People who have been on some sort of State Welfare for their whole working life obviously have engaged in a lot of serious thinking and planning. Perhaps, so as not to lose this great talent pool,  they could be put on as consultants to aspiring welfare recipients.

I don't know where their headquarters would be located, probably somewhere in New Zealand.

rockylizard wrote:

---

Gday...

'scuse me Mr Walker - is the question you have posed philosophically like this question???

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

Cheers - John

---

 Not quite so profound but since you have asked it, do you care to give me the answer.

The Phantom

Gday...

To be quite frank (although I am really John) I think the answer to both conundrums is quite possibly philosophically the same.

Should there indeed be a welfare recipient who has endured an entire life wallowing in the excesses of such luxury and then has the considerable good fortune to continue that luxurious lifestyle in receipt of that 'financial safety net' so sought by so many upon reaching the not so aged age of 65, then that person just MAY be the only person who might have experienced the falling of a tree in the forest when they were not there ... consequently being aware of resultant outcome.

For as Buddha once said - The mind is everything. What you think you become.

cheers - John

The Phantom wrote:

---

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

---

There are also many who would like to work and can't for various reasons. Do you include them in your question oh righteous one?
And what difference to society will the answer make?

Cheers,
Peter

---

 Peter, if you ever get off your high horse you might just learn to recognise a bit of tongue in cheek.

Loosen up, man, show me in the Manual of Life where it says "be forever serious".

 

The Phantom

---

 Yes, it is easy to ridicule and make fun of those less fortunate that yourself.

Cheers,

Peter

The Phantom wrote:

---

We hear lots of stories about welfare cheats, dole bludgers, people who have never worked a day in their life and so on.

If one of these characters draws a welfare cheque for the whole of their adult life and then, at 65, goes onto an Aged Pension, is that person really "retiring?".

This has bugged me for some time and I'm sure there are a few here that might be able to enlighten me.

 

The Phantom

---

Hello The Phantom and everyone contributing to this topic

I shall give my answer in two parts.

Firstly and most important to me, (so I could therefore be wrong), my moral answer is that I fully agree with Peter n Margaret, as it is a very fine line between being a welfare cheat, and being forced onto welfare

Quote
There are also many who would like to work and can't for various reasons. Do you include them in your question oh righteous one?
And what difference to society will the answer make?
Unquote

Secondly, I shall try to answer the question, as I have interpreted it, so once again, I could therefore be wrong, perhaps twice over, as I may have misinterpreted the  question

My interpretation of the OP question was, does a person who has been on welfare payment all their life actually retire, then my answer is no, they do not retire

With absolutely no disrespect intended towards anyone, as I have only ever heard about, and never actually met a so called welfare cheat. I will try to justify my answer from firsthand experience.

From my years of 15 until 15½ through no fault of my own, I was not allowed into the employment playground because it was full. Therefore but for the grace of God, there go I.

From my years of 61 until 65, once again through no fault of my own, I was thrown out of the employment playground, due to being no longer medically fit to play.
If this had happened in my younger years, prior to having sewed a deep pocket into my clothes, so that my short arm, and hot little hand, could not reach the coin, then once again, it would have been a case of, but for the grace of God, there go I

The day of my 65^th birthday, which in normal circumstances would have been a milestone of leaving the employment playground, and entering the retirement playground, never happened. It was just another day to me.

I will therefore assume that the people of the OP question, will feel the same as I felt, on their 65^th birthday, I do not believe they will feel as though they have retired.

My opinion is that people who had never entered the employment playground, for whatever reason, will never enter the retirement playground, as they will not be experienced enough to realise, that they have just walked through the gate, of the dividing fence.

aussie_paul wrote:

---

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:

---

There are also many who would like to work and can't for various reasons. Do you include them in your question oh righteous one?
And what difference to society will the answer make?

Cheers,
Peter

---

 Pete, we are talking about cheats not deserving people.

Aussie Paul. 

---

 The problem with that Paul, is that it is very often/usually not possible to tell the difference.

The result becomes welfare bashing, much like discussing particular racial or religious groups or refugees.

Cheers,

Peter

Hello dogbox

Join the club

I doubt if we shall see that man in the Grey Nomad playground, as you will need at least a bicycle, a tent, and no debts to do the lap

rockylizard wrote:

---

Tony Bev wrote:

---

Hello dogbox

Join the club

I doubt if we shall see that man in the Grey Nomad playground, as you will need at least a bicycle, a tent, and no debts to do the lap

---

Gday...

OI - AND a grey water tank ! ! ! !

OOPS ... AND a WDH ! ! !

Cheers - John

---

Hello rockylizard

Not intending to attempt to take anything away from Peter n Margaret, as I completely agree with him, on this topic.
So thanks for speaking up for him goldfinger

I do have a sense of humour, which I actually find hard to convey, in the printed word.

Perhaps I should put up some jokes, later on

In reply to your post

Tongue in cheek
I stand corrected, rockylizard
Yes he will need a grey water tank, as he will obviously have to free camp.
Yes he will need some sort of WDH, as his trailer, to hold his grey water tank, would mostly likely be an old pram from the roadside/curb rubbish pickup
The grey water will slosh around, making his trailer unstable on his downhill runs.  

The only good thing about it is that like myself, he will learn to be polite, while travelling, which should benefit our Grey Nomad society

He will eventually learn to say the same as I do, upon a first introduction
Hello my name is (insert name here), I have come to borrow (insert amount here).

My mother always said that I must never loan money to a person, I had never been introduced to
Being the polite person I think I am, the introduction always comes first, so they know who they are loaning to

On a more serious note

Quote from dogbox
was talking to a fellow an stated he had 3months to go till he was entitled to the oap an he couldn't wait so he didn't have to keep going thru the bs of pretending to look for a job then said he hadn't worked since he was 19 yrs old
Unquote

Perhaps the man in question, thought that the Old Age Pension card, was actually a Get Out of the Centerlink Queue card.
I still do not think that he knows what retirement is all about
I can only wish him well, on his retirement, and be thankful that I was never in his shoes