JOHN Blunt, in his diatribe (LET, October 25), thinks the middle classes will be bribed in the next budget by a scheme "for old people living in private residential homes to have their nursing fees paid by the state."

He complains that this will avoid the residents having to sell their own homes to meet the care costs for which people with more than £3,000 (yes, including their house - hardly middle class) are now liable.

But don't worry, John, the nursing element is only a small part of the bill and its payment by the state would do nothing to protect the inheritance of these pensioners' children.

He says the government is keen for people to stand on their own two feet and make proper provision for their old age. Now, that's just what we elderly have been going all along. It's called National Insurance.

Over a working life, we and our employers have paid serious money into the Insurance Fund. We have earned the care for which we now have to pay.

It seems the government can fiddle our premiums and change the rules as it pleases. Our National Insurance system, which pays benefits from current contributions, lends itself to this.

Of course, the Tories are getting worried: they've been rumbled about another swindle on the elderly.

To curb the benefits explosion look at the "welfare scroungers" by all means, John, but don't point at us pensioners: we've paid our dues.

We stood by your parents and grandparents in their old age. Don't you dare cheat on us now!

G E RAYNER, Whinney Lane, Langho.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.