There are times when those who hold political opinions to the left of us accuse those who hold opinions similar to ours of being selfish and uncaring.
Sometimes I suspect they maybe right. This comment on Kiwi blog pushed a button in me and I responded. The original commenter was polite enough but some of the other comments are beyond reprehensible, vile racist trash.
When our eldest was about three Housing Corporation in its wisdom decided to buy houses in modest neighbourhoods such as ours to try and eliminate the state housing ghettos and integrate the inhabitants of such into lower middle class neighbourhoods.
And a family of sorts moved in across the road. The husband was an alcoholic -rarely seen by us and never seen sober, his wife was a harried woman who worked nights as a cleaner, their seventeen year old daughter and her three year old child. Miss seventeen was rarely at home, she was off doing her thing leaving her daughter with her tired and worn mother.
One Saturday not long after they arrived Grandma was out mowing the lawn with an old push mower, goodness only knows where her useless husband and daughter were but the child started to scream and scream and scream.
My wife went over and suggested the child come and play with our daughters, Grandma was hesitant and unsure but brought her over anyway.
And this child trembled, she has apparently never played with other children before. This child was non verbal - my daughter who was almost exactly the same age was starting to read, her younger sister was and still is a chatterer but this child couldn't speak at all because as her Grandma explained nobody ever spoke to her. And this poor child was standing there staring at my girls and quivering all over.
I tell you it broke my heart to see this. But what can you do? My wife suggested that this little girl be enrolled in Kindergaten but nothing ever came of it and she never was.
And the little girl from across the road, I happen to know, OD'ed four years or so ago and quite probably did it on purpose.
Meanwhile my little girl who is really a woman now will graduate with a nursing degree later on this year.
Thems the breaks.
Sometimes I suspect they maybe right. This comment on Kiwi blog pushed a button in me and I responded. The original commenter was polite enough but some of the other comments are beyond reprehensible, vile racist trash.
Anyway a true story for what its worth
When we got married my wife and I bought a modest house in a modest street in a modest neighbourhood to start our family. A quiet suburban street with starter outers and a few older families of more modest means.
When we got married my wife and I bought a modest house in a modest street in a modest neighbourhood to start our family. A quiet suburban street with starter outers and a few older families of more modest means.
When our eldest was about three Housing Corporation in its wisdom decided to buy houses in modest neighbourhoods such as ours to try and eliminate the state housing ghettos and integrate the inhabitants of such into lower middle class neighbourhoods.
And a family of sorts moved in across the road. The husband was an alcoholic -rarely seen by us and never seen sober, his wife was a harried woman who worked nights as a cleaner, their seventeen year old daughter and her three year old child. Miss seventeen was rarely at home, she was off doing her thing leaving her daughter with her tired and worn mother.
One Saturday not long after they arrived Grandma was out mowing the lawn with an old push mower, goodness only knows where her useless husband and daughter were but the child started to scream and scream and scream.
My wife went over and suggested the child come and play with our daughters, Grandma was hesitant and unsure but brought her over anyway.
And this child trembled, she has apparently never played with other children before. This child was non verbal - my daughter who was almost exactly the same age was starting to read, her younger sister was and still is a chatterer but this child couldn't speak at all because as her Grandma explained nobody ever spoke to her. And this poor child was standing there staring at my girls and quivering all over.
Grandma you must understand had been working all night in her cleaning job and was now trying to keep house and home together. Doing the washing and mowing the lawns and tending to this poor child but not at all well.
I tell you it broke my heart to see this. But what can you do? My wife suggested that this little girl be enrolled in Kindergaten but nothing ever came of it and she never was.
Anyway we sold our house soon after and moved on to greener pastures in a nice rural setting.
Housing Corp bought more houses in our old street - not ours though. And last time I went down there that street had become just as commenter on Kiwiblog described. Dead cars and unmowed lawns.
Housing Corp bought more houses in our old street - not ours though. And last time I went down there that street had become just as commenter on Kiwiblog described. Dead cars and unmowed lawns.
We were lucky to sell when we did - no? And someone else got unlucky to buy when they did I suppose.
And the little girl from across the road, I happen to know, OD'ed four years or so ago and quite probably did it on purpose.
Meanwhile my little girl who is really a woman now will graduate with a nursing degree later on this year.
Thems the breaks.