Below are the letters from Episode 34 2013. Click Here to Watch our Panel discuss these topics and share your thoughts on the letters below.
Hello Mitch,
Is it true once a cheater always a cheater? I hope not but I need some direction here to make sure that I nip this possibility in the bud!
My 16 year old son is in his second last year at high school and he’s a pretty normal and average student. Last week one evening he said to me that he was studying for a history test that he was to have the following day. Well he finished studying very quickly and was back to his computer and gaming also very quickly. Without asking I went to his room to grab a pen out of his pencil case and found a whole heap of cheat notes on his history topic!
I almost died. I have no idea why he would feel the need to cheat. I don’t know how long this has been going on but if he’s doing it in history he’s obviously doing it in every subject. It’s never going to help him. My dad always told me there is no such thing as a short cut in life. And that’s proven to me every single day. What can I do to change his crash course to hardship which this invariably leads to. I know at this age he cheats on his girlfriend too. Am I too late?
Delys, Homebush, NSW
Dear Panel,
The Labor Party just doesn’t get it. It just had a fantastic process introduced by Kevin Rudd where-by the members right across the country for the first time had direct involvement in electing their federal leader. Wonderful! Then totally out of step with the tens of thousands of grass roots Laborites who participated, the same group of Union dominated federal Labor politicians, thumb their noses at the supporters and go straight and elect Bill Shorten, the bloke responsible for knifing two of their own Prime Ministers!!
Just totally out of step with all Australians just not the Labor people. We couldn’t cop Julia Gillard once we understood how complicit and morally questionable she proved, in working to oust the sitting Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd at the behest of her Union buddies. So what makes any of them think we’re going to cop the bloke who was directly responsible for thrusting that knife. They just don’t get it.
They deserve to wander in the political wilderness for years until they get rid of Union influence and demonstrate that they are listening to the public. And having just heard former Labor Attorney General Nicola Roxon, continue to push the Union line and focus on vengeance against Kevin Rudd more than a month after the election, I just can’t help but think Tony Abbott, an utterly unprogressive arch conservative has such an easy run for such a long time to come…worse luck!
Marcus, Preston, Vic
Dear Sweet and Sour,
My arthritic slow moving 14 year gorgeous family dog is very clearly on his way out. I just can’t bring myself to take him to the vet to make him comfortable because I have a feeling that the vet will say to me that it’s time for poor old Sampson to rest and he won’t be coming home with me! The whole family will be devastated I know.
The last time I lost a pet was more than 20 years ago and I was morbid for months. This time I know my kids will also be affected (both early teenagers) too. My sister suggested that I buy a new dog now and perhaps view it as company for Sampson and when he does pass the blow won’t be as bad, but I don’t know whether I should just buy a different pet altogether rather than replace the adorable current one with a newer model which all seems very cold. My brother says that I should do nothing and that losing everyone is just normal in life and my kids should be allowed to learn that without being cushioned from reality!
What does the panel suggest I do here please?
Wayne, Bateman, WA