Gypsies, tramps and theives...

So the Australian government announced that people who had gone through Cyclone Yasi and had lost power for a certain period of time were entitled to make a claim for an ex-gratia payment. Initially I wasn’t going to claim as I’m one of those odd people who actually work for their money and don’t dole bludge nor do I have 57 kids and expect to live on welfare for the rest of my life because I don’t like to work because it means you can’t watch TV all day nor do I have the belief that having ovaries entitles me to be supported by taxpayers so I can be impregnated by ten loser boyfriends, on a regular basis, who are also bludging on society…oh, don’t get me started…anyway, I thought about it for a while and considered the lost wages and food and I thought ‘Bugger it. I will apply – like everyone else – as I have been paying tax since I was 14 so I reckon I had a right to get something back.

Now, see, if you’re an established bludger already on the welfare payroll you just have to turn up and claim the money and whiz-bang presto it’s in your bank account the next day and you can go out and buy useless crap instead of actual food, clothes and stuff for the kids. If you’ve worked all your life you have to jump through all these hoops and prove who you are as there are no records of you being a drain on society's financial resources. I had three phone calls tonight with the mob that are dispensing the funds because the proof of ID letter they sent me wasn’t complete. Why the 3 calls? Well, because no one at this agency – somewhere I once used to work at – could confirm what ID I had to bring to prove who I am as they have no record of me being a bludger on society. In the end they said bring in everything you can think of to prove you pay tax and are an upright, hardworking citizen and maybe we’ll consider handing back some of your tax dollars. Funny old world huh?

Why the crab picture? I just liked it.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book