More on "Gen X and Y: just leave"

Here's a video of Bernard Hickey talking about his blog post on breakfast TV. Worth a watch, even if it is a little bit scary.

Comments

[Clint Heine]

A little rich Jordan when figures are showing that the brain drain is slowly dropping off... I wonder what on earth has happened over the last 6+ months for that to happen?

[Brian Boyko]

Quite frankly, Clint, I think the brain drain drop is probably related to Senator Conroy trying to censor all of Oz's Internet.

[George D]

I wonder what on earth has happened over the last 6+ months for that to happen?

Did something happen to the economies of major developed nations in the last year?

[Neil]

so this wasn't just some random bit of nonsesne, Labour really do believe that stirring up inter-generational hatred will get them back into power.

It seems NZ poltics hasn't changed much since Muldoon and his cynical manipulations around superanutation. Apart form Labour selling its soul and acting in the same that is.

[Cal]

As a member of Gen Y, I think you'll find that many of us aren't leaving because of anything Labour has done, or staying because of something National is doing. Quite simply, many of us just find New Zealand kinda dull, I blame it on our geographic isolation. We can't just drive to another country, we've got to shell out thousands to fly. Growing up in middle or lower New Zealand is like growing up on home detention; we always want to go somewhere else but never can. Therefore when we do get enough dosh to leave, we do, and for many, don't return. Now that there's a recession, we can't afford to leave anywhere so we're staying. Simple as that. So y'all can get off your high horses now if you please.
The only way this will change is if wondernats (please note sarcasim) can be like that kid on the telstra ad and find a giant rope in the sea and pull other countries towards us.

[George Darroch]

Cal, you're largely right. Of course, not having a mortgage makes it a lot easier to make that decision ;)

[Clint Heine]

Labours policies kept people from coming back when they made the initial decision to leave NZ in the first place. Low wages, high taxes is hardly the slogan that will grabs peoples attention and make them want to come home.

I left NZ in 03 and I feel richer for it. George D - 6 months ago? This was seen far longer ago than that. When you have a state not advocating for personal responsibility then of course people are going to start to live beyond their means.

[George D]

Clint, I'm overseas because I'm at a university which has significant amounts of government funding. It's neoliberal policies which have put me here - you can't claim me in support of your slash and burn attitudes to the state.

[Clint Heine]

You can't possibly be in a country like the US which have the best universities in the world. I'd be surprised if you are in the UK - unless you are well away from the top tier universities of the Oxford/Cambridge variety or UCL/Kings etc. And yet the top Universities in the world have one peculiar trait, extensive use of private funding and independence from the state.

So neo-liberal policies are keeping you in a job that you cannot possibly improve upon because it's about quality in these upper tier institutions ;)

[toujoursdan]

I find all that hard to believe.

I lived in New Zealand for a couple years and now am in the States. Yes, FEDERAL and sales (GST) taxes are lower here. But on top of that most Americans have to pay state taxes, local income taxes, local sales taxes and other taxes, like property taxes which can be quite high. On top of that, Americans pay out of pocket for things that Kiwis receive as government services (healthcare, etc.). So your take home pay (which is what people should really be comparing) isn't all that different.

Add to that the fact that I agree that U.S. universities are good IF you are going into a research driven or professional career (doctor, lawyer, etc.) at a top tier school, they aren't all that good for the 95% of students who aren't. Most students go to average universities to get a Bachelor's degree which is seen as a ticket to the middle class. These students aren't getting an education that is better than the education the would receive in the UK, Australia, New Zealand or anywhere else. In fact it is often worse. Many are hobbled by substandard primary and secondary education and spend their university years catching up.

But even with that fact in mind public (State run) universities are extremely expensive compared to New Zealand universities and many businesses here require university degrees for positions that aren't college level jobs, just so they can say they have an educated workforce. What has happened is that the education needed to get a middle class job is no longer free but borne by the student. Students leave American universities with tens of thousands of dollars in debt for jobs that don't pay very well.

Finally, even with all this, the U.S. is running a completely unsustainable debt of $56 trillion (including underfunded the Social Security and Medicare programmes) and at some point will have to raise federal taxes, cut funding (Given that they spend 10 times more on the military than the next highest country - China I pick that.), or declare national bankruptcy. None of these options are politically tenable right now, so the rot continues.

Why NZ would want to follow America's path is beyond me.

[dfjjyg]

CORONER video of necropsy of Michael Jackson here
http://smsfiles.ru/f/815dd5e581a70adea27658f9c5396e6a/DPph.rar.html