The insensitivity and hypocrisy of some politicians never ceases to astound me!

Go for it Mr. Brown, you have my vote at the next election.

Plus that was an unnecessarily cruel jibe at Catallaxians. I’m sure some of them have their own freestanding home unit!

But I’ll knock something togethr real soon - probably I’ll ask those overly-reasonable pragmatic centrists to give me a go. Though maybe should ask Bird for space on his bog, just for fun …

Would it be possible for you to a longer guest post somewhere setting out your arguments?

PS: I realise the problem choosing which blog to do the guest post on - decisions decisons - what if the one you asks rejects you - what if you reject and invitation from one then they all pile on in comments and attack you - sheesh - if you choose cataplexy you declare yourself a wild eyed libertarian without a sex life and living in a bungalow at the back of mums flat typing frenetically in the night in between d/l porn and day trading, if you choose Larva Prod Rodeo you’ll be tagged as a skinny latte po-mo neo-lefty academic in cultural studies with hope of tenure and a iMAC, if you go Troppo you’ll be a hopeless pragmatic centrist who only wants to get things done and tease out arguments, if you go on Harry Clarke’s site you’ll be pegged as an ex pipe smoking shiraz quaffing twitcher with a leaning toward Hamiltonion taxes on sinful excesses and joy..

Where can you post?

just to be crystal clear - the SGC rate is the “Superannuation Guarantee Contribution” rate - compulsory superannuation introduced in 1992 at 3% and legislated back then to progressively rise to 9% over a decade incrementally - which it did, & is why we hit 9% in the 02/03 year. Howard didn’t change a thing in this respect including the timetable.

This percentage is used to calculate an employee’s super contribution based on their gross wages, (not including a number of items such as overtime, some bonuses, termination/redundancy payments and Leave Loading) but is applied to permanent, casual and contract staff at the same percentage rate.

Besides all the myriad super-tax changes over the years and the Govt co-contribution scheme and other bibs and bobs - being able to nominate your own super fund at your workplace - was firstly a major challenge for the Industry Super Funds (cue TV adverts) and a boon for private ones and an imposition on employers who have to send super payments to a range of different funds each month, (which isn’t such a big deal with Electronic Funds Transfers - EFT these days - but it was however a major improvement for employees most especially casuals, who have finally begun to consolidate their already meagre super payments into one on-going fund account.

OK straight? Back OT.

As most of us know - the ‘casual’ rate of pay is basically a formula whereby the standard hourly rate has a loading for annual leave, leave loading, sick and public holidays included. But wasnt being discussed…

In respect of super generally….I’d just be drawing conclusions based on nothing really, so I might have a bit of read in terms of your points - you would think however that Aged Pensions outlays would be higher without super - it just doesnt make sense - how could it not have made any difference with hundreds of thousands of self-funded retirees?

Anyway, cup of tea awaits..

It’s mutual, you granny-murdering thug.

Mark asked for info on why compulsory super was a public policy disaster (I’ll back away from my hyperbole about “worst since WW11″ - I’d forgotten the Vitenam War, the Australian car industry and the whole of education policy under Howard). The short answer is that it imposed costs on employees without achieving any of its stated policy goals.

It was supposed to make the age pension affordable - I hope I’ve already dealt with that furphy. And in any case Treasury’s Intergenerational Report has it only causing a mild reduction in age pension expenditure, even in the distant future.

It was supposed to boost national savings to address our current account deficit. It failed spectacularly here and foreseeably so. Basically, you can’t force people to save in a deregulated credit market, and national savings are just the sum of private saving plus public saving. Neither borrowers nor lenders need to have homes paid off before the borrower’s retirement, for example, so mortgages got bigger and longer (lots of super has popped up as higher house prices); I can multiply examples. Plus the extra amount of tax foregone in concessions reduces public sector saving.

Of course, for those too poor to indirectly borrow against their super you’ve cut their wages by 9 percent (because eventually that’s where the impost must end up) just at the time of life when they need it most.

And finally about 1.5% of super goes into the pockets of fund managers and advisors. Apart from the direct waste of resources, this has created an exceptionally well funded lobby for furher raids on workers’ current incomes (such as the 15% proposal) or for raids on public saving through more tax rorts (such as the new super concessions in the 2006-07 budget).

Another group I’ve always been interested in terms of super are “contractors” - whose super contribution status was hazy for many years. ie. people who invoice for their labor. They are supposed to have super paid on their behalf and I’m sure most companies do these days - but it was definitely a grey area for a long time and I suspect many people who were contractors for long periods during the 90’s etc have likewise missed out on Super.

This is the position for casuals and super:

http://fido.asic.gov.au/fido/fido.nsf/byheadline/Superannuation+and+casual+workers?openDocument

Btw, this is an ABS publication from 2000 showing that one quarter of the pre-retired population had no super at all.

Males had double the amount of super that females had.

http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/ProductsbyReleaseDate/99726666BEFEA136CA256AC90080C009?OpenDocument

Super for plebs hit 9% only in 2002 - it started off at 3% in 1992 and was increased every couple of years - 6% then 7% then blah..

Casuals have in my memory always been paid the same rate as permanent employees, only employers didn’t have to pay super if you earned less then $450 pcm - and they still don’t. Employers don’t have to pay the SGC for employees under 18 and over 69 - this has shifted a bit - used to 60 or 65..and I think full-time juniors might be covered.

This is in relation to the SGC - Superannuation Guarantee Contribution from 1992 onwards.

From 1986 and earlier it was just big industry/union awards that had Super and of course, before that the public service & them upstairs - but for the private sector/small business sector it all happened from 1992 onwards.

Keating always planned to take it to 15%.

And in terms of paying for it – it part of the National Wage Case/Accords/Arbitration decisions/pacts - it was ‘wage rises foregone’ and the reason why low incomes didn’t rise much during the Keating years compared to Howard…. and the recession we had to have obviously.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections. Women get urinary tract infections more often than men.
Women who have had three urinary tract infections often continue having them.
Four out of five such women get another UTI within 18 months of the last UTI infection.

http://www.racgp.org.au/silverbookonline/2-0.asp
Urinary tract infection in the elderly or in people with Alzheimer’s can profoundly affect, not only their health, but can result in significant behavioral changes.

As far as I can see all my friends would or already do physical caring and financial caring for their parents and relatives. I cared for my father (sadly I’ve already lived longer than my mother did) and other friends have thrown in careers to care for their parents. But its by no means as common as one would wish.

I have experience in aged care on the organisational side. I have seen enough to know that while I support Voluntary Euthenasia for my own sake/life I’m very, very cautious about how it should be framed in light of my experience of how things work in the world.

A middle aged daughter abusing staff and demanding that her mother’s account be used to reimburse the first class airfare from Sydney plus hotel costs to visit mother in Nursing home, a son constantly ringing to ask if mum has been to bank and has cash, daughter asking “Surely the doctors have got something to fix her for good” when the person is only old and frail not suffering.

I could go on with tales of family members standing over and threatening elderly for money, not visiting or caring and then breaking in and rifling through the house before the funeral, commandeering the car and of course giving the biggest wreath and best speech at the funeral.

I could go on but a bunch of first hand anecdotes do not nake the best evidence and I might be judged cynical.

There are lighter moments:
recently a friend’s mother had earlier mild dementia as well as being frail and had to go into care. She was happy and largely with most faculties working about 80% but at times would be anxious. She rang my friend a few times and slowly the story came out that a man was entering her room at night and frightening her.

We went over and spoke to staff. They hadn’t seen or heard anything but would pay extra attention. We then had another big chat with the mother.

The full story was the guy would come through her window most nights and stand naked with a full bottle of Johnny Walker in his hand. He wanted her to have some whisky and he wanted to get into bed with her. He frightened her because everyone knew she never drank. Other than that he seemed nice.

We didn’t call the police. But had a full medication etc review. She was found to have a urinary tract infection. When it was fixed she calmed down and the man never appeared again. Most people don’t realise but urinary infections in the elderly, especially women, can cause all sorts of powerful symptoms which thankfully often disappear on sucessful treatment.

BDX

Whoa!!!!

My parents are a couple of top-notch peeps, whom I owe a great deal more than they could possibly afford me in death. I’m currently extending financial support to my Lady Friend’s disabled folks. I’ve got one grandparent left, who is still the rallying point for that entire side of the family. My maternal grandmere dropped off this time last year, and I still choke up on thinking about her going down so slow and painful.

You must have me mixed up with another FDB.