bbmac
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There is a perverse irony to human nature in that of all the advances we make, fall into 3 main categories
a. Health/medicine...ie keeping each other alive longer and in better health
b. Communication.....ie being better/more easily able to communicate and understand each other's culture.
and
c. Weaponry.......ie better weapons/warefare with which to kill each other.
It is perhaps hopeful that two of these are positive, and it could be argued that weaponary is a deterrence making those that might want to wreak havoc on an individual/group or country think twice. There is probably no doubt that the policy of detante in the cold war and the fear of what became known as MAD (mutually assured desctruction) prevented an all out conflict between the nato allies and the warsaw pact, led by the USA and USSR superpowers. That said The Usa's experience with the constitutionally enshrined right to bear arms probably disproves this argument when applied to individuals. The recent phenomenon of Islamic extremism probably also disproves this argument when applied to groups.
In the Uk, for all the advances made people appear no more content/happier with less individual security as life appears to get harder.
As an example, despite the fall in headline crime figures, the fear of crime remains high, with this stupid labour govt ministers failing to understand this feebly quoting that overall crime has fallen, thus deservedly missing oit on any dividend associated with this overall fall. As a further example in 1975 the average mortgage payment accounted for just 23% of the main earner's income, in 2006 this had risen to 84% of the main earner's income, with lenders now offering up to 6 x incomes versus the standard 2.5 times plus second earner seen in the late seventies/eighties.
25yrs ago it was the common belief that we would have more leisure time and that we would retire earlier. Now govts have/are seriously considering increasing the state retirement age.
My question is this, what's to be done??
a. Health/medicine...ie keeping each other alive longer and in better health
b. Communication.....ie being better/more easily able to communicate and understand each other's culture.
and
c. Weaponry.......ie better weapons/warefare with which to kill each other.
It is perhaps hopeful that two of these are positive, and it could be argued that weaponary is a deterrence making those that might want to wreak havoc on an individual/group or country think twice. There is probably no doubt that the policy of detante in the cold war and the fear of what became known as MAD (mutually assured desctruction) prevented an all out conflict between the nato allies and the warsaw pact, led by the USA and USSR superpowers. That said The Usa's experience with the constitutionally enshrined right to bear arms probably disproves this argument when applied to individuals. The recent phenomenon of Islamic extremism probably also disproves this argument when applied to groups.
In the Uk, for all the advances made people appear no more content/happier with less individual security as life appears to get harder.
As an example, despite the fall in headline crime figures, the fear of crime remains high, with this stupid labour govt ministers failing to understand this feebly quoting that overall crime has fallen, thus deservedly missing oit on any dividend associated with this overall fall. As a further example in 1975 the average mortgage payment accounted for just 23% of the main earner's income, in 2006 this had risen to 84% of the main earner's income, with lenders now offering up to 6 x incomes versus the standard 2.5 times plus second earner seen in the late seventies/eighties.
25yrs ago it was the common belief that we would have more leisure time and that we would retire earlier. Now govts have/are seriously considering increasing the state retirement age.
My question is this, what's to be done??
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That's why they are delaying the pension. I got a new tv this week. It was accompanied by a technician and a 60 year old humper. I said to the techie, who was 30 years younger than the humper, "If he drops that you needn't take it out of the box, I don't want it".
