THINKING OF RETURNING TO SA?

[vaughanroe]

The basic premis of Wealth Creation in South Africa is based on Socialism if you think about it.

And I dont think there has ever been a better explanation of the

importance of incentive than this example

An economics professor at a USA college made a statement that he

had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an

entire class.

That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would

be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class

on socialism".. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive

the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A....

(substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more

readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.

The students who studied 'hard' were upset and the students who

studied 'little' were happy. As the second test rolled around,

the students who studied little had studied 'even less' and the ones

who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied

'little'.

The second test average was a 'D'. No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering,

blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would

study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that

"socialism" would also ultimately 'fail' because when the reward is

great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all

the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

It could not be any simpler than that.

Remember, there IS a test coming up. "elections sometime soon"

Perhaps the sooner the better. This is your chance to have YOUR say.

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all

applicable to this experiment:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the

wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must

work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the

government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work

because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the

other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because

somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the

beginning of the end of any nation.

Can you think of a reason for not sharing this?

Neither could I.

[SA Aussie]

Brilliant - the african mentality in a nutshell.

[MsGee]

Wow....makes one think.

[MsGee]

Wow....makes one think.

[Superkruz]

On 20 June ABC aired a Louis Theroux documentary titled "Law and Disorder in Johannesburg". You can watch it here if you're in Australia, or here if you're not. What really struck me was the self-confessed criminal who openly bragged about how he killed cops, robbed people and did hi-jackings.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Superkruz

[Moo]

This was aired in South Africa more than a year ago. What irritated me me was how he was warned it would be dangerous to go into the derelict buildings but did so anyway. I always thought of Theroux as an objective, interesting journalist. This episode was on the same level as a Kardashian show.

And I'm not defending Johannesburg. I just think this was a cheap shot at sensationalism. Or maybe I was just over sensitive at the time?

[Donovan83]

On 20 June ABC aired a Louis Theroux documentary titled "Law and Disorder in Johannesburg". You can watch it here if you're in Australia, or here if you're not. What really struck me was the self-confessed criminal who openly bragged about how he killed cops, robbed people and did hi-jackings.

Not to mention the whole baby microwaving thing.

[Springjock]

Moo, what part of it was 'sensationalist'?

Edited June 23, 2012 by Springjock

[Toitjie]

Speaking of denial, we just came home from visiting with an elderly family member that I have not seen for the past 20 years. She lives alone on a plot in Carletonville.

She said she heard that we are emigrating and wants to know why? My first thought was that she is just interested in our reasons, so I gave the usual quick rundown, but she made it very clear that we are silly for thinking those reasons are valid, so I changed the topic and we had a nice chat about her son and grandkids.

As a matter of fact she told us (since we have not had contact for many years) that her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter, teenager at the time, were stranded somewhere in Joburg with no petrol. By the time her son got there to help them, they were surrounded by thugs, had a gun pressed onto the granddaughter's temple and everything in the car stolen.

In another unrelated incident, her other granddaughter was also attacked and robbed at gunpoint. but she does not get why we are leaving...amazing

[OnYellowBrickRd]

I have come to the conclusion that many South Africans cannot afford to move or think of it as too much effort and, as a result, they adopt an ostrich mentality. As long as what is happening around them does not affect them directly (yet) they need to justify why they choose to stay. It is awful for people who have decided to take a leap of faith in order to improve the lives of their families to need to defend their decisions. In our history, people who moved away from oppression (like the Voortrekkers, French Settlers, etc.) are (ironically) seen as heroes by these same ostriches.

Getting out of a (dis)comfort zone takes a lot of guts. I guess the only way we (and our critics) will realise how profound emigration from RSA is, will be when we come back (for a visit) one day.

[Toitjie]

I agree with you. This old lady however, has been affected directly! And she doesn't realise it. She told us how she had 3 attempted and successful break-ins recently, but she said she is not afraid at all because she sleeps with a revolver, a stun-gun, a panic button, a dog and a closed gate in the hallway.

I nearly choked on my coffee when she said that. I mean, hallooooo...... (she is 76 by the way). Very dapper, but still, the way she is living is just NOT NORMAL!

[OnYellowBrickRd]

Certifiably crazy...and they say people who want to go are cowards! In that case I'd then rather be a sane coward than a crazy "brave" person!

[MarcK]

We have had to leave close family (mothers) and friends behind when we left this month. Whilst a few of them live in a state of denial, most do not have any option to leave (like our mothers). I guess their way of coping is to deny that the problems are that bad. I fear for all of them as I hope nothing bad happens to them because they cannot leave regardless. The only "out" is if full on civil war ensues and they can leave as refugees!

[Bronwyn&Co]

I agree about the Ostrich mentality. If you cannot afford to go or do not qualify for a visa, your mind has to shut out the bad things. It's the only way to cope. The majority of my family is in this situation in SA. This I accept, and understand. HOWEVER what scares me and also makes me a bit angry, is those in my family who have been seriously affected by crime (hijackings of their teenage kids, armed robbery in their house), and they stay because the lifestlye (read: expensive cars and holiday houses and two maids), is too comfy to leave behind. I can't risk my children's lives so I can drive a Cayenne, or whatever, I'll drive my Suzuki in Australia, thanks.

[joweni]

Couldn't agree with you more Bronwyn and Co. We left our beautiful farm in White River to come to Oz .We had a very comfortable lifestyle,a great job at a private school etc.etc to come to oz. I felt so much fear for my children everytime they walked out the house to go to school or back to uni and knew that if I ever put my comforts ahead of my children's safety and something happened to them i would never ever forgive myself. So here we are living in suburban Adelaide,working harder than we have EVER worked before (both full time +housework+garden etc.etc and both in our 50's) and we have never been happier. Both kids are working,travelling and loving their Australian lives and we make the absolute best of living a life with no fear. We walk on the beach at night,window shop in the evening,drive across town after nightcaps with friends,forget to lock the front door (again) and know that in this country we can get old in relative comfort and safety!!

[Garrick]

Not offering comment, as I don't live in SA anymore... however, the story is classified as an email hoax / urban legend:

http://www.snopes.com/college/exam/socialism.asp

-G

[Toitjie]

All of the above are 100% correct about the ostrich mentality, but it still angers me. If you really love your children and grandchildren, and you cannot leave this country, and you act like an ostrich, I would think that when a gun is pressed against your granddaughter's temple, you would snap out of it and say, get out of here, even if I can't.

There was an interview on 702 with a drug mule, who told the reporter that we have no idea of the human trafficking going on in SA. Thousands of children are stolen and "exported" to the east, which is just horrible. She says she knows that people will say they are glad she is behind bars but the truth is that you can't get out once you are in. It's a bad place to be. Most children from SA that are stolen are black, and she said that "they" would pay three times as much for a blonde girl. That made my blood cold, because my little one is blonde and I don't know what I would do if she was kidnapped. I am always horrified to hear stories about children, any children, being kidnapped and sold as sex slaves. My mom told me, please get out of this country and get her as far away as possible.

[Superkruz]

Just read this article about the so-called "Second transition" in SA. Now I am not sure what to make of it but it sent chills down my spine as I read it. I think it contains a very subtle message to white South Africans that, when translated into Afrikaans, means "hier kom groot k@k". I suspect this economic freedom that the ANC wants to achieve will have significant consequences for South Africa and its people - I hope and pray they will be positive ones, but sadly, the past history makes me doubt this very much. I hope I am wrong.

Here is the ANC document entitled The Second Transition. for those who would like to read it.

Edited June 25, 2012 by Superkruz

[MarcK]

I thought it was a fairly well thought out and written paper on what SA needs to do to uplift the majority of its people. But it does not articulate the manner in which the ANC intends achieving this desired developmental state.

[Toitjie]

I read the Afrikaans version and the impression I got it that 2nd transition is named as such to hide the fact that in 18 years they have taken 3 steps backwards in terms of crime, socio-economic problems etc. Not wanting to admit that, they will say that was the first step only, now we need a 2nd step. My opinion.

[Richthom]

Mon 25 June. I think this below blog will give all some further food for thought about what we have to put up with living in South Africa with the ANC's continuing mismanagement of everything they control over here...! This is now 5 days old (and for those who don't know where eThekwini is, it is Durban Municipality) :

A tale of ANC petulance in eThekwini

Gareth van Onselen* on how the party abused public funds to "get" at the DA.

Here follows a powerful illustration of how the ANC randomly abuses public money for the sake of perks and privilege. The story is told in a set of Tweets from three young DA councillors - Warwick Chapman, Mbali Ntuli and Nicole Graham - all members of the eThekwini caucus, and occurred not more than an hour ago. The relevant tweets follow at the end, but first an overview.

Essentially the story is this: it was put before the eThekwini council today that an under 15 soccer team from the metro be sent to South Korea, at the expense of the council (in other words, ratepayers would fit the bill). I do not know which team but, I assume, it was all in a good cause.

However, the ANC proposed that two councillors should accompany them. The DA proposed an amendment to the proposal, which argued that council should indeed support the team's trip but that there was no good reason to send councillors to accompany them. This would effectively constitute an abuse of taxpayer's money.

As it so happened, the DA's view was supported by a supplementary legal opinion obtained by the council which argued that any decision which had potential financial implications for the municipality needed a full cost analysis before it could ratified, which the trip did not have, so further investigation was required.

You would think, then, the matter was dead and buried.

You would be wrong.

Because the DA raised this as a concern, the ANC respond with an amendment of its own - that the number of councillors accompanying the team be raised from two to five. The Speaker of the council - the ANC's Logie Naidoo - having allowed the ANC to motivate for the idea and denigrate the DA, then proceeded to shut down a series of DA speakers who rose to speak against the amendment, which, it appears, was proposed with the sole intention of spiting the DA. With council breaking for a recess, the ANC, as if this was a political rally, resorted to singing and dancing, chanting that they would impose their will, as they were in charge. Any pretence this was about how best to spend public money long since having been abandoned. On returning to the House, the ANC, as is its want, turned the matter into a racial issue, accusing the DA of trying to prevent Africans from enjoying "government perks" - to quote Mbali Ntuli. And then, as if to bring a completely bizarre close to a completely fantastical episode, the ANC councillor Mapena suggested that only black members of the sports committee would accompany the team to Korea, "no whites". The ANC voted in its amendment, ignoring concerns about any potential extra cost to the public and the council's legal opinion in doing so. Such is the ANC's attitude to public money - to your money. No doubt the DA will pursue the matter further. Certainly it will be interesting to learn how much the trips cost. Perhaps a matter for the Public Protector to investigate - HANSARD itself should reveal there was no good reason for the expenditure other than to try and satisfy the ANC's insatiable thirst for perks and privileges. And the fact that it ignored a legal opinion would also seem to render the entire decision null and void.

[Toitjie]

It happens everywhere, in every council. you just dont know about it. A couple of years ago the Tshwane Metro sent 5 top management officials on a "fact finding" mission to the US to "investigate" new telephone systems since we were on the verge of upgrading. Ironically, the trip was paid for by the current telecoms company we now have, AFTER their "fact finding" mission.

And the council was so nice to give them each around R 80 000 spending money.

Recently our Councillors tried to get a policy through that would amend their overseas traveling rules. they want the policy to include their husbands/wifes (paid for by council) when they travel - on official business (not holiday). Not sure if they ever got this one through though.

[nicse]

It's time for a radical economic change, says Zuma.... Zuma would love those of you that are unhappy, to please return and be sure to bring your hard earned money with you to share among the brothers and sisters of this land, just remember Ubuntu

http://mg.co.za/arti...hange-says-zuma

Edited June 26, 2012 by nicse

[Superkruz]

A tale of ANC petulance in eThekwini

Amazing (not in a good way)!

Edited June 26, 2012 by Superkruz