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'Your country needs you'
I would urge all my friends on here to join the army of volunteers who have already signed up to PM Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ (BS) working tirelessly for no financial gain, proud to be taking up an active role in the BS while enjoying such a rewarding experience at the same time.
My wife insisted on stopping off for a coffee at the McDonalds restaurant in Trowbridge earlier. An unlikely place to find inspiration to do my little bit for the BS initiative, I hear you say.
Well those of you who frequent McDs will be familiar with the fast-food chain’s free coffee promotion – collect 6 stickers (one for every cup purchased) stick them on a voucher to be redeemed at the service counter for your free cup. While my wife visited the ladies’ room, I scoured all the empty tables removing the unwanted stickers from all the discarded paper cups and managed to collect enough for two free coffees in such a short space of time.
I’m going back tomorrow to collect more. I’m not ripping-off McDs as all the discarded cups with stickers were purchased and as the brand name is a symbol of the capitalist ‘American dream’ no harm in me assisting the ‘trickle-down-effect.’
What has this to do with the BS? I hear you ask. Well, when I have collected a significant number of vouchers I shall bring them along to my local ‘soup kitchen’ and distribute them among all those who have recently been made homeless as a direct result of PM Cameron’s ‘Bedroom Tax'.
:P :P :P ;) ;) ;)
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Welfare reforms will cut the amount of benefit that people can get if they are deemed to have a spare bedroom in their council or housing association home. This measure will apply from April 2013 to tenants of working age.
The power to do this is contained in the Welfare Reform Act 2012 and is commonly referred to as the bedroom tax, size criteria or under-occupation penalty.
What do the changes mean?
The size criteria in the social rented sector will restrict housing benefit to allow for one bedroom for each person or couple living as part of the household, with the following exceptions:
•Children under 16 of same gender expected to share
•Children under 10 expected to share regardless of gender
•Disabled tenant or partner who needs non resident overnight carer will be allowed an extra bedroom
Who will be affected?
All claimants who are deemed to have at least one spare bedroom will be affected. This includes:
•Separated parents who share the care of their children and who may have been allocated an extra bedroom to reflect this. Benefit rules mean that there must be a designated ‘main carer’ for children (who receives the extra benefit)
•Couples who use their ‘spare’ bedroom when recovering from an illness or operation
•Foster carers because foster children are not counted as part of the household for benefit purposes
•Parents whose children visit but are not part of the household
•Families with disabled children
•Disabled people including people living in adapted or specially designed properties.
How much will people lose?
The cut will be a fixed percentage of the Housing Benefit eligible rent. The Government has said that this will be set at 14% for one extra bedroom and 25% for two or more extra bedrooms.
The Government’s impact assessment shows that those affected will lose an average of £14 a week. Housing association tenants are expected to lose £16 a week on average.
How many people will see their benefit cut?
The proposal will affect an estimated 660,000 working-age social tenants – 31% of existing working-age housing benefit claimants in the social sector. The majority of these people have only one extra bedroom.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
How long before they tax home owners for empty rooms??
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swanny
How long before they tax home owners for empty rooms??
They are already doing this in council properties. My Mum was asked to pay for their second bedroom ever since my Dad was admitted to a special care care home. Luckily the law has now changed for pensioners and she does not need to pay now.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
How long before they tax home owners for empty rooms??
I don't think it's beyond the relams of possibility.
The population is growing and we have finite land.
House price rise as a consequence, making it hard for those at the lower end of the social scale to find affordable acccomodation.
Is it selfish to hoard empty bedrooms, when other people can't get affordable accomodation?
At the moment the system does encourage people to buy excess housing, for example I pay no tax on any gains in the value of my home, but 40% on any gains in the value of my cash. I'd call that an incentive and one of the reasons I own housing excess to my needs.
Perhaps we might see the removal of incentives, but yes I do think it's an area that will come under pressure.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Here's an example.
A OAP couple living in a 2 bedroom house. The council see them as a couple & assume they sleep together. Therefore, want tax or reduce any benefit as they have an unoccupied room. The reality is that due to medical reasons they sleep in seprate rooms, but the council don't believe them & still charge them. No matter what the Doctors say & hospital say the council aren't satified with the living accomodation.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by GixxerStu
Here's an example.
A OAP couple living in a 2 bedroom house. The council see them as a couple & assume they sleep together. Therefore, want tax or reduce any benefit as they have an unoccupied room. The reality is that due to medical reasons they sleep in seprate rooms, but the council don't believe them & still charge them. No matter what the Doctors say & hospital say the council aren't satified with the living accomodation.
Nail on the head. That was my parents situation. The councils dont listen and dont care.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Not all tenants living in public housing will be adversely affected by Cameron’s new ‘bedroom tax.’
Tenants residing in the Royal household will receive a 16 per cent rise in benefits from this April, increasing from £31million to £36.1 million courtesy of the taxpayer. >:( :-?
At least the echoes from the false claim, “We are all in this together” have now stopped. :-X
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
“Is it selfish to hoard empty bedrooms, when other people can't get affordable accomodation?”
Ducatista, my answer to your question would be a resounding no.
It is not selfish for a married couple in their 50s living in a two-bed terrace property, who both work part-time on the minimum wage (makes a mockery of Cameron’s claim to, ‘back workers not shirkers’) and are eligible for housing benefit, to want to hold on to what has been and is still their family home.
The husband may snore like a pig, forcing his wife to sleep in the spare room. They may wish to enjoy visits from their grandchildren during retirement. They may simply wish to hold on to their home which they have decorated throughout, and to hold on to all the fond memories of the years raising their family.
Allow me to pose a question;
In light of the fact that government officials acknowledge that 85% of the estimated 660,000 tenants affected by the bedroom tax will have to ‘stay put’ as ‘the housing stock is not there’ where will the ‘affordable accommodation’ come from?
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
If they stopped letting immigrants in there would be plenty of room for all of us. This is just an excuse to get money out of us.
'Your country needs you'
We need a new government, but the ones on offer are all controlled by the same puppet masters
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
I discovered last week that council tax relief (ie benefit) has been abolished from April 2013. That's really going to help those poor students among us (ie ME) along with 100's of other people who currently get a second adult reduction as that's been scrapped too. Kiss goodbye to the 25% reduction in council tax for being the only adult in the house. >:( >:(
Yours,
pissed off of Chippenham.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Local government provide services such as police, fire, recycling, refuse collection and removal, schools, leisure centres, park and ride schemes, parks and open spaces, street cleaning, subsidising of public transport, tourism, museums, social housing grants, housing and council tax benefits, environmental health and food safety in pubs, restaurants and shops, planning services, support for voluntary groups, meals on wheels, facilities for young people, adapting homes for disabled people, play centres for children, cctv installation, sports facilities, issuing taxi licences, flood defences, and many others.
Sorry but I don't want to pay for that stuff. I don't even have a street light near my house, I don't visit the museum, the only thing worth paying for is the fire brigade, emptying the bins and cleaning the streets and looking after the parks. I couldn't give a monkeys about the rest on the list.
Tourism in Trogtown...... Do me a favour ;D
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swanny
Local government provide services such as police, fire, recycling, refuse collection and removal, schools, leisure centres, park and ride schemes, parks and open spaces, street cleaning, subsidising of public transport, tourism, museums, social housing grants, housing and council tax benefits, environmental health and food safety in pubs, restaurants and shops, planning services, support for voluntary groups, meals on wheels, facilities for young people, adapting homes for disabled people, play centres for children, cctv installation, sports facilities, issuing taxi licences, flood defences, and many others.
Sorry but I don't want to pay for that stuff. I don't even have a street light near my house, I don't visit the museum, the only thing worth paying for is the fire brigade, emptying the bins and cleaning the streets and looking after the parks. I couldn't give a monkeys about the rest on the list.
Tourism in Trogtown...... Do me a favour ;D
Looking outside of your own personal "bubble" are you saying all of the above should be stopped for everyone else then? I don't use all of these services either but what would be the alternative - pay as you go?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BMWGraeme
[quote author=Swanny link=1360272409/13#13 date=1360502381]Local government provide services such as police, fire, recycling, refuse collection and removal, schools, leisure centres, park and ride schemes, parks and open spaces, street cleaning, subsidising of public transport, tourism, museums, social housing grants, housing and council tax benefits, environmental health and food safety in pubs, restaurants and shops, planning services, support for voluntary groups, meals on wheels, facilities for young people, adapting homes for disabled people, play centres for children, cctv installation, sports facilities, issuing taxi licences, flood defences, and many others.
Sorry but I don't want to pay for that stuff. I don't even have a street light near my house, I don't visit the museum, the only thing worth paying for is the fire brigade, emptying the bins and cleaning the streets and looking after the parks. I couldn't give a monkeys about the rest on the list.
Tourism in Trogtown...... Do me a favour ;D
Looking outside of your own personal "bubble" are you saying all of the above should be stopped for everyone else then? I don't use all of these services either but what would be the alternative - pay as you go?
[/quote]
And I assume you wouldn't bother to call the police if a loved one went missing?
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Why should I pay for schools???
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swanny
Why should I pay for schools???
Why should those without their own transport pay for the roads you use?
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by monday21
Not all tenants living in public housing will be adversely affected by Cameron’s new ‘bedroom tax.’
Tenants residing in the Royal household will receive a 16 per cent rise in benefits from this April, increasing from £31million to £36.1 million courtesy of the taxpayer. >:( :-?
At least the echoes from the false claim, “We are all in this together” have now stopped. :-X
This is costs related and nothing to do with the benefits reduction which cannot apply to Royal Residences..they perform a totally different function than a 3 bed semi in Battersea ::)
P.S. In your ,so far, unexplained Republic presumably these RRs will be demolished and so will no longer be a cost and all the international business and meet/greets will take place in a local Weatherspoons when your leader of the republic---whichever grabbing imbecile from the politicos arselicks their way to the job :-?
Millionaire Labour bruvs the Mealymouths could do it together--rake in even more easy cash.
I know you follow footie Ken so check out Sunderland FC and payment to Dave Mealymouth. Quite a change in son of a pro Marxist anti Capitalist who himself ended up joining the Royal family fighting the Nazi by being in the Royal Navy ---even his Red Army :o grandfather scarppered over here when Poland was invaded.........seems some confusion as to where their loyalyties lie with these former immigrants...guess it is where they can make some easy cash and are safe....................oh! that is in a country that has Constitutional Monarchy isn't it :-?
Wonder what your Labour heros would do if they got their grubby little paws on things by way of republicanism ...historically we know they are utter failures as far as being in government is concerned...........don't bear thinking about :o :P :P
You were saying Ken ;D ;D
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Col
If you are going to engage with me in a sensible debate please refrain from making false assumptions about my political affiliation. I have never voted for nor do I support New Labour in its current right-wing form.
My post relating to the Royal household has nothing to do with my Republican views – I was merely attempting to hammer another six inch nail in to the “We are all in this together” coffin.
Although I respect your comments about the function of the Royals, what kind of message do you think their 16 per cent benefit increase award at a time when the poorest 660,000 are facing cuts, sends out to the country? What ever happened to the ‘Mansion tax’?
:)
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Engage with you WTF!!!! :o :o :o Who the hell d'ya think you are sunshine !!!!
Well whatever political shade you are it remains that you are always making comment about the Monarchy and have shown yourself to be devoid of any ideas regarding an alternative...I believe admitting once 'I have no idea' ;D
What relevance is Royal Residence costs to the attempts to get Benefit costs reduced ?
Are the places to be demolished and all employees put out of work ? Clearly you don't think they should be paid for by central government funding. Now known as Sovereign Grant apparently which replaced Civil List and is a payment based on money generated from Crown Estates of which the government retains 85%.
Look this Con/Lib lot the world and its grandmother knew would be problematic and have 'knee jerk' policies/ideas regarding the dire financial state the country is in after the Labour social engineering debacle and tax to waste government.
You also completely fail to include the fact that the individuals can appeal their circumstances.
Furthermore the fool Cameron has recently managed to get some reduction in UK payments to EU unfortunately because that treasonous megalomaniac Blair signed some 'no rebate on new entrants' agreement we actually will be paying more which could help these benefit claimants if they were found to genuinely need reappraisal of circumstances.
Don't forget the EU is about to increase subsidy payments to tobacco growers ;D ;D ;D
You will find this an interesting read from time to time...bookmark it
http://order-order.com/
:-* :-* :-* 8-)
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
"Can appeal their circumstances" ???? ;D ;D ;D
:-X :-X :-X 8-) 8-) 8-)
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by monday21
Why should those without their own transport pay for the roads you use?
Everyone needs roads even those that are house bound, the goods they consume have to be transported.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
::) ok they can appeal against a reduction in benefit payment and will be granted amounts to increase their payments if their appeal is upheld following an assessment of their individual circumstances regarding housing..... is that better Ken :P :-*
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Col
::) ok they can appeal against a reduction in benefit payment and will be granted amounts to increase their payments if their appeal is upheld following an assessment of their individual circumstances regarding housing..... is that better Ken :P :-*
Reality check?? ;)
I could be wrong, but don't you need a fixed address to appeal against benefit cuts? ;) :-*
Is this really how low Britain has reached? :'( :'( :'(
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
'fixed address' this is about housing benefit payments presumably these payments are made to those with a fixed address .....I wouldn't be surprised that the previous Labour imbeciles did allow benefits to be sent abroad afterall we pay foreigners child benefit or whatever it's called don't we :-? :(
By the way government borrowing is still spiralling totally out of control and you'll be surprised to have revealed to you the fact that the current halfwits are going to borrow £ billions more ..
'Despite cuts to benefits levels, social security spending was likely to rise from 28.5% to 32.5% of all public spending by 2017-18, the IFS said.'
Quite simply there have not been enough 'cuts' and the problem is government itself and needs a radical overhaul in every area
Additionally you cannot have a vibrant economy when even those in work are recipients of benefits :o ------this is the economy of fools and an indication that the 'system' is faulty. The AAA financial rating of the UK is likely to reduce to A+ or lower and this will have the effect of increased interest payments to service the national debt :'( :'( that will mean much higher taxation because the fools in government haven't the will to reduce the State
Did you know when there was a British Empire there were only 4000 civil servants :P and the Roman Empire ignoring the Emperor at its peak had about 600 in the Senate then levels of judges,consuls and magistrates...........wonder how many paper shufflers on decent salaries do we have running this rapidly declining country??
This leads me to believe it is now ............. Pub time :D
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Great idea Col - pub time I mean [smiley=thumbsup.gif] :)
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Well at least you have partially been shown the actual reality of the fragile situation the nation is in and that the current government really are failing to deliver policy that will reduce deficit.
I note you have failed to respond with anything of substance ;D ;D :-*
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Col
Well at least you have partially been shown the actual reality of the fragile situation the nation is in and that the current government really are failing to deliver policy that will reduce deficit.
I note you have failed to respond with anything of substance ;D ;D :-*
Col, is there really much point when you will make your own assumptions anyway.
Despite my numerous attempts to correct you, you insist on labelling me as a ‘Labour hero’ worshiper. :-* :) 8-)
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swanny
[quote author=monday21 link=1360272409/17#17 date=1360505562]
Why should those without their own transport pay for the roads you use?
Everyone needs roads even those that are house bound, the goods they consume have to be transported.[/quote]
and you need someone who can read and write to drive the lorry....
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Are you saying all lorry drivers can read and write?? If so I bet you're wrong.
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I'm not up on lorry driving tests, but I certainly never got tested for literacy when passing my riding/driving tests ?????
Many driving jobs may involve additional skills like form filling, but I'm sure they all don't.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Of course you don’t need to be able to read and write to drive a lorry.
In the context of the point under discussion however, I doubt very much that a reputable haulage firm would offer a job to a driver who could not read or right, especially at a time when an employer can afford to be choosy. :-?
I mean come on – you need a degree to carry out the most basic (of equal importance) role within the cogs of society’s wheel nowadays.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by monday21
Of course you don’t need to be able to read and write to drive a lorry.
In the context of the point under discussion however, I doubt very much that a reputable haulage firm would offer a job to a driver who could not read or right, especially at a time when an employer can afford to be choosy. :-?
I mean come on – you need a degree to carry out the most basic (of equal importance) role within the cogs of society’s wheel nowadays.
.......or spell :-?
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Col
[quote author=monday21 link=1360272409/32#32 date=1361391543]Of course you don’t need to be able to read and write to drive a lorry.
In the context of the point under discussion however, I doubt very much that a reputable haulage firm would offer a job to a driver who could not read or right, especially at a time when an employer can afford to be choosy. :-?
I mean come on – you need a degree to carry out the most basic (of equal importance) role within the cogs of society’s wheel nowadays.
.......or spell :-?
[/quote]
Sometimes you just have to hold your hands-up. :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
How ironic - that's my lorry driving career over before it started - write? :D ;D
Ps. thanks Col for bringing that to my attention - you can pay for the pints now. ;) ;D
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
mmmm seems I'm now a member of the 'Spelling Inquisition'.......you may get a poke with a cushion !!!! [Monty Python :) ]
Couldn't resist it Ken ;D
pints ??? errrrr ummmm do what ?? eh!! what was that....bad connection can't read a thing on here :D
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Col
mmmm seems I'm now a member of the 'Spelling Inquisition'.......you may get a poke with a cushion !!!! [Monty Python :) ]
Couldn't resist it Ken ;D
pints ??? errrrr ummmm do what ?? eh!! what was that....bad connection can't read a thing on here :D
What made it worse was the fact that I was commenting about reading and righting (writing) :-[
All great fun mate. ;D
Ken’s proverb :D
He who pitches tent on high moral ground must keep tight guy ropes.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on yours for you Col
;) :D ;D :)
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Swanny
Local government provide services such as police, fire, recycling, refuse collection and removal, schools, leisure centres, park and ride schemes, parks and open spaces, street cleaning, subsidising of public transport, tourism, museums, social housing grants, housing and council tax benefits, environmental health and food safety in pubs, restaurants and shops, planning services, support for voluntary groups, meals on wheels, facilities for young people, adapting homes for disabled people, play centres for children, cctv installation, sports facilities, issuing taxi licences, flood defences, and many others.
Sorry but I don't want to pay for that stuff. I don't even have a street light near my house, I don't visit the museum, the only thing worth paying for is the fire brigade, emptying the bins and cleaning the streets and looking after the parks. I couldn't give a monkeys about the rest on the list.
Tourism in Trogtown...... Do me a favour ;D
Ahhh the old "as long as I'm alright, screw everyone else" policy...
You're right of course, why should you pay for adapting a home for a disabled/elderly person who is unable to live in a normal house and unable to fund these modifications themselves? Screw them, right? Let's just hope that you either have the funds or never need to use such modifications. We should also stop their meals on wheels as well, they shouldn't have access to decent meals, if they can't make it themselves then let 'em starve, should help curb the welfare budget a bit more at least.
Of course we have no need for the Police either, if someone gets attacked or their home broken into the last thing we want is for them to be able to call someone for help, they should just suck it up and move on, right? Victims of hit and runs should either die quietly or live with the consequences, let's hope that you never get someone pull out in front of you and then vanish safe in the knowledge that there is no one you can call to help you find them, especially as you have also gotten rid of the CCTV covering that street cos you didn't want to pay for that either.
We should close all the museums and sell off the items they hold, they're only places for kids to go on school field trips after all. It shouldn't be available for the public to view, it should be in private collections for the privileged few to see. Items such as the incredibly rare and valuable sutton hoo treasure should be sent to 'cash for gold' or sold to a rich foreign collector never to be enjoyed by the public.
Park and ride schemes and subsidised public should be scrapped, we need more cars in our town and city centres, it's like riding through a ghost town at rush hour at the moment.
We don't really need street cleaners either, obviously all that litter will pick itself up, and of course it will never find it's way onto the road and cause a problem for bikes, if it does and we get a puncture we can just buy more tyres, they're cheap enough.
Don't get me started on housing and council tax benefits, if disabled, elderly or people on low incomes can't afford to put a roof over their heads then they can live on the streets, right? These people are a drain on society and should be abandoned to save everyone else a bit of cash, after all, it's all about you, right?
Who need's food safety in our cafes, pubs and restaurants, it's not important, who cares if they clean their kitchens properly or not? It doesn't really matter if their cook, prepare and store their food properly, E.coli, Salmonella and tapeworms are not fatal to the majority, and those who do die from them, well that's just natural selection. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger an all that.
You know there isn't enough young people wandering the streets in the evenings, they are all in those safe facilities that we provide. They should all be out roaming the streets, at least they won't be able to vandalise any playgrounds because we not longer fund them. Of course you never went to the local playground with your friends, as that was a free service that you don't believe the public should fund, or now that you're an adult, you think the younger people of today shouldn't have access to the same facilities you enjoyed as a 'young person'?
What's with all these schools? we don't need to educate our children, we should take a lesson from the Victorians and send them all to work down the pits or in work houses (or rather we can't because we disposed of all the items and information we had in our museums about the Victorian age). Who needs an educated workforce, we can import educated people if we need them and parents can just quit work to look after their kids once we close all the schools. I trust that you never bothered with school, as you didn't want to burden the taxpayer? I don't know if you have kids, but I assume that if you do that you don't want them to have an education and keep them out of school? Do you also tell your friends and family with children that they shouldn't be sending their kids to school as you don't think you should pay for it, even though you benefit from it? Must make you very popular...
Obviously you don't live in a place that will suffer from flooding, ever? as for those people who are not as lucky, well screw them! It's not you that's suffering so it's obviously not important, and it's all about making sure you're alright, everyone else can go jump.
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Vote Hunar! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
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Re: 'Your country needs you'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotty
Vote Hunar! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
Ditto!