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make some tough decisions In 2006 I flagged a plea to raise the age of universal superannuation entitlement by three months every year till reaching 70 years in 2020 beginning in 2008. I remain convinced this should have happened. John Leadley free contraception availability has done little to lower the number of children born out of wedlock and consequent drain on the welfare system. Just another example that there is little correlation between action and
consequence. Is it coincidence that unemployment numbers are highest in areas where benefit payments form most of the family income? The system is geared to breeding. Of all the missed opportunities for reform the one that most sticks in my craw is John Key’s total “head in the sand” attitude to continuation of Universal Superannuation for all at age 65. It is not rocket science to reason that with improving health services, increasing life expectancy and greater numbers over 65 years of age, the current scenario cannot be continue in the medium to longer term. Additionally many employers will attest that senior staff are often the most productive and reliable. With extended education and overseas travel many young people, aided by government
loans are not in the taxpaying work force till age 22 to 25, a far cry from the situation when National Superannuation was introduced. It is a sad commentary on the welfare state that many employers prefer the work ethic of senior employees and migrant workers when taking on new staff. There is no doubt that welfare benefits have transitioned from being a safety net for those genuinely unemployed due to physical or mental disability; to an alternate lifestyle for those whose major problem is attitude and lack of motivation. In 2006 in this column I flagged a plea to raise the age of universal superannuation entitlement by three months every year till reaching 70 years in 2020 beginning in 2008. I remain convinced this should have happened. Surely with later entry to the
workforce it’s not unrealistic to exit later. Many folk already give ample evidence that the most productive years of life can come after age 60. Simply look at the huge number of volunteers whose efforts play an important role in holding the fabric of this great Ashburton District together in the fields of health, welfare, education and community safety. Without their skill, knowledge and dedication many aspects of community welfare would founder. With increasing life expectancy, a more active lifestyle, greater personal responsibility at all ages, there is an opportunity to target areas of greater need in the welfare system. This is surely desperately overdue. Mr Key and friends, Kiwisaver or not, the status quo for national superannuation into
the future is quite simply unaffordable. It’s time to grasp the realities of the situation. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation. It surely is time for some hard decisions.
‘Let us take your WASTE away’
T 03 688-5669 M 0274-377-087 F 03 684-4880 FP 0800 155-669 E sjallen_timaru@xtra.co.nz
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Industrial liquid waste disposal Septic and holding tank cleaning Grease trap and sump cleaning CCTV inspections and logging High pressure waterblasting Farm effluent removal and spreading Silo Cleaning STMS Traffic Management Drain cleaning Hydro Excavation Effluent Stirrer Hire Confined Spaces Working at Heights Concrete Cleaning
7-17 Redruth Street, P O Box 3003, Timaru 7943
Case IH 2388 Axial Flow $POA
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Graeme Moore 0274 332 585 and Johnny Walker 0272 643 700
Case IH 2188 Axial Flow, 3 available $POA
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