Houlley
I will have to bow to your superior knowledge of depression, I genuinely thought there were some cases that were untreatable even with medication. Perhaps there are some on OLO who can shed some light on dealing with this illness.

As for the rest my experience mirrors yours but in the opposite direction. My most successful friends (if we are measuring success purely by income) are left wingers both in the private and public sector. Maybe Canberra is not the right place to make a general assessment about the relationship of occupation to political leaning and perhaps it is not indicative of the 'real world'.

For most of my colleagues leaning more to the Left just means providing a safety net for those who genuinely need it, not a free-for-all for the truly lazy. I don't see many socialists out there arguing for all the lazy people who can't be bothered working to please go and help yourself to the dole.

Left thinking does not equate with disincentives for success or for working - keeping in mind that success for some does not always mean more money but more challenging, interesting or worthwhile work.

I have much respect for any person who has worked hard and built a successful business but would easily lose that respect if he paid exploitative wages and treated his workers little better than slaves or used offshore bank accounts to avoid paying taxes.

My right wing friends are not bad people but they rely too much on the belief that the market will fix everything as though the market is a free thinking entity in and of itself not subject to the whims of human imperfections. However even they believe in a welfare system to prop up the most vulnerable or to give a hand up to allow people to better themselves so I am not sure what field of work your RW friends hail from.

Romany,
…so are these too “in essence” free?
Well, yes, to them. Someone has paid, not the students.

Or are you talking about Tertiary education? I…. (unless they have a wealthy, Porsche-driving daddy)
Ah, the tall poppies!

Personally ,I think hex debts stink, especially when we give millions/billions to overseas projects in the form of aid. Charity starts at home I say.

At no time have I ever considered myself better than anyone else. Please don’t brand me as a snob as I am far from it. But seriously, life is what you make it and that’s it.

Fractelle
Should the minimum wage be any higher?
So tell me. Can one live on the minimum wage if they live in basic housing and buy only the basic needs?

My mother is a widow pensioner, owns here own home and lives quite well. Even manages to save a little. The only expense she does not have is meat, which she does not each much of anyway.

As for my employees, now you're talking crap and trying to defame me. Read my posts, you will see that my staff are well paid.

'PORSCHE' 911 (used to drive, I have out grown this)
Proof however that my theory about spelling is correct. Thank you.

Master
One person may play the guitar quite nicely after just one month's practice, whereas another person might practice diligently for life and never reach the same standard.
Yes, poor career choice perhaps. It happens.

"REAL" life is different.
Yes, there are the ‘genuine cases’ but seriously, I doubt these account for more than 1 % of minimum wage earners..

The fact remains that people on minimum wages, for whatever reason, can’t expect someone else to continually top up their incomes so they can enjoy luxuries they can’t really afford and this is the problem.

A person on a minimum wage, with a family, can’t expect the tax payer to pay for their plasma, or their smokes, gambling or their nights at the pub.

Now if you really think that this doesn’t happen, then open your eyes.

Kevin Rudd has a chance to prove he is really a very good democrat. His logic chip which seems to work pretty well on most things should address the plight of those on the minimum wage. Turnbull, a silvertail lawyer would never think of it, but what KR should do immediately to stimulate the economy further, is immediately abolish taxes on anyone who earns less than $800 a week. These taxes are probably counter productive in any case, and amount to little more than a compulsory loan by the low paid and disadvantaged to the Commonwealth, enriching thousands of accountants who charge sixty dollars to put in a tax return for these low paid workers.

At the minimum wage, the Commonwealth wants $60.00 straight up in tax a week. Abolishing tax on pays less than $20 an hour, would pump hundreds of millions of dollars a week into the economy. I am reliably informed that there are many who get cash in the hand, but this would mean a real boost to the local economy.

It is almost axiomatic that accountants make lousy managers. Lawyers are some of the worst managers around, according to some people I know, and have to employ an office manager to make sure they pay their bills. Come on Kevin, how about a wages led recovery, led by letting the little people, the clerks and salespeople in the supermarkets, the small time process workers, the retail salespeople who work for Big Mac and Whopper get a break.

It’s a Christian thing. Give them their daily bread, and welcome them into the Commonwealth. After they have been given their daily bread, they should have the burden of State taxes lifted off their employers necks, and the taxes on employment lifted. S 114 Constitution, prohibits States from taxing property of any description belonging to the Commonwealth, and since the Commonwealth comprises all of us, as a body politic, payroll tax is a tax of any kind. Make it worth while to be a member of the Commonwealth. Let the Liberals find a way to criticize this

I knew I was wrong, never should have contributed to the thread but some how I just had to defend people on low incomes.
How did they get branded Lefty's? or slothful, or how did the raise in pay they did not get this time be seen as for purchasing luxury items?
Reality screams look deeper at the issue, just who said low income earners are not much different than social security people.
Or that all on that pittance are bludgers.
Education ability opportunity all are not measures of the worth of low income earners or any humans.
Do not look just at our city's for them, look at most country workers.
And among them you ill find good parents well fed kids getting a good education.
People who never have problems with police and other officials surely branding us by income is just stupid.
rechtub you may well not be a snob, I have told you before you seem to be a good bloke, but you are blind to others needs and concerns.
In fact you need to walk a few miles in the shoes of some you constantly insult.

Belly: "rechtub you may well not be a snob, I have told you before you seem to be a good bloke, but you are blind to others needs and concerns.
In fact you need to walk a few miles in the shoes of some you constantly insult."

I have suggested that Rechtub become a waged employee on a number of occasions - he has yet to respond. Clearly imagination is not lacking in Rechtub, as he states that I have claimed he underpays his employees - I have never commented on how he treats his employees. Although now that he has brought my attention to this topic, I have to wonder at someone who constantly whinges about the cost of employing people, now claims to be a generous employer.

Why should a minimum wage be higher? A minimum wage needs to keep pace with the cost of basic necessities such as accommodation, food, clothing, school expenses - I am not even daring to suggest that low income people might like to see a movie occasionally or go to restaurant, lest I be howled down with shouts that low-income people should just be grateful to have a job. Apparently well-being and contentment are luxuries reserved for those on higher incomes.

Fractelle
You wrote

I have suggested that Rechtub become a waged employee on a number of occasions - he has yet to respond.

My response
I have already told you that I worked for coles. Given the fact that I did the work of two or three staff, for the same money, I decided to buy another shop. Yep, UFD at it's best, protecting the lowest achievers in the workplace, ultimately setting the benchmark.

You wrote
The pattern emerging from rechtub's many discussion threads is one of justifying his desire to hold low standards, rights and wages to his employees

To his employees
So what is this then if it's not accusing me of paying low wages?

Now as for zero tax for low paid workers, I have no problem with that. The saving on paperwork would be one less burdon on small business owners.

But the true fact remains that unless one wishes to better themselves, nothing will change as there are opportunities for people to better themselves, even if it does mean the odd hour or two for nothing, just to gain some skills.

When I was a kid I worked for several hours each week, in the first few years, just to learn to break beef. Nowdays this is seen as the boss using people.

Sure one can use something from their past as an excuse, but hey, most of us have skelitons in the closet, dont we!

By the way. Most people who can't work due to an illness or handicap are subsidiesed anyway. So what's the big problem.

By the way, my shops burn fosil fuel as well. Should I shut them down and sack everyone.

By the way, do you own a car that burns fosil fuel?

Over to you, 'tall poppies'!