Source Macrobusiness.[1]I don't think
many more well-off Australians, particularly Boomers, realize just how much the
prosperity of this nation has declined in the last 25 years. Look at this
graph above. Only 25.8% of homes in new housing estates are being bought by people
born in Australia. When you consider that many people here are second
generation immigrants, the number of actual heritage Australians buying new
homes in Australia would be even lower. But just taking that number on board, of 25.8%,
this means nearly ¾’s of most new homes are being bought by foreigners born overseas. Australians
are losing our land and the ability to afford to live in our own land right
before our eyes. This is driving Australians into the ground.
For the
Biblically literate this might help you understand just what is happening.
Isaiah began
his ministry in the days of Uzziah, who reigned in Judah, and was a
contemporary of Jeroboam the 2nd in Israel (Is. 1:1). Isaiah began his ministry
at what is considered the second peak of Israel's glory. Israel and Judah were nearly as
rich in Uzziah's and Jeroboam's day as they were in David and Solomon's day. Isaiah
came along as these nations had passed that peak and begun their downward
spiral.
Isaiah lived long enough to see Israel, that is the northern kingdom with its capital in Samaria, completely destroyed, and Judah, the southern Kingdom with its capital in Jerusalem, ravaged into a tiny rump state. We see a description of this in Isaiah 1:7, "7 Your country is desolate, our cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers." The whole of chapter one of Isaiah is set after segments of the book that actually come before it. Isaiah 1 gives us an overview of what happened to Israel and Judah because they ignored the prophets. “Strangers devour your land in your presence…”
The rapid
decline in prosperity in Israel and Judah was phenomenal. They went from near
record wealth under Uzziah and Jeroboam, to having a situation where only the
rich were able to own a home. Isaiah 5:8, "8 Woe to those who join house
to house; They add field to field, Till there is no place Where they may dwell
alone in the midst of the land!" That’s right, the Bible warned about a
situation where only a few could own a home. Israel reached the stage in its
decline where the poor, who had a right to be able to live affordably in their
own land, were being locked out of the housing market by the greed of the
wealthy. And their land was being given to foreigners to do with as they
pleased on top of all this.
While it
happened in a bit more of a dramatic way in Isaiah's day, with fierce conquering Assyrians being part of the fall of Israel, we are seeing much
the same thing happen today in Australia. History does not repeat but it rhymes.
Australia has fallen into the same kinds of sins as ancient Israel (c.f. Isaiah 1-3) and is
facing the same consequences as a result. Explaining what is happening in Australia
through this biblical lens might just help many baby boomers understand what is
happening.
Boomers, let me address you here. This is not the country you grew up in. Not even close. You know this in your hearts. You know that all the gender nonsense we see today did not exist in your youth. Well, neither did the current state of the housing market, you had a completely different set of opportunities in front of you that your children and their children have. The advice you give the young about getting into the housing market today is about 40 years or more out of date. Conditions have changed. You saw Australia at its peak, at the peak of opportunity and affordability. Yes, many of you worked really hard, we understand. But you lived in a day where the rewards for your hard work were manifold more than they are today. This is just an economical reality. Young people are working hard, saving and seeking to be responsible. But they are dealing with a completely different society, where the deck is stacked against them in a multitude of ways.
Much of what
is called progress today is simply judgement on our society for rejecting God.
Hopefully now you can understand that just as things like gender identity have
gone crazy, so too has access to reasonably priced housing. All these sorts of things are to be expected in
a declining society. The young do need to work hard and save, of course they
do. But they also need social change. Boomers, you guys have the most political
power, I encourage you to start thinking about how you can use it to benefit
your grandchildren and their children. They need change, and quick.
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