Pensioners Done to Death

I can't believe that the Abbot Government would be so cruel to pensioners as to disable the agreement with the States that allows for concessions for pensioners.  These concessions include assistance with rates, electricity, licenses and registration and travel.  Without these concessions, many pensioners will have to sell their homes providing they have a home or find that they simply can't meet these expenses.  Whilst Councils and energy providers are understanding in these matters, pensioners will have little or no ability to do a 'catch up'.  Very little has been said about these by the media but the impact along with the other disadvantages that pensioners and the less well off have endured through this budget is astronomical. 

It may be desirable to return to a surplus but not at our expense.  I remember when businesses and others cautioned Swan against pushing for a surplus when he was Treasurer.  And the worst of it is Tony Abbott has the hide to call himself a Christian.

Books Crime Fiction

I am a steady and regular reader of Crime Fiction and Police Procedurals.  Reading is one of the many great past times especially if you are retired and have lots of time.  It also gives you a conversation starter "Have you read the latest by ....?" I have included here some of my recent reads and soon will set up a review page that perhaps others may be interested in.  For now, if you don't like the particularly gory serial killer type of book, I can strongly recommend the Ellie Quicke series by Veronica Heley.  These books are a homely british type of read where the mysteries are solved against a background of home and work.  Ellie Quicke Mysteries.

Abbott to raise pension age to 70

It is astounding to me that a Government dedicated to removing a mining tax can justify raising the pension age to 70 to balance their budget.  I don’t have the figures on what would be saved by such a move, but common sense would suggest, that eliminating one source of income from a wealthy group and making cuts that affect a disadvantaged group, is not a fair distribution.

Raising the pension age to 70 has little or no merit either in terms of a budget or in terms of the economy.  There may be some merit in raising the compulsory retirement age to 70 for those in good health and who wish to continue working rather than live on the reduced income of a pension. But for those who have worked for many years in a labour intensive job, it is possible that their physical well being would not sustain a longer working life.  There are also those who may already be unemployed through no fault of their own who cannot find jobs because employers want younger cheaper employees.  These people will be forced to remain on an unemployment benefit giving no additional advantage to any budget. 

Mr. Abbott seems to view pensioners as a drain on the economy giving no acknowledgement of the contribution to this country made during a full working life and the raising of a family.  Many of those due to receive a pension in the near future would not have much in the way of superannuation as only some of the working population accessed superannuation benefits until it became a national policy in the late 80’s for all workers.  Working men and women in trades, manufacturing and retail industries were mostly on the lower end of the wage structure making saving for a retirement time difficult whilst raising a family.

Mr. Abbott appears to want to reward modern parents with his parenting scheme whilst ignoring and penalising a group of people who have raised families already and contributed greatly to this society.  Retired pensioners still contribute to their communities by assisting others, doing volunteer work or helping raise their grandchildren.  Pensioners have never been a drain on society and should be considered a much valued contributor to the economy through their lifetime dedication to their work, their community and their families.

GST Yes or No.

Last night I watched a discussion on increasing revenues rather than simply cutting everything.  It is obvious that to keep our economy healthy, we need to allow for steady growth and reduce our deficit.  Whether, the deficit should be the primary concern is a debatable issue.

However, we all know that if we wish to spend more on worthwhile projects and improve the lot of those on fixed incomes then we must increase our income stream.  At the present time, the discussion seems to revolve around cutting costs whereas last night, the speakers on the programme I was watching suggested that it would be better to increase the GST.

The argument was that by increasing the GST across the board including those things that at present are excluded, would be provide an income stream that could be used to increase pensions and other Social benefits.  Money would also then be available for important matters such as education and health improvements.  Those on fixed incomes could be recompensed for any negative impact this increase would have.

It was suggested that a much larger sum of money would be available to grow Australia in terms of education, health and infrastructure by increasing our revenue source rather than the small gains that may be made by reducing services or the size of the public service.

None of us like an increase in taxes particularly those that are sure to bring increased costs across the board.  However, it is time to think about whether we wish to go forward or back for a sustainable prosperous future for all Australians.  If people were given to understand that these taxes would be spent on better programmes and increases in living standards then perhaps the benefits of such a policy would be more acceptable. The GST at least is an equitable tax that is payable by everyone.

I think that if people could be assured that the increase would be spent on benefits for the population rather than just applied to the surplus, then it is possible that agreement could be reached.  However, it would take negotiation.  We would need our politicians to sit down and work out the details so that Liberals can protect businesses and Labor can protect the workers and social benefits recipients and find a compromise that suits everyone.  I know I'm dreaming.  Further discussion on GST can be found in The Conversationhttps://theconversation.com/raise-the-gst-the-conversation-we-have-to-have-25202.

Studying - A Lifetime Ambition

In my youth long ago I would have liked to go to University but that wasn't possible.  Circumstances and financial restraints prohibited this for me and many of my generation.  Later I was too busy working towards getting my four children through their education.  The day came when I was made redundant and time stretched endlessly before me.  

Many people in a similar situation of either voluntary or forced retirement,  joined groups or volunteered in a new meaningful lifestyle.   I couldn't do this because of my ineptness in social or community situations. Outside of work, I stayed at home and had very few contacts with other people.  Fortunately, I was saved from absolute boredom through the internet particularly the new opportunities for studying online through distance education.  Open Universities Australia opened their doors for me to a new and exciting world.  Not only could I study at a University level but I had access to many of the best universities in Australia and a multitude of interesting study units.

My two favourites are Macquarie University for Philosophy and Curtin University for all things internet.  If you are interested however I am sure there is lots of good stuff at the other Universities depending on your interests.
 

Wonders of the Internet.

When I purchased my first computer, an Apple 2E my reason was to give my children the opportunity to learn and use computers.  I was determined that no matter how impoverished we were, they would have every educational opportunity that I could provide.  Now I have five year old grandchildren who challenge me to a game of Hearthstone.  Incidentally, if you like playing games and you are a bit senior like me, I would recommend this game.  It is a card game that involves challenging and demolishing your opponent and is free to play online.  Getting back to computers - not only did the kids learn computers but so did I.  Following this, I obtained my first modem and went 'online'. Wow, I was hooked.  In those days of dial up it cost me quite a bit of money to access the information I liked in different libraries and from other places.

Now this morning, I have checked my emails, my bank account and read the news.  I checked out some books from the regional library online and looked up everyone on Facebook to see what they have been doing.  Later I will peruse some of my favourite blogs.  Thank goodness for ADSL and I hope soon NBN.

After I was made redundant a few years ago, I started studying online with OUA to fill my time.  As I said in my bio, I am not a social person so I couldn't pursue some of the things that I might have, like group activities or volunteer work. But through the internet I have access to several universities, great library collections and recently learnt embroidery from Mary Corbet's "needlenthread" blog that includes videos of various stitches. 

My greatest wish would be to see more elderly people using the internet to communicate and break down their isolation.  My second wish would be for people to stop railing against kids for being on computers all day.  In these days, there are very few places for kids to gather that are safe where they can play or associate.  And in my experience, kids are not just playing games on the computer.  They are communicating with friends, watching videos on a wide range of subjects or playing and listening to music.  Sometimes they are even constructing their own videos and remixing some music.

Our kids are experiencing something that we could not have ever imagined.  I don't believe we can apply old standards or lifestyles to the current generations.  This is a different world and rather than try to drag them away from it, I believe we should try and dive in with them and gain a better understanding of what's going on.  The internet and the www have opened the world to them and life has changed in ways we might find difficult to comprehend.  Jobs, entertainment, recreation, education and relationships will be very different from even the fairly immediate past.  So give the kids a break.  Sure encourage them to have exercise and step into Real Life occasionally but also recognise that part of their life will always be spent online in the wonders of cyberland.