Big-Issues.Org

Warning - This may be more of a rant that a considered contribution. It is hard not to despair a little when witnessing the current Australian federal election campaign between Abbot and Gillard.

My neighbour has a problem. A person who used to live across the road apparently used to break bottles on the road immediately in front of cars parked there. Not sure why, perhaps there was a reason. Maybe he thought there were too many cars parked in a narrow road. Maybe it was a statement against a consumer society. Maybe it was a result of some perceived wrong. Maybe from a sense of powerlessness.

In Australia, the Australian government recently offered A$6,000 assistance per year for two years for families with a child under 6 identified as autistic - the goal being to assist in remedial therapy to assist the child cope as well as possible in a normal education and social setting. A great step forward, but put in perspective by experts who suggest it would fund only about 10% of the time-consuming remedial therapy that the Australian government's own report suggests is necessary.