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This old chestnut

13

Comments

  • Immigration is the kop out solution. The essence of the problem is that we have to many non productive people of working age soaking up vast ammounts of money and not paying taxes and we have an ageing population.that is also soaking up vast ammouts of money.

    The solution is simple but politically unacceptable and that is ban all immigration unless sponsored by business and limit this to three year visas.

    Set a goal that the unemployed and those on incapcity benefits will be 1.5 million maxn(reducing from 7mill now). This should be done like Clinton did, he announced you have got 5 years on benefits and then they stop, guess what the people went back to work. With IB it should be banned unless there is clear medical evidence and should be a safety net not a lifestyle, all people getting IB for being obese, you have got 18 months to lose weight so you can work, if some one claims for stress then pay for 12 months to allow people to change there lifestyle and get rid of the stressfull part of it. Then raise the retirement age to 70 perhaps by using incentives such as paying a higher pension the longer the person delays retirement. Women want equality the female retirement age should be 65 as of yesterday.

    Bringing in one immigrant to do a job has so much less benefit to the countries finances than taking one person of the dole that immigration with our levels of unemployment and benefits almost has no benefit at all.

    I was shocked to watch Dr Hilary Jones on The Daily Politics he said in London 300m pounds is spent treating Tuerculosis, what I thought we erradicated TB, but no a highly contagious diesase is back, then he said they also spend 300 million on HIV treatment for immigrants. We would be better off sending 100million worth of TB and HIV drugs to those countries treat more people costs us less.

    If immigration is so great then we should be the economic powerhouse of Europe with the level we have had.
  • drc wrote: »
    Or do what Germany does and encourage people to have kids by offering incentives such as free childcare etc so that people can go out to work without paying more in childcare fees than they actually earn after tax.

    So who pays for the childcare?
    Is it out of tax that people have already paid?
    :wall:
    What we've got here is....... failure to communicate.
    Some men you just can't reach.
    :wall:
  • aelitaman wrote: »
    Immigration is the kop out solution.
    .

    No, immigration is the ONLY solution.

    We have a 2.2 trillion pound public/state pensions deficit, currently equal to £80,000 for every person in Britain. PLUS a national debt equal to £35,000 for every person. PLUS an estimated additional £80,000 per person liability for old age care. PLUS a private pensions deficit.

    Getting a few million people back into work doesn't even come close to scratching the surface.
    “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.

    Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

    -- President John F. Kennedy”
  • No, immigration is the ONLY solution.

    It's not, it's a short term solution.
    See my earlier post.
    immigration is not long term sustainable
    :wall:
    What we've got here is....... failure to communicate.
    Some men you just can't reach.
    :wall:
  • It's not, it's a short term solution.
    See my earlier post.
    immigration is not long term sustainable

    Define short term.

    (and see my position in post 8)
    “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic.

    Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

    -- President John F. Kennedy”
  • Define short term.

    (and see my position in post 8)

    Short term is my definition of uderstanding that immigration is not sustainable forever.

    You have succumed in your post 8 that there is a need to adapt to a period in where it is not a given handout to receive a pension and that it needs to be self fullfilled. As I said in post 6

    A lifetime is a long time, you mention the next few decades, well for me I will still be of a working age in two decades time, will be at retiring age in 3 decades time. I for one would like to think that we are a long way forward from the culture we currently have to handouts being given and expected.
    :wall:
    What we've got here is....... failure to communicate.
    Some men you just can't reach.
    :wall:
  • treliac
    treliac Posts: 4,524 Forumite
    edited 12 February 2010 at 2:11PM
    Thrugelmir wrote: »
    On a side note. My mum is 83, and has taken Keep Fit classes for over 50 years. She currently takes 4 classes a week for the over 60's during term time. She is paid by the Local Authority and uses the money to supplement her pension income.


    Your mum is very lucky to have such health and fitness. I'm sure, of course, that her attitude and lifestyle have helped her. I hope to be blessed with health and strength into my 80's.

    Unfortunately, many of us are ailing and dependent to a degree by the time we reach our mid-eighties. We can only do the best we can to maintain our vigour, though illnesses cannot all be controlled. Maybe in time science will facilitate longer life with better health. This is the 'elixir' I'm hoping will help solve the problem of an ageing population in the longer term.

    I've heard it said that many of today's children are living such unhealthy lifestyles that they will succumb earlier and younger than today's older generations.


    ..
  • drc wrote: »
    Or do what Germany does and encourage people to have kids by offering incentives such as free childcare etc so that people can go out to work without paying more in childcare fees than they actually earn after tax.


    Or do what Germany did.
    Not Again
  • abaxas
    abaxas Posts: 4,141 Forumite
    No, immigration is the ONLY solution.

    The problem is that no-one apart from chavs wants to come !
  • Or do what Germany did.

    Could you please expand on this?
    :wall:
    What we've got here is....... failure to communicate.
    Some men you just can't reach.
    :wall:
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