Sir, – Your Editorial (August 19th) and previous articles on the CSO income figures on the over-65s neglect the substantial detail given in the report on disparities within the group, and instead return to previous arguments about inter-generational “fairness”.
Could you perhaps explain why, in 2011, over-65s in the lowest income quintile received on average €158.69 in social transfers per week, yet those in the top quintile received €314.40 – despite social transfers making up a far smaller proportion of their average income (37.3 per cent as against 85.6 per cent)? Perhaps there is a simple and reasonable explanation, but I fear the concentration on age, rather than class, as a determining factor in income and wealth is an obfuscation of more fundamental inequalities in our society. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT ELLIS,
Auburn Road,
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Thank you for a welcome and thought provoking editorial (August 19th). As a citizen over the age of 65 I am grateful that I belong to the “lucky generation”.
I believe those of us who are reasonably healthy, able and comfortable ought to consider the fact that we are living in changed and changing times. These are financially difficult times and the State, read taxpayers, simply cannot continue to offer various subsidies to those of us who are more than comfortable. Yes, I have heard time and again same old mantra “We worked hard all our lives, we are entitled to this, that and the other”. The truth is that most of us, irrespective of age, work hard all our lives, but I am not convinced we are entitled to a number of these subsidies.
Let us leave behind the rights and wrongs of banks, politicians, governments, builders, developers and so on, exercise basic principles of humanity, and if possible Christianity, and think about our young people and their future in our country laden with debt.
Maybe those of us who wisely made a lot of sacrifices, looked after the needs of our children, came through redundancies, recession of the 1980s, and yet managed to save for the evening of our lives will be magnanimous enough to help the nation pay back its huge debt.
Means test is the only way to decide on who gets the subsidies and who doesn’t. All truly deserving older people also will benefit a great deal when those who are better off part with some of the subsidies such as free travel, TV licence and telephone and electricity or gas allowance.
It is also time for our young people to understand that they cannot have it all: they must do without certain instant material comforts – luxuries in the eyes of many older people – and endeavour to save something for their rainy days.– Yours, etc,
MARY TOOMEY,
Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co Dublin.