benifits cap @ £26k

[Pedroski]

Why put anyone in prison? If they are fit for work, and they don't, they don't eat, simples. Putting them in prison would train them better in criminal ways, and cost us even more than giving them benefits. I believe all should work for their food, their home, their family, and the benefits should be their to help when things go wrong, redundancy, ill health etc. But benefits should never be there as a sole means of income if you can't be bothered to help yourself.

I have struggled to bring up a family on at times very poor wages, and it's only recently that the benefits have supported low income families properly, these are the ones that deserve help, those who work. Even this is unnecessary, if a proper wage is paid to all, there would be no need for top up benefits to make it affordable to live, the additional revenue raised off a higher income would mean there is more money in the governments coffers, each person could afford to have private health insurance, instead of having to turn to the State in times of hardship. Make each person responsible for themselves, this rot has to stop.

 

I work full time, my Mrs works part time and looks after our kids and other peoples kids. I've got a diddy little mortgage. But we're in a hole. My wages haven't budged in years, they are poor by the time I've considered expenses and paid tax and insurance. Basically something like £11k/year. We get working tax credit and child tax credit, and this enable us to eat food and pay bills. While my wages haven't budged, my gas bills have gone from being something like £30/month a few years back to £90/month now. And same with electric. That's £180/month.... that's well over £2000/year. My council tax is £1500/year. Vehicle insurance £700/year, mortgage £3120/year, home insurance £600/year, life and critical illness cover £600/year (which I need for the mortgage), phone £360/year.... the list goes on.

 

A few months back I got proper ill for the first time in my life.... I had a suspected pulmonary embolism, bibasal (double) pneumonia and clots were found on my lungs. I spent 2 days in hospital, got antibiotics and couldn't afford to take time off work despite being told I needed to take it easy for 3 weeks - I'm self-employed, working virtually exclusively for one company, but they won't pay me sick pay, so I was straight back to work. I phoned job centre about claiming ESA. The most I would have been able to get is £81/week.... and I would have had all the hassle of dealing with HMRC as well re my working tax credit. So my options were to either work or not be able to pay the bills. So I worked.... and got ill again, ended up back on antibiotics... and carried on working. I have a hole in my heart that is being investigated as I'm continuing to have shortness of breath problems - I had a cardiac angiogram a week and a half back, again for manual workers it's necessary to take a week off as they cut into the femoral artery in the groin to get a tube into the heart to investigate, and there's a real risk of bad bad bleeding if you strain it after. The week off has cost me a weeks wages with no sick pay. In a few weeks I'll hopefully be having the hole closed, but that means a month off, again no sick pay from the bloke I work for, but I should be able to get £81/week ESA for the 4 weeks. And this past week, and possibly tomorrow I've been screwed by the weather. No pay from the bloke I work for.

 

So to all those who slag off people who need help from society, don't tar us all with the same brush. I work my butt off and always have done - I have never been unemployed and neither has my wife. But we're in a sh1tty situation right now. I know you all work hard too, but just look towards yourselves and think about how you might need help if something changes in your life, or how different your life could be if things were different earlier on. What Cameron and all are doing is trying to put blame on society for the state of the economy. This is all absolute hogwash.

[Pedroski]

Agreed. There is never a need to have more than two children. After all, you are only replacing yourselves. If you choose to have a larger family, then you should pay for it.

 

Vast majority of families do pay for it - they work, they buy clothes and food for the kids etc etc....and money goes into the system. The kids grow up and work.... and pay tax and buy stuff and money goes into the system. Some become nurses and doctors and carers and look after other people who get ill or old... and it's all part of what works. So what if people get a small amount of child benefit per child each week (about £15), or child tax credit to help where earnings aren't enough. My oldest kid is 17.... she's working full time, she's moved out and paying rent on a house with 2 others who are also working full time. She's a benefit to society. And I'm sure my others will be too when they leave. Sure, there are some families who don't work, but they're the minority.... it's unfortunate that it's these ones that the government and the media love everyone else to focus on!

[Rich2484]

Agreed, help should be there for people that need it.

 

I found with self employment the same thing, no help.

 

It's the work shy that get me.

[Andy Collins]

Pedroski, check your critical illness policy, though mine didn't cover (in writing) the ulcerative colon, it did cover total disability for the duration of my illness and recovery, and is still paying out. May not add to much, but every penny helps.

[Pedroski]

Pedroski, check your critical illness policy, though mine didn't cover (in writing) the ulcerative colon, it did cover total disability for the duration of my illness and recovery, and is still paying out. May not add to much, but every penny helps.

Thanks Andy, I'll have a proper read through, but I don't think the treatment I end up with will be covered. I'm not sure if they cover time off for fitting of closure devices and stents, but I'll definitely check. As you say, every penny helps.

[Andy Collins]

Pedroski, I just stuck in for a claim form and let my GP word it properly, if you've paid out for cover why should not get some back. I was surprised that it covered total disability as well as the critical illness (kidney failure) so I was covered for the whole period I was hospitalised, and then for my recovery period (ongoing). If you try to work the claim yourself you may lose out.

[Mesterh]

People with kids get too many benefits anyway, they have their own parking spaces in B&Q now!!

 

TBH Im glad the government got knocked back on the benefits cap because we all know that the people who can dodgy the system will still end up OK, while those who really need it ie people with serious health issues or looking after disabled parents and children would be the ones to suffer.From what I gathered anyway.

 

They only real way I can see to get people off benefits and into work is to make them work while still helping out with benefits to a better degree than they do now.

[firewood]

The real problem is not the cash amounts given out it is the something for nothing culture. If you are single and childless and ablebodied you should not get any benefits....just get a job.

 

For others you should have to perform some socially useful task like picking up litter or dog poo or assisting in old peoples homes or schools until you get a job. I.e. you have to do something for your money.

 

It is difficult for women with kids but the state should provide fulltime child care foc to those who want to work and contribute to society. Most l.a.s only provide 2.5 hrs a day foc for under 5s which is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

 

Also as the govt needs to focus less on "jobs" and more on kickstarting new businesses. As many on here know all the govt wants to do with small business owners and entrepreneurs is kick them to death with taxes and regulations.

 

My 2p worth...

 

http://www.kinnoirwoodfuel.co.uk

[felixthelogchopper]

The real problem is not the cash amounts given out it is the something for nothing culture. If you are single and childless and ablebodied you should not get any benefits....just get a job.

 

For others you should have to perform some socially useful task like picking up litter or dog poo or assisting in old peoples homes or schools until you get a job. I.e. you have to do something for your money.

 

It is difficult for women with kids but the state should provide fulltime child care foc to those who want to work and contribute to society. Most l.a.s only provide 2.5 hrs a day foc for under 5s which is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

 

Also as the govt needs to focus less on "jobs" and more on kickstarting new businesses. As many on here know all the govt wants to do with small business owners and entrepreneurs is kick them to death with taxes and regulations.

 

My 2p worth...

 

kwfhomepage

 

Would certainly help with shortfall in funding local services. Only problem I can foresee is that the amount of hours worked would have to be balanced against the minimum wage.

[Pedroski]

The real problem is not the cash amounts given out it is the something for nothing culture. If you are single and childless and ablebodied you should not get any benefits....just get a job.

 

For others you should have to perform some socially useful task like picking up litter or dog poo or assisting in old peoples homes or schools until you get a job. I.e. you have to do something for your money.

 

It is difficult for women with kids but the state should provide fulltime child care foc to those who want to work and contribute to society. Most l.a.s only provide 2.5 hrs a day foc for under 5s which is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard.

 

Also as the govt needs to focus less on "jobs" and more on kickstarting new businesses. As many on here know all the govt wants to do with small business owners and entrepreneurs is kick them to death with taxes and regulations.

 

My 2p worth...

 

kwfhomepage

 

It's all very easy to say that people should be expected to pick up litter or dog poo, or help in old peoples homes or schools in exchange for their dole money. BUT, it's a crap idea.

 

It does people out of jobs. If an old peoples home can get free assistance from unemployed people, then what's going to happen to the jobs they would otherwise be employing people to do? Same with schools. My Mrs is pretty highly qualified in terms of early years childcare (she sat gawd knows how many courses etc in order to maintain her registration) and is has tried for months/years to get teaching assistant jobs in schools. But she can't get a look in because there are some right knobby mums, with absolutely zero qualifications, no early years childcare course under their belts, or anything, who go in and do it for free just because they "want something to do while hubby is out earning a fortune". These mums typically drive to the school in brand new Range Rovers and BMW X5s that hubby has had to buy in order to reduce his tax bill.

 

And the same with litter pickers. The council EMPLOYS street maintenance crews. If they start having free labour picking up litter, then what happens to the maintenance crews? They become underworked and then unemployed. And same with free labour doing weeding in old biddies gardens - that does me out of work. Next thing, the government will be putting unemployed on Arb courses..... they'll have no work.... so they'll get dole and then be put out to work for free on council trees, or in gardens of old biddy homes. So what will happen to your work? It'll become completely devalued, you'll have less of it, you'll pack it in because you can't earn a living and then become unemployed. You'll have your qualifications and experience, but no work, so they'll pay your dole and in return you'll be expected to do tree work for £70/week dole money. Good eh?