RE: [Futurework] Exit ramp for Europe

[Keith Hudson]

Arthur,

Yes, I'd like to support Harry. Free marketeers like Harry and me are too easily characterised as against welfare. We aren't. We are against public services that have become huge industries.

Something like half of all the money that's taxed and destined for social welfare, health services and state education doesn't actually get there to the ultimate recipients. In social welfare about 60% doesn't get to the deserving, in our health service there are now more staff than patients, in state education only 50% of the money gets to the teachers and schools. Also, for purposes of political bribery, an increasing proportion of social welfare payments, taxed from the middle class is now being returned to the middle class. No wonder that after six years of a Labour Government in England, the poverty gap is growing.

In England, after more than 50 years of state education and health, morale has never been lower. The government is trying every trick in the book to make them more efficient -- so far to no avail. As far as social services are concerned, the declining birth rate, the older population and the pay-as-you-go insurance system means that the welfare state will be mathematically impossible within the next 15 years unless the middle class are going to be taxed at some utterly impossible rate.

Keith Hudson  

At 13:13 31/05/2003 -0400, you wrote:
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People have been exchanging with each other since the beginning of time. They have also been taking care of the unfortunate since the beginning.
These are quite natural things for humans to do
So, how can there be a "free market idealogue"?
It's rather like suggesting that someone who advocates deep breathing of air is an "oxygen ideologue".
However, there is such a thing as a "welfare state ideologue". For the welfare state is a contrivance of people who surely can be described as "welfare state ideologues".
There is no merit in a welfare state. It is a gesture of defeat. The people produce. Much of the production is stolen from them. The thieves are taxed on their loot. The proceeds of taxation are in part given back to people, and the welfare ideologues take credit.
For what? While they play with the meritless welfare state, they have forgotten why welfare is needed. And as they are ideologues, they will never turn from doing the wrong thing in preference to the right thing.
Harry
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Arthur wrote:
<<<<
What I meant to say is that free market idealogues suddenly see merit in a
welfare state: Looking down that barrel helps them to think more "clearly."
Survival is suddenly about trade offs and the trade offs look reasonable.
Enlightened self-interest.
arthur
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Keith Hudson, 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath, England