Sir, – As Patricia Carolan (September 18th) points out, Minister of State Brian Hayes may find that his words come back to haunt him. However, this far, his highlighting of the need for “inter-generational equity and justice” has gone unanswered. That many of your pensioner readers are Thatcherite when it comes to their income but Leftist when it comes to their “entitlements” seems lost or ignored in analysis thus far.
Might I suggest that senior citizens get over the fact that they paid high taxation in the past, and instead reflect that through readily selling their votes, irrespective of who picked up the tab, their legacy at the polling stations has betrayed their grandchildren with debt and their children with unemployment.
Could they also reflect on their culpability through driving the “punt” on Irish bank shares and simultaneously “speculating” on the price their children paid for a home? The under-45s in Ireland have been utterly stuffed by our elders and betters. Do not underestimate the bitterness we will feel towards those who now refuse to give according to their means. You should be glad that it is just Fine Gael that is raising this issue. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – It is very reassuring that Brian Hayes feels that changes to pensioners contributions from the state will be made in a “sensible” manner.
We are, after all, a sensible lot! We learnt to be as we worked for 40 years to pay off mortgages and at times paid interest rates of 14 per cent.
And if we have saved some money for our old age, what have we to spend it on except visiting our children and grandchildren who have emigrated to the far corners! – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I am incensed by what Minister of State for Finance was quoted as having said about pensioners. He says we are “well-off’ because we have no mortgages. We had mortgages. The reason we now don’t is because we spent 30 years working hard to pay them off. We have pensions because we also worked hard to contribute to them. We now live on half – or less – the income we had when we worked. Well-off? Don’t be ridiculous Mr Hayes. Wake up! – Yours, etc,