Comments on: Useless Housewives can save the economy

By: Conor McHugh

Conor McHugh — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:08:03 +0000

Ps, I’m really enjoying your blog.

By: Conor McHugh

Conor McHugh — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:05:55 +0000

I agree entirely about your ‘useless generation’ comment. One upshot I’ve noticed is what I would call the ‘Pay A Man’ syndrome, where everything is achieveable so long as you have the ability to Pay A Man to do it. But what’s really interesting is where that’s all leading…..

Recently, two friends asked me to do them favours. The first involved a friend asking me to give a friend of hers a lift. It had transpired that the friend and I were both taking the same train and both getting off at the same station, where I had parked my car. My friend asked me if I could give her friend a lift to her house, which is quite close to mine…..and offered to pay me to do so. I rejected the offer, because I didn’t see why I should expect payment to give someone a lift on a route I was driving anyway.

The second instance was when a friend, who also lives close by, was away on business for a two days. As someone who works from home he has some rather expensive equipment in the house. He asked me to house-sit for the a night – and offered to pay me to do so. But why would I expect payment for the doing something as simple as sleeping in his spare room, using his shower, drinking his coffee and making sure to turn on his alarm and close the door behind me before going to work?

I felt strongly that the concept of ‘doing a favour for a mate’ has been lost somewhere along the way. What next? Will they suddenly start offering to pay me to spend time with them?

I have a slight feeling that the fact that I’m living in what was once quite a rural area, but is now becoming increasinly urbanised, and that the two people in question are urbanites, has a lot to do with it. In farming communities, accidental and informal Meitheal systems are entirely the norm, especially with something as simple as giving someone a lift to somewhere you’re going anyway.

By: Tom Cosgrave

Tom Cosgrave — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:50:37 +0000

Congratulations Sarah, best of luck!

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:43:20 +0000

Electron, if you didn’t read the article how can you then proceed to give reasons why you disagree with it?

By: Electron

Electron — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:43:42 +0000

Sarah, I didn’t get a chance to read your article yesterday, but I gather from a comment above that you oppose seventy plus medical card entitlement. I have to say that I totally disagree with your position for two reasons – the first being that most of the wealthy elderly have contributed, over their working life and are still contributing, a considerable amount of tax in both direct and indirect forms to the exchequer. You may not know, but taxes were punitive during the seventies and eighties – it was normal for a single person to be left with only fifty percent of gross income and vat on luxury goods went up to thirty five percent at one stage. That generation had to work hard to make any progress – so why subject them to the stress of means testing for such a small amount in the overall health budget.
The second reason is that I suspect that this is a contrived smokescreen to take the focus off what’s coming down the road from our banking sector. One hundred million is only small change in comparison to what the bailout is going to be. Some of our bank’s shares are now below two euros, so their capital base must be getting shaky – so while you’re getting all worked up about a few elderly wealthy people getting medical cards at the taxpayers expense, the cost of bailing out just one developer through bank right offs and state re-capitalisation will be multiples of that. Of the two, in my opinion, the elderly have a far greater entitlement.

By: Paul Newton

Paul Newton — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:42:32 +0000

Jesus it’s a weird position but I find myself in agreement with Sarah on both agenda’s

Fair play, although I did not see the article I congratulate you on being one to see through this protesting, demanding seventy year old bullshit.

As for the Darren J’s and Jane’s of this world, some people just get their kicks out of winding people up and claiming to be right all the time, don’t bother your head with them, for a serious Fine Gaeler to come out with a truthful analysis instead of Enda’s political “they worked so hard for 40 years” rubbish is very heartening ~ There will always be naysayers and sceptics in the world, ignore them, they only want the attention or the votes anyway.

By: Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:10:19 +0000

I’ve often been given to wonder if those who are now retired and voted for FF in 1977 and continued doing so on through the 80s and 90s feel even a little bit guilty for banjaxing the country in the first place. 76K per year for two people in a house that is worth multiples of the purchase price with no mortgage is a tidy position to be in.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:57:38 +0000

Ask not what our country can do for us..oh go on do so. DEMAND that our country does something for us regardless of how much we have benefitted from our country. Let’s have MORE.

That is what’s going on isn’t it?

The state OWES us seems to be the default position…

By: paddyanglican

paddyanglican — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:54:54 +0000

Sadly I don’t think so!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:41:26 +0000

she is taking the piss, right?