| I think there are definitely a large number of people, who really don't need to be on assistance. When I was living in Northern Ontario, I knew lots of families, who were on welfare, and they came from generations who'd never had a job. There were plenty of young girl's who knew all they had to do, was get pregnant, and BINGO!, they'd get a check in the mail every month. They'd then have a child every couple of years to increase their check amount. Then, the Ontario government decided, enough was enough, and they changed a few things. Now, if a young girl has a baby, she must be enrolled in school, before she will receive a monthly check. The high-schools, a lot of them, now have day-care centers right on school property. I think it is a great idea, at least they are getting their education, and many are continuing on, and some are getting themselves half-decent jobs, and getting off the assistance. I have a cousin, whose husband cannot work, he has a degenerative muscle disease, however, he makes plenty of money under the table, and he gambles every week, bringing home lots more money, which he never claims. It sometimes bugs me, that my husband and I, work our butts off, and still don't make the kind of money my cousin brings in every month....However, I'd much rather be healthy, and able to put in an honest day's work, than be in my cousin's shoes, any day. For those that DO need assistance, I have no problems with them collecting, I know there are many who do qualify, and do need it. Those are the people it is intended for. |
How do you feel about people on government assistence?
by free2beme 53 Replies latest jw friends
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delilah
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Sad emo
The Adult Rate of the minimum wage (for workers aged 22 and over) should increase from its present hourly rate of £4.85 to £5.05 in October 2005, and to £5.35 in October 2006. The 2006 increase is subject to confirmation by the Commission in February 2006, that the economic conditions continue to make it appropriate.
The Development Rate (for workers aged 18-21 inclusive) should increase from the present hourly rate of £4.10 to £4.25 in October 2005 and £4.45 in October 2006. The Development Rate can also apply to workers aged 22 and above during their first 6 months in a new job with a new employer and who are receiving accredited training.
The Government should invite the Commission to review the operation of the 16-17 year old rate of £3 an hour and to report in February 2006.
(Low Pay Commission report)
I don't know the exchange rate but these are minimum wage rates in the UK - you still pay taxes, council tax, rent etc. but you can claim some benefits to help with these. I guess this was the point I was making in my last post - in the UK at least, sometimes it actually pays better not to work - behaviour I don't in any way condone but do understand though!!
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MsMcDucket
After I had my thyroidectomy and ended up with a tracheostomy, I lost my job. In order to get unemployment, I had to keep seeking a job. I remember looking for jobs, while I had the tracheostomy. People would just look at me like I was a nut. There was no way in hell that they were going to hire me. I had applied for Social Security, but was found ineligible. They said that the disability wouldn't last for long. Talk about one of the most frustrating times in my life. Medical bills mounted. My husband is a 100% disabled veteran. He couldn't go out and get a job either, who's going to hire someone with their entire leg and half their pelvis missing.... who, also, has other disabilities? We did receive Social Security benefits and VA benefits for him (Heck, he gave up his leg for his country. He was told that he had to join the army at the age of 18.).
People b*tch and moan about the veteran's getting their benefits, too. I just don't get it?? I'm working now, but I'm behind on medical bills. I made my doctor write a statement saying that I was able to work and that I had no restrictions.
Each individual should be judged according to their situation. There will always be "death and taxes". Might as well get used to it.
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Sad emo
MsMcDucket - how you were treated is awful. If anything is showing up in this discussion, it's just how differently government assistance is administered in the various countries. In the UK, you would have probably got incapacity benefit - plus we have free healthcare so there wouldn't have been a problem with medical bills.
Each individual should be judged according to their situation
Well said!
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diamondblue1974
Sorry, I just don't buy that! First you need the right skills and/or qualifications to do a job. Second, some potential employers don't help matters by offering only minimum hourly rates (which in the UK at least is below the 'minimum living level' suggested by many poverty action organisations) for work which really deserves better pay. Others demand long hours, while at the other extreme some offer only part-time hours because part-time workers have fewer employment rights. Sometimes the 'pay' is better on Government benefits - and so the cycle begins...
I am sorry Sad Emo but I disagree.
If people havent got skills and qualifications then they should take a manual labour job, if they want something better then at the same time let them go to college and obtain some better skills and more potential. If my uncle who has learning difficulties can have a manual labour job for 15 years continously then able bodied/minded people should get off their arses and do so themselves.
Long hours is a fact of life; even if you are a business owner your hours are going to be long, in manual labour jobs however rarely do people work longer than 12 hours without being paid overtime. If you object to working long hours the government allows you to exercise your rights under Working Time Regulations 1999 which guarantees a maximum of a 48 hour working week and minimum rest periods.
Part Timers also now have the right not to be employed on less favourable conditions to their full time counterparts; there is no difference in employment rights between part time and full time workers these days and there hasnt been for a good while.
The national minimum wage whilst isnt fantastic serves its purpose; it has prevented young workers and those in manual labour positions from being exploited to the degree they were in the late eighties and early nineties; they should think themselves lucky that they werent employed then on £2.50 per hour!!! which incidentally I was!
The only barriers to people working in my view is themselves in the majority of occasions.
DB74
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sixsixsixtynine
In order to get unemployment, I had to keep seeking a job. I remember looking for jobs, while I had the tracheostomy. People would just look at me like I was a nut. There was no way in hell that they were going to hire me. I had applied for Social Security, but was found ineligible.
Damn, sorry you had to go through all that!
I'm not sure how it works for welfare, disability, social security, etc., but in the US, when you receive
unemployment insurance (which is paid by the state), they take federal taxes out of it!
WTF!? How much sense does that make?
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MsMcDucket
but in the US, when you receive unemployment insurance (which is paid by the state), they take federal taxes out of it!
Yep, they sure do. I wasn't able to get back to work until May of 2004. The doc took the trach out, but I still have one paralyzed cord. I managed to make too much money, so I have/had to pay taxes of about $2100.00 on federal and about $450.00 on state. Kinda added insult to injury. I didn't make that much and I had 3 children living in the home.
Kind of a side joke here:
Yes, those poor people do have to pay taxes. Do you know how much it cost to get cigarettes and beer, nowadays!
After having said that, I must say that I don't believe that all people on welfare or government assistance are drug addicts and alcoholics.
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G Money
I think one solution is to make all welfare people work menial labour jobs such as grafiti removal and trash pickup. If they have kids, then there should be government sponsored daycare or schooling. Lets see how many really want the money and work. I bet the majority fall out, or develop some illness.
Friends in law enforcement have told me that 99% of people living on assistance have large screen TVs. At least they can watch their friends on Jerry Springer whilst starving or doin drugs. -
LDH
If people havent got skills and qualifications then they should take a manual labour job, if they want something better then at the same time let them go to college and obtain some better skills and more potential. If my uncle who has learning difficulties can have a manual labour job for 15 years continously then able bodied/minded people should get off their arses and do so themselves.
DB I do agree.
Ms MCD, that sounds horrible. I hope you applied for and got every program you were eligible for.
Friends in law enforcement have told me that 99% of people living on assistance have large screen TVs.
GMoney, this is hilarious. I must digress here to tell you a story. About 9 years ago my husband and I bought a big screen Mitsubishi TV. We were both working and doing OK, and I had an insurance settlement from a car accident, I kind of wanted to buy it for him. My daughter (3rd grade at the time) got invited to a birthday party of a girl in her class.
We got to their home (same neighborhood, they were renters and NASTY) I was not going to leave my daughter till I realized no one else showed up for her birthday party. We were new in town and were suckers, I guess. The home was FILTHY. The mother actually looked at me and said, "Do you think no one wants to come because we're black?" I was like, "No, I think they don't want to come because your house is FILTHY." Make a long story short, the dad is making all these excuses about how he's on Worker Comp and can't work, his back hurts, blah blah blah. Then he challenges my husband to a basketball game. How hilarious is that?
We looked over in the corner and I'll be damned. They had a Mitsu big screen TV that was bigger than ours. LOL. Ours was 57" I think theirs was 59". That chapped my husband's ass.
Lisa
Call a spade Class
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free2beme
Like I mentioned, minority is often the people who need it, majority is full of people who act as if it is owed to them. Personally, I think government assitence is ruining our country.