ttbn I have no answers for your bitter slanted and in my view quite wrong views, but still would not walk past another in need, will never tell a worker they must work till near death, not say increasing costs of living that hurt some is ok, yes I would refuse to pay welfare to some, those who should never get it because they refuse to work, in fact about, in my view,70 percent of us, from all walks of life all politics, share similar views, mate! that MARXIST junk! even within Labor and the greens such people could not fill a phone box.

Belly,

You can barely put two words together, yet you presume to diagnose that I am 'bitter’ and 'slanted’. You are are typical of the subject of the adage 'those who have the least to say talk the most’.

Dear Paul 1405,

Bless You for agreeing to help that man. As you pointed out
many would have refused. Everything is relative. We all
have our own stories and everyone has obstacles to overcome.
They can be our greatest teachers. Each of us goes through
transitions and transformations - the important thing is
that we acknowledge them and learn from them.

Life for my parents certainly wasn't easy when they first
arrived in this country. But I think it wasn't easy for
anyone at that time. I only have my own life experiences
to go on - and I have been very lucky, I admit that.
I came from a very loving and supporting family who always
had my back. I think that makes a hell of a difference.
That's how I've always managed to remain positive despite
what some difficult times. I still believe
though - complain as we can (and do) our country is till better
than most others. When I talk to my friends in the US,
Germany, and the UK - I realise just how lucky we really are.

ttbn,

It's not how many words a person may use that counts.
It's what they do with those words that matters.
Do yours count for so much?

Come on belly, & you kiddies, take off the rose coloured glasses, age has blurred them so you can't see back clearly.

I'm a bit older than most of you, so here's a few facts about the old days.

Go back to before my time, & the famous jolly swagman tells the storey. No welfare, no pension, & no public housing. Walk to the next town, & look for some hard work to earn a meal. Soup kitchens in cities & some larger towns, but no more than that.

Fast forward to post WW11, which I lived.

Over 40 families in my neighbourhood living in dirt floored unlined tin sheds in an area of Bathurst. You had to cover your bed with a horse blanket to stop the melting frost from the inside of the roof from wetting it as it dripped down. Perhaps slightly better than homeless, but about as cold in somewhere like Bathurst.

All of us were building small houses. No choice, the law limited you to 12 square, to spread the short supply of building materials further. Welfare dependent public housing tenants today would scream their miserable heads off if forced to live in the houses we dreamed of back then.

Never heard of unemployment benefits, but the age pension was about half what it is today. The local men used to patch up the old pensioner widow's house with whatever they could find, as it fell apart. She had no debt, but lived on potatoes & cabbage, all she could afford.

Continued.

Continued.

If you were rich, or worked very hard, & were pretty good academically, you could get to university, with a teachers scholarship. I just managed a General Motors scholarship with 2 first class honours 1 second class honours & 2 "A". It was harder for us country kids, as our schools did not offer physics & chemistry as separate subjects.

My scholarship gave me all costs, 7 pounds a week, with 3 days a week at university, with 2 days & university holidays at the Pagewood factory, very generous for the day. I had to work very hard make up for those 2 days, but so did about half of us, so nothing special.

There were only 12 kids in 5Th year, few went past intermediate. All bar one of those who didn't earn a university scholarship, did get a teachers collage course. We were a bright bunch that year, with great teachers, & all wanted out of a country town, so worked very hard.

No free medical or hospital treatment for us peasants. You paid for your treatment, or hospital & or medical benefits weekly, so you got treatment. With the best medical treatment of the day, I & I'm sure, many of you would be dead now. One of our massively growing costs today is medical treatment, withy both expensive equipment & treatments even the hugely wealthy couldn't dream of back then, given to all free today.

Perhaps you folk should be counting your blessings, rather than winging the hand outs are not big enough.