PENSIONERS MUST BEG

I HAVE been reading and listening about the proposal to supply addicts with
heroin.

As far as I can remember, it is a criminal offence to buy, sell or use any
controlled substance so is the Government going to assist law-breaking?

And where will it stop?

Will they supply alcoholics with a carton of stubbies or a smoker with a
carton of cigarettes?

These, too, are drugs of addiction and self-inflicted.

There are loads of pensioners in this country who need help and whose only
crime has been to grow old and sick.

They are denied adequate help.

I would like to state my own case as an example:

I am a 70-year-old pensioner and have a condition which requires me to have
a machine to help me breathe.

This machine I have to purchase myself.

Requests to the authorities for help with this resulted only in each
department passing me onto another with statements that it was not covered
by their department.

I am at present hiring a machine for $75 a month.

Mine is no isolated case.

Maybe the idea is that if enough pensioners do not need the pension, there
would be enough money to purchase the heroin for the addicts to have.

It infuriates me to hear some do-gooders on television calling them poor
people who need our help.

What do they think people like me are?

Don't we need help then?

One department did offer some advice, which was to apply to the Salvation
Army and other charitable institutions, which seems to mean that addicts can
get help while I have to go begging.

Name withheld by request.