only figures on paper!

Whats all the fuss about? Up untill about ten years ago I wouldnt have a credit card, prefaring as my parents did, to work and save for the things I wanted in life. One day I was listening to an interview on TV with the head of the International Monitary Fund and I was surprised to learn that even he had what he termed 'managable debt'. What he said made sense to me so I proptly applied for a credit card and used it as advised. Life got so much easier from then on, I still only use it when I need to and make regular afordable controlled repayments. The reason many ordinary people are 'struggling' in this recession is that they personally overspent or they have lost their jobs because of employer/government cutbacks.

We cant do anything about the personal overspending (other than to learn a lesson), but we can do something about the job situation, heres how.

INCREASE GOVERNMENT SPENDING!!!!

What???? I hear you cry. Again I repeat INCREASE GOVERNMENT SPENDING!

When you consider that about 70% of jobs in the UK are in someway reliant on government spending, ie the armed forces, the Civil service, the Council services, Schools, Fire, Police, Justice system,  Construction, Power supply, Transport, Some Banks, the list is endless.

Hundreds of thousands of Private Sector jobs are directly dependant on Government contracts or manufacturing componants used in Government contracts. What does an employed person do with his income, he/she spends it in the retail sector creating more jobs or they bank it creating more banking jobs and 'fatter' bankers and shareholders  The Government is already spending the money on the unemployed so it makes sense to redirect this money to job recreation. There are New roads and railways to be built, 'slum clearance schemes' new housing etc that would get our construction companies up and running again, new Aircraft carriers and ships to be built along with other military hard wear (People moan that our armed forces havnt got the equipment, so manufacture it instead of buying it off the shelf from other countries). Its time to progress and stop feeling sorry for ourselves, think positive, get off our backsides and make it happen, its waiting out-there for the taking.

There are lots of 'fat-cats' hanging around on their yachts with their money just sitting in the bank getting richer, I've no problem with that, but I'm sure many of them would be all too willing to have it working for them if done correctly. Which ever party you are going to vote for in this forth coming election GOVERNMENT CUTBACKS ARE NOT THE ANSWER but MORE controlled Government spending. Government Debt can be repaid when times get better, as they will (Think back to just after the last war, Britain was on our back, we were down, but our spirit wasnt, we had to rebuild, we had to pay back debt over time, borrowed from our allied countries due to the war effort)

Financial Debt is only figures on paper, it can be adjusted at the 'stroke of a pen' depending on the circumstancies at the time, 'written off' or 'added to'. People are here and now and tommorrow they are gone, Life is to short to worry about long-term issues, this may sound selfish but give our children the right upbringing now and they will be more able and prepared to look after the problems of tomorrow! 

ITS ONLY FIGURES ON PAPER!

Who posted this?

I think there's a lot of wisdom in what you posted, and that the days of balanced government budgets are gone, unfortunately.  In the US, a lot of the right wing conservatives don't like the Obama healthcare plan that just passed the other day because of the "cost to our grandchildren."  Where were all these same balanced budget minded folks 7 years ago when the government got us into 2 wars that are costing us millions per day?  We could buy health insurance for every person on the planet for what that costs us.

I wish more Americans thought like you, Michael.  The ones protesting are "brainwashed."  The thing I like about Obama is that he isn't from the silver spoon crowd.  He's fighting for the middle class, but the super right wing conservatives are so blinded by their misguided patriotism and jingoism that they've totally lost touch with the values they supposedly hold.

And the unfortunate thing is that our Congress is even more in conflict.  Don't be surprised to see headlines about fisticuffs in Washington.  The Republican are all 'going rogue.'  lol The bad thing is that all this conflict is causing gridlock, and unrelenting divisiveness.  On an international forum like this, I have to say it's downright embarrassing.  I may be wrong, but I also feel there's an undercurrent of racism still going on that will make nothing that Obama ever does right in the eyes of that sore loser crowd.

But, all that being said, it's the same as it's been throughout history, in every country.  Money talks and the rich are always going to have the upper hand and figure out a way to become even richer on the backs of the middle class and sadly, the poor.  America's greatness has always been the strength of its middle class.  The middle class people are the ones who are watching small pieces of what's affectionately referred to as "the American dream" crumble gradually away.  And it isn't only the government to blame.  

I think what they disliked about Obama's health plan is "mandatory" health insurance just like we have car insurance, you can't drive an car without car insurance you know, if you need to get to work and live where there is no public transporation your just flat out of luck.....how you pay for something if you don't have an job, how you pay fines for not having it...if your not working? that is what people were questioning they don't like it beign an "Law" you have to have it..as far as this government job thing goes, it might be Ok if we didnt' have to pay out those big pension plans for Govenment higher ups..which are about as as bad as many CEO's these days. That is why people are squawking about "bigger Government" on our payrolls right now.  As it is right now with Obama's spending they say even at the poverty level every single person would need to give the Govenment 13 per cent more of their welfare checks out to taxes to break even. Almost 45 percent of anyone making over $200,000 yearly income.

As to credit cards, you have to use them now and then to maintain an credit rating, without an credit rating, you find it hard to get an loan when you need one, and maybe while its easy to pay cash for little stuff, nearly impossible the more it costs, or if there's an emergency need. In today's world where your marriage partner walks out the door in an whim, many women must have credit ratings, and they need them to buy cars and take care of the children their husbands abandoned to their care. Women would like an better life also then getting just an welfare check to raise the family with you know.

You do realize that one hour heart operation starts at $50,000..not to mention the ambulance, the specialty doctors etc, etc,..this is not something you can handle without an loan..unless you can file for an medical bankruptcy. Just dying at times can cost some people bankruptcy these days. Health costs are two high, Obama thinks its because of the waste going on, I think it' because of bad communications...the need to rehash things over 5 and 6 times to get anything done of the slightest need. If everytime you need to talk to the head honcho guy that's the CEO and you were made to start by going to every entry level worker in the place and work your way up..you can understand the problem of bad communications, not to mean also the need for each of those workers to look at the information to see if its viable or not. This takes "upteen hours" with people working on more then minium wages at that...not to mention equiptment for data bases.  Say you have an cold, last time I had an cold, it was $100 to see the primary docotor, to be referred to another doctor, to pay another $100 buks to get one prescription...which was another $100. Year before that, $3,000 at the hospital for an afternoon of testing to see if I had an flu ailment or an heart problem...we still have to pay 20 per cent of all these costs out our pocket, how we do it and eat daily or live otherwise if we are pay check to paycheck for lack of emploment hours give weekly and decent pay ourselves to keep up with the cost of livign expense of the healthcare industry?The $600 out of pocket expense for the $3,000 hospital visit in pays for all the kids back to school clothes, two to three months of food, two months of heating the hous ein the winter time. Our car has 252,000 miles on it, it needs replaced, but my prescriptions every month in out of pocket expenses would make the monthly payment for one. These are the very real things that the average people are dealing with these days. Very few people have dental care over here also that is paid, beyond someone looking at your mouth and handing you an new toothbrush. Gas is inching up nearly $3 an gallon now also, many people on "limited" incomes can no longer drive anywhere. Yes, the americna dream has crumbled because its lost it "voice" in that of quality for equal and reasonable cost. We need an other tea party WITH our Government this time around...laughs*. When it becomes unreasonable to get goods for its "true" value, and that's what happens when you import EVERYTHING...then everyone loses. The jobs are lost, the manufacturing is lost, the people's welfare at large is lost...from top to bottom and back up, it affects everyone it touches. Not to mention should there be an emergency that needs attended from withiin the country. Instead of "Remember the Almo" these days, people when they see other countries get 2.8 Billion of relief help off our taxes are crying..... "Remeber Hurricane Katerina".... instead. Government spending is only viable if they are not charged excessive fees for the govenment contracts, where they have to pay $60 per bolt to get the job done...when its intial cost is about 75 cents per bolt.Yes, no one is squawking realy if they pay as high as an dollar per bolt though sometimes. 

Did you know that astrologically, this year is the first time in 1,500 years we have an supposedly have the opportunity to "right our wrongs" in humanity. It takes as much "giving" intelligiently as it does taking...reasonalbly. It makes defining what's really important to have and what's not.

i agree with your comments, we do have a simular political situation here in the Uk, very much so, but unlike the problems that Shirley mentioned we have had our National Health Service since 1948 which allows us 'free' access to heath service and health care. The rightwing keep trying to remove it because they can 'line their pockets' making money by introducing 'private' medicine and health care financed by rich insurance companies. Trouble is even the 'private' sector rely on NHS patients to keep them going by offering the NHS trusts to 'buy' medical 'care' in thier private hospitals, ie if they cant fill their beds with paying patients they offer the spare places to the NHS at high cost to the tax-payer, just to help keep private hospitals open. They usually solicit newly trained medical staff, trained by the NHS at the tax payers expence, to work for them, usualy by offering a higher salery than the NHS can offer. Weve see it in our Dentistry service were 'greedy' dental practitioners who were trained and paid by the NHS., fitted their treatment rooms out on national grants, then change to the 'private' sector, only taking on NHS patients when times (or finding private customers) are hard for them . I only hope your President can fulfil his American dream before some right wing nut, financed by some rightwing nutters do a 'Kennedy'.on him.

God bless the 'decent' people of the world!!

In America, Michael, your NHS system is referred to as "socialized medicine," "socialized" being the operative word that sends all the fear mongers proclaiming that a system of national healthcare is just another step towards socialism.  They're always referring to Democrats as "socialists" because they see them as too far left (and in some cases, they are correct).  But what the super right wing conservatives fail to see is that as far right as they are (meaning basically, survival of the fittest and the unfit be damned), they are only one step away from facism.

Agree with you on that Lancashire Love - there comes a point when the far left and the far right become the same.  Animal Farm, a novel written by George Orwell (who also wrote 1984) illustrates exactly that.  A quote from the novel:  All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others. 

No matter what, society will never be totally fair.  Sad, but true.