Grok and X

[£eagle]

If you feel the ground shaking under your feet it will be the reverberations from my decision the close my X account and to delete Grok. My protests against their intemperance and the bullying by the US government and major US AI companies will surely hit home hard.

[waddo]

wow! What was Grok anyway, I have heard of X but never bothered with it.

[MnM]

Same here waddo. I've never had time to bother with any Social Media. In fact I'm probably among the world's most anti-social people in that respect. The most I get to do time permitting, is come on here periodically to stay in touch and see what's happening. X was rebranded from Twitter in July 2023. Grok, an AI engine was integrated into X in November 2023. Both X and Grok, ergo Elon Musk, have been in the news recently over the ability for Grok to generate non-consensual sexually explicit content, hence (probably) £eagle's decision to delete the X account and Grok in protest.

[gates]

They recon it bad because you can take women’s clothes off with it . They all got the hump because they want to take their own clothes off and put it on web sites

[benjaminbutton]

A tad over simplified methinks Gates.

[£eagle]

It seems to have worked. I take all the credit for single handedly u turning Leon Skum.

[waddo]

Well done! Now have a crack at CSP.

[£eagle]

There are many CSPs. Which one is your target?

[waddo]

The Civil Service Pensions. You can’t loose on that as it is already in a state of total collapse - lol.

[£eagle]

You mean closing down the gold plated Ponzi scheme 100% funded by tax payers? I am sure there is massive support for that already so my inestimable help is not required.

[waddo]

"gold plated Ponzi scheme 100% funded by tax payers". That is the one - the same one that myself, as a tax payer, paid into for 17 years, the same as every other ex Civil Servant has done. Please do not try to make out that these pensions are funded by people outside of the Civil Service unless of course you know better..... At least 1.5 million ex Civil Servants have a great interest in it as do the current and past government. But I suppose if it all crumbles we can all just apply for the handouts that everyone else - that would be tax payers - get but they call them "Benefits", interesting term that is?

[£eagle]

Whoops. A bit of a raw nerve there. No personal offence intended.
Technically the contributions made by CSs come from their remuneration which is 100% supplied by tax payers as does any shortfall in the pension scheme. No doubt the contributions made on your behalf, as well as your salary, were well deserved for the work you did.

[benjaminbutton]

I've obviously been misinformed for donkeys years. Everyone I knew over the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s when subject of salaries came up, assured me that despite the fact that I, in private sector, earned more than CSs did, come retirement their pensions would be far greater than my private. Plus perks Is that not the case?

[£eagle]

I asked Chat GPT to compare the likely pensions of a civil servant in their DB scheme with a private sector employee in a DC scheme. The parameters for each were the same so, even if some were slightly unrealistic, the different outcomes are illustrative but nothing more.

Each man worked for the same period for the same salary and each contributed the same amount into their respective scheme. Sensible inflation and investment returns are assumed. Both retired at 65. The private sector employee used his pension pot to buy a 15 year annuity. The CS pension is guaranteed by the government for life without limitation of age.
The ~ squiggle means "estimated".

15-Year Retirement Outcome
Measure Civil Service DB Private DC
Starting pension £17,400 ~£5,000
Total paid (15 yrs) ~£375,000 ~£108,000
Inflation protection Full Market-dependent
Income after year 15 Continues for life Uncertain, likely zero if a fixed term annuity

PS The private sector employee could be sacked at anytime. The CS could not.

[£eagle]

I fear that I am going off subject. Sorry.

[MnM]

Not necessarily - you could ask Grok to put some of Musk's money into the CSP. Now THAT he WOULD put a stop to straight away - assuming he'd notice any difference in his bank account.