You need to read
and comprehend what I have written again.
Where did I say I don't believe in social security per se?
I think you will find in post 53, from memory, that I rail against the inability of govt to provide a living retirement pension to people who need it because they waste so much of your taxes on people who don't need it. Legitimately unable to work? No problem we as a society will help you in meaningful way...well we would if we were not WASTING resources on the bone idle. I would dearly love to see the old age/disability pension doubled or trippled but because we waste so much of our limited capital resources on spurious rights we are stopped from being as compassionate a society as we could otherwise be.
Should the pension be means tested. Do I think the dole should have an expiry date for the healthy? Absolutely.
But the fundamental, inescapable fact is that the basic definition of a 'right' is that it CANNOT infringe on another right.
Society can aspire to a minimum wage if it so chooses and Australia has done so...Great!!!
But it isn't a right.
My Daughter has in the last two years or so left home and gone off to college, gained qualifications and in the last 11 months entered the work force...initially part time while still at college in the place she now works full time...they were determined to get her full time within weeks of her starting there...she had to keep asserting herself by knocking back extra shifts because they interfered with college..she even asserts her right to time off because she KNOWS that not doing so will mean she can't function to her employers best advantage...they respect her for doing so.
She was told by many of her mates she could not possibly get a job at this place because she had no relevant experience (as a barmaid) so she should get a job at some lowly pub first...she went to the interview and told them what she COULD do, what she had done and the boss just said "when can you start?"
She is possessed of a great work ethic, self discipline in most things (except bloody boys
) and within mere months of starting work has been picked out of the crowd of work peers for promotion and grooming for management positions. Her pay has gone up. She chooses to remain full time casual because she gets paid for every minute she works and recognises that in return she does not get sick/holiday pay. Her employer values her and has said so...asked her what her aspirations are and is facilitating those aspirations in a reasonable and timely manner...putting extra training resources into her (significant free education - she has received free what many parents pay several $1000 for) while still paying her a wage...she feels a very real sense of responsibility to her employer that she notes is lacking in most of the kids that work in the same establishment who instead display a sense of entitlement to their wage while doing just the minimum amount of work and nothing more. She is happy and feels she has found an employer that allows her to use her best judgement (to even make the odd mistake- rare because she has a good head on her shoulders and asks questions - and never twice) and she wants to stay with that employer and
work her way to the top.
She has moved from barmaid to events supervisor in a very large business in 6 months...she is 20. She has proved, and continues to prove, her worth and potential and stated clearly her aspirations and the owner of said business has responded with the statement "Chelsea I need you to help control these other dickheads...this is a multi million dollar business that I cannot put a 20 year old in charge of..but one day you will be in charge of it." and she has examples of other staff who have been there 15-20 years (the business has been there 30+ years and always owned by the same fella) and earn a VERY good wage and have been treated extremely well (maternity leave with their job waiting when they are READY to return- as one example a women had 2 years off ( I assume not all paid) and her job was there when she came back) by the owner of the business...because he recognises good employees and is desperate to keep them out of enlightened self interest.
If the boss was a moron she would exercise her basic rights to go somewhere else and his business would suffer as a result.
But she knows she has no right to any of this...she has to earn it and continue to earn it....she didn't get that way by pure fluke. If giving my child the ability to be happy makes me
one of the biggest right wing loony fools I have ever heard then so be it...mea culpa
And I will give you an example of the sort of thing she DID that got her where she is now. When she was 17 she had basically finished school here in Asia (English system) and didn't want to do yr 12 and 13 as there was no requirement for her chosen profession in hospitality/event management. My position was you're either in school or working...no middle ground. Where can I get a job I am an expat kid? Ask xyz (Australian female GM) at blah blah hotel (6 star) who has talked to you at school. She rang and told this women the situation and was told to expect a call from HR. She went for the 'interview' and had a plan laid out in front of her to work as an intern in each department of the hotel for one month each, starting in events...pay was Sin$200/
MTH. She smiled sweatly, returned home and said "Dad they are taking the piss...$200/mth!!!"
What qualifications do you have that would justify a certain wage?
None.
So?
OK.
She went to work and so impressed the event manager that she refused to release her from the department and just a few months later she organised and ran the British High Commission Christmas Party and earned high praise from the high commissioner and many others...and worked 50+ hrs a week for $200/mth. And was happy and learned heaps and looks back on those achievements with justified pride.