Let us have another national public holiday, we can call it rational thought day.
Maybe Apathy day, as most will spend it on the beach.
Any one else a mused by the threads new directions?
We stand each of us,on our ant hill demanding the other side address every thing that is wrong with Australia.
Convinced they are the reason it is wrong.
Some, inventive, or just not understanding, wander around making claims, laying charges,that seem more symptoms of other problems.
Australia, we are told, is doing well because we once had John Howard/Peter Costello, by accident, or mining did it.
We insult/ignore defame THEM, the other side.
And place the highest value on our thoughts and the lowest on theirs.
Labor is in need of a leader and a direction.
LIBERALISM bound for power, is in need of? just look at them!
We are transfixed with one sides problems and well on the way to suffering from the other sides lost and free air to plan only destruction.

Anti:
<Tell me, what is good about a social arrangement in which the women go to work and the men stay home?>

I can't speak for all men, but I'd be all for it! I worked 60 hours a week in factories for 25 years and I did tire of hearing how tough the housework and child-rearing life was. Then I got my turn for a few years with four kids and found I'd been conned. If you're efficient the housework's no more than a few hours a day including cooking, and when I was a full-time dad my kids were never late for school, the beds were always made, the ironing didn't pile up and the house and yard were clean and tidy.
Choosing between long hours in a factory and housework and cappuccinos, I'll take the latter! Which is not to say a lot of men don't do their share. But I've seen a lot of women who were domestic slobs over the years too. That's off topic though.
The real problem is that we've let the system manipulate couples into both "needing" to work. Our increasingly dysfunctional system needs all hands working as many hours and years as possible, earning and spending money, and yet the slide continues. The modern capitalist West, whether with a liberal or socialist inflection, is a manifest failure and neither ideology has a clue what to do about it--because there's nothing they can do! Our political parties are like "Bush Mechanics"; they're just trying to keep the thing limping along until it dies.
And we think there's a qualitative difference in which mechanic we vote for! lol.

squeers:"the beds were always made, the ironing didn't pile up and the house and yard were clean and tidy."

Not me, I'm a sloven. If I don't have a woman in my life the place goes to wrack and ruin. If I were forced into the role of house-husband, I'd neither be good at it or enjoy it. My place is clean, but the rest...

All of my working life has been spent doing the hard yards too. At present, thanks to the downturn in my industry, I've got too much time on my hands and I hate it. I still don't do any ironing though. I'm not sure where the iron is, now that I think on it.

Otherwise, I agree with your post pretty much.

Anti,

You're blaming the current government for what occurred under the Howard government too. And there's a good reason trade is encouraged, two growing industries called resources and construction.

Manufacturing has been on the decline for many years, and if there was anyone who missed the opportunity to do anything to arrest that it was John Howard.

And what's wrong with encouraging women into tertiary study?

Trashcan, my industry is construction. Trust me when I tell you it is not growing.

There are already twice as many women at university as there are men. A very large portion of them will be doing courses that will qualify them for work in the health and social services sector, or some other field that is largely or entirely supported by government. Unless government ups the spending there will be either no jobs for them, or they will have to take a pay cut.

At the same time, jobs that have not traditionally been done by women are being left undone, or workers ar being imported because we don't have enough trained men and women don't want to do them on the whole. As well, a large portion of those students are mothers in their late 30s or 40s with children of toddler age and up and they simply have no chance of ever committing to the time demands of an engineering career, for example.

What's wrong with encouraging men into tertiary study anyway?

Back on topic again now.

Squeers <"I agree that Abbott would be about the worst choice as leader, but I don't thinker the leaders of party's have much say unless they have a commanding position in the poles."

Gee I hope you are right Squeers :)

Although, I thought Abbott WAS in an extremely good position on the polls right now isn't he?
The polls say that if there was an election right now, he would win for sure.
Sob!