Enjoying the Silence

I'm glad to be back in Adelaide after a long weekend in Melbourne. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the break and a wander around a new place, but one thing I couldn't wait to get away from...was the people. There were just so many of them. Coming from Chicago, I wouldn't have expected this to bother me, but after 2 years in Adelaide, I think I've simply gotten used to a slower pace and fewer crowds. I feel like I can breath again, being back here. This brings me to a topic that's been heavily debated in the news here in Oz lately - population growth. Australia's population is anticipated to grow to 36 million by 2050, heavily due to immigration. Our prime minister is keen to see this happen, stating that we need a "big" Australia. The question is, do we/will we have the infrastructure to support 14 million more people and why do we need that many more people? I'm all in favour of immigration, as long as we aren't taking in people we can't support, and as long as they're going about it the right way. There are boat loads of illegal immigrants showing up in Australian waters, many of whom are being granted some sort of residency. I say, turn them back. I had to pay over $2,000 and provide two folders full of supporting evidence for my spousal visa, to show I had a genuine reason to migrate to Oz. If we intend to purposely grow our population, we need to do it the right way, plan properly, and make sure we can not only support those already here, but any persons coming in the future. Those who immigrate need to have something to bring to Australia, and earn their residency.