Do Australians have the same belief in freedom ( civil liberties, economic liberties, etc) that the USA used to have and a large percent still do (40%) or so. Economically Australia is quite a bit more economically free than the us. Only thing the us has is lower tax rates 35% and that won't last much longer in the US. The day that the oz dollar becomes stronger than the us will be astonishing how a country with 22 million can have a stronger currency than a country with over 300 million and was suppose to be the land of opportunity. But listen do yourself a favor. 1. Vote for freedom. 2. Do not let people who come from third world countries enter the land down under to become part of the welfare state. It will ruin your country!! Trust me I know from experience. Australia is trying to control inflation so on and so forth you actually produce stuff. All you need to do is get the socialist kevin rudd out and get someone who loves freedom in. Cut taxes and govt spending and you will be the crown of the world. It is within sight for australia to take over the mantle of the greatest country on earth. You need to start a program to get americans who don't want to live in socialism to come to Australia and work. I know you could probably get easily 100K a year and this would solve your low birth rate problem and all. Just an idea thanks for reading my comment.

The country has been hijacked by people that do not believe in liberty. You idiot do a little research of what is happening in the US. You have groups voting in blocks for socialism. The people and idealogy that made the Us great still exists in droves. Also the govt caused the mess via the fed reserve's low interest rates and their giving loans to people who couldn't make them back. Those are aspects of socialism. You seem like an idiot man. You don't want hard smart americans with iqs of 120 or so but you want people from third world countries? WTF

There has been a change in what is required for successful immigration to AUstralia: real English language competency and actual, useful skills. Native or near-native speakers with readily transferable work skills are once again at the head of the selection queue.

The premier of NSW is American. If you can make it NSW politics, you can make it anywhere. (New York now is for welfare addicted pussies  )

Try your luck. If you can speak the lingo, work and get with the basics of the culture to enable you to rub along without making even simple daily encounters a test for the locals of their multicultural sensitivities - you will be welcome. Australians are welcoming of all. And they positively love those who get the place and get with it.
There will be unending pisstake about the accent, though.

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I'd hardly call Bush a socialist. The financial crisis and it's causes can all be laid at the feet of his administration.


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Because everybody knows that there are no people with "IQ's of 120 or so" in third world countries, right?


You titled this post 'Questions for Australians by an American', but you seem more concerned with telling us what we need to do. Like Fawkes noted, you should be doing what you can to sort out your own mess. Australia weathered the financial crisis comparatively well.

Fear campaigns in America have and will cost many people their lives. People are dying every day because your people are terrified of Obama and his ideas for heath care reform.

Really wish the member Coral Sea was still around. Just from reading this thread -- and even though I can't pinpoint directly what has been wrong with what's been stated -- I know that  both sides in this argument aren't right. I don't believe anything I hear about U.S healthcare from either "side"; the member Coral Sea did have an intimate understanding however, though he doesn't seem to be around anymore..

I never get sick I only get stronger

I removed that from my post because I'm trying to track down more information on it before I repost it FYI.

I didn't write it; my friend who used to post here from America did. Also, the thing about minority doctors is most likely true, though I don't know how much of a problem it is. There are some fields that even affirmative action programs are reluctant to fool around with. Teaching, Mickey Mouse government positions, even law -- no problem. But medicine? The cardinal rule about black guys coming at you with knives is that you fvking run.

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Bogus.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Feb 27^th, 2010 at 11:00am:


True, yet if we import too many of them as migrants we can expect them to soon be telling us that we need to dismantle our system, having never experienced it themselves.

Another part of the USA "tough tits" attitude that many Australians dislike is the USA lack of compassion for the victims of its warmongering. In Vietnam, Cambodia, South America, Iraq, Afghanistan, and next Iran, no number of "accidental" civilian casualties seem to be enough to stop the USA fighting in one country after another to add to their obedient empire... whilst claiming to be bringing freedom and demahcracy to all, whether it is wanted or not.

The yanks are full of hypocrisy, having no idea of how to fix the USA's problems or even start paying off its debt, yet offering themeselves to show us how. The only place I would be happy to see them is back inside the borders of the USA. How I wish they would all get themselves there, and stay!

Americancitizen87 wrote on Feb 27^th, 2010 at 12:33pm:

Yeah, well... wait till you get here.

And if or when you come to the 'land down under'.... Don't bring any of your crappy beer.

Fosters is that beer that everybody asks you about overseas prompting you to tell them that nobody actually drinks it here. I haven't seen it available in stores since like, ever.

I thought that the highest spending government was Whitlam. I didn't think that the government had any money left after he was done with it. Also, Malcolm Fraser was known to be at odds with John Howard and was the main reason for the relatively high spending at the time. I don't know much about Hawke, but Keating and Howard are definitely known for being small government in terms of economic policy. Howard pushed for privatisation of Telstra and deregulation of the labour markets, and didn't have any significant expenditure promises until the 2007 election.

As for tampering with the dole, Tony Abbott is proposing tougher tests for disability pension, compulsory work for the dole and an end to unconditional welfare. I think I can see my paradise in the distance.

Abbott targets welfare payments

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott sees radical social policy change

Australians do value freedom etc, but don't tend to take it as seriously or get as one eyed about it as the Americans. We do value most of the socialist aspects of our society and object to Americans telling us what to do. We do not want to follow America's example.

Mattyfisk wrote on Feb 28^th, 2010 at 11:03pm:


Unless it's true that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... Then we got it bad for the Yanks

Perhaps the American who started this thread might like to take a look here http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1258741089, then advance some reasons why we might like America?