I'm with you on the first paragraph of what you said, @toddxox. The idea of taking money away from pensioners just so people who are already living comfortably can get some extra pocket money is as backward a solution as one could imagine.

As for giving the government more control over money, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that they already have control over money, but they're using the system incorrectly. I completely agree that jobs give individuals more independence, which is better for their mental health and good for society. However, the government creates the conditions whereby unemployment is inevitable because of over taxation and/or under spending - there just isn't enough money circulating around the real economy to create jobs for everyone and that is a matter of policy! Economists want to have a buffer to guard against unwanted levels of inflation, which is why they deliberately create these conditions.

We are not living beyond our means right now. We're living well below our means.