BBC News Benefit trailer - Alicia Edge
Discussion
She is claiming benefits, has a plasma tv & a recently decorated home (well, livingroom at least) and says she has just spent £575 on the house. £575 which she could not earn by working - as though being made to work isn't fair.
My taxes more than likely paid you for tv. f
k off and get a job.
My taxes more than likely paid you for tv. f
k off and get a job.I saw this little piece, and all the people they interviewed all seemed to have "nice stuff" even the chavs who have been "wandering the streets for 2 whole years looking for work" had nice gear on.
I took the £575 to be per month for rent (housding benefit) btw but may be wrong.
It's just wrong! As a civilised society we should provide for the weakest amoungst us, whether ti be self imposed weakness or not. However, providing for them should be a modeast roof over their heads and basic provisions so they dont starve. And I dont mean put them in stholes, but a basic house, with basic amenities, and a healthy food parcel per week is where we should be aiming for. Any Playstations, plasmas that they "accumulate" etc, should be auctiioned off toward their food and lodgings.
I took the £575 to be per month for rent (housding benefit) btw but may be wrong.
It's just wrong! As a civilised society we should provide for the weakest amoungst us, whether ti be self imposed weakness or not. However, providing for them should be a modeast roof over their heads and basic provisions so they dont starve. And I dont mean put them in s
tholes, but a basic house, with basic amenities, and a healthy food parcel per week is where we should be aiming for. Any Playstations, plasmas that they "accumulate" etc, should be auctiioned off toward their food and lodgings. To me poverty is when the bank reposesses your house, have 1 week left to find somewhere. The tv, etc have already been given up, furniture in storage and you're struggling to keep hold of the family pet dog. However we had clothes and we could eat so I guess not true poverty!
(I speak from experience of when parents business went tits up, I was 11 at the time) Thank god for good friends that they let us rent their holiday home for a couple of weeks, never had a scrap of help from the council.
What I see these days makes me so cross. My parents always found work (which is why they could not get help!!)
The only offer we had was emergency B&B for mum, sister and I for a few days but they wouldn't help my Dad and the dog would have had to have gone, funnily enough my parents wanted to stay together.
(I speak from experience of when parents business went tits up, I was 11 at the time) Thank god for good friends that they let us rent their holiday home for a couple of weeks, never had a scrap of help from the council.
What I see these days makes me so cross. My parents always found work (which is why they could not get help!!)
The only offer we had was emergency B&B for mum, sister and I for a few days but they wouldn't help my Dad and the dog would have had to have gone, funnily enough my parents wanted to stay together.
sjn2004 said:
I think in the same report some women in the street said.
"Its alright for the rich but we are poor and why should we have to get a job".
TopTip: Get a job and you won't be "poor".
I really don't get this - how is that someone's actual view of the world? Why should you not have to get a job? Everyone else does!"Its alright for the rich but we are poor and why should we have to get a job".
TopTip: Get a job and you won't be "poor".
supersingle said:
sjn2004 said:
TopTip: Get a job and you won't be "poor".
Yes you will.You're far better off not working and on benefits.
Don't blame these people. It's the system that's wrong.
We knew this thousands of years ago.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thes...
But, sadly, the benefits system buys votes, and votes are worth more to the politicians than anything else.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Thes...
But, sadly, the benefits system buys votes, and votes are worth more to the politicians than anything else.
becksW said:
To me poverty is when the bank reposesses your house, have 1 week left to find somewhere. The tv, etc have already been given up, furniture in storage and you're struggling to keep hold of the family pet dog. However we had clothes and we could eat so I guess not true poverty!
(I speak from experience of when parents business went tits up, I was 11 at the time) Thank god for good friends that they let us rent their holiday home for a couple of weeks, never had a scrap of help from the council.
What I see these days makes me so cross. My parents always found work (which is why they could not get help!!)
The only offer we had was emergency B&B for mum, sister and I for a few days but they wouldn't help my Dad and the dog would have had to have gone, funnily enough my parents wanted to stay together.
No disrespect Becks to you at all as i am sure that was a horrible and difficult situation, i have also been in a similar situation when my dad lost his job, despite us relocating 300 miles away from family etc, the said company to closed another plant and deem dad jobless, new house, mortgage etc etc, it wasn't nice.(I speak from experience of when parents business went tits up, I was 11 at the time) Thank god for good friends that they let us rent their holiday home for a couple of weeks, never had a scrap of help from the council.
What I see these days makes me so cross. My parents always found work (which is why they could not get help!!)
The only offer we had was emergency B&B for mum, sister and I for a few days but they wouldn't help my Dad and the dog would have had to have gone, funnily enough my parents wanted to stay together.
But to me that is not poverty.
Poverty to me is how a large majority of the world sadly live. Where they are starving not knowing where the next meal is coming from with no roof over the head or any heat source, no fresh water, sanitation, nothing! No government hand outs, total corruption, basically you will be murdered for saying or doing the wrong things.
I am not saying people in this country do not suffer for a lack of funds, but we live in a very wealthy democracy, with loads and loads of opportunity to make money and better ones self. When i hear some crusty on the doll complaining because they live in Poverty i have to just bite my lip and carry on walking.
M3333 said:
becksW said:
To me poverty is when the bank reposesses your house, have 1 week left to find somewhere. The tv, etc have already been given up, furniture in storage and you're struggling to keep hold of the family pet dog. However we had clothes and we could eat so I guess not true poverty!
(I speak from experience of when parents business went tits up, I was 11 at the time) Thank god for good friends that they let us rent their holiday home for a couple of weeks, never had a scrap of help from the council.
What I see these days makes me so cross. My parents always found work (which is why they could not get help!!)
The only offer we had was emergency B&B for mum, sister and I for a few days but they wouldn't help my Dad and the dog would have had to have gone, funnily enough my parents wanted to stay together.
No disrespect Becks to you at all as i am sure that was a horrible and difficult situation, i have also been in a similar situation when my dad lost his job, despite us relocating 300 miles away from family etc, the said company to closed another plant and deem dad jobless, new house, mortgage etc etc, it wasn't nice.(I speak from experience of when parents business went tits up, I was 11 at the time) Thank god for good friends that they let us rent their holiday home for a couple of weeks, never had a scrap of help from the council.
What I see these days makes me so cross. My parents always found work (which is why they could not get help!!)
The only offer we had was emergency B&B for mum, sister and I for a few days but they wouldn't help my Dad and the dog would have had to have gone, funnily enough my parents wanted to stay together.
But to me that is not poverty.
Poverty to me is how a large majority of the world sadly live. Where they are starving not knowing where the next meal is coming from with no roof over the head or any heat source, no fresh water, sanitation, nothing! No government hand outs, total corruption, basically you will be murdered for saying or doing the wrong things.
I am not saying people in this country do not suffer for a lack of funds, but we live in a very wealthy democracy, with loads and loads of opportunity to make money and better ones self. When i hear some crusty on the doll complaining because they live in Poverty i have to just bite my lip and carry on walking.
My parents thought they were bettering themselves when they bought a so called thriving business turns out the previous owners had fiddled the books (long story not going into it now!)
eldar said:
supersingle said:
sjn2004 said:
TopTip: Get a job and you won't be "poor".
Yes you will.You're far better off not working and on benefits.
Don't blame these people. It's the system that's wrong.
OK, 3 years ago my company move it's Salford factory to Poland, this put me amongst the unemployed.
I had a house (modest terrace which I used to rent out but moved back to on splitting with my ex).
Sold the house and paid off all debts, took a job in a local shop and paid for an electrical course.
In a couple of weeks I'll get my certificates through and start again at nearly 40 years of age.
Retraining was necessary as there are no jobs in this area in manufacturing.
Lazy people will always be lazy, they need a stick as well as a carrot.
I had a house (modest terrace which I used to rent out but moved back to on splitting with my ex).
Sold the house and paid off all debts, took a job in a local shop and paid for an electrical course.
In a couple of weeks I'll get my certificates through and start again at nearly 40 years of age.
Retraining was necessary as there are no jobs in this area in manufacturing.
Lazy people will always be lazy, they need a stick as well as a carrot.
musclecarmad said:
i also don't see what is wrong with keeping the unemployed in blocks of flats like council flats that are nice inside but basic.
Smashing - so if you lose your job you get dragged out of your house to be put in a block of flats full of other unemployed people? Oh, and these blocks are going to just magically spring up all over the South-East are they, or do you propose that unemployed people are all moved to The North, Wales or Scotland?musclecarmad said:
I would also have security or a police officer in each block to keep the trouble down and anyone that gets in trouble loses a weeks vouchers etc
Have you got any concept of what it would cost to provide 24/7 security, never mind a "proper" Police officer? And how do people eat if you take their vouchers off them - think they're going to sit quietly in their room being good until next week's vouchers arrive?musclecarmad said:
we spend too much on benefits which is why we all pay so much tax. if benefits were less, we would pay less tax. This would mean that the difference between working and not working would get bigger meaning it's far more rewarding to work
No it wouldn't. Low paid people pay hardly any tax at all. If they've got families then even when working they get it all back and more in tax credits and other benefits. Even for a single person, if they're getting housing benefit there's probably no financial point at all in taking a minimum wage job.This is where a system based on means testing and needs leads us.
As long as we we hand out money based on these criteria we will have impenetrable paperwork and bizzare cases of people being better off if they make (or appear to make) their lives worse but lose everything they gain if they try to improve their lot.
There are plenty of alternatives:
A flat rate handout for everyone.
handouts based on circumstances.
handouts based on past contributions.
workfare.
any combination of the above.
As long as we we hand out money based on these criteria we will have impenetrable paperwork and bizzare cases of people being better off if they make (or appear to make) their lives worse but lose everything they gain if they try to improve their lot.
There are plenty of alternatives:
A flat rate handout for everyone.
handouts based on circumstances.
handouts based on past contributions.
workfare.
any combination of the above.
Deva Link said:
The problem in the UK is that for most people with a few kids and living in rented accommodation the difference between a typically crappy job and being on benefits is marginal at best. Standard of living for low paid people is too low.
Whilst I agree there is not enough difference between benefits and minimum wage, I do not think the answer is to raise wages. That will be a sure fire way to ensure companies move all manufacturing work to other countries. I do not perceive low paid people in this country to be poor. They have houses that keep them warm and dry. They have sufficient money for food; many have enough money for too much food and are obese. They have a selection of clothes. They have free healthcare. Most have sufficient spare cash for luxuries such as a TV, fags and booze. Granted it's not a great life, hence I prefer to work, but I suspect our poor look rich to 90% of the world's population.
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