On Feb 7, 9:38*pm, Steve Walker -
family.me.uk wrote:
On 07/02/2012 18:33, Cynic wrote:





On Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:46:19 +0000, Steve Walker
*wrote:

Why should that situation be anyone's problem apart from you, your
friends and your family?

When my wife was in a similar situation, it would certainly have
caused me just as much hardship as it did you *if* I had provided all
the necessary care personally. *There were however plenty of friends
and family members who between them were able and willing to provide
the additional necessary care without significant detriment to
themselves.

The idea that complete strangers had any sort of duty to solve the
problem by paying for her care did not even cross my mind.

My wife's family is from Ireland, she has no family over here (her
parents moved here before she was born and have now died) and we
couldn't really expect her extended family to come and live here for a
very extended period. My parents are well into their seventies and
certainly couldn't help her up and down the stairs or grab her when she
moved and her balance went; or look after our three young kids for
extended periods over many, many months. All our friends are in full
time work or live many miles away. No, I am not making up a scenario
here, this is simply the case.

There are many situations that I can sympathise with, but at the end
of the day I have to take the attitude "tough luck" rather than shell
out to solve everyone else's problems. *I'd love to be able to save
all the starving 3rd World children as well - but pragmatically that
is also "tough luck".

If the only people who could be her carers are in Ireland (or Africa
or India or China), then pragmatically there is a decision to be made
as to whether she needs to move to where she can be properly looked
after. *Lots of people have difficult problems to overcome, and I do
not accept that the only solution available is to take more and more
money from the taxpayers.

Okay, so we should have moved to Ireland, where there were no jobs for
me and away from my parents who may need support from us soon enough.

I don't have any problem with paying to help those in need, although I
do object to supporting those who have never had any intention to try
and support themselves.

You obviously are very much of the "I'm alright Jack" ilk and are not
willing to provide support for others who are struggling through no
fault of their own and do not have the support networks to assist them.

O would some power the giftie gie us, to see ourselves as others see
us.



I'm pretty right-wing myself and feel that far too much is paid out in
benefits to those who only ever take,

A class of people who exist more in the imagination than in reality.



but I do feel that society owes
care and help to those who are unable to help themselves through age,
illness or infirmity - or for those who are normally productive members
of society, but are temporarily unemployed.

The distinction between the deserving and undeserving poor, is always
a pretense to allow a person to claim that they actually have some
care or charity for others, whilst in fact shirking the obligation.
It's quite clear that you think "society owes" care pretty much to
just to yourself and those closest to you (whose adverse circumstances
happen to include age, illness, and infirmity).

It is not even clear that the concern for those closest to you is
purely altruistic, but rather a desire to shirk the responsibility for
care that will otherwise fall on you to provide (either by supplying
your time and labour, or by supplying money from your earned income).