Saturday 19 November 2011

benefits and Pensions

I love ringing my friend Liz as we seem to have great discussions on everything that is going wrong with the world and our Country.

It is so annoying that we are a country that gives out so much to those who are willing to do so little or claim for everything and work on the side. 

I said that if those who worked got everything free, school meals to heating allowances, full pensions and free prescriptions suddenly all those who are capable of working would soon be off their arses and doing something.

It's true, we are all born to take care of ourselves yet most think it is the job of someone else.  It would be nice if no one had to worry about putting food on the table or wood on the fire but that isn't going to happen, we threw that away when greed entered the equation of life. 

Why should everyone be entitled to the same standard of living if some work for it and others don't?  If Joe bloggs likes to have nice things and works hard to buy them why should Bob smith get the same for staying at home all day by choice.

Benefits were brought in to help those who couldn't work through injury or job loss at an older age, these days you are better off on benefits than going to work and putting in 40 hours. 

I heard the other day that a lady, I'll call her (a) has two children and both her and her husband work, they are paying a mortgage and are struggling to make ends meet, her sister, lady (b) has 2 children, neither work, live in a council house and have no money worries.  The kids get free school meals, all school trips are paid for etc.  Lady A's kids asked why they couldn't go on a trip and their cousins could, infact the cousins got more new clothes than hers did.  It doesn't make sense does it.

When my parents decided to have children they had to afford the want themselves, and that was the day protection from pregnancy had little to offer.  I think you got child benefit of next to nothing and it didn't double as another child came along.  Today most people think that having children should be borne on everyone else paying for them, especially the young who believe its the way to a council house (fully furnished and paid for!)

What about the couples who don't have children, they don't get any tax relief for not using the education system or claiming child benefit, maternity leave etc.  Maybe they have a better standard of living because they aren't having to bring up children (in most cases it wasn't their choice) and have savings so in old age they get penalised more.  What is wrong with this country and the way it works out who gets what?

It seems that those on this 16 hours before their benefits get affected are the worst kind.  They receive the same amount of money as those who work 40 hours in a regular office job.  I take my hat off to a lady that was told how to do this when her husband left but instead she carried on working her normal job.  What incentive is that.  I know another lady that worked the 16 hours and had the rest made up but her wage slips were only checked every so often so the 6 weeks prior to the checks she would be doing 24 hours and still received the same amount of benefit.  There is always a way to get more out and even worse its explained to claimants how to do it. 

Yet if you have worked all your life and suddenly at 50 you lose your job but you own your house you have to lose everything you have worked for before you get any help - these are the people who should be given everything so they don't have to sell their properties and worry themselves to death about paying bills.

I know that circumstances aren't the same for everyone and some people are just unlucky not to have employment and therefore they need to be looked after but then why penalise those who have worked all their lives and make them sell up and become homeless before help is given.

Maybe there should be a point system brought in where if you have worked for so many years you are allowed so much back in benefits if you need them, this would save the homes of those who have worked hard all there lives and it might be an incentive to those who work a few months then ensure they get fired so they can go back on benefits again for another 6 months.

It's like pensions, why should those who have saved all their lives and contributed be so heavily taxed on the pensions and indeed the state pension be reduced.  They have paid into the State Pension and should be entitled to the full payment back. 

Which brings me to the next rant.  The NI was introduced so we all had health care and a state pension.  Employers pay 13% tax per pound per employee towards this.  Next year employers will also have to contribute into their employees pensions another 3%, and employees will also have to pay this, even though they have NI deducted from their wages for this very same thing. 

For the likes of you and I who have a personal pension we only get so many 60th's of what we worked and then a % of that, for the public workers, ie

Well I certainly feel a lot lighter for getting that off my chest.  If I have provoked you one way or the other, good - it means you will go out and have a discussion about it.



Sunday 13 November 2011

Gazza On TV

I don't know why I got so mad last night, but we settled down to watch Pierce Morgan interview Gazza.  It started off ok then came the 4 bottles of whisky per day and the lines of coke, I was near death crap.  I got up and went to bed. 

He made choices about being fit and well, we all make mistakes when we are young, with drinking that one to many, partying a little too often but the majority of us grow up.  He liked the publicity, fans chasing him around but really what did he do to encourage respect .. nothing.  Does he want the world to feel sorry for him because he himself couldn't keep off the booze. 

Was it 11 months since he said he had drank, he looked like he was on something to me last night unless the booze has really addled his brains.  Why is it if celebets (if that what they want to be called) go off the wall its major news and vast forced interest by the papers and TV on us. 

Is Gazza going to become like George Best, requiring a liver to stay alive.  Look what George Best did he took  a liver opportunity away from a more deserving person and to rub salt into the wound, went back on the booze.

Maybe because as I have grown older or probably due to all the meds I take I just don't really bother whether I have a drink or not.  Once in a while I might have a glass of Champagne, a glass of wine or a B & C but I can take it or leave it.  You can replace drinking spirit with drinking non spirit, if you drink a lot do you still get a high or if its a regular input does it affect you at all (apart from the slurring of speech)?

Many a time I would have loved to drink myself to sleep to forget what I have to face, but I know the hangover isn't worth it together with the fact that it doesn't achieve anything.  With a Alcoholic not only do they have the hangover but they have the shakes, the vomitting, the cramps - why inflict them on yourself?


Sorry Gazza I think you should shy away from the publicity and sort yourself out.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Spineless Politicans

I wish we could get a PM and a party with some backbone and lets forget all this PC that Europe has thrown on us but never follow themselves.

I use to think you went to live in a country because you liked the culture and wanted to become apart of it, but the majority of people who choose to live in our Country don't want our culture they only want our welfare state and insist that they be allowed to bring everything they did in their own country to ours.

I bow down to the system in Australia and New Zealand, you have to be sponsored to work there, or have enough money to keep yourself for at least 18 months.  If you loose your job you have 4 weeks to find one before being deported.  Why are we so soft? 

Rewards always went to those who deserve it but in our society it has suddenly gone in the reverse, the more you work the less you have. 

I bet if the major parties all agreed to put a referendum out to see what the people (who they are suppose to represent) wanted I would image most of us would

1)   Vote to get out of Europe
2)   Ensure that rules were in place for anyone wanting to come and reside in the UK - regardless of    nationality
3)  Get rid of these stupid PC laws
4)  Revisit the Health and Safety laws because they have gone OTT
5)  shut down many these insurance claims for damages and injuries
6)  Human Rights - usually they only protect the predator not the victim