Quote worth repeating

I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains... My advice is : "Go outside, to the fields, enjoy nature and the sunshine, go out and try to recapture happiness in yourself and in God. Think of all the beauty that's still left in and around you and be happy!"

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.

Anne Frank

Overcrowding

Living in South Essex I'm getting really fed up with how crowded the area is.  Traffic moves slowly everywhere; no parking when you get where you want to be; public transport nearly ceases by 19:00; high land/property prices.  The really big one is how unfriendly people are, complete contrast to small towns, it's very unusual for anyone in the street to talk to a stranger, or even neighbour.

Government/council is only interested in packing more people in, encouraging infill building at stupidly high densities with no new infrastructure.

Soon as our kids are out of school I'm moving.

Fairness in education

Just been reading an article - the UK is increasing the extra payments to schools for disadvantaged children to £600 from £480.  The idea is to give all children an equal chance in life.
Surely to be fair all kids should have exactly the same resources spent on them.  I used to teach special needs groups and was quite surprised at just how much resource is available to this group - once they have crossed an invisible line and been classed as 'special needs'.  Against the intention of government this extra resource was withheld from kids with special needs at the 'superbrain' end of the spectrum.

There seems to be the idea that all individuals should achieve identical levels of attainment.  This seems contrary to my own experience that different individuals have different capabilities and levels of achievement.

The elephant in the room is that genetics does play some role in individual's IQ, motivation etc.  Parents who are low achievers are likely - in general, not in every specific case - to have children with a lower potential for achievement.

It's really not fair for the high achievers to be highly taxed, and then for their children to be deprived of a fair - i.e. equal - share of the education pot.  Could say the same thing about wealthy pensioners; they've paid in all their lives at a high level and the left wing whingers want to deprive them of their well earned state pensions so that those who have contributed far less (or have contributed negatively) can have more.

Can the more rabid socialists get it into their minds that if you contribute to society, you need to be rewarded or there's just no incentive to be a contributor.