Thursday, May 12, 2011

Good little me

No sickie today – still went to work like the dedicated, reliable employee that I am. Didn’t make much difference though, I still had nothing to do. Despite this I’m thankful that I even have a job at the moment.

They had a special report on television last night about the unemployment rates in Australia and the changes that the new Federal Government budget will bring to welfare benefits. Welfare benefits exist for a reason and I support the need for reform, because I have little respect for those who are receiving benefits because they are too lazy to work or can’t be bothered searching for a job.

I’m deeply concerned though about the impact this will have on those who are currently trying to improve their circumstances and are struggling to find employment – will their struggle now become impossible because they aren’t deemed ‘long term unemployed’ and potential employers won't be able to access the wage subsidies that are being offered to those who hire the 'long term unemployed'?

My oldest son is in a commission paid job at the moment where he works horrendous hours for minimal return in terms of the effort put in. This poses problems when they’re trying to prepare for a new baby and pay their bills when his income is not regular. Some weeks it’s not so bad, others not so good and we have been helping them out. He has been valiantly searching for a ‘regular’ job for months and is applying for anything and everything.

This post was originally a long winded discussion on my gripes with the government and their lack of direction for the future. I deleted most of it for fear of boring you all to death. Sadly the comparisons I could make between the government and ‘big’ business are huge, but I’ll refrain from doing that also.

I am having one of those days when I feel totally and utterly helpless because I'm unable to fix a problem? The stress this problem is creating is doing my head in and I feel powerless. It’s not a feeling that I like. At this stage I'm not going to bore you with the details of that either, just had to voice my frustration.

On a lighter note I got this in an email today and had to share it because it was so darn cute.

3 comments:

  1. I don't know how many times I've ranted about the government only to delete most of it.

    The only advice I can give is to be true to yourself.

    Loved the cartoon!

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  2. Unemployment is a big concern, the extended time is nice since jobs are scarce, but then it definitely made some people opt to take full advantage of the time instead of trying to find work right away.

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  3. most governments come up with policies aimed for the betterment of the masses, one hopes... but it is not a "one size fits all". in every cases, there are always some folks that will not benefit from their policies.

    as for fixing problems, these are not yours to fix. you can help, yes. but fixing them? nope!! it is for your son and his wife to fix their situation. i know the mother in you will protest, but you brought him to life, raised him and taught him everything you knew. he now has to do things by himself. don't take on your shoulders what is not yours to bear. he's not a 5-years old where you have to intervene in his life, he's a grown man. let him deal. difficult, i know... you can be supportive, but you are not his messiah and rescue him from harm/trouble. know your own limitations and what you can actually do....

    yeah, i know, you'll tell me i'm not a mother and that i can't understand...
    ;)~
    HUGZ

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