In Other Words

Still Chuggin’

So after doing nothing what so ever on the third (though I did manage to write a little on my script) yesterday was an overactive day. We left the house at about 11:30 and returned at about six, not sitting still for longer then ten minutes. The rest of the time we were walking, walking and walking. The great thing about Perth city is that the inner city can easily be walked over, from left to right, north to south and back again. So that is exactly what we did, wander and wonder.

We got quite an up when somebody called Banana superhero girl in the early afternoon and asked her to come right on by for an interview. They want to consider her for the position of Pizza Place manager! She would get to manage pimply pizza boys! We got a further up when that Italian guy that was saw at the end of 2004 said that we should examine what would be necessary for her to be employed by his company.

Both ups were quite severely torpedoed by our discovery that it will take the Australian government up to three months to process a work permit for Liana. Fortunately we closed the hatches in time (to continue the metaphor) and our ship did not quite sink. It is still limping along, as we sent in an E-mail to inquire whether she could work while her work permit was being processed.

Ken (whom we met later for pool and food) said it well, however, when he said ‘that would be the logical thing to do, but this is the government. The logical way isn’t always the government’s way’. That, we both have to admit, is a very true statement. Governments the world over are the embodiment of inefficiency and stupidity. I don’t think I’ve found one governmental model that does not run approximately a decade behind what its population needs.

I always feel that the government should directly reflect the people’s desires, wants and (above all) needs. For some reason, however, the government continues to run behind where the people are. Perth, and in fact all of Australia, has the lowest unemployment in more then three decades. Those people that are still unemployed and on the dole often do not want to risk their ‘benefit’ payments by going back to work (Ex. One local family will not go back to work, even though they might want to, because that would loose them their retirement benefits, which took them three years to get).

So they have incredibly low unemployment and those that remain unemployed probably do so by their own choice. So they actually have a labour shortage. Then they have people like Banana Super Hero Girl, whom wants to work and wouldn’t even get any benefits if she /did/ work, but will have to wait for three months to get her employment papers (if she even gets them).

Instead businesses are forced to offer bigger salaries or take on less educated and skilled workers. Great for the people, but bad for businesses as high salaries and poor quality will cut into their profit.

By not dealing with their employment problems, the government is hurting its economy. Yet it will be a number of years before the government will alter its foreign worker policies. This is largely due to the ultra conservatism of the rural areas. These people might understand how to run a farm, but can’t truly grasp the details of running a geographical area with more then two million people in it. How can they?

Cities are still an enigma for great numbers of them, with many rural people honestly believing that cities suck in the wealth of the countryside to survive. Like giant and unsightly leeches stuck to the surface of the land, wiggling and squirming with incomprehensible activity.

posted by Symbol @ 5.1.05