Agreed, but let's pick on the oldies, eh? They already take our saving and our houses, what else can we give?
I'm sick to death of the continued insinuation that the young will be paying for the old in care. This has always been the case. These oldies, in the main, have already contributed a great deal towards the running of the country, most of them have contributed towards the NHS through their NI over the years. That there is not enough in the pot to sustain them through their later years is not their fault. They already survive on a pension that is below the expected minimum wage, never mind the living wage, but are expected to sell whatever they have to sustain their lives if social care is required.
I've personally seen both sides of the argument. As an administrator of a care home, it was my job to ensure that bills were paid, and briefly, in a 36 bedded home the first 32 residents bills paid for the running of the home (wages, running costs, equipment etc) whilst any profit was made from the last 4 residents contributions. It was imperative therefore that bills were paid on time and that when someone died, their room was decorated and re-let. I have seen grown men cry, as well as women when the realisation that their parents' home will have to be sold has hit them. I did all I could to assist them, but it was heartbreaking when the person selling was not particularly well off, living in a council house or flat, and expected to take over their parents' house, on their death, which they had been promised.
On the other side of the coin, my wife had two maiden Aunts who were in care, one for 3 years and one for eight years, the bills were horrendous and their property was sold to cover them, a lifetime of hard work through self-employment was lost to the care system. My stepfather was in care for 9 months before being transferred to a Hospice due to cancer and my mother was in a care home, due to Dementia, for 7 years again their property had to be sold to pay the bills. So, instead of living the life of Reilly, as a pensioner, I'm thankful that we have during our working life put as much aside as possible to look after ourselves in older years.
We, in turn, have helped our children buy their homes and still assist them, where possible if they need help. we're determined that what little we have will be theirs when we are gone.
A solution has to be found, and for a start, I would extend the NI contributions to those earning in excess of the current ceiling. What else apart from raising the amount paid I do not know. But as Gorden Brown used to preach, prudence is what is required all around.