Some thoughts of me...

[Peter_1]

I already mentioned it in some PM wit MarkFiddy, Bones and with Steve-I-Evans.

As some of you read in previous posts, I’m not that certain anymore of the future in Belgium.
I don’t know what the situation is in other countries for the moment but here in Belgium business is going from bad to worse. Most of all what is related to production is moving out of Belgium. We had serious troubles with Ford in Genk (3000 jobs gone), in my village Stiga (lawnmowers) moved to there homebase in Italy, Daikin will move a lot of his production to Hungary, Renault closed some years ago (500 jobs gone), Sabena (Belgium Airline company) and now Sobelair (airliners) went bankrupt and a lot of other smaller companies, the Railway (State owned) is making tremendous losses each year, so is the Post,…...

There where huge problems with the noise DHL made each night while their airplanes where taking off in Zaventem (Belgium National airport where DHL has his European headquarter) The minister, responsible for the environment had to leave because she made decisions concerning the noise in Zaventem pro environment (she decide a max take off per night and other different take off routes over Brussels) but contra employment (DHL threatened to leave Belgium)
Because she left, there was no majority anymore whereby we almost had no government anymore.
At the last elections, the greens had not enough votes and had to left the government.
There is a agreement with the peoples of Zaventem and the separate government of the Brussels capital and surrounding communities where there may not be more then 25.000 night flights per year. (now they are at +/- 22.000)
At the moment we just have a new minister for the environment with still hanging the dossier of night noise. Now in the hottest of the discussions how they will solve this problem, DHL announced that they will or want to increase their capacity in Zaventem and that they need for this an agreement for 35.000 (!) night flights per year.
But… they will create 3.000 jobs direct in DHL and they predicted/calculated also that not directly this will led to 15.000 to 20.000 new jobs. They will not move to the existing regional airports.
The whole debate is now changed from noise to employment. What a dilemma especially because there are laws or regulations from the WHO (World Health Organisation) relating to noise and minimum sleeping time per night which the government has to follow.
Only told you this recent not finished story, try to explain how short sighted some are, what is more important, jobs or the environment or how can both live in some sort of harmony? A difficult decission to make.
DHL expects an answer before summer. Will be followed.

We are ranked as one of the highest countries in the world for taxes and costs for labour.
At last, government is seeing there has to be done something. They sat together in the Parliament (after Ford and Sobelair) and took drastic decisions (try to lower the cost for night shifts, peoples who are to long unemployed and refuse work will lost there financial support from the state, there will be an enormous control on black labour (correct expression?) especially in constructing (where a lot of them are working with low paid foreigners), peoples with a low education, desperately seeking a job will get a bonus if they find work, they will be paid to learn another job,…. Perhaps you heard in the news that they also have made the decision that all of those who have black money outside Belgium – where they haven’t paid never taxes for years – may now return in a period of 6 months all their money back to Belgium with only 5% “taxes” A sort of fiscal/financial amnesty without any prosecution in court. This all to feed the Belgium treasury.
All these measures which have been taken with good intentions will not make that the companies who left Belgium will come back anymore.

We also have another fact – not only in Belgium but mainly in the richer part of Europe- that the society is becoming old. We have a special Dutch word (which means society is becoming grey) for this but I didn’t found the English translation. There are not enough newborn babies to support existing social systems in the short future (10 to 20 years).
You have to know that in Belgium the taxes of those who works are spend for the financing of the whole social system.

There are already studies since the 80’s where famous professors predicted with well-calculated theories that till 2010 the whole system will collapse due to increasing length of life and decreasing births.
I talked about this several times with bookkeepers from big companies, or bookkeepers who do the books for several companies, with trade persons, industrial managers and almost ll of them think the same…. Belgium and other European countries are sinking away and the prosperity will become more equal in Europe: we will have to learn to be satisfied with less and those who had always had less (East European countries) will become a higher living standard as they used to have in the past. I have no problem with this at all.
Pure by coincidence, I discussed this same topic some weeks ago with our young (31 years and youngest senator ever at the age of 24) Minister of State Van Quickenborne who I met. Even he and his younger colleagues were aware of all these problems and had the same vision as I have and they were just preparing a new direction in his leading Belgium party-executive VLD. (Wherefrom Guy Verhofstadt is our prime Minister) They launched it last Thursday as “VLD: Vision 2016”
He was very happy he had that talk with my colleagues and me because it was a consolidation of his own ideas.

We discussed in this forum the attitude of our youth and also the fact that they won’t learn a technical job anymore.

We don’t have also an own product, we don’t have oil, minerals, .. Look for example how dependent the US is from the Middle East. If they should shut off the oil from there, the whole US economy should collapse in some months. Or why all that war for such a little countries as Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan,…

What also has become a wrong attitude – I don’t know if this only in Belgium – the egocentric attitude of the peoples:’If it’s good for me, then others have to take it like I wish’ or ‘if I’m ok, that’s all I need, and all the rest can go to hell’ Its always me, me, me…
People don’t talk to each other anymore; some of them don’t know the name of their neighbours. They’re jealousy all around, they won’t work hard for their money…

So, you can imagine why so many Belgians are leaving this country and never come back.
In the late 50’s and begin 60’s, their was a massive emigration to Canada, now it’s worser they said in the news on the television.

Did you know that Norway made an offer to the Belgians - those who are educated or are well trained in any kinf of profession or have lot of practical experience - whereby we can move to there and were we receive 1.000 m² ground for free to build a house. They also help you to find the right job.

Therefore, since a year now, I’m seriously thinking about leaving Belgium, far away, outside Europe. I should do this not only for myself, but more for the future of my kids but even more for my future grandkids.
That’s also the vision of my wife and 2 of my 3 kids (my daughter of 18 has a boyfriend here)
We don’t see often our family (once a year with Newyear), sometimes a phone call,
We have a quote ‘You chose your friends but not your family” and there is a lot of truth in it.

We were thinking to move to New Zealand. Great nature, we think a more open vision…
I have a neighbour who worked there 3 or 4 times for some months for a Belgium company.
It’s also very outstanding, but I talked about my idea with a supplier of us (electrical components) and he knew now 4 of his customers who will leave Belgium, not particularly New Zealand. My neighbour left of me, a building contractor just need the ‘yes’ from his wife and he is gone (she won’t) , my neighbour who lives just in front of me (it’s him who worked in New Zealand several times) just came back (in December) from Canada where he has founded a company. The intention is to leave here in 2005.
What can I expect, am I more daydreaming, is New Zealand in fact the same as Belgium, are there plenty jobs over there, will there be a future for my kids, ..
My daughter said that this is my midlife crisis and that this feeling will pass away but it isn’t.
My wife was thinking of fabrication (very small) selling of Belgium pralines and I will find my way somewhere in the refrigeration industry I think. I have expertise but mainly with European products (and used to calculate everything in SI units J )

I searched between the members but didn’t found any of New Zealand.
So, I leave this discussion open and expect a lot of reactions from all you around the whole world.