Forgot where you went in 2003? Don't worry the Government will tell you!

Works for me! LOL Give me a garden and a good study and the gov't can plant security dudes, cameras, rules and regs all around me and I wouldn't notice! LOL

Maybe we could house swap Sparky. LOL.

No probably not P1ke I shall wait for them to knock on my door shall I lol xxx

Privacy and freedom Gabs. No, those aren't words that I recognise. Are you licensed to say such things?

I understand what you're saying and I agree that they shouldn't be able to use our money for bonuses and fat paychecks. But when the government begins to dictate wages, one thing leads to another and soon it's dictating what we can say or how we can spend our money. Can you see what I'm getting at? I believe this economic situation is being used to change our government to something I'm not going to like.

I understand exactly what you are saying. But these banks have foregone the right to set wages now. They've accepted a huge injection of public money and that was not given to offset their generous pay packages. However, I do agree entirely that we go onto thin ice when we let the Government decide how much people should be paid under normal conditions. That said, they already dictate a minimum wage.

Look at it this way. It was your money that was used to bail out the banks who, through incompetence bordering on the criminal, have plunged you into the worst recession since before WW2. Are you saying that it's OK for your Government to bail out these same people and not only protect their livelihoods with your money, but also let them have fat bonuses, from your money, as well? Perhaps the sensible thing to have done was to let the banks go under. What Obama is doing is trying to ensure that your money is used to bail out those that need it, the customers not the bankers, and not buy new homes in the Hamptons for people that are already hugely rewarded for taking risks with other peoples money. That's not socialism. Far from it.

They've been talking about "pay as you drive" over here for several years Bo. But they've set the charge so high that no-one could afford to rive anywhere! A trip to my parents (65 miles) would cost £195 (about $250!) return. Right now, because I have a hybrid car I pay £15 pa tax plus petrol at about $4 a gallon. It would be prohibitive to drive anywhere on that basis.

What are they thinking? People would stop going anywhere, stop spending money to go places, then where would the economy be? Sometimes I really wonder if government types even think things through before they start spouting off about things.

He wasn't was he? How we all laughed and said that it wouldn't ever happen. Whoops.

That's true Jen. We have fought hard and lost millions of people in our efforts to defend and maintain our freedoms. However, that is now being undermined by a Government who spout "Safety and Security" as their excuse for doing anything. The one thing that they fail to do is to tell us just what the threat is against us.

It is worrying really, I wonder if some other countries government will try to intervene and send troops to here. I've got a feeling it won't come to that though, think us and the US are supplying most places with stuff they shouldn't.

The thing that makes me shudder is that we were all so totally against Stalin and Soviet Russia, yet exactly the same things are slowly coming in here. This year they record your travel arrangements. Next year you will need to ask permission to travel!

Hmmm. I don't do other country's politics. All that I will say is that Obama cannot do worse than his predecessor in my view.

I agree, and I'm sure 99% of people agree with that statement as well. Very good. :)

That's a perfectly good point. Airlines will know who flew where and when already. So why employ a bunch more people using a dodgy database (Government IT contracts don't have a good track record) that they'll lose anyway.

I agree entirely Twoey!

You bet!

It's not just the British Government then. What a mess that sounds.

Oh I agree. I may not be able to post my story on here so I will let you know the link to it. I may be a bit to 'rough' for some shall we say. I agree, many were laughing and we no longer do. Ainge

I think that we're slowly slipping past the world envisaged in 1984 Ainge. I remember that in 1984 we all laughed and said how ridiculous it all was. Now look at us.

For tax purposes I can see the point, and it won't apply to those people that don't pay tax for whatever reason. But this proposal is simply to check up on us because they can!

I agree Nanna. Catch the innocent and ignore the rest!

I think that the biggest threat will come from people already in the country Riyasam.

They store all sorts of data about us Donna. But this one seems plain daft especially a the carriers do it already!

I think that it is less that they do watch us that gets me LoLo; and more that they CAN watch us, that gives me the creeps. It's like having state sponsored peeping Toms looking in our windows. What also irritates me is the way that we just let it happen!

I think that it's another classic example of stupidity in action that my Government does so well.

The latter. This just adds more "powers" do an already alarming list.