Don't worry about replying -- I only commented yesterday. I've heard other talk about people not getting notifications. Which makes me wonder what I'm missing out on.
Like the NHS we have a system willingly and partially supported by private health insurance companies (one is actually run by the Federal Government) who provide their services in tandem with Medicare, and as a sort of top-up. As far as disorganisation goes, there's a lot of that on state level, rather than in the beurocracy. God, I wish I could spell that word, but I can't. I won't even try.
As for the dole thing, it's a little joke people tell. "How about going on the John Howard writer's scholarship?" "..." "Pays out fortnightly. You get it down at the Centrelink office." Hardi har har, etc etc.
One of the things I like the most is HECS, the Higher Education Contribution Scheme. (I think it has another acronym now, but whatever). The gov. basically lends you money to enter university, at a higher entrance score (almost everyone enters under HECS). You pay back your interest free loan when your income hits a certain level.
Anyway, sorry for such a meandering and long comment. All that stuff is kind of cool. While I don't mind that we don't lead the world in baseball, I'm happy that we lead the world in cricket.
The only historic American government I know about in any detail is FDR's, but I think I may have read somewhere that Reagan basically killed social security. I know FDR started it.
You're missing out on missing out. I have to remember where I commented and when, otherwise I miss replies. It takes forever. I like LJ. It's a much better format than GreatestJournal, to name one, but the lack of alerts is a problem.
We have something similar to HECS (probably not as good), but tuition can cost an arm and a leg so the top universities are still predominantly filled with posh tossers (*raises hand in shame*) despite scholarships.
I am a great admirer of FDR. His idea of Big Government helped drag the world out of the great depression and set the tone for more than 40 years. It was Nixon who started chipping away at it and Reagan who all but finished the deed…but it was Clinton who committed the last great betrayal. He essentially rolled over for the conservatives when he stated, in his first State of the Union, that 'the era of Big Government is over'. I remember having to locate my jaw somewhere on the floor after that. We had bribed our porter into letting us watch the speech on his telly and half the room cheered while the other half booed. And then the West Wing used it to show how it should have been done…
Even our oldest university (University of Sydney: 1850) is a teenager by your standards, so I guess that hasn't really had time to form yet. Although, yes, it is harder to get into university if you don't have as much money.
In my parents' era University was free. Gough Whitlam brought that in at the same time he brought in Medicare. I'm pretty sure that most studies reported that the demographics hadn't changed: if you're poor but smart and determined, there are scholarships and such like, as always. So now we have HELP. (They did change the acronym, apparently).
As am I! Actually, I did quite a bit of research on the old boy earlier this year as I procrastinated about writing a short story. Fantastic ideas.
In fact, if you want to friend me, I have a couple of entries on him. Friends? You seem pretty cool. : )
If you want to look at the FDR stuff (heh, after I told you I actually went back and looked at the entries, and they were a lot less voluminous and interesting than I remember, oh well), they're tagged under fdr.
Don't worry about replying -- I only commented yesterday. I've heard other talk about people not getting notifications. Which makes me wonder what I'm missing out on.
Like the NHS we have a system willingly and partially supported by private health insurance companies (one is actually run by the Federal Government) who provide their services in tandem with Medicare, and as a sort of top-up.
As far as disorganisation goes, there's a lot of that on state level, rather than in the beurocracy. God, I wish I could spell that word, but I can't. I won't even try.
As for the dole thing, it's a little joke people tell.
"How about going on the John Howard writer's scholarship?"
"..."
"Pays out fortnightly. You get it down at the Centrelink office."
Hardi har har, etc etc.
One of the things I like the most is HECS, the Higher Education Contribution Scheme. (I think it has another acronym now, but whatever). The gov. basically lends you money to enter university, at a higher entrance score (almost everyone enters under HECS). You pay back your interest free loan when your income hits a certain level.
Anyway, sorry for such a meandering and long comment. All that stuff is kind of cool. While I don't mind that we don't lead the world in baseball, I'm happy that we lead the world in cricket.
The only historic American government I know about in any detail is FDR's, but I think I may have read somewhere that Reagan basically killed social security. I know FDR started it.
Reply
We have something similar to HECS (probably not as good), but tuition can cost an arm and a leg so the top universities are still predominantly filled with posh tossers (*raises hand in shame*) despite scholarships.
I am a great admirer of FDR. His idea of Big Government helped drag the world out of the great depression and set the tone for more than 40 years. It was Nixon who started chipping away at it and Reagan who all but finished the deed…but it was Clinton who committed the last great betrayal. He essentially rolled over for the conservatives when he stated, in his first State of the Union, that 'the era of Big Government is over'. I remember having to locate my jaw somewhere on the floor after that. We had bribed our porter into letting us watch the speech on his telly and half the room cheered while the other half booed. And then the West Wing used it to show how it should have been done…
Reply
In my parents' era University was free. Gough Whitlam brought that in at the same time he brought in Medicare. I'm pretty sure that most studies reported that the demographics hadn't changed: if you're poor but smart and determined, there are scholarships and such like, as always. So now we have HELP. (They did change the acronym, apparently).
As am I! Actually, I did quite a bit of research on the old boy earlier this year as I procrastinated about writing a short story. Fantastic ideas.
In fact, if you want to friend me, I have a couple of entries on him. Friends? You seem pretty cool. : )
Reply
Oh, and HELP?! Hehehehe.
Reply
If you want to look at the FDR stuff (heh, after I told you I actually went back and looked at the entries, and they were a lot less voluminous and interesting than I remember, oh well), they're tagged under fdr.
: D
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