*Vent* why do people feel the need to "government bash"?

[mum4two]

I haven't placed a post before, so if this is in the wrong spot please move. Sorry for the novel, but this is a big vent.

I am so sick of seeing the copy and paste status about how little the government is giving when it gives so much overseas.
I think the government is doing a great job and they are doing what they can where they can. Financial assistance is being offered to those directly affected and those being affected with no pay due to the floods.
There are a lot of people hurting, businesses in our community are struggling with the difference between assistance and cost to get up and running again.
I feel for them, but seriously I don't think it will matter how much they give it wouldn't be enough.
The government has given more than $1m and if they weren't giving - tragically there would have been a lot more loss of life before this week.
Until the waters go down for more than a couple of weeks, we really won't see what the government is doing and it is only after it's over that you can point and say they didn't do enough. Funnily enough the people who have been posting this from what I have seen are those interstate.

Ok. thanks for letting me vent.

[xkwzit]

That's OK mum4two, feel free to vent away. I just don't think you hear that much about the donations going in. My husband works for a large Aus company who has donated $1M to the Queensland Flood appeal, no-one has heard about that. You just don't know everything that is going on and the government's real task will be in leading and coordinating the recovery efforts.

I think the government response in resources, personnel, communication and coordination has be very good so far. I hope to see a similar standard of leadership throughout the recovery period.

Cheers

[SpecialPatrolGroup]

I agree with you OP - I think people grab hold of one little thing and take it completely out of context. There will be millions of $ in payments and relief and services paid/given out to victims of these floods in the near future.

What people fail to realise is that we are a country of some means with a strong economy and our poorer citizens are better off than many of the people in developing nations, simply by virtue of being in this country with established social security and good infrastructure (health, sanitation etc), so our foreign aid is going is not a drop in the ocean to what the government has already spent in establishing a solid foundation to rely on in these times.

Now, please let me qualify what I said about our poorer citizens, I do not think that they have it easy, merely that the standard of living in other countries is so low and that we have a safety net in this country designed to support people. Yes, some people fall through the net, but the point is there is considerable governement investment in this net.

I would also like to say that I think that Anna Bligh has done a fine job in communicating with compassion, clarity and given the situation it due urgency without being alarmist.

[Pinkzy]

Completely agree, OP.

[Jemma87]

i also agree with all of you!!!!!
I think the government is doing a fantastic job, espically anna bligh, i sure as hell would hate to be in her shoes and have the whole state resting on her shoulders!!! i cannot begin to imagine what emotions are running through her ( some we have seen) she is responsible for the entire state.... aswell as our PM who is responsible for the entire country....
I feel they are doing all they can do and take every thing as it comes!!!
i say well done to our government, without you in this difficult time im sure there would have been alot more lives lost and ALOT more ppl who are missing or unsure of where loved ones are - thank godness for the evacuation centres...

[monnie24]

I agree with you on a certain level.

Except when I was watching ABC news, they were interviewing this poor lady who lost her business etc.. She went to go and collect the government benefit they are giving out to people who have lost there business's etc..

And she couldn't because her partner works.

IMO- that is bullsh!t. She lost her business, can't pay her workers, her worker couldn't collect the payment either because her partner worked too! SERIOUSLY they just lost there house, cars, and business/work. She said her partner earnt $800 a week, and he won't even be able to work anyway because of the floods.

[Amara]

I agree with you on a certain level.

Except when I was watching ABC news, they were interviewing this poor lady who lost her business etc.. She went to go and collect the government benefit they are giving out to people who have lost there business's etc..

And she couldn't because her partner works.

IMO- that is bullsh!t. She lost her business, can't pay her workers, her worker couldn't collect the payment either because her partner worked too! SERIOUSLY they just lost there house, cars, and business/work. She said her partner earnt $800 a week, and he won't even be able to work anyway because of the floods.

Her partner will be able to claim the payment that is similar to the dole that has been put in place for those who can't work due to the floods.

[Amara]

Its just pure ignorance on behalf of anyone who posted that status. The govt is doing all they can.

[Nomsie]

We had a similar thread going to this the other day.

We all decided upon a simple solution, and that was to post the truth in YOUR status. I did, and was actually surprised at the amount of support I had for it, considering the amount of friends that had posted the original status you speak of in the first place.

I think people just really need to find someone to blame or take their anger out on.. and well.. who better than the government ;)

[monnie24]

Its just pure ignorance on behalf of anyone who posted that status. The govt is doing all they can.

Ignorant no, I think both should be able to claim. Banks aren't going to put mortgage payments on hold unfortunetly or people who loan fridges etc.. which is sad but true. I thinkt he goverment etc is doing a great job i just think that the payments they are putting out has a few flaws in it.

[*~alegna~*]

:( the whole thing is so painful and unfortunately when people are in pain sometimes they feel the need to blame someone else, anyone.

I agree with u that the Gvt is doing what it can NOW taking all other worldly/economic etc conditions into account.

All we can do is put our knuckles to the grind stone & help them as much as possible.

xx

[SpecialPatrolGroup]

Monnie - I am sorry for what your friends have lost. I don't think anyone would say that it is perfect. Unfortunately social security is not able to accommodate everyones unique circumstances and there has to be some prioritsation of finances/resources so if a household has an income, that household may not be eligible. No one is suggesting that they are not in hardship, however some will have no income coming in. There is no a perfect formula but we are so fortunate to be in a place has something to fall back on.

Hope you friend is able to get back on her feet soon!

[Womb Raider]

OMG i am so glad i found this thread! If i hear one more person carry on about the government i think i may scream! I heard someone say the government planned this? WTF...are you insane? Then some douche lord on my facebook said that Australia should help their own people instead of giving all of their money to Haiti....I was literally shaking by the uneducated, completely ridiculous comments coming out of some peoples stupid mouths!!

[kas3]

I agree. The government is doing a great job of responding to the floods. In terms of foreign aid, I think people get frustrated that so much money is given to other countries when it could be used to improve conditions here - the public health system for example. Some people are doing it really tough so it must really p*** them off when they see this $ go elsewhere.

[RoarsomeMum]

Some people like to question things
Some people like to vent anger Via annoying status's
Some people just honestly believe the government should be doing more
Some people are Still angry and as always It's a nice scapegoat

It's a regular occurrence. In the past 12 months alone there have been chain status's about the Australian Governments lack of ability in area's of "School, Health, transport and then all the "Oh no, our PM is a WOMAN! comments and all that go with it.

They (the government) are pretty thick skinned and all that really matters is that the grants go through to the appropriate places, not what an insensitive jerk (or collective of them) say's on facebook or anywhere else really.

[BlissedOut]

Ugh I hate that copy and paste, it suggests all the Govt is donating is $1m... they donated $1m to the Premiers Fund, which is to help people financially with exceptional circumstances who aren't covered otherwise.

I feel grateful to live in a country where we have insurance and social welfare, where the government actually gets involved and our defense forces are put to use in times of national disasters.

I am also grateful that our government provides practical and financial support to people in countries where these privileges aren't available or practical.

I see people complaining about Australia giving Indonesia $1b to help with their tsunami relief, $66.5m to Pakistan for their floods and then complaining how the government only donated $1m to the Premiers Fund.

Donations? The government has made this donation to the premiers fund, which is used for helping out people in exceptional circumstances. They will likely spend BILLIONS on getting it all fixed up and sorted.

They have offered emergency financial support via social welfare to victims and those affected and will spend billions on clean up.

I am grateful none of us are in the position of those in Pakistan and Indonesia, grateful we have a defense force to assist, civil defense and emergency services, insurance, social welfare, etc...

Although, I am a bit upset about the restrictions around the financial aid, we have family who have to abandon their house and move back to NZ as the government wont qualify them for financial assistance, despite them paying taxes here for 9 years and owning a house (more like a barren section soon) here.

NZ has donated a lot of money and aid, there are calls for the Australian government to put a hold on spending these donations and instead use them to assist New Zealanders living in Australia who have been left to rot by the government.

[Pussyfoot]

You make a very good point about the restrictions around financial aid.
I find the current restrictions confusing, distressing and inequitable.

However, I do question the veracity of some of the comments made in here regarding social security payments. As a Queenslander (until recently), we have many friends and family currently affected by the flood situation and with many of them claiming relief payments, I'm seeing a different picture on that score. But as the type of relief has not been stipulated in these comments (there is more than one type of relief available with some being means tested and some not), I cannot comment any further only to say that it does help to check facts in stressful and potentially heated situations such as this rather than blanket a scenario accordingly.

If there's anything I'd complain about it would be the bland and pointless waffle the media have been saturating our tv screens with and only renews my fear as to how dumb our tv journalists are. I mean, who cares about Leila McKinnon's high school locker? And how many times did we need to see the Toowoomba tsunami complete with drowning woman in car? And the clincher: the ever astute Channel 9 following looters in a boat and, clueless as to what they were doing while accessing an abandoned house and helping themselves to its contents (they were later arrested), Carl was noted to comment: "Gee, that's a bit dangerous, getting about in a boat in these waters..."

Gee Carl. Did you think they were out sightseeing when they were filling their dinghy with items from that abandoned house? :laughing:

At which point reminded me of a classic comment made by Mayor of Ipswich, Paul Pisasale when he said: “If I find anybody looting in our city they will be used as flood markers."

I reckon he should include news readers-cum-'serious journos overnight' in that list.

[BlissedOut]

Relevant article on relief restrictions. (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10700699)

[waterlily]

:yelclap::yelclap::yelclap:

It drives me insane!! I hate inaccurate "status" made about anything really :p

[sai]

I feel so sad for what has happened, but also so glad to be in Australia.
How many places in the world can rally around each other the way we have here it's such a lovely thing to see in such a horrible situation.
I'm not able to give heaps of cash myself but realise that the Government can only give so much and they did just have to spend a lot to keep us out of recession so I've got no issue with the governmant right now.
I've posted a thread here and on facebook about the idea of a min $1 flood appeal donation from as many people as possible on Australia day, it's just a people working together idea. Have so far got 760 likes on facebook and am looking to spread the word with only 7 days to go so if you guys here want to spread the idea too please do all help appreciated.
$1 from each Australian would raise over $20million
I think we need to do what we can rather than complain about government at this stage so agree with you here.
Here's the facebook link
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Give-Gold-on-Australia-Day/170057363037285?v=wall#!/pages/Give-Gold-on-Australia-Day/170057363037285?v=wall#!/pages/QLD-Flood-NSW-Flood-Charity-Auction/159248037456221
I hope you guys agree with me :yes:
S