Daily Record leads The Way Again..

It would be a very naive view of any nation to judge its people with sweeping generalizations. Having been to the US on quite a number of occasions and for a number of reasons, not always of my own choosing, I found that there is not a single generalization that fits the bill (other than that they are American citizens!). The people are nearly as diverse in character and opinion in every State as the number of inhabitants. One can, however, find small groups of like-minded people as is the case everywhere else!

Even the much maligned and mocked "Have a nice day" makes for a pleasant ambience - much more preferable to the sour faces and dour service I've come across in some other places I've had the misfortune to visit. Btw, I could not be considered pro-US by any stretch of the imagination whatsoever!

 

Granted, Bush was scary-buckets but I think his dad was pulling the strings as much as anyone else! I don't believe Palin was ever a really serious contender, however, even though she got a lot of publicity, particularly thrown at Europe (the sane world?), for whatever reason ... possibly the fear factor upon which, of course, the so-called 'super powers' rely heavily (though they are not alone in that respect)!

 

Nicely said, I agree. I'm a confirmed fan of America, for all of its faults, and recoil from generalised anti-Americanisms. (Some of my in-laws are smugly and horribly anti-American, believing themselves somehow superior. And when baddy Bush was in power, of course, all Americans were irrevocably confirmed in their eyes as ******ed and hate-filled imperialists, despite the fact that the vote was split roughly 50/50 and that to categorise an entire people is not only undesirable but very nearly impossible, thankfully - although it's often good fun to try.)

Mick - give me ten (or so) minutes to respond to your stuff. I'm needing to go quick today, so excuse any mangled grammar or general carelessness that may appear......

 

Right so. I’m not sure I would necessarily class new hospitals and schools, to name a couple of very obvious and predictable examples, as punishment. It’s an interesting way to look at things.

Perhaps it might rather be seen that this is more of a (societal) reward than individual punishment, of greater benefit to everyone – as opposed to simply benefitting ourselves? (This is probably merely theoretical, of course, as government profligacy often leaves me quite speechless. But still.) Taking a puff from my peace pipe and stroking my knitted beard, I’d have to say that I would always just prefer it if people moved away from the “what about me?” mindset to something more along the lines of “what about everyone else?” It’s just a different way of looking at things, I suppose, no big deal; you selfish, whining bastard.

Actually, it’s maybe just a question of balance? A 50% tax rate, for example, always strikes me as being faintly absurd – and I’m a real fan of higher taxes – and feels like a crowd-pleasing symbol too far. Somewhere around the 40% rate ought to do, as an upper level of taxation, just so long as those affected actually pay – and resist the urge to avail themselves of the myriad loopholes that present themselves to those rich enough to know about such things and mean-spirited enough to invoke their implementation. (Obviously, I’d love to see any and all such loopholes closed down, but HMRC are forever playing a game of catch-up, it seems.)

I’ve nothing against people getting seriously rich – I think it’s a terrific idea, in fact, and don’t much care for manifestations of outright envy (a waste of everyone’s time and energy) – and believe hard work ought to be rightly rewarded and admired and, like you, tend to feel that businesses (especially start-ups) should be incentivised with lower (or at least manageable) rates of taxation – which may sound counterintuitive, I suppose, but I was originally merely talking about personal (income) tax. Anyone starting up a business and employing (fairly paid) people probably deserves to be rich in the end. We should thank these people, not excoriate them.

I suppose the distaste may only really arise when they are finally turning over nice profits of millions, sometimes billons, and still seek out havens and loopholes. How can this possibly be moral or just or admired? It leaves me utterly cold.

Ha. That’s probably fair enough (and funny), although I may see things slightly differently. I think it might be seen as quite honourable and natural that a parent should seek to help their own child, the kind of selfless love and concern that marks what it ought to mean to be a parent to begin with – but I do see what you’re saying, I promise. (And in my defence, I was joking about my uncle and mother, having been written out of both of their wills late last year – something I expressly asked for, having failed to spend one penny of an inheritance I once received from my grandfather. I just couldn’t do it; the pressure to spend wisely felt unbearable – and I had to give it to my morally bankrupt sisters, instead. I’m not talking extravagantly large sums of money here, but that wasn’t the point. It just absolutely crippled me. My wife, as you may imagine, took some convincing.)

And passing on an inheritance may also be seen as a microcosm of the tax system at large: I’m putting money in that will pay for the pensions and hospitals of other people and for the children of strangers (like you) – and I’m outright delighted about that fact and hope it makes their lives a little easier. Passing on an inheritance is a more direct, localised way of ensuring the wellbeing of someone other than ourselves and is not, as such, an out and out bad thing – as far as I can tell. Not yet having children (running out of time), it looks like I’ll leave anything I’ve scrambled together to my nephews and niece and I can’t ever imagine feeling bad about such a thing, in the way that I don’t feel bad about contributing (minorly) to their schooling and life-chances today.

And incidentally, I don't necessarily equate "posh" with "rich" - sometimes the exact opposite - although I'll share an unease for the loutish, self-satisfied kind of richness the National Lottery appears to idealise and promote.

Ach, it'll have to wait. And I did not only half get your point.

In fact, just quickly, I think we probably agree. I don't like the repackaging, either, it drives me demented, it's just that, very personally speaking, I feel I don't need to repackage anything at all. It was always moral for me.

 

The old axiom to "take people as you find them" was never so true. Only a fool judges a people as a whole. I used to have a distrust for the whole of France, don't know why, stupid. As it turns out, when I eventually did go to France I met some fantastic warm, kind hearted people.

I lived in Germany for 6 years and the people there were generous to a fault and gregarious albeit in a different way to us. Some of my fondest memories involve German and French people, and not just the women.

 

True, true and true, although I still cling to a general suspicion of France. Some things are too hard to let go.

Whereabouts in Germany were you? Did you pick up the language at all or were you generally surrounded by English-speakers? (I'm assuming this was some sort of army posting?) I hope you made it to Freiburg. Love that place. (And Heidelberg and Marburg, come to think of it. And Cologne. And and and.....I pretty much like it all, including the often cruelly derided people.)

 

Osnabruck, I do have some German but it was an Army posting so English was the norm. Loved it.

 

I loved Germany when I was there. And found the people to be very hospitable. I'd love to go back sometime!

 

Been there loads of times, not as nice as Osnabruck but I did do my Freefall course there in the middle of Summer.

 

I got into a fight in Geordies Bar just outside the gates of the Barracks, but apart from that I never got into any trouble no

 

I've never heard of Osnabrück, Dev.

I can only conclude that this six year episode in your life never happened. I'm just sorry to break it to you in public like this.


Mick - good response, thanks, I enjoyed reading it. I don’t see there is anything for us to fall out over, unfortunately, but I’ll come back and have a closer look (including at the book you recommended) when I’ve a wee bit more time. Right now, I’m about to start watching the second series of The Killing (Danish version) and this may carry me through till the morning, depending on how it goes. Try not to envy my lifestyle, okay? You’ll just make yourself seem small.

Has anyone here seen the first series? If not, please do so. It’s magic – even with the irritation of subtitles. Right up there with The Wire. Properly brilliant.