Are old people bleeding the country dry?

[hazel 11]

I am one of the older people and I have not bled the country much at all. Free presciptions, free eye test, bus pass and as this year I'm 75 it will be free TV licence. I pay full council tax, I am not on benefits.

I have worked for my pension and paid into the system paying tax to keep the less fortunate.

As there was plenty of work in the 50's I also paid plenty of tax.

 

I grew up during a war, with very little of anything including food. (My grandchild finds it difficult to believe I had only one doll.) so for my generation

life has not been easy. I would think we have paid our way.

 

hazel

[buck 11]

Do not judge the English by yank standards.

nothing that Harleyman wrote had anything to do with Yank standards. He was talking about England of the fifties, which both he and I endured in Sheffield at that time. If you insist in dragging America into the argument. As a senior citizen I get no free travel, heating assistance, lowered electricity rates, or anything else. I planned to save for my retirement while I was still earning good money, so now I can live comfortably without worrying about some trollmaster moaning about it. It's the American way, work your ass off, and don't expect the government to be your saviour

[Harleyman 12]

nothing that Harleyman wrote had anything to do with Yank standards. He was talking about England of the fifties, which both he and I endured in Sheffield at that time. If you insist in dragging America into the argument. As a senior citizen I get no free travel, heating assistance, lowered electricity rates, or anything else. I planned to save for my retirement while I was still earning good money, so now I can live comfortably without worrying about some trollmaster moaning about it. It's the American way, work your ass off, and don't expect the government to be your saviour

 

How right !

My father grew up in the depression. Took any job he could get. Invalided out of the army at the end of the war and worked hard for years nursing a painful ulcer at the same time.

To say his generation are bleeding the country is an insult to him and all others of that group.

[Mister M 1,624]

And pensioners today didnt have it easy when they were young, None of this health and safety rubbish, My grandad worked on the bins, He used to carry them on his back! No wheels or wagons driving next to them, then the rationing after the war, My nan had to cut her only frock up to make a dress for my mum to wear to school, A neighbour felt sorry for her and gave her a tatty old curtain, which my nan then made a dress for herself again, they had it hard! Our (my) generation have had it easy compared to them, No baths, no central heating, No tvs, No loo roll, My great nan used a old book for weeks as loo roll ( different pages obviously ), Everything we have today that makes our lives easier and take for granted they had none of it, So to all pensioners, You have ya pittance from the goverment, Youve earned it!!

 

I think there's quite a few Somalis in Sheffield who do the same

Edited May 23, 2011 by Mister M

[Harleyman 12]

I was up for work at 4:15 AM every week day for 30 years, then later 8 hours on a building site clambering over scaffolding and doing everything from carpentry to electrical installation. At the end of the day I sometimes spent another two hours in the office doing paperwork as it was my own business.

Before all that I did two years national service in the British army sometimes on jungle warfare training patrols in Malaysian jungle country or shoving high explosive artillery shells into field howitzers in hot stinking humid heat. A few years later I spent a year in Vietnam doing the same.

Our generation were tougher than those today but not as tough of that of our fathers.

Now I'm a senior also and all that I have accumulated was hard earned.

 

People like Steefan could never have hacked it. They want everything handed to them on a plate. Society owes them a living they think. I imagine that all these so called revolutionaries would find it easier to rob a bank or loot a store during a riot.

Cissies all of em ! Bah !

Edited May 23, 2011 by Harleyman

[retrogo 10]

Many old people, even those who have rarely worked are entitled to full sate pension £137.35 per week, plus £250.00 every winter and £10 for every day it is below freezing, along with priority for social housing, full housing benefit for any almost size property, and many other benefits such as free travel, lunch clubs, free prescriptions, priority dental care, TV License and so on...

 

Yet the average young person is demonized as a no good scrounger, now if they're unfortunate to be unemployed they only receive a fraction of what an old person in same circumstances does, £46.85 per week, no HB unless it's in a shared house which are rarely even suitable for one human, no help with energy costs, no free travel, no free lunch clubs, TV license, prescriptions etc.

 

now before you start ranting, I'm not saying old people do not deserve this level of income and support, but compared to other age groups and immigrants they do use a lot of resources and receive a very good standard of living.

 

The government has never banked the superanuation to pay for the state pension in later life. We have always had a national debt and only just paid off the long term debt to America for the second world war. So in affect the outgoings that the government has is paid by loans, and the money collected through taxes goes to pay off the loans. Any body not contributing to the system are in your words bleeding it dry. However, the system was intended to to protect the most needy in society that were unable to sustain themselves.

[Fareast 10]

Well, I hope us old uns ARE bleeding the country dry ! Do you expect us to pour more money into the bloody, nanny-controlled, whining, disorganised, uneducated, culture-less, unhealthy dump ??

 

Through our noble sacrifices in war-torn Europe, the far East, Korea and many other hell-holes, we finally managed to set old John Bull on his feet again. We suffered bombs, rationing and American allies.

 

Now, after another 50 years, the various Powers-That-Be have made a complete ****-up and have managed to turn a small, temperate, educated, highly skilled country, with lots of natural advantages into a moronic, crime-ridden, skint Euro- Province.

 

There 's more chance of Chris Huhne becoming Chairman of the A.A. than of getting any sympathy from us senior citizens. We are out for all we can get-----so, be warned----remember Dad 's Army !

Edited May 23, 2011 by Fareast
added word

[retrogo 10]

Well, I hope us old uns ARE bleeding the country dry ! Do you expect us to pour more money into the bloody, nanny-controlled, whining, disorganised, uneducated, culture-less, unhealthy dump ??

 

Through our noble sacrifices in war-torn Europe, the far East, Korea and many other hell-holes, we finally managed to set old John Bull on his feet again. We suffered bombs, rationing and American allies.

 

Now, after another 50 years, the various Powers-That-Be have made a complete ****-up and have managed to turn a small, temperate, educated, highly skilled country, with lots of natural advantages into a moronic, crime-ridden, skint Euro- Province.

 

There 's more chance of Chris Huhne becoming Chairman of the A.A. than of getting any sympathy from us senior citizens. We are out for all we can get-----so, be warned----remember Dad 's Army !

 

Some of the young generation "do like it up em"

[Fareast 10]

Yes, Retrogo, you 're quite correct. In fact, just thinking about it, is the only bit of pleasure I get in life these days ! [Well, that and watching Lady Gaga].

[SheffLad76 10]

Many old people, even those who have rarely worked are entitled to full sate pension £137.35 per week, plus £250.00 every winter and £10 for every day it is below freezing, along with priority for social housing, full housing benefit for any almost size property, and many other benefits such as free travel, lunch clubs, free prescriptions, priority dental care, TV License and so on...

 

Yet the average young person is demonized as a no good scrounger, now if they're unfortunate to be unemployed they only receive a fraction of what an old person in same circumstances does, £46.85 per week, no HB unless it's in a shared house which are rarely even suitable for one human, no help with energy costs, no free travel, no free lunch clubs, TV license, prescriptions etc.

 

now before you start ranting, I'm not saying old people do not deserve this level of income and support, but compared to other age groups and immigrants they do use a lot of resources and receive a very good standard of living.

 

I wonder when you get older in life ,would you still hold this point of view about old people sucking the country dry..I doubt it ... leave them alone they deserve a decent life in the few years left for them on this earth...

[Speccy24 10]

I wonder when you get older in life ,would you still hold this point of view about old people sucking the country dry..I doubt it ... leave them alone they deserve a decent life in the few years left for them on this earth...

 

Totally agree with you.

 

We should care and look out for old people. I am sure we would expect the same when we get old. I think some people forget old age comes to all, no matter how much plastic surgery they have

 

xx

[retrogo 10]

Where's Ladondole when you need a sarcastic comment?

 

Must have a dodgy internet connection at the skeggy caravan?