Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby recently ranted on all the taxes he had to pay for the benefit of people who don't seem to work for their earning like he did in his day. He is over eighty now and reasonably wealthy for having been a Tv-star.

Well, I know it is fashionable to criticize the welfare state for being to generous, but I am one of those who are very grateful for the welfare state to exist at all.  It is just that I am seeing so many poor people all day long in my professional quality.

There are so many of them, who do not cope with this wild society we have created in the West. Nor can they compete in the general rat race.

Our modern society accepted to look after all those who cannot stand up for themselves, and every industrialized country will have to address the problem of so many people who are no use at all, speaking in economical terms.

Starting, I must say, with the ever growing group of the elderly, which we will all get to join if we live long enough. This group consumes ever growing amounts of national wealth out of any proportion, now that the baby boomers with the higher wages and therefore the higher retirement treatments flow into the system.

They will go on, for a few more years to strain the welfare state to the brink of snapping. We might as well wish that it will go on forever. We cannot be certain of that.

The picture is from de d'Este gardens, Tivoli, Italy.