Arbtalk 2015 General Election Poll

[Two Acres]

Then you should be concerned that its you and your family that are funding the ultra rich. The gulf between rich and poor has in no time in history been so wide as it is today.

 

It's the same out here, the rich pull scam after scam to avoid paying billions in taxes.

 

Completely agree with you Lee

[the village idiot]

Lee I will never understand why some of you get so upset about what others have????

 

I concern myself with myself and my family.

 

This is an admirable stance, and what we are genetically predisposed to do. The people I take issue with are the people who continue to hoover up loads more money and assets than they need to adequately provide for their families.

 

In Bhutan the fabulously named 'Dragon King- Jigme Singye Wangchuck' instigated a system where Gross National Happiness is used to measure the 'wealth' of the country rather than the standard Gross Domestic Product.

Their policies are centred around protecting the country's traditions, their environment (maintaining their 60% forest cover) and the wellbeing of their citizens.

Bhutan remains one of the poorest nations on Earth but as a direct result of it's commitment to a radically different system, it has become one of the happiest nations on Earth, and a refuge to many threatened species.

 

It's worth looking up if you didn't know about it, but very sad to note that their efforts are being severely hampered by the rest of the world's apathy in properly tackling climate change.

[Tom D]

Happiness ratings always show that those in the poorest parts of the world are happier than us in the west. Says a lot about consumerism really, the more stuff there is out there to buy the more there is we can't afford, making us unhappy and resentful of those who can.

 

It will be the same for the super rich, buy a massive boat and someone else will buy a bigger one...

 

 

Where we go wrong is when we buy what we can't afford.

[skyhuck]

I'm not worried about others wealth.

 

What does get my goat is how the 0.000001% right at the top of the food chain pushed this country to the brink to line there own pockets. Me you and anybody that pays tax bailed out the fat cat bankers while they creamed billions off the top.

 

Even when it was exposed they still got huge rewards.

 

Dave if you went to work today and put a tree through mrs miggins house would you still expect to get payed?

 

I here people saying I don't care all the time and it gets my goat if more people in this country cared and stood up for what they believed we would not get taken for mugs by the fat cats

 

Ah yes, the "fat cats" and "bankers" who are the cause of all the evils of the world, I hear they may even be the cause of many cancers!! They and they alone are responsible for the crash!!

 

It has nothing at all to do with the millions of "normal" folk who were enticed by the increased value of their homes, re-morgaged and spent the cash!!

 

There are greedy people in all walks of life.

[Two Acres]

Ah yes, the "fat cats" and "bankers" who are the cause of all the evils of the world, I hear they may even be the cause of many cancers!! They and they alone are responsible for the crash!!

 

It has nothing at all to do with the millions of "normal" folk who were enticed by the increased value of their homes, re-morgaged and spent the cash!!

 

There are greedy people in all walks of life.

 

The 2008 was caused by predatory lending in the US to sub prime borrowers. Mortage securitisation and credit default swaps were key drivers of the problem.

[Richard 1234]

The 2008 was caused by predatory lending in the US to sub prime borrowers. Mortage securitisation and credit default swaps were key drivers of the problem.

 

 

All true but no one forced these people to take out massive mortgages

[Two Acres]

All true but no one forced these people to take out massive mortgages

 

You missed the 'predatory lending' bit

[Mountain man]

Always someone else's fault eh?

We were as guilty as anyone for believing in the credit BS.

We got off lightly.

[RichieR]

The 2008 was caused by predatory lending in the US to sub prime borrowers. Mortage securitisation and credit default swaps were key drivers of the problem.

 

Some say the crash was orchestrated and some say it wasn't. But I was working in mortgages then and strangely enough in the August everyone did record lending you could get a mortgage on an outside sh*t house. Then September everything went Pete tong.

That's all I can say was families in Britain were led to believe that they could live way beyond their means and debt wasn't debt it was living off the supposed increase in house values.

Whoever lead the country made no attempt to give us a reality check until it was too late. I suppose the feel good factor to win votes was more important than the financial well being of the nation.

[Richard 1234]

You missed the 'predatory lending' bit

 

 

I did not miss it. My point was no one was forced into anything. It's no good blaming the banks when you take a £150k mortgage while working at McDonald's flipping burgers