Rank 9 - Board Staff
That's exactly why I said you have to sacrifice Gok. It's tough work and a crappy life but do it for a few years and you too can own a home. Then you can get on with enjoying your life.
BTW I think you should get danger pay Gok considering the things High School Kids do. My wife was telling me the cops busted some kids from Vincentia High School dealing the big H. What the hell!!!
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
...being underpaid and working in crummy conditions are some of the reasons why we strike. :/
Rank 1 - New or Inactive
Oh I really don't think it's THAT bad. Besides, before you know it, anyone with a remotely dangerous job will be claiming that sort of stuff. Hell a council worker on the side of the road with a lolipop stick has more chance of being run over then a teacher being seriously assaulted.Originally Posted by Bartrim
Besides. Gok knows Kung Fu. I'm sure he could bitch slap any kid before they made a move
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Although I agree to some extent about having other options avaliable that doesn't fully address the issue. We shouldn't have to seek those types of employments in a country which is supposedly first world.
The cost of living is so high these days that's its ridiculous, if you are single then you are dead as the only way to survive a mortgage is to share the burden with a partner, double income. What hurts more is that only a generation ago things were piss easy and as they say, working hard did bring results, that is not the case anymore.
The cost of living is artificially high and I blame it all on previous Governments who fully mismanaged the economy and urban development. Australia is now filled with Property barons who monopolize the house market maintaining costs high and aside from them, the other people benefiting are the older generations who bought their homes for next to nothing and their properties are now worth over a million dollars.
The only way that Gen X/Y can win here, is if they are set to inherit such property or win the lottery. Otherwise they will never be able to buy a home unless they partner up with someone else for joint income or win the lottery. Even upper middle wage earners don't have enough to afford a mortgage on their own. With partnerships, the trouble is that if something happens and one of them becomes unemployed, even for a short while, they won't be able to hold the mortgage and likely to have their property repossessed causing a disaster.
The Dream of 'owning your own home' is now just that, a dream for the new generations.
Last edited by kup; 19th March 2008 at 03:36 PM.
Rank 9 - Board Staff
Kup is wise in his words.
Good on you government, for encouraging people to buy as many houses as possible. Thanks Baby Boomers for ruining us forever.
Rank 1 - New or Inactive
yeah lets beat our parents up
Kup you can buy my Sydney house soon its close to many toy shops and the city
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
I wasn't seriously suggesting that we get danger pay - but we are underpaid. Considering the conditions we work in etc., the pay isn't worth it. Teaching is a labour of love... but without improved working conditions and wages, we're seeing an ever increasing shortage in teaching labour (and we're seeing the same other fields with similar problems such as doctors and nurses). Universities are seeing ever decreasing numbers of enrolments in education and we're seeing decreasing number of students teachers and new teachers. I've heard that the average new teacher doesn't last beyond their first three years of teaching before quitting their job and changing careers. And a lot of people are taking up teaching as a temporary job - something to do for a few years before changing their job (i.e.: they're planning this while still at uni) instead of going in with the intention of doing it as a lifelong career.
And ultimately the people who really suffer from this are the kids whose education is becoming increasingly compromised.It will be a sad day indeed when our teacher shortage becomes as bad as in the UK (and I imagine there would be similar shortages in other underpaid professional areas like nursing too).
...and it's come in handy more than once. My right elbow is currently sore after an encounter with a student yesterday.
We can't hit students but we are allowed to restrain them. The most extreme move I've ever had to use on a kid was a "triangle" headlock. I'm currently co-teaching Kung Fu (see details on the martial arts discussion thread) where we're focusing on passive self-defence which is easier to use legally and is also more ideal for use at schools - i.e.: countering violence without becoming violent.
In Monday's Telegraph there was a story about schools where teachers were attacked by students with weapons including pieces of wood, broken glass, and even a toy gun (which looked realistic) - and the latter is the reason why we need a frikkin' permit to own Megatron. As benben would say, grrr!!
Rank 10 - Admin
What depresses me is that there's _no_ public debate at all on the impact that negative gearing (read: tax concessions on residential property investment) has on the prices in the property market.
The net effect is to increase the prices through an increase in demand for property.
The present band-aid solution being proposed by the real estate industry? Increasing the FHOG. Which will do squat for the average first home buyer, since the vendors will lift their prices accordingly. It will disadvantage those buying an owner occupied property _not_ eligible for the grant, while the investors will factor the net increase in initial cost into their rent.
The real estate industry is always going to be happy which leads to a net increase in sale prices - it increases their cut. The fact that it does very little to improve affordability isn't really an issue for them. As long as someone buys the house - they don't care if that someone is more likely to be an investor.
Since most of the powers that be (ie pollies) are around the age of the bulk of investors (Baby Boomers, and those around that age), they're quite attune to the concerns of the poor little investors. Nevermind the fact that if the tax breaks were removed, the investors would (over a few years) shift a lot of their money from property into shares, bonds etc.
The situation will likely change in one way or another, but I think we have to wait for a significant change at the Federal level. One of two things could happen:
1) The Baby Boomers find themselves older than the parliament. A parliament dominated by today's 30 somethings would see their own generation's problems as more pressing than those of retirees who have other options for their retirement funds.
2) Someone in Canberra realises that urban sprawl and (for the most part) awful Public Transport means that our current city model is unsustainable as the market for petroluem becomes ever tighter. At which point they may actually work with state governments on the _heavy_ infrastructure projects required for Australian cities to be of a much higher population density. City living is expensive because there's not enough supply of dwellings _near_ the city. Other than small areas of inner Sydney and a decent chunk of inner Melbourne, our Public Transport truly sucks. If state governments can't or (in the case of NSW) wont spend the money needed, surely it's a nationally significant issue worthy of being included in the federal budget.
Eagerly waiting for Masterpiece Meister
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Here's a good one (playing devil's advocate):
The Baby Boomers are only able to buy these houses b/c they have money to invest. It's their right to. They've been working hard, saving lots while the rest of us sit around and whine but spend our money on annual holidays, gizmos and gadgest and lifestyles we can't afford. So the rest of us should get off our proverbial butts and stop looking to the government for an answer and do it the hard way.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
You are assuming too much with that statement.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
