23 February, 2008 One of the great difficulties I have had over the past few years is in putting pen to paper. I do not know why this is the case. In my early teens I was an avid writer, frequently writing on subjects of many different shades. Perhaps my time at university has had an effect on me – because I found I was writing more in getting assignments in, there was less incentive to write for luxury. Furthermore, my oscillation tilted much more towards consumption of writing rather than production. I have always read large amounts, but as I’ve left my childhood behind that reading has been less in the realm of fiction (though I do read the occasional fictional book, perhaps as many as a dozen last year) and more in the realm of non-fiction. If you read a lot, it takes time. If you spend time then writing and getting essays and assignments out of the way, it tends to squeeze the “inspiration juice” out of you. Of course, I did maintain a stint of political blogging with a friend around 2005/6, which I greatly enjoyed. Both of us found it difficult to maintain regular posting between the two of us while pursuing our careers or education though, and so had to pack it in.
So why am I writing this? I’m convinced that in order to be a better writer, I need to write more. While I have always had a good mind for constructing logical arguments, typically my writing has slightly let me down. Since I am now studying at postgraduate level, the written word takes a greater focus. So I need to be able to say more with better variety, better lucidity, and in my own style than I did previously. Undergraduate history and politics can be somewhat forgiving of writing deficits; commerce students get A’s in essays if they are able to string semi-lucid sentences together with more than one polysyllabic word in each. It’s not that I lack the desire to express myself. My brain constantly comes up with some reaction to something I have read or seen on the news, or plain thought out of thin air, which is potential verbiage. I just never seem to sit down and put pen to paper. Or if I do start it, finish it.
It is time for that to change. I need to write more to help myself write better. I also need to unleash some of the theological tension that has built up in my cerebral cortex over the past few years. Suffice to say that some will have recognised that I am not the man I was – God has been hammering away and humbling me in some key areas in my life, and that has reflected in my reversal on some doctrinal positions. I need to get that off my chest, and I will. But I need also to reflect more the other sides of my personality. I am more than just a conservative evangelical Christian. I have political opinions, and I should express them (so you have a greater idea of where I am coming from). I have hopes and fears, find things funny, and sometimes find my brain has ticked over some interesting revelation based on observation of things on the news (or television, or the internet). The more I express this, the more this site will better reflect who I actually am, rather than caricatures of me that could be assembled based on misunderstandings of what I say. Furthermore, the more I express myself, the more I am forced to explore the English language in the search of greater varieties of words, synonyms and turns of phrase to accurately describe what I am trying to say without falling into a pattern of repetition. If that means setting aside more time for writing and less time for reading, then so be it. If nothing else, it will do my bank balance some good (and cause a small downturn in Amazon’s profit margins, but that’s not my problem!). So much like my fitness regimen, my regimen of prayer and bible study, it is time to introduce a regimen of writing. I hope that the results are fruitful.Continue Reading >>
Posted in: Personal, Thoughts
10 February, 2008 I was reading an opinion article in the Mercantile Gazette (yeah, I know, business geek!) that talked about wage rates. It was somewhat timely, as just recently Cullen challenged employers to help close the wage gap by paying their staff more. I imagine that went down in some quarters like a bucket of cold sick, but that raises the question of why? And one other thing – how did we get to such a position.
Now sure, some of the gap can be attributed to various technical explanations regarding minerals and such, but I wonder whether there is a simpler historical argument that may help explain it? As far as my reasoning carries me (and this is based purely on some historical information I've picked up in NZ history books and some anecdotal evidence) it seems that the simplest reason for understanding why Australians get paid more than Kiwis is because until 25 years ago our economy was far less diversified than theirs (and still may be, does anybody know?). Much of our employment seemed to revolve around primary export industries – farms, and the infrastructure to support it (rail, meatworks, farm service industries, etc). Plenty of this stuff doesn't require much of a qualification or portable skill base to work in it, but that didn't matter since employment laws were extremely strict and for a while things were still okay (if not as great as they were in the 1950s). Then the Lange government came to power, and removed a lot of the artificial supports that had been constructed to support an economy that couldn't be supported.
So what happens? Lots of unskilled people (low potential wage pulling ability) are left chasing fewer jobs (because of a recession and high inflation, and the structural upheaval as the economy begins to react to market signals and diversifies). Wage rates stagnate, or even drop. The opening up of the labour market to market signals in 1991 reinforces this trend. Eventually the economy turns the corner and starts growing again, but half the problem still remains – unskilled labour. Not having the skills to demand a higher pay rate, they are forced to accept lower wages than if they were skilled. Of course one would expect this to correct over time as people gained qualifications and experience, and new entrants into the labour market should be better prepared to compete in it. But this can only be ever part of the story – after all, it takes two to tango in the employment dance.
To be honest, the other reason I think that wages are lower here than in Australia is because we have some selfish bosses who want to treat their staff like their personal property rather than a human being. They're only thinking about Number 1, rather than about the wider impact that their business has on society. Of course, there are plenty who don't fit this mould, but I've heard some pretty impressive stories (like the guy who left his casual job because he was rostered on to work one day a fortnight, as his boss could pay him the minimum wage or some 14 year-old $7 an hour to do the same job). And it may be possible that some of this is a reaction to the way in which unions behaved prior to the Employment Contracts Act (and that some still do, unfortunately), and so is a bit of payback (which hardly excuses the behaviour). Why on earth would you want to pay your staff more? Well for a start, if they get more from their work they'll feel more loyalty. Pay isn't the only thing (I'd quit a highly paid job if I was not appreciated and treated poorly, and make sure the whole world knew why), but part of letting an employee know that you care for their well-being and value their contribution to your business is paying them properly. Perhaps a few of our business owners and managers need to learn to pay their staff a little more and treat them properly. It may mean a cut in profits, but in the long run it will be worth it.
It's possible that I have committed some sort of right-wing heresy by daring voice this, but to be honest I don't care. While the restructuring of the economy has done a world of good and there is still some way to go, one of the biggest downsides to it and the way our society has been progressing is that we have over-emphasised the individual over the family and society. We need to get that balance back, and that starts with a healthy dose of compassion for those who aren't quite as fortunate as we are. The best time to start is now.
Posted in: Thoughts, Culture
