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To: re3 who wrote (89251)	1/1/2000 2:40:00 PM
From: HG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

ike, first of all let me say that I know nothing about the welfare system here in US. My comment was based solely on the personal experiences I had with the socialism in Australia.....I saw how he govt reinforced the behaviour and habits of the new generation and was making it into a vicious circle...... <<<that you passed over 48k in tax $ that just was earmarked for welfare>>> Australia has 51% tax rate (marginal) for everyone who earns over 50K...and the capital gains rate is the same. And I had earned all that money overseas too, so it was more irritating for me...Need I say more ???? They have a stupid govt which keeps imposing higher and higher tariffs to protect local manufacturing - and the educated pay the price. If you haven't lived there you won't know what it is to go shopping. The tariffs are terribly high, the manufacturing is almost zero. A decent cardigan for a newborn is priced upwards of $50, never mind the fact that Australia is the largest producer of wool. <<does your ex beach bum neighbour have this problem, no, he's too smart to get suckered into shitty work>>> Yes, he is too smart. Because he makes almost the same amount of money as I do after tax. Hell, I was paid $80 per hour as a member of the executive management team in a multinational. The guy who came to lay tiles in our house got $1000 for a 3 hour job he did...!!! Min wages are upward of $10....free of tax...which is what they get from social security, so why would anyone work ??? And to think I spent $50K on getting an MBA - not to mention the engineering degree before that ! Why would an Australian get an education ???? Do you know only 1% of Australia earns more than 100,000 ? LOL. People who earn 50K are taxed the same way as Rupert Merdoch is taxed..!!!! <<<<what should people work hard AT >>> <<If you can take an-ex fisherman with grade school education and make him into a programmer>>> How about tiling ? Or plumbing ? Or gardening ??? Or baby sitting ?? Unlike US, most colleges offer undergraduation courses free of cost. There are zillions of community colleges too.....I did offer his a 1000 to babysit my daughter after school between 4-6. He was not interested...! He said it was a binding on his time. But why would he want to work if he was getting 4K... <<<how many countries that are reasonably prosperous take in immigrants>>> If you think Australian immigrantion policy is from the good in their hearts, you are way off the mark. Average Australian (no disrespect intented) would rather be at the beach. In my job, I managed a team of 35 senior project managers and project directors some of them earning $1000+ a day plus all living expenses and car paid for by the clients. Every year we gave them a raise. Most Australians chose to work lessor and lessor. Most immigrants had to fill up for them. When I left, there were people who had to worked upto 105 hours a week, just to compensate for people who chose to work only 3 days a week....! My boss worked 30 hours , I worked close to 90 hours. And in the last two years I worked only 8 months in a year. Why ? Because I figured out that I made the same after tax if I worked an extra 4 months...talk about insane govt policies of taxing the rich ! The Australian economy would just fall of the cliff, if it were not for the immigrants..... Its sad, but all the good, industrious ones leave after a few years. Me and my 12 friends went there for a vacation. Loved the place. Decided to move there. Moved. 5 years down the line - all of us have moved out. And it is our kind of people Australia needs most....the industrious, educated and entrepreneurial kind Australia needs most...!

To: re3 who wrote (89251)	1/1/2000 3:42:00 PM
From: HG	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

Oh, and the fact whether all of 48K went to welfare... Where else could it go ? Education - Public Schools were so underfunded that everyone earning over 50K was forced to pay donations every semister. College and university : Everyone with income of over 50K was ineligible for free or subsidised education. Even the HECS - an educational loan from govt was unavailable to me for my MBA... Infrastructure : The roads - well everyone paid the "bridge toll" to cross the bridges which were built 100s of years ago....I assume they charged us for maintenance.....??? Charity was so active that everday there would be at least 10 people at my doorstep for Cancer Research, Child Welfare, Home for the Aged...and I did do my bit (I'm not a very bad person at heart), but then, that left me wondering where in the world that 48K went ???? Medicare - yes that was great, but I paid an extra 2% in taxes over and above 50%, and besides, over 50K in salary and you were ineligible for a lot of things....so I paid for the insurance too...!!! I think I was ineligible for most things my neighbor was eligible for !!!! So in essence, I paid for his services as well as mine...! I tell you, it was perfect communism there...!!!! And since 99% of people were supported by 1% of the people, they kept voting the govt back into power.... I loved the place, so I stuck around for 5 years. Eventually, I and my friends gave up....