Readers' letters - September 28

Bad publicity for police and the endless spiral of debt

I have one or two subjects to dwell upon that I am bothered about.

Why have the police got such a lot of bad publicity? They have to work in very difficult circumstances – they are the only people working in our favour.

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What if they weren’t there? Hell and damnation would follow with the power-mad and money-mad people in control.

I have faith and respect for the police and I am not afraid of them – they are not ogres.

I might be needing their help in the future and I know I can depend on them. You should.

I am also worried about the young families who depend on their credit cards at Christmas to buy the kids the never-ending list of pressies they want and I know they let you know by screaming at you until, for a quiet life, you get your credit card out.

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I have an inkling that a lot of the young families are still paying last Christmas’s debt, probably paying it off to a loan shark.

What will happen this Christmas? The kids will start again and the credit cards will come out and it will be an endless spiral of debt.

Tell the kids you can’t afford all they want. Tell them what is happening and you have not got the money for all they want. You will be surprised – they understand more than you think.

Ask your mum and dad or your gran and grandad how they used to manage their money.

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I’m of the older generation and remember we never had any credit cards or any other cards.

There were cheque books then which did help. I can remember when I had to count the pennies in my purse to see if I had enough money to buy a loaf or some milk. I had to go to work when the kids were at school – part-time first and then full-time. When I was little, during the war, I was happy to find an apple and an orange at the bottom of my pillow case from Father Christmas. Not much else was in – that was rationing.

PT

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