Cigarettes Are Not As Evil As The Aged Pension
A startling claim? I think not. We all know that the government has our best interests at heart, don't we? Surely there must be a good reason why the aged pension is getting banned but cigarettes aren't.
Once upon a time you worked hard, paid money in the form of taxes with some being put aside for a pension, and if you didn't kick the bucket before you turned 65 (60 for women who, by and large, weren't in the workforce) the government gave you an aged pension. While it wasn't costing the government more than was put in because few people lived to that age, the pension was looked upon as being a good thing. Congratulations for working hard all of your life you deserve to be looked after a bit. Now that isn't quite the case.
Cigarettes are meant to be bad for you. But are cigarettes being banned by the government? No. Is this just because it costs the government less money to care for smokers when they are hospitalised than the total of taxes brought in by people purchasing cigarettes? Will cigarettes only become banned when the government can't afford to cover the consequences?
Therefore I conclude that the aged pension must be evil and cigarettes are not so bad. At least a lot of smokers won't reach pensionable age anyway.
4 comments:
I agree, the aged pension is evil. Cigarettes are not. Cigarettes are a personal choice and if you want to smoke away the last few years of life then it's nobody else's business.
The aged pension, on the other hand, penalises everyone with extra tax.
It wouldn't cost the government any money to care for smokers if we had a proper private health system.
The real evils are government tax and spend programs. If those pensioners hadn't paid all that money throughout their lives then they wouldn't be short of money now.. So they should be paid out, but the pension should be grandfathered and taxes reduced.
Are these the comments of Yobbo himself? I feel honoured, if that is the case.
I'm all for people saving their own money in the form of superannuation, it just needs to be run properly. Encourage people to save for themselves in a financially responsible way. In Singapore I believe it is mandatory to save 20% of your salary into super. Our system of super is seriously underfunded.
The aged pension was, after all, just a pyramid scheme. Your point about extra taxes is well made and not far from the truth. Well, I agree with it. I know when I get old that the only money I can rely on is that that I have saved by myself for myself.
There was a time in some strange land when children care for their aging parents.
In the individualistic ideal world there are no low income earner, no disable person, no sick person. Every body would be perfectly capable to fend for themselves. Those who can't provide for themselves will have to leave the place.
Ben - is it going to be called "Survivor - streets of Australia"?
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