Our money is spent on the wrong things

AT a time when the spotlight was on the likes of Jimmy Carr and all those who are thought to be using the Jersey-based K2 tax avoidance scheme, the Prime Minister has suggested that people under the age of 25 could lose the right to housing benefit, as part of moves to cut the welfare bill.

The wealth of benefits that even ordinary families get is massive. If the average family earning £15,000 buy their own house, they get no handouts. If they rent, then they qualify for housing benefit.

There are many different benefits that dissuade people from making the right choices. Get rid of income tax for anyone earning enough to claim housing benefit, and make the wealthy pay a fair share. Aneurin Bevan, introduced the National Health Service in 1948. He would be turning in his grave if he was aware of the millions that ill old have paid for their own health care. Healthcare should be free.

Instead, we have free handouts of childcare, free entry into museums, television licences, bus passes; and the council spending millions on an arena for our entertainment. I don’t consider myself a socialist, but I can see the need for essential services such as health and education being free for life, but that is not the case. We have lost our way as a society – too many things are free, but the wrong things.

From: Peter Broadley FCCA, Broadley & Co, Chartered Certified Accountants, Stainland Road, Greetland, Halifax.

I NOTICE that my party leader “Call Me Dave” has tried to be popular once more, by criticising one high earner by name for attempting to use what is thought to be a perfectly legal loophole, left by Governments, to avoid tax. Dave talks about the “moral” dimension on such matters, but tax and other situations are based on the law set by Parliament, which is where you, Dave, are supposed to earn your coin.

Some might question whether it is moral for a Prime Minister to send our service personnel to their deaths in a war they cannot win, or deny the British public a referendum on the changes in European Treaties, despite having promised one earlier (when in Opposition).

From: JW Buckley, Aketon, Pontefract.

THE article by Father McNicholas on trust (Yorkshire Post, June 27) was spot on. He said: “Everyone is forever demanding their rights, but few are aware of the duties and responsibilities that come with them.” I go further.

Duties and responsibilities come first. Rights are nothing more than an expectation that others will fulfil their duties and responsibilities.

Dependence on electricity

From: N Taylor, Winton Road, Northallerton.

WITH reference to your letters page (Yorkshire Post, June 26) virtually every one pointed to some collapse of our society, but in particular David Wright pens a letter that so many of us could have wished we had written ourselves, echoing, as it does, many disturbing facts of life today. Among our many stupidities, he instances wind farms and solar panels as sources of reliable electricity generation.

Do we realise the full impact harnessed electricity has on our lives? Without it, the whole of our civilised state will abruptly finish! Gas can be stored in cylinders, oil in barrels, coal in sacks, and wood chopped down as required.

Harnessed electricity is a phenomenon that has to be produced on demand at the point of use, the turn of a switch.

Electricity generation, like mathematics, is a man-made structure, and as such can collapse without warning.

Without it, there can be no aeroplanes, ships, lorries, buses or cars. If electricity were suddenly not available we would have no lighting, heating, hot water, computers or telephones in our homes. There would be no Navy, no Army, no Royal Air Force. No police. No food... no hope! A “computer glitch”recently brought NatWest bank customers to total panic. What if all of the banks’ computer systems were to be deprived of electricity?

Utter chaos? Anarchy? Looting, fighting, murder! Yet here we are, like donkeys in a thistle field, docilely eating away the very roots of our society. Have we – “ordinary man” – reached the limits of our reasoning capacity?

Lessons in healthy diet

From: Anne Barton, Osbaldwick, York.

IN reply to Betty Peel’s letter holding parents responsible for fat children (Yorkshire Post, June 28), I think the education system is more to blame. For years, there has been little support in the education system for domestic science and/or home economics lessons and the sad results are showing.

Educate now each generation on basic healthy food preparation and the country will save millions on not having to medically deal with so many obese children.

Jubilee joy will soon fade

From: Malcolm Naylor, Grange View, Otley.

MONARCHISTS who are gloating over the “success” of the Jubilee should enjoy it while they can. It may not last very long. When King Charles and Queen Camilla are on the throne will the public be as enthusiastic as they are now? However the obituary of republicanism, like the support for the monarchy is greatly exaggerated.

To put it in perspective, the official figures are that 1.2 million lined the route of the Diamond Jubilee pageant, 10.3 million watched the river pageant, 12,000 attended the Jubilee concert and 17 million watched it on TV. 1.2 million of these were visitors from other countries.

Out of a population of 62.3 million, this is hardly a ringing endorsement for the monarchy.

Light relief for Beckham

From: Dai Woosnam, Woodrow Park, Scartho, Grimsby,

WHAT dreadful tosh is being spoken over David Beckham’s exclusion from the GB football team for the Olympics.

Presumably, these same people want Seb Coe running in the middle distance events!

Let David realise that lighting the Flame in the Olympic Stadium will be honour enough.