Is This World Mad ?

[trastrick]

11 hours ago, Anna B said:

Things have got a lot worse since the Pandemic. There is such a thing as mass hysteria and I think the way the pandemic was handled created it.  So mass psychosis is may well also be  a thing. I don't know what's happening to people, but mental health is a big worry for a very large number of people, to the point of an epidemic, and nothing is being done about it.

 

I've been around a long time, and seen most things before, and seen them somehow sort themselves out, so not too worried about most things, eg climate change etc. But the kids take everything so seriously and are scared witless about it, along with many other things.

 

There is no balance anymore. Neither are there any certainties, no bedrock underlying the social structures. Nobody with acceptable answers to age old questions. We've created a vacuum and an existential crisis.

 

We've done this to ourselves.  I can't see a way back, but we need to find one fast.

I'm afraid it's too late Anna.

 

Civilizations rise and fall, usually from forces within. These days we are on steroids, and it can happen virtually overnight, not centuries.(see U.S.S.R.)

 

There's only one answer, education, and open minds.

 

But the inmates have taken over the asylum,  in culture, academia, education, and politics.

 

Now the price must be paid, and the devil given his due.

Edited October 12, 2023 by trastrick

[Anna B]

4 hours ago, trastrick said:

I'm afraid it's too late Anna.

 

Civilizations rise and fall, usually from forces within. These days we are on steroids, and it can happen virtually overnight, not centuries.(see U.S.S.R.)

 

There's only one answer, education, and open minds.

 

But the inmates have taken over the asylum,  in culture, academia, education, and politics.

 

Now the price must be paid, and the devil given his due.

All probably true, but how has this been allowed to happen, in a 'democracy' and by supposedly intelligent well educated people who run these things...

[Chekhov]

1 hour ago, Anna B said:

All probably true, but how has this been allowed to happen, in a 'democracy' and by supposedly intelligent well educated people who run these things...

I am unsure just how "democratic" our "democracy" actually is these days.

More and more stuff is getting enacted (everything from Nett Zero bans to what you can even say any more) by a parliament where all the main parties support the same policies, which are not supported by the majority of the electorate.

This proves it :

 

 

The Times 14 Aug 23 (p8)

Parties urged not to fight over climate change action

A government adviser and former Shell economist [Steven Fries] has warned politicians against making climate change action into a "wedge issue".

"The UK has done a  very good job in keeping climate change and decarbonisation to be[ing] a cross party issue. It's very important that all political parties in the UK and elsewhere resist going down the path of turning this into a wedge issue or a divisive issue for society".

 

Translation : don't give the electorate a choice.

When I last checked up that was a dictatorship, not a democracy......

 

[RJRB]

3 hours ago, Anna B said:

All probably true, but how has this been allowed to happen, in a 'democracy' and by supposedly intelligent well educated people who run these things...

The democracy part is that the whole electorate get to choose who they put in control.

So the “intelligence” is with the electorate where those with an IQ of 150 have the same vote as those scoring much lower

Hardly a perfect system but better than some others.

It would be impractical to have referendums on every issue so most will find that they rarely get what they thought they voted for.

[Anna B]

13 hours ago, RJRB said:

The democracy part is that the whole electorate get to choose who they put in control.

So the “intelligence” is with the electorate where those with an IQ of 150 have the same vote as those scoring much lower

Hardly a perfect system but better than some others.

It would be impractical to have referendums on every issue so most will find that they rarely get what they thought they voted for.

And when all parties think the same, what choice is there?

More and more often the politicians of all colours are failing to reflect the wishes of the people.

 

[trastrick]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:57, Anna B said:

All probably true, but how has this been allowed to happen, in a 'democracy' and by supposedly intelligent well educated people who run these things...

It has happened because the average voting citizen has gradually been "educated" (bribed) to happily cede personal responsibility for his own care and feeding.

 

He is happy to let government to run his life, educate his children, to either provide a "decent job",  at "decent wages", or pay him a "living wage" on welfare, house him, provide his health care, and enact all manner of regulations to protect him from harming himself, or even offending others, by curtailing his free speech.

 

Protecting him from catastrophic global warming by 2100 is just one of the endless list of responsibilities, the overworked government has 

 

He demands evermore benefits and services from governments, which politicians are forced to promise in order to be elected.

 

Gradually his government, once his  "public servants" become his "master", and he loses control of his life and his destiny.

 

This happy arrangement, cannot be sustained however, because the government does not have the money to pay for it. Government makes up the difference by borrowing, against future generations not yet born, to keep everybody happy.

 

It starts to breakdown, when the National Debt exceeds the GNP, and is spiraling out of control, when the citizens are collectively taking out more from the system than they are putting in.

 

Already there are nations who's debt exceeds their GNP, and at some future point must rely on bail outs,  or fiscal discipline (Austerity, Rationing) to prevent runaway inflation and /or civil unrest.

 

There's the problem, and the solution, fiscal discipline, pay as you go, balance your budgets, like any household or business has to do.

 

But there's nobody around who dare propose such drastic measures, and the truth is, nobody really cares about what happens after they are dead.

 

So to enjoy the ride, while it lasts.

 

 

[Magilla]

3 hours ago, trastrick said:

There's the problem, and the solution, fiscal discipline, pay as you go, balance your budgets, like any household or business has to do.

 

But there's nobody around who dare propose such drastic measures, and the truth is, nobody really cares about what happens after they are dead.

 

So to enjoy the ride, while it lasts.

Imagine my complete surprise to find you lemanting the very things that have historically been a result of the ideology, and more recently the people, you champion:

 

Trump is reportedly not worried about a massive US debt crisis as he'll be out of office by then:

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-debt-crisis-fine-wont-be-here-report-2018-12

 

🙄🤣

 

[Anna B]

On 14/10/2023 at 07:18, trastrick said:

It has happened because the average voting citizen has gradually been "educated" (bribed) to happily cede personal responsibility for his own care and feeding.

 

He is happy to let government to run his life, educate his children, to either provide a "decent job",  at "decent wages", or pay him a "living wage" on welfare, house him, provide his health care, and enact all manner of regulations to protect him from harming himself, or even offending others, by curtailing his free speech.

 

Protecting him from catastrophic global warming by 2100 is just one of the endless list of responsibilities, the overworked government has 

 

He demands evermore benefits and services from governments, which politicians are forced to promise in order to be elected.

 

Gradually his government, once his  "public servants" become his "master", and he loses control of his life and his destiny.

 

This happy arrangement, cannot be sustained however, because the government does not have the money to pay for it. Government makes up the difference by borrowing, against future generations not yet born, to keep everybody happy.

 

It starts to breakdown, when the National Debt exceeds the GNP, and is spiraling out of control, when the citizens are collectively taking out more from the system than they are putting in.

 

Already there are nations who's debt exceeds their GNP, and at some future point must rely on bail outs,  or fiscal discipline (Austerity, Rationing) to prevent runaway inflation and /or civil unrest.

 

There's the problem, and the solution, fiscal discipline, pay as you go, balance your budgets, like any household or business has to do.

 

But there's nobody around who dare propose such drastic measures, and the truth is, nobody really cares about what happens after they are dead.

 

So to enjoy the ride, while it lasts.

 

 

I have to disagree with a lot of this. 

You talk as if it was all free.

You forget we pay a great deal in taxes so that the government can build infrastructure and provide services. Unfortunately it is not spent as wisely as it should be. 

 

Scandinavian countries have some of the best systems in the world and frequently come out top in world rankings, but their taxes are on the high side. That said, if you add in all the stealth taxes imposed on the British it probably isn't a great deal more than we pay but they get a great deal more for their money.

[trastrick]

4 hours ago, Anna B said:

I have to disagree with a lot of this. 

You talk as if it was all free.

You forget we pay a great deal in taxes so that the government can build infrastructure and provide services. Unfortunately it is not spent as wisely as it should be. 

 

Scandinavian countries have some of the best systems in the world and frequently come out top in world rankings, but their taxes are on the high side. That said, if you add in all the stealth taxes imposed on the British it probably isn't a great deal more than we pay but they get a great deal more for their money.

The simple reality is:

 

Government is spending more to provide the services and benefits to its population,  than they are bringing in, so they must continue to run up the National Debt to make up the shortfall.

 

The government is just writing blank cheques in the name of generations yet unborn, who have no say in the matter. This is a legalised Ponzi scheme, countenanced by a selfish population who demand their government give them ever more services and benefits, and frankly don't care where the money comes from.

 

The National Debt is rising exponentially, with no end in sight. This cannot continue, for obvious reasons, without severe consequences.

 

The present working population can not pay their own way, and the added burden of immigration just ensures that the consequences will come sooner, rather than later.

[Jack Grey]

3 minutes ago, trastrick said:

The simple reality is:

 

Government is spending more to provide the services and benefits to its population,  than they are bringing in, so they must continue to run up the National Debt to make up the shortfall.

 

The government is just writing blank cheques in the name of generations yet unborn, who have no say in the matter. This is a legalised Ponzi scheme, countenanced by a selfish population who demand their government give them ever more services and benefits, and frankly don't care where the money comes from.

 

The National Debt is rising exponentially, with no end in sight. This cannot continue, for obvious reasons, without severe consequences.

 

The present working population can not pay their own way, and the added burden of immigration just ensures that the consequences will come sooner, rather than later.

10 years of importing millions of people who take out more than they put in while millions of lazy unemployed claim benefits and hundreds of thousands more feckless claiming to be stressed or suffering from long COVID