tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post3481493199715792770..comments2024-02-11T19:28:27.997+11:00Comments on Personal Reflections: Lorenzo on monetary policy, Winton on Laura Tingle, death of Helen Beh and some Sydney lightsJim Belshawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-51494261705784397692012-06-25T21:47:08.380+10:002012-06-25T21:47:08.380+10:00Sorry for the long delay in responding to this one...Sorry for the long delay in responding to this one. Surely an expectation is not the same as an entitlement?Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-16606060526519340012012-06-16T09:52:57.947+10:002012-06-16T09:52:57.947+10:00Jim, it seems to me that issue of whether a sense ...Jim, it seems to me that issue of whether a sense of entitlement is warranted revolves around what it is reasonable to expect.<br /><br />It seems reasonable for Australian pensioners to expect that future Australian governments will continue to pay their pensions. It seems less reasonable for Australians who do not qualify under pensions means tests to expect government to subsidize their retirement incomes (except insofar as there are contractual obligations e.g. under superannuation schemes for former employees - like me!).Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-52874799400294212532012-06-16T07:49:32.114+10:002012-06-16T07:49:32.114+10:00IHi Winton. I don't think of any of those thin...IHi Winton. I don't think of any of those things as entitlements, although I note that you put entitlements in inverted commas.<br /><br />Leaving that aside, I would agree in broad terms. Property rights - ownership -are recognised by law or custom are are central to functioning societies. Contracts are a way of defining and enforcing relationships in a legal system. At the other end, Governments indicate what they are planning to do, what they stand for, and we vote on that, but its bot a contract nor any form of right.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-4261756303799368532012-06-16T07:33:08.261+10:002012-06-16T07:33:08.261+10:00Jim
I have been thinking that it might be useful t...Jim<br />I have been thinking that it might be useful to compare our ideas about an appropriate a ranking of the legitimacy of different 'entitlements'. You would presumably agree with me that property rights and contractual obligations should be at the top of the ranking and (non-core)election promises should be at the bottom of the ranking.Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-86424693551768920922012-06-12T21:14:58.793+10:002012-06-12T21:14:58.793+10:00Winton, I disagree with you quite profoundly. I th...Winton, I disagree with you quite profoundly. I think that your mental structures are a bit skewed! Dear me, that's a strong statement isn't it? I probably need to try to explain as best I can in a post. Not to attack your views, but to expose my own perceptions to scrutiny.<br /><br />Rod and kvd. One of the difficulties when you are involved in political debate especially as a machine person is that you don't push things as hard as you should. I am sure that I was right, but I didn't follow up with the passion that I should have.<br /><br />I had no idea at the time that schools would become single use ghettos. That's what they are now. If I had known, would I have pushed harder? I might have.Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-57133765418922689282012-06-12T16:54:19.964+10:002012-06-12T16:54:19.964+10:00Rod's comment re 'community use of schools...Rod's comment re 'community use of schools' (which picks up on your own) is a good one. I seem to remember there was a push towards multiple use of the asset (school buildings) some years back? The thought was that school became after-hours kid care, became (maybe) tech courses, or U3A - or is it U4A, can't remember.<br /><br />Point being that one physical asset had a useful life beyond 9-3. I thought that could have been a sensible use, but I've no idea now what the opposing views were. A pity, because they obviously "won" the debate.<br /><br />Anyway - was that you? If so, well done to have tried.<br /><br />Thoughtful article Jim. And how sad it was to read of that quite valuable member of our society struck down by cancer. What a brightly burning spark.<br /><br />kvdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-47464683405898619452012-06-12T16:13:15.566+10:002012-06-12T16:13:15.566+10:00Thanks for drawing attention to Lorenzo's arti...Thanks for drawing attention to Lorenzo's article, Jim. In my view the market monetarists know what they are talking about. <br /><br />Regarding entitlements, I think the problem is the growth of a sense of entitlement to be looked after by governments. The best example in Australia would be industry assistance, where people in some highly assisted industries seemed to expect assistance from consumers and taxpayers would last for ever. In the end, many of them had to make a difficult psychological adjustment as well as an economic adjustment.<br /><br />In the case of social welfare benefits it seems to me that people have a reasonable sense of entitlement to benefits at current levels if they qualify under means tests. However, the outcry over the recent limitation of superannuation concessions enjoyed by middle and upper income people seems to me to involve an unwarranted sense of entitlement to government assistance that could not be justified on either efficiency or equity grounds.Winton Bateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07383561940886657594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-58175399878805483062012-06-12T10:10:19.373+10:002012-06-12T10:10:19.373+10:00Your comments on community use of schools is an in...Your comments on community use of schools is an interesting one. Every public school in my town now has horrible looking 8ft big black fences all around them to keep people out (inclosed space according to the notices). It makes me sad because as a child I used to play in the school playgrounds on holidays and weekends. I notice now that the big concrete roundabout nearby gets children playing on it (and dodging cars) on weekends and holidays.Rodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10962789743908134314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-68761703380255669402012-06-11T12:10:11.866+10:002012-06-11T12:10:11.866+10:00Interesting, Evan, that you found her beautiful to...Interesting, Evan, that you found her beautiful too. <br /><br />Will try to work out my views, Evan. A fair bit of what I write addresses what I see as problems. By implication, change the process and approaches and you will improve things. But it's just so much harder to clearly articulate new approaches. <br /><br />How do we capture the power of targeted imagination?Jim Belshawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10075614280789984767noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24338064.post-50557500453408504892012-06-11T09:52:34.633+10:002012-06-11T09:52:34.633+10:00Hi Jim, Helen Beh lectured me in psych at Sydney U...Hi Jim, Helen Beh lectured me in psych at Sydney Uni. I too was struck by her beauty.<br /><br />I'll be interested to see what you make of Laura's essay. I think the interesting question is the one she leaves - where to from here?<br /><br />The failure of nerve by the political class is an interesting one. Is it just youthful baby boomers getting older and more realistic/cynical? Why was the whole neo-liberal ideology so triumphant? An instance of the 'British disease'and decline of influence by the churches? I would be interested in your views.Evanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13355215688351759230noreply@blogger.com