' raising retirement age to 70 ', page-77

Hanrahan ,

The arrogance of the young ?

Maybe you've misinterpreted my post.

I'm not sure how old you think I am but I reckon you've called it wrong . For the record , I'm in my early fifties and still working . That said , financially I'm going alright and shouldn't need to go on a pension . So , thanks for suggesting I'm young but I'll go with middle aged.

The FHOG existed when I bought my first house but it was so hard to qualify for so I didn't get it ( in the 80's ). Fortunately for me I have always been in work and when I first bought my house , I bought a cheap run down and did it up rather than buy a much newer one like my mates did . Consequently , I was able to pay it off reasonably early .

Guess what I did with the left over money then ? Rather than spend it like my mates did , I invested it .

Guess what else I did ? Went to night school to further my qualifications and got a better paying job . My mates went to the pub.

Because of my improved skills , I was able to get a good paying job doing shift work in a remote location obviously paying better. My mates had the opportunity to follow my lead but chose not to hence they will be working for a lot longer . That said , they're not bitching about it.

Where did I get my work ethic from ? My parents grew up during WW2 so stories of the depression are still fresh in my mind. They got up at 4am to milk cows 7 days a week . Us kids worked on the farm after school ( not by choice I might add ). My mum , like most farmers wives , drove tractors , carted hay and wrestled cattle just like the old man . She was never paid either ! Very sadly just as they got the farm paid off , the old man got ill and was never able to enjoy retirement . A real shame considering how hard they worked . Also , a valuable lesson for me.

I never said that people shouldn't get the pension or that the age should be raised. . I know a few pensioners and I think they are getting ripped off. They paid tax all their lives and were promised a pension in return. I am angry that now a lot of pensioners are doing it tough given that they did the right thing during their working lives. One couple ( in their 70's ) I know has had to sell their very modest house and rent because they are struggling .

As to your snide comment about knowing my grandparents , I am taking that as completely offensive unless advised otherwise .

Very , very ordinary.