Dear rehctub,

Perhaps we can clear up another thing. The boat people have done nothing illegal. They may or not be refugees although some of them are. If they had done something illegal the Australian government could charge them, try them and subject them to penalties prescribed by law. However, to be an undocumented alien in a country is not a crime. A country has a right to secure its borders to those who do not have proper documentation. However, those who breach those borders have committed no crime and are not therefore illegals. Those who bring them in are committing a crime and some have been imprisoned in Australian penal institutions. They are illegals, but the people they bring in or try to bring in are not.

O David, have it your way.

So, why is it you protect these people in favour of those doing the right thing and applying for residency? Or is it that you think despite our water shortage (your words, not mine) you see not reason why not to open the doors for both.

While on that note, why would anyone bother applying when they can just come in through the back door, commonly known as cue jumpers.

The plain simple fact is we are not the same country we were prior to the turn of the century as we no longer have the means to provide for our own citizens, so what makes you think we can cater for others, most of which have little to offer?

More importantly, where to you think we should cut funding from to finance this influx of people, most of which will at the very least require training and education, remembering of cause education is also a mess?

Dear rehctub,

I am not protecting anybody. Calling refugees freeloaders and calling people illegal who have done nothing illegal is language expressive of prejudice. You have used the expression, our own, a number of times. Please tell me who do you see as 'our own'. I am not protecting anybody. I try to call things what they are and find your prejudiced use of language offensive.

Cue is something used in billiards. Queue jumping is the expression. In many cases there is no orderly queue. In many places there is no immigration officer to apply to.

You wrote; "More importantly, where to you think we should cut funding from to finance this influx of people, most of which will at the very least require training and education, remembering of cause education is also a mess?"

I repeat: End subsidies to private school, end tax exemptions to churches and end handouts to corporate interests. I don't agree that education is a mess.

There are approximately 50,000,000 refugees in the world, a vast collection of misery - twice the population of Australia. Australia obviously can't take them all in but has a quota of 20,000 a year. Apparently that little effort bothers you.

I think we have the means to provide for own citizens. The fact is that taxes are too low.

Please tell me who you see as 'our own'.

david f,

The Abbott govt cut the annual quota of 20,000 down to around 12,750.

At the same time, it cut overseas aid by $11.2 billion (all of which should thrill rehctub).

And even though it said it would take an extra 12,000 from Syria when that little boy was drowned and the world took note....as far as I'm aware, we've received under 30 in that intake.

David, 'our own' refers to anyone who was either born here, or had immigrated here legally.

I honestly thought you would be clever enough to have worked that out and hope you are not going to use this first Australians line that seems so popular nowadays.

As for cuts to funding.
Private schools I say no. I say this because many of the parents that send their kids to these schools pay their fair share of taxes, and their kids are worth just as much as any other kid. By cutting funding, you are not so much effecting the parents as you are the kids and they don't deserve that cut to their education.

Churches, yes in some cases, but not all.

Like any not for profit organisation, they should be taxed as soon as it is established that they are operating a business, which would then also see the funding gone.

The problem with the likes of churches is that once they invest outside their four walls, they become a competitor in the open market, one with a huge advantage to all others and therefore are running a business.

As for what I call illegals, I will refer to them as unlawful arrivals just for your benefit. However, in a country like Australia, having a dire situation with our water, (your words again) where do you propose the water is going to come from to care for these arrivals.

We know that the main contributor to their own wows is their uncontrolled breeding, as they breed like rabbits in poor conditions, so how do you think they will breed here knowing the tax payer will pic up the tab.

It's a very simple question to your problem, not mine, where is the water going to come from David.

Poirot, I emailed that guy, no response as yet. Not hopeful either but let's see.

We have established that $40 billion of labors debt went to the GFC, so where did the rest go.

Would I be right in suggesting you only look at one side of the ledger Poirot.

Dear rehctub,

You wrote: I honestly thought you would be clever enough to have worked that out and hope you are not going to use this first Australians line that seems so popular nowadays.

It is not a question of ‘clever’. You use words differently from the way I do. I was not going to assume you meant something that you didn’t when you used the words, ‘our own’.

I consider every person on earth my own as I am connected to all of them. I quoted John Donne’s poem to show how I feel on that point. I have nine descendants. None of them are Australian citizens. Are they not my own?

I get into these discussions on olo because I enjoy them. I no longer am enjoying this discussion.

Best wishes.