Rift grows between young and old

Brallaqueen

I do think that success should be encouraged and rewarded.

I recall from Ian Hislop's programme that Peabody created houses for the 'worthy poor' who fit his ideas of morally decent and hard working.

If council houses were allocated along those lines would we see an affect on society?

If we rewarded academic success with treats and trips rather than trying to engage disruptive students with the same, would we see positive results?

PaulF81

pqrdef wrote: »

What a fascinating planet you live on. Here on my planet, the growth of middle-class salaries over the last decade has been obscene. The differential between rich and poor was far wider when Labour left office than when it arrived. I think they said they were intensely relaxed about it.

And there was me confused by all the council house jobless walking around in the latest designer clothes, smoking and drinking like its out of fashion. They are poor because the chose to be. We were all born with the same opportunities in life, if you dont work at school dont go crying to mummy that big bad Gideon is limiting your net benefits payments to what the average man on the street receives gross.

RenovationMan

pqrdef wrote: »

Of course it is. I've worked harder than wifey can imagine, but that was manual labouring, and paid accordingly.

And the people I've known on 6-figure salaries spend their days sitting around in meetings.

I've done both. I used to labour on building sites while I was at college and then University to try and keep the debts down. After graduating, I bought a house in serious need of repairs and lived in a building site for a couple of years while I renovated the house.

I've always found that physical tiredness was a lot nicer than mental tiredness. I enjoy that feeling of being physically knackered after a day of working on the house, garden or playing footbal or mountain biking. You can slump down in front of the telly and cuddle up with the kids on the couch watching TV Burp. When you're mentally tired, you feel stressed and drained. All you want to do is sleep. Not much fun for the rest of the family.

As far as the 6 figure salary is concerned, most people who earn that are bosses and you can earn 6 figures as the boss of a building company just as you can as the boss of an IT company. You can earn as little as a labourer as when you're an office drone. It's not about the type of work you do, it's the level you do it at. If you want to earn more in the building game, you have to move upwards - just as you have to in any job.

The stone mason we had to repair some of the fascade on our home earns a fortune as he is both a 'master craftsman' and the owner of a business.

PaulF81

Fully agreed RM.

ILW

RenovationMan wrote: »

I've done both. I used to labour on building sites while I was at college and then University to try and keep the debts down. After graduating, I bought a house in serious need of repairs and lived in a building site for a couple of years while I renovated the house.

I've always found that physical tiredness was a lot nicer than mental tiredness. I enjoy that feeling of being physically knackered after a day of working on the house, garden or playing footbal or mountain biking. You can slump down in front of the telly and cuddle up with the kids on the couch watching TV Burp. When you're mentally tired, you feel stressed and drained. All you want to do is sleep. Not much fun for the rest of the family.

As far as the 6 figure salary is concerned, most people who earn that are bosses and you can earn 6 figures as the boss of a building company just as you can as the boss of an IT company. You can earn as little as a labourer as when you're an office drone. It's not about the type of work you do, it's the level you do it at. If you want to earn more in the building game, you have to move upwards - just as you have to in any job.

The stone mason we had to repair some of the fascade on our home earns a fortune as he is both a 'master craftsman' and the owner of a business.

True to a certain extent, but here are "Cinderella" industries.
A friend of mine is the manager of a 20 bed care home for adults with severe learning difficulties. it is a stressful and demanding job with a mass of regulation etc . Gross salary £23k and that is within the M25.

Jimmy_31

suburbanwifey wrote: »

Well, thank goodness we have Cameron in power now, who does like the middle classes. All whom, like me, are so relieved after a shambles of a decade under labour, who only, lets face it, take from us to give to the poor! (they should earn it themselves, like we all had to!)

The government own your mind.

RenovationMan

ILW wrote: »

True to a certain extent, but here are "Cinderella" industries.
A friend of mine is the manager of a 20 bed care home for adults with severe learning difficulties. it is a stressful and demanding job with a mass of regulation etc . Gross salary £23k and that is within the M25.

I have an Australian friend who was working over here in the care industry and she was appalled at the low pay, minimal training and qualifications and how lowly regarded the workers in that industry were in the UK.

PaulF81

ILW wrote: »

True to a certain extent, but here are "Cinderella" industries.
A friend of mine is the manager of a 20 bed care home for adults with severe learning difficulties. it is a stressful and demanding job with a mass of regulation etc . Gross salary £23k and that is within the M25.

Working inside the M25 orbital? Should have trained in finance engineering. Could be earning 7 figures. We all cut our own cloth I am afraid. Whining that some get paid more than others just doesnt cut it imho. I have mates on 6-7 figure salaries in the city. They hate their work and openly admit its about the money. If you want a pretty realistic view of their lives, watch Margin Call with Kevin Spacey, its pretty spot on, with loads of personal insecurity. How many "joes" on the street coulkd live with the stress that the worst performing 10% in the company will get sacked as of the end of the financial year, and with it, lose the quality of life they are accustomed?

I had a p*ssed up heart to heart with one, who openly admitted he will get to the end of his life, look back at what he has achieved, and will have to live with the fact all he did was generate wealth from thin air. Hardly motivating, unlike the care worker who can say they positively changed peoples lives. Does that altuistic job demand a higher pay grade? No I am afraid not. The market sets pay scales, not socialist governments and as we saw from the last government, too much meddling ends up in tears for us all.

Why not look at working abroad? Its a global economy. Its something I am looking at doing for a few years when I end my contract with my current employer.

SingleSue

Brallaqueen wrote: »

I do think that success should be encouraged and rewarded.

I recall from Ian Hislop's programme that Peabody created houses for the 'worthy poor' who fit his ideas of morally decent and hard working.

If council houses were allocated along those lines would we see an affect on society?

If we rewarded academic success with treats and trips rather than trying to engage disruptive students with the same, would we see positive results?

I operate a treat system for exam results (only low value treats, my budget does not allow for expensive ones) - the result? Better exam grades and more competitive children...oh and a poorer mother! :rotfl:

As an example, my eldest son went from being predicted all F/G in his GCSEs, he ended up with 10 A-C GCSEs including English and Maths.

SingleSue

PaulF81 wrote: »

And there was me confused by all the council house jobless walking around in the latest designer clothes, smoking and drinking like its out of fashion. They are poor because the chose to be. We were all born with the same opportunities in life, if you dont work at school dont go crying to mummy that big bad Gideon is limiting your net benefits payments to what the average man on the street receives gross.

Not everyone...some find themselves there due to circumstances beyond their control.

I certainly never intended to be on benefits, I worked hard at school, was a high rate tax payer by age 21, had reached a position of responsibility and worked all the hours I could. Then I had children who developed disabilities and a husband who preferred the bed of another......

Oh and I don't drink, smoke or buy designer clothes.