Go away and die

 

Me on my first day in Australia. I was about
20 years younger and 70 pounds lighter.

 

It's been almost 20 years since I spent four months in Australia having the time of my life. I loved that country and I wanted to stay. But a couple years post-9/11 Australia's version of Immigration, the IMMI, was cracking down on all backpackers overstaying their welcome.

Six weeks after this picture was taken, when I was on the other side of the county in Perth, I passed a group of retirees with some tables and signs set up. They were very nice aging Hippie types and they told me they were protesting then Prime Minister Howard's cuts to their version of Medicare.

In 2003, the entire welfare system in Australia, the "dole" seemed pretty robust. They had work programs, universal healthcare, some equivalent to food stamps, etc. Nobody was hungry and the rule was 'only those lay abouts who don't want to take yaka don't work.'

Discarded: Australian Women Over 50

The global Recession in 2009 changed everything and it changed it everywhere. As usual, women over 50 are getting the shit end of the stick.

One dollar's worth of hope?

A few weeks ago my checking acount balance plummeted to like minus 10 cents or something. Anyhoo, I fixed the problem and then, weirdly, this showed up in my mail.

I've been denied an ETB (foodstamp card) because I "make too much money" on Unemployment Insurance.



Then, bizarrely, Washington Social Services sends me this check for a whopping one dollar. Don't know if my balance had anything to do with this or if it's part of the first stimulus that Bush signed right before he left?

Also it might be a new annual WA state thing for low-income renters. Once again living in CHHIP housing has helped me just enough to annoy me ... but not really help.

I can now buy half a cup of coffee.



Oh wait, I can't. The Tully's closed.