Ok here is an Aussie perspective.
Granted she inhertied her forutne from previous generations, but she does invest a lot of money into this country and all the mining people are paid good wages. So she must have some sort of brain on her head.
She is right in what she says to a degree about spend less time smoking and drinking would help people not remain poor. Note she never said they would become millionaries.
In Australia there is this mentality that you have to piss up all your pay. Which means spend most of it if not all on drinks.and worry about bills later. On minimum wage they spend aeound $300 a week on piss and smokes. The people that fit into the category are what I call clock watchers at work. They wait for the clock to hit the exact time and run out the door, go home call over friends and drink all night long, then come in to work with a hangover or take a sickie (meaing skip work because the too hang over to work).
The worst part about it is once they had their good time getting wasted, when a bill arrives they go to the local charity expecting them to bail them out.
To simply put their money is being missmanaged, not that they are poor to begin with. The people on the dole (welfare, those who are their because they want to be), are just as bad. They refer to their government handout as a paycheck for the pissup on the weekend. There kids usually get neglected and become the next generation of usless people in soiciety (i feel for these kids and wish they could be taken away from that environment and given an opportunity in life).
Now you may think I am being harsh but the matter of fact is I am not. My family was on that side of the fence. We come to Australia 20 years ago with nothing except some clothes as we sold all our asserts to pay for the flight costs to migrate. Becauise my parents could not speak englsh, the best jobs they could get was, cleaning jobs,factory work etc. (aka minimum wage). They had to work two jobs at a time to try and give me an education so I would not end up like them. ATM they are in their 50s and still working in a factor doing 12 hour shifts.
Do they smoke and drink? Sure do. But gues what they CONTROL how much they spend on these. Rather than 80% of their wage going on these luxuries, they spend about 10%, then at the end of the day they still had enough money to pay for bills, my education and even to save up for a house. I am greatful for what they did for me as I now myself have an awesome well paying job. SO it is possible to break the cycle, provided you are given the opportunity and want to.
The tax system is a whole thread on its own haha. In a nutshell the more you earn the higher tax bracket you fit into. This I do not mind as my taxes should go to funding essential services. What people mind is the small BS taxes around the main tax. In essence the harder you work the more penality taxes you have to pay like:
- excess if you do not have private health cover. should this not be my choice if I want private health? or to use the public system which my taxes already pay for?,
- flood tax becuause morons keep rebuilding in known "flood plains" knowing well that a flood will happen there again. Hell the banks will not even insure or give a loan for your house if you build there, so why does governemnt allow them to build there?
- and finally being taxed on your savings, which have already been taxed when you earned the money initially. why should I be penalised for being smart and saving my money to earn inteerest? does the gov want me to join the people who spend all their money on drinks, instead of be responsible?).
