Social Welfare cuts

[lordjohn]

Here is my view.

1. Surely we should be encouraging people to come off social welfare. Therefore, should we not set the rate so that people will take a job rather than being on welfare. I am all for helping to manage the transition but it is wrong to allow people to sit at home and spend our money if there is any job available for them?

Where are the jobs to give these ppl ?

3. If a private sector worker wanted to have a pension of the value of that of the public sector they would have to contribute 60%of their NET income after tax. This is a fact.

Is that really a fact ? 60% wow . What is the source of this fact ?

We need to apply private sector rules to the public sector as they are paid by us, the private sector through our tax revenue.

It may surprise you to know that Public servants pay tax as well. So a lot of the public service is self financing.
In fact a public servant on €35000 pays more tax than Denis O'Brien who pays zero tax.
Lets get things straight, neither Public or Private workers caused the mess we are in at the moment.
While the ruling classes are breaking their bollox laughing at this Public/Private squabble.

[Alec Horan]

Here is my view.

1. Surely we should be encouraging people to come off social welfare. Therefore, should we not set the rate so that people will take a job rather than being on welfare. I am all for helping to manage the transition but it is wrong to allow people to sit at home and spend our money if there is any job available for them?

2. The public sector workers have done very well out of benchmarking. Surely, given that they are immune from forced job losses and they are probably the last group to have defined benefit pensions that they should take a realistic view of the world?

3. If a private sector worker wanted to have a pension of the value of that of the public sector they would have to contribute 60%of their NET income after tax. This is a fact.

4. I have no axe to grind with public sector workers. It is obvious though that there is significant waste in the public sector and over staffing. It is not their fault, but the fault of weak government. When public sector workers went on strike in New York under Rudy Giuilani's mayorship, they were fired. What happened today with the workers who went out on protest. If they had claimed they were sick they should be fired for fraud.... We need to apply private sector rules to the public sector as they are paid by us, the private sector through our tax revenue.

I would love to hear some reasoned response rather than the lunatic fringe... Don't think it will happen though...

TD

as a card carrying member of the lunatic fringe I agree that the crux of the problem is weak government.

We live in a very selfish - I'm alright Jack - kind of society, though society is the wrong word when many citizens show such disregard for their fellow man.

Ultimately we have reaped what we sowed.

[lordjohn]

"Is it not obvious that Irish people won't work in local shops, pubs and restaurants. Look at who serves you in these places. They are not Irish people in the main. I wonder why that is?"

Fact is that foreigners are prepared to work for less than minimum wage often the employers are not paying tax and PRSI, they then live in a two bed apt with 8 other guys saving their money and after 2 or or 3 years they return to their homelands and buy a gaff for cash. Meanwhile Paddy who lives in Ireland has to put up with the high cost of living, taxes etc and cannot afford to work for less than the minimum wage.
Also in places that do pay PAYE & PRSI take McDonalds for example where most of the staff are foreign you find that the supervisors are also foreign, they tend to hire foreign "friends" that other members of staff have vouched for, therefore the local Irish can find that they are being discriminated against.
Where are you on the food chain topdowg ? Cause you want to be looking over your shoulder in case some 20 something equally qualified foreigner is willing to work longer hours, and do your work for half the amount.


While I admire O'Leary for paying his taxes in Ireland, Thats as far as I would go, he is certanitly no example to us all.

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