So, the other day someone I know updates their status with "Ugh. The only good thing about the new Centrelink/medicare merge is I can judge the centrelink people while im in line". Now, this person is a very friendly woman who I met at a local hobby store (her husband owns it), so I was a little put off by this statement. Never mind that I know for a fact that half the customer base relies on centrelink to feed their addiction that feeds her family (I am one of them). But I have learned in life that you don't always need to call people up on the disgusting things they say (and also, not everyone should be held to my standards).
So then on Friday, I am due to go into Centrelink for my quarter-yearly meeting, just so they can make sure I am not ripping them off or whatever. Now, I am the first to admit that Centrelink...they are pretty useless. If they have 10000 employees around Australia, I would hazard a guess that they have 10000 different ways of doing the same task. They can be very frustrating to deal with, but they pay my rent. They buy my food. They keep me afloat when I would otherwise sink. In return, I take 5 minutes a fortnight to fill out an online form, and once every three months I have to go and line up and see them, which takes about an hour. So all up, it takes about 8 hours of my life for the year, in which I get roughly $18000. Thats roughly $2200 an hour, for just breathing. I don't have to "work" to earn this money. They just give it to me.
Now, there are many out there who are happy with this. They choose not to work, and they get more money than I do. I am not one of these people. I would like to better my lot in life, and free myself from Centrelink support. I was able to do this while working at Hog's Breath, but at the moment I have been forced to rely on Centrelink again to make it from week to week. That's me. I cant hold everyone else to my standards. If there are people out there who want to throw their lives away and live off hand-outs forever, I honestly don't mind. I will get a job and my taxes will support them to be lazy. That seriously doesn't bother me like I hear other people complaining about it. What bothers me is when I am in line, and I have a professional bludger behind me yammering on about how terrible centrelink is.
OK yes, it sucks that we have to get in a huge line just so we can be seen and actually put into a queue. It sucked that I had a 2:20 appointment, but I had to line up to announce myself for that appointment and I didn't get seen until 3:20 (Really? Why book a time if I am not going to get called upon at that time?). Yes... waiting sucks. But remember.... $2200 an hour. Keep it in perspective!
This woman was spouting the most venomous and inane bull crap. "How hard is it to hire 10 more people so we can all be seen faster"? Well, considering the average wage is about 48000 a year, it would cost Centrelink $480000 a year, per branch, to hire 10 more people just so we wouldn't have to wait in line for 20 minutes. Im guessing pretty hard.
"We should all go on strike and wait outside with signs to show them we wont take this anymore". Yes, let's form a picket line to object against having to wait in line for 20 minutes for our $2200+ an hour. That'll teach em! Its a fucking HAND OUT! This girl isn't an isolated event. I hear people bitching about Centrelink all the time (I too am guilty of this, but I like to think I only bitch when the ineptitude levels are extreme), but do they not see that they aren't actually entitled to anything?
"This is so fucked up. I've been in line for about an hour!" This was said when her friend or someone she knew joined the line behind her. She was behind me. I had been in line for exactly 8 minutes. I ended up being in line for 20 minutes, before I was directed to sit down and wait to be called on. For a few brief moments, I got to settle down because I didn't have to listen to her bitch and moan any more. Of course, when she sat down, she chose the seat right behind me.
"Did you hear the way that asshole spoke down to me. They should just do "it" (I don't know what it is referring to) instead of make me talk to fuckers like that who just make me angrier". The guy who was processing the very long line was very professional. I would absolutely HATE to have his job, because I watched him deal with some troublesome people ahead of me, and I can only imagine what dealing with this woman would have been like. I very much doubt he "spoke down" to her, and I have to assume that whatever "it" is is a highly selfish response intending for her to skip ahead of all the people who have been waiting for "hours" so she can be seen to immediately.
"Im only going to get angrier, and then they wont help me. This is fucking stupid making me wait. What do they expect?" They expect you to not be a whiny little bitch who feels they are entitled to $18000 - $25000 a year WHILE centrelink is paying $480000 a year to staff who can cater to your every whim so you dont have to wait in line to get your free money.
"I signed up for a course, and my housemate got $200 and I didnt. How fucking stupid is that? I quit because they wouldn't give me the $200". This is the last thing she said before I FINALLY snapped and turned around and said something to her.
"The point of signing up for a course is to get more knowledge, so you can get experience and find a job and not have to rely on centrelink your whole life. The fact that you quit after centrelink refused to pay you $200 suggests that you werent really interested in the course in the first place, and likely wouldnt have seen it through to the end anyway."
Boy, did I learn a few new words after that. But it was completely worth it, because the security guard (my local centrelink has a full time security guard -_-) heard her, came to investigate, and eventually after learning a few new words himself, removed her from the premises. Best. Payback. Ever.
My point is... Im not happy with where I am at financially. But I wont bite the hand that feeds me, irrespective of how retarded that hand may be. If minor stresses are the cost of my $2200 an hour, then by all means, stress me. But its people like this woman who give people like my facebook friend the feeling that they can "judge" the other 90% who are on centrelink payments because they are going through a rough time, not because they choose to make a living off of it!
i like this so ******* much.
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