Pissed about Politics

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santanoice

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So the Federal Government released the 2014 Budget and it does not look pretty.

http://m.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2014-joe-hockey-hurts-his-way-into-history-20140513-387z6.html

This means, for me anyway, I could be faced with:
- Not being able to afford finishing my degree, despite it being my last year after being at it for nearly 6 years
- Not having a job if I do get my degree anyway because without the Government funding in games and Screen Australia there is literally no possible means of supporting oneself in that career in this country. I'd have to relocate to have any ounce of success.
- If I finish my degree and can't get a job, I can't get Government support for 6 months because apparently everyone on Government welfare / the dole is just a complete lazy fuck trying to get a free ride opposed to just being a person in a shitty situation.

And the worst part, for every single Australian (not just me):
No more free Healthcare.
I shouldn't even have to mention how terrible that is.

It's all just a massive joke. What the hell am I meant to do if I can't finish my degree, can't get a job and can't survive not having a job? I do at least have a place to live and food if I move back in with my parents, but I'd like to not be a burden on them where possible (they're both pensioners and barely receive anything as it is). I'll definitely be looking for a job where possible (as I would be doing anyway) but when the job opportunities just aren't there to begin with then I'm pretty much out of options, you know.

One swoop from this shit of a Government and it feels like my life is ruined.

What a joke.

The poor get poorer.
 
Pink Gold Fanta said:
And the worst part, for every single Australian (not just me):
No more free Healthcare.
I shouldn't even have to mention how terrible that is.
Click to expand...
Can't be so bad; we manage without that here in the States.

I prefer to focus on minimum wage. Is it possible to obtain any job at all where you can sustain yourself? I don't know how it works in Australia but in the US there are plenty of minimum wage jobs available, it's just it's somewhat difficult to survive on minimum wage.
 
That is an unfortunate situation. I hope that you can at least obtain your degree, since then you have employment options elsewhere if not in Australia.
 
Also, something else. You have to study for 6 years to get a degree, and you don't think it will get you a job? What kind of degree are you taking?
 
It's related to game design.

Pink Gold Fanta said:
- Not having a job if I do get my degree anyway because without the Government funding in games and Screen Australia there is literally no possible means of supporting oneself in that career in this country.
Click to expand...
 
Dr. Javelin said:
Also, something else. You have to study for 6 years to get a degree, and you don't think it will get you a job? What kind of degree are you taking?
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Most people don't even get jobs in the field they study
 
PTR, there are languages that use "America" to refer to the United States. Wikipedia's disambiguation page on America, which shows up as the first result if you Google it, states that the term usually refers to "United States of America." The article on the U.S. lists America as one of its other designations. John Adams used the term to refer to the United States in his inaugural address. There's also this. Complain and be irked all you want, but the usage isn't going away.

In any case, you bothering to bring it up in a thread about Australian politics is nonsensical.
 
Dr. Javelin said:
Pink Gold Fanta said:
And the worst part, for every single Australian (not just me):
No more free Healthcare.
I shouldn't even have to mention how terrible that is.
Click to expand...
Can't be so bad; we manage without that here in the States.
Click to expand...
Bleh. We don't really manage, we more, like, try to get by, especially since health care spending is so dang high here (in U.S.) compared to developed countries ($947/person here compared to $487/person developed country average).
 
Welp, there goes any hope of me getting into decent studies in the future. My entire family is going to be in big trouble with the increased health care costs, too.

this fucking country
 
I'm hearing through the grapevine that we might end up with a double dissolution from this (a term I only recently learnt about). It's a very real possibility because I cannot see how Labor or The Greens would let such a budget through. Oh well, crossing my fingers.

Dr. Javelin said:
Also, something else. You have to study for 6 years to get a degree, and you don't think it will get you a job? What kind of degree are you taking?
Click to expand...
All the funding to my field has stopped and thus dried up any job opportunities. The games industry in Australia is 100% independent and relies on Government funding because we don't have the resources to support a AAA industry. The most successful company in the country, Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride, etc), has to resort to platforms like mobile, XBLA, etc because even they can't secure the finances for getting a publisher and making the next big retail release.

However, my degree is a double bachelor in Multimedia and Computer Science, so I will still be well qualified for a number of other jobs. But they're not *the* job, you know?

Crawler said:
You should move to america. Then your government wont piss you off so much, and instead ours will.
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*shivers* where it's just more of the poor get poorer bullshit.

At least there are jobs there.

(US I mean.)

Canada though, I'm on the plane there now.

Halayà úbe Praseodymium Mario said:
Dr. Javelin said:
Pink Gold Fanta said:
And the worst part, for every single Australian (not just me):
No more free Healthcare.
I shouldn't even have to mention how terrible that is.
Click to expand...
Can't be so bad; we manage without that here in the States.
Click to expand...
Bleh. We don't really manage, we more, like, try to get by, especially since health care spending is so dang high here (in U.S.) compared to developed countries ($947/person here compared to $487/person developed country average).
Click to expand...
Does US have free Healthcare yet? If not, smh.

I'm of firm belief that health and education are the core things that need to be avaliable to all and not just the privileged. If you can't have those fundamental things then you can't be ensured the tools for building for the future, and can't be ensured survival of things go wrong. Sure some people can afford it, but a lot of people can't, so what happens to them?

Sometimes I think communism mightn't actually be such a bad idea (and it's not, it's just a number of leaders in such societies were batshit insane).

At least Finland got it right.
Brb moving to Finland.
 
Pink Gold Fanta said:
Does US have free Healthcare yet? If not, smh.

I'm of firm belief that health and education are the core things that need to be avaliable to all and not just the privileged. If you can't have those fundamental things then you can't be ensured the tools for building for the future, and can't be ensured survival of things go wrong. Sure some people can afford it, but a lot of people can't, so what happens to them?

Sometimes I think communism mightn't actually be such a bad idea (and it's not, it's just a number of leaders in such societies were bat*bleep* insane).

At least Finland got it right.
Brb moving to Finland.
Click to expand...
U.S. today does NOT have universal, government-mandated healthcare because they say it's "evil liburl soh-schee-ah-lizm".

So much for the "nation of the free" when there are countless amount of people who die because they can't afford to go to the doctor, and those that CAN afford may be limited to overpriced subpar medical treatment.

Me bitter.
 
Pink Gold Fanta said:
Does US have free Healthcare yet? If not, smh.
Click to expand...

We kiiiiiinda do but it's complicated and weird and probably more difficult than I actually care to explain. Like, I've technically got free healthcare right now, and the entire program is funded by some taxes on income. According to my pay stub, I pay about $4 a week into medicare and such. New York has taken the framework of Obamacare and made it into something usable, and thanks to that I don't have to pay hundreds of dollars for a checkup or get my teeth cleaned and stuff. On the flip side, it just feels like I'm getting it because nothing else in my life is going financially right. It's like.....if you're really poor, you have welfare options available to you, and if you're fabulously wealthy everything is just handed to you for some reason even though you're the most capable one to pay for things; everyone in the middle, or anyone who is pulling themselves up in life, is fucked over because they're not poor enough to qualify for government aid, and they're not rich enough to be given government subsidies.

For a while my family was poor, but not poor enough to get food stamps and welfare, so in all actuality the people who had less income than we did were actually more privileged and wealthy, and that's a really shitty position to be in.

Also, the US I guess does have more opportunities for minimum wage jobs but that's it. My outlook is a bit pessimistic with it being that all of the opportunities are made available for people who can afford it, rather than people who want or deserve it. Rich people can become richer because they can afford higher education and can afford to take chances, while if poor people make a single mistake they're completely ruined.



But anyways, goopyish statement, if you're able to persevere and move beyond things that are working against you, you will become a better person from that. I'm trying right now to get into photography stuff, even though I know I can't afford grad school or even afford moving out to the city or even most equipment, but it's helping me learn fundamentals and how to actually do things instead of relying on convenience.
 
Well, yeah, the Affordable Care Act is sort of a government mandate, but it isn't a true universal health care. It's more like a step toward universal health care, but not quite there. Only Vermont has this kind of thing since 2011.

I feel like you have to be lucky to be in the right state in the U.S., and that's stupid.
 
Looks as though the changes to University fees won't be put in place until 2017, so I don't have to worry about next semester suddenly being more expensive than my entire course to date. That's at least manageable.

Anyway, here's a bunch of local developers talking about the cuts to games funding:
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2014/05/government-funding-for-games-pulled-the-australian-games-industry-reacts/

The words of Reed and Rosman make it really hit home:
It is frustrating that the decision to cut the AIGF funding was done with absolutely no industry consultation. It feels like someone in Canberra saw the word ‘games’ and figured that was enough to run a red line through the program.
Click to expand...

Last night in Melbourne around 100 game developers took their time to learn about emerging games technologies and share games and knowledge with likeminded people. At the end of the evening, I then had to tell them, ‘you know that great games fund run by Screen Australia that can help your start up and development of quality games? Well, that’s gone.’

What is a small amount on the scale of a Federal budget can make such a difference for local game development growth and its place in the both the global market and cultural spaces. To hear it had been cut before its effectiveness can be assessed is hugely disappointing. The goal of the fund, which was to be self-sustaining over time, has not had time to be assessed and the government has failed to consult with industry on the matter.

To make it worse, at 7pm last night it was announced that applications had to be received by COB that day to be considered. Already I’ve heard of several developers who have been working on applications to be submitted by the end of the week. That’s heartbreaking.
Click to expand...

On a lighter note, this was really funny:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m1kGhZAdx18[/youtube]
 
Ooh we're complaining about the budget! Let me in! I hate this government, too!

It's just so annoying, because every time we try to blame the government for this *bleep*ty situation, they just blame the previous government. Because apparently this is all their fault.

This is what I hate about the government right now. They don't even have the guts to take responsibility for what they do.

EDIT: OK, what is even the point of that "You don't get help when unemployed for 6 months" thing? Don't you need support while you find a job? Isn't that the whole POINT of welfare?
 
Purple Yoshi said:
EDIT: OK, what is even the point of that "You don't get help when unemployed for 6 months" thing? Don't you need support while you find a job? Isn't that the whole POINT of welfare?
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nahm8 they're all lazy-bum bludgers just looking for a free ride and it wouldn't be fair to give them the money earnt by hard working people like joey, gina, and rupert.

I'm not sure if the first 6 months involves that 'Work for the Dole' thing, where you basically do community service for a couple of hours a week to 'earn' your Welfare. I dunno, I don't think the idea is completely terrible, mainly because I've gone patches of unemployment and holy hell it is boring and just getting out of the house just to do anything make things feel more positive. I, however, doubt it's so great across the broader community, especially when I know there are people my age who are unemployed, studying and have families to support, so, like, what the hell do you do if you're in that situation?
 
Pink Gold Fanta said:
Dr. Javelin said:
Also, something else. You have to study for 6 years to get a degree, and you don't think it will get you a job? What kind of degree are you taking?
Click to expand...
All the funding to my field has stopped and thus dried up any job opportunities. The games industry in Australia is 100% independent and relies on Government funding because we don't have the resources to support a AAA industry. The most successful company in the country, Halfbrick (Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride, etc), has to resort to platforms like mobile, XBLA, etc because even they can't secure the finances for getting a publisher and making the next big retail release.
Click to expand...
Ah, that makes sense.

Yeah, it's hard for independent game companies to get off the ground in the face of giant corporations, but it's not impossible. The best example I can think of right now is Uber Entertainment here in the US, who used Kickstarter to get money.

also halfbrick has made the only mobile games that i thought were good, so props to them

I could argue that perhaps it's better if the government wouldn't have to spend money to prop up an industry, especially if it's just not doing well, but I don't really know enough about the situation so I try to talk about things I don't understand.
Morty said:
For a while my family was poor, but not poor enough to get food stamps and welfare, so in all actuality the people who had less income than we did were actually more privileged and wealthy, and that's a really shitty position to be in.
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Stuff like that is exactly why conservatives hate welfare.

Which is why I only support welfare if you're actually working, because, you know, then you show proof that you're actually trying to get out and not just living off other people's taxes.

What? Javelin didn't say he hates welfare? Surprise!
 
Dr. Javelin said:
Pink Gold Fanta said:
And the worst part, for every single Australian (not just me):
No more free Healthcare.
I shouldn't even have to mention how terrible that is.
Click to expand...
Can't be so bad; we manage without that here in the States.
Click to expand...

Most American families are one medical emergency away from bankruptcy. I don't think that's managing.
 
Infestissumam said:
Dr. Javelin said:
Pink Gold Fanta said:
And the worst part, for every single Australian (not just me):
No more free Healthcare.
I shouldn't even have to mention how terrible that is.
Click to expand...
Can't be so bad; we manage without that here in the States.
Click to expand...
Most American families are one medical emergency away from bankruptcy. I don't think that's managing.
Click to expand...
Then my (extended) family would be bankrupt by now, but it's not. We're middle class. :P
 
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