Dealing With The Disease

Kevin Rudd is trying to deal with the issue of binge drinking, especially amongst teens. I am reminded of a statement from an ad for child sponsorship:

“The problem is so big, what can I do?......You can do plenty.”

So what can Kevin Rudd do?

• Ban alcohol all together – imagine the protests at this. Of course it will never happen because the government earns a lot in taxes on alcohol and on the sellers of alcohol.
• Raise the legal age of consumption – more likely to happen, although I’m not sure if it would make much of a difference.
• Graphic ads like those for smoking – some say the graphic ads don’t work because people still smoke. All I can say is that I won’t smoke and the ads reaffirm that stance. As far as alcohol is concerned, well surely it will at least open some eyes as too al the health risks involved with binge drinking.
• Limit late night trading for clubs and pubs – a 60 Minutes report pointed out the fact that most alcohol fuelled violence happens between 1 am and 3am. All reports of our footy stars getting into trouble seem to happen during this time frame.

What has he done?
Well not much, but he has forged links with major sporting organizations. He will also use his meeting with all state premiers to discuss some national laws for the selling of alcohol to minors.

A good start but gee, the problem is so big. Good luck to him.

Good On Holroyd Council

NSW residents surely noticed the massive stink that was stirred after a spate of school children being hit while crossing roads. Who would forget how Sophie Delezio, after recovering from her burns injuries only to be knocked over by a motorist soon after returning to school.


The NSW Govt was slow to act even though electrical genius, Peter Olsen, invented a reliable and cheap solution. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Govt would have jumped at the chance to have a cheap solution. But no, they insist that we need a flashing light set up that costs around $30,000 each, instead of less than $1000 for the Olsen solution.

Due to this expense the NSW Govt refuses to install school zone flashing lights at all schools. They say the lights will only be installed on a "needs basis".

Apparently the schools of Holroyd Council don’t need flashing lights. This includes my old schools, Beresford Rd Primary and Greystanes High. That’s two schools on the one street. As well as that, one end of the street connects with the very busy Great Western Highway.

That didn’t stop Holroyd Council from coming up with a solution. Where others would continue to gripe and moan while waiting for the state govt, Holroyd Council put the shout out for private sponsorship of lights in their school zones. The result – all school zones in Holroyd shire have very effective flashing lights at school zones, including the one mentioned above.

Good on you Holroyd Council

Apparently I’m Mortgage Stressed

Welcome to the new buzzword courtesy of the media – “mortgage stress.” A google search will bring multiple pages of news stories, one such example is linked to this post. A definition of mortgage stress would probably say something like:

Stress that is brought on by financial constraints resulting from mortgage repayments and rising interest rates

Their formula is apparently based on whether 30% of your income is going towards a mortgage. So according to them I am mortgage stressed. Yet I don’t feel stressed about my financial situation at all.

I have a budget, a good one set up by brother Danny. Therefore I know where my money is going. Mortgage repayments are updated and finances are juggled around them. Money is allocated for essentials such as food, utilities and other expenses such as car and scooter.

So when people say they are struggling I believe that there is always more to the story that they are letting on, for example:

• Did they overextend themselves in the first place in order to get that house?
• Are they sacrificing anything in order to pay for mortgage?
• How good are they at saving money?
• How much goes onto credit cards and are these essential purchases?
• When buying food is it brand names or generics?

People have had it very good for a long time and have become too used to a standard of living. Well, newsflash, things aren’t always fantastic, Year 12 Economics would have taught people that. The border between needs and wants have become blurred.

“I’ll Live Anywhere,” says the desperate renter

A mid week open house for a pokey three-bedder in Newtown resulted in a virtual auction to become the lucky tenants. In the end the ‘winners’ offered about $100 per week above the asking rate and forked over 3 months rent in advance, as well as a bond that I assume would be approximately $1000.

This of course left those unsuccessful understandably disappointed. Some spoke to nearby news crews about their disappointment.

• “I’ll live anywhere”
• “I’m getting pretty desperate at this point”
• “I need a place in two weeks”
• “I can’t stay at my sister’s for much longer”

It was the first quote that pricked my ears the most. As what he was really saying was, I will live anywhere as long as it is close to the city. So do we really have a crisis or just a heap of selfish people that aren’t willing to step outside their comfort zone and the convenience of being close to the city for some affordable housing? There has been a unit in my building still not leased for about 3 months. If there were a crisis how come it hasn’t been snapped up. Parramatta and Wentworthville consistently have units and houses for lease. So where are these desperate tenants who will supposedly live anywhere?

Easter Show Expenses

The Easter Show is coming soon, so is Easter, and expect to hear people whinge about the price to get in and around the showgrounds. Of course TV reporters are always asking people who have already chosen to attend the Easter Show, despite the expense. If the price is such a big deal then one must vote with their feet and not go. Record crowds in previous years can make the organisers think that they can raise prices and still get the same or larger attendances. Declining attendances say the opposite and would make them rethink their pricing.

I know it’s easier said than done to say “Just don’t go.” I remember the nagging me and brother Danny performed to get ourselves taken to the show at the old Moore Park Showgrounds. In my position of singleness with no dependants it is very easy for me to say I won’t go.

But you know, any tough decision my parents made to not give me what I wanted I now very much appreciate. I was still very young when we had the recession and was very upset when Christmas wasn’t as good that year. But looking back now, I can see how mum still did her best to make sure we had something.

So harden up people and learn to say no, show some tough love if the price is just that too far out of reach.