Could This Happen In Australia

[grandmoon]

Chicago: Hundreds of protesters pushing for higher fast-food wages returned to protest outside McDonald's headquarters on Thursday as activists attending the world's largest hamburger chain's annual meeting peppered executives with questions on topics ranging from marketing practices to employee compensation.

One of the protesters outside, Melinda Topel, of Kansas City, Missouri, said she has worked for McDonald's "on and off" for 10 years. She was among those arrested while protesting on Wednesday.

Ms Topel said that she was making $US9.50 an hour in 2007, when she left McDonald's to pursue an associate's degree, and now makes $US7.50 ($8.10) an hour.

"It's almost next to impossible," Ms Topel said. "We have to budget every penny. We have to rely on social services, things like food stamps."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/payhungry-workers-descend-on-mcdonalds-annual-meeting-20140523-zrlma.htm...

[fourandsixpants]

Thanks for posting this grandmoon. I am concerned about what this govt is proposing re cuts across the board but your article reminded me of a conversation I had with my elderly Father last night. He is sprightly and very well for 83 years and he has a keen interest in politics. I asked him if he could tell me from his life experience which were the toughest and hardest economic years from memory-I suggested the 1980's or 1990's...?? He came straight back with " Oh No! ....I well remember 1947. My God that was tough.I was 16 years old....My Mother could not buy any furniture for several years, you had to make your own furniture if you could get hold of the materials like wood etc....I remember my Mother having to get food by using food stamps and you had to take what was on offer not much choosing." My Dad went on to say "People now have absolutely no idea how tough things can be.....until you have experienced having things rationed you don't know what tough is".

I hope our politicians get sensible real fast that's all I can hope. We are in a great country. Don't want politics and idiots stuffing us up.

[icyfroth]

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@paintsew007 wrote:

Thanks for posting this grandmoon. I am concerned about what this govt is proposing re cuts across the board but your article reminded me of a conversation I had with my elderly Father last night. He is sprightly and very well for 83 years and he has a keen interest in politics. I asked him if he could tell me from his life experience which were the toughest and hardest economic years from memory-I suggested the 1980's or 1990's...?? He came straight back with " Oh No! ....I well remember 1947. My God that was tough.I was 16 years old....My Mother could not buy any furniture for several years, you had to make your own furniture if you could get hold of the materials like wood etc....I remember my Mother having to get food by using food stamps and you had to take what was on offer not much choosing." My Dad went on to say "People now have absolutely no idea how tough things can be.....until you have experienced having things rationed you don't know what tough is".

I hope our politicians get sensible real fast that's all I can hope. We are in a great country. Don't want politics and idiots stuffing us up.

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So you'd like us to continue with our $470-odd billion debt and keep borrowing to meet even just our interest payments? How long do you think that's going to go until wer'e plunged into another depression similar to the one you describe above?

Yes grandmoon, it can easily happen in Australia, has done before and not just once.

[grandmoon]

The depression in the 1940's was caused by the second world war. 

During the war we had coupons for anything we needed to buy. 

I stopped people from hoarding food.

But in saying that Australia was having it hard we were much better off than most other countries as we could grow enough foods to feed all the people who were living here then, and also send enough to feed our service men overseas.

[fourandsixpants]

yes grandmoon. It was the WWII. We grow enough food to feed our people here but all the good stuff gets exported usually.

I don't like how posters on here keep using the political strategies to point the finger at the budget argument...... then threaten us with a depression if we don't bring the budget to surplus etc. What a lot of gumphfff!

[fourandsixpants]

you might like to read this grandmoon where reporting states that Joe Hockey's Budget was the horror that began our fall in consumer confidence:

According to the ANZ-Roy Morgan survey out today, consumer confidence plunged 3.2 per cent last week pulling down the monthly index by 14 per cent, as word started leaking onto the street of the fiscal policies due to feature in Hockey’s first horror budget. It is now the steepest decline in Australian consumer confidence since October 2008, the month after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

.... but iron ore prices are a big concern and that the property bubble in China is a worry too.....

Consumer Confidence CRASHES

http://www.whocrashedtheeconomy.com/

Some reports and stories that I have read lately state that we are indeed headed for a recession.

[catsnknots]

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@paintsew007 wrote:

Thanks for posting this grandmoon. I am concerned about what this govt is proposing re cuts across the board but your article reminded me of a conversation I had with my elderly Father last night. He is sprightly and very well for 83 years and he has a keen interest in politics. I asked him if he could tell me from his life experience which were the toughest and hardest economic years from memory-I suggested the 1980's or 1990's...?? He came straight back with " Oh No! ....I well remember 1947. My God that was tough.I was 16 years old....My Mother could not buy any furniture for several years, you had to make your own furniture if you could get hold of the materials like wood etc....I remember my Mother having to get food by using food stamps and you had to take what was on offer not much choosing." My Dad went on to say "People now have absolutely no idea how tough things can be.....until you have experienced having things rationed you don't know what tough is".

I hope our politicians get sensible real fast that's all I can hope. We are in a great country. Don't want politics and idiots stuffing us up.

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Those wages are disgusting OP.... I always wonder how they can live with their low wages.. heartbreaking. 

but on this post......

I remember when I moved into my own flat for the first time... bookcase made of old red bricks wrapped in material and old fence planks... my bedside tables were plastic milk crates with a bit of timber on top and a pretty scarf over the top. The lounge was a hand me down and the coffee table was actually a few more bricks and another bit of old timber... 

Even when I moved up here I was given a Waco eskie that could plug into the wall. It could fit just the milk, a few vegies and a bit of meat, enough to last for two days.. I lived with that for 5 months while I saved for a better fridge that was a vintage Kelvinator... and that lasted me just on 12 months... 

That is what you do... I think young kids these days think it should all be handed to you brand new out of the box. I even know some that don't think that second hand clothes fro their kids were appropriate and only wanted new things... 

The best advice I was given was from a family friend... they said that when they first moved into their first home they have no money to carpet the place for two years and she used that as an example when she told me that moving out of home will be hard and that what we see others had that we admired was gained from hard work and not handouts...  best bit of advice ever. 

[icyfroth]

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@grandmoon wrote:

The depression in the 1940's was caused by the second world war. 

During the war we had coupons for anything we needed to buy. 

I stopped people from hoarding food.

But in saying that Australia was having it hard we were much better off than most other countries as we could grow enough foods to feed all the people who were living here then, and also send enough to feed our service men overseas.

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No the depression started in the 1930s and was actually partially lifted by Australia's increased manufacturing for it's participation in WW2.

"Australia recovered relatively quickly from the financial downturn of 1929-1930, with recovery beginning around 1932.

Prime Minister Joseph Lyons was the leader responsible for stewarding Australia out of this difficult period. Lyons favoured the tough economic measures of the Premiers' Plan, pursued an orthodox fiscal policy and refused to accept NSW Premier Jack Lang's proposals to default on overseas debt repayments.

Australia entered the Depression with a debt crisis and a credit crisis. According to author Anne Henderson of the Sydney Institute, Lyons held a steadfast belief in "the need to balance budgets, lower costs to business and restore confidence" and the Lyons period gave Australia "stability and eventual growth" between the drama of the Depression and the outbreak of the Second World War.

A lowering of wages was enforced and industry tariff protections maintained, which together with cheaper raw materials during the 1930s saw a shift from agriculture to manufacturing as the chief employer of the Australian economy - a shift which was consolidated by increased investment by the commonwealth government into defence and armaments manufacture. Lyons saw restoration of Australia's exports as the key to economic recovery. A devalued Australian currency assisted in restoring a favourable balance of trade."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_Australia

As you see, very similar to today's situation. I hope it doesn't take another war.

[fourandsixpants]

hi catmed:)

Yes the OP account of low hourly rate is terrible but the cost of things over in the US of A is cheaper than here. If you have a look at the minimum wage here it is about the same pretty poor and the cost of things like food and clothing and utilities is far greater in Australia.....so I reckon we are presently on a par with the States. This govt wants to bring us down to the US standards-getting rid of Medicare, making our young dependent on their parents instead of building/encouraging value adding businesses AND getting tough on carp, cheap imports.....Australians will buy Australian Made IF WE CAN GET IT!! *Doh!

[fourandsixpants]

so icy......you want all that Hockey is proposing in his Budget AND you want a lowering of wages..... a devalued Australian currency because it assists in restoring a favourable balance of trade?

You don't want much do you?! though I agree with industry tariff protections and more Australian exporting-so long as Australian consumers don't suffer by getting supply of 'rubbish' or leftovers when the good stuff is experted. Exporters should be given incentives to supply domestic markets first IMO.