A journal by any other name…

Well, for anyone who reads this, its all good. I’m still alive after my last reported car incident. I could catalogue the events of my life since then but you’d be asleep very shortly, so I’ll resist. A snapshot: today, I disassembled, moved and rebuilt a chook house. Tomorrow, I’m going snowboarding! With some luck we’ll finally make it to the hallowed grounds of Mt Rufus, without epic or illness, slide down some white stuff and return home without anything too silly happening.

I’ll report back by christmas. Promise.

Speaking of silliness, how about those crazy old olympics – I went to an olympic-themed drinks the other week and told people I came dressed as a human rights activist. It was a great conversation-stopper, and coupled with a recent brilliant display of self-censorship by an Australian olympic broadcaster, really drove home a simple message: we care about shiny gold things and escapism. Do not, by god, let reality impinge!

With all due respect people, lets call a spade a spade and a farce a farce.

But I forget – its Tasmania! The state where we call a farce development and a trashed and burned world-heritage-worthy irreplaceable forest a managed resource and a pulp mill nobody wants a done deal. Crap. Maybe it really is time to move back to the north island… or just stop writing under the influence of two glasses of very fine wine…

‘later folks… more news to come..

I’m unemployed today! What a great feeling to send Bel off to work and stay home. So, what do I do? work, of course. On long standing side projects, things that need doing, blah blah blah.

My day looks something like a bit of carpentry, some running around town and shopping, getting some photos laminated, and who knows what else will crop up. Oh, and chasing superannuation and a new ABN [a business ID number] in the meantime. Yay for internet at home!

So far, I’ve made a pile of coffee for the week[s] ahead, and updated my photo gallery. More piccies of the beautiful Bel, and some from a recent trip to Mt Arapiles. Ahhh…

Next up, downstairs with the power planer to make some crusty old sticks into beautiful furniture wood. And then? off on a mission across town to laminate photos and possibly indulge in a jigsaw. It’s been a big week for tool purchases!

However, tomorrow brings a new year. Time to knuckle down and start saving for two big, life changing missions. More on those soon…

I watched the excellent SBS program Insight last night, which focussed on the cost of living and wages in Australia.

It was confronting, and in a way appalling. On one hand, there were guests who had a combined household income that would leave most of us wondering how they manage to eat. On the other, there were people who were living quite comfortably, and effectively telling those on the lower end of the scale to put up and shut up.

Putting aside all arguments about lifestyles, choices and consumer dilemmas, we’re left with some plain, bare bones principles to chew on:

The cost of living is undoubtedly creeping up. Various guests on the show told the viewing audience that the increase in commodity prices is largely driven by a jump in resource prices – stuff that is mined – due to demand from growing nations. So, due to more global demand, prices for raw materials – like oil – are high. Fair enough? I guess so, if you’re making a mint out of it.

A representative of the organisation ‘employers first’ also laid the blame on increasing wages. But there’s a catch. CEO wages increase vastly faster than those of low-income earners. So, with executive wage increases driving wage inflation, where does that leave those on the breadline? In a world of creeping uncertainty.

For once, the goverment was on the side of good. A resolution to the issue? Two pronged – prong one: Increase the minimum wage. I hear all the economists booing and hissing – but those with memories will recall a decimation of wages and conditions for low-income workers by a recently-ousted government in Australia. And two: give lower income earners an income tax break. Again, more booing and hissing. But consider this: People on low incomes need to own and pay for all their stuff out of their own pockets. There are no company cars or salary sacrifices for production line workers, factory workers or casual hospitality employees. Not to mention, thanks to our recently ousted government, a person making the minimum wage pays the same amount of tax at the supermarket checkout as a person making $100+ an hour.

Fair enough to give low income earners a tax break? I think so.

People on low incomes do the vast majority of heavy lifting in Australia. I like to think of it this way, in any business:

If the CEO disappears for a month and isn’t replaces, nobody really notices. If the toilet cleaner disappears and isn’t replaced, its a disaster. Who is more important to the business?

I hope that our current government is strong enough to stand by its support of the working majority, and to stand against the inane ravings of economic dogmatists.