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Hundreds of thousands strike in UK over pension cuts

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Japan and US are on the way to Join UK and Greece to balance the budget. It is coming.......

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The unions want their money regardless of whether or not it bankrupts the Unite Kingdom - of course they are on strike!

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Oh I hope they cut the teachers paypackets here-well not really-but that would discourage an increase in tenfold English bullys surely.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Oh I hope they cut the teachers paypackets here-well not really-but that would discourage an increase in tenfold English bullys surely.

I really hope they do cut teachers pay here. A lot of English teachers get a load of money for doing just about nothing. Having lower pay might make some of them get proper jobs.

The UK spends too much money on the military etc, and not enough on it's own people.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

ill sayit, I am not sure what you actually said or meant...(?) "discourage an increase in 10-fold English bullys (sic)".

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@MrDog: here are the facts: 2012 UK Budget Pensions: 126 billion pounds (or about 18% of the entire budget) Health care: 125 billion pounds (or about 18% of the entire budget) Welfare: 116 billion pounds (or about 16% of the entire budget) TOTAL: 367 billion pounds UK Defense budget: 48 billion pounds (or about 6% of the entire budget)

So you want the government to spend more on the people? Seems like they get plenty of "handouts" already...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So you want the government to spend more on the people? Seems like they get plenty of "handouts" already...

Just where do you think the government gets its money from? And if not on the people, how do you think the government should spend that money?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

The Welfare State is on the ropes. Wake up and smell the pavement.

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Just where do you think the government gets its money from? Wake up and smell the ink! Governments get money from printing presses! Taxing "the people" makes up approx 60% of all government revenue. That barely covers pensions, healthcare and welfare.

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Taxing "the people" makes up approx 60% of all government revenue. That barely covers pensions, healthcare and welfare.

So, you're saying that the "handouts" people get are actually paid for by the people. And so, if their taxes "barely" covers pensions, healthcare and welfare, the government should be giving more money to those areas, rather than silly wars.

They go warring all over the place to enforce democracy, when every day, the democracy in their own country gets weakened. Hypocrisy?

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

The Welfare State is on the ropes. Wake up and smell the pavement.

Yes, get back to work, all of you!! *sound of whip cracking

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

might make some of them get proper jobs.

Why isn't teaching English in Japan a "proper job"? It pays my family's bills.

Out of curiosity, what would be a "proper job" then?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Out of curiosity, what would be a "proper job" then?

A job that takes more than just being foreign to get/keep.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

If the UK Government can afford to allow Vodafone to not pay 6 BILLION pounds in tax, then it can afford to pay the nurses and teachers of the country.

We are all in this together, says Cameron. My blinking ringpiece we are.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

lazy gits

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"The UK spends too much money on the military etc, and not enough on it's own people." What country does the UK recruit its military from?

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"The UK spends too much money on the military etc, and not enough on it's own people." What country does the UK recruit its military from?

I don't know what point you are trying to make there, but whatever it is, I'm sure it's wrong.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

A job that takes more than just being foreign to get/keep.

Being a native English speaker is just one requirement.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Let's talk about cutting wastful spending over the J. Gov first Let's make it smaller.

Government is not a solution, rather government has been a problem in Japan that is filled with non producers..

As a matter of fact, the Nerima Ward of Tokyo itself currently has 75 municipal lawmakers who produce nothing at all. Let's cut bureaucrats, politicians and teachers who are not qualified to stay on payrolls.

I would like to see annual testings performed to these people. If they failed, discard them to keep the government lean and healthy. The "amakudari" system should be banned. These jobs need to be publicly posted to find the best of best who are well qualified to serve for the best interest of public.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Seems like teachers and health care workers in the UK don't get it. Even though they have devoted their working lives to areas with relatively low pay but reasonable benefit provision, they seem to think that having contributed to pension funds that gives them some kind of right to expect the money to come back to them later. Don't they realize how important it is that the government spend large portions of the national budget on shoring up hedge fund brokers, investment bankers, and other gamblers? Teachers, nurses, and other state employees should be happy to see their retirement plans going towards rescuing the unfortunate bad luck of the "wealth creators".

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Privatise profit. Socialize loses. 101 Capitalism.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Japan is not even similar to the UK, Greece, and US. Japan is still industrialized and is a CREDITOR nation.

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This is exactly why I hate the idea of public unions. It's never a good idea to give a single group of public employees the ability to strike and grind an entire part of society to a halt. For those nations that haven't collapsed yet it's time to put some serious consideration to privatizing our systems, and there can be no sacred cows.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If a government is broke then all people have to make sacrifices. The union members/thugs in the UK don't realize this. I praise Allah that Japan isn't a nation of people screaming "Me! Me! Me! Mine! Mine! Mine!"

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The problem with privatization, at least here in the US, is that the private sector charges multiple times more than the public sector for any service.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Japan is not even similar to the UK, Greece, and US. Japan is still industrialized and is a CREDITOR nation

Jeff, I understand what you say here, right, Japan is still a creditor nation. But how about a debt/GDP ratio in the past 10 years. It is pathetic!! Japan needs to work harder to balance the budget.

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Debt to GDP really doesn't matter as much as debt to assets. The Japanese government has around 700 trillion yen in various assets. I would suggest that Japan cut foreign aide. 29% of Japan's budget is supposedly foreign aide.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I would suggest that Japan cut foreign aide. 29% of Japan's budget is supposedly foreign aide.

jJeff, is Japan still sending aide to China? I am not up to all the info on this issue. Thanks.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The problem with privatization, at least here in the US, is that the private sector charges multiple times more than the public sector for any service.

Well actually, thats frequently not true. In point of fact the private sector is almost always more efficient, and thus it costs them less to do the same work. Meaning, they can frequently charge less as well. The primary difference is where the money comes from. Public sector comes from the taxpayers, while private sector means only those who use the service end up paying for it.

In Arizona, where I'm from, theres a huge deal about privatizing the parks. The fact of the matter is, the government can't afford to run them, whereas if they let a service company run them, and charge user fees, it would become a source of income for them rather then just a drain on the revenue. However people see, parks, privatization, and think bad thoughts. Which really is just sad.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

MolenirJul. 02, 2011 - 08:20AM JST. Public sector comes from the taxpayers, while private sector means only those who use the service end up paying for it. In Arizona, where I'm from, theres a huge deal about privatizing the parks. The fact of the matter is, the government can't afford to run them, whereas if they let a service company run them, and charge user fees, it would become a source of income for them rather then just a drain on the revenue. However people see, parks, privatization, and think bad thoughts. Which really is just sad.

But the idea of revenue generating ability as a means of escaping closure raises an interesting point. The money saved represents only a tiny fraction of what is needed to eliminate a budget deficit. It seems extraordinarily unlikely that closing parks will have a material effect on Arizona's financial crisis. Most parks generate revenue. A few generate quite a lot. Wouldn't it be smarter to trim back some of the services, so at least those parks could operate on a break-even basis, rather than just closing them rather than sub contract to service company? Aside from the fiscal realities of closing parks, what about the philosophical reasons the parks were created in the first place? What happened to the plan of protecting and preserving the environment for all to enjoy? Many of the parks targeted for closure are the end result of years of private-sector contributions, including literally thousands of volunteer hours. Should we consider throwing that all away to save a tiny fraction of the state budget? When times are bad, folks need the peace and solace a park provides. The parks is being systematically dismantled by spineless lawmakers focused on their own political needs, and the taxpaying public be damned. That must change.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I've always heard bad things about privatization, such as privatized prisons abusing prisoners. However, if they can indeed make things more cost effective (humanely of course) then privatization would be worth it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

However, if they can indeed make things more cost effective (humanely of course) then privatization would be worth it.

Jeff, TEPCO is a bad example of privatization of public infrastructure.

As someone said it before on JT, let's make a profit by privatizing it until bad things happen. And let's change it back to the government to take care of the mess, right? I hope you are not talking about TEPCO here.

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What happened to the plan of protecting and preserving the environment for all to enjoy?

Yep, sfjp330, you are with me on this. I am willing to pay to keep all the parks to be safe and clean, but not for a profit. This is the 4th of July weekend, so I am posting my favorite song just in case you are a far away from home.

This land is your land, this land is my land

From California to the New York Island

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters

This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway

I saw above me that endless skyway

I saw below me that golden valley

This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps

To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts

While all around me a voice was sounding

This land was made for you and me.

When the sun came shining, and I was strolling

And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling

A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,

This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land, this land is my land

From California to the New York Island

From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters

This land was made for you and me.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

The age of entitlement is coming to an end. These people can go Greek in the streets but it ain't gonna change things.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Britain's huge deficit, swollen after the government spend billions bailing out foundering banks"

Have those responsible for that fiasco been thrown in jail yet?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Wouldn't it be smarter to trim back some of the services, so at least those parks could operate on a break-even basis, rather than just closing them rather than sub contract to service company?

The problem is that many cities and states need to start taking in more money than they're sending out to pay back their debt. Break-even may have cut it a few years ago when the problem was just starting to rear its ugly head but it's gotten to the point where any program that isn't generating tangible gains should be brought to the table for privatization.

I've been to a few private parks. Several exist around Detroit now and I've been to some in Japan and Korea as well. I bought a year round pass to a few that I frequent and normally they only run about twenty-five hundred yen, and that's for a non-resident I think the resident fee is about half that. I use the park, I pay for the park. I think that sounds fair.

Should we consider throwing that all away to save a tiny fraction of the state budget?

Whether it's the U.S, Japan, Greece, the UK, or any other nation in the economic hot seat there can be no exemptions. Every policy, every program, every grant and yes parks need to go up for review. The best route would be to find the programs that are losing money and offer them up to private companies through a lease or some other arrangement. If nobody takes the program it should be cut and sold.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Age of entitlement? I have Cerebral Palsy, should I be left to starve in the streets because I can't work a full-time job?

Globalwatcher, no I'm not talking about TEPCO. Personally, I've never heard of a successful act of privatization, but right-wingers claim it's the solution to every nation's budget problems, I seriously have doubts, though.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@QJeffrey Duelley

Age of entitlement? I have Cerebral Palsy, should I be left to starve in the streets because I can't work a full-time job?

If the government only cared for those that are truly unable to care for themselves then Conservatives would be quite content. The point is that governments have become so Socialist that the vast majority of those receiving some benefit or other are perfectly capable of caring for themselves and their own families. No system of government can long sustain itself in this manner. I ask you this, when a government defaults on it's soveriegn debts, what will become of the truly needy in the ensuing social chaos? Best of luck to you; I also hope that you have family, friends, and are in touch with charitable organization(s) that are able to help provide for your needs. No person truly in need should suffer from neglect.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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