Benefits crackdown, your opinions?

[Bugz]

I think a big problem is people who upgrade income automatically upgrade their permanent income expenditure to go with it (by permanent I mean: they will take out more monthly direct debits; more permanent monthly expenditure etc.). There's no aspect of saving to most people; you spend the months income, you're broke for the next 4-5 days before pay day arrives, rinse and repeat.

This means that when downturns occur, we continuously have people in debt, losing homes, not being able to pay etc. When I snapped up a second job, I didn't raise my permanent income by exact amount my monthly income rose by. I instead raised it by a %. So when shit hits the fan & so on, I have a savings buffer to push me through the bad times.

I know families with 2-3 children all of a young age don't really fit into this and I respect that. But to be honest, a couple can live on 1-1.2 grand a month easily as permanent income. But the English way seems to be live on 100% of your salary as pure permanent income & that's that.

Not entirely related to the topic but I think it does criss-cross over into why we have a country full of a lot of people who suck at money (and no way directed to the OP by the way).

 

[Bugz]

Note: the 1-1.2 grand excludes London ;d

 

[Calaen]

Our country is in a mess becasue people at the lower end of the food chain suddenly had the ability to own things (chucky) they could have once only dreamed of. It wasn't 40 years ago people didn't even have televisions in their houses beause they were so poor.

Now even the people living on the bread line have a flat screen/sky tv/car and probably a mobile phone to go with it all, as well as being able to dress themselves in things other than hand me downs.

We stepped over the line where people used to have to strive to achieve their dreams and comforts. To a place where everyone could reach them with a bank account and two forms of ID.

 

[Calaen]

Note: the 1-1.2 grand excludes London ;d

You are right though bugz! My wife gets a pay rise and it's an effort to stop her spending more than she is going to get with the rise!!!

 

[Thorwyn]

We stepped over the line where people used to have to strive to achieve their dreams and comforts. To a place where everyone could reach them with a bank account and two forms of ID.

But that´s the normal progress of development. Yesterday´s luxury goods are common goods today. You can´t really say that flat screen TV´s are still a luxury consindering how cheap they are. Same with mobiles and stuff. If having a mobile and a plasma TV is the ultimate goal in the life for someone, then please. *shurg*. All the more options and jobs for other people.

 

[Lamp]

I'm all in favour of a clamp down on benefit abusers. This country has been ruined by 13 years of spoon-fed nanny-state New Labour. Its time to finally get tough on our lazy, workshy, under-class culture. Pull the rug out from underneath them. Don't want to work? No benefits.

 

[Ch3tan]

. If you´re 35+ of age and lose your job, there´s almost zero chance to get hired again.
.

You what now? That is the silliest thing I have read for a while.I know lots and lots of people over 35 who had to reapply and get jobs when Woolworths collapsed. Maybe it's different in Germany. Getting a job is about your flexibility and determination, in bad economic climates people have to give their pride a shove to the side and do whatever work comes along.

Edit:// also Bugz and Cal are both right, the UK is very much credit driven, and everyone thinks it's their right to own status items and live an expensive lifestyle. People do not save or think about the long term with their cash.

 

[Thorwyn]

You what now? That is the silliest thing I have read for a while.I know lots and lots of people over 35 who had to reapply and get jobs when Woolworths collapsed. Maybe it's different in Germany.

Well.. believe it or not but that´s how it is (at least over here). As soon as you´re considered "too old", you just don´t have a chance. Maybe it´s a GER specific thing. Or maybe it has something to do with the level of qualification, I don´t know.

 

[ECA]

OP, how do you feel about Labour coming to power with a surplus and leaving it having borrowed £3000 from every man woman and child in the country? If you just make it taxpayers only it's probably about £10k.

tldr stupid shit labour spent money on we couldnt afford and now we have to pay for it.

 

[Talivar]

Bring back some form of national service for the healthy people who cant find a job or atleast more enforcement of voluntary work while you try to find a paid job.

 

[soze]

I always though you should just make people claiming the Dole do cominity service work. Even just 10 hours a week painting over grafiti picking up litter ect. The people who are really looking for work will probably be glad they are doing something to earn it.

 

[BloodOmen]

I really don't care, people have been screwing over the benefits system for so long now and getting away with it, like nice normal people that I know just come out with stuff they do to get extra help, its like omg oooook so this is just normal practice now then is it?

10+ years of Labour to thank for that, britain has more or less grown into the lifestyle of benefits and cameron thinks its oh so easy to fix... he'll soon learn its not as easy as just not paying out for a few simple reasons:

1. Crime rates will go through the roof if they just cut it off (i'd wager money on this) this includes burglaries, piracy, fraud etc.

2. There would be mass riots/protests purely because of migrants (why?) because this won't extend to them, being new to the UK they will be spoon fed money until they speak fluent english/have enough experience etc to start an english job, chavs that have basicly had their benefits stopped dead will cause alot of grief over it, beatings etc so expect assaults on any none british resident living here aswell (yep, that probably includes uni students because chavs are dumb and think anyone with a foreign accent is here illegally) cameron claims they will sort out the borders and stick a cap on how many can enter the UK per year but we all know thats a load of shit.

Theres so many reasons and flaws why reforming this is an extremely long process (talking a good 5+ years)

 

[Ch3tan]

2. There would be mass riots/protests purely because of migrants (why?) because this won't extend to them, being new to the UK they will be spoon fed money until they speak fluent english/have enough experience etc to start an english job, chavs that have basicly had their benefits stopped dead will cause alot of grief over it, beatings etc so expect assaults on any none british resident living here aswell (yep, that probably includes uni students because chavs are dumb and think anyone with a foreign accent is here illegally) cameron claims they will sort out the borders and stick a cap on how many can enter the UK per year but we all know thats a load of shit.

I suppose you've got proof that this is the case? I've not heard it mentioned anywhere that migrants will get tax credits when residents don't. You need to check your facts, and not just post propoganda. It reads like a badly worded UKIP leaflet. You need to learn the difference between a immigrant and an asylum seeker and an illegal immigrant.

 

[Ch3tan]

Theres so many reasons and flaws why reforming this is an extremely long process (talking a good 5+ years)

This is the only part of your post that isn't just scaremongering, it's very true that reform takes a long time. And it's also true than both Tories and Lib Dems have said that recovery and change are not going to happen overnight. I don't remember reading anywhere that the changes proposed now were a "fix all" or indeed the only steps they were taking.

 

[BloodOmen]

I suppose you've got proof that this is the case? I've not heard it mentioned anywhere that migrants will get tax credits when residents don't. You need to check your facts, and not just post propoganda. It reads like a badly worded UKIP leaflet. You need to learn the difference between a immigrant and an asylum seeker and an illegal immigrant.

don't even remember typing that tbh, date says it was the day I got rat arsed tho reading it myself I think what I was trying to say is people will point fingers in short.

 

[Garaen]

Benefits should not consist of currency, they should be vouchers for only the basic requirements; food & clothing and minimal social activities that don't involve alcohol / cigs (say, a monthly ticket scheme to the cinema etc). No money should be given what so ever (most of it gets spent on alcohol and fags as it is). One of the biggest issues is the lower classes on benefits having a massive amount of children because they get benefits for this (you've all seen it, christ the parents can't even look after themselves let alone a child) this in itself is going to cause a cycle as the children get older and emulate their parents lifestyles - to discourage this there should be no monetary child benefit; only a (as someone said earlier) meal on wheels type of system - baby food and clothing is provided that is it. Yes it's hard lined but it will motivate people to start working. I'm absolutely sick of driving past a weatherspoons or the local pub during the day and seeing it packed with work shy wasters getting pissed on taxpayers money.

The government should also bring in schemes that get the unemployed people working for their local community for a meager monetary reward - there's no advantage to having people apply for jobs then sit around on their arse all day - get people litter picking or planting shit, anything to keep them busy and doing something useful. Most people i've met who are the dole have a big fuck off chip on their shoulder; they believe they are entitled to everything they can get their hands on - up north especially they've all got an excuse why they're on the dole or why they can't work.

Sorry about the rant and I know not all people on the dole are money grabbing wasters but the majority are; they know the system better than anyone and can squeeze every last penny from the government. It pisses me right off.