Pensioners have earned due respect
I AM getting sick and fed up with people saying pensioners (as a generation) are the best paid in history. Surely, with the cost of living, we are also paying out the most in history. It balances up.
When I was first married, we had to count every penny for what seemed ages. Our generation have
earned what we have, it wasn’t just handed to us on a plate.
A lot of the younger generation say they are the poorest. If they are paying around £1,000 for a mobile and also using streaming programmes, as well as having their nails done, etc, I am not surprised.
Some pensioners have said they don’t want the triple lock because they can manage. Good for them. If they don’t need or want it, then they could give it to charity or give it back to the Government. Why deprive others just because, in their selfish way, they think everyone else should be able to cope?
I would also like to make the following points: 10% of approximately £7,000 per annum as a pension is a lot less than what working people are striking for now. Why should we be left behind? We cannot strike. We can support others when they do, but they don’t seem to want to support us.
A lot of the wealthier pensioners are tax payers. We pay our way. I wonder if the youngsters who are complaining now will refuse the triple lock when it is their turn. I doubt it.
Pensioners are members of the public too. We have spending power to keep the economy going. Think of all of the ready meals, helping aids and incontinence pads we buy. Think of the childcare duties we do. We save parents a lot of money. We give jobs to tradesmen, as we are unable to do certain things ourselves any more.
It is impossible to downsize from the ‘huge mansions’ some think we have, as cheaper properties are being bought up for renting out or there aren’t many bungalows left as people are turning them into houses with upper stories being put in.
Why don’t they just buy a house in the first place? Affordable housing affects the elderly as well as the younger generation.
Lastly, don’t think we are useless. We have years of experience people can draw on. Don’t forget, it is the older generations that teach the younger ones how to use a knife and fork.
Mrs T Newman Gloucester