David Cameron was on the radio this morning. He has some proposals for people on long term job seekers allowance to make them go to work (on community-based projects) after receiving them for 2 years. There was a phone in, and a lot of opinions, so I thought I’d share mine.
I am inherently lazy. I admit this. However, I work damned hard at my job. As a result of this, I earn a decent amount of money (thanks, boss!). I only go to work so I can afford things. As much as I enjoy most of my job, I could always be content sitting on my arse doing nothing! I don’t believe that it is right that if I am sat on my arse doing nothing, that I should be paid for said arseage (© sheepeatingtaz 2007). If someone came to me and offered to pay me to do nothing, I would. That is what this benefit is, as far as I am concerned. What’s more, as a taxpayer, it is ME who is paying for it! If I wanted to pay someone to sit on there arse and do nothing, It would be my wife, as she would appreciate it as much as me!
I don’t have a problem with benefits, per se, just certain ones. For example, I think single parents should receive br benefits. There is only one of them bringing up [a child/children]. Why should they work to pay for childcare by someone else. I often think that single parents should become childminders, but that’s another thing altogether.
Incapacity benefit is another that is being debated. I have mixed views on this. I believe that there are very few people who are too ill/disabled to work at all. There are some, and I’m fine with that. At the risk of generalising, what is to stop someone with a bad leg from working as a receptionist? Just because Mr Gammy Leg used to be a builder, doesn’t mean he cannot be trained to be a receptionist, and therefore is able to work. Therefore no incapacity benefits for him.
I think what it comes down to is that I’m lazy, but I still go to work. I am jealous that other people don’t have to, and can still afford to live. People shouldn’t be able to pick and choose to receive benefits, they should be there for people who need them.
I’m interested to know what other people think on this, so please feel free to use the comments to let me know.
{ 2 } Comments
Now then,
Many people see the benefits system as a free ticket to sitting on arsedom and that’s just wrong.
At the end of the day if people can work in any way then they should. Even if it’s just stuffing envelopes for government mailshots.
My tuppence worth
The problem is that no individual part of the benefits system is black and white.
You say single parents should get benefit, but on the other hand, do we really want to be encouraging people to become single parents? Moreover, do you want to end up in the situation (in fact, we probably already are) where young teenage girls see getting pregnant as a “career choice” because they can get a house and benefits easier?
Also, bear in mind that, other than unemployment benefit, none of the benefits schemes are necessarily there to say that people shouldn’t work. They are simply an addition to your income. So – we receive child benefit not because we’re not working and have a child, but purely because we have a child. They are income adjusted, though.
Don’t really know where I’m going with this. I guess ultimately, there are more deep rooted problems within our society, and the benefits system (and use thereof) is not actually a cause, but merely a symptom.
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