"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." (January 20th 1961 John F Kennedy inaugural address)Most people who were alive at the time are not likely to forget these sentiments.
It from this perspective that I think many Australians today need to think about viewing the forthcoming elections.
After a generous spending spree that totals billions of dollars of OUR tax money, the mentality of some people still seems to remain Dickensian or more to the point the view expressed by the character of Oliver Twist in the novel by the same name:-
"Please Sir, I want some more."
Yes MORE - well at least that's what the headlines are saying at the ABC
"Democrats candidate for the seat of Reid, Silma Irham, says other issues, like local services, are key concerns at this election."We need a lot more services here, particularly for the multicultural migrant community," she said."
Perhaps I am out of line, and some may even consider me insensitive, but enough is enough!
Let's all stop asking for handouts and start doing things for others rather than demanding more from them.
Lest you think I am some privileged native Australian who has no idea what he is talking about - let me first tell you some of my story.
I was a refugee from a country in the turmoil of a civil war, where political opinion was limited to those who had joined and participated in the ONE party system that was permitted and where people were even denied jobs unless they joined "the party". I was one of a religious minority that was not exactly welcome to practise my religion. I was from a family that was working class and finding it difficult to find work without compromising its principles and we were in fear of our lives as men with weapons and tanks invaded our streets!
We did what a lot of people in our situation did we fled across the border and arrived in a refugee camp!
We were finally assigned refugee status and then we had to try and find a country willing to take us in. After a long struggle Australia came to the party and we were finally permitted to come to Australia to settle.
This was at a time when the concept of services to migrants was virtually unknown much less any real services being available, when the levels of unemployment were similar to what they are now, when social welfare was not available and services in state and federal agencies that accommodated different language and cultural needs were simply not in existence.
I don't know about others, but I was grateful for the opportunity to start a new life here and to learn to fit in and to contribute.
The fact that services were not attuned to my cultural needs or my lack of English was not something we felt we could grumble about.
We were free and safe! That was enough!
The fact that we might have to work two jobs AND take in additional work at home was just the way things were.
We learned how to survive and thrive.
The conditions provided the motivation to learn the language, to obtain the skills that were needed and to find work that was better remunerated, so that over time we would only have to work one job and not take on piece work at home.
At a time when there is the lowest unemployment in 33 years and when almost anyone can get a job and one that is well remunerated to boot, when there are services galore in both private and public enterprise, this is not the time to keep demanding more assistance.
To paraphrase JFK:- Ask not what Australia can do for you - ask what you can do for Australia!
That's the lesson this Democrat candidate needs to learn.
I know that if I was in her electorate I would certainly not vote for someone that continually looked for handouts and more services instead of encouraging people in her electorate to think about what they were going to do for themselves as well as others!
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