One of the objectives of this blog is to get outside the normal USA absurdity that is our daily news (more coverage on absurdness later), and look at other news stories from around the world from sources that cover that news better than our own news media. Of course, to be better than the US news media doesn't take much.
An interesting piece in my favorite news paper (London Telegraph) last week is that those on fixed income will be feeling a bit more squeeze this winter as fuel payments (read subsidies) will be cut. The effect? Millions. The sub-headline on the article reads: "Older people will have to wait at least six years longer to receive winter fuel payments, under government plans to cut the welfare bill."
I know that most of the citizens out in la-la land haven't a clue the implications for the USA, but let's think about it this way. Social security is currently the biggest Ponzi scheme the world has ever known, through out the entire course of time. Ponzi schemes must always bring in more money than is paid out to keep the scam going so since the FedGov is bringing in a continuously downward trend of money to SS, how do you balance the books? One way is to up the retirement age and a second is to reduce the benefits paid out. Since the second is less politically advantageous, the politicians usually raise the retirement age in a hope that more people die before they draw benefits. (Please realize, I am not kidding). Case in point, the UK government would rather freeze people to death than allow them to live. Never mind that they probably could have continued to live a happy, fat, and warm life if they had never stolen money from the retirees in their working years, thus allowing them to budget for their fuel concerns in their geriatric state. Nanny state government's epic fail, many documented times over!
But why will we have a continuously downward trend in Western Countries from here on out? Several things are the reason, but they all revolve around demographics. While the double dipping recession is a big factor in lack of tax receipts, baby-boomers hitting retirement age is perhaps the biggest trend no one examines when investing or forecasting for governmental budgets. The boomers are exiting the workforce through retirement or layoffs and thus, are forced to draw off of their retirement accounts, sucking liquidity out of equities for the remainder of the next generation. Who will be paying into these games in the future? Considering the government hates to loose control of their power (as is evidenced through every single corrupt government of the world's history), the 20somethings fresh out of college will be not only expected to pay a higher share of their income to their patriotic taxes, but they will be forced to.
Eighty-five will be the new retirement age for my generation. Yep, sucks. However, there are some alternatives. One, reduce government craptacular spending on garbage we don't really need and we won't really see a general decline in benefits paid or a raise of the retirement age. Creating employment through encouragement of an "investment" economy instead of a sycophantic, crackerjack, zombie economy that steals wealth through punitive taxes and tax rates is another. Last by not least, encouraging better demographics is not only key to the survival of our country, but is our way to prosperity. Yes, I will say it, make more babies!
Americans produce about 2.1 children per household, which is just above the population maintenance rate. I'm sure you're scratching your head about that one, but the more children that mainstream Americans have, the more votes against the fascists that are in power now are created. Further, they will be tax payers for the future (provided the government doesn't suck the life out of them while they are still in the womb, not via abortions either). Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that we steal from the unborn generation, just saying that their labor, their future ingenuity, and prospects of a power shift are all things that go into political and economic planning. The bad news in this is, the fastest growing population segment in the world is that of the Muslims (you do the math).
All of these points are truly disturbing if you stop and think critically about them. Now, they are not catch all solutions, but we must realize that welfare programs fail, every time. The Ponzi schemes that they are, are meant as tools for the radical left of every ilk to perpetuate a power struggle between multiple classes of people only for their political power gains. Generations prior to mine have failed to "keep the republic" and now are being forced to reckon with the consequences of their ignorance. This author sees the writting on the wall that I will be billed now and in the future (through my unborn or un-conceived children) for the actions / inactions of my parents and grandparents. (Not my parents per se but their generation).
As cold and as cruel as it is to say this, however, let the generation that decided to abscond on their duty to guard the republic die from the freezer burn that comes with it!
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