Unemployment benefit no longer available to those with "sufficient means"

[fifi]

Unemployment benefit will no longer be available to those with "sufficient means" according to the recently announced Spanish Government austerity measures which are published in the BOE. The Prime Minister announced that Unemployment Benefit was going to be reduced after the first six months "to encourage the unemployed to look harder for work", but failed to mention this fact which has come as a complete surprise. How "sufficient" is to be defined is still unclear.

The Government has not reduced the maximum 2 years allowed for "Paro".

[glenys]

The new Spanish prime minister seems to be following David Cameron's ideas. He should look at the mess our finances are in and try something different.

[PeterHeirman]

Thus the fools who have saved their income instead of spending it on cars, iPhones, travel and other stuff that evaporates will get no unemployment benefit.
Whereas those who have been living a lavish life (dining, wining and shopping) will get unemployment income.

That's just the same as Greece , Portugal and Spain getting money because these countries have been spending a bit too much !

People getting punished because hey saved money.
People who earned income without tax declaration can still get unemployment benefit because they have so little income (but drive a 4x4 paid from the black money earned).

[fifi]

http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/08/14/inenglish/1344955981_882560.html

[SurfJames]

The problem is this:

Western Governments have borrowed huge sums of money to buy electorate votes. These massive debts have been rolled over year on year and got bigger and bigger

Western Governments removed sensible borrowing controls with respect to the size of mortgages - House prices just kept going up and up as people lied about income or were allowed to borrow massive multiples of their income.

So we end up with Governments in massive debt and populations in massive debt.

The banks were laughing. The money is owed to them. It doesn't matter who is in power because if you control the money supply you control a country.

The banks (crafty b******s), then packaged up the mortgages into bundles. each bundle contained good safe mortgages, not so safe, and number two mortgages (those that would never get paid off). They sold these bundles to...........PENSION FUNDS. So all the private pension funds in the West own useless bundles of high risk mortgages.......!!

In order for Governments to continue service their massive debts, they have to sell BONDS. Up to now, China has been buying these bonds. If you have a AAA rating, then the bonds have a lower interest rate than say a A- (junk) rating.

But, China is sick of buying these bonds and domestic pressure from their own population is demanding that money is spent on roads and schools and hospitals etc. If China stops buying the bonds, interest rates will have to go up fast.

And then along comes the IMF. They say.......cripes, we're starring over a cliff-edge. Government debt is so high and personal debt is so high we better sort this out. Lets force austerity measures on these countries.

So savers are robbed of their savings through low interest rates and high inflation. Property owners are forced to pay extra taxation. Public services are slashed, utility bills shoot up, inflation races ahead, taxation goes up etc etc.

And worse still, the whole economic system depends on people buying stuff. Austerity measures reduces purchasing power.

If we go into a depression - peoples homes get repossessed, unemployment goes ever higher etc etc. And the most frightening thing is that PRIVATE PENSION FUNDS WILL BECOME WORTHLESS. Every pension fund in the West could collapse.

And who wins out of all this........? Yes the very people who created the problem in the first place.

THE BANKSTERS   

And that's why there is so much anger against the banks. Thay are spivs in suits.

[seeitasitis]

Articulate and totally spot on Surfjames.

[fifi]

http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/08/21/inenglish/1345566128_760599.html

http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/08/22/inenglish/1345662669_800174.html