I had dreams of an early retirement in the mid 90's. Now I realize I'll work until I'm dead. More and more of my earned income will be syphoned off to pay for other's apathy and poor economic choices. I work for The Greater Good and lately have nothing left to put away for tomorrow so I may very well end up on the public dole myself before I finally shuffle off this mortal coil. It's a depressing thought.
dj On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 6:50 AM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > My guess is the underlying economics doesn't work and it may be that > human survival and a decent society is much easier than we have > recognised. This latter may be the reason 'economics works' - almost > any mad dross would. I know of no scientific critique in the area > other than a resignation amongst scientists that the stuff is daft. > Our traditional right wing party has come out today with the"idea" > that we should all work longer before we can retire - Doris may be > right in musing about the world-wide. "All" means 'those less > fortunate'. Some have already lost good pension entitlements and drop > there kit every year on a party conference beach to remind us. > Unemployment in the UK is massive and hidden through people being able > to claim sickness benefits or disappearing off the screen. > Truth flew away long ago, perhaps just as we got the means to secure > it through technology. I've contributed through work most of my life, > but there is little sign that anything I've built up is really under > my control and plenty of reasons to rue not being more selfish and > just made a life in which I could just watch the mess from a house on > the hill. The human population has risen three times in my lifetime, > to me a significant fact in our inability to take control of > evolutionary defaults and change them (with all the moral issues this > involves). > I worked in Soho for a while, watching what was a 'good night > out' (years ago) and just found myself wondering why life is so bad. > There can seem very little to do because of something central in the > way we are 'nurtured'. I'm not sure sitting on a Brazilian beach as > an academic about to pontificate on postmodernism was any less squalid > - perhaps more so as even as a cop I could sometimes stop some of the > worst. I'd ask Francis what paid for the financial services > revolution - but suspect he knows. > The answers are probably simple and concern smaller ideas than daft > economics (about which most people know nothing - reminding me of > church services in Latin). > > On 6 Oct, 09:06, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: >> Nowhere To Fall >> >> Facing the economic crisis in the U.S. >> >> October 2009 By Katie Beran and Celine-Marie Pascale >> >> ________________________________________ >> Few people will escape the effects of the global economic crisis that >> has been unfolding since the fall of 2008. While the stock market's >> steep declines conjured immediate comparisons to the crash of 1929, >> David Kyvig points out that the broad economic effects of the crash >> (apart from immediate losses in the market) became apparent only in >> 1933 when the entire nation was in a depression. The devastation of >> that depression took 25 years to correct. Notably, only 2 percent of >> the public owned stocks in 1929, while 50 percent owned stocks in >> 2008. In this precarious context, it is especially important to >> remember that in 2007, a year before the stock market crisis, the U.S. >> Census Bureau reported 37.3 million people were already living in >> poverty. The announcement didn't make front-page news and no one >> declared a crisis. No one called for government intervention. >> >> When the stock market crashed in the fall of 2008, stories of layoffs >> among construction workers, auto workers, factory workers, bankers, >> and stockbrokers quickly dominated the news. The public faced daily >> reports of retirement pensions ruined by the crisis and the dire >> consequences that people in or near retirement now faced. Stories on >> the foreclosure crisis described a devastated middle class facing cuts >> to wages, and health care. Still, no one reported on the millions of >> people who had nowhere to fall—people who never held a job with health- >> care benefits or pension plans, people who had been working at low- >> wage jobs doing their best to pay rent and keep food on the table. >> Millions more now face this kind of severe poverty. … >> >> More at:http://www.zcommunications.org/zmag/viewArticle/22730 >> >> On Oct 5, 3:31 pm, Doris Ragland <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> >> > Well here as far as Postal Service we did have postal trucks in rural >> > area's >> > now if you work for the Postal Service ir rural area's you use your own >> > vehecial and put a yellow light on top..and some are only part time...not a >> > good balance of pay for that person..part time no insurance...part time on >> > any Job here in America is less insurance..this is a level of blue collar >> > people with under average pay and they are hard workers...they have even >> > cut >> > retriement out on alot of the big company's here like they used to have >> > ..now it is the 4-K Plan...used to you work to retriement and you would get >> > like at least sixty and over thousands to add to your retriement not good I >> > don't think on 4-K it is less but better than nothing..these things are not >> > my department in solutions but I can see right now it is less than in 60's >> > and 70's so forth..and yes we have the problem of cost in PO and many other >> > things...travel expense goes up when it is time to vacation are all year >> > travel..and just found out here are SS in 1917 seventy-six cents on the >> > dollar because we have finicial problems is this world wide? It seems >> > people overcome and probably will keep on living but what quialty? To find >> > solutions to this the way it was here seem to work better back in >> > 60's-70's-it started changing.. >> >> > On Mon, Oct 5, 2009 at 8:20 AM, [email protected] < >> >> > [email protected]> wrote: >> >> > > Well lets take our fine British empire as an example huh. >> >> > > Trains, that Thacher woman privatised them and it has taken ohh what >> > > about 20 years for the service to come relativly good again, although >> > > the price I now pay for the privilege of being squesed into the 8:15 >> > > to London Bridge every weekday morning does seem too much. >> >> > > Health service. A few years back now our hospitals were given the >> > > option of becoming NHS Trusts, meaning a reduction in the money they >> > > recive from goverment in return for the more self sefisency and the >> > > chance to run like a business and make their own money. This happend >> > > during the time I was working for one such hospital, moral hit rock >> > > bottom as more and more frontline staff were let go and more and more >> > > middle managment recruited, one of the reasons that I left. >> >> > > Post Office, well we can see what state that is in right now. Energy, >> > > likewise(cheating bastards) >> >> > > Privatisation I guess may cost the goverement less, and maybe it >> > > actualy makes more money for these 'companies' but history since the >> > > Thatcher era shows us that what this in fact does is makes more money >> > > for the board of directors, and impacts negativly on service. >> >> > > Privatisation, umm I wonder if it is any sort of chance that it reads >> > > like privateers? >> >> > > On 5 Oct, 11:57, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: >> > > > An NHS comes with reds under beds Lee and cleaning services so bad you >> > > > can never get rid of them! A sensible question might be whether the >> > > > private sector ever did anything better than the public sector - this >> > > > seems a bit odd for me to say as I generally loathe Town Halls. Yet >> > > > much 'comparison' has been done against economies run by mad people >> > > > (Sino-Soviet etc.) or ones in which the West has had an imperialist >> > > > hand. CEOs of US companies that would have been nationalised in >> > > > Europe often said they competed against them in the fear of being >> > > > nationalised if they didn't come up to scratch. I doubt many in the >> > > > UK really think our privatisations have done much good - what academic >> > > > evidence there is suggests considerable harm in surprising areas like >> > > > 'education' (piling it uselessly into colleges when the big national >> > > > companies were hands on). Gas and electric prices are now broadly the >> > > > same across the 6 suppliers. There's no sensible argument about any >> > > > of this unless you dig deep - much of that frankly hit by the same >> > > > emoticons as the surface. Doris makes some sense just talking about >> > > > what actually happens - we could do with more of that kind of stuff to >> > > > compare systems. >> >> > > > On 5 Oct, 11:05, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >> > > > wrote: >> >> > > > > I'm still finding this really hard to understand. >> >> > > > > Why procisly is a health service in which all patients recive free >> > > > > healthcare, free that is at the point of service, considered a bad >> > > > > thing for some? >> >> > > > > What are their worries or their fears? >> >> > > > > On 5 Oct, 03:14, Doris Ragland <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> > > > > > I work in the Health insurance for years in US and processed claims >> > > in two >> > > > > > major insurance company's ..major medical..I think this.. as being >> > > self >> > > > > > independent in our country >> > > > > > is good and at one point was very good at a period of time >> > > > > > here..but >> > > things >> > > > > > changed where the company's you worked for cut out insurance for >> > > > > > the >> > > > > > workers..so to carry insurance totally by yourself is a great >> > > expense..here >> > > > > > in America basicly the cost of the doctors went up to be a doctor >> > > > > > and >> > > other >> > > > > > medical area's to go for there degree's-the cost went up on medical >> > > > > > supplies-the doctors had to get outrageous insurance just in case >> > > > > > of >> > > being >> > > > > > sued and so fourth- when I process claims and investgated the >> > > > > > claims >> > > it took >> > > > > > time to find out in detail the cases- that is added in on cost - I >> > > processed >> > > > > > claims which the hospitals would charge five dollars for a >> > > bandaide--there >> > > > > > is unreasonable cost I agree that should be brought into a right >> > > balance >> > > > > > --the bandaide is just one example-I thought I would explain this >> > > > > > to >> > > you in >> > > > > > a little bit more detail-here in America we are trying to have a >> > > > > > plan >> > > that >> > > > > > all may have insurance- somewhat like canda--we tried for the last >> > > few years >> > > > > > pass it..Myself I think everything needs to be put in check and a >> > > good >> > > > > > balance..the medical department loses alot anyway when the people >> > > can"t pay >> > > > > > there bills this does not make sense to me..it should not be this >> > > way. >> > > > > > Maybe this will give you an ideal what it is like -when the >> > > > > > company >> > > you >> > > > > > work for would let you carry insurance out with them and had HMO >> > > plans it >> > > > > > would pay 80% of your medical and your could get your medicine for >> > > about >> > > > > > five dollars per. >> >> > > > > > On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 9:48 AM, archytas <[email protected]> >> > > wrote: >> >> > > > > > > Gorby has come out recently and said that Thatcher and other >> > > > > > > right- >> > > > > > > wing flops wanted him to crush German reunification. I tend to >> > > find >> > > > > > > the country rather like the fair-minded, well educated and >> > > progressive >> > > > > > > Britain I was supposed to be living in. I rather liked my trips >> > > > > > > to >> > > > > > > the old DDR for that matter - there was even something good >> > > > > > > amongst >> > > > > > > the lunacy and repression. Even in this civilized country there >> > > > > > > is >> > > > > > > little real progress towards a real understanding of how we might >> > > live >> > > > > > > if we can break the military-consumerist fetish. Private >> > > > > > > medicine >> > > > > > > would be OK if insurance was a genuine form not based on only >> > > taking >> > > > > > > people unlikely to be ill - but we'd still need to restrict white >> > > > > > > collar criminals (doctors etc.) taking rip-off fees. >> >> > > > > > > On 3 Oct, 14:31, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote: >> > > > > > > > And a happy German Unity Day to you too, Gabby! >> >> > > > > > > > I am in complete agreement with you on the health care issue. >> > > (Well, >> > > > > > > > ok, apart from anything else, I work in the health area :-)) I >> > > see us >> > > > > > > > facing difficult times in Germany in this area following the >> > > recent >> > > > > > > > election >> >> ... >> >> read more » > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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