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It's been much colder/snowier than normal here, but in almost any country you'd get some people who struggle to pay their heating/electric bills. That newspaper is making a mountain out of a molehill as usual.
People over the age of 60 in the UK receive a winter fuel payment of almost $500 towards heating bills every year so I am not quite sure how this piece of "news" can really be relied upon to be honest. ( Those bloody "liberals" helping the elderly so they don't freeze, what a terrible thing indeed...)
How many millions of Americans do you think cannot afford their fuel bills every year considering that so many can't even afford healthcare ? Mmmmmmmmm.... I wonder which country I would rather be poor in. If you think America has no poverty , think again and grow up. Having lived and travelled in the US on a regular basis ( I have been to every single State bar Arkansas and Nebraska) I have seen poverty which made my eyes water. Some parts of the US feel more like a developing country than the so called richest nation on the planet.
Europe has its fair share of social deprivation and social ills but please let's not be intellectually disingenuous here and claim that America does better. This would be hilarious if it wasn't so tragic.
The vast majority of Europeans will agree that being poor is a lot easier in Europe than in the US. At least we have a decent social net, and the concept of taxes is not seen as some terrible ploy to rob people of their money but an accepted part of living in a society so that those who are vulnerable can at least access medical healthcare, housing and education.
Don't worry though, your wish is coming true and the bloody liberals are in a minority in Europe, most countries have been led by right wing leaders for years and look where it's getting us...
The new UK government is doing a brilliant job of dismantling the country and ensuring only the wealthy can benefit.
What has got us into trouble here is not social spending but the irresponsible banking practices of the so called bloody free market. Capitalism has done its worst and oddly enough those truly responsible are still making millions in bonuses whilst the average person suffers. We bail them out and they spit on us.
Billionaires evade their taxes either legally through loopholes or illegally through tax havens and those taxes could ensure a decent standard of living for everyone. The poor once again subsidizing the rich. Literally HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. Multiply every multinational which does not pay its due taxes and you soon realise that everyone could have access to the best healthcare, education and housing if some people paid their dues.
And before someone gives me a lecture about wealth envy I came from a very wealthy background. And left as soon as I could. So no envy on my part. I could never swallow the way my own caste seemed to somehow justify the abuse it inflicted on the majority to keep its place at the top of the dung pile.
Yeah the free market is such a good way to go....Free for whom exactly ?
Unbridled Capitalism has worked so well for us all whether in Europe ( yep Europe has always been a Capitalist continent despite what so many ill informed Americans like to think) or the US... Bloody brilliant.
The idea of restrained capitalism seemed an alien concept for some people. Either it seems you are a capitalist or a communist. Completely narrow minded view of economics and short sighted.
Capitalism is still IMO the best system BUT it needs to be kept in check and restrained. There is nothing wrong with a profit motive , this however does not imply a complete disregard for law, decency and social morality.
Benevolent capitalism should at least be given a go but unbridled greed is so attractive for so many that the concept of contributing to society and helping those more vulnerable a completely alien concept.
The UK is certainly not perfect by a long , long way but I know which country I woud chose to reside in as someone on a low income. No contest.
Last edited by Mooseketeer; 12-07-2010 at 04:03 AM..
What a typical and laughable response from the leftist progressives....."Hey nothing to see here. Nobody is freezing to death. Everything is fine. The government is in control and will take care of you!"
[LEFT]MIDDLE class families are among millions of Britons who cannot afford to heat their homes this winter, as elderly ride on buses all day to stay in the warm.[/LEFT]
[LEFT]After a week of snow and freezing temperatures a shocking picture has emerged of the bleak months ahead for 5.5 million households. Pensioners, who are among those most vulnerable to the cold, are resorting to extraordinary measures to keep warm. Many have been using their free travel passes to spend the day riding on buses while others are seeking refuge from the cold in libraries and shopping centres.
[LEFT]The winter death toll is set to rise steeply as official figures show that nine elderly people died every hour because of cold-related illnesses last year. The number of deaths linked to cold over the four months of last winter reached nearly 28,000.
This is the country you liberals want us to be just like?
[/LEFT]
[/LEFT]
Ummm.....I don't think it was the "liberals" who were threatening to cut off unemployment checks and force a tax hike on the middle class to preserve tax cuts for the wealthy just as winter is beginning. I don't think it was the "liberals" who gave us NAFTA, CAFTA and other "free trade" agreements which allowed our jobs to go overseas, forcing more and more American's onto government assistance and THEN threaten to cut it all off, leaving them at the mercy of cold weather.
One must consider that a HUGE percentage of Brits relied upon BP stock for their retirement, either the value of the equity itself or else that fat dividend that was consistently paid. Then the spill hit, and the politicians started rattling their tiny little sabers about canceling the divi, even though BP had more than enough money to pay for everything, including claims. BP cancels the divi, 80 year old granny in London loses her primary means of income. It's one of those dreaded "unintended consequences" that politicians never seem to consider.
That's interesting firstborn but these types of weather related catastrophes are commonplace in Europe. Virtually every summer heatwaves kill hundreds of people in the EU and every couple of decades a cold snap will kill hundreds more.
In the UK the Daily Express is noted for it's sensationalist & unprovable stories.
This just another example of the s..t they produce, hoping of course, that enough simple-minded people believe it.
LOL...most folks around here don't understand European daily headline journalism. They've never left Kansas. Besides, i can't find a single post that says that Americans aspire to be like the U.K. like the OP claims.
In any case, trying to paint the modern day U.K. as Dickensian is an epic fail right off the bat.
[LEFT]MIDDLE class families are among millions of Britons who cannot afford to heat their homes this winter, as elderly ride on buses all day to stay in the warm.[/LEFT]
[LEFT]After a week of snow and freezing temperatures a shocking picture has emerged of the bleak months ahead for 5.5 million households. Pensioners, who are among those most *vulnerable to the cold, are resorting to *extraordinary measures to keep warm. Many have been using their free travel *passes to spend the day riding on buses while others are seeking refuge from the cold in libraries and shopping centres.
[LEFT]The winter death toll is set to rise steeply as official figures show that nine elderly people died every hour because of cold-related illnesses last year. The number of deaths linked to cold over the four months of last *winter reached nearly 28,000.
This is the country you liberals want us to be just like?
[/LEFT]
[/LEFT]
What you fail to mention is that millions of Americans will be calling their utility companies this winter seeking payment arrangements to keep their utilities on.
You also fail to mention that if unemployment benefits aren't extended here in the United States many people will be in similar predicaments as those in England.
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