thanks spindoc you say it so well.

Wow, thanks spindoc.

Your little rant validated my post perfectly.

It's not often that my efforts are rewarded so quickly.

Incidentally, while I am here:

>>That we are a “cause” of “your” troubles, your “grief” at the lack of a “solution”, that Climate change is an “issue”, that “we” are sitting on our “laurels” and from your high and mighty eminence “we” are all in it “together”?<<

I had a good chuckle at this, visualizing you sitting there making those bunny-ear quote signs in the air as you wrote that sentence.

Hi Paddy,

This affordability issue in it’s many guises of seniors healthcare and pensions is a complete distraction.

We hear so many iterations of this line and it is purely based on envy.

In any other situation other entities that failed to financially cover their forward liabilities would find themselves exposed to a number of regulatory actions.

The fact is that as a nation we have failed to generate enough reserves to properly fund liabilities for every form of healthcare, retirement pensions and aged care. It’s not like we are suddenly living longer after retirement, we’ve had generations of advanced notice.

Some earlier generations did what they knew the government was incapable of doing, growing the economy, paying off debt and saving for and investing in retirement and private health. In so doing those generations grew the national economy for the benefit of all.

Current generations on the other hand live for today. They earn big but spend big, don’t accrue assets, don’t save and don’t prepare ahead financially.

Then they see the national government doing the same, shrinking the economy, spending beyond their means, building the national debt and paying horrendous interest on borrowings.

They know full well that by the time they get to retirement age there will be sod all left in the pot and they are right.

So what do they do? They bitch, carp and whine and get envious at those who worked hard, built the economy, saved, prepared for retirement and planned ahead.

This generation then has the audacity to tell us that we are not done yet, we need to help to fix their problems, to re-engage, pay extra taxes out of our fixed retirement incomes, “we need to get up, get engaged, get involved”.

The attitudes, values and beliefs of the last three generations have screwed the economy, the education system, political prudence, pensions, aged care, and forward planning. They did this because they live for today, run on cash flow and satisfaction of the immediacy. The legacy previous generations left them has been spent.

Tough titties, get a mirror

You're a hard man spindoc.

I'm not sure people were so different back born in the 1930s. Their historical experience was different, which toughened them up but the fact they could buy a house for 2000 quid was an asset todays young people don't have.

A house now cost upwards of $500,000 (if lucky) and the price in Sydney and Melbourne keeps going up through no fault of their own. Blame the Chinese? Blame Boomer speculators or Superfunds? Beats me.

I could easily make a stereotypical case for the Boomers who failed to save, retired too early, smoked, drank and took drugs so that we'll be carrying their cancer, diabetes and depression treatments for the next 30 years. Unless of course you lump the Boomers in their too.

While I work in population dynamics and generational change, I don't put heaps of credence that GenY is like this or that the Boomers are like that. People are different, but pretty much the same - if you get my meaning.

I rather liked Alanta's enthusiasm. She writes well and had a good turn of phrase.

Ah Pericles,

So good to see you rise to the burley. It has been a long time. If my memory serves me correctly, 2,488 years since you were a general in Greek society. Doesn’t this wonderfully describe your Monica and its relevance in today’s society.

I remain in awe at the capacity of the “intelligentsia’ to pick up the wrong end of the stick. (An English idiom meaning to get something wrong by one's approach by making stupid assumptions.)

In your case not only a stupid assumption, but you credited my post with the comments made by the author herself, Alanta in her article. Try reading rather than feeling Percolate.

Don’t worry, we know you “feel rather than read” so no further harm done to what is left of your comprehension or credibility.

What I was particularly fascinated by was the incisive and analytical response you offered.

It is a long time since OLO’ers have experienced the cutting intellect behind such statements as “Your little rant validated my post perfectly” or “I had a good chuckle at this, visualizing you sitting there making those bunny-ear quote signs in the air as you wrote that sentence”.

Particularly since these comments were based on your inability to actually read and comprehend. You actually thought I had written this rather than the author.

So we now know you had a good chuckle, we also know you don’t read, you just feel, we know you see yourself as an elite, patronizing and a 2,400 year old intellectual who unfortunately can’t actually read. (The Greeks could and you are 2, 400 years behind them).

It is very sad (for you), that so much intellectual content has been offered on this thread, yet you appear to be one of the self styled “intellectuals” that lacks the capacity to actually read, think or comprehend. (unlike the ancient Greeks). You must therefore be? Bear with me Pustules, I’m’ trying to come up with it!

Thinking, thinking, thinking….. Ah yes, I’ve got it. The word I as was looking for was “a progressive”.

So this is what passes for reasoned argument in Generation X? Well, that explains a lot...