Bronwyn, Shonga

I think I will 'out' myself as well.

Have suffered from depression since my teens - attempted suicide 5 times during my life - the last time would've succeeded but my neighbour decided the car engine in my garage had been running a long time.....

Anyway, have also developed chronic fatigue - if I pace myself carefully I can avoid being bedridden.

As a result I am not interested in permanent work - live frugally and work as temp - this way if I am ill I can take time off.

As a result, I have not had any real increase in income for years - am still trying to pay mortgage, while there is rental assisance for low income apparently trying for independence by purchasing a home doesn't entail government support. Have exhausted mortgage relief programs and will have to pay back $12,000 in 2 years. (Hoping for tattslotto win).

Paying bills - always by installments - really annoys me that insurance companies penalise for that. If you can't pay lump sum annual fee - higher costs involved for direct debit - difference of $100 or more over year. Even though I am paying by direct debit - insurance companies in win-win me in lose-lose.

These are just a couple of ways low income people are treated inequably.

Yes there is an increasing divide between rich and poor - don't have problem with fair day's pay for fair day's work - but have to question worth of CEO's - what one earns in a year I could live on with extreme comfort for the rest of my life.

PS - Bronwyn thanks for the link to hypoglycemic site - will check it out.

Well that's my 2 cents.

Cheers

Yabby, Bronwyn, Scout and Wtggw,

Yabby, thanks for the tip re Magnesium, I take a small quanity now, but will increase to see if it works for me, after 8 years of this I'll try anything, and I appreciate your advice, and it may explain some of my aggesion, and learned helpnessness learned from 21 years of workplace treatment.

Bronwyn, thank you for the hypo-diet I have made it a favourite and will study it closely to see if I can change anything I am doing that conflicts with it, again I appreciate your advice, and suddenly feel surrounded by friendship and compassion, a feeling I am not used to but very much welcome, thank you!

Scout, I can empathise with your situation, as I mentioned in an earlier post Steve Madden and I are lucky in one way that we got in and paid our mortages before our respective conditions presented themselves, I can't imagine how you live on a pension, manage to pay your rates and mortage repayments, I have bought the book "101 ways to cook mince and sausages" but still don't eat properly because we don't have the money to always buy the food needed for a healthy lifestyle. You have REAL courage.

WHGGW, Learned helpnessness I have never before heard the term, but can relate to it as a mirror image. My last employer over time, took my self confidence, self astime, any self worth I started with, by publicly humiliating me, picking me up by the ear off the ground, with the knowledge that if I hit back, I could be sacked and lose my home, and everything I had worked for, so I did against my will, learn to feel helpless.

I read a post from I think Scout which read something like, if I clash with you on other subjects I do it with love not anger, I would like all to know I am very much the same, but any attack I make, is purely to defend my opinion, and should not be taken personally, Love to All here, Regards, Shaun

Thanks Shonga for your kind words, however it wasn't me who posted >>if I clash with you on other subjects I do it with love not anger<<. Actually that sounds more like the inimitable BD.

I am not on a pension - when in between temp jobs I claim unemployment benefits sometimes, also my savings are eroding rather than being spent on maintaining my home.

I have chosen to do temp work because of the new IR laws which now make a mockery of 'permanent' work. At least this way I have some autonomy and if I don't like a particular workplace I don't have to go back there. I have established a good relationship with my agency - despite fatigue probs I am competant and can still learn quickly. Also in my favour I don't look anywhere near my age and look professional. In fact, noone looking at me would realise what I have been through - all the scars are on the inside.

I was a really spoilt child and can honestly say that if I hadn't experienced the hardship through my life I would probably be a female version of Col Rouge. I used to believe all that rhetoric he comes out with. Can honestly say that I am a better person because of my experience.

So 'looking at life from both sides now' can definitely concur that the gap between rich and poor is widening and that it will take positive action rather than waiting for that lame and myth-like "trickle-down effect".

Well for some statistics off the RBA website ( http://www.rba.gov.au ), indicate that the CPI has gone up over 41% since 1990. Another way to look at this is that a $1 will now only buy the same as what 70 cents bought you in 1990. If you use another statistic, the M3 which tracks the growth in the money supply, it has grown from around $200 billion dollars in 1990 to about $650 billion late last year. This is a 225% increase over that time.

Basic ecomonics says that increased supply lowers prices (ie the value of money decreases - things cost more). It also reduces the incentive to save money, which causes people to get into cashflow problems and loading up their credit cards. For those people a budgeting program like simply budgets ( http://www.simplybudgets.com ) would help them greatly.

Inflation also causes destortions in the economy. For example, people who have money could have invested in real estate earlier this decade and seen their networth increase. Meanwhile people who couldn't afford to buy real estate couldn't receive the gains on thier money and became poorer relatively and if they were renting the increase in house prices would have likely to have lead to a rent increase.

Also here is a link http://www.gillespieresearch.com/cgi-bin/bgn/ to a site that talks about US government manipulations of the statistics. I am sure that the Australian government are not much different in their deceptions of the public.

To all above who suggested that having and using a computer means one is not struggling - My computer is 5 years old and was purchased with the residue after selling my home and paying huge credit card debt which accrued because the water and council rates, car rego and upkeep went onto it because OF COURSE, living on a disability pension does not (should not) cover those luxuries.
To all those above who seem to think than anybody receiving benefits has done so all their life: get a grip! I worked and was taxed for 30 years before I succumbed to this.
To those above who have 'outed' themselves as ill, and with the depression which accompanies chronic pain which leads to chronic fatigue: the internet is such a wonderful outlet and I think it may have helped many avoid offing themselves.
Coraliz: some people cannot afford to rent a videotape, have any kind of holiday at all, and as well as people living on benefits, please consider the working poor who struggle to pay $40 at the quack for a sick child.
SHOGUN above: bless you and wishing you well.

Brownie, Our computer was purchased when I was working, 8 years ago, so those flogging the dead horse can give it a rest, such a narrow vision of the world they have, assuming everyone just goes on a diability pension, I wish they had to go through the process at Centrelink themselves to see hoe EASY it is on be given the disability pension.

As for me, I had no intention of having dealings with Centrelink, as I paid an Insurance policy for accident and illness coverage, which covered me for the first 3 years of this disability, until they found a loophole to legally stop paying me, forcing me to Centrelink. So people expressing opposing views should pull their heads in until they know what they are talking about, because in most incediences they wouldn't have a clue.....