Dear Paul,

Of course there are some great people who have not
had a higher education. We all have many examples
in our lives. My criticisms were of Pauline
Hanson. Not of her lack of education as such, but of
her actions.

You can get away with ignorance as long as you remain
mute. Unfortunately she doesn't.
What she says is frequently reprehensible.

She causes
hurt to people by her repetitive and irrational attacks
on everything she perceives from her extremely limited
frame of understanding to be not representative of the
"real Australians." Her nostalgically imagined tribe.
She has a habit of branding other people who she has
not met with pejorative labels.

The following link explains further - the point
that I was trying to make:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-07/bradley-why-simply-calling-hanson-racist-doesnt-help/7575596

Hi Foxy, totally agree, politically about the only thing Hanson and I have in common is her first name is the female equivalent of Paul.

After my last post I though I would give my friend in NZ a call, for a catch up. He's been down south in the Hawks Bay region, following a call from a family who wanted him to preside at a Tangi, no sweat leaving home at 11pm, flat tyre in the middle of the night, friendly motorists stopped and helped out, stopped off at our brothers in the morning for a kai (feed) and a tyre fix, picked it up on the way back. The only real money he needs is for petrol and phone, which that trip would cost about $150. When they can the people help out with a koha (gift), but its not something he looks for

Foxy,

So, why did you refer to her probable failure to reach Year 12 if you were really having a go at her “ignorance and actions”?

I am amazed, but gratified by Paul's comments.

While I'm a good deal older than Pauline Hanson, I also left school at 15. There was nothing unusual at the time; few people went on to tertiary education because its wasn't necessary, unless you wanted to go into the professions like medicine. Accounting didn't require a degree ( I studied it by correspondence while I worked). Most of the jobs (except for medicine, engineering etc did not require tertiary education) and much better teachers than we have now were turned out by Teachers' Colleges. Year 11, or 'leaving' (because that's when you left school) was good enough for most people and there was the equivalent of Year 12 – called Matriculation – for those who wanted to go further. I can recall only 3 of my peers who went to university.

When it comes to 'ignorance' and 'actions', formal education has nothing to do with it.

Come to think of it, it is only your opinion that she is 'ignorant' 'irrational' or 'reprehensible'. I not saying that there are not many others who agree with you on Hanson, but many others do not, and in a democracy where she is duly elected, she has the right to say and do as she pleases in the interests of those she represents – and Australia as a whole if she thinks she needs to.

And of course, the ABC reference you give agrees with your thoughts because the ABC is a the biggest Hanson-hater in the land.

I'm not a huge Hanson fan myself, and I think that her stunt was silly – even if only for the reason that she has now drawn even more bad feelings onto herself. But, I'm glad she did it because it shows we still have some democracy in this country and, SHE IS ENTITLED TO DO WHAT SHE DID.

The biggest fool, in my opinion, was George Brandis.

Dear Paul,

Your friend sounds incredible.

Dear ttbn,

I've already explained in my post to Paul
what the point was that I was making
regarding Pauline Hanson. Also the link
I cited helped towards that end as well.
She has always had visible difficulty with
her debating skills. She comes across as not
very bright, perpetually angry and confused. A
person who struggles to articulate how she
feels about any issue beyond saying "I don't
like it." It is also unclear to me what the
difference is between people calling her a
racist and her habit of branding other
people who she hasn't met with pejorative labels.

I just wish that one of her team would point out
her mistakes - which do make her look rather
stupid. Like the time she called Islam a country.
But she's done worse on a variety of issues.

Whether someone utters through intellect or through ignorance....is what they are saying true?
That's all that matters....Whether the messenger is wearing sack cloth or silk is of no importance to the message.

I personally know of people who abuse the welfare system, and we're not talking peanuts, and the system doesn't want to know.
Makes me want to go o/seas, invest my money in South America, come back and apply for a pension while I operate a women's hairdressing shop locally under someone elses name and I cream a little cashamano off the top while I go on cruise holidays.
Am I jealous...am I angry? ...damn right it's my taxes they're going on holidays on
Welfare Bounty hunters is what Australia needs....and jail terms as a consequence

SR,

I did not address the first reference to the email that CB received. However, as I said previously I don't believe that outliers prove anything. From reading commentary from a Centrelink employee, it is entirely possible that this is a true example. My comment is so what! I don't advocate punishing the children for their parents' lack of control over their fertility.

I have a friend who daughter in law loves children and is pregnant with their 11th. While the husband is reasonably well paid, the taxpayer still picks up a large portion of the tab, and while I don't begrudge it, I am awfully glad to have only 2.

However, addressing the larger issue of the cost of supporting asylum seekers, I have no problem adding to the selection criteria for refugees the requirement that they are capable of integrating into Aus society. For example, money would be well spent converting the qualifications of doctors, nurses, lawyers and engineers and enabling them to work rather than some of the violent thugs that are terrorising Melbourne, and those that remain on welfare for extended periods entrenching a cycle of poverty and resentment. A 5 yr period before gaining citizenship where the criminal element can be deported would help as well.