I am traveling through Australia and am amazed by this country. It is vast, organized, and quite simply beautiful. I am also struck by how healthy the people seem, the lack of large numbers of homeless in Sydney and Melbourne, and the self-assured manner of the people.
Sydney and Melbourne (especially Melbourne) are quite frankly, two of the nicest cities I’ve ever been to and I’ve traveled A LOT! These cities are much more diverse than you could possibly imagine, and both cities are incredibly cosmopolitan offering a fantastic number of amazing things to do. There is a quality of life here that is on par with: Switzerland, Scandinavian Countries, and Canada. Businesses close early, people spend time with family, and do things like…go on vacation.
It’s as if, the people and the government understands the following:
You Have To Put Your Money Where Your Values Are
Now, before I get started I should say that Australia of course has problems. They are dealing with the ongoing results of their “White’s Only Immigration Policy” and the aftermath of removing thousands of Aboriginal children from their homes. Also, things are expensive here. Housing is unbelievably expensive. People are being priced out of the opportunity to buy real estate and build wealth. So, I am aware of those issues.
But, you can’t deny that the quality of life that Australians are living is fantastic. I have not visited all of the country and I’m sure there are places that are “ok” but my feeling is that most people are reasonably happy with how things are going…and have the perception that they can have a nice life living in Australia.
Wages are higher, health care is accessible to everyone, kids are well-educated (and wear uniforms which I LOVE) and people enjoy their lives!
They Are Citizens Instead of Consumers
Also, I will acknowledge that Australia has around 25 million people and the USA has around 315 million people. That’s a big difference. And, how we govern is also a huge difference. But the fact is: the disparities in: education; safety; access to healthy food; health care; paid time off (for singles or parents), and vacation is why people are getting turned off by America. And the sad truth is this:
Equality Cannot Coexist With American Style Capitalism
Let’s be honest. We have an “us vs. them” mentality about people we perceive to not be contributing as much as “they” should-usually “them” would be referring to poor people. I don’t get this mindset. I would much rather pay for education (not a parent yet) than jails. Why would I want to incarcerate someone instead of educate and empower them? Because we compete with one another we’re resistant to the idea (it seems) to policies that would equalize: Health Care, Education, Safety Regulations, Vacation Leave, and General Leave.
Living In America Is Like Being A Gladiator In The Roman Coliseum:
Kill (metaphorically) or Be Eaten.
There is an intrinsic nature of competition in our society. We are jostling for our place at the head of the line The idea that you can rise from poverty/middle class to become Oprah or Jay-Z is the tantalizing tale that we sell everyone. Two Billionaires who are literally making money rain. But the fact is Jay-Z and Oprah had people who helped them along the way.
- Mentors
- A Random Gift of Wisdom
- Anonymous support/sponsorship
People are resistant to helping other people via government programs and I totally understand that as governments aren’t the best at running transformative programs…cheaply. So, why aren’t we focusing on non-government programs that do what I mentioned above? Mentor people, share wisdom with people who need, and lend anonymous support for people who just need someone to say “I believe in you.”
Because not everyone has family who can help them. And to say that “I did it all on my own.” Kind of sucks and you’re missing the point. You shouldn’t have to make this statement and doing everything on your own is the road to burnout, depression, and going crazy.
People Need Some Help and It Doesn’t Have To Be From The Government
This hyper competitiveness amongst one another is keeping us from seeing the big picture. To help others also helps us. I don’t want criminals running in the streets when I could invest in their lives, make people feel valued, and have them believe that the American Dream is possible for them.
I want people around me who can communicate their thoughts clearly because we educated them well, have huge dreams for their lives, and are healthy because they have access to doctors who work with them on their health related issues.
I want people to go on vacations and come back refreshed and ready to work like rockstars because they are refreshed and happy. I want single people and parents to have equal access to fairly earned leave so that they can attend to themselves or their loved ones. Is that too much to ask?
How I Would Pay For My Proposals:
- Health Care-I don’t want to touch this because we’ve talked this one to death LOL! But, I would have probably required people to put a small % into a savings account each month automatically. Not necessarily an HSA, but similar.
- Education-I think that we should pool taxed monies on a state level and disburse them evenly amongst all of the schools in the state. Each school would get the same amount of money to spend. And, I would require kids to wear uniforms to cut down on clothing costs.
- Vacation Leave-I would require people to take it. We don’t have to raise the amount. Just take the vacation that you earned. Jeez. Baby steps people, baby steps.
- General Leave-Again, after 2 years of continuous service and paying a percentage of your own money into an account for your own usage you could earn 3-4 weeks off for personal enrichment, etc.
- Maternity Leave-This one is tricky because we do have the option of 3 months unpaid leave. I think it would be groovy to actually at least get a month of pay! So, I would have people contribute their own money into an account for leave. It could be the same as the general leave fund and you could choose the one that works best for your situation.
We Could Do Better By One Another
I think that a society should be judged by how we treat the people with the least amount of power in our community. What does that say about us? There shouldn’t be pockets of “amazing” in America where it’s amazing to live there…as long as you don’t go to the bad part of town.
We have the money and resources to change the status quo. Why aren’t we doing it? And, no-I didn’t watch the State of the Union. I’m in Australia remember?!
Sorry for the Rant! What Do You Think We Could Do Better…AND HOW??!
Must Include A Solution in Comment Please 🙂
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well I think we can always do better. The how is the tricky part and I don’t have an answer really. But I do think a lot can start with being our best selves personally. But there again, we have to figure out how. Food for thought!
I think you’re right about spending some time looking in the mirror and trying to be our best selves first. That’s a good starting point.
What a rant. My sister went to Australia. She’s been to a lot of places, but it was the only place where she said she’s like to live. I’m a Canadian, so I’m not sure if I’m qualified to give advice (and I certainly don’t understand all your American issues). From the list you’ve given, I’d say parental benefits would be an awesome improvement. In Canada, it’s the norm for one parent or the other to be off the the baby’s first year.
I very rarely do rants as I try to be super positive. I really love my country and there is a long list of reasons why. But, we aren’t being honest about the reality which is in order to have our type of system that will always keep us from equalizing things that seem like common sense. I know that one year off for parental leave wouldn’t work for us which is why I suggested a month off paid and 2 months unpaid. I wish it did though!
All countries can do better. In the USA we have too many people riding in the wagon, and not enough people pulling it. A simple solution for the USA, with the incredibly strong dollar, is to just print the money and pay for what we need. We can get out of debt in a minute of we did that.
Of course there is a downside, our dollar would get weak and manufacturers would be forced to build manufacturing plants and create jobs here.
I agree that all countries can do better. But, I’ve become hyper focused on the U.S. because we (Congress) have been arguing with one another since 2000 instead of working together and getting things done. It’s embarrassing as these are grown adults and a lot of times you have to work with people you dislike. I love the pay as you go approach, and quite frankly I would prefer for manufacturing to be done in the States for U.S. products. That’s why I am passionate about buying local-it keeps people employed. I would rather pay for a well-made good manufactured locally, then cheap stuff made overseas making other people rich. I’m over doing that.
Another comment…
We do have free education, at least until you get out of high school. Even with that education being free, some high schools only have a 50% graduation rate. That would be the first place to fix, get it to 100%. And there are many grant programs for lower income people to get free college, but they need to get out of high school.
Free college doesn’t help if you can’t get out of high school and time off work doesn’t help if you cannot get a job because you have no skills.
The military will give you plenty of money for college. If the military was mandatory, it would solve a lot of issues.
Also, the minimum wage could be adjusted based on the achievements you have made. $5 an hour for non HS graduates, $10 an hour for HS graduates, $15 for 2 year degrees, $20 for a 4-year degree, military and trade school graduates.
I love your comments!! We do have free education but because we’re paying for schools via property tax if you’re in a poorer neighborhood with lower tax revenue you’re schools won’t have as many resources. That’s why I suggested pooling the tax money together into a general pot and doling out the same amount. But, you’re totally right that our graduation rates need to be raised. So, my comments were initially directed at people who are already employed…but, I will piggy back on yours about education. I personally think that all 19 year olds should go to the military for 1 year before college, I think that would address issues of discipline. I find the achievement based minimum wage tricky because some people may be truly gifted in a field but might not have the academic accreditation..I will ponder that one. Keep the comments coming.
In Minnesota, some of the highest funded schools, in dollars per student, are the lowest achievers. I am not sure why. Maybe the money is wasted, or the money needs to be more.
That is weird! I bet they call that the Minnesota Paradox. I am really focused on the school uniform idea. I think that helps frame what school is to both students and parents: an important building block to your life.
I recently went to Australia, and I know what you mean. It is an incredible place. Like you, I have traveled all over the globe and that was by far the best place I have been to. It was interesting, because I rarely ran into any American travelers. I think because Americans don’t get enough vacation time to travel that far.
Another item to add to the list above is war. I am 100% a pacifist. I can’t see how anyone can recommend war as a solution. This needs to stop.
I’ve run into a lot of people from Colorado on my travels. I’m not sure what to think about that…but, I liked all of them! You’re right that we don’t get enough vacation time to travel. But, we also leave our time on the table which really doesn’t make sense to me. I’m all for getting out of wars-expensive and usually a waste of time.
I am a reader who lives in the UK and despite it many problems and the fact that it is trying very hard to emulate American style capitalism. I am grateful for the social programmes that we have which helps to create a cohesive society. I do find the hypercompetive and overly work orientated lifestyle of America too much and not very conducive to a balance life.
Thank you so much for reading (and commenting!) Trust me when I say this lifestyle isn’t working for us either. I think that we recognize this, but are having a difficult time navigating how to change this because we are a “Me” society vs. “We” So, in stressing individualism, etc. the problem becomes how to address the public good and balancing our since of individualism. I think we will figure out something that works for us in the long run. But, I think it will not be a cohesive policy but a groundswell of locally run businesses that start addressing the needs of their employees.