It's difficult, because I can't ask him such questions, but he has certainly had the capital to do the other work. It *appears* that if you are prepared to live on the State all your life, then this assistance is available. However if you pay your taxes and save, then you can pay your own way *and* pay for others. I guess it was ever such. Just seems *so* unfair.
So, if you were a council treasurer, you would act without reference to the elected representatives who are there to determine the policies you should be following? ;-) In practice, there are several areas where councils are mandated by central government to fund and provide services. Concessionary travel - on terms over which councils have no control - is just one of those (and it's apparently causing financial issues in many areas).
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Too bloody right - my bottle of Grant's was over £17 in Tesco today.
They've just withdrawn the local Park & Ride, because they can no longer afford the subsidy. The bottom line is, that there are simply too many people, happy to live supported by other tax payer's money and the bill grows inexorably.
Which kind of brings us full circle. The more you assist people, the greater the demand and as we are rapidly discovering, there is not a bottomless pit of available money. Without the restraint of having the responsiblity to find the money, demand is unlimited. A fine example of which, is Gordon's insane policy of paying ever more to ' lift children out of poverty ', which in practice, exacerbates the problem, not solves it.
Darwinian selection ensures that we are creating a generation that is fit to only claim the dole.
It is almost worth my while driving around 2 miles from home to the local Park & Ride car park, and paying the bus fare - rather than just getting a bus from home into town. With two in the car, it *is* worth it. But it is even less costly to drive into town myself. So much for sensible transport plans. (The critical element that tips the balance is the cost of parking - I am usually going to a supermarket that provides free parking. But with two of us, no contest even if we have to pay for parking.)
It actually appears rather *more* restrictive than when I last looked - basically over 60/household with children under 16 and in receipt of benefits. Probably always that way, and my hobbled memory at fault. On which:
But I can't see any mention of non-dependents, so that would explain to me how the OP's neighbour could have managed it legitimately.
Rob
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I love Park & Ride (Preston, 15 miles away), but I didn't make the rules under which it operates. If, instead of making the parking free in return for a paid bus ride (which means "scroungers" [1] such as me getting off scot-free with our bus passes), they charged for the parking and made the bus free for all, I wouldn't object, because it would still be worth it for the convenience.
Full circle, from Parl & Ride through to social engineering? Bloody 'ell, there should be a Godwin's law for that one. ;-)
[1] FWIW, I pay enough tax to be completely unaffected by guilt.
I think we are already on the 3rd generation of the species.
Adam
If you accept a gov't hand out that you don't need because you can afford it then you forego your entitlement to complain when you hear of other instances of gov't waste. Simple as that. EG If this guy stamps his foot and complains about senior council managment junkets to wherever then he must be told to shut up. Or if he complains about the 'old dears' being turfed out of a care home because the council is cutting the budget he should told to shut his hypocritical mouth.
Arthur
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hypocritical mouth.
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I applied for heating allowance last year. Got a letter saying it was refused because I didn't live in the UK. Delivered to my door here in county Durham. I rang their help line and was told it was because I didn't tick a box saying I lived in the UK. The woman on the other end of the line said she could fix it on her screen so I left it at that. Today got my bank statement and no sign of any heating allowance.
Bastards!
you get much fitter people under African conditions
its hiding from the writ.
thats cos 30% die in the first year..
exactly.
Perhaps a moderator was havig a bad day and disliked my gratuitous use of the word f*ck.
And where is this mythical moderator, little boy?
Not sure if the link works but Lee was in my class at school. Enough said.
Adam
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