April 8th Thoughts

We have so much information at our fingertips these days and I must say I was surprised that so many people really couldn't see what others in the world where facing and didn't see it was going to happen here.  Sometimes you are just better off being prepared - nothing lost if the worst doesn't happen, but better safe than sorry.

As per one of my previous posts our little group started way earlier than most, and therefore we where not in a panic.  As I also said, we where not hording but ensuring we could sit it out for a few weeks without worry, without stuff, and without useless stuff.  That is what has amazed me, people buying large amounts of stuff that I wonder would you normally buy that many beans - whats the point in having stuff that you don't normally eat, that you don't normally prepare - but when there isn't much on the shelves because you haven't prepared maybe that is what happens - but to me it was clearly out there earlier than most wanted to believe.

We are so lucky here to be honest - but it still surprises me that many just do not get the Stay@Home message and feel like they must go out, must socialise.  Yes it is hard but I will say I have seen people walking around our suburb I have never seen out and about before - so maybe there will be a lot more fitter people when this is finished, but what did they do before?  That is what perplexes me, did they really spend that much time at pubs, restaurants, casinos just generally out shopping because a lot of these folks don't look like they have been out on the beaches exercising etc for a very long time.  Or is it now that they are meant to sit down, have a beer and watch telly the don't want to because it is more about rebellion.

I am still surprised by people who go shopping in groups - yes I know the kids want to get out as well but it is so much harder to keep your distance when everyone is in groups. This is probably more to do with smaller blocks and not enough room really for the kids to romp around on like we did and our kids did.  My kids could play for hours out in the yard, collecting things, making things, running around but then again we had larger yards.  Maybe governments should be rethinking block sizes and instead of trying to get as many blocks into an area look at making application fees smaller for larger blocks so that families can be at home with enough space.  The space provides more for everyone to do while staying at home.  It could be that kids are now just use to being carted out and about as well, most people I knew when my kids where growing up didn't take their kids to the shops - they where left at home with Dad but now it does seem like a bit of a family event - have we really just lost touch so much.  I will say that most of the kids in our area seem to be happy, I haven't really heard any whinging so maybe they are happier than what parents think, but it's the parents that are bored.

So today our Parliament is sitting to pass the Job Keeper package - I feel this is great and of course there will be winners and losers there always is, but I am not feeling for the OS Students to be honest - they signed a form to say they could support themselves 12 months - evidently they can't so go home, go to a family members home and yes they may well have paid some tax but how much can you pay when you are a student they would have made more than they have paid in tax and how much are they making each week - why should they get a Job Keeper $1500 a fortnight when New Start now Job Seeker is only $250 a week (yes it is also being increased in this pandemic, but apparently that was enough for people without jobs to live on in the past).

Now on to the whingers and whiners about the quarantining that started 2 weeks ago, they say it wasn't well planned - guess what it wasn't but it was necessary to reduce the spread, I would be interested to know how may left Australia for their oversea trip after mid Feb when travel warning where already in play - to me that wasn't good planning.