Missed this one - on benefits & proud

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Other people aren't. The government is.

But regardless, there are not enough jobs for every adult in the country to work full-time. If those who don't want to work are the ones who don't work, that leaves more jobs for those who do feel some sense of duty to do so. So it's better we let them sit on benefits.

And where does the Government get the money from? Taxes

[d000hg]

And taxes are not your money, they are the government's. When you earn money from an employer, it stops being theirs and becomes yours. When you pay taxes on that, it becomes the property of the government. When the government pay benefits, it becomes the claimee's money. It's not your money anymore.

[b0redom]

And taxes are not your money, they are the government's. When you earn money from an employer, it stops being theirs and becomes yours. When you pay taxes on that, it becomes the property of the government. When the government pay benefits, it becomes the claimee's money. It's not your money anymore.

What a lame argument.

I wonder if this sensationalist stuff takes into account 'benefits' include state spending on pensions. Here's the 1st link Google threw up, but I've seen it before. Pensions are a massive percentage of the 'benefits' bill.

Stumbling and Mumbling: Benefit spending: a quick history

[d000hg]

What a lame argument.

No, it's a fact.

We give everyone the option of free health and dental and education too, is that a bad idea?

[amcdonald]

And taxes are not your money, they are the government's. When you earn money from an employer, it stops being theirs and becomes yours. When you pay taxes on that, it becomes the property of the government. When the government pay benefits, it becomes the claimee's money. It's not your money anymore.

That is another of societies problems, taxes are not a magic money pot for governments to spend, that is exactly the same thinking as benefits scroungers

It's not their money, it's our money they're spending!, which is why they think we're a magic money tree that they can use to bribe us with our own money!

[b0redom]

No, it's a fact.

We give everyone the option of free health and dental and education too, is that a bad idea?

No I don't believe it is. This idea behind public health and education is that people who are better off, help subsidise people who are worse off.

That's a world away from saying that a life spent living on benefits because you're better off or are given housing and an allowance for free
should be a lifestyle choice.

Benefits should be a safety net, not a career choice, and if less people were on benefits, there would be less need for working individuals to subsidise them.

[lukemg]

Move along, nothing to see here.
Don't sweat it people, it's the price of doing business. These people are not living it up, they are dragging along the bottom and will continue to do so.
Let them have Sky and pies, then they will gnerally leave us alone to get on with our lives.
If you want to know what life is like if you don't pay any bennies - check out Brazil, SA etc. Walled communities and a real danger of being attacked every time you leave the compound, properly grim.
Earn enough to live somewhere nice and this programme is probably the closest you will get to these people apart from the local hospital and even that can be avoided with money.

[vetran]

This might be more helpful:

Public Spending Chart for United Kingdom 1950-2012 - Central Government Local Authorities

It shows the split since 1993. Adjusted for inflation.

as you can see pensions are a big part of it and rising rapidly. We could get them to rely on private pensions but Gordon put paid to that.
but welfare has been fairly steady if you adjust for inflation suggesting a steady demand that doesn't clearly reflect job availability.

Now possibly there is a small minority of doley scroungers, but for the faith of tax payers they need to be encouraged into work with a path to get them off the dole.

Most tax payers would see Dole money as something they pay as part of their taxes it being £100 Billion and they are watching Eastern Europeans take jobs because the Brits don't want them because they are better off on the dole then its not surprising they are angry!

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

And taxes are not your money, they are the government's. When you earn money from an employer, it stops being theirs and becomes yours. When you pay taxes on that, it becomes the property of the government. When the government pay benefits, it becomes the claimee's money. It's not your money anymore.

Off the point - you said that it was perfectly reasonable that some people should be allowed to sit on their backsides all day and be paid to do so if that was their desire - do you not think that having this as an option, as a career path if you will, is what is contributing to many of the problems that we have in society?

[Platypus]

Move along, nothing to see here.
Don't sweat it people, it's the price of doing business. These people are not living it up, they are dragging along the bottom and will continue to do so.
Let them have Sky and pies, then they will gnerally leave us alone to get on with our lives.
If you want to know what life is like if you don't pay any bennies - check out Brazil, SA etc. Walled communities and a real danger of being attacked every time you leave the compound, properly grim.
Earn enough to live somewhere nice and this programme is probably the closest you will get to these people apart from the local hospital and even that can be avoided with money.

Yep, fair points.