I wrote: >This strikes me as odd, because "Shemano" isn't an Asian-sounding name.
I have no idea what possessed me to write this; I wasn't even drunk at the time. Clearly whether or not David is Asian or not can have nothing at all to do with whether any particular policy about Social Security is justified. I can only apologise to David (I would have sent this message offlist but I couldn't work out an address to do so). While I stand by my fundamental point about the obligation to old people being social rather than familial, this was clearly a silly thing to say, so sorry. dd
