Ruler for a day

[The X]

I don't know how hard it is to get unemployment benefit everywhere else, but it's easy to get over here. Please see below for another story of somebody who is entitled to & receives unemployment benefits (often referred to as "the dole") in Australia. It's alright that she doesn't want to hold down a job, but it's not alright for her to receive taxpayer benefits when they are so many honest, hardworking people out there who are slugging away just to make ends meat.

SHE'S tried 70 jobs but can't find work that interests her.

Simone Francis, 25, of Marrickville, is typical of a generation that jumps from job to job - to the frustration of employers across the country.

From waitressing to acrobatics and working in a call centre, Ms Francis' CV shows she's done it all.

Her longest job lasted just a few months, but Ms Francis said she had spent as little as three days in a job before offering her resignation.

"Usually, it takes a week or less than a week,'' she said.

"If it's a really good job, maybe a bit longer.

"I just can't take the routine of getting up and doing the same thing every day.

"I realised there was something wrong with me after I was getting paid to be in the sun, spending most of the day looking at fish and turtles (as a snorkel guide on Hamilton Island) and I still didn't like it.

"After a week, I was bored and told my boss: `OK, I'll work till the end of the month.'''

Ms Francis's age bracket is known for having itchy feet, and she typifies a generation that has no qualms about leaving a job.

Social psychologist Hugh Mackay describes Gen Y as the options generation.

"They not only jump from job to job but course to course, partner to partner, house to house _ it's a generational characteristic.

"The generational ethos is bred into them: keep your options open, hang loose, don't get too committed too soon.''
Researcher Neer Korn, of Heartbeat Trends, said members of Generation Y viewed being in the same job for a long time _ once a sign of success _ as a sign of failure.

"Their role is to fill their CV with experiences,'' he said.

"Stability is not a sign of success _ it's having done many, many things.''

Typically of her generation, Ms Francis values experiences over stability.

She said she was "addicted to travelling'' and, in her latest venture, has made a documentary about oil exploitation in Ecuador.

Ms Francis has also formed a group called Nomadic Hands to raise awareness of human rights and animal welfare overseas.

And, until her hobby leads to full-time work, she remains on the dole.

"Why bother doing a job you hate? Why does anyone bother doing anything they don't want to do?'' she said.

"I used to do that, but I thought: `What the hell am I doing conforming to a job when I hate it?'''

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sunday-telegraph/shes-had-70-jobs-and-didnt-like-any-of-them/story-e6frewt0-1225754739699

[benji]

Clearly, Ms. Francis has some kind of mental condition that prevents her from holding a job. Not only should she receive greater unemployment benefits, but probably should also be provided a live-in care provider along with all her meals, utilities, etc. covered. As well as the purchase of a house or condo along with any cable TV, internet, etc. that could help alleviate her condition.

I'm glad this news story came out, hopefully it will lead to an initiative to bring others with this condition out of the shadows and make sure they get the assistance needed so they can live normal lives like the rest of us.

[The X]

Talking about mental conditions, this reminded me of the recent rugby league scandal involving a former rugby league player and TV personality Matty Johns. Having consensual group sex with an Australian rugby league team is grounds enough to receive weekly Government benefits in New Zealand. The woman in question is from my hometown of Christchurch, which doesn't surprise me one bit

NRL chief executive David Gallop last night apologised on behalf of the game for the "appalling" and "unacceptable" behaviour of some players towards women.

Gallop issued the apology after the Four Corners program, titled "Code of Silence", revealed the trauma suffered by women involved in sexual activities with NRL players.

In one case detailed in the program a woman who had sex with a group of Cronulla players, including Matthew Johns, had cut her wrists several times and bought a rope to hang herself with.

"If I had a gun I'd shoot them right now," she said. "I hate them they're disgusting. I want them dead. I hate them so much."

Since that incident, which occurred in 2002, and more specifically the Bulldogs Coffs Harbour scandal two years later, the NRL has initiated education programs aimed at changing the attitudes of players towards women. But Gallop said the game still owed the women involved an apology.

"The program dealt with issues that I would hope everyone in the game finds appalling and unacceptable," Gallop said. "The distress of the victims spoke for itself and to the extent that the game can apologise for the actions of individuals then I offer that apology unreservedly.

"It is important, however, to understand the very substantial efforts the NRL, the clubs and the players have made in changing attitudes, particularly since 2004. It is also important to recognise the clear actions taken by the NRL and our clubs against those who breach our codes of conduct."

Newcastle prop Dane Tilse was sacked by the club after allegations against him in 2006 and was deregistered by the NRL until the following season, when he signed with Canberra.

The incident in a Bathurst dormitory that led to his sacking also featured prominently on the program, along with the Sharks case in 2002. Former halfback Brett Firman was accused by Four Corners of having had sex with same woman as Johns in a Christchurch hotel room in which she alleged 10 other Cronulla players and staff were present. Sharks captain Paul Gallen told the program that he had walked into the room after the alleged incident was over.

According to the woman, named Clare on the program, she was fondled and touched constantly by up to six Sharks players over a two-hour period. Another six allegedly watched.

The allegations, which took place while the Sharks were in New Zealand for a trial match against the Warriors, were reported by the Herald and other media outlets at the time but the names of any of the players involved had not been revealed until Johns outed himself on The Footy Show last week.

Although there was no suggestion the woman had been sexually assaulted, Johns and Firman were named by Four Corners as being the first players to have sex with her. Asked why she had waited until now speak out, the woman said: "I wanted at least their wives or girlfriends to know what they had done at the very least. Part of me wanted them to know because I was so angry and I wanted their lives destroyed like mine was and part of me wanted them to know so that they could go and meet the better people that wouldn't treat them like that."

The woman, who was 19 at the time, went to New Zealand police five days later alleging she had been sexually assaulted. But after an investigation that included four detectives flying to Sydney to interview all 40 members of the Cronulla club who had been in Christchurch no charges were laid.

But Four Corners reported that the New Zealand Accident and Compensation Commission found that the woman was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychiatrists reported that she was suicidal and the ACC funded treatment for her and gave her a weekly payment in compensation.

Meanwhile, Manly boss Grant Mayer has again defended the club against claims of inaction following Gallop's admission Anthony Watmough should have apologised to Sarah Durazza - the daughter of the sponsor who was involved in an altercation with the second-rower at the club's season launch.

Durazza claimed last night she was treated like "a piece of crap" by Watmough at the launch.

"The whole incident was around his confrontation with a sponsor [Paul Durazza], therefore we asked him [Watmough] to apologise to the sponsor," Mayer said. "He did so. We then, on behalf of the club, apologised to his daughter and her family, and as a sign of good faith, invited them to come to a game. I offered him and his family a tennis box, and he accepted it with gratitude."

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/l ... -b0pz.html

[Andrew]

And that's why, along with the cricket scandals and weirdness of AFL, basketball should be Australia's national sport. Since this is the Ruler for a Day thread, I think I'll add that to my list of things I'd do.

On a more serious note, I'd bring forward the annual (re-)testing for elderly drivers here in Australia, maybe to 75. They've upped the requirements for young drivers to get provisional licenses and a few years back they dropped the legal blood alcohol limit from 0.02 on a provisional license to zero, which I think is fair enough. But there's bad drivers of all ages and some older drivers who really aren't capable of driving anymore, including one of my great-uncles who is still driving long distances despite having suffered a stroke (and is indeed affected by it). I don't want to deny elderly people their freedom or suggest they all be dumped in nursing homes, but I think it's important that it's established they still have the reflexes and mental capacity to drive safely, for their safety and everyone else.

Or perhaps we just need to be more stringent in giving out licenses. At the very least, I'd hold some mandatory seminars that explain what "Give Way" and red arrows mean.

[The X]

Or perhaps we just need to be more stringent in giving out licenses. At the very least, I'd hold some mandatory seminars that explain what "Give Way" and red arrows mean.

It's absolutely unfathomable how people can understand the give way rules at a roundabout, but once the roundabout is removed, the give way rules go out the window. It's pretty elementary actually, but surprising & concerning how many drivers don't understand the basic.

[Andrew]

You must be lucky up there in Brisbane, I encounter a fair few people who aren't familiar with the give way rules at roundabouts. If nothing else, a lot of people who feel indicating is optional which of course leaves you guessing as to what they're planning to do.

[The X]

I was more talking about the small suburban roundabouts as it seems most people can handle them. This doesn't seem to be the case though for the bigger, 2 lane roundabounts

[Andrew]

Those are better, but around these parts you get people who think because they're small, surburban roundabouts they don't need to bother indicating. It's true what they say, you drive for everyone else on the road, not yourself.

[benji]

I'd ban roundabouts just because people are too stupid to figure them out. (What they really need is a sign that clearly states "PEOPLE IN THE ROUNDABOUT HAVE THE RIGHT AWAY" instead of just "Yield" which is what we have.)

But on a more serious point, and since I wrote it. (And didn't proofread, so forgive me.)

I'll do a more practical, evolutionary version like Jae. Not "dictator" but something more like LBJ in 1965. A crushing election, not just supermajorities but Constitutional Amendment passing level majorities, and the moral authority derived from tying your agenda to the legacy of recently killed media icon. I'm also pretending I can only do stuff with my beloved federal government. I.e. I'm a President with full Congressional support.

So, the benji agenda. (benjenda?)

Immediately restrict the budget to never be larger than 20% of previous years GDP and require it to always be balanced. Exempt payment on the debt for fifteen years as being restricted by GDP figure and structure to eliminate all government-related debt within twenty-five years.

Eliminate the current tax code and replace with a broad somewhat flat tax. 15% on all incomes, individual and corporate. This includes all the various current split incomes and attempts to undefine something as "income" like capital gains, etc. but will all be counted as income under the plan. Full tax for individuals starts at 400% of poverty line of prior year. For individuals 200%-399% of the poverty line, they pay 5%. Individuals income is calculated after state and local taxes. Move the tax deadline to October 15th.

Encourage expansion of nuclear power. Not out of any fear for the silly Global Warming myth, but to lower costs and access to energy. Exempt the cost of construction and operation of a nuclear plant, along with replacement of coal plants with nuclear ones, from corporate taxes for five years beginning with the year of construction. Exempt waste management and infrastructure costs for a twenty-five year period. Reauthorize Yucca Mountain.

Reform the health insurance system and Social Security. See earlier in this thread for health care. Social Security would be eliminated with full tax exemptions for long term savings accounts replacing it.

Increase share of the budget spent on national technology infrastructure. Similar to how we do roads, line the country with fiber optics and then allow free access. Decouple ownership of lines with providing of service. (i.e. let Verizon provide service on lines Comcast builds and maintains, etc.) Tax exemptions for companies that assist in development of infrastructure during the construction period. Have these companies pay a maintenance fee to a protected fund that redistributes to the companies that maintain the lines with a goal of paying at least half the costs from this fund.

Eliminate government monopoly and monosopy through privatization and reduced regulation. Things that can be fully privatized like USPS should be. Roll back regulations that restrict the proliferation of competition in various industries. Similarly to the fund described above, spin-off bodies like the FCC into an independent body equally owned by the government and all members of an industry with zero focus on or power of regulation and government oversight, and instead a greater focus on assisting in creation of agreements and arbitration between the private companies. (Kinda like the much hated MPAA, RIAA, ESA, operate at the behest of the industry and not as regulatory bodies they currently do.) Like the fiber optic thing above, the government would "own" the infrastructure, but these joint bodies would administrate them. They would all be legally forbidden to restrict access and discriminate.

Require full cost-benefit analysis assuming worst-case scenarios of all regulations. Any that hurt more than they harm would be forbidden. Regulations that eliminate or reduce competition would also be forbidden.

Require the federal government to follow corporate accounting law. Self-explanatory.

Increased federalism and revenue sharing. Full review and subsequent return of all possible powers, funds, etc. back to the states. My state tax exemptions would encourage them to raise their own funds for programs as they'd take less money from citizens while increasing taxes, merely redistributing where the tax money went.

Const. Amend to overturn Roe v. Wade. And impose a 300% federal tax on abortions not related to the health of the mother. All funds would be distributed to state and private adoption agencies.

Decriminalization of all drugs. They would be taxed, you would need licenses to traffic in them, and they would have to meet FDA safety standards. (I'm also reducing the FDA's power and structure to encourage and lower costs on new products, but would not reduce and probably would increase liability for manufacturers.) But simply possessing and using them would not be against the law. (And I would increase penalties on unlicensed trafficking and encourage increases in local laws like driving under the influence.)

Full scale overhaul of the military to reduce costs and improve efficiency. I'd also create a fully separate non-combat branch of the military that assists on humanitarian efforts like the incredible work during the tsunami. So basically you could divert ships full of these soldiers to global crisis areas without needing to tap the combat brigades. They already do this, but I would make it official. I'd also lower requirements for this group, they would of course have some combat training (similar to what police receive) but all the requirements would be far lower to be in this branch. (As would pay and benefits obviously.) We'll be ditching outdated bases, locations, equipment, etc. and modernize and make everything efficient as possible. It would help be accomplished through:

Major and regular independent reviews of all branches of the government to reduce size and silliness and increase efficiency and freedom. Security concerns would be considered of course (so some things would have to be listed like "security activities" without details beyond funding) but the entire government (and especially every inch of the departments that aren't State and Defense) would be opened to any think tanks (Heritage, Cato, Brookings, Center for American Progress, etc.), citizen groups, etc. And an independent panel would be tasked with compiling their recommendations and present regular reports that would list the proposed changes to eliminate waste and improve efficiency and number of supporting groups. This wouldn't be a one time thing, they'd present the report at least quarterly for my entire term and hopefully forever.

Require all bills to be on one subject and have a page/word limit, along with citing their Constitutional authority. Also require all bills to be introduced a session prior to their vote. The page limit wouldn't count the citation.

Reduce all government salaries based on prior years income. So a billionaire like Bloomberg can't come into office and still get the full salary. Also impose a 1% government employee surcharge tax. Increase performance reviews and requirements for all employees, as well as power to dismiss a government employee.

Limit all government bodies authorities to no greater than the first year of their founding or 2000. Whichever is later. This means they can't exceed that authority, but it doesn't mean they have to meet that authority. They can, and will through my budget cutting and deregulation, of course have less.

I obviously have more, but I'm blanking and bored on it right now. And distracted by this show on TV. I might add more later. Yeah, I'm an extreme liberal who's would govern as an evolutionary liberal technocrat. Wanna fight about it?

[J@3]

Full tax for individuals starts at 400% of poverty line of prior year. For individuals 200%-399% of the poverty line, they pay 5%.

I'm not sure what the poverty line roughly is over there, but I like this plan nevertheless. It is similar to what I was trying to achieve, only I had an entirely different way of going about it.

Encourage expansion of nuclear power.

That's a good one, I completely overlooked the energy sector in my initial post but I'd go for this as well. I'd also put a blanket ban on anyone under the age of 80 that talks about the environment in the sense of global warming, greenhouse gas emissions and Al Gore. I am so over that shit it isn't funny.

Const. Amend to overturn Roe v. Wade. And impose a 300% federal tax on abortions not related to the health of the mother. All funds would be distributed to state and private adoption agencies.

We've discussed abortion before, and obviously we have opposite stances on it but again I don't disagree with this idea. I definitely advocate adoption over abortion but I'm also pro-choice. That being said I don't mind making people pay more for it,

Decriminalization of all drugs.

I'm against that but I literally have no reason why other than the fact that I think they should be illegal. My uncle was killed by someone injecting heroin into his spine while he was asleep, I can't imagine how much more often these things would occur if it was easier to obtain the drugs. I guess if you're an addict you'll find a way regardless but I can't support anything that legalizes heavier drugs.

Full scale overhaul of the military to reduce costs and improve efficiency

The amount of money spent on the military over there is mind boggling to me. Obviously the US is a bigger target than any other countries and thus it has to be more alert and equipped than Australia for instance, but I can't help but think how much better a lot of that money could've been distributed.

Require all bills to be on one subject and have a page/word limit, along with citing their Constitutional authority. Also require all bills to be introduced a session prior to their vote. The page limit wouldn't count the citation.

Is there alot of tl;dr with politicians over there?

[J@3]

Deleted.

[Christopherson]

Require all bills to be on one subject and have a page/word limit, along with citing their Constitutional authority.

Ah benji, you are such a hypocrite. You say something like this and then go and make a post about the 93 things you wanted to do in your day as a dictator. I sort of felt like I was on the house floor with a 1200 page bill dropped on my lap and only allowing debate for a day. Its clever though. Most people are going to latch onto the one or two ideas of yours they disagree with most, and ignore the rest, leaving everyone to think they are mutually accepted. You have a future in politics in the USA my friend. Maybe not in benji land, but definitely in America.

My favorites of yours: Flat tax, nuke power, word limits on bills and citing const. authority, cost analysis

Least favorites: decriminalization of drugs, taxing abortions.

Have your read The Tipping Point by Gladwell? I like his argument about abortion lowering crime rates. That being said I am against abortion so my opinion is a bit bipolar on this.

The cost analysis would be an interesting one for me. I live in the Pacific Northwest where we generate a lot of hydroelectric power. It is fantastic unless you are a salmon sympathizer. The same people who are always screaming doom about global warming, pushing their prius's on people, and building solar panels on their house want to get rid of the cleanest most renewable beneficial forms of power generation out there. It drives me nuts. In fact, most of the dams could produce far more energy than they do. There just isn't anywhere to put the electricity. We send some to California, but the grid can't support all of the electricity we could produce. It is just nuts.

[Andrew]

At the moment I can't think of anything else I would do. However, if we can include things we wouldn't do, that would be the Australian government's current intiative to filter the Internet. Not that I don't see the "noble" aim in it, but I feel it's the parents who should take responsibility for the kind of content their kids are looking at online and deal with it accordingly.

[Christopherson]

OK so here is another idea that I have. It is one of my ideas to help fix our educational system in America. It starts with putting more accountability into the middle school grades. I don't know if this is the same across the nation, but in my state, you don't have to pass your courses to advance in middle school. So many kids come to high school having just tuned out the last two years. Neither the teachers nor the students have a chance.

So, for a second, lets scrap our current idea of high school and get rid of 11th and 12th grade. Instead of middle school, you go to secondary school which is 7-10th grade. After you complete the 10th grade, you have some options. You can go to a trade school to learn trade skills, or you can go to various other schools with different specialties. However, these schools need to be broad, say 5-8 different choices. Maybe something like Trade, Art, Math/Science, Literature, Social Science, etc.

So after the 10th grade you graduate from "secondary school" and get to choose a career path. You can choose from any of the different career schools. You might choose to go to the school closest to you, maybe not. The government will provide a set amount for every kids schooling. They get to use it how they choose. If they want to go to a school away from home, or a more expensive one offering a higher quality education, then they can pay out of pocket. The same will be for college. The government will provide a certain amount of money every year for college. You can choose how to use it or even if you want to use it.

I think this would help our education system greatly. I think it would make us more competitive on the international level. Your thoughts?

[Andrew]

Interesting. We have a similar system here in Australia, not quite what you suggested but I'd certainly say similar. Students do have the option of finishing school at Year 10 as we sit a series of exams that comprise what's called the School Certificate here in NSW. Most people do go on to years 11 and 12 to eventually sit another series of exams (the Higher School Certificate in NSW, other states have different names for it) which along with your assessment grades throughout Year 11 and 12 are used to determine your UAI, or Universities Admission Index. It's kind of like the SAT and it's used to determine whether you can qualify for courses you want to study at uni.

But getting back to Year 10 leavers, although it's not as common as it used to be (if nothing else, people go on to Year 11 and then drop out to take up a trade) people do still do it and go into a trade or on-the-job traineeship. We also have TAFE, which isn't just for early high school leavers but it's where Year 10 leavers can get a qualification while doing an apprenticeship/traineeship. It's tertiary education, though not equivalent to a Bachelor degree.

For those that do go on to Year 11 and 12, you pick your subjects except for English which is mandatory. Ideally you pick things that have something to do with the career path you're considering, though not everyone knows what they want to do at fifteen/sixteen (when you have to pick your subjects for Year 11 and 12) so if in doubt, you pick subjects that you enjoy/are good at and that kind of gives you an idea of what you might want to study at uni, if you end up going. In that way you can kind of tailor your final high school years for your further career, but the system could be better with more relevant high school courses so that students could be advised if they want to study X at uni then they should pick Y for Year 11 and 12.