Across the ditch

Almost a quarter million Australian men aged 25-44 are no longer looking for work according to The Age. As a percentage of that age group the figure has more than doubled from 4 in 1978 to 9 today. Almost half are living on disability pensions.

Meanwhile, the welfare lobby are calling for more welfare spending and John Howard is defending his version of Working for Families which has been branded "welfare for millionaires". The family tax credits are being attacked for "discouraging work and handing benefits to high income earners." Where have we heard that before? Only difference is, over there it is Labor doing the criticising.

So much confusion in the mushy middle. Rampant redistributionism reigns and the main parties merely bicker about the details. The same is happening here, Australia, the UK and the US. Whatever they call themselves, they are all big-spending governments.