Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Thought for the day (Black humour warning!)

It's been an interesting week, my dad is failing quite rapidly after a bout of pneumonia two months ago, and visiting him in the care home is challenging. In parallel with this, the news channels and papers are trailing the upcoming debate in "the other place" (House of Lords) on assisted dying later this week.

In many ways, especially at the moment, I can see the pros for assisted dying legislation, as has been said many times we wouldn't allow our pets and animals to suffer like this. However, like many others, I'm worried that any such legislation could be abused in the future, and not just by individuals with, for example, misplaced financial motives.

I took early retirement in 2005, secure in the knowledge that pension arrangements had remained the same for >40 years, and post Murduch, had been protected in law by the government of the day. Since then there have been more changes to private and state pension arrangements by the government of the day than in my lifetime previously, private pensions schemes have been decimated, and the state pension age is drifting inexorably into the distant future... a demographic time bomb set ticking in the space of a little over one parliamentary term.

So, "Where is all this going?" I here you ask.

Well, as a result of privatising bank profits whilst nationalising bank losses in order to protect shareholder values and bankers bonuses, we now have an underfunded NHS creaking at the seems, apparently overloaded by obese, alcohol swigging baby boomers who've caused global warming by driving their polluting cars and living a life of excess on their unaffordable gold plated pensions, sitting secure in their appreciating house assets. These same baby boomers are now a serious threat to the NHS as, due to their excesses, they will all soon be in need of unaffordable dementia care.

So, what solutions could a future government comprised of twenty or thirty somethings who've been through school, university, then straight into politics as advisers and onto a life as career politicians, MPs and Ministers come up with?

Compulsory euthanasia?

Lets look at the cost benefit analysis...

Compulsory euthanasia introduced from 2015 set at 100 (no real problem, not many affected) with a sliding scale to 85 by 2050 (gives us plenty if time to get used to it and prepare), the pension age gradually ramped up to 85 by 2050 (total elimination of the state pensions bill in one generation), further reductions in the euthanasia age limit step by step to be determined by NHS dementia care costs.

Imagine what this could do for the NHS... With no age related drain, then Botox, facelifts, tummy tucks, breast augmentation, teeth whitening, gastric bands, etc., etc. could all be provided to allow younger people (the country's future!) to keep up with their celebrity lifestyle aspirations, free at the point of issue... A result

All very tongue in cheek... but would you back your life savings and pension against it?

Your analysis of the last 25 years is spot on. We have been screwed.

I don't think compulsory euthanasia will ever make it but my bet is that allowing terminally ill people to end their life will be on the statute books by 2020.

That will be followed 5 to 10 years later by allowing anyone over 85 to do the same and then perhaps by 2050 there will be financial incentives to "encourage" the old to go.

Something like "if you opt to go your estate pays no death duties". I can see a lot of old, board and lonely pensioners thinking "that will help the kids more than me being here...."


We live in an increasingly selfish and mercenary world, or am I just getting old and grumpy?

I understand your care home bit I do it every night except Sunday . You become clock work, love, repect, you name it . As its so clockwork you care little what others think and take each day as it comes . I feel everyone should have Lasting Power of Attorney for their parents wealth and health along with a will . It may not be what everyone wants including yourself at the time , but it may stop others making or taking decisions that you dont want and can do nothing about .

Sore point as y/day I was saying why the hell should my wife and I work like hell to help our daughter and if we take ill they TRY to take our homes off us and our pension etc etc . When the can't work won't work benefits under class scum sit all day drinking and smoking have Satellite huge TV's and a National Health to run after them then a home to put them in . About time the goverment woke up and bring back WORK HOUSES to make them earn there keep or starve .

Well, talking of young people, I suggested to my then 35 yo son 3 years ago that he might consider taking over the running of my business, with a view to becoming a majority shareholder in time - IHT and all that, otherwise I would sell up and live off the proceeds, until it was gone. The fly in the ointment was that I wanted to retain the same level of drawings, which meant he would be on substantially less, unless he improved the turnover sufficiently to draw more. A good incentive, I thought.

It should be win win for us all, but recently he came to see us with a suggestion that as he needed more money, we should downsize our 5 bedroom house, more in keeping with our present requirements for 2 'old' people, and the money we then saved could go to him.

He could see nothing wrong with this plan, obviously, we could see nothing right with it, and he is currently 'considering his position'. I suspect he may see our point of view sooner than we see his.

The younger generation eh?

We are probably all getting old and grumpy Peter.......aided by the total lack of decent and honourable government these days. At least we have our Morgans to console ourselves with. I'm lucky, enjoying both Bank (sorry about that!) and BBC pensions, but some of my family and friends who opted for private schemes some years ago are really suffering for that decision now and heaven help my nephews who just have no idea where or what to invest in with any guarantee of security. The governments, both current and past have made a dreadful mess of all this and the only ones benefitting are the ones who seemingly enjoy huge bonuses each year. And of course the government is unwilling to impose any restrictions for fear of those institutions leaving the City. Rant over......before I really get going!!

Philip.... remember the film "Logans Run"? Only memorable for the luscious Jenny Agutter but themed around compulsory euthanasia at a certain age!

I bet you're feeling better for getting that off your chest Phillip! You do however make several very telling points which as you know I agree with. I despair at the way career politicians are relentlessly changing the contract we thought we had with the State. Everything appears biased towards those who at least on the face of things made only little or no contribution whilst others, those who have made a lifetime of contribution, are vilified, or to put it less politely are screwed. But worse of all the democratic system leaves us impotent against the decisions of a political ruling class which share the same culture formed through a common social and educational background without any real experience of or respect for real working life.

As politicians all share the same political culture there is nothing to really differentiate the main political parties so no real chance of achieving government with a different perspective. Look at this weeks example about access to Internet and telephone records etc.A major change in the rights of individuals stitched up by the political class and enacted almost overnight without debate or challenge. I make no comment on the substance of this but use it as an example of the impotence and disenfranchisement of those who do not belong to the political class.

I don't know the solution to this, but the more it is discussed publicly the better, so well done Phillip and see you at the barricades.

Now I must go and grease Reginald's suspension!

Best wishes to all Morganista Comrades.
Andy

O how I agree about Jenny Agutter!

Andy

How is it no matter what or how serious any subject is someone always slips in a woman or food to cool it down . Don't they know that to much of women and food are bad for us.

This should cheer you all I have it hanging up for the lay abouts to see.

1/. YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE THE POOR INTO PROSPERITY BY LEGISLATING THE WEALTHY OUT OF PROSPERITY .

2. WHAT ONE PERSON RECEIVES WITHOUT WORKING FOR, ANOTHER PERSON MUST WORK FOR WITHOUT RECEIVING .

3/. THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT GIVE ANYBODY ANYTHING THAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT FIRST TAKE FROM SOMEBODY ELSE.

4/. YOU CANNOT MULTIPLY WEALTH BY DIVIDING IT !

5/. WHEN HALF OF THE PEOPLE GET THE IDEA THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO WORK BECAUSE THE OTHER HALF IS GOING TO TAKE CARE OF THEM , AND WHEN THE OTHER HALF GETS THE IDEA THAT IT DOES NO GOOD TO WORK BECAUSE SOMEBODY ELSE IS GOING TO GET WHAT THEY WORK FOR, THAT IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF A NATION.

By my calculation Philip, when we reach the year 2715 we will be
a) Born feed and watered until-
b) we are supported in Kinder garden-
c) put through education-
d) put through further education
e) then put to sleep

now who will fund this, as there will be no one alive between the ages of 25-75 on the planet, unless we allow the politicians and the Bankers to remain, then they can fund it out of their exorbitant salaries