Preach with me
Yea. I think the Australians are very responsible towards the society. They actively take part in political debates.
For #3, I Thank You very much, see, its not just me who thinks so. And although Im a transplanted Yankee, I have on occasion said I was canadian because it was just easier that way.
For #5, another thanks - I cant bear the ads - they are like hysterical personal attacks, egads!
#6 is a shame isnt it? Its not like the Aussies lack thier own - so I dont get it.
And for #7, Ive always felt the sun here was weird as well, that it was trying to tell us all to 'get out!'
Found you thru snoskred's weekly wrap up, and very glad I did, Cheers!
I added this post to my weekly wrap up this week, the only point I would differ on is number 3.
The penalty for not voting is a small fine - and when you get there, you can leave the ballot blank if you want to.
Snoskred
http://www.snoskred.org/
Hmm, I kinda like that enforced participation. Makes voting an obligation than a privilege that can be discarded; taking care of the place that takes care of you. If abstaining is for moral reasons, a blank vote works. Maybe we should do that here-- it might help with our almost sluggish (or hopeless) (non)involvement.
In Belgium, foreign residents holding a valid residence permit are allowed to vote in municipal elections - would have been dandy but if you fail to vote once, the fine is hefty so I opted out and did not register as a foreign voter - didn't want a sword of damocles over my head. Can't say that punishing a registered voter for failing to vote in an election is right or wrong, I think there's enough warning message sent to a would be voter - if he/she signs that contract with the State, then he/should abide by it. But on the whole, I find that compelling people to vote in an election is tedious in the extreme.
Same in the UK, i.e., a foreign resident can vote in local elections - gotta show you pay taxes though - but with a difference - you don't get punished if you don't vote.
France does not allow foreign residents to vote in municipal elections.
Don't know about Germany.
Re: "I've noticed that these trades are regulated pretty well here, unlike back home. The toilets have to be fixed by a licensed plumber, the aircons have to be installed by a licensed refrigeration mechanic, the house has to be wired by a licensed electrician."
I do believe the reason for this is two-fold (like in most European countries):
1) to make sure that when something goes wrong you can get back at the trades man/company - otherwise insurance will not reimburse
2) to prevent, as much as possible, black market labour which is a form of tax evasion
Where I sit, the electricity company has a list of licensed electricians you can choose from, same with plumbers, etc. These people are supposed to have taken and passed the exam after a seminar to qualify them as licensed electrician. The seminars and the follow on exams have to be taken even by already licensed tradesmen/technicians regularly (my plumber told me that he is required to upgrade his knowledge on installing gasfires/open fires for instance every 5 years to keep his license) but I don't know the frequency for the rest of the trades.
since everyone is required by law to pay taxes, then it makes sense to require everyone to vote don't you think?
Doesnt follow, IMHO. I would like to have the freedom NOT to vote without the guvmint punishing me for it. Compulsory voting was a tactic used by Hitler and Marcos to 'legitimize' their hold on power. That's why I associate it with despots. But I suppose it works for Australia, so Im not going to knock it. Im assuming they have free and clean elections over there. The same can't be said for elections here.
rrb,
we'll get there, sooner or later. i refuse to believe otherwise 
jeg,
i think aussies fancy their democracy to be closer to the continental european model than the american model. since everyone is required by law to pay taxes, then it makes sense to require everyone to vote don't you think?
It's a big surprise for me to learn that Australia has enforced participation in elections. For a liberal democracy, that seems pretty despotic.
My next door neighbor, who migrated from Italy over 20 yrs ago, used to put cement down & now he is worth over 10 million dollars. He invested his hard earned money in factories & retired in his 50s. Although he has very very bad back pains, needs to be on medication all the time, it just shows a bit of hard work can pay off.
I hope someday our fellow Pinoys in the Philippines can have the same opportunity, that with a bit of hard work life can get better, even if you come from nothing...
mwb,
I really wouldn't know. But I since Australia (and NZ) have announced 90,000 job openings for Filipinos, I think they would prefer that workers stay for a longer period of time.
cvj,
I've yet to see a single fly. Seriously. Maybe in the hinterlands there's more of them.
Mik,
Yeah, according to the newscast, some really young tradesmen were able to make their first million in a few years!
Hi Sparks!
I would agree with most of your observations It still surprises me when I see people go barefoot in malls.
And re: 10, the newscasts ARE to be believed Most of our friends who are parents always push their kids to do a trade and a lot of the people where we live who own their own businesses have to have a licensed trade.
I've noticed that these trades are regulated pretty well here, unlike back home. The toilets have to be fixed by a licensed plumber, the aircons have to be installed by a licensed refrigeration mechanic, the house has to be wired by a licensed electrician. And they're not cheap (90-100AUD an hour!!) so it is quite plausible that so-called blue collar workers earn more than the white collar ones.
It was one of the first things I noticed --that a blue-collared worker gets paid more-than-decent wages and gets respect for doing the trade. It keeps people wanting to do the blue-collar jobs instead of passing them up.
One of my colleagues who visited Australia told me that the flies over there are really big and that the locals got so used to them that they no longer shoo a fly away even if it lands on their face.
I was told that most Pinoys in Aussieland are not OFWs - is this true?
Commenting by HaloScan
