JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
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- FT English Teachers for Kids - Osaka
- Kohgakusha Co., Ltd. （株式会社興学社）, Osaka
- Salary: ¥255,000 ~ ¥275,000 / Month Travel Expenses, Encouragement of Japanese learning*
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- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
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Betzee
This thread has been quite an illuminating read. It seems the consensus of the expat British community in Japan, as represented by JT posters, has identified a sole culprit for all that ails her: the Labour Party (monocausal explanations I am mighty familiar with on this side of the pond).
Yet one poster accused the government of being too weak:
The government has to have certain responsibility , or we may as wellhave no laws like.
While another claimed the problem was that it is too strong:
The state at both national and local level interferes with every aspect of a person’s life.
It seems Labour can't win for losing.
I visited the UK in 1992, when the Tories were still in power. There were thuggish young panhandlers at some tube stops. Much commercial real estate "To Let." Deindustrialization had made factory jobs a relic of the past. It was a country clearly in decline. But I don't think anyone has any ideas on how to arrest that process.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
Once I started looking at property I realized how much flipping of homes had gone on after the capital gains tax on home sales was lifted.
One property had been purchased in May, undergone an extensive remodel, and was back on the market for one hundred grand more by September. In mid-decade you get make fast money that way; now it's no longer the case.
People got caught in this buy-fix up-resell cycle which drove prices up before they came crashing down. A lot of wealth on paper was destroyed.
Posted in: Obama's next target: home mortgage foreclosure crisis
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Betzee
Indeed, it would seem there was not enough social worker oversight, far from being too much.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
This was also the reason sharia law was adopted by popular vote in northern Nigeria; it was seen as the best means to deter lawlessness and thuggery. But the sharia police (hisbah) lack the authority of the federal government which really doesn't have much interest in prosecuting people engaged in offenses that do not violate civil law.
In Pakistan, by contrast, there won't be any federal oversight.
Posted in: Islamic law to be imposed in parts of northwest Pakistan
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Betzee
They are hardly alone there, eh? "Personal Responsibility" always seems to apply to the other guy.
And a comparison with the US is necessary to test your contention that "This story is proof of Britain being a welfare state." Ah, but if the teen pregnancy rate is higher in the US, with its more minimal set of welfare entitlements, it calls into question whether the welfare state is in fact responsible for out of wedlock teen births.
Besides, if this were so commonplace in the UK, nobody would be making money off sharing the details.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
It isn't fair. You're left to fend for yourself while the government is underwritin' all the Young Alfies and their spawn.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
Alf, or perhaps I should address you as "Big Alfie," you are on top or your facts:
These are a few of the facts:
• Teen pregnancy rates are much higher in the United States than in many other developed countries-twice as high as in England and Wales or Canada, and eight times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan.
• About 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year; 95% of those pregnancies are unintended, and almost one third end in abortion.
• Public costs from teenage childbearing totaled $120 billion from 1985 -- 1990; $48 billion could have been saved if each birth had been postponed until the mother was at least 20 years old.
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200804/1207250874.html
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
We've all morphed into consumption-oriented societies. For those who are unable to partake of it on their on steam, that leaves the dole and debt as the avenues to some level of comfort.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
The chickens have really come home to roost:
Last week the Federal Reserve released the results of the latest Survey of Consumer Finances, a triennial report on the assets and liabilities of American households. The bottom line is that there has been basically no wealth creation at all since the turn of the millennium: the net worth of the average American household, adjusted for inflation, is lower now than it was in 2001.
Yet until very recently Americans believed they were getting richer, because they received statements saying that their houses and stock portfolios were appreciating in value faster than their debts were increasing. And if the belief of many Americans that they could count on capital gains forever sounds naïve, it’s worth remembering just how many influential voices — notably in right-leaning publications like The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and National Review — promoted that belief, and ridiculed those who worried about low savings and high levels of debt.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/opinion/16krugman.html
Posted in: Obama's next target: home mortgage foreclosure crisis
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Betzee
Are you letting the sellers/lenders off the hook? Part of what drove the "booming economy" of the GWB years was a flourishing real estate market which created a bubble that has now burst. You can't have it both ways.
It was all part of freeing financial markets which, just as occurred in the 1930s, now necessitates a fundamental and costly type of public intervention to correct. If the banks don't have money to lend, it stifles growth in the private sector.
Posted in: Obama's next target: home mortgage foreclosure crisis
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Betzee
While it is unfair to those who lived within their means to allow those who mortgaged to the hilt to remain in homes that would otherwise be in foreclosure, the market value of these properties has plunged, so on paper they are not reaping an unearned windfall. Moreover, abandoned houses further depress the value of homes owned by those not in arrears on their mortgage payments.
Posted in: Obama's next target: home mortgage foreclosure crisis
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Betzee
Because the capitalist system can't function without them. But they needed to be regulated.
Too many Americans thought they would wake up richer every morning if they owned a home since the value would continue to appreciate. Now many have found out you can wake up poorer, too, if values plunge. When I was looking for a house I saw a number of "short sells," where the borrower owes much more than the current market value of the home. Both the owner and the lender are simply trying to get recoup what they can in such cases.
High-growth areas have been disproportionately affected by the sub-prime mortgage racket. California, Arizona and Florida all have high foreclosure rates. Whole communities are in foreclosure and local governments don't want ghost towns. We had a family of bob cats move into an abandoned home; they were drinking out the pool. So people may get a reprieve to serve a greater good.
Easy access to credit made it possible to enjoy the good life before you'd earned it. When I was growing up, it was considered an embarrassment to be in debt. Now it's become a way of life for many Americans.
Credit card companies, of course, hawk their wares to everyone with a pulse. So, access to credit has to be regulated as well, given the ability of the financial system to bring everybody down.
Posted in: Obama's next target: home mortgage foreclosure crisis
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Betzee
That's no excuse. Surely a shelter would have taken them. Even if the shelter couldn't place them, they would be euthanized in a humane manner.
In my state in the USA, there was a proposal to raise the veterinary services tax to nine percent as part of an effort to balance the budget. While pets cannot fight back, plenty of people did, pointing out this change amounted to a death sentence for many animals looking for placement. Animals should not have to pay the ultimate price for human errors.
Posted in: Dog retirement home
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Betzee
Alf,
That's always been my view of where teenage parenthood takes ya. But in the US we confront an aggressive push back from a vocal "they chose life" crowd who celebrate the decision while dismissing the context in which it occurs. I have yet to see anyone reconcile the two.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
When I see the dogs in training to become guide dogs I don't pet them because I feel that would be a distraction from their duties. On the other hand, lots of people probably do and so they need to be able to deal with it.
Ditto for my cat, I don't like other people feeding her. They think it's a kindness ("she looked hungry!") but they make no provision for absences and she may become dependent on them when she should rely on me. Plus, she's supposed to be on a diet!
Domestic animals are there to provide a different sort of companionship from humans. We need to love them for what they add to our lives, not to make them responsible for filling in missing parts.
Now that I've gotten that off my chest....
Posted in: Dog retirement home
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Betzee
I meant it's amazing Terence Davies hasn't stopped by to post, so I took the liberty of adding his opinion to this discussion.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
It's amazing Terence Davies has stopped by to post!
I recently saw his documentary Time and a City which focuses on his hometown, Liverpool. While it is a personal rather than a political film, he is quoted in the NYT's as saying:
“Liverpool is the country in embryo,” he said recently, speaking on the phone from his home on the Essex coast. “We are just becoming more and more Neanderthal and uncivilized, and perhaps that’s the fate of all post-imperial powers. I see it all getting worse, and I just hope I’m dead before it gets really bad.”
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
Well, if Chantelle slept with more than one boy she probably wouldn't know who the father is; several other candidates have stepped forward. Their motivation is not to assume responsibility but to enjoy the notoriety (and whatever lucrative "tell all" opportunities it might bring).
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
I'm sure the manager down at the Pig and Whistle is reassured to know this!
But I don't think these teenagers, particularly young Alfie, are so calculating that they see a child as a meal ticket for life-long government benefits.
It's more likely they know not a soul who's moved out of the projects, or council houses as they are known in the UK, who would offer any sort of alternative role model demonstrating the benefits of hitting the books hard.
Posted in: Baby-faced dad, 13, raises 'broken Britain' fears
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Betzee
I knew an office manager for a commercial real estate company who had a yellow lab puppy who was going to be trained to be a guide dog. During the day she took him everywhere so he get used the hustle and bustle of being around people all the time.
Posted in: Dog retirement home