Longford Leader columnist Mattie Fox: Time to give the worker his or her due

Taking into account retirees like myself, those who might be on holidays or shift work, the ratio seems very high.

No country, big or small could sustain this high proportion of workers (i.e. taxpayers) to non-workers.

The sad thing in Ireland is that all the perks go to the unemployed - no taxes, free medical care, free housing, school subsidies (books, uniforms, school bus), third level grants, nursing home care (without giving their houses as collateral).....the list goes on...

Isn’t it time to give the worker his or her due?

Right now we are in a position where we should be receiving:

€13 billion from Apple

Millions from banks/bankers who carried out illegal acts

Thousands in fines from the Gardaí, who carried out illegal acts.

Do we believe any of this will happen?

No, but not a second thought is given taking hours off workers who are struggling (legally) and paying for everything. As long as the banks are saved, the same bankers who don’t give a sugar about you and me, and are slowly closing down all day to day customer services at their branches.

Apple still enjoys stateless status.

Before this election, this government needs to ‘see’ the human beings who lifted this country off its knees and reward them for their labour.

There is a breaking point, and as one professional said to me during the penal days of the Fine Gael/Labour coalition “I have never felt invisible before - not even when I was paying 58% taxes in Charlie Haughey’s time”.

The ‘invisible’ are going to vote in thousands because they are sick and tired of being treated like fools.....and they don’t all live in Dublin.

Read more from Mattie Fox here.