Letter Of The Month: Hard Work Doesn’t Equal High Income

By Angie of Bondi on August 7, 2012 in Other

Photo: Abel Tailor

I just wanted to take a quick moment to clarify a couple of things for Liam (Letters, The Beast, July 2012). Liam, Pearl wasn’t “mud chucking”, as you so eloquently put it, at the middle classes, but rather at the high income earners.

You know this, as you state: “Pearl takes a swipe at middle classes…” then go on to acknowledge Pearl’s quote: “In Australia there is an expectation that those with a high income…”. Pearl has clearly said “those with a high income”, yet you say she’s taking a swipe at the “middle classes”. That doesn’t make sense, mate.

I agree that it is perfectly reasonable for the individuals lucky enough to earn higher incomes to enjoy the fruits of their labour, however, it is also perfectly reasonable to expect those same individuals to contribute a percentage of their income towards social (not communist) services such as schooling, medical and other infrastructure. This is to benefit us all.

No, those high income earners are not more ‘entitled’ to a return on their tax dollars because they earn more money and pay more taxes (actually, many of them do not pay more taxes as they have the means necessary to evade tax by taking advantage of the many loopholes in our taxation system).

Liam, you go on to state that the rewards are there for those who “work harder”. Oh, the good old pearler that John Howard invoked years ago rears its ugly head. I could list a very, very large number of jobs that do not pay well, yet require the individual performing the job to “work harder” than many a white collar, high income earner.

Then you go on to state that people “jack in jobs they don’t like, safe in the knowledge that someone else will be hard at work earning money to support them”. Dear, oh dear, Liam. Do you have any idea what it’s like out there in the real world for those on low incomes? Obviously not, or you’d see the error in your words when you insinuate the lower classes are “chucking in jobs” and “having babies”, while the self-sacrificing rich are “hard at work” paying for those low-lives. Oh, the rich are so selfless!

I suggest you give up your reference to ‘hard work equals high income’. It simply isn’t true, and was the worst notion John Howard introduced into our psyche (along with the term “un-Australian”). It gave the wealthy an excuse to justify their wealth and selfishness, while making the poor feel ashamed for not earn- ing high incomes by insinuating the reason for this was that they weren’t working “hard enough”. It was and is the most disgusting notion ever intro- duced into society. And you should be ashamed for perpetuating it. Ever heard of the ‘working poor’ Liam? Many of those working poor are doing disgusting but essential jobs necessary to keep our society func- tioning that neither you nor I would want to do. And because those jobs are deemed lowly, these people are paid low wages. Yet many of them work harder than you or I.

Liam, if ignorance is bliss, then you must be a very, very happy man! And to Pearl, love your work. Your articles are the highlight of The Beast!