Confidence in our Institutions and the Economy

When a system breaks down and is replaced by another untried one, the consequences reverberate through an Economy like a grass fire. Confidence in the market performing steadily has been eroded since the onslaught of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). This lack of confidence is a major catalyst for a wealthy Australia having it tough in some quarters of its economy. Strangely, but not surprising, the section of the population that is having it tough these days are the very people whom we consider wealthy!!! The ones who don't derive a personal benefit from Government and are being done no favours by our Financial Institutions!!!

This is the class of people that once upon a time used to believe in free enterprise, initiative and working over the period of a lifetime to achieve, maintain and then protect their accumulated wealth in order to outlast it through their retirement years. These days they are meeting a wall of opposition if they don't take up the created wealth plan of a self managed superannuation fund. This generally provides for its owner and the vultures that regulate the protected fund. Did I say protected? Sorry, only in the short term I suspect... Time will tell when these funds will be found vanished in thin air! Then it'll be too late to complain about an inability to live off a no longer existing super fund facility!

One good result has been the ability of Government to determine that a tax on the super that you hold will be withdrawn each year. When there is nothing else to feed off, then any Government will have no choice but to impose an impost on these savings!!! After all the Government enticed you to enter into its wealth net in the first place... and when the savings mature... then it's time to pay back! The friends of Governments are the very efficient Institutions that control much of our modern lifestyle in our super controlled society. These are large Corporations that employ a small army of people. However these Institutions are generally a law unto themselves once they are set up. In the past Institutions were driven by a love for the people that they served.

Today's Institutions no longer have their customers' needs as a priority. Yes, each Institution looks after itself. It determines how much needs to be drawn from its pool of customers to maintain the executive arm of its body, from the General Manager to the last foot soldier, and then keeps on charging accordingly. If the customer fails to maintain its contract, then more money is made from late fees, more fines if the late fee is not paid and so on. A customer is not even considered if the latter complains or wants some form of satisfaction. The Institution has the full force of the law on its side. You, the customer, can of course, occasionally, take the Institution on and win... But this is generally a Phyrric victory... a victory that is more of a loss than a real win. It is unlikely that a compensation or fine will be imposed on the Institution... unless you succeed in that unlikely win against the institution's wrong doing.

Institutions are neutral in themselves... It is their officers who become arrogant and dictatorial as they acquire more power within the Institution that they serve. Don't get me wrong: you will occasionally meet a'softie' occasionally and, usually, when the Institution realizes that it got some policy wrong and they allocate a time frame for making amends. However in the majority, these Institutions are not that friendly and nice... on the surface...usually... but not when you want them to do something for you in a time of need. Let's face it, the Institution or Big Business organisation or even a Government Department often behaves in order to further its own interests... like a small business or even like you and me. Can we blame them if they succeed in keeping their power and influence through a particular service to the public? After all each Big Institution needs smart and competent managers to protect its organisation.

So where is my complaint? This complaint is directed at the lack of empathy towards customers who are genuinely wrong or have made a human error... Why is so much institutional angst directed at the very people that these institutions are supposed to serve? Why the build up of unreasonable rules and regulations in order to punish ordinary customers who have their own life to manage? I'll give you some examples... Bank fees, inflexible serviceability factors in lending circles, an electricity company that will give you a discount of $100 if you pay on time, a policeman who is on a power trip fining you for a number plate that's a little faded and apart from the fine you also lose 3 demerit points, a parking fine if you are a few minutes out, a telephone company that sneakily charges huge fees for data that is spammed to your phone. You can add your own personal examples to show the continual hassle with everyday life challenges in a modern city that's becoming increasingly difficult to live in.

Unfortunately, Institutions, Big Business, Public Organizations in all areas of human activity are necessary for the good running of our modern life. Whether these entities are good or bad depends on the managerial class and all those involved in making these work. Rules ad regulations need to be put in place... but we must ask our governments to be vigilant about the abuses of power, the exercise of incompetence, the real possibility of corruption along the very real need for renewal and change as needed. 

It's not easy being a law abiding citizen when those who exercises authority are not the role models for our own individual ethics and behaviour. We must not forget that confidence in our Economy depends on people being encouraged to manage their affairs with a feeling of consistency and trust in their Institutions.

Refugees: Boats or Ships?

After WW2 migrants used to come to Australia on a big ship or by plane. Some were also helped by having their passage to this country subsidised. Many of these migrants went to work on the Snowy Mountain Scheme... creating for Australia one of its major water networks. Others remained on farms to help with agricultural needs and then becoming owners of farm lands themselves. My father worked building railway tracks in Northern and Central Victoria for the first few years. These migrants left a legacy of achievements for Australia. Benefits that still continue to contribute to our way of life. It is a little perplexing that we have not developed a more favourable policy for the resettlement of refugees who come across the dangerous seas on flimsy boats! They are paying top dollar for a dangerous journey to our land of opportunity!

Some people will claim that this illegal act must be stopped. Stop the Boats, protect our Borders and similar type slogans seem a shallow answer to what is a humanitarian reality on a global level. The United Nations should establish ports of call for refugees in countries of origin where people want to escape or in neighbouring countries that attract the 50 million refugees to be served with a first class opportunity to settle in more isolated areas within any particular country of resettlement. We in Australia need to develop the North of this vast continent. We need more people to go into regional Australia and into mining areas.

Our Government should welcome refugees but make it clear that whoever arrives will be resettled for a number of years in newer areas of settlement. This gives our Government the opportunity to monitor progress of resettlement with a view of ensuring that the refugees are actually genuine. After a few years, these refugee migrants will be given the opportunity to become Australian Citizens or Citizens of any Country of their choice where they have resettled. It would be only right that when this happens, the refugee migrant will move around their new country wherever they wish. Mobility with residency and citizenship are rights within a Nation.

I am surprised that a welcome mat has not been laid in front of desperate people who are escaping real or perceived personal dangers. People who are willing to risk it all for a better life. So identify the areas of Australia where people are needed and build these places with the necessary infrastructure that allows people to live with dignity. Coming to live in a large metropolitan area on arrival seems to be the least preferred option. In smaller communities or regional centres it is much more easy to provide all necessary assistance and maintain security within Australia. We have experience in the migrant and multicultural areas that are advanced by the standards of most nations of our Planet Earth. A planet that is a unified geographical reality seen from outer space. So we should develop and use the philosophies of our Indigenous people who believed that the Earth owned us rather than the other way round!

It's soon election time, refugees who are not able to access first class means of transport and the legal welcome that a United Nations led Refugee Program could provide, will keep on catching the only boats available to them to enter illegally the new country of their choice. This is a great compliment to Australia since we obviously have a good reputation around the world for our standard of living, education and health provisions, humanitarian record and many other positive attributes that others perceive in their judgement of this great modern Nation. Let's lead in this area of human suffering by providing assistance according to a formula worked out by the United Nations for our quota of refugees from around the world. Anyone who wants to arrive here illegally should be processed by a United Nations Refugee Organization and be allowed immediate entry ... with the proviso that they sign up to what their host country wants from them.

I am making these suggestions in the hope that people could back up these ideas and provide those in the seat of power alternatives to what has up to now been a very frustrating modus operandi! Give all Boat people a passage on World Class Liners, let the United Nations process these Refugees, put some order to this tragic reality of displaced people. Those people who are not genuine recipient of National generosity must be given a less favourable alternative! But if they are refugees... they are still human and they too need our help. Let fraternity be the answer!

Un giorno a Settembre dall’Australia Voglia di Primavera

Un giorno a Settembre  dall’Australia

Voglia di Primavera

Quest’anno 2011 e’ arrivata un’altra volta la Primavera portando con se’ un venticello mite, i fiori colorati e le piante decidue che cominciano a dare segni di nuova vitalita’. 

E’ un risveglio che viene in mezzo a tanta negativita’ presente negli articoli importanti dei giornali, nelle presentazioni televisive e dell’attualita’ su Internet: con l’economia globale che impaurisce, la primavera araba in piena voglia di piu’ democrazia e partecipazione popolare, i subbugli causati da terremoti, alluvioni, uragani, esplosioni vulcaniche, effetti di radiazione dalle centrali atomiche in pericolo, fame causata da malamministrazione, siccita’, guerre fratricide ed ideologiche, religioni in piena voglia di credenze fondamentali senza flessibilita’ per le nuove condizioni umane dei tempi moderni.

Insomma c’e’ una vera voglia di rinnovamento e di cambiamenti a tutti i livelli: si’, anche climatici. E c’e’ anche voglia di piu’ fratellanza, meno predisposizione ai sistemi usati da Governi e Big Business per controllare e sfruttare le persone, la popolazione in tutti i livelli della vita moderna… dall’uso dei telefonini, dell’energia elettrica e di tanti altri tipi, all’uso di strade con pagamenti diretti, alle tante tasse che si sovrappongono ed ingrandiscono i ‘budgets’ per spendere quello che si guadagna e ritornare agli ‘shareholders’ il meno possible!

C’e’ tanto di piu’ di cui ci si puo’ lamentare; ed e’ proprio questo tipo di informazione che attrae ed allo stesso tempo rende la gente piu’ negativa e con meno voglia di fratellanza! Quando si capisce che si e’ sfruttati, senza essere apprezzati, allora l’individuo comincia ad essere meno propenso a fare del bene… la voglia di fare per se stesso diventa sempre piu’ radicata nell’egoismo e nell’interesse personale. L’altruismo diventa anche fonte di espressione e di condizione sociale per sfruttare ancora di piu’ la popolazione.

I Governi e le Istituzioni si allontanano sempre di piu’ dall’individuo. Gli interessi di quest’ultimo vengono spazzati via ed indirizzati solo al servizio d’occasione di questo o quel dipartimento burocratico o istituzione. Il servizio deve essere pagato da tutti gli utenti, indiscriminatamente, senza eccezioni. Altrimenti ogni individuo deve pagare anche gli interessi e le multe, senza poi parlare di altre punizioni sempre maggiori per imporre il controllo e la disciplina per il pagamento dovuto. Non ci sono spiegazioni ma solo retribuzioni! Anche se si cerca di ricevere giustizia se l’Istituzione sbaglia tramite l’uso del suo sistema o l’impiego di lavoratori incompetenti o istruiti ad agire con indifferenza verso i clienti.

Queste riflessioni mi portano ad essere meno negativo nei confronti dei Governi, delle Istituzioni e dei Big Business perche’ oggi e’ arrivata di nuovo la Primavera. E’ questa ricorrenza annuale che fa fiorire nei nostri animi quella voglia di fratellanza a cui alludevo al principio di quest’articolo. Percio’ anche nei sistemi piu’ svariati della nostra societa’, ci vuole regolarmente un periodo di Primavera. 

Abbiamo bisogno di stagioni dei nostri Governi e di quelli che gestiscono la cosa pubblica e le grandi aree commerciali, industriali e dei servizi.

E’ una necessita’ fare arrivare nella nostra vita, anno dopo anno, l’opportunita’ del rinnovo, la rinascita dei sistemi usati, ripulendo e riadattando i nostri metodi e comunicando con gli utenti a riguardo le ragioni per il rincaro della vita, per i cambiamenti del servizio, ed anche dando a quelli che si lamentano la possibilita’ di vera partecipazione per migliorare i servizi gestiti in loro uso e favore.

Tom Padula 

September 2011