I have the poweeeeerrrr!!!!!

[Gl3nn]

The dumping of milk in rivers or spraying it over fields doesn't bother me.

But if they block roads in Brussels and cause annoyance to thousands of people... that just gets me on the edge. People can protest...but if they cause people being late or unable to get to their work or children or whatever... that makes me mad.

About the divers... I don't know, but it's air-ish...

 

[mitchymo]

The dumping of milk in rivers or spraying it over fields doesn't bother me.

But if they block roads in Brussels and cause annoyance to thousands of people... that just gets me on the edge. People can protest...but if they cause people being late or unable to get to their work or children or whatever... that makes me mad.

About the divers... I don't know, but it's air-ish...

But it is such a waste. I don't drive so the roadblock issue does'nt bother me, its the amount of milkshake that could have been made lol

 

[EagleCowboy]

The extra tax would be worth funding such an ambitious project if it meant that people would have access to free food and drink.

People already have free access to food and drink if they grow it/do it themselves.

The industry can produce enough milk to meet national needs so why not replace the middle man (supermarkets) with the government.

Seems to me the industry already does that without the governments help. The problem with replacing the first man and middle man and going with all government is that if the government controls 100% of the food, they control you. Which is going to happen soon anyway. They'll just do it under the very friendly guise of "Oh, we're just here to help you".

 

[Viking_UK]

Thinking back to all the reports on rationing etc, I don't think that would be too bad an idea. OK, I wasn't around at the time, but supposedly the population was healthier in the post-war years than at any other time in history because they ate proper balanced diets and got some proper exercise rather than driving everywhere because fuel was rationed too.

Another thing I'd probably change is unemployment benefit - make it available everywhere for the first few weeks of unemployment while people are looking for work. Then, if they still haven't found a job, but want to retain their benefits, give them menial jobs to do for three days per week according to their health and fitness - which still gives them time to look for other jobs. It would cut council budgets for road sweeping, grass cutting, gutter cleaning and things like that dramatically and encourage people to get back into work before winter, not to mention get the lazy spongers to start contributing to society. People with genuine health problems would, of course, be exempt.

 

[mitchymo]

People already have free access to food and drink if they grow it/do it themselves.

I have no garden, how do i do it? And i don't have the time to run an allotment and don't earn enough to buy and maintain livestock.

Seems to me the industry already does that without the governments help. The problem with replacing the first man and middle man and going with all government is that if the government controls 100% of the food, they control you. Which is going to happen soon anyway. They'll just do it under the very friendly guise of "Oh, we're just here to help you".

They have power to do that in times of need anyway and the government is elected and answerable to the people. I don't get the level of distrust that some people have of their democratic leaderships.

Thinking back to all the reports on rationing etc, I don't think that would be too bad an idea. OK, I wasn't around at the time, but supposedly the population was healthier in the post-war years than at any other time in history because they ate proper balanced diets and got some proper exercise rather than driving everywhere because fuel was rationed too.

Another thing I'd probably change is unemployment benefit - make it available everywhere for the first few weeks of unemployment while people are looking for work. Then, if they still haven't found a job, but want to retain their benefits, give them menial jobs to do for three days per week according to their health and fitness - which still gives them time to look for other jobs. It would cut council budgets for road sweeping, grass cutting, gutter cleaning and things like that dramatically and encourage people to get back into work before winter, not to mention get the lazy spongers to start contributing to society. People with genuine health problems would, of course, be exempt.

This would be a great idea i reckon, certain to weed out those who genuinally want to work for their living and those who want to live without contributing.

 

[Gl3nn]

You're not going to let someone who went to unversity to become a manager or so do menial jobs. They're overqualified. It's not that they don't want to work, but I completely understand them not wanting to do such jobs.

 

[mitchymo]

You're not going to let someone who went to unversity to become a manager or so do menial jobs. They're overqualified. It's not that they don't want to work, but I completely understand them not wanting to do such jobs.

How arrogant is that exactly?

Urgh, its beneath me, like they don't shit too.

It would be a temporary thing until they got a job that suits them.

Why should taxpayers have to fund others simply because the right job for them is not available to them?

 

[whatireallywant]

They have power to do that in times of need anyway and the government is elected and answerable to the people. I don't get the level of distrust that some people have of their democratic leaderships.



This would be a great idea i reckon, certain to weed out those who genuinally want to work for their living and those who want to live without contributing.

I think that's an American thing, mainly... I'm an American but I'm fine with what you were suggesting. I think everyone should be guaranteed the basic necessities of life, and should be guaranteed jobs in order to obtain them (of course, as you said, people with disabilities would be exempt from the job requirement). As it is we have people here in America who are homeless, go without food, and either die because of inadequate health care or go bankrupt and lose their homes and everything else due to health problems because either they're uninsured or their insurance didn't cover their condition. That's inexcusable.

You're not going to let someone who went to unversity to become a manager or so do menial jobs. They're overqualified. It's not that they don't want to work, but I completely understand them not wanting to do such jobs.

How arrogant is that exactly?

Urgh, its beneath me, like they don't shit too.

It would be a temporary thing until they got a job that suits them.

Why should taxpayers have to fund others simply because the right job for them is not available to them?

I have two college degrees and I've worked plenty of "menial" jobs. I've done fast food, retail (including currently), assembly line factory work, and many others. There are, however, jobs I can't do.... even some of the supposedly menial/low paying ones. I was a spectacular failure as a nurse's aide - totally NOT cut out for that! But I don't see any job as "beneath" me. I would, of course, really like to find a job that paid a lot better and that would fit with my education level that way. But I do what I need to do in the meantime. (Of course, another gripe I have with the low paying jobs that I've had is that they did not have benefits - I just had to pay nearly $200 out of pocket to go to the doctor for the flu bug I have!)

 

[Viking_UK]

How arrogant is that exactly?

Urgh, its beneath me, like they don't shit too.

It would be a temporary thing until they got a job that suits them.

Why should taxpayers have to fund others simply because the right job for them is not available to them?

Absolutely. I've got two degrees and I've done all sorts of jobs just to keep money coming in. I was brought up to have some self-respect and I'd rather support myself in two lower-paid jobs than sit around watching daytime TV and sponge off the state.

There are thousands of university graduates doing bar, restaurant and cleaning jobs because they can't find work in their field. What's wrong with that? Should they all give up work and wait for the right job to come along? By the same token, what's wrong with asking someone to do some work in return for the benefits they receive? Aside from anything else, it's better for them personally on so many levels and it would also count in their favour when it comes to finding a better job. Who are you going to hire, the couch potato who's qualified but hasn't done anything for two years or the slightly less well qualifed person who's been working in a menial job for those two years? Personally, I'd rather work with the one who showed some drive and initiative than the little princess who was too good for any lesser job.


Anyway, moving on to another of my bugbears, I'd make sure that everyone was able to drive properly before they ever got a driving licence. I would also improve the public transport system so that there would be less need for people to use private cars. This is all so I can be in the only car on the road of course. I'm sick of being stuck behind some idiot who doesn't know how to drive, doesn't observe speed limits and brakes for even the slightest bend. They just take all the fun out of driving.

 

[mitchymo]

Anyway, moving on to another of my bugbears, I'd make sure that everyone was able to drive properly before they ever got a driving licence. I would also improve the public transport system so that there would be less need for people to use private cars. This is all so I can be in the only car on the road of course. I'm sick of being stuck behind some idiot who doesn't know how to drive, doesn't observe speed limits and brakes for even the slightest bend. They just take all the fun out of driving.

Well i don't drive so what I would like to see is a special lane added on to motorways made for dodgem cars like in the fair! No licence needed and faster access than on bicycle, open air, fun road rage....:biggrin1: well its a dream :smile:

 

[Viking_UK]

Well i don't drive so what I would like to see is a special lane added on to motorways made for dodgem cars like in the fair! No licence needed and faster access than on bicycle, open air, fun road rage....:biggrin1: well its a dream :smile:

So does that mean I could come up behind you and bump?:biggrin1:

 

[Gl3nn]

How arrogant is that exactly?

Urgh, its beneath me, like they don't shit too.

It would be a temporary thing until they got a job that suits them.

Why should taxpayers have to fund others simply because the right job for them is not available to them?

I didn't mean it's 'beneath' them, I just mean that they're not good at such jobs. I know plenty of people (me included) who are bad at such jobs because they've never done something like that, but they can however do jobs that require a degree of some sort. That's what I meant with overqualified.

Not that arrogant...

 

[B_hungprepjock]

I'm a little late in replying to this most excellent thread, and even now I don't know if I have the Mods permission to do so, but I also don't want to be perceived as either a lurker or a troll, so I'll just close my eyes and hope this post goes through, and no one thinks it's irrelevant...

Vis-å-vis the observation someone made many posts ago about the wastefulness of the French farmers who demonstrated their discontent with the government's milk price controls by dumping their milk on the fields, it's my distinct impression this is not so much wasteful as just a French thing. It comes from that bloody-minded, revolutionary song they sing every time they demonstrate, or march, about anything, La Marseillaise The relevant part
goes, as follows:

Aux armes citoyens!
Formez vos bataillons
Marchons marchons!
Qu'un sang impur
Abreuve nos sillons

That is to say, 'Let us march!/ That their impure blood [the milk, in this case]/ Should water our fields.'

Å nous la liberté! Un film de René Clair

 

[Gl3nn]

You can post whenever you like, prep, no problem.

While an interesting link between the two... I don't know whether it's really that. It could just be a way of protest. Just pouring milk in the river without meaning to use the marseillaise. But...it's possible!