Retired folks get too much benefit

[sparksburnout]

This subject has started to get to me recently so I thought I would air my views. Might be the area in which I live, it is wall to wall in very well off folks who have retired and are living the life of riley, while most young people are really struggling with one thing or another. I have first hand knowledge of some of them, all they had was run of the mill jobs, basic teachers, civil servants, power station "operatives" for example, and now have pensions that my kids will only dream of. Thing is, most of the ones I have talked to seem to think it is their god given right. Where I live you can't park on the street, it's full of them, parking their new cars so they can jump on the bus from the stop at the end of the road to go into town cos they all have free bus passes. How can that be right? They can easily afford to run a (new) car, but they get a free bus pass? One bloke in the pub the other night was bragging about how he had negotiated an 30% OAP discount at the gym, when I know for a fact he has 3 properties and is minted. Another one was telling him how he spent his winter fuel allowance on a pair of £350 wheels for his ROAD BIKE. This is all a massive joke in my opinion and should be stopped, I would be ashamed of myself if I took this money when I didn't need it, its basically taking money from other hard up people so these old farts can just enjoy themselves and they don't give a monkeys. Typical selfish old gits. And before anyone says it, no they have not "earned" the right to it, their generation is mostly the one that has got this country in the ****k mess it's in. Why are these benefits not means tested? How hard would it be to check on the DVLA database and say "Sorry matey, you own a car so you don't NEED a free bus pass"? No wonder the country is struggling, bloody old timers.......

 

[telectrix]

most will have paid into pension funds all their working lives, workplace pensions and/or private pensions. they certainly won't be able to afford new cars on a state pension alone.

 

[Rpa07]

Good post sparks, I take it that you are working tomorrow and haven't started the weekend yet!
You are right about most of those issue if not all. A lot of it should be means tested, that'll save some.
Winter fuel allowance should credit the fuel provider and not go into the OAP account as the other end of that scale is the Poor OAP, who doesn't spend it on fuel so she can buy the grandkids some presents that they don't need anyway and then goes and dies of hypothermia in the new year when it's coldest. Trouble is nothing is ever even - some fought hard for our freedom and don't ask for anything and some did b@gger all and expect it on the plate.
There is no doubt that that generation is the most fortunate as they may be sitting on a house worth loads now - downsize and have money left over. Fair play but unfair on some.
Have a good weekend

 

[sparksburnout]

Good post sparks, I take it that you are working tomorrow and haven't started the weekend yet!
You are right about most of those issue if not all. A lot of it should be means tested, that'll save some.
Winter fuel allowance should credit the fuel provider and not go into the OAP account as the other end of that scale is the Poor OAP, who doesn't spend it on fuel so she can buy the grandkids some presents that they don't need anyway and then goes and dies of hypothermia in the new year when it's coldest. Trouble is nothing is ever even - some fought hard for our freedom and don't ask for anything and some did b@gger all and expect it on the plate.
There is no doubt that that generation is the most fortunate as they may be sitting on a house worth loads now - downsize and have money left over. Fair play but unfair on some.
Have a good weekend

yes I realise there are some pensioners who genuinely need it, that makes it even worse. The thing that rankles with me is that these old sods have lived in the golden age but they won't realise the fact and just think it is their right to take take take off those who need the money more than they do.

 

[HandySparks]

Interesting point of view from sparksburnout. In some ways I agree. I don't see the point of reductions for OAPs for various venues when many OAPs have more disposable income than many working people.

The free bus pass, winter fuel allowance, free TV licence, different personal tax allowance if born before 1938, etc, are just other examples of government complicating things to appear generous to a particular section of voters. Let's just have an adequate, but not generous, state pension for everyone who's acquired enough NI contributions and then get rid of all the silly extras which just add to the cost of administration.

Same applies to the tax and benefits system in general. Much too complicated!

 

[sparksburnout]

most will have paid into pension funds all their working lives, workplace pensions and/or private pensions. they certainly won't be able to afford new cars on a state pension alone.

Or bought 1000's of utility shares at next to nothing and cashed them in for a fortune just cos they happened to work as a button presser for a well known power company, as in the case of a mate of mine. Some of these people had unbelievable pension schemes for doing relatively crap jobs, just like Greece, and now they get free this, that and the other on top, and than the old *****S sit in the pub and gloat about it, really winds me up.

 

[The Ghost]

The guy I just wired a house for is 73, and just gets £55.00 pound pension and nothing else. I know this because his daughter told me before you ask. He is able to claim more but cant be bothered and hes stubborn. Whereas upwardly mobile people seem to be getting everything going. I think thats the thing there is no help for that kind of guy to claim what not only is he due but would really benefit from it.

 

[GMES]

The Goverment has to take some of the blame as well though, I watched a piers morgan interview with Lord Alan Sugar last year and he was saying how stupid it was that every year he got a winter fuel allowance, he declined it every year and rightfully so, but My point is if they are stupid enough to not realise he doesn't need one then then they are automatically going to send them out to every pensioner.

 

[sparksburnout]

The Goverment has to take some of the blame as well though, I watched a piers morgan interview with Lord Alan Sugar last year and he was saying how stupid it was that every year he got a winter fuel allowance, he declined it every year and rightfully so, but My point is if they are stupid enough to not realise he doesn't need one then then they are automatically going to send them out to every pensioner.

Well there you go! How much dafter can you get, Alan Sugar getting a winter fuel allowance, and no doubt bus pass and free TV license. No wonder the country is in a mess. I wonder if anyone has still got any of those crap old Amstrad amplifiers???

 

[Rpa07]

"I wonder if anyone has still got any of those crap old Amstrad amplifiers???"

Ummmmh! But it's got a nice cabinet that my Shirley Bassey LPs stand up in!

 

[sparksburnout]

"I wonder if anyone has still got any of those crap old Amstrad amplifiers???"

Ummmmh! But it's got a nice cabinet that my Shirley Bassey LPs stand up in!

Your joking!!! I am going to look on Ebay........

 

[Silly Sausage]

Aye, there certainly appears to be a lot of discontent amongst young people these days.
Just to pick up on the Winter Allowance, agreed, it is ridiculous that 'rich' people get it, but it's one of these things that the means testing would cost more than it saves, a pointless exercise all round. I believe that some people donate their WAs to charity.
The people you mention bragging about stuff are basically selfish, greedy, ignorant pricks. If it wasn't that, it would be something else they'd be boring the living daylights out of everybody.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Ahh, the politics of envy.
It's not fair that they get looked after in retirement while youngsters have a hard time. The government should do something to stop them getting so much.

How about it's not fair that youngsters have a hard time. The government should do something to help youngsters?

 

[Midwest]

Means testing, sounds simple but perhaps not so;
Means Testing - National Audit Office (NAO) - https://www.nao.org.uk/report/means-testing/

 

[sparksburnout]

Ahh, the politics of envy.
It's not fair that they get looked after in retirement while youngsters have a hard time. The government should do something to stop them getting so much.

How about it's not fair that youngsters have a hard time. The government should do something to help youngsters?

Your missing the point Spin, they don't NEED looking after.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

I see the point as being take from them what they worked for.

 

[sparksburnout]

Means testing, sounds simple but perhaps not so;
Means Testing - National Audit Office (NAO) - https://www.nao.org.uk/report/means-testing/

No way! How hard is it to check on the database that already exists and determine that Mrs G Rumpy owns a 2015 Vauxhall Meriva (Standard old folk issue) and therefore does NOT need a bus pass, for a start. Also, if they can run a car, they probably don't need a free TV licence or WFA either for that matter??

 

[sparksburnout]

I see the point as being take from them what they worked for.

They didn't work, in run of the mill jobs, to enjoy free everything when they don't actually need it, while young people have their backs to the wall trying to get on the housing ladder that has spiralled out of control while said retired people have mostly contributed to the very mess that we are in now?

 

[Midwest]

No way! How hard is it to check on the database that already exists and determine that Mrs G Rumpy owns a 2015 Vauxhall Meriva (Standard old folk issue) and therefore does NOT need a bus pass, for a start. Also, if they can run a car, they probably don't need a free TV licence or WFA either for that matter??

Well the National Audit Office thinks it need some consideration, after all it takes one person to means test, another person to approve the payment and another to send the cheque. OR just one person to send a cheque

 

[sparksburnout]

Well the National Audit Office thinks it need some consideration, after all it takes one person to means test, another person to approve the payment and another to send the cheque. OR just one person to send a cheque

That's cos its full of old nearly retired farts.