Thursday, October 7, 2010

In response to responses to my previous blog, already.

No, I don't have anything against children, I like them, or against anyone having children, if they can afford them Just as I have nothing against someone who has a Lexus or a Mercedes.
I just object to having me pay for someone else's luxuries.
It's not as if the human race is in danger of dying out! In fact seems to me that there are way too many of us. That was reinforced last night when I had to go to a meeting and a 40 mile drive took me more than 2 hours!
Why do we need to subsidize the production of more and more people? To populate a World that is not getting bigger and to compete for the few parking spaces available - not to mention the finite supply of food, water, oil, clean air, and land?

Child benefits.

There is a big discussion in the UK at present about the reduction in Child Benefits - specifically cutting those subsidies to people making more than about $70,000 a year. First you need to understand that these benefits have been paid for years to anyone who has a child. I think it started after the second world war. It is something that has become entrenched and everyone thinks it is their right if they have a child, to get weekly or monthly payments from the Government just because they decided to have children. After all, who can afford children! People with children have extra expenses over people who don't, etc etc and on and on.
BUT, my feeling is that no one HAS to have children, there are reliable birth control methods now, which there weren't years ago. Why should people who don't want or can't afford children subsidize others who do want them? Why should a couple who are responsible enough to know they cannot afford children subsidize someone who does? It is their choice and if they want them, that is fine, but they should pay for them. I would like a nice new Jaguar, or a Lexus or even a Porsche, but I can't afford one - so I don't get one. Using the logic of child benefits, because I can't afford a nice new expensive car, the State should tax everyone else and give me a Car Benefit so that I can get one! Or how about a World Cruise, that would be nice too, I can't afford one, no problem, lets institute a Vacation Benefit for those who can't afford a World Cruise.
What is the difference? Why should I pay for something you can't afford? Whether it be children, cars, cruises or a nicer house, why should I pay for you to have any of these things? I realized we couldn't afford a lot of children, we did want children, we did the responsible thing and had what we could afford, one. Even that was hard, we knew if we had any children we wanted to give them a nice life, good food, a nice place to live and a good education. We decided that we might just about manage that for one child. Why would I have 3 or 4 children, and then not be able to feed them properly, live in a hovel, not be able to take them places or give them a good education? That would be irresponsible. There are many irresponsible people out there, why should I subsidize that irresponsibility? Why should they not subsidize that new car I want, and the World Cruise and the Big House, all things I can't afford, just like they can't afford multiple children, but they think it is their right to have them and then have me pay for them.
I'd like to hear your views on that.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

More Solar Stuff.

Most of you know that Julia and I are into the "Green" movement - and have been pretty much all of our adult lives.
I wanted to mention a little known item - President Carter had Hot Water Solar Panels installed on the roof of the White House to supply the hot water for the White House. Yeah! Good decision, I think.
Apparently Ronald Reagan didn't, he had them removed!! I have to ask why? Did he have friends in Big Oil?
Now our new "Greener" President - Yeah - is having Solar Hot Water Panels installed on the roof of the White House.
I predict a short life for them. Two years from now we will almost certainly have a Republican President - who will probably have them removed! Big Oil wins again. Well until the next "green" guy gets in anyway!!

Religion.

Is anyone else getting sick of all the killings going on in the World in the name of Religion. Seems to me that more wars and killings happen in the name of Religion than for any other reason.
I propose a ceremonial burning of the Holy books of all the worlds Religions and a banning of belonging to any of them. Lets burn The Bible, The Koran, The Talmud, The Veda, The Tao, The Analects, The Bhagawad Gila and any other "Holy" books that we can find. Better burn the Sacred Book of Oil too - if there is any such thing - it is seriously challenging Religions as a cause of war.
Just a thought.