Org Mobile Site
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...LEFTSecondNews
Man I thought social security was bad in this country. Leaving out the absurdity of retiring at 60 in this day and age, even with the upped retirement age, the pension system will still face a drastic shortfall which means that both cuts are needed and additional taxes are needed on already heavily taxed population. I'm not quite sure what exactly these people expect the government to do.
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Man I thought social security was bad in this country. Leaving out the absurdity of retiring at 60 in this day and age, even with the upped retirement age, the pension system will still face a drastic shortfall which means that both cuts are needed and additional taxes are needed on already heavily taxed population. I'm not quite sure what exactly these people expect the government to do.
You can retire whenever you like, even at 21. It is just a matter of having the money or not.
State pension on the otherhand have their limits, but for private pensions, go and have fun.
I personally don't believe in any limits, and in a sense, scrapping the forced-retirement age. There are those which are still happy to keep working and are discriminated against because of their age. However, for a state pension, there should be a limit.
State pension on the otherhand have their limits, but for private pensions, go and have fun.
I personally don't believe in any limits, and in a sense, scrapping the forced-retirement age. There are those which are still happy to keep working and are discriminated against because of their age. However, for a state pension, there should be a limit.
I'm confused. What exactly is a "minimum retirement age"?
Originally Posted by miotas:
I'm confused. What exactly is a "minimum retirement age"?
The lowest possible age you can retire, and start recieving benefits. If the French system is similar to our, the longer you wait, the larger pension you get.I'm confused. What exactly is a "minimum retirement age"?
So a minimum pension age? Minimum retirement age is a bit of misnomer. I think ours is 65, but there are plans to increase it in coming years.
French Civil Servants get 70% of their final salary for life. From 60.
Oddly, it used to be 65 in the 1980's. Then, seeing as how life expectancy was getting longer it was reduced by 5 years. A nice time bomb for later governments.
As a famous slum clearance activist said over 100 years ago when state pensions in the UK were first muted, state pensions destroy communities and remove the need for individual responsibility and thrift.
There should be no retirement age. Retire whenever you feel like it. The earlier you do it, the more money you'll need.
There should be no state pension (or an extremely limited one). Currently unless you have loads of money, saving for one's own pension first diminishes the state one. So you need to save a lot to make a difference to one's income.
There is no universal right to 20 years of relaxation. Some can afford it, some longer, some a lot shorter. That's reality. If you don't like it blame God.
Oddly, it used to be 65 in the 1980's. Then, seeing as how life expectancy was getting longer it was reduced by 5 years. A nice time bomb for later governments.
As a famous slum clearance activist said over 100 years ago when state pensions in the UK were first muted, state pensions destroy communities and remove the need for individual responsibility and thrift.
There should be no retirement age. Retire whenever you feel like it. The earlier you do it, the more money you'll need.
There should be no state pension (or an extremely limited one). Currently unless you have loads of money, saving for one's own pension first diminishes the state one. So you need to save a lot to make a difference to one's income.
There is no universal right to 20 years of relaxation. Some can afford it, some longer, some a lot shorter. That's reality. If you don't like it blame God.
The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat:
The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, hedonistic expression.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Dim lights; close curtain.The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, hedonistic expression.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
The scrapping of retirement and pension age is potentially a good idea. A graduated retirement schedule may result in overall cost savings.
Sadly it seems all persons in France view themselves as ruling elite - others should provide so they can go on doing what they want.
Farms inefficient? Charge more to the consumers? Well, they aren't going to pay for it... Subsidies!
Want to retire early and not work hard? Be less materialistic. Impossible! How else to pay for holidays / expensive foods / clothes / healthcare etc?
There is another option: retire early and then die early too. As Health Economists say, death is free.
If France lived within its means it does not need to join the Capitalist system which it purports to despise. It doesn't, so it whines that others aren't giving even more money willingly, the current subsidies only enough to prop up parts of the countryside.
I like my job. I enjoy the work. The people are interesting too. I look forward to gaining experience and standing. I look forward to working abroad to get new experiences. I would not be happy working for 20 hours a week and spending the rest of the time lying in the garden. I would be bored.
Farms inefficient? Charge more to the consumers? Well, they aren't going to pay for it... Subsidies!
Want to retire early and not work hard? Be less materialistic. Impossible! How else to pay for holidays / expensive foods / clothes / healthcare etc?
There is another option: retire early and then die early too. As Health Economists say, death is free.
If France lived within its means it does not need to join the Capitalist system which it purports to despise. It doesn't, so it whines that others aren't giving even more money willingly, the current subsidies only enough to prop up parts of the countryside.
I like my job. I enjoy the work. The people are interesting too. I look forward to gaining experience and standing. I look forward to working abroad to get new experiences. I would not be happy working for 20 hours a week and spending the rest of the time lying in the garden. I would be bored.
Cut the pensions of the civil servants; bring pensions of people working in the private sector at the same level as the pensions of the civil servants.
But yeah, I think you should be able to retire at 60 and have a state pension; maybe get a larger one if you keep working until 65 or so (or tax benefits if you keep working after you turned 60).
With all the modern technology we now have, we need less work force. It's absurd that people still have to work work work and those that don't work are considered to be lazy nitwits. The more progress we make, the less work force we need, so there simply is not enough work to keep everybody busy full time.
In my country, 434.748 people are currently unemployed. I refuse to believe that this are all lazy useless people. Yet, our government tries to sell to us that the age of retirment has to be set on 67 or 68 instead of 65. Why would I have to keep working my butt of until I reach 68 while there are so many people unemployed, most of them eager to find a job? It's absurd.
I think we need to rethink everything and need to get out of the frameworks we're so stuck in. This is 2010, not 1970.
It should be forbidden to work more than 4 days a week as long as there are so many unemployed people.
Those who have a job, should work less, earn less, enjoy their lives; those who don't have a job, need to get one, to regain self-esteem.
This is one of my pet peeves; so many people are jobless, yet they try to tell us we have to work harder, more and longer. I don't care about what statistics and studies you throw at me in an attempt to convince me that this isn't absurd. It is absurd, period.
But yeah, I think you should be able to retire at 60 and have a state pension; maybe get a larger one if you keep working until 65 or so (or tax benefits if you keep working after you turned 60).
With all the modern technology we now have, we need less work force. It's absurd that people still have to work work work and those that don't work are considered to be lazy nitwits. The more progress we make, the less work force we need, so there simply is not enough work to keep everybody busy full time.
In my country, 434.748 people are currently unemployed. I refuse to believe that this are all lazy useless people. Yet, our government tries to sell to us that the age of retirment has to be set on 67 or 68 instead of 65. Why would I have to keep working my butt of until I reach 68 while there are so many people unemployed, most of them eager to find a job? It's absurd.
I think we need to rethink everything and need to get out of the frameworks we're so stuck in. This is 2010, not 1970.
It should be forbidden to work more than 4 days a week as long as there are so many unemployed people.
Those who have a job, should work less, earn less, enjoy their lives; those who don't have a job, need to get one, to regain self-esteem.
This is one of my pet peeves; so many people are jobless, yet they try to tell us we have to work harder, more and longer. I don't care about what statistics and studies you throw at me in an attempt to convince me that this isn't absurd. It is absurd, period.
Originally Posted by rory_20_uk:
There should be no state pension (or an extremely limited one).
I agree. There should be no state pension (or an extremely limited one).
A man who has struggled to find work that pays much more than minimum wage, paid a mortgage (or if they are really unlucky - paid rent), raised children, etc
A woman who was widowed after raising children
A person who was unable to work due to illness.
These are the people who should by rights be roaming the streets begging. That'll make the place better and mean that us middle classes don't have to pay any more taxes. After all - there is that new ipad I want, and there's the new car we want.
For the hard of thinking amongst us:
A minimum state pension means one doesn't have to beg!
Perhaps that woman can get help from her children - or maybe get a job part time...
Only able to get a menial job? Good to see that the decade or so in school wasn't wasted. He should be showered with money for achieving nothing. After all, in areas of unemployment it'd be unfair to have to move. Best leave that to Eastern Europeans to do that sort of thing.
Widowed: Life insurance
"Unable" (odd that we have twice as many of these persons as France - must be the climate...) to work: Income insurance.
I agree. Since there are so many ways to better oneself and gain qualifications and ways to hedge against adversity that people don't take, I say we tax everyone to the hilt, employ a legion of people to give out benefits in a variety of ways (currently 51 with 800 pages of documents to help understand what is for what) as this will make society independent and self sufficient...
A minimum state pension means one doesn't have to beg!
Perhaps that woman can get help from her children - or maybe get a job part time...
Only able to get a menial job? Good to see that the decade or so in school wasn't wasted. He should be showered with money for achieving nothing. After all, in areas of unemployment it'd be unfair to have to move. Best leave that to Eastern Europeans to do that sort of thing.
Widowed: Life insurance
"Unable" (odd that we have twice as many of these persons as France - must be the climate...) to work: Income insurance.
I agree. Since there are so many ways to better oneself and gain qualifications and ways to hedge against adversity that people don't take, I say we tax everyone to the hilt, employ a legion of people to give out benefits in a variety of ways (currently 51 with 800 pages of documents to help understand what is for what) as this will make society independent and self sufficient...
Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat:
The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
That's all nice and good (I'd agree with you to some extent about most of the world being overworked), but France takes this to an EXTREME. You can't have a 35 hour work week, retirement at 60 with 70% of your salary, and five weeks vacation and be competive with the rest of the world. It simply does not work. With increased lifespan in developed nations, people are living longer. Unless you simply want to tax everyone at 60% of their income, there is simply is no way to afford this and stay competiive. Reality blows.The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Btw, it was the socialists who lowered the retirement age (seems logical right?). Well, one has to look at possible alterior motives. Allowing workers to retire, opens up jobs for others, reducing the umemployment rate. It seems more of a way of manipulating economic data that actually caring about the worker.
Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat:
The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Couldnt agree more.Well said Louis.The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Originally Posted by Ice:
That's all nice and good (I'd agree with you to some extent about most of the world being overworked), but France takes this to an EXTREME. You can't have a 35 hour work week, retirement at 60 with 70% of your salary, and five weeks vacation and be competive with the rest of the world. It simply does not work. With increased lifespan in developed nations, people are living longer. Unless you simply want to tax everyone at 60% of their income, there is simply is no way to afford this and stay competiive. Reality blows.
Btw, it was the socialists who lowered the retirement age (seems logical right?). Well, one has to look at possible alterior motives. Allowing workers to retire, opens up jobs for others, reducing the umemployment rate. It seems more of a way of manipulating economic data that actually caring about the worker.
Well the workers claiming the jobs of those retired create tax revenue as well. To me it is lot more important to make each citizen be somewhat productive, rather then host a large group of unemployed,while others are worked to death.That's all nice and good (I'd agree with you to some extent about most of the world being overworked), but France takes this to an EXTREME. You can't have a 35 hour work week, retirement at 60 with 70% of your salary, and five weeks vacation and be competive with the rest of the world. It simply does not work. With increased lifespan in developed nations, people are living longer. Unless you simply want to tax everyone at 60% of their income, there is simply is no way to afford this and stay competiive. Reality blows.
Btw, it was the socialists who lowered the retirement age (seems logical right?). Well, one has to look at possible alterior motives. Allowing workers to retire, opens up jobs for others, reducing the umemployment rate. It seems more of a way of manipulating economic data that actually caring about the worker.
I think minimum retirement ages should be scrapped. Either you have built up sufficient capital to live out the remainder of your life without working for pay; or you have not in which case you should probably continue working. (E.g retirement at 40 is unlikely for that same reason; whereas retirement at 60 may be quite plausible for some.)
Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat:
The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
2 weeks of vacation?The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Wow you French have it good
Well if retirement age should be scrapped.Why dont we force the children to work also? Those little nuisances only spend their days idle or in schools with tax payers money.This cant be tolerated!
The age of leaving school has been historically another technique to reduce unemployment by artificially reducing the workforce. 12, then 14, 16, 18, 21.
It is equally insane to leave children in school, not learning, not doing anything practical that they might enjoy to be discharged with a piece of paper that officially proves they are not academics.
Leaving school early does not preclude academic achievement later. One of the Partners who I work with left school at 16 to work in a lab. He's now done a BSc, a MSc and is a consultant in the field of microbiology.
It is equally insane to leave children in school, not learning, not doing anything practical that they might enjoy to be discharged with a piece of paper that officially proves they are not academics.
Leaving school early does not preclude academic achievement later. One of the Partners who I work with left school at 16 to work in a lab. He's now done a BSc, a MSc and is a consultant in the field of microbiology.
Originally Posted by rory_20_uk:
The age of leaving school has been historically another technique to reduce unemployment by artificially reducing the workforce. 12, then 14, 16, 18, 21.
It is equally insane to leave children in school, not learning, not doing anything practical that they might enjoy to be discharged with a piece of paper that officially proves they are not academics.
Leaving school early does not preclude academic achievement later. One of the Partners who I work with left school at 16 to work in a lab. He's now done a BSc, a MSc and is a consultant in the field of microbiology.
Yes lets put the 14 years old to sweatshops for 16 hours a day.What a grand idea!The age of leaving school has been historically another technique to reduce unemployment by artificially reducing the workforce. 12, then 14, 16, 18, 21.
It is equally insane to leave children in school, not learning, not doing anything practical that they might enjoy to be discharged with a piece of paper that officially proves they are not academics.
Leaving school early does not preclude academic achievement later. One of the Partners who I work with left school at 16 to work in a lab. He's now done a BSc, a MSc and is a consultant in the field of microbiology.
Let me know when you are up to debating the topic and not going off on one... 
Originally Posted by rory_20_uk:
Let me know when you are up to debating the topic and not going off on one...
I dont think there is enough common ground to debate with you on the subject.I find your notions disturbing in too many levels, to try and convince you otherwise.Let me know when you are up to debating the topic and not going off on one...
I agree. If "debate" includes giving examples using twice the average working day for adults in the UK then what is the point?
Originally Posted by Strike For The South:
2 weeks of vacation?
Wow you French have it good
The French take the saying “Living as God in France” literally, word for word. 2 weeks of vacation?
Wow you French have it good
@Kagemusha: The retirement age was invented in a day and age that pretty much everyone did start working early, the people at age 60 were actually really old and health&safety regulations not to mention mechanisation & automatisation were nowhere near what we have now. In other words, the good old days. Back on planet earth that meant you worked for about 40 - 50 years. Today that means you work about 30-40 years, and the yardstick of old age has been pushed well back to 80-90 years old.
Originally Posted by Kagemusha:
Yes lets put the 14 years old to sweatshops for 16 hours a day.What a grand idea!
Yes lets put the 14 years old to sweatshops for 16 hours a day.What a grand idea!
the meditteranean countries (greece, italy, spain and to a lesser degree france) will never be top dog becuase of this mindset of relaxation, early retirement, etc. However, worker ants as louis so eloquently stated are going to rule the world because they are more productive, like east asian nations.
Yeap, scrap the retirement age! Now, guys, when your 707 70 years old pilot will go in the cockpit, I hope you won’t get out the plane…
Or the high-speed train.
And don’t give me the health problem as an answer as the pre-supposed is nowadays we are fit to work until 75. That is why we have to work longer…
Mind you, who will hire a 60 years old carpenter?
NEWS: The problem with workers is they don’t die fast enough for the pension to get profitable…
Solutions: Stop ban smoking, low the price of alcohol, more fast food, less health and safety thingies, more salt.
Of course, the other way to tax not any more the workforce but taking in account the machines ad tools of production in the taxation will not be an option. Not in our Capitalistic world. Machines and invests are important, not the people.
Or the high-speed train.
And don’t give me the health problem as an answer as the pre-supposed is nowadays we are fit to work until 75. That is why we have to work longer…
Mind you, who will hire a 60 years old carpenter?
NEWS: The problem with workers is they don’t die fast enough for the pension to get profitable…
Solutions: Stop ban smoking, low the price of alcohol, more fast food, less health and safety thingies, more salt.
Of course, the other way to tax not any more the workforce but taking in account the machines ad tools of production in the taxation will not be an option. Not in our Capitalistic world. Machines and invests are important, not the people.
Louis, capitalism is like democracy, the worst form except for all of the others.
35 hour work week? Truly? I knew about the 5 weeks vac, but a 4 day week as well?
Typical salaried position in the USA is 45-55 hours/week, with higher numbers for most professionals. If you're looking to become one of those "horrid CEO" types at a major corp, plan on 60-70/week. Of course, once you reach CEO, you can kick back at about 45ish hours (as long as you remember you're on call 24-7-365.25.
35 hour work week? Truly? I knew about the 5 weeks vac, but a 4 day week as well?
Typical salaried position in the USA is 45-55 hours/week, with higher numbers for most professionals. If you're looking to become one of those "horrid CEO" types at a major corp, plan on 60-70/week. Of course, once you reach CEO, you can kick back at about 45ish hours (as long as you remember you're on call 24-7-365.25.
Originally Posted by Louis VI the Fat:
The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
Capitalism is not a winner takes all system. That's silly hyperbole. The French system is collapsing not because the rest of the world wants to work, but because their system is unsustainable even among themselves.The point of life is not to spend as much of it working as possible. The point is creative, human, emotional, aestethic, intellectual, hedonistic pursuit.
Economic growth and progress need to be geared towards that.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world is inhabited by worker ants who think people ought to work fourteen hours a day, six days a week, 50 weeks a year, from age five until death. This, its proponents triumphantly claim, means more production and thus is superior. They are right it allows for more economic production and bitterly, bitterly wrong in mistaking it for higher standard of living.
Unfortunately, capitalism is a winner takes all system. If your neighbour declines seeing his chiuldren grow up so he can slave his life away working, he wins all. Such is the nature of the rat race.
By it, the pinnacle of evolution, the creative ape, reduces itself to the level of the worker ant.
The simple fact of the matter is that they cannot pay for the benefits they have decreed for themselves. Those working cannot pay for the benefits of those not working. The rest of the world could be as
Originally Posted by :
It should be forbidden to work more than 4 days a week as long as there are so many unemployed people.
Good grief. So you would massively cut the amount of production, while forcing employers to hire more people and pay more just to maintain the same level of production? You think reducing the economic incentive to hire people will increase employment?It should be forbidden to work more than 4 days a week as long as there are so many unemployed people.
CR
Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh:
Louis, capitalism is like democracy, the worst form except for all of the others.
35 hour work week? Truly? I knew about the 5 weeks vac, but a 4 day week as well?
Typical salaried position in the USA is 45-55 hours/week, with higher numbers for most professionals. If you're looking to become one of those "horrid CEO" types at a major corp, plan on 60-70/week. Of course, once you reach CEO, you can kick back at about 45ish hours (as long as you remember you're on call 24-7-365.25.
I'd agree with this assessment. Public accountants work 40-50 hours during the non busy season, and anywhere from 50-70 hours during busy season. Big 4 (largest public accounting firms) work 50 hours year round, with busy season getting as high as 80.Louis, capitalism is like democracy, the worst form except for all of the others.
35 hour work week? Truly? I knew about the 5 weeks vac, but a 4 day week as well?
Typical salaried position in the USA is 45-55 hours/week, with higher numbers for most professionals. If you're looking to become one of those "horrid CEO" types at a major corp, plan on 60-70/week. Of course, once you reach CEO, you can kick back at about 45ish hours (as long as you remember you're on call 24-7-365.25.
Originally Posted by Crazed Rabbit:
Blabla
CR
The french system is collapsing no more than the american or british system. Last time I checked, you were the guys going to blow up the world economy because of your silly debts.Blabla
CR
Thread Ratings provided by
Thread Ratings (Lite) -
vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Single Sign On provided by vBSSO