Saturday, March 24, 2007

I did it!!!

Just a quick note to say I voted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, how highly surprising.
And then I watched the election coverage, where they tried to act like it wasn't a foregone conclusion. An exciting first election, eh?
Aaaand now, I finish posting. When there's something else to say, worth saying, I'll say it. Can't allow myself to be just a self obsessed blogger rambling about #1 ... not all the time, anyway!

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

My democratic perogative (isn't to spell poorly...)





So, State Election on Saturday.



Who's excited???????



Well, to be honest, not many people. Maybe Pete Adcock, because he's in the Young , er, Liberals.



But it's not much to jump around about, is it?



State politics is a thankless task. Get it right and everyone uses your precision hospitals, schools and buses without a word of thanks. Get it wrong and Quentin Dempster makes you feel a bit silly on Stateline. So hardly high praise or infamous glory.



Mind you, this time water is on the agenda and that's important. As are transport (including student cards, yes yes!) and health and education. They aren't moviestars like international peace or global warming (and I suppose exchange and interest rates matter to a lot of people too) but they make quite a difference to my life.



So, to wrap up this blather,





That's right, my own little poster. Because even voting in local council elections, which few of us seem to understand or care about anyway, we are exercising right which people fought for, died for and to this day, die without.



Goodness gracious, if I hear another girl say she's not interested in voting or is going to donkey vote (and who's the donkey then?) I'll throw her under the king's horse! For those who don't know their early 20th century history, type "suffragette" into a search engine. Or look in one of those book thingies.



So don't be bored with voting!



The current Premier certainly isn't!



. . . or maybe he's just about to sneeze

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Got a sniffle and a cough and so much else!

Just a quick note to say this.
I have some nice viral thingy at the moment. Temperature and migraine and cough. And I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO lucky!
I am a uni student. I have stayed home the last 2 days and rested.
My parents looked after me when I was sick and miserable in the middle of the night. And I have a soft bed and comfy pyjamas and enough clean water to drink and have a shower. If it's serious I can go to the doctor.
This is an extraordinarily good situation, for this messed up world.
Do you know what I mean?
Anyway, I give thanks to God that I am so well looked after, even with such a minor ailment!
Bec

Thursday, March 8, 2007

A first Post (with Plato!!!!)

I have intended this blog to be high minded in the extreme. To cover climate change and human rights and love and peace. To make a place where discussion can be wide ranging and clearly pragmatic.
But what actually gets my blood up enough to brave a volatile internet connection and write?
A local issue.
Here it is... (and anyone surfing who reads this, don't be put off if you aren't a NSW resident. I won't always be this parochial. I'm not a huge fan of blogs with a 2km radius of ideology.)
I went to get my tertiary student concession a few days ago. Grabbed a form and saw that I had to sign that I am not engaged in employment. What ho? Does this mean I can't employ people? Hardly a problem there. But I needed clarification.
I went to the student enquiries person to ask my question. I was serious in asking it.
But alas, I was met with a smirk. And quoth she:
" It's up to you, but I don't want to know about it."
Now that is NOT an answer to the question.
So I emailed the state transport ministry. No answer yet. But I rang them this morning and it turns out that although I am a full time student, because I work (less than 10 yours a week, generally), I am not entitled to concession.
Now, compared to the issues outlined above, this is minor. I freely admit. But here is why it matters and why Plato is in the heading.
1)Students pay tax. They pay GST. They pay HECS. They don't have much money (compared to other members of our extremely affluent society.) And so, there are student concessions. Great. But also, this means that they nearly ALL have jobs. So, is the State government out of touch or is it just tight fisted?
2) Plato:
".. what we have in mind is education from childhood in virtue, a training which produces a keen desire to become a perfect citizen who knows how to rule and be ruled, as justice demands. I suppose we should want to mark off this sort of training from others and reserve to title "education" for it alone."
So what is this student services lady at Macquarie Uni (name and shame) doing? Rather than facing the issue that she obviously thinks the rules are unfair? She's teaching students that when things aren't fair, just diddle the government.
Now, I don't know about you, but I think it stinks when the government lies to me. In consequence, to retain my moral high ground, I can hardly lie to the government. But nor can I afford the train and bus tickets coming my way.
The only answer is to take on the NSW government and win. Any suggestions would be very welcome. And help.
Petitions. Letters to MPs. (Mine is in opposition at present so I have a feeling he'd pass the buck, but I'll try anyway.
Because it isn't going to cost the government much more. But in moral terms it will cost students much less. And I have a feeling that students are sufficiently pliable that we can still teach decency (without words or lectures being necessary) even at a tertiary level.
And that's the first posting.
Hang in there!
Bec