Define "Left".

[hobbsyoyo]

Bismark!

But you couldn't get the welfare until you were like 70 or some rediculous age when everyone died at 35 or younger.

 

[Dachs]

But you couldn't get the welfare until you were like 70 or some rediculous age when everyone died at 35 or younger.

hahaha what

 

[Quackers]

If you survived childhood you had a pretty good chance of seeing old age...

 

[holy king]

Bismark!

But you couldn't get the welfare until you were like 70 or some rediculous age when everyone died at 35 or younger.

you know, bismarck didnt really rule the germans in the stone age.

 

[Takhisis]

But you couldn't get the welfare until you were like 70 or some rediculous age when everyone died at 35 or younger.

hahaha what

Quackers is right, hobbsyoyo appears to lack a grasp on statistics.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

you know, bismarck didnt really rule the germans in the stone age.

If you survived childhood you had a pretty good chance of seeing old age...

hahaha what

hahaha I'm talking about his pension program. I know my numbers are off, hence the loose disclaimer like when I said 70 or some rediculous age....

Trying to find the exact numbers now. But seriously, I remember reading that the age you could claim the pension was much higher than the average life expectancy at the time.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

It also helped Von Bismarck considerably that the average age of a Prussian in 1889 was 45 years old. He could rely on a very large proportion of working age citizens to pay for the very few who lived to be 70. However, living to be 70 is no longer uncommon, in fact in Germany, one need only live to be 65 now before receiving pension. The second cause for concern is that there are far fewer working age citizens in comparison to the number of pension collecting seniors. What was once likely a 100-1 paying to pensioner ratio, has now become a 3-1 ratio, and its fast on its way to a 2-1 rati

Source:http://caduceusx.com/sulgnavon/?p=10
You haters can go away
edit: I was pretty close for a 'beat everyone to the answer' off the top of my head answer.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

The lefties on this board tend to be a tad more touchy than other folks, I wouldn't worry about it.

How ironic you should follow this up with:

Who is this "them" you speak of? Are you grouping all people who don't follow your political ideology into one category?

No worries oh touchy one, I was talking about all those who would benefit by keeping their silence. An unlike some I don't draw the lines along political affiliations.

 

[holy king]

average age =/ life expectancy.

the average age in germany today btw is 42.1, (that of uganda 14.2, btw), so the number in your source is most probably wrong.

 

[Ailedhoo]

Well... Bismark's policy was a stepping stone I guess...

 

[hobbsyoyo]

average age =/ life expectancy.

Correct. But the rest of the post still goes to my point. Or not. Whateves

 

[Takhisis]

How convenient of you not to address our point.

 

[holy king]

whats your point?

that the current demographics in western europe are going to make the pension system reliant on external input?
that's not exactly news...

 

[hobbsyoyo]

How convenient of you not to address our point.

This isn't specific to germany, but furthers my suspicion there was a misprint in my original source. That is, it should have said average life expectancy rather than average age.

What was the average life expectancy in the year 1880
In 1880, the life expectancy at age 10 was 40.5yrs The infant mortality rate was 48.3%! Ask us more!

http://www.kgbanswers.com/what-was-the-average-life-expectancy-in-the-year-1880/3914072

 

[hobbsyoyo]

whats your point?

that the current demographics in western europe are going to make the pension system reliant on external input?
that's not exactly news...

No I just answered a question and people pointed out how dumb I am. I have no point about modern welfare. Just trying to relate a story about the welfare system instituted by bismark.

 

[holy king]

your point was telling a related story?

 

[Quackers]

No I just answered a question and people pointed out how dumb I am. I have no point about modern welfare. Just trying to relate a story about the welfare system instituted by bismark.

Don't take it so personally brahem.

 

[Ailedhoo]

Don't take it so personally brahem.

But politics is the realm of the personal!

 

[hobbsyoyo]

your point was telling a related story?

No my point was to answer this question:

Ironically the figure who introduced the world's first welfare system was a (smart, unfanatical) conserative. I will give 10 points to who ever tells me who first introduced welfare. Here is a clue: you should have meet him in a certain game..

The story I told that related to my answer to this question is what snowballed to where we are now.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Don't take it so personally brahem.

I'm not, I promise! I'll have to use more smilees. I think it's kind of funny when I talk out of my a** and someone calls me on it and I either have to scramble to defend my a** or concede.

I don't like conceding