98% photo of Australia meme and Govt. nanny is good.

[Lord Xar]

I have my own feelings on this, but how do you feel about this photo? Is it accurate in its representation?
Of course, this is a typical repost from a liberal on facebook.

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/252374_10151152340906275_1539855589_n.jpg

[trey4sports]

fuckin' moochers

[paulbot24]

Unions are good - Check
Gov healthcare is good - Check
Welfare is good - Check
Subsidized world - Check
Lolipops for all - Check

This sounds like somebody that is happy with the hijacked Occupy movement. Everything should be "free" or "handled" by our mother government. For some reason, I don't get the warm/fuzzies reading her list. My being a heartless asshole might be a contributing factor though.

[BSU kid]

Lol at "We are looked after"...what a brainwashed zombie. :D

Also Australia has 22.6 million people compared to 350 million, much easier to have a welfare system that "works" in such a sparsely populated place.

[Cabal]

According to heritage.org, Australia enjoys the world's 3rd freest economy in 2012, behind Hong Kong and Singapore respectively.

The US ranks #10.

[misean]

First of all Australia is more capitalistic than the US right now. Secondly, 38 hour work weeks might be part of the reason that ZERO innovation comes out of Australia. Everyone likes to shit on old America. Virtually everything that has propelled humankind forward over the last 150 years was either developed in the US or marketed in the US. Australia has done better as of late despite some of the socialistic things they do. These mother fucking retards think the reason they aren't in recession is because they have universal health care? What kind of mongoloid logic is that?? Its amazing that these retards don't equate a deficit that's under control and reduced regulating with more prosperity. They think the fucking worst things about their society are why they are better.

[Expatriate]

"We are looked after"

What are you, zoo animals?

*puke*

Fine, have your nannygov paradise. Just don't try to "look after" those who don't want it.

[AGRP]

Do they have keyboards in Australia?

[Czolgosz]

Kunta Kinte had free everything. Top that Australia.

[seraphson]

To that I say?

Let's talk when your country's currency melts down with a rest of them. Let's ponder and trace back to the root cause of such a catastrophic event. I guarantee all the delusionally provided handouts built on fake credit which are listed were all a portion of the problem.

In addition I suggest she reads The Law by Bastiat.

[jclay2]

Australia is largely benefiting from the resource boom and its trade relations with asia...no? What the heck does government run healthcare and the nanny state have to do with that?

[angelatc]

She forgot to tell us about their immigration policy. I'm sure it's just an oversight.

[BSWPaulsen]

I couldn't help but be struck by the notion that the individual that penned that is proud to be a leech. Sucking from the productive to pay for what it is undoubtedly an individual that likely isn't paying much in taxes (hence the emphasis on "my student loans"), or making all that much versus the cost of living (high minimum wage = higher living costs).

The strong social safety net is subsidized by the relatively looser business restrictions and much smaller population with no need for a national defense worthy of mention (the US picking up the slack, as usual). I am so thoroughly underwhelmed by these countries that have their national defense covered by the US to the extent that they only have to worry about their welfare state. Get back to me when they have to provide for both, at which point I can only wish them luck and laugh at them.

[Expatriate]

I couldn't help but be struck by the notion that the individual that penned that is proud to be a leech. Sucking from the productive to pay for what it is undoubtedly an individual that likely isn't paying much in taxes (hence the emphasis on "my student loans"), or making all that much versus the cost of living (high minimum wage = higher living costs).
Someone posted this earlier today:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/423174_393696780706746_1800686712_n.jpg

[RP-AUSTRALIA]

1. Australian student loans are initially paid for by the government but then a certain amount gets automatically deducted from the pay check after the individual after their income reaches a certain level. The Government offers a 25% discount on uni fees if they are paid up front, per semester, so as to encourage students to pay as much as they can without getting a big debt. Compared to the USA, our uni fees are generally a fair bit lower. However, the universities charge foreign students a lot more than local students allowing them to keep local fees lower.

2. the minimum wage part and the 38 hour work week part are true however there are exceptions to both. Teenage workers and apprentices can get paid below that minimum wage level. Employers can also often require employees to work longer than 38 hours per week and many do. Australians are also generally pretty hard workers.

3. Welfare is not available to anyone who wants it. If you have an certain amount of savings and a certain amount of assets you cannot get welfare until these are significantly depleted (not sure on the exact figures). The amount of welfare you get is also very low and barely enough to survive on. Also when you go on welfare you are required, after about 3 months of job searching, to do what is known as 'work for the dole'. You are basically required to show up ando community work on a full time basis until you get a proper job. This discourages people from being on welfare.

4. The emergency health care part is true. However, private health insurance is not tied to your job like the US.

5. The recession part is also true and we didn't go into recession in 08 either. We still did the stupid Keynesian stimulus but not to the same extent as you did in the US. Our Government debt is still at a low and manageable level and the Labor (Democrat equivalent) Federal Government is making a fair effort to get a balanced budget this financial year. They won't get there but they will probably get reasonably close. They are also hated by the electorate and will most likely lose the next election to the more conservative (Liberal Party). At the State level, the Labor Party lost a number of elections in the last couple of years, and the incoming Liberal Party Governments have been making some modest cuts to the Size of the Government.

I'm not saying that Australia is good with entitlements, it's just not as bad as the person in the picture makes it out to be.

[RP-AUSTRALIA]

The strong social safety net is subsidized by the relatively looser business restrictions and much smaller population with no need for a national defense worthy of mention (the US picking up the slack, as usual). I am so thoroughly underwhelmed by these countries that have their national defense covered by the US to the extent that they only have to worry about their welfare state. Get back to me when they have to provide for both, at which point I can only wish them luck and laugh at them.

Not our fault the USA way over spends on defence. I would argue that defence spending is way over hyped in modern society. Australia is not about to be invaded anytime soon.

[Acala]

The free-market is the wellspring of prosperity. It is such a powerful force for wealth-creation that, like a mighty mule, it can carry a huge load. Socialism is a load. It burdens society with its counterproductive incentives and costs. Socialism only survives to the extent it can ride on the back of a functioning market. When the parasitic socialist structure gets too big and the underlying market is hindered by crony-capitalism, burdensome economic regulations, unsound monetary policy, and high taxes, the mule collapses. And the mule always collapses eventually. Some sooner, some later.

[whippoorwill]

"we are looked after"..just like the Bull looks after the Heffer.

[matt0611]

1. Everyone in the US that wants to go to college can go and take out $250,000 in debt if they want to. Interest free until 6 months after you graduate and the interest rate is subsidized by the Federal government after that, hows that working out for us? Oh yeah, $1 trillion in debt and not much to show for it.

2. Minimum wage $14? The unemployment rate for workers age 15 to 19 was 16.5%, and this is when their economy is still "good". Hey, you can't get a job! But don't worry, you'll be "looked after". Not many people in the US works for more than 40 hours anyway. But why should this be law? What if you *want* to work more than 40 hours / week. Why should you not be able to? It's stupid.

3. Welfare is available for people "who need it" here in the US as well! Has been for 30+ years. Food stamps, welfare, "free" public school, subsidized housing, medicaid, SSDI, grants for college, extended underemployment insurance during downturns etc. What has the poverty rate done since the 60s? Oh, right, it's gone up. So much for the "war on poverty" eh?

Oh yes, you can also point to Europe who has all this stuff too, its funny there's no one from Greece or Spain holding up a piece of paper saying how they're "looked after".

[itshappening]

Australia is a sparsely populated continent.

They have an abundance of natural resources that are able to support their welfare state, like Norway has oil. However, they have sold most of their large mining companies to the Chinese. Australia is becoming a Chinese client state.

Also Sydney has one of the most expensive housing in the world and the cost of living is quite high as they import a lot of food.

Despite their natural resources they have a federal debt of AUD 250bn and are running an AUD 45bn deficit a year. So it looks like they have embarked on a bit of a spending splurge.

I'm betting unless they cut this back and with changing demographics and the fact their resources are finite that they will not be able to maintain their welfare state.

[RonPaulFanInGA]

According to heritage.org, Australia enjoys the world's 3rd freest economy in 2012, behind Hong Kong and Singapore respectively.

The US ranks #10.

That ranking means squat if what she wrote is true.

It's also easier when you don't have millions of third world peasants in poverty flooding in from a neighboring country.

[Cabal]

That ranking means squat if what she wrote is true.

It's also easier when you don't have millions of third world peasants in poverty flooding in from a neighboring country.

I imagine she left out quite a bit of the fine details given all the points made on a single piece of paper.

[BSWPaulsen]

Not our fault the USA way over spends on defence. I would argue that defence spending is way over hyped in modern society. Australia is not about to be invaded anytime soon.

That it isn't, nor is it your fault for taking advantage of it. Kind of like corporations here in the USA taking advantage of the State to monopolize their interests are hardly to be blamed. Australia is just another recipient of US welfare.

However, it would appreciably change your government's finances should the US quit playing the protector, and would be an area to address given China's desire to expand its sphere of influence in the region. Military spending is more of a drain than anything else (taxes going to be paid for something that is unlikely to be used, but a failure to have lessens regional influence to such a degree as to make one easy prey). Nobody ever really wants a military until they need a military, and by that point it is already too late.

[idiom]

Australians are huge nanny-staters. Not just in government control terms, they actually like have huge amounts of rules on everything.

I tried running a business there, but there was sooo much paperwork I closed it and moved back to New Zealand.

Its a lot better than the U.S. though. Your business isn't going to be successfully sued because somebody deliberately lit one of your products on fire and killed themselves with it.

I have no idea how the United states is still ranked 10th.