To the editor;
The front page of a local newspaper had an article about a visiting industrialist. The one concerning detail that I noticed was that he was spending AU$30,000 (about US$20,000 or EU€18,000) a week, yes every week, for the rental of a mansion. This seemed unrealistic but an ever reliable Google search found that there were plenty of ‘normal’ places for over $2,000 a week.
The individual person is of no concern and the article spoke well of his business and character, but surely the fact that there was a rental property that cost more a week than many earned in a year is a sign that society is heading the wrong way.
It may be a bit utopian to hope that everyone can have a home, food, education and safety and the opportunity for reasonable pay for a reasonable job especially given the number of wars, famines, refugees and general unrest around the world, but we need to work towards that.
The answer to this disparity in people’s lives seems to be beyond the capacity of virtually any government and certainly myself, and the general belief, probably accurate, is that the rich are getting richer and the poor are not seeing an improvement in their life style. Maybe it is time to storm the castle, or mansion, and force some change, although the days of the proletariat rising up against the bourgeoisie seem to be long gone.
Let’s not give up though, we must be able to do something even if it might involve some citizen action.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia