For a number of years we have been fed this lie that the more we tax the rich the more income the country receives. The thought behind this is quite simple, and in essence sounds logical. It is this, if you raise the amount of tax a wealthy man pays, the more money he will contribute to the economy.
Is this true? Well to put it simply it isn't! You might be surprised to hear that. You may say, 'it makes sense that the more you tax someone the more you receive'. That sounds logical, and it is true when you look at the lower end of the social and economic scale. I pay my tax at source via PAYE (basically it is taken directly out of my wage) and there is nothing I can do to stop that. If the government decided tomorrow to increase tax for lower earners to 50 per cent, there is nothing I can do but pay it.
For the very wealthy (that is the top 1 per cent) it is different, they can invariably get away with paying a smaller proportion of their wealth simply because they can find lots of different ways around the tax system.
The government received last year £47 billion in tax from the top one per cent. Since 2000 the share contributed by this top 1 per cent has increased from 22,2 per cent to 27.7 per cent. What is interesting is since the 50 per cent tax rate has been introduced the amount the exchequer has received in income tax from the top bracket has actually decreased by £500 million.
Why is this? Well an economist called Arthur Laffer discovered this simple truth; high tax rates bring in less tax than lower ones, because they result in greater tax avoidance. There is nothing illegal about this, it just means organising your affairs within the rules so as to pay less tax. Any self employed person will do this, they will claim for anything and everything, like their; expenses, fuel, heating, clothing, telephone, etc and if you are self employed and do not earn a very high wage you could actually end up paying no tax. This is the same for very wealthy people but obviously on a grander scale.
If we look at history we will see that the evidence is there to show that what Arthuer Laffer said is true. In 1979 our top rate of income tax was 83 per cent, one of the first things the then Chancellor Geoffrey Howe did was reduce it to 60 per cent. Practically overnight the top one per cent went from contributing 11 per cent to the nations coffers to contributing 14 per cent.
In 1986 the conservatives reduced it again from 60 per cent to 40 per cent and the amount received increased to 21 per cent. So by reducing the top rate of income tax the amount paid by the most wealthy almost doubled.
Here are some other examples from around the world. In 2003 George W. Bush reduced the tax paid by those earning over a $1 million and the income from them almost double in three years.
In India taxes were cut in 1997 and income rose. In 1981 Canada's top rate taxes were cut and receipts from taxes rose. In Russia Putin replaced the complicated tax system and brought in a simple flat rate tax of 13 per cent and receipts rose by a quarter.
In the UK we have an incredibly complicated tax system, which mean that for many self employed people they have to employ an accountant to sort out their accounts. As I said in my last post Gordon Brown almost double the size of the accountant's tax guide to 14,500 pages.
Surely the answer to many of our economic problems would be to bring in a simple flat tax system. It would mean it would be easier for lower earners who are self employed to pay their tax, by having a very simple form to fill in, and secondly it would be more difficult for the rich to avoid paying tax. Those earning under £12,000 - £15,000 would not have to pay tax, thus meaning they would have more to spend, and then they can contribute towards the economy.
Many of our economic woes are down to bad management, the government has continually wasted money; one good example of this was a report which looked into waste which found that Whitehall could save £600 million on phone bills alone.
Over the years chancellors have tried to close tax loopholes, Chancellor Alistair Darling tried to do this in 2008 by introducing a £30,000 tax on 'non-doms' (these are rich people who basically work in the UK but are domiciled abroad). 16,000 simply moved their affairs overseas, resulting in a loss to the treasury.This happens all the time.
I have had conversations at work in regards to what I have written, and some have argued that we should stop this and bring in more regulation and tax them more. They say the government should bring in legislation that forces them to pay tax on what they earn in this country. But as you can see it is quite clearly not that simple, and if we tax and over regulate people and companies they will just leave. The obvious thing to do would be to reduce regulation, thus freeing up business to do what it does best, and that is grow (what businessman when asked if they wanted to stagnate or grow would say stagnate?). And secondly it is quite obvious that taxing the rich at an exorbitant rate does not work, this has been borne out by what happened to Britain in the 1970's. So surely the obvious thing to do would be to cut taxes, but I believe because that would look bad politically and also the Libdems hold so much sway and do not have a clue it is unlikely to happen, even though it should.
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Friday, 9 March 2012
Waste, over regulation and how to get our economy going.
Since coming to power the Conservatives and Liberals have been talking tough about cuts and helping our economy. When the Tory led coalition came to power they talked about helping manufacturing and about cutting regulation. We have had leftist propaganda stating how awful these cuts are, but the reality is somewhat different.
There haven't been any real cuts. Basically the state spends 43 per cent of our annual output compared with 37 per cent when Labour came to power in 1997.
One of the problems we have within government (and this probably goes for all governments around the world), is that it is very easy to waste money. This is because it is not their money, secondly governments are large bureaucratic organisations and thirdly they are run by people who do not really understand what they are doing, and have done very little if anything outside of politics.
You only have to look at the previous government to see how not to run a country. Massive waste on a scale that has hardly ever been seen before; over £20 billion wasted on a computer system for the NHS, billions more sacrificed by Gordon Brown's decision to sell off most of our gold reserves. I could go on and on.
What the previous government also did was create many departments and QUANGO's which have also wasted billions of our taxes. One example is the Dept for Business and Skills, which 36 MPs have called to be abolished, this would save £1 billion a year.
On top of this Gordon Brown created such a complicated tax system that the current edition of Tolley's accountant's tax guide runs to 14,500 pages - twice as big as when Gordon Brown became Chancellor in 1997.
This department headed by Vince Cable has failed to make Britain a better place to do business. Companies continue to complain about regulation in every aspect of their business, this of course heaps massive costs on their ability to compete.
The Free Enterprise Group has claimed that excessive regulation costs Britain's economy £112 billion every year. Let me repeat that £112 billion!! And that is only the start.
In 2008 all parties voted through the 'Climate Change act', this one law is going to cost tax payers £18.3 billion every year from now until 2050. Our contribution to the EU this year will be nearly £20 billion, not including what we will contribute via the IMF to help bail out the eurozone economies. The government has also committed themselves to increasing our overseas aid budget to 0.7 per cent of our GDP, even though they admit themselves that there is massive problems with fraud and waste.
The Business department recently hosted a 'manufacturing summit' to discuss how 'the government continues to put manufacturing at the heart of its growth programme'. This is the same government who handed over a multi billion pound contract to build trains for the Thameslink rail programme to Seimens of Germany instead of a British based company - Bombardier, which would have protected thousands of jobs. This same government handed a £485 million contract to build small sea going tankers for the Ministry of defence to a South Korean company, when there are plenty of British companies who need the work. This same government which talks about helping British manufacturing handed the multi million pound contract to print tickets for the Olympics to an American company, when there are plenty of British companies which need the work.
This government and the last government created a regulatory regime which has given us no advantage over most of Europe. National insurance has been increased, which in essence is a tax on jobs.
The only way our economy can grow is by de-regulation and encouraging private enterprise. I recently looked into starting up my own business - a fruit and veg shop. I looked at the cost of renting a small shop on my local high street, with rent and rates it would have cost me £78,000 a year. That figure did not include; the produce, bills, insurance or any sort of wage. Then if I did happen to take a risk and start up a business and then I needed to expand and take on an employee, the cost and risk of doing this would be insurmountable. Is it any wonder that our economy is struggling?
Currently the Department for Business, innovation and skills is running a 'Red Tape Challenge', the idea of this you would have thought was a to get rid of red tape and help growth, but instead of this it is asking for 'a debate, a discussion of the ways in which the aims of existing regulation can be fulfilled in the least burdensome way possible'. Instead of saving money, it has been reported that work on regulation in the last two years has actually cost £18 million.
Governments, as I have said are very good at wasting money, but unfortunately for us it is not their money it is ours. What I haven't looked at is regional assemblies and the massive amount of; cost, added bureaucracy and regulation that comes with them. We have the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, and the cost of running these talking shops runs into billions, then we have district, local, town and parish councils - more bureaucracy. Then of course the biggest and most outrages waste of money of them all - THE EUROPEAN UNION!
I just cannot see that there is any justification for all these departments and talking shops. We have a country overwhelmed in regulation and officialdom. Something needs to be done but unfortunately I cannot see that the government has got the balls and morals to do something about this hideous waste of our money.
There haven't been any real cuts. Basically the state spends 43 per cent of our annual output compared with 37 per cent when Labour came to power in 1997.
One of the problems we have within government (and this probably goes for all governments around the world), is that it is very easy to waste money. This is because it is not their money, secondly governments are large bureaucratic organisations and thirdly they are run by people who do not really understand what they are doing, and have done very little if anything outside of politics.
You only have to look at the previous government to see how not to run a country. Massive waste on a scale that has hardly ever been seen before; over £20 billion wasted on a computer system for the NHS, billions more sacrificed by Gordon Brown's decision to sell off most of our gold reserves. I could go on and on.
What the previous government also did was create many departments and QUANGO's which have also wasted billions of our taxes. One example is the Dept for Business and Skills, which 36 MPs have called to be abolished, this would save £1 billion a year.
On top of this Gordon Brown created such a complicated tax system that the current edition of Tolley's accountant's tax guide runs to 14,500 pages - twice as big as when Gordon Brown became Chancellor in 1997.
This department headed by Vince Cable has failed to make Britain a better place to do business. Companies continue to complain about regulation in every aspect of their business, this of course heaps massive costs on their ability to compete.
The Free Enterprise Group has claimed that excessive regulation costs Britain's economy £112 billion every year. Let me repeat that £112 billion!! And that is only the start.
In 2008 all parties voted through the 'Climate Change act', this one law is going to cost tax payers £18.3 billion every year from now until 2050. Our contribution to the EU this year will be nearly £20 billion, not including what we will contribute via the IMF to help bail out the eurozone economies. The government has also committed themselves to increasing our overseas aid budget to 0.7 per cent of our GDP, even though they admit themselves that there is massive problems with fraud and waste.
The Business department recently hosted a 'manufacturing summit' to discuss how 'the government continues to put manufacturing at the heart of its growth programme'. This is the same government who handed over a multi billion pound contract to build trains for the Thameslink rail programme to Seimens of Germany instead of a British based company - Bombardier, which would have protected thousands of jobs. This same government handed a £485 million contract to build small sea going tankers for the Ministry of defence to a South Korean company, when there are plenty of British companies who need the work. This same government which talks about helping British manufacturing handed the multi million pound contract to print tickets for the Olympics to an American company, when there are plenty of British companies which need the work.
This government and the last government created a regulatory regime which has given us no advantage over most of Europe. National insurance has been increased, which in essence is a tax on jobs.
The only way our economy can grow is by de-regulation and encouraging private enterprise. I recently looked into starting up my own business - a fruit and veg shop. I looked at the cost of renting a small shop on my local high street, with rent and rates it would have cost me £78,000 a year. That figure did not include; the produce, bills, insurance or any sort of wage. Then if I did happen to take a risk and start up a business and then I needed to expand and take on an employee, the cost and risk of doing this would be insurmountable. Is it any wonder that our economy is struggling?
Currently the Department for Business, innovation and skills is running a 'Red Tape Challenge', the idea of this you would have thought was a to get rid of red tape and help growth, but instead of this it is asking for 'a debate, a discussion of the ways in which the aims of existing regulation can be fulfilled in the least burdensome way possible'. Instead of saving money, it has been reported that work on regulation in the last two years has actually cost £18 million.
Governments, as I have said are very good at wasting money, but unfortunately for us it is not their money it is ours. What I haven't looked at is regional assemblies and the massive amount of; cost, added bureaucracy and regulation that comes with them. We have the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, and the cost of running these talking shops runs into billions, then we have district, local, town and parish councils - more bureaucracy. Then of course the biggest and most outrages waste of money of them all - THE EUROPEAN UNION!
I just cannot see that there is any justification for all these departments and talking shops. We have a country overwhelmed in regulation and officialdom. Something needs to be done but unfortunately I cannot see that the government has got the balls and morals to do something about this hideous waste of our money.
Thursday, 1 March 2012
The eurozone, a wonderful success story!
The unemployment rate in the eurozone continues to rise, hitting a record high. The jobless rate of the countries that use the euro rose to 10.7 per cent in January. There are now 16.9 million out of work in the countries that use the euro.
In Italy unemployment rose to 9.2 per cent, the highest since records began. Spain's unemployment rate is now 23.3 per cent.
Herman van Rompuy was 're-elected' as president of the European Council for a second two and a half year term. Well when I say re-elected, no-one else stood against him and he now continues in his job. Here is a taster of this eurocrat's acceptance speech:
'In a way my job is to be the guardian of trust: fostering mutual understanding around the table among ourselves, knowing that for us together, our duty is to preserve the trust of citizens in the union'.
'We are already harvesting the first results of our work on stabilising the eurozone'.
'We must convince people across Europe that their sacrifices were not made in vain, that they are leading to results, that the eurozone in the end comes out stronger'
'I know you all share my deep conviction that the euro and the union are irreversible projects. They support the ideals of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic continent. It is our duty to continue with this historical endeavour'.
This lot do not get it, they seem to think that if they continue to say the right thing everything will turn out all right.
Recently pictures were published from North Korea of the new president standing in front of tables of food, as if showing the world how wonderful it is in their paradise. And of course the reality is the majority of North Koreans do not have enough to eat, and it is not some paradise. The world knows it isn't true and so do the North Koreans know that we know it isn't true. But they hope the more they show these types of pictures that somehow we might actually start to believe that North Korea is a wonderful place to bring up your children. But of course we never will, because we are not stupid, well some of us aren't.
It is exactly the same with those running the EU, they think that if they keep telling us everything is going well within the euro we will actually believe it is wonderful. But of course we won't!
This lot are so far removed from reality it really is like the tzar's of Russia who lived in opulent splendour whilst the people around them were starving. I honestly find it difficult to find words to describe these people and their complete denial of what is going on around them. I look at this small snapshot of Herman's speech and realise that they are like aliens who are completely devoid of any intelligence or compassion.
Just look at the wording of his speech. He talks about trust and democracy, yet the EU first ignored the French and Dutch people when they voted against the European constitution; the Irish people when they voted against the treaty of Nice and then the Lisbon Treaty. They have forced two elected prime ministers from office and established two eurocrats in Greece and Italy.
He spoke about stabilising the eurozone; well do I need to say anything that hasn't already been said about the situation in Greece.
He spoke about the people of Europe and their sacrifices; this is spoken from the lips of the HIGHEST PAID POLITICIAN IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot truly understand this man. Those eurocrats are not losing their jobs, they are not struggling to feed themselves, they do not have to worry about whether they or their children are going to have a future, they do not have to worry about a whether they will have a pension, they do not have to worry about finding a job.
I have decided, I don't actually think Herman Van Rompuy is human, because he does not show any of the traits of a human being. I reckon he is really a robot which sits in some forgotten cupboard somewhere in Brussels and every so often the eurocrats wheel him out on a sack barrow and wind him up with a key, feed him a complete load of gibberish and then sit and watch as he regurgitates it.
Having listened to many politicians over the years I have concluded that this lot are leading us to hell in a handcart, they are driving ever quicker to economic disaster. With the EU on course to see its share of world GDP shrink to about 15 per cent by 2020, there is no chance whatsoever of this bunch of complete incompetent ostriches doing anything that resembles anything sensible ever. And if you think I am overstating this slightly, well just go and ask the people of Greece, Italy and Spain what they think. I am sure those idiots in Brussels won't.
In Italy unemployment rose to 9.2 per cent, the highest since records began. Spain's unemployment rate is now 23.3 per cent.
Herman van Rompuy was 're-elected' as president of the European Council for a second two and a half year term. Well when I say re-elected, no-one else stood against him and he now continues in his job. Here is a taster of this eurocrat's acceptance speech:
'In a way my job is to be the guardian of trust: fostering mutual understanding around the table among ourselves, knowing that for us together, our duty is to preserve the trust of citizens in the union'.
'We are already harvesting the first results of our work on stabilising the eurozone'.
'We must convince people across Europe that their sacrifices were not made in vain, that they are leading to results, that the eurozone in the end comes out stronger'
'I know you all share my deep conviction that the euro and the union are irreversible projects. They support the ideals of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic continent. It is our duty to continue with this historical endeavour'.
This lot do not get it, they seem to think that if they continue to say the right thing everything will turn out all right.
Recently pictures were published from North Korea of the new president standing in front of tables of food, as if showing the world how wonderful it is in their paradise. And of course the reality is the majority of North Koreans do not have enough to eat, and it is not some paradise. The world knows it isn't true and so do the North Koreans know that we know it isn't true. But they hope the more they show these types of pictures that somehow we might actually start to believe that North Korea is a wonderful place to bring up your children. But of course we never will, because we are not stupid, well some of us aren't.
It is exactly the same with those running the EU, they think that if they keep telling us everything is going well within the euro we will actually believe it is wonderful. But of course we won't!
This lot are so far removed from reality it really is like the tzar's of Russia who lived in opulent splendour whilst the people around them were starving. I honestly find it difficult to find words to describe these people and their complete denial of what is going on around them. I look at this small snapshot of Herman's speech and realise that they are like aliens who are completely devoid of any intelligence or compassion.
Just look at the wording of his speech. He talks about trust and democracy, yet the EU first ignored the French and Dutch people when they voted against the European constitution; the Irish people when they voted against the treaty of Nice and then the Lisbon Treaty. They have forced two elected prime ministers from office and established two eurocrats in Greece and Italy.
He spoke about stabilising the eurozone; well do I need to say anything that hasn't already been said about the situation in Greece.
He spoke about the people of Europe and their sacrifices; this is spoken from the lips of the HIGHEST PAID POLITICIAN IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot truly understand this man. Those eurocrats are not losing their jobs, they are not struggling to feed themselves, they do not have to worry about whether they or their children are going to have a future, they do not have to worry about a whether they will have a pension, they do not have to worry about finding a job.
I have decided, I don't actually think Herman Van Rompuy is human, because he does not show any of the traits of a human being. I reckon he is really a robot which sits in some forgotten cupboard somewhere in Brussels and every so often the eurocrats wheel him out on a sack barrow and wind him up with a key, feed him a complete load of gibberish and then sit and watch as he regurgitates it.
Having listened to many politicians over the years I have concluded that this lot are leading us to hell in a handcart, they are driving ever quicker to economic disaster. With the EU on course to see its share of world GDP shrink to about 15 per cent by 2020, there is no chance whatsoever of this bunch of complete incompetent ostriches doing anything that resembles anything sensible ever. And if you think I am overstating this slightly, well just go and ask the people of Greece, Italy and Spain what they think. I am sure those idiots in Brussels won't.
Facts, free speech and democracy
I was once having a discussion with someone about an issue, and was accused of using facts to back up my argument. I found this to be a bit strange and a little worrying that someone would think because I was using information that is based on facts to formulate an argument that this could be deemed somehow wrong.
We continued our discussion, which then turned into an argument, and the reason it changed was simply because the two people I was having the discussion with knew nothing about the subject matter, and just ended up saying 'no you are wrong' and 'that isn't right'. I found this to be very frustrating and ended up getting quite irritated and annoyed.
The interesting thing is when I discuss many issues with many people they generally have spent very little, if any time looking into the issue that we are discussing. I have spoken to people about; the EU, global warming, the link between heart disease and saturated fat, and many other issues and found that most people will repeat the same arguments time and time again.
Now, don't get me wrong and think that I am boasting, and that I am putting myself on a pedestal and making out that I am special and I am always right, I am not. The point I am making is that for so many of us we just follow the consensus, we never question, we just agree with what is said and go along with it. We either do this because we think that what we are told by 'so called experts' is always right, or we trust those who are 'informing' us. Or we just cannot be bothered to find out or look at a different opinion.
What I have noticed, particularly over the past fifteen years is that much of what we have taken for granted has been removed or has changed. Many of the things that we would have said without any concern have now been removed, whether that is certain jokes or certain words. The fear of offending people is everywhere, many people feel it is their right to be offended, so then follow this through with court cases, this then ends up with the government and organisations bringing in more and more legislation to stop any sort of offence.
You could accuse me of being paranoid, but I do not believe I am. It would be interesting if we could travel back in time and take someone from twenty years ago and bring them forward to now and see if they would be shocked at how things have changed.
And this brings me to may last little point, and highlights how so many people are willing to except things. Do you not think that it is rather concerning that we have two unelected prime ministers running two Democratic countries in Europe and people have just accepted it? Mario Monti (Italy) and Lucas Papademos (Greece). And this to me just shows how so many people are happy to just except what they are being told without questioning whether or not it is right or wrong. After what has happened in Egypt and Libya recently, with many people dying to bring 'democracy' to these two countries. And the UK and France spending millions on defending the Libyan people and supporting their fight for democracy, yet no-one raises even a murmur about the removal of democratically elected prime ministers in Europe!
Let me finish with this from The Times which was written in 2002 in regards to the EU and our further integration:
'It is at first denied that any radical new plan exists; it is then conceded that it exists but ministers swear blind that it is not even on the political agenda; it is then noted that it might well be on the agenda but it is not a serious proposition; it is then conceded that it is a serious proposition, but it will never be implemented; after that it is acknowledged that it will be implemented but in such a diluted form that it could make no difference to the lives of ordinary people; and at some point it is finally recognised that it has made such a difference, but it was always known that it would and voters were told so from the outset'.
That is why I believe it is very important to look at the facts and gain information, because as we have seen in regard to so many issues it is very easy to accept something and be blinded by propaganda, spin and disinformation. And before you know it the 'so-called facts' are not what they seem.
We continued our discussion, which then turned into an argument, and the reason it changed was simply because the two people I was having the discussion with knew nothing about the subject matter, and just ended up saying 'no you are wrong' and 'that isn't right'. I found this to be very frustrating and ended up getting quite irritated and annoyed.
The interesting thing is when I discuss many issues with many people they generally have spent very little, if any time looking into the issue that we are discussing. I have spoken to people about; the EU, global warming, the link between heart disease and saturated fat, and many other issues and found that most people will repeat the same arguments time and time again.
Now, don't get me wrong and think that I am boasting, and that I am putting myself on a pedestal and making out that I am special and I am always right, I am not. The point I am making is that for so many of us we just follow the consensus, we never question, we just agree with what is said and go along with it. We either do this because we think that what we are told by 'so called experts' is always right, or we trust those who are 'informing' us. Or we just cannot be bothered to find out or look at a different opinion.
What I have noticed, particularly over the past fifteen years is that much of what we have taken for granted has been removed or has changed. Many of the things that we would have said without any concern have now been removed, whether that is certain jokes or certain words. The fear of offending people is everywhere, many people feel it is their right to be offended, so then follow this through with court cases, this then ends up with the government and organisations bringing in more and more legislation to stop any sort of offence.
You could accuse me of being paranoid, but I do not believe I am. It would be interesting if we could travel back in time and take someone from twenty years ago and bring them forward to now and see if they would be shocked at how things have changed.
And this brings me to may last little point, and highlights how so many people are willing to except things. Do you not think that it is rather concerning that we have two unelected prime ministers running two Democratic countries in Europe and people have just accepted it? Mario Monti (Italy) and Lucas Papademos (Greece). And this to me just shows how so many people are happy to just except what they are being told without questioning whether or not it is right or wrong. After what has happened in Egypt and Libya recently, with many people dying to bring 'democracy' to these two countries. And the UK and France spending millions on defending the Libyan people and supporting their fight for democracy, yet no-one raises even a murmur about the removal of democratically elected prime ministers in Europe!
Let me finish with this from The Times which was written in 2002 in regards to the EU and our further integration:
'It is at first denied that any radical new plan exists; it is then conceded that it exists but ministers swear blind that it is not even on the political agenda; it is then noted that it might well be on the agenda but it is not a serious proposition; it is then conceded that it is a serious proposition, but it will never be implemented; after that it is acknowledged that it will be implemented but in such a diluted form that it could make no difference to the lives of ordinary people; and at some point it is finally recognised that it has made such a difference, but it was always known that it would and voters were told so from the outset'.
That is why I believe it is very important to look at the facts and gain information, because as we have seen in regard to so many issues it is very easy to accept something and be blinded by propaganda, spin and disinformation. And before you know it the 'so-called facts' are not what they seem.
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Greece, a disaster!
I wrote in my previous post about Greece and the disaster that is unfolding. What else can be said about this horrendous situation, well let me just add a few more facts to the already awful fact that Greece is being destroyed.
Greece is heading towards civil war, when the people have nothing else they either just wallow in their misery and except the situation or they rise up. And after what has been happening in Greece over the past few months I do not believe they will wallow.
Greece, whilst in the euro cannot do anything to get themselves out of the mess they are in. In the past four years 25 per cent of private companies have gone bankrupt, that means the only part of their economy which could possibly lift Greece out of debt is disappearing.
The Greeks have been told by the European Central Bank, the EU and the International Monetary Fund that they have to make nearly 3 billion euros worth of cuts. The Greek government has been told by these three organisations that they have to make over 150,000 public sector employees redundant. That is the equivalent to making 800,000 unemployed in the UK.
The Greeks are being forced to borrow £108 billion. Think about it, they are already in massive debt and they are being forced to take on even more. They cannot even afford to service the interest on that debt, let alone service any more. Where is the sense in any of this? None of it makes any sense.
The simple fact is this, Greece needs to leave the euro. But those who are running the show do not want them to because they know if they do it will be the end of this evil political project.
When Greece leaves the euro, they will revert back to the Drachma. For a time they will struggle, but one thing will happen, tourists will flock to Greece because it will be cheap. Tourism is one of the most important industries to Greece, and this will mean much needed income. They will be able to devalue, thus making their exports cheaper, and start to get their economy going. Whilst being in the euro they cannot control their own destiny, but once they leave they can bring much needed prosperity.
Italy, Spain, Portugal etc will see this and they will leave, this will then mean a greater independence and these countries will soon realise they do not need the EU.
This project has always had one goal and that has been total political union. If you go right back to Jean Monnet (the creator of this project), that was his goal. And the euro highlights that it is not working and never will, and this to me sums up those who are in charge. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF GREECE, OR EUROPE!!! They only care about about the project and damn the people of Greece, as long as they can keep this thing going. That is why I will continue to hate this thing that is the EU.
Greece is heading towards civil war, when the people have nothing else they either just wallow in their misery and except the situation or they rise up. And after what has been happening in Greece over the past few months I do not believe they will wallow.
Greece, whilst in the euro cannot do anything to get themselves out of the mess they are in. In the past four years 25 per cent of private companies have gone bankrupt, that means the only part of their economy which could possibly lift Greece out of debt is disappearing.
The Greeks have been told by the European Central Bank, the EU and the International Monetary Fund that they have to make nearly 3 billion euros worth of cuts. The Greek government has been told by these three organisations that they have to make over 150,000 public sector employees redundant. That is the equivalent to making 800,000 unemployed in the UK.
The Greeks are being forced to borrow £108 billion. Think about it, they are already in massive debt and they are being forced to take on even more. They cannot even afford to service the interest on that debt, let alone service any more. Where is the sense in any of this? None of it makes any sense.
The simple fact is this, Greece needs to leave the euro. But those who are running the show do not want them to because they know if they do it will be the end of this evil political project.
When Greece leaves the euro, they will revert back to the Drachma. For a time they will struggle, but one thing will happen, tourists will flock to Greece because it will be cheap. Tourism is one of the most important industries to Greece, and this will mean much needed income. They will be able to devalue, thus making their exports cheaper, and start to get their economy going. Whilst being in the euro they cannot control their own destiny, but once they leave they can bring much needed prosperity.
Italy, Spain, Portugal etc will see this and they will leave, this will then mean a greater independence and these countries will soon realise they do not need the EU.
This project has always had one goal and that has been total political union. If you go right back to Jean Monnet (the creator of this project), that was his goal. And the euro highlights that it is not working and never will, and this to me sums up those who are in charge. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE PEOPLE OF GREECE, OR EUROPE!!! They only care about about the project and damn the people of Greece, as long as they can keep this thing going. That is why I will continue to hate this thing that is the EU.
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Politics, politicians and idiots
I have wondered for a while now what drives politicians. I have mused about what goes on in their tiny little brains, because having watched what has happened in the last few years I realise that there really can't be much happening in the space between their ears.
I do not believe that anyone can actually believe that these bunch of numbskulls really know what they are doing, both here and in Europe. The situation in Greece is lurching from disaster to catastrophe and those in charge do not know or really understand what is going on or what needs to be done.
To put it simply, the only way out of this mess is for Greece to leave the euro, plain and simple! Greece is in so much debt they cannot get themselves out of it without being allowed to default and devalue. As long as they are are in the euro they cannot do either. Greece is in debt to the tune of 360 billion euros, it's economy is shrinking (it contracted by 6 per cent last year) and it has no way of generating any income.
The Greeks are being told that if they are to receive more bailout money they have to bring in more austerity. I wonder how much more austerity this country can take! Unemployment is running at 20 per cent, youth unemployment is 50 per cent, practically every job has had to take a pay cut. There have been stories of children going to school and fainting because of a lack of food. People are not heating their homes, the place is a mess and things are not going to get any better.
There are riots on the streets because the people do not see that there is any other way. Just this week Lucas Papademos, the Greek Prime Minister said that 'violence and destruction do not have a place in a democracy'. This is from the euro technocrat given the position by the EU after the last prime minister was forced to resign by Brussels. This lot do not get it!
The situation in Greece is worse than a Greek tragedy. Anyone with any money is leaving and taking their money with them. Greece has been told that to receive the £108 billion bailout they will have to bring in more austerity. But this will not make an ounce of difference. If any country is in debt they need to look at cuts but also at investment and growth. Greece will not get either of the last two without being able to control their own destiny, and they cannot do this whilst being in the euro.
Just think about this, if Greece takes the bailout money they will have to hand over 12 billion euros of that money just to service their debt. The money they get will only help for a little while and then eventually that will have to ask for more money, and this is just going to keep happening. And of course whilst they are locked in this euro prison they cannot do anything to stimulate their economy. They cannot devalue, they cannot reduce interest rates, they cannot do anything! And this is the tragedy of the whole situation, and shows how much politicians know or care. They are completely obsessed with their dream of a united Europe they cannot see that it is just not working.
Greece is in a mess, that is plainly obvious. But so is Italy and if the Italian economy needs a bailout, it is just not going to happen. Italy's economy is seven times the size of Greece's, there is not enough money in Europe to bail them out. And this is what the euro fanatics are frightened of. If the Greeks leaves the euro and reinstates the drachma and manages to survive and actually prosper, the rest of the indebted Mediterranean countries might just follow suit. And that will be the end of the euro and possible the EU.
As much as I do not want to see people impoverished I do want to see this ghastly monstrosity that is the EU come to an end. It has been an absolute disaster and what has happened with the euro shows that this project is never going to work. Politicians will continue to say that the alternative would be worse, but I truly cannot see that it really could get any worse. And before you talk about two world wars and the EU preventing more wars, that just is not true and does not stand up to simple examination. Ironically we could see another war in Europe, a civil war starting in Greece and all because politicians care more about their dream of a united Europe rather than the people they are supposed to serve.
I do not believe that anyone can actually believe that these bunch of numbskulls really know what they are doing, both here and in Europe. The situation in Greece is lurching from disaster to catastrophe and those in charge do not know or really understand what is going on or what needs to be done.
To put it simply, the only way out of this mess is for Greece to leave the euro, plain and simple! Greece is in so much debt they cannot get themselves out of it without being allowed to default and devalue. As long as they are are in the euro they cannot do either. Greece is in debt to the tune of 360 billion euros, it's economy is shrinking (it contracted by 6 per cent last year) and it has no way of generating any income.
The Greeks are being told that if they are to receive more bailout money they have to bring in more austerity. I wonder how much more austerity this country can take! Unemployment is running at 20 per cent, youth unemployment is 50 per cent, practically every job has had to take a pay cut. There have been stories of children going to school and fainting because of a lack of food. People are not heating their homes, the place is a mess and things are not going to get any better.
There are riots on the streets because the people do not see that there is any other way. Just this week Lucas Papademos, the Greek Prime Minister said that 'violence and destruction do not have a place in a democracy'. This is from the euro technocrat given the position by the EU after the last prime minister was forced to resign by Brussels. This lot do not get it!
The situation in Greece is worse than a Greek tragedy. Anyone with any money is leaving and taking their money with them. Greece has been told that to receive the £108 billion bailout they will have to bring in more austerity. But this will not make an ounce of difference. If any country is in debt they need to look at cuts but also at investment and growth. Greece will not get either of the last two without being able to control their own destiny, and they cannot do this whilst being in the euro.
Just think about this, if Greece takes the bailout money they will have to hand over 12 billion euros of that money just to service their debt. The money they get will only help for a little while and then eventually that will have to ask for more money, and this is just going to keep happening. And of course whilst they are locked in this euro prison they cannot do anything to stimulate their economy. They cannot devalue, they cannot reduce interest rates, they cannot do anything! And this is the tragedy of the whole situation, and shows how much politicians know or care. They are completely obsessed with their dream of a united Europe they cannot see that it is just not working.
Greece is in a mess, that is plainly obvious. But so is Italy and if the Italian economy needs a bailout, it is just not going to happen. Italy's economy is seven times the size of Greece's, there is not enough money in Europe to bail them out. And this is what the euro fanatics are frightened of. If the Greeks leaves the euro and reinstates the drachma and manages to survive and actually prosper, the rest of the indebted Mediterranean countries might just follow suit. And that will be the end of the euro and possible the EU.
As much as I do not want to see people impoverished I do want to see this ghastly monstrosity that is the EU come to an end. It has been an absolute disaster and what has happened with the euro shows that this project is never going to work. Politicians will continue to say that the alternative would be worse, but I truly cannot see that it really could get any worse. And before you talk about two world wars and the EU preventing more wars, that just is not true and does not stand up to simple examination. Ironically we could see another war in Europe, a civil war starting in Greece and all because politicians care more about their dream of a united Europe rather than the people they are supposed to serve.
Friday, 13 January 2012
HS2 - A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY!
HS2 is the High Speed 2 railway to Birmingham from London. It is going to cost an estimated £32 billion and possibly start running a service in 2026. The idea behind this project was Labour peer Lord Adonis who first proposed it.
We are told it will knock 30 minutes off the time it takes to travel from London to Birmingham. We are also told it will bring massive economic benefits to the UK; commercial lobbyists have claimed it will be worth £55 billion to business, I don't know where they get their figures from. You would think if big business thinks it is such a good idea they would be investing in it themselves, but of course not, every penny will come from British tax payers.
You might think that by what I am saying that I am against investment in our infrastructure and particularly our railways, but I am not. It is just I cannot see the benefits of this 'vanity project'. On top of the fact it is going to cost a huge amount of money, it is also going to cut its way through some of the most beautiful parts of England's countryside. And this really bothers me.
The government states it will cut 30 minutes off journey times, is this strictly true? It is if you take the figure from the longest journey times, but when you factor in the quickest rail journey between London and Birmingham, you can knock ten minutes off that figure. Then add to this the time it will take to get to the centre of Birmingham from the new station they are going to build outside the centre. You can then take at least another ten minutes off the 30 minutes supposed saving. So there you have a possible saving of ten minutes.
The Whitehall evaluation team looked at the benefit/cost ratio of this project last year. They came to the conclusion that for every £6 spent, only £1 would be gained in economic terms. To be remotely commercial it will have to charge very high fares - projected to rise at 27 per cent above inflation.
Lord Adonis stated it will bring '...low cost mass market, high speed transportation'. It will quite obviously not bring high speed travel to the poor masses, as the cost of this project is going to have to be recouped. So the only people who will be able to afford to travel on this train will be the wealthy.
The government has said this project is going to cost £32 billion, but as you can imagine with most government projects it will cost a lot more. Already the government has allocated £750 million even before the decision has been made for the project to go ahead. Governments are very good at wasting our money, the Olympics is a good example. The initial estimate was for £2.4 billion, that figure has now grown to over £9 billion. The Labour governments decision to invest in an NHS super computer in which to store and access every persons medical details ended up costing £21 billion and was eventually abandoned. The Millennium dome cost millions and was doomed from the outset. The governments decision to build two aircraft carriers has already cost hundred of millions and these ships are not expected to come into service for at least a decade.
The idea behind the HS2 sounds good, but does not stand up to simple economic scrutiny, and the question has to be asked why is the government spending so much money at a time when money is very tight? Last week the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Sir Christopher Kelly, warned that 'preferential access to decision makers by powerful interests was damaging respect for Whitehall'. This is not confined to one particular area, but HS2 is probably the most expensive.
I believe this HS2 project is going to bring no benefit to the UK. It is going to destroy some of England's most beautiful countryside, and before anyone accuses me of being a NIMBY (not in my back yard), I do not live anywhere near the proposed railway. I love the countryside, and Britain is a very crowded country and I want to see what is left our this beautiful country protected.
I do not see that this has to happen. Our infrastructure, both road and rail is under immense strain, and this railway is going to do very little to alleviate this. Surely what would make sense is to invest in what we already have. Britain has some of the highest rail fares in Europe and is ten times more expensive than the European average. We have a road system which is gradually grinding to a halt, with ever more people coming to this small island, this is just going to get worse. With expected population growth to continue at an astronomical rate surely it would make sense to reduce rail prices, invest in improving our under resourced rail network and relay some of the old lines that were ripped up in the 1960's.
The HS2 is going to bring benefits to very few people, the population of this country is spread out throughout this island, and out of a working population how many people travel between Birmingham and London on a regular basis? Is it really going to bring that many benefits to UK plc?
I don't want to always pour scorn on the government, but I can only see this going the way of so many projects. I have written before about how our government ministers do not have a clue, and unfortunately it is these people who make the decisions. A politician who has very little knowledge about his department and is here today and gone tomorrow can be baffled by professionals. They can be told this will benefit their career, give them a legacy, make them look good. They can be told all sorts of things, but they may have very little understanding of the impact their decision will have upon the people they are paid to serve.
David Cameron and his ministers have made a decision that in reality will only benefit a few business men and wealthy people, because that is all who is going to be able afford to travel on this train. It is going to cost at least £32 billion and bring untold misery to the many thousands who live on the proposed route, it is going to carve a knife through some of the most beautiful countryside in England. All this for a supposed saving of thirty minutes travel time (which in the likelihood will probably only be about 15 minutes). I think that sums up the idiocy of those in charge!!
We are told it will knock 30 minutes off the time it takes to travel from London to Birmingham. We are also told it will bring massive economic benefits to the UK; commercial lobbyists have claimed it will be worth £55 billion to business, I don't know where they get their figures from. You would think if big business thinks it is such a good idea they would be investing in it themselves, but of course not, every penny will come from British tax payers.
You might think that by what I am saying that I am against investment in our infrastructure and particularly our railways, but I am not. It is just I cannot see the benefits of this 'vanity project'. On top of the fact it is going to cost a huge amount of money, it is also going to cut its way through some of the most beautiful parts of England's countryside. And this really bothers me.
The government states it will cut 30 minutes off journey times, is this strictly true? It is if you take the figure from the longest journey times, but when you factor in the quickest rail journey between London and Birmingham, you can knock ten minutes off that figure. Then add to this the time it will take to get to the centre of Birmingham from the new station they are going to build outside the centre. You can then take at least another ten minutes off the 30 minutes supposed saving. So there you have a possible saving of ten minutes.
The Whitehall evaluation team looked at the benefit/cost ratio of this project last year. They came to the conclusion that for every £6 spent, only £1 would be gained in economic terms. To be remotely commercial it will have to charge very high fares - projected to rise at 27 per cent above inflation.
Lord Adonis stated it will bring '...low cost mass market, high speed transportation'. It will quite obviously not bring high speed travel to the poor masses, as the cost of this project is going to have to be recouped. So the only people who will be able to afford to travel on this train will be the wealthy.
The government has said this project is going to cost £32 billion, but as you can imagine with most government projects it will cost a lot more. Already the government has allocated £750 million even before the decision has been made for the project to go ahead. Governments are very good at wasting our money, the Olympics is a good example. The initial estimate was for £2.4 billion, that figure has now grown to over £9 billion. The Labour governments decision to invest in an NHS super computer in which to store and access every persons medical details ended up costing £21 billion and was eventually abandoned. The Millennium dome cost millions and was doomed from the outset. The governments decision to build two aircraft carriers has already cost hundred of millions and these ships are not expected to come into service for at least a decade.
The idea behind the HS2 sounds good, but does not stand up to simple economic scrutiny, and the question has to be asked why is the government spending so much money at a time when money is very tight? Last week the chairman of the committee on standards in public life, Sir Christopher Kelly, warned that 'preferential access to decision makers by powerful interests was damaging respect for Whitehall'. This is not confined to one particular area, but HS2 is probably the most expensive.
I believe this HS2 project is going to bring no benefit to the UK. It is going to destroy some of England's most beautiful countryside, and before anyone accuses me of being a NIMBY (not in my back yard), I do not live anywhere near the proposed railway. I love the countryside, and Britain is a very crowded country and I want to see what is left our this beautiful country protected.
I do not see that this has to happen. Our infrastructure, both road and rail is under immense strain, and this railway is going to do very little to alleviate this. Surely what would make sense is to invest in what we already have. Britain has some of the highest rail fares in Europe and is ten times more expensive than the European average. We have a road system which is gradually grinding to a halt, with ever more people coming to this small island, this is just going to get worse. With expected population growth to continue at an astronomical rate surely it would make sense to reduce rail prices, invest in improving our under resourced rail network and relay some of the old lines that were ripped up in the 1960's.
The HS2 is going to bring benefits to very few people, the population of this country is spread out throughout this island, and out of a working population how many people travel between Birmingham and London on a regular basis? Is it really going to bring that many benefits to UK plc?
I don't want to always pour scorn on the government, but I can only see this going the way of so many projects. I have written before about how our government ministers do not have a clue, and unfortunately it is these people who make the decisions. A politician who has very little knowledge about his department and is here today and gone tomorrow can be baffled by professionals. They can be told this will benefit their career, give them a legacy, make them look good. They can be told all sorts of things, but they may have very little understanding of the impact their decision will have upon the people they are paid to serve.
David Cameron and his ministers have made a decision that in reality will only benefit a few business men and wealthy people, because that is all who is going to be able afford to travel on this train. It is going to cost at least £32 billion and bring untold misery to the many thousands who live on the proposed route, it is going to carve a knife through some of the most beautiful countryside in England. All this for a supposed saving of thirty minutes travel time (which in the likelihood will probably only be about 15 minutes). I think that sums up the idiocy of those in charge!!
Monday, 9 January 2012
The Big Issue and Romanians
If you have walked through any town or city in the UK you will find people selling the magazine - The Big Issue. This magazine was set up by John Bird about twenty years ago to help homeless people. Its vendors, who buy bundles of the magazine and keep the profits when they sell them, are required to declare themselves self-employed with HMRC.
What has happened over the last year or so is Romanians have been coming into the country and exploiting the tax system. They are able to claim welfare payments such as Housing Benefit and Working Tax Credits if they register as vendors of the Big Issue - and then declare themselves self-employed.
The issue has been a particular problem in Manchester; Simon Ashley, a councillor in Manchester said: “I believe The Big Issue in the North is allowing itself to be used as a gateway to benefits dependency. “Fundamentally, these people aren’t homeless – they are all in houses. But because they’ve found a loophole which gives them access to benefits, selling the magazine is now an end in itself and not about genuine self-employment.”
Self-employed status is particularly valuable to Romanian immigrants, as it entitles them to start claiming benefits they would not otherwise receive since the eastern European country only joined the EU in 2007.
This is no longer an issue just for the north of England, but has spread further south, as we have two Romanian Big Issue sellers in the town I live in and I saw another one in the town of Southwold in Suffolk.
I have a major problem with this issue, and the authorities should be cracking down on this problem. I have written before a number of times about my concerns and anger of the issue of mass immigration. I see that for many this issue is not a problem simply because it does not affect them. But for many the impact of immigration has been huge.
Without going into detail, those at the bottom of the social scale are the ones which are affected by the problems in our society. The majority of crime does not impact upon those living on a nice estate in a suburb but impacts upon inner city areas where the poorest live. Finding a house is not an issue for those with plenty of money, for those at the bottom it is; as the vast majority of migrants live in houses which the poorest would live in, those at the bottom of the socio-economic scale then struggle to find a house. Joblessness does not impact upon middle class and upper class people because they do middle class jobs like; doctors, solicitors, bank managers, etc. Those at the lower end of the economic scale are the ones who do the cleaning jobs, catering jobs, caring jobs, factory work, etc. These are the jobs that the vast majority of migrants do, they do not, on the whole do skilled work. This has been borne out by home Office figures which showed that of the 3 million immigrants who have come to this country since 2004 only 18,000 have taken skilled work.
What is now happening is that those at the very very bottom (the homeless), are now being affected, which to be honest makes me very angry! Those who legitimately need the money are now seeing that one area of guaranteed income now being taken away and being handed to those who are do not need it. Those who argue in favour of this idiotic policy of open door immigration do not understand the damage being done to so many lives. For many the Big Issue was a lifeline which gave them hope, but that hope is now being taken away.
As the Manchester councillor says, these Romanians are not homeless, and thus not desperate for the money. They are just exploiting the system to get money out of the British tax payer. This then has a knock on affect upon one of the most vulnerable groups in society.
For years many in the seats of power accused anyone who raised their concerns about immigration as being racist. This is clearly not about race, it is about so many issues which impacts upon this country. I have written many times about this issue and all I can see is that our politicians do not really care, if they did they would close the door and stop all immigration into this country.
This one issue in itself highlights the idiocy, inhumanity and immorality of a system which is destroying the lives of so many people, particularly those at the bottom of the social scale. Unfortunately these people do not have a loud voice and so they are never heard, and their situation can only get worse.
The Big Issue was set up to give people hope, unfortunately this one beacon of hope is now going out.
What has happened over the last year or so is Romanians have been coming into the country and exploiting the tax system. They are able to claim welfare payments such as Housing Benefit and Working Tax Credits if they register as vendors of the Big Issue - and then declare themselves self-employed.
The issue has been a particular problem in Manchester; Simon Ashley, a councillor in Manchester said: “I believe The Big Issue in the North is allowing itself to be used as a gateway to benefits dependency. “Fundamentally, these people aren’t homeless – they are all in houses. But because they’ve found a loophole which gives them access to benefits, selling the magazine is now an end in itself and not about genuine self-employment.”
Self-employed status is particularly valuable to Romanian immigrants, as it entitles them to start claiming benefits they would not otherwise receive since the eastern European country only joined the EU in 2007.
This is no longer an issue just for the north of England, but has spread further south, as we have two Romanian Big Issue sellers in the town I live in and I saw another one in the town of Southwold in Suffolk.
I have a major problem with this issue, and the authorities should be cracking down on this problem. I have written before a number of times about my concerns and anger of the issue of mass immigration. I see that for many this issue is not a problem simply because it does not affect them. But for many the impact of immigration has been huge.
Without going into detail, those at the bottom of the social scale are the ones which are affected by the problems in our society. The majority of crime does not impact upon those living on a nice estate in a suburb but impacts upon inner city areas where the poorest live. Finding a house is not an issue for those with plenty of money, for those at the bottom it is; as the vast majority of migrants live in houses which the poorest would live in, those at the bottom of the socio-economic scale then struggle to find a house. Joblessness does not impact upon middle class and upper class people because they do middle class jobs like; doctors, solicitors, bank managers, etc. Those at the lower end of the economic scale are the ones who do the cleaning jobs, catering jobs, caring jobs, factory work, etc. These are the jobs that the vast majority of migrants do, they do not, on the whole do skilled work. This has been borne out by home Office figures which showed that of the 3 million immigrants who have come to this country since 2004 only 18,000 have taken skilled work.
What is now happening is that those at the very very bottom (the homeless), are now being affected, which to be honest makes me very angry! Those who legitimately need the money are now seeing that one area of guaranteed income now being taken away and being handed to those who are do not need it. Those who argue in favour of this idiotic policy of open door immigration do not understand the damage being done to so many lives. For many the Big Issue was a lifeline which gave them hope, but that hope is now being taken away.
As the Manchester councillor says, these Romanians are not homeless, and thus not desperate for the money. They are just exploiting the system to get money out of the British tax payer. This then has a knock on affect upon one of the most vulnerable groups in society.
For years many in the seats of power accused anyone who raised their concerns about immigration as being racist. This is clearly not about race, it is about so many issues which impacts upon this country. I have written many times about this issue and all I can see is that our politicians do not really care, if they did they would close the door and stop all immigration into this country.
This one issue in itself highlights the idiocy, inhumanity and immorality of a system which is destroying the lives of so many people, particularly those at the bottom of the social scale. Unfortunately these people do not have a loud voice and so they are never heard, and their situation can only get worse.
The Big Issue was set up to give people hope, unfortunately this one beacon of hope is now going out.
Friday, 6 January 2012
Responsibility
Let me quote from a letter that was sent into a newspaper:
'This is the tale of two youngsters whom are well known to me.
The first gained nine GCSE passes and completed a plumbing and heating apprenticeship, qualifying as a heating engineer in 2009. finding no employment, he decided to start his own business. Yet despite trying to quote work with very small margins, he's constantly undercut by 'plumbers' from Eastern Europe and by others who, after a two week plumbing course, claim to be qualified and experienced. If he weren't still living at home, he wouldn't survive.
In the last quarter of 2011, every penny he earned went on overheads - diesel, van tax, insurance, regulatory body fees and other necessary expenses. He made no profit and had to resort to making Christmas presents for his loved ones as he had no money. Buying his own home is impossible - he can't even afford to rent.
Then there's a young woman of the same age who failed at school and has relied on state benefits ever since. She has two children from two different fathers, neither of whom is prepared to marry her. Even if they did, it wouldn't help as neither seems interested in working.
This young woman has been given a three bedroom house with a new bathroom and kitchen, and is never concerned about where her next meal is coming from. she has no incentive to find employment.
Both youngsters began with similar opportunities, in the same neighbourhood with comparable education. One did the right thing, the other didn't.
The one who chose the right path has received nothing; the other has been propped up by our tax money and, oddly, is showered with sympathy and support by her family who see her 'plight' as a result of the system'.
When the welfare state was set up, it was set up as a safety net to catch those who got into difficulty. Now we have a system which is a safety blanket which says you need do nothing to help yourself from the cradle to the grave.
I know for many people the thought of being on benefits is dreadful; there are many who would love to work but cannot, either because there are no jobs or are physically unable to. But there is a percentage of people living in this country who have never worked and have no intention of working, they see it as their god given right to money a house and all the other benefits that come with living in this country.
Someone once said 'with rights come responsibility', and I truly believe this. I know there are many people who end up in situations that they wished they weren't in. There are single mothers whose partner has left them and it isn't their fault. But what I find with many who do not work or make any effort to work is, they are simply too lazy and do not see that they should have to work. Why should they? They are not going to starve or go homeless, so what does it matter?
About a year ago myself and another chap helped move a single mother with two children from a perfectly good two bedroom house to an even better three bedroom house. We did this as part of a charity to help vulnerable people, at no point did she lift a hand to help us, or offer us a cup of tea, and when we had finished she did not even thank us. She was not mentally unstable or for that fact did she seem that vulnerable, she had a boyfriend who seemed like a good man who has a good job. This lady, to put it bluntly was miserable, she complained about social services, even though she had a lady from social services who came in and helped her.
I could give at least half a dozen similar examples of situations like this, and this sums up much of what is wrong with our society. The phrase 'nanny state' has been used to describe the government and how it tries to involve itself in every area of our lives. Some people see this as a good thing, I do not!
Today a news story came out stating that rickets in on the rise in this country; this disease, which is seen as a disease of the poor which basically effects bone strength and is caused by a lack of vitamin D. A lady from some organisation was speaking on the news saying 'the government should be doing something about this', and I thought why should government be doing something about this? Why can't people take responsibility for themselves and their own families?
As a parent I want my children to grow up as well rounded individuals, and eventually I will want them to leave my home and make their own way in life. As they are young, I will instill in them; good values, protect them, feed them, provide for their needs and make sure they are safe. But when they get to a certain age I want them to take responsibility for themselves and their families. I hope they grow up healthy and do well, I hope they get a good job, and do well in life, ultimately I want them to be happy.
For many this way of thinking is alien, they expect to be treated as children all their lives. They expect the government to; feed, cloth, house them and to provide their every need. The government has become, in essence a parent to so many people. As a parent I will always help my children if they need it, I will always be there if they get into trouble, but at some point they will have to take responsibility for themselves. I will encourage that, and that is the behaviour of responsible and good parent. The government is not acting in a good and responsible way, and until they stop treating people like children they are never going to change and take responsibility for their own lives.
'This is the tale of two youngsters whom are well known to me.
The first gained nine GCSE passes and completed a plumbing and heating apprenticeship, qualifying as a heating engineer in 2009. finding no employment, he decided to start his own business. Yet despite trying to quote work with very small margins, he's constantly undercut by 'plumbers' from Eastern Europe and by others who, after a two week plumbing course, claim to be qualified and experienced. If he weren't still living at home, he wouldn't survive.
In the last quarter of 2011, every penny he earned went on overheads - diesel, van tax, insurance, regulatory body fees and other necessary expenses. He made no profit and had to resort to making Christmas presents for his loved ones as he had no money. Buying his own home is impossible - he can't even afford to rent.
Then there's a young woman of the same age who failed at school and has relied on state benefits ever since. She has two children from two different fathers, neither of whom is prepared to marry her. Even if they did, it wouldn't help as neither seems interested in working.
This young woman has been given a three bedroom house with a new bathroom and kitchen, and is never concerned about where her next meal is coming from. she has no incentive to find employment.
Both youngsters began with similar opportunities, in the same neighbourhood with comparable education. One did the right thing, the other didn't.
The one who chose the right path has received nothing; the other has been propped up by our tax money and, oddly, is showered with sympathy and support by her family who see her 'plight' as a result of the system'.
When the welfare state was set up, it was set up as a safety net to catch those who got into difficulty. Now we have a system which is a safety blanket which says you need do nothing to help yourself from the cradle to the grave.
I know for many people the thought of being on benefits is dreadful; there are many who would love to work but cannot, either because there are no jobs or are physically unable to. But there is a percentage of people living in this country who have never worked and have no intention of working, they see it as their god given right to money a house and all the other benefits that come with living in this country.
Someone once said 'with rights come responsibility', and I truly believe this. I know there are many people who end up in situations that they wished they weren't in. There are single mothers whose partner has left them and it isn't their fault. But what I find with many who do not work or make any effort to work is, they are simply too lazy and do not see that they should have to work. Why should they? They are not going to starve or go homeless, so what does it matter?
About a year ago myself and another chap helped move a single mother with two children from a perfectly good two bedroom house to an even better three bedroom house. We did this as part of a charity to help vulnerable people, at no point did she lift a hand to help us, or offer us a cup of tea, and when we had finished she did not even thank us. She was not mentally unstable or for that fact did she seem that vulnerable, she had a boyfriend who seemed like a good man who has a good job. This lady, to put it bluntly was miserable, she complained about social services, even though she had a lady from social services who came in and helped her.
I could give at least half a dozen similar examples of situations like this, and this sums up much of what is wrong with our society. The phrase 'nanny state' has been used to describe the government and how it tries to involve itself in every area of our lives. Some people see this as a good thing, I do not!
Today a news story came out stating that rickets in on the rise in this country; this disease, which is seen as a disease of the poor which basically effects bone strength and is caused by a lack of vitamin D. A lady from some organisation was speaking on the news saying 'the government should be doing something about this', and I thought why should government be doing something about this? Why can't people take responsibility for themselves and their own families?
As a parent I want my children to grow up as well rounded individuals, and eventually I will want them to leave my home and make their own way in life. As they are young, I will instill in them; good values, protect them, feed them, provide for their needs and make sure they are safe. But when they get to a certain age I want them to take responsibility for themselves and their families. I hope they grow up healthy and do well, I hope they get a good job, and do well in life, ultimately I want them to be happy.
For many this way of thinking is alien, they expect to be treated as children all their lives. They expect the government to; feed, cloth, house them and to provide their every need. The government has become, in essence a parent to so many people. As a parent I will always help my children if they need it, I will always be there if they get into trouble, but at some point they will have to take responsibility for themselves. I will encourage that, and that is the behaviour of responsible and good parent. The government is not acting in a good and responsible way, and until they stop treating people like children they are never going to change and take responsibility for their own lives.
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Desperation
The EU is in a very desperate and parlous state. Over the past couple of years the world has watched as politicians within Europe try to sort out the disaster that is the euro. France and Germany are going to meet yet again for a summit on January 9. President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel are meeting up so regularly now they may as well move into together. If anyone was under any illusion that the EU is about twenty seven members making decisions together, this highlights that it is not, the other member states do not have a say, whatever Germany and France say (particularly Germany) goes.
Greece is about to run out of money again, Spain is set to miss their debt target and the European Central Bank (ECB) continues to buy Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Irish bonds because no one in their right will buy them.
The thing that bothers me about all this is the ECB does not have money of its own, it is European tax payers money that funds the ECB. So the European tax payer hands billions to the Greeks who then hand it to the banks to pay off their debts, so who is really benefiting, the bankers of course.
The whole thing is such a mess and EU politicians do not want to admit that the only way out of this mess is if the Greeks, Italians, Spanish etc left the euro. They are so desperate for them to stay in they will destroy the lives of millions of people to keep their dream alive.
The French and Germans will do anything to keep the euro going, France's Europe Minister has revealed that a Financial Transaction Tax will be in place by the end of the year. The proposal for the levy would incur huge and disproportionate costs on the City of London.
France's Europe Minister, Jean Leonetti, announced on French TV that the tax would be in place by the end of 2012. According to Leonotti, France and Germany were in agreement and all bar two countries were against this tax. It is no surprise that the only other country apart from Britain which is unhappy with the Franco-German proposal is Sweden. After all they are the only country to have introduced an FTT. This is what their Finance Minister, Anders Borg had to say on the subject in September: 'When Sweden began taxing financial transactions in the 1980s, between 90%-99% of traders in bonds, equities and derivatives moved out of Stockholm to London. The impact was basically that we did not get any tax revenue. It brought in very little tax money while moving most of the businesses outside of Sweden'.
This sums up these people and their desperation to take money from wherever they can, they will potentially destroy the City of London and put tens of thousands out of work to keep this idiotic dream alive. THEY DO NO CARE, they only care about their dream of a united Europe. Isn't it obvious that it just is not working! Isn't it obvious that this dream is destroying Europe!
Now you would think that David Cameron and George Osborne would be shouting and saying no to this tax, not a murmur! Imagine if Britain put forward a proposal to tax the German car industry out of existence, or the French wine industry to this degree, do you thing the Germans and French would let it happen? OF COURSE THEY WOULDN'T!!!!!! Our dear BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, who is supposed to represent BRITISH interests is going to turn over and let the Germans and French shaft Britain and make us pay for their inhumane, morally and financially bankrupt dream.
If you thought that David Cameron had at last stood up for British interests when he supposedly vetoed the French proposal to destroy the city of London, don't be too sure, he did nothing! As you can see the French and Germans are going to push ahead anyway.
You may have noticed that I am little angry about this. The financial sector is the most important industry in Britain, it employs 2 million people, not just in London but 150,000 in Birmingham and 200,000 in Scotland. It contributes 12 per cent to our GDP, which last year was £62 billion. The French have used the excuse that it was the bankers who got the world into this financial mess so they should be taxed and regulated. There may be some truth in this, but this tax has nothing to do with altruism and righting a wrong, it is about envy, pure and simple.
The French have been wanting an excuse to destroy the City of London for years and now they have it. If you think this tax will benefit the people of Europe, not a chance. These businesses will leave Europe, and even if they stayed and were happy to be taxed out of existence the money will just go to pay off the debt that is accumulating in Greece, Spain, Italy, etc, which they will hand straight to the banks who will then pocket the money. So it will go from one bank to another, and the only people who will benefit are bankers.
The whole mess in the worlds financial markets happened for a number of reasons, not just bankers greed. The mess in the euro is purely and simply down to politicians; the euro was never going to work but the EU's dream of complete political union overruled any of this and now we are paying the consequences of this folly.
Greece is about to run out of money again, Spain is set to miss their debt target and the European Central Bank (ECB) continues to buy Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Irish bonds because no one in their right will buy them.
The thing that bothers me about all this is the ECB does not have money of its own, it is European tax payers money that funds the ECB. So the European tax payer hands billions to the Greeks who then hand it to the banks to pay off their debts, so who is really benefiting, the bankers of course.
The whole thing is such a mess and EU politicians do not want to admit that the only way out of this mess is if the Greeks, Italians, Spanish etc left the euro. They are so desperate for them to stay in they will destroy the lives of millions of people to keep their dream alive.
The French and Germans will do anything to keep the euro going, France's Europe Minister has revealed that a Financial Transaction Tax will be in place by the end of the year. The proposal for the levy would incur huge and disproportionate costs on the City of London.
France's Europe Minister, Jean Leonetti, announced on French TV that the tax would be in place by the end of 2012. According to Leonotti, France and Germany were in agreement and all bar two countries were against this tax. It is no surprise that the only other country apart from Britain which is unhappy with the Franco-German proposal is Sweden. After all they are the only country to have introduced an FTT. This is what their Finance Minister, Anders Borg had to say on the subject in September: 'When Sweden began taxing financial transactions in the 1980s, between 90%-99% of traders in bonds, equities and derivatives moved out of Stockholm to London. The impact was basically that we did not get any tax revenue. It brought in very little tax money while moving most of the businesses outside of Sweden'.
This sums up these people and their desperation to take money from wherever they can, they will potentially destroy the City of London and put tens of thousands out of work to keep this idiotic dream alive. THEY DO NO CARE, they only care about their dream of a united Europe. Isn't it obvious that it just is not working! Isn't it obvious that this dream is destroying Europe!
Now you would think that David Cameron and George Osborne would be shouting and saying no to this tax, not a murmur! Imagine if Britain put forward a proposal to tax the German car industry out of existence, or the French wine industry to this degree, do you thing the Germans and French would let it happen? OF COURSE THEY WOULDN'T!!!!!! Our dear BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, who is supposed to represent BRITISH interests is going to turn over and let the Germans and French shaft Britain and make us pay for their inhumane, morally and financially bankrupt dream.
If you thought that David Cameron had at last stood up for British interests when he supposedly vetoed the French proposal to destroy the city of London, don't be too sure, he did nothing! As you can see the French and Germans are going to push ahead anyway.
You may have noticed that I am little angry about this. The financial sector is the most important industry in Britain, it employs 2 million people, not just in London but 150,000 in Birmingham and 200,000 in Scotland. It contributes 12 per cent to our GDP, which last year was £62 billion. The French have used the excuse that it was the bankers who got the world into this financial mess so they should be taxed and regulated. There may be some truth in this, but this tax has nothing to do with altruism and righting a wrong, it is about envy, pure and simple.
The French have been wanting an excuse to destroy the City of London for years and now they have it. If you think this tax will benefit the people of Europe, not a chance. These businesses will leave Europe, and even if they stayed and were happy to be taxed out of existence the money will just go to pay off the debt that is accumulating in Greece, Spain, Italy, etc, which they will hand straight to the banks who will then pocket the money. So it will go from one bank to another, and the only people who will benefit are bankers.
The whole mess in the worlds financial markets happened for a number of reasons, not just bankers greed. The mess in the euro is purely and simply down to politicians; the euro was never going to work but the EU's dream of complete political union overruled any of this and now we are paying the consequences of this folly.
Monday, 2 January 2012
Living in a fantasy world!!!
2011 proved once and for all that politicians really do not have a clue. I genuinely mean that! When I look at the mess the UK, Europe and the USA is in, I really do not think anyone could do a worse job.
We trust these people to make good on their promises, but when they get into power they reneged on much of what they promised. They make excuses for their complete ineptitude, incompetence and lying. But unfortunately these are the ones who are in charge.
I look at Jose Manuel Barroso - President of the EU Commission, the Council president Herman Van Rompuy, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and so many other politicians and I realise that they are cut from the same cloth. They love power, but in reality do not have the ability to use that power in a genuinely intelligent way.
Much of what they decide is either based upon party politics or just some idiotic ideology, it isn't based upon what is good for the people they are paid to serve. The euro is one very good example of this; I don't need to go into detail about this idiotic excuse for a currency. Suffice to say it was never going to work and it isn't working. Whether the politicians like it or not the markets will force the destruction the euro. This will mean social misery for millions on a scale that has not been seen since the Second World War. We can already see this happening in Greece, this has, of course been the fault of politicans and their dream of a unified Europe.
We in Britian cannot gloat, and pat ourselves on the back and thank our lucky stars that we did not join this ill thought out venture. Britain may not have joined but we must not forget that the government continues to borrow £2.5 billion every week. There has been talk of cuts for over a year now, but the simple fact is the government has not cut anything. They continue to spend at an unprecedented rate and our national debt will soon top the £1 trillion mark.
Add to this the government is heading for complete disaster in its utterly idiotic dream of a totally green future, this is being led by the liberals under the increasingly idiotic figure Chris Huhne. This man wants to defile our beautiful country by covering it in 32,000 wind turbines. This is so insane I cannot believe that someone hasn't called the men in white coats to take this nutter off to the nearest mental asylum. The saying 'the lunatics have taken over the asylum' comes to mind.
It does not matter whether Chris Huhnes dream becomes reality the simple fact is the government will have to spend billions on building power stations to back up these turbines when the wind does not blow.
The government has decided to follow a green path with this completely misguided green policy. In the last 20 years CO2 emissions have risen by 50 per cent, and up until the end of 2011 global temperatures measured by NASA satellites stood barely above a 10th of a degree Celsius higher than their average throughout the 32 years since satellite measurements began.
Britain is becoming more and more isolated in its desire to cut carbon emmissions. Whilst the rest of the world ignores any target we carry on regardless of the consequences for our economy.
I started this post by stating that politicians do not have a clue and the more I watch them the more I realise that they really do live in a bubble so far removed from any sort of reality. Unfortunately for you and me these are the people in charge and they are the ones who make the decisions.
We trust these people to make good on their promises, but when they get into power they reneged on much of what they promised. They make excuses for their complete ineptitude, incompetence and lying. But unfortunately these are the ones who are in charge.
I look at Jose Manuel Barroso - President of the EU Commission, the Council president Herman Van Rompuy, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and so many other politicians and I realise that they are cut from the same cloth. They love power, but in reality do not have the ability to use that power in a genuinely intelligent way.
Much of what they decide is either based upon party politics or just some idiotic ideology, it isn't based upon what is good for the people they are paid to serve. The euro is one very good example of this; I don't need to go into detail about this idiotic excuse for a currency. Suffice to say it was never going to work and it isn't working. Whether the politicians like it or not the markets will force the destruction the euro. This will mean social misery for millions on a scale that has not been seen since the Second World War. We can already see this happening in Greece, this has, of course been the fault of politicans and their dream of a unified Europe.
We in Britian cannot gloat, and pat ourselves on the back and thank our lucky stars that we did not join this ill thought out venture. Britain may not have joined but we must not forget that the government continues to borrow £2.5 billion every week. There has been talk of cuts for over a year now, but the simple fact is the government has not cut anything. They continue to spend at an unprecedented rate and our national debt will soon top the £1 trillion mark.
Add to this the government is heading for complete disaster in its utterly idiotic dream of a totally green future, this is being led by the liberals under the increasingly idiotic figure Chris Huhne. This man wants to defile our beautiful country by covering it in 32,000 wind turbines. This is so insane I cannot believe that someone hasn't called the men in white coats to take this nutter off to the nearest mental asylum. The saying 'the lunatics have taken over the asylum' comes to mind.
It does not matter whether Chris Huhnes dream becomes reality the simple fact is the government will have to spend billions on building power stations to back up these turbines when the wind does not blow.
The government has decided to follow a green path with this completely misguided green policy. In the last 20 years CO2 emissions have risen by 50 per cent, and up until the end of 2011 global temperatures measured by NASA satellites stood barely above a 10th of a degree Celsius higher than their average throughout the 32 years since satellite measurements began.
Britain is becoming more and more isolated in its desire to cut carbon emmissions. Whilst the rest of the world ignores any target we carry on regardless of the consequences for our economy.
I started this post by stating that politicians do not have a clue and the more I watch them the more I realise that they really do live in a bubble so far removed from any sort of reality. Unfortunately for you and me these are the people in charge and they are the ones who make the decisions.
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Happy new year, and a few thoughts.
A new year beckons and the outlook for many it seems is quite bleak. With the uncertainty within the eurozone and the likely breakup of this currency it looks like hard times are ahead. Much has been said about David Cameron's so called veto and Britain's supposed isolation from the the EU and the catastrophic impact this is going to have on the UK's economy.
The BBC and many MP's have spoken out against what he did. But the reality of the situation is Britain would be better off out of the EU altogether. The EU as an economic entity is dying and those who believe in this institution are sailing on an ocean liner heading for the rocks, and ultimately disaster.
There are many who believe the EU is a fantastic organisation that has brought much wealth, happiness and stability to Europe. They believe that if we continue pumping money into the euro it will ultimately continue and eventually things will work out okay.
Well here is the reality. In 1973 the western countries of Europe, that is; Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark and various small independent states made up about 36 per cent of the world's GDP. Move forward nearly forty years and the EU (27 nations), that figure has dropped to 24 per cent and by 2020 it is expected to be around 15-18 per cent. So as you can see Europe is becoming less important economically.
In 1973 there were only a few nations which made the majority of goods consumers bought, these were USA, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and to a lesser degree Canada, Sweden, Holland, etc. Things of course have changed massively. In 1973 The Soviet Bloc existed, so they made nothing of any worth, China was a communist country and made nothing. India and Brazil were third world countries with very little skills. How times have changed; China is now the second largest economy in the world, Brazil has now overtaken the UK and is now the sixth largest economy. India is growing quickly and will soon be an economic superpower. Europe on the other hand is getting smaller economically.
The simple truth is this, our economy is being destroyed by the EU. Regulation upon regulation is piled upon British business every year which hampers growth. Why on earth do we stay within this economic strait jacket is beyond me, it makes no sense!
Until politicans in this country take this problem seriously Britain as an economic power is going to die. Those who argue in favour of continued membership should just read these facts; Norway's per capita GDP is $51,959, almost twice that of the EU. Only 3.6 per cent of Norwegians are unemployed, inflation is 2.6 per cent. As members of the European Free Trade Association, Norwegians enjoy full access to EU markets and do not have to abide by their ridiculous diktats. They are spared the calamities of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies. Norwegians export more per capita to the EU from outside than Britain does from inside; and their trade with the EU is in surplus, while ours is in deficit.
I know the Norwegians have oil, but I could also use Switzerland as an example. There you have some simple truths. We will continue to get lies, lies and more lies from polticians, commentators and certain media outlets about the disaster that will engulf us if we leave. Of course this doesn't stand up to simple scrutiny, and I would quite happily argue my point with anyone who thinks otherwise.
The BBC and many MP's have spoken out against what he did. But the reality of the situation is Britain would be better off out of the EU altogether. The EU as an economic entity is dying and those who believe in this institution are sailing on an ocean liner heading for the rocks, and ultimately disaster.
There are many who believe the EU is a fantastic organisation that has brought much wealth, happiness and stability to Europe. They believe that if we continue pumping money into the euro it will ultimately continue and eventually things will work out okay.
Well here is the reality. In 1973 the western countries of Europe, that is; Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark and various small independent states made up about 36 per cent of the world's GDP. Move forward nearly forty years and the EU (27 nations), that figure has dropped to 24 per cent and by 2020 it is expected to be around 15-18 per cent. So as you can see Europe is becoming less important economically.
In 1973 there were only a few nations which made the majority of goods consumers bought, these were USA, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and to a lesser degree Canada, Sweden, Holland, etc. Things of course have changed massively. In 1973 The Soviet Bloc existed, so they made nothing of any worth, China was a communist country and made nothing. India and Brazil were third world countries with very little skills. How times have changed; China is now the second largest economy in the world, Brazil has now overtaken the UK and is now the sixth largest economy. India is growing quickly and will soon be an economic superpower. Europe on the other hand is getting smaller economically.
The simple truth is this, our economy is being destroyed by the EU. Regulation upon regulation is piled upon British business every year which hampers growth. Why on earth do we stay within this economic strait jacket is beyond me, it makes no sense!
Until politicans in this country take this problem seriously Britain as an economic power is going to die. Those who argue in favour of continued membership should just read these facts; Norway's per capita GDP is $51,959, almost twice that of the EU. Only 3.6 per cent of Norwegians are unemployed, inflation is 2.6 per cent. As members of the European Free Trade Association, Norwegians enjoy full access to EU markets and do not have to abide by their ridiculous diktats. They are spared the calamities of the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies. Norwegians export more per capita to the EU from outside than Britain does from inside; and their trade with the EU is in surplus, while ours is in deficit.
I know the Norwegians have oil, but I could also use Switzerland as an example. There you have some simple truths. We will continue to get lies, lies and more lies from polticians, commentators and certain media outlets about the disaster that will engulf us if we leave. Of course this doesn't stand up to simple scrutiny, and I would quite happily argue my point with anyone who thinks otherwise.
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