It's not only the presidential candidates casting themselves this way, “Protect the middle class” is a rote U.S. political slogan. In the wealthiest and most powerful country on earth, what does the middle class need protecting from? May I be so bold as to suggest they need protecting from more government protection.
I am tired of hearing the bleak rhetoric that the middle class is under threat. Australians and Americans of any class are the most prosperous, healthy and entertained people who have ever lived.
Neither the U.S. Government nor the Australian Government can protect their citizens from the forces of global competition and the energy of ambitious competing citizens from India, China and beyond. In a world of 7 billion competitive and ambitious people, yes, U.S. education standards should improve. Australian education standards are higher on the back of a much larger private sector in school education. So too Australian standards will need to improve to to maintain our position in an ever more competitive and educated world. Yes, U.S, health standards should improve. Australian health standards are higher on the back of a basic universal system and a thriving private sector. The great advances will be with personalised medicine and new medical devices - government can set the frameworks but we need to look after our own health.
In short, we live the good life in Australia and the U.S.A. Tough times come and go. Community should support those who cannot support themselves. Friends and family support most folk who suffer though bad luck.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location:San Francisco, United States (Revised 14 February).
Neither the U.S. Government nor the Australian Government can protect their citizens from the forces of global competition and the energy of ambitious competing citizens from India, China and beyond. In a world of 7 billion competitive and ambitious people, yes, U.S. education standards should improve. Australian education standards are higher on the back of a much larger private sector in school education. So too Australian standards will need to improve to to maintain our position in an ever more competitive and educated world. Yes, U.S, health standards should improve. Australian health standards are higher on the back of a basic universal system and a thriving private sector. The great advances will be with personalised medicine and new medical devices - government can set the frameworks but we need to look after our own health.
The middle class in the U.S. and Australia is loaded with creative and entrepreneurial people who can solve their own problems. Richard Florida's Global Creativity Index places the U.S.A. at number 1 and Australia at number 5. The 2012 Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI) ranks the U.S.A. no 1 and Australia no 3.
I am moving back to Australia next month. I observe that the Heritage Foundation now ranks Australia as number 3 in Economic Freedom while the U.S.A. has fallen to number 10. Australia has the highest growth in the OECD. Its education and health systems thrive with a good set of choices around the private and government sectors. It's easier for a person to start their own business in Melbourne than almost anywhere in the world. The process of deregulation and regulatory harmony has proceeded much faster in the Australian federal system than in the U.S.A.
In short, we live the good life in Australia and the U.S.A. Tough times come and go. Community should support those who cannot support themselves. Friends and family support most folk who suffer though bad luck.
Government as protector from military and terrorist threat, yes. Government doing its best to help protect citizens from crime, yes. But government as "protector of the middle class" smacks of a nanny state that I hoped we had outgrown.
Governments here and at home need to adopt a more positive and optimistic rhetoric. I want collaboration between Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Labor. I want long-term plans that will survive changes of administration.
Maybe it is time to add one more policy czar to the beltway in DC: I would nominate Penn State's Martin Seligman to be Obama's or Romney's resilience and optimism czar. Protection we don't need - encouragement is something everyone can use. Dr Seligman has done a great job for many of Australia's schools perhaps we could ask him to do the same for our governments and oppositions.
See:
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location:San Francisco, United States (Revised 14 February).
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