I read the news today oh boy.<\/p>\n
Despite the concerted efforts of state and other authorities, including employers, a small but growing number of working families are experiencing periodic bouts of financial distress. What’s worse is that this has come to the attention of a newspaper columnist, evoking a feeling that there may, possibly, be something wrong — terribly wrong — with our society. “THERE is something terribly wrong in a rich country of only 21million people when 2million were driven last financial year to seek help from social services” (Kerry-Anne Walsh, Rich country, poor underclass<\/a>, June 7, 2008).<\/p>\n Thankfully, the problem is not being ignored, at least not when it come to public service. Recently, a member of the thin blue line, Chris Hurley<\/a>, was greatly helped in his attempts to keep the wolf from the door by being given a confidential $100,000 payment<\/a> from the Queensland Government. This was in compensation for the loss of a large number of pens, pencils, coffee mugs, erasers and sundry other items — the exact nature of which have, in the national interest, sensibly been declared a state secret — brought about by the actions of a violent mob upset over the justifiable — if deeply regrettable — homicide of an Aboriginal man.<\/p>\n Today<\/a>, The State has made no secret of its love for The People. 458 people, to be exact<\/a>. Only “Eight people were awarded the highest honour”, however, which is “the coveted Companion of the Order of Australia”. The eight were a former prime minister<\/a>, a television producer<\/a>, a multi-millionaire businessman, a pointy-head, a law-talking guy, another politician, a former union bureaucrat, and another law-talking guy.<\/p>\n Excellent company.<\/p>\n