Comments on: Vampires of Time

By: The Astral Pilgrim

The Astral Pilgrim — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:13:20 +0000

I very much agree that the economy cannot manage the current level of benefit that is being passed out. The problem in that area is a full understanding of the benefit system and a rethinking of defining those who are in need, and those who are in receipt of a ‘benefit’ taking it in its literal term. For example, there are a whole host of people who are in genuine need of help – those with a physical or mental disability, the elderly and infirm and those who are also actively seeking employment. The drain on the system is not these people – the drain on the benefit system is in fact those who you claim are the ones suffering from it and therein lies the irony.

Child benefit is claimed by every single parent in the country for each child they have up to the maximum of 3 children, after that there is no more. Now because the government all those years ago in its wisdom thought that poorer families would not take the benefit for fear of being stigmatised they made it available to everyone – it is the most ludicrous attempt at poverty alleviation this government has every attempted. Some may think that the amount given in child benefit is nominal but in fact it eqautes to over half the income of one person on job seekers allowance. If you have two children you get more than a person on jobseekers allowance and with three children even more. Right there is the true drain on the system – everyone from breadline families to multi millionaires are in receipt of it. The output of child benefit is 417% that of all other benefits and yet this issue continues unabated.

There are also many other benefit drains on the system – such as pensioners who still receive their winter fuel allowance when they are living in their second home in spain, fathers receiving working families tax credit up to 6 months after the breaking of a home are but of a few of the others.

In the end I agree completely, those with cap in hand are a drain on the system, but those who have their cap filled for them even without needing it are killing the system.

By: Sister Ann Dudley-Contrasse

Sister Ann Dudley-Contrasse — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:45:24 +0000

The economy is stretched by those who have cap in hand. They claim. The total Income Tax paid by the workers does not cover the cost for those on Benefit. If you are on benefit and are able to contribute then you should do so, for if I (tax-payer) became you and all of us did, then we, together with you, will have an empty cap… wheres the money gonna come from!????????

By: HAROLD HELLIMSZAR

HAROLD HELLIMSZAR — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:41:28 +0000

Maybe the world sat too long thinking is lacking the urge to work and spend.

By: Astral Pilgrim

Astral Pilgrim — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:23:26 +0000

Another thing you can take a loo is the Zeitgeist movement and the proposed shift to a resource based economy. As an artist I imagine this concept would strike a note with you. The pursuit of creative expansion within society being one of it’s ultimate goals

http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com

and thanks for taking the time to come visit my blog. I look forward to your input.

Blessings

Daniel

By: Arlene

Arlene — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:51:20 +0000

Very nice blog Daniel. Thanks for inviting me. This article hits too close to home. it has become almost impossible to be an artist any more unless you strive for fame just to make enough money to be able to do it. Sean’s #1 ideas is wonderful but in USA it smacks of the dreaded socialism — of course THAT is the entitlement of the rich!

By: Daniel Yates

Daniel Yates — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:15:00 +0000

I like the sound of point 1 – I will look more into that.

By: Seán

Seán — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Stop blogging so damn fast man, I can't keep up!

Anyway - and probably for the first time ever - I agree with you completely. This is why I believe in and advocate two attempts at solution:

1. The Basic Income or National Dividend system.
I'm not economically educated enough to go into any real details - I'll leave that to the experts - but the basic premise is very simple. Everyone gets an allowance slightly above the cost of living. If they want more, they can go out and earn it. If they don't, then fine!
It would lead to pointless, highly-paid jobs (financial planner for instance) becoming no more than hobbies, while necessary work (bin man, cleaner, farm labourer) becoming paid at the rate that they're really worth.
There's a lot more to the system than this taster, but it's worth research.

2. Self-education in marketing methods.
The reason people work so much is that (particularly in the US and Britain) we've swapped greater work effiency for consumption instead of leisure. Certain extremely clever and cynical people used highly efficient methods to persuade us to consume more (and so spend their time to work more).
People need TO SEE THE FNORDS!

Once people have broken the chains that tie them to consumerism their bag of temporal currency will belong to them rather than the people they promised it to. They will have the leisure to think, act, create for themselves if they want to. They could spend all that time watching porn and drinking whiskey if they wanted to, what would it matter?

Control of our time is control of our minds. Consider how many of our most creative and successful heroes spent long periods "languishing on the dole".
Note also how our PM, Mr Brown is pushing the "Full Employment" agenda again. Why - because a population too busy working and buying things is a population too busy to think.

Who's cynical?

Love,
Seán