I've Had Enough!

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

No matter which side of the pond you are on, if you are in your declining years, have worked your butt of all your life, have a bit saved up which the government already has its eyes on when you die, sit back wherever you are, enjoy life and laugh at the younger generations who have voted in these idiots who can't balance their own checkbook, let alone behave in a fiscally responsible manner.
They are the ones who will be living under a horrible burden of their country unable to pay their debt, screwing every last one of these young pups out of every dollar (US or AU) they try and earn. Here in the US we reached the tipping point during the last administration when there were more sitting in the wagon than those pulling it.
Best to direct the youngsters to look at Greece where the unemployment rate for those under 27 is over 50% with no hope of ever finding meaningful employment.
I'm just glad I lived through the salad years when you worked hard, played hard and have no regrets. Trying to run from reality will just bring you heartache, my friend. Better to stick around and have the last laugh on the socialist generation than to die sitting on the hook somewhere with none of your mates around. Cheers, Phil

Now why did I not phrase my original post like that Phil...Then add on the part about living on the hook somewhere
I lived and worked in Greece for a few years back in the late 60's and I loved every minute...The Greeks are not shy about letting their pollies know how they feel...Good on em I say...Pan' Citizen that is

[barnakiel]

Hey Bill,

Perhaps less regulation and authorities could result in lower taxes? Australia has good plenty of authorities. We met some and they were all very fine people but we visited some places where there were fewer institutions.

b.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by BillAU

I don't object to paying tax for a good health system or required services BUT I do object, strongly, to Pollies WASTING billions of our tax dollars on hair brained projects! As for our retailers, they have been used to having a captive client base for to long...They charge what they believe they can get away with but the Internet has changed all that, we can now shop wherever we like and I like shopping in the States, the UK, Europe or China, wherever I can get a fair price. I even shop here in AU when the price is comparable

There used to be a series on a national news network in the US showing the "fleecing of America" once a week. They found what they considered to be "absurd" research projects, such as the effects of alcohol on goldfish.

Easy to snicker at, and easy to think it was wasted money, but as it turned out the animal used for testing was chosen very carefully for traits it possessed that allowed the research to isolate for the research question they had. The reporters *clearly* did not understand the nature of scientific research and IMO made arses of themselves. It apparently never occurred to them to find out WHY studies were being done the way they were.

Not saying this about you, just saying that sometimes criticism isn't valid. Sometimes it is.

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

billAU - you're 70 years old. i'm 70 years old. we've got 10, maybe at the most 20, years left that we might be physically able to go do whatever we want to do. so forget about the taxes, thieving politicians, welfare cheats, oil barons, nosy neighbors, doubting relatives, ungrateful children, et al. go live the life you dream of.
the future of the world is, to me anyway, now the concern of the younger generations. it is the world that they will live in for the next fifty or more years. you and me are on the way out; the exit sign may be just over the next hill (or wave). so don't concern yourself with the state of australia or of the whole world for that matter. just go live and do whatever you want.

I hear you loud and clear mate

and if you run out of money or your health hits bottom you can always go back to oz.

-----------------------------------------

it's not too late to live happily ever after.

Unless I carked-it on a visit to Oz, I think I'd do okay wherever I was and I would most likely cark-it somewhere overseas but that's not important.

[vientoman]

some people seem to think that all "governments" are bad. I believe that there sound reasons for them. They govern and maintain rule of law. We are lucky to have governments of the people and we are fortunate to benefit from an organized "state".

In Australia, you get health care, In Sweeden you get almost everything and a beautiful standard of living. In the US, you get cheap gas and wide roads. Choose your poison.

If you are alone on your boat, maybe you could choose to be a totalitarian dictator.....or perhaps have no government at all but if you sail close to land, you'll always have to deal with your own or someone else's government.

The Dominican republic is nice but you have to know the right government officials.....just like most every other place on the planet.

[bobsadler]

"Who is John Galt?"

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by vientoman

some people seem to think that all "governments" are bad. I believe that there sound reasons for them. They govern and maintain rule of law. We are lucky to have governments of the people and we are fortunate to benefit from an organized "state".

In Australia, you get health care, In Sweeden you get almost everything and a beautiful standard of living. In the US, you get cheap gas and wide roads. Choose your poison.

If you are alone on your boat, maybe you could choose to be a totalitarian dictator.....or perhaps have no government at all but if you sail close to land, you'll always have to deal with your own or someone else's government.

The Dominican republic is nice but you have to know the right government officials.....just like most every other place on the planet.

Think I'll go back to Greece where, when I was last there, my mates brother was the head of the political police...That made him head of all police and a handy bloke to have as a mate.

[decktapper]

Hello Bill:
I agree with you, and think it is sad that people say you should bend over and keep your mouth shut.
What you have earned is yours and you should have it to spend. I have no right to covet it much less steal it. I have found a few ways to limit how blind I get robbed, but mostly I try to sell less of my time so that I pay less taxes.
As far as a place that does not consider citizens and visitors property of the state, or sheep to fleece and eat, I just don't know where it is, I am sorry.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by BillAU

Think I'll go back to Greece where, when I was last there, my mates brother was the head of the political police...That made him head of all police and a handy bloke to have as a mate.

great place greece!
lots of "aussie" greeks on the islands who have returned to retire .
many run waterside tavernas!

[Wand]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

No matter which side of the pond you are on, enjoy life and laugh at the younger generations who have voted in these idiots who can't balance their own checkbook, let alone behave in a fiscally responsible manner.
Best to direct the youngsters to look at Greece where the unemployment rate for those under 27 is over 50% with no hope of ever finding meaningful employment.

Sadly, yet more shooting from the hip, usually the result of too long gazing thru a martini glass, when a little reason could provide a truer perspective.

You can't paint all economies and all futures with the same brush, Capt Phil. Greece, which you mention, is in strife and it is well indicated with the debt to gdp ratio at around 150%. This means that the cost of servicing its debt is greater than the value of its national output, or production. A host of other European nations also have ratios far too high and face future hardship.

The USA is mid-range at about 60% when I last checked, but that is not a big issue for such a massive economy; its sheer size works as a mitigating factor.

And Australia? Listen up, BillAU. Its debt to GDP ratio has been maintained at around 25% of GDP by both conservative and progressive governments for many decades now; it's currently around 26.5%.

This means that the income generated from the debt is far greater than the cost of servicing it. And as anyone, or any business knows, that's that path to wealth.

But I don't expect these few facts will get in the way of a good argument...

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by rberrey

Sometime after 1917 Russian farmers killed all their live stock and then were themselves either killed or put into camps by the Soviets.Russia suffers today because of their action , and we sell them a lot of chicken today. If you look at the stock market in the U.S. this week you can see we started killing off our live stock. Where ever you go Bill take what chickens you can carry and dont leave anything behind but the feathers

Who IS John Galt?

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by decktapper

Hello Bill:
I agree with you, and think it is sad that people say you should bend over and keep your mouth shut.
What you have earned is yours and you should have it to spend. I have no right to covet it much less steal it. I have found a few ways to limit how blind I get robbed, but mostly I try to sell less of my time so that I pay less taxes.
As far as a place that does not consider citizens and visitors property of the state, or sheep to fleece and eat, I just don't know where it is, I am sorry.

G'day mate,

At 70 come Jan' 2013 I'm no longer for hire, besides, I work 24/7 these days, caring for my dear wife, she's not travelling so well these days. Some nights I even get to have a few hours sleep but please...Don't tell the pollies...They'll say I'm sleeping on the job

I don't mind or object to my position in life but I do object to politician saying how well-of we carers and other Australians are...The Feds pay carers about 34 cents per hour, (24 hours per day) they reckon that's all we need...How come those same politician say, “they” need $130,000 minimum to get by on

I asked our government for nothing, I would care for my wife no-matter what, it was her Doctor that got me listed as a carer. I get the screaming hab-dabs when politician say how well-of we Australians are...I guess they're comparing us to rickshaw drivers in Madras, S.E. India...Where I also worked and lived
I do not object to paying a fair tax, I do object to B.S. Artists politician wasting all our taxes and putting us deep into debt for the next 30 or more years! I know that won't impact so much on me as on the kids of today but I still don't like it.

Perhaps I'm imagining things...Oh heck...No wonder things looks so glum to me...I'm not wearing my Rose coloured glasses...Hang on a sec...Ah, that's much better...I just put the Rose coloured glasses on and everything looks Rosy again

[Twotimer]

Hi all...I DO live in SE Asia full time.........You can do it very cheaply, a bottle of San Mig runs me .50 can do it cheaper tho.....my flat runs $150 per month inclusive........food is cheap fresh and as long as you stay out of the major metropolitan areas you are not gonna get taken advantage of as much. Any third world country is gonna have local politics that are quite arbitrary....would I bring a nice rig??? hmmm...depends where I would want to stay....with other expats in an expat community???? up to you.....but..... it is not what you are use to.
Plus in your post, other than warm weather, 85 here today, what else do you need to be happy??? Smokes here are cheap...you can even buy them by the stick on the street, medical costs....next to nothing. Most of the posters here really have very little experience with SE Asia........How about social interaction?.......the lack of ageism here, unlike "western" countries is refreshing and enlightening......Don't let the guilt freaks tell ya otherwise......but if you are just tired of being ripped off by your government....well you are going to get taken advantage of here also....the bite is much smaller tho......what else can I tell you.....oh fly over for a look see....spend a couple months and scout things out...then commit to bring your vessel over if you want...or like me.......just live near the beach, hire a ya ya....(someone who cleans for you, shops etc....only 100/month ) And go out with the locals or expats when they have an empty seat.........for 2k(US) a month here you are a king! Best of luck whatever and wherever.......I will say this....governments are pricing themselves out of business in the western world...I still have a choice so....here I am......

[sabray]

Galt never existed. Your grabbing old ideology .

Can
we get real and if not that let's make things that people need.

[CCBullseye]

I would go with the ketch. Wind is free and not taxed. A trawler would consume a lot of fuel and that fuel is heavily taxed.