Everyday Squanderers Everywhere

fast food, money, fast food, latte, ethnic, deprived

by Anne Heffernan

 

 

 

images credit en.wikipedia.org                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

I frequented that same abode again on Friday last and the noise, buzz and bedlam was nerve-racking. I could hardly hear myself read the newspaper with the chattering and chaos as people of all ages, sizes and nationalities vied for a seat, climbing over benches and tables with their trays of drinks and eats ready to topple over at any minute.

I didn’t stay long! As I put my cup in the bin, just before leaving, I asked one of the staff members, was it always this busy. Her reply was straighforward and frank, “Yes,” she grinned, “every day, everyday its the same.”
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Are we really looking after ‘the common good’?

                                                                                                                                                                 by Anne Heffernan

 

As I wander around this country of ours – well, counties Offaly, Kildare and all of Dublin in particular, I notice, as I am sure you do too, the huge numbers of people, often times, young children and teenagers buying fast food on the go. There seems to be no end to the money they and their families have to spend on such. After school times and lunch times seem to be the busiest! The buzz in any Mc Donalds, Eddie Rockets and other fast food outlets is mesmerising as are the gangs of youths hanging out with their happy meals, breakfast rolls, smoothies, milk-shakes and other drinks – that don’t come cheap.

All nationalities are represented and the chatter among them is infectious. As I sit over my one, skinny latte I ponder the systems in our country. My mind wonders especially about those who are obviously not ethnic Irish. Often times I’m in areas classed as ‘deprived’ (where the unemployment rate is high) and simply wonder how the people I am sitting among can afford to spend the money they do. I cannot fathom where these people get the money it costs to treat themselves or their children to such expensive products on a regular basis. [Read more…]

Who cares about services?

by Anne Heffernan

I have my home up to rent at present. I had to make contact with a number of ‘officials‘ regarding this process. I find it funny, that’s not funny ha ha – its funny peculiar that I was queried about the location of my home, whether it is near ‘services, you know shops and that’. It seems if I decide to rent my home out to someone on State benefits my home has to be close to schools, shops, transport and other services, but if I buy my own home from my own resources – hard earned cash over a lifetime, nobody really gives a damn whether I have suitable services nearby or whether I live in isolation. I for one bought this home because I could afford it, even though I’m a 2 mile drive to the nearest services.

What kind of society cares so much for one element of society and couldn’t care less about the other?

Be Happy

Mental wellness                                                                                                                                                                                                image credit en.wikipedia.org

Social housing need is a crisis that could have been avoided by prudent planning

by Anne Heffernan

You might have heard me speaking with Niall Delaney on www.oceanfm.ie on Friday morning about renting out my home and accepting rent allowance. Niall advised me to target the government with my anger. That is just what I intended doing. I cannot understand why the government continues to throw money at a system that costs tax-payers so much.

Surely it would be prudent to approach social housing needs in a more cost effective way.

Ministers don’t seem to have any foresight, never plan for what’s coming down the line and end up wasting so much hard-earned tax-payers money, just trying to stop a leaking tap!

Is this what we voted them in there to do?                                                                                                                                                               [Read more…]

Joe Bloggs Vs Joe Duffy

by Anne Heffernan

You might have heard me on Liveline on Wednesday speaking with Joe Duffy about my book, Our Boomtime Rats –Who do they think they are?   in the aftermath of Budget 2015.

The gist of the show was ‘be happy’ and ‘pay-back time’ as the austerity budgets of the last number of years have been consigned to history.

As a Ms Jo Bloggs I cannot say the budget made me happy. It didn’t do it for the other participants on the show either, and Joe Duffy referred to all the media outlets having independently given a positive spin to the budget announcements and asked us were we not happy with a €5.00 pay back through children’s allowance.

I feel a bit patronised by such comments. What will €5.00 get you? How will this make a difference to anyone’s life?
I feel the government and the national (well-paid) media personalities offer nothing only talk, about issues they have no idea about in real life. When did anyone of them try to live on less than €200 a week? How many of them had to sell their homes? How many of them are bordering on being homeless? How many of them haven’t enough to eat? How many of them have panic attacks on a daily basis as a result of financial worries? [Read more…]

I’m tired putting a brave face on it!

by Anne Heffernan

I’ve been under so much financial stress since the end of 2009. I am at my wits end. I need a job to pay my way and be able to live any kind of normal life. This has been denied me for 6 years now and I really cannot go on any longer. I cannot pretend anymore that my lack of finances is not impacting my life in every way.

My mental health is at an all time low, as is my personal confidence, my physical health and my emotional health. I am at rock bottom and it is affecting my interactions with other people. I feel stressed, anxious and irritable all the time.

I’m currently doing a course in social media for business and on the way in this morning the thought crossed my mind to keep driving and present myself at St. Patrick’s psychiatric hospital…that’s how low I feel.

I have a very small income, am not entitled to job-seekers allowance and the other benefits that go along with it.

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