I was wrong.

To be where I am today, I went through a lot and if you have studied in India, then you would know what I mean when I say, it is not just hard work alone that is needed to pass each exam in India. There has always been associated emotional stress.

One external examiner hated girls with short hair and failed them in the pracs, another hated all the North Indian students, another demanded money to let you pass the exam etc. It was a game with too many unknowns and each exams was a nightmare. In short, it was both mentally and physically exhausting to do a degree in India.

Since coming to Australia, I am not eligible for any tax break for my kids education expenses, my medicare levy has increased and I pay a huge amount of money as tax. I have always felt that it isn’t fair to tax me so much when I worked my ass off to get my education. Where I am is because I was willing to work hard.  My neighbour ( the one with the annoying dogs that barked all night) works once every few weeks. She got it all down to the pat. working just enough hours to get her benefits from centerlink. She drives a Mitsubishi sports model, lives in a three bedroom house with rent subsidized by the govt. She even has a full gym in the garage.

In a few years, my children will go to University. Most scholarships are means tested and my income is above that and my children won’t get it. I have to save every penny, so I can afford to give my children the best education. But a lot of money that I earn goes towards my tax.

As usual, the government does what it does the best. They steal from Peter to pay Paul and  recently, Ms. Gillard increased my medicare levy to provide something called NDIS. ( National Disbaility Insurance). Again I felt, I am being penalized for working hard.

Last weekend, as usual, I was at the basketball court waiting for my daughter’s game to begin. The games were running late and the team before ours were still playing the first quarter. I had my book with me and I found a place to sit. Next to me was a woman with a child in the pram. As soon as I started to read, the child started to howl. I looked at the child, really a bit too old to be sitting in a pram. The mother tried giving the child various toys, hoping to quieten him, and at the same time cheer for her daughter over the sound of the howling. I also noticed that how much ever the child was throwing the tantrums, she never once got annoyed with him.  And then he started tossing his toys around. I noticed he can’t speak and was getting more and more agitated and was screaming. The parents around her was giving her the dirty looks. Eventually one of the toys landed on my body and the mother was so apologetic. “I am so sorry, my son has autism” she said. “It is alright” I replied.

“Usually, my husband is home and I leave my son with him, but now he works in the weekend too, so we will have money for our son that can pay for his care when we are old and unable to take care of him” she must have seen the dirty looks the other parents were giving her and felt the need to explain.

Every time my children say ” it isn’t fair”, my standard response has been “life isn’t fair”

I was bitter when I was asked to pay more money, so the government can support the disabled. Here I am cribbing about few hundred dollars I have to shell out each year, while  a parent is forced to work even during the weekends, so they will still be able to support their disabled child in the future. Clearly life isn’t fair and clearly, I was wrong.

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