Without Wanting To Bragg But I Told You So

[aldfort]

You both slightly mis-understand me my friends. Let's deal with pensions first. It was clear to me when Brown raided pension funds all those years ago and companies decided to close final salary pension schemes (try to find one outside of the public sector now!) that there was going to be a problem. So I took action to secure the future for myself and my loved ones as best I could. While others enjoyed the credit fuelled boom, I saved, I paid off my mortgage and then saved some more. I learned to live well within my means and any spare money was saved. Now I have a pot big enough for a comfortable retirement. Now it was clear to the government of the day as well that there would be a problem but politico's hate to tell you about problems until they are blindingly obvious and you a clamouring for a solution. People talk a lot about the world economy and macro economics as if they operate by a different set of rules from the economics we all use to run our own homes. Simple fact is that they don't. If you borrow money and you are unsure as to how you will pay it back then you are in bother just like we are in the UK now. If you take the borrowed money and give it away to people then you are in even bigger bother as you are getting nothing for it. This is what HMG does all of the time. Now lets think about welfare, Beveridge, when he proposed the welfare state, saw it as a helping had to a working man or woman if they found themselves between jobs for a few weeks. He did not see it as a means to an alternative lifestyle choice and certainly did not see it being given to those that had not paid into the system. So this is the basis of the NI you pay today as a working man it should pay for the NHS and for the dole in case you ever need it. Now the NHS when it was first set-up was intended to deliver basic healthcare to people. It was not intended to deliver lifestyle choice options or anything really fancy. Problem is today the NHS wants to deliver all sorts of goodies to people and the welfare state wants everybody to be well off. It can't work unless you tax those who actually work until their pips squeak. A working person in this country already pays a marginal rate of tax close to 40% of earnings. To make the system really work this needs to be nearer 60%. So things need to change. I like the USA because they favour more self reliance and a much smaller welfare state. Now holidays, I said we go abroad about once every 10 years not that we holiday once a decade. We take a holiday every year but we control the cost of the holiday to keep it modest, we have a great time whatever we are doing. (except once when we went to Skye and it rained for a week!). As to personal development, as I said, the game is clearly laid out in front of all of us. The rules of privilege are clear to see. You either get in and play, or you seek to change the rules or you complain about the unfairness of it all. I don't like the game, I don't like the rules, I did not think it was possible to change the rules (although I greatly admire those who genuinely try.) So I got on with the game to the best of my ability. I advise everybody I speak to do the same.

[aldfort]

I should have amplified the part about the public sector a little. The public sector does nothing to create wealth for the UK therefore I needs to be as small as we can possibly make it. We need jobs that create wealth. So by the same token lots of service sector jobs don't actually help the economy either. As was once said, "we can't survive by simply cutting each others hair" ( this is a reference to what happens if you have too big a service sector in the economy).

[DSG4ME]

"The rules of privilege are clear to see. You either get in and play, or you seek to change the rules or you complain about the unfairness of it all. I don't like the game, I don't like the rules, I did not think it was possible to change the rules (although I greatly admire those who genuinely try.) So I got on with the game to the best of my ability. I advise everybody I speak to do the same."


So true and a primal instinct in a way but if everyone was like that it would be pure anarchy as nobody would give an inch and it would be an anything goes mentality as long as there is a profit in it, and I mean anything sadly.

[aldfort]

No - because we have the law and the administration of the law is deliberately kept separate from politics (well most of the time anyway). I am not advocating that anybody breaks the law and I have found that by giving good value for money and doing a good job there are no shortage of people willing to employ me and recommend me.

[DSG4ME]

No - because we have the law and the administration of the law is deliberately kept separate from politics (well most of the time anyway). I am not advocating that anybody breaks the law and I have found that by giving good value for money and doing a good job there are no shortage of people willing to employ me and recommend me.

Yeah I see what you mean, but how about if everyone is as efficient, this then places you back in the pack of ordinaries doesn't it and any advantage is lost?