So students and OAPs marched in their thousands on the Dail today.
The medical card business has already been taken care of, more or less. Regarding the student protest, I just got a bit of a bollocking off Phantom texters there when I suggested that the reason they won't get their way is that they don't vote as much as OAPs, so politicians won't give a fuck what they want.
Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the reintroduction of fees. There's no way the government is going to go ahead with that now after this medical card fiasco.
Personally, I think there should be a means test for medical cards. I don't see why a certain percentage of pensioners who are wealthy should have free health care. If you are rich and you can pay for it, then pay for it, and let the people who need it more get free health care.
It's the same with education. If you are Loaded McRichFace, say if your folks have a combined income of €150,000 a year or something, then why should you be allowed ping pong around various arts courses at the expense of the tax payer? The grants system should be scrapped and made more transparent so rich self-employed folk (aka farmers) can't diddle it. And students should stop complaining about not having enough money for food 'n' books etc considering the majority of students (myself included back in the day) spend most of their money on booze.
Shoot me now, etc.
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3 comments:
What strikes me about the current debates is why is the government not listening and hearing that this is what the majority of people want.
What is so wrong with the levels of heath care and student support in UK/France/Sweden/Germany etc etc.
bump up corp and income tax a few % and make these services universal for all.
why a means test and not a basic civil right ?
haven't 'rich people' paid taxes too ?
why can't they get value for that tax.
Why be closer to boston than berlin ?
if it costs more then a few % then put the costs on the table and let people decide.
make this an idology debate rather then my father's father was in some party therefore i am FF or FG and think this way.
this debate is like going back to the bookies after your horse lost and demanding your money back.
These fuckers were voted in by somebody and have been here for the past 12 years.
You get what you deserve etc.
Note to population....vote for someone else!!!!!
Voting for someone else won't do anything about this. There is a global economic downturn. The money isn't there to give everyone what they want. When the government was loaded, people wanted tax-breaks. When the government isn't loaded (i.e. now) they want free things. You can't have both. Do you think Fine Gael would've been slopping out the free shit?
To the commenter who asked why we don't have the UK's system: they have fees.
The medical card thing was handled wrongly I think, but the means test is necessary if the government is out of money. Why should Tony O'Reilly get a medical card if he's got health insurance anyway?
And as for fees: everyone knows someone who took up a college course just because it was free and they thought they had to, then dropped out in a couple of weeks. Charging fees (on a means test basis) could stop that.
/old man talk
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