is borrowing money (and I borrow lots) you need to be sure that you can repay under a range of possible adverse conditions over which you have no control. The people today who are bleating the loudest about what is actually a reasonably modest interst rate are the people whio have over-committed themselves with McMansions, plasma TVs, and 4WDs. They are people for whom I have little sympathy.
Posted by Reynard, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 10:20:44 AM
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Mr Smith, I don't wholeheartedly agree with most of the premises you put forward except for the last paragraph. I'm not moaning , I say that merely to illustrate that differences of opinion are good things.
I'm a baby boomer, and I'm OK! But I wasn't always a baby boomer. I started off as a kid with one single toy (blue car). I went to school where the Headmaster taught Grades 3-6 and then was packed off to relatives for High School. I left school to an apprenticeship paying $28 a week and was so consistently broke that I had to walk the entire length of Oxford Rd to my flat because I couldn't afford the bus. I was a Nasho, went to SVN and got wounded by a food vendor. I came home as a triumphant warrior and was greeted by a 'worker' saying "Sort it out yourself mate. Your problem."
I married and had three kids on one wage and struggled along, saving for a house by eating baked beans, day-old bread and plain wrap food. I sat on my banana lounge in the late 70's and read the "please take over my mortgage" ads.
Things improved, the kids left home, I quit smoking, my wife got a job, we got a better car, then a second car, then a house, then a better house. Spare money became savings instead of spendings, until now I am independently retired and suck nothing from the Government.
I went without material things to get to my present modest position, and yet now I am considered a drain on public health by people without private cover, a drain on the public purse by folks who p*ss their money up against the wall, and am accused of driving up housing prices by people who happily take on $500K mortgages thinking the good times will last forever.
Don't lump me in with some kind of Grey Voter crap and categorise me with generalisations simply because I was born in 1948. My problems are mine, as everyone else's are theirs, and we are all individuals.
Posted by enkew, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 5:11:55 PM
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I am old enough to be the parent of a baby boomer and so I am white-haired not grey. I am a "self-funded" retiree. But I do not praise myself for this, I have been lucky, chosen occupations that had superannuation, and had been taught to be frugal by my parents. So there is nothing self congratulatory in my description as self rather than government funded.
Even with long years of democratic participation I have not finally worked out whether it be best for each individual to vote for his or her own self interest - so that in aggregate the result is optimal. Or whether folk ought try to vote for the common good. In this election I am aiming to vote for my perception of the common good - but I realise that I can afford to do this. Others on the breadline might need to vote for self interest. I loathe the attempted briberies of this campaign by both major parties.
Posted by Fencepost, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 6:09:01 PM
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What we need is some more action by senior Australians, now that their numbers are increasing, to alter society to suit us more.

A few suggestions:

1. We need a new political party, the Senior Drivers Party, to change the traffic laws to suit us more. For starters, we could have a period each day of speed restriction to 25 Km/h from 12 to 2pm so that traffic noise would not disturb seniors having a nap. (What a good idea for the Legislative Council!).

2. Now that the labour market has been deregulated, we need de-regulation of immigration, so we can bring in a young girl from Bangladesh to keep house for us, and in return would get her meals and pocket money of $20 per week.

3. The pension age should be raised each year by one year, to prevent any further people qualifying, so that current pensioners would not become a burden on the government.

If policies like these are implemented life for retirees could become much more pleasant.
Posted by plerdsus, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 8:31:42 PM
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Golly.. we are a mob of old codgers arn't we :)

Fencepost.. I was born in 48 also. Seems like most of us are 'old dogs' so.. trying to persuade each other about 'new tricks' might be a bit formiddable.

But you and I can look at Leigh and say 'You old git' :) (no offense Leigh)

Hmm.. we could name the Grey party "Old Dogs-NO new tricks" Party.
Posted by BOAZ_David, Wednesday, 21 November 2007 4:57:48 AM
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