@Darryl
This.
As I said in a previous post. I worked temp job on benefits for a local council. At first I was pretty pissed off, the ones who phone up a lot and whinge are often the scrounger ones (which considering you are doing a low paid temp job not to be unemployed is annoying), but realistically it's a small percentage. Most people don't want to be on benefits and for a large percentage of the population it's shit.#
But what we see is always the scam artists who work the system and make far nicer headlines to get righteous anger, and then people go well it's all like that lets cut benefits. No it's not all like that, it really isn't, but if we do we throw out the baby with the bathwater.
I've talked to people who have broke down in tears because we helped them when a disaster has happened, memorable one was a woman whose husband (the main breadwinner) had just died, the fact we had the facility to say forget your council tax at the moment thats not a cost that should bother you now, sort out the rest, your mortgage etc. Thats who we fuck up to make us feel like we aren't wasting our money on a scrounger, you klnow what, things like this, thats society, thats us actually aknowledging that we have moved on from monkeys in tress to becoming a cohesive whole society that actually tries to go forward.
What about those little kids whose parents are fuck ups? should we be punishing them? should we be limiting their future? There's a school in Leeds friend works at, they have had kids eating out of bins because of smack addict parents. Now I'll agree wuth anyone those parents are shit. But here's a question, thats that kids formative years, how do you think they are going to turn out as an adult? Whats their 16 year old life going to be if they are living like that at the age of around ten? The sins of their parents are going to dog them for years man, they are going to need help and you know what I actually don't think that situation they will likely find themselves in later on in life, will really be much of their fault.
Now don't get me wrong there are issues.
Some people getinstitutionalised, seen that we need to really sort that out.
I actually think benefts cheats get off very lightly from what i have seen, that needs fixing for definite. But to label everyone as bad and make them suffer for the actions of a few, explain to me how is that fair?
There's probably problems with child benefits and people having kids for them, and similar things.
But these are problems we sholud not be punishing everyone for to get to a few.
*I don't know where this people on benefits are all rich thing comes from either, unemployed I basically lived in a slum, a lot of my stuff I had bought in my working life was ruined by mold, Couldn't afford to move that takes money, and yeah rents paid, so is council tax, let me tell you the remaining £65/ week does not go far, especially when you are on card meters in a house with terrible insulation. There were more than a few nights and days I lived with no utilities waiting for my next payment. I used to sleep with a duvet a sleeping bag and two layers of clothes in the winter. Before that I had worked all my life hard, a year and a half unemployment financially broke me.
#also btw landlords who phone up to find out the max they can charge for benefits, I've had people complain they cannot buy their mothers house and then charge rent, so she can claim on benefits.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
