Why work for low wages? Why not claim benefits and not bother?

Answer 1

its called pride

Answer 2

If they raised the minimum wage to a decent level this would stop. I agree unfortunately, it doesn't give anyone an incentive to work if they can get more on the dole, and that is why alot of them are there. I am not saying that ALL that are unfortunate to be on the dole want to be there....far from it, there are alot of genuine people who desperately want to find a job and work for a living, but sadly there are alot who don't too!
Years ago I was unfortunate to be on the dole long term, and try as I might I couldn't find a job, so when the dole office offered me a job working for the government and learning at the same time at work, I thought great idea, I'll do it, and at least I'll be working at last and improving my skills for a better position later!! But when I found out that all the money I would be earning would be deducted from my benefit therefore making me effectively working for the government FOR NOTHING, I naturally declined and waited till I found my own job. No wonder the UK is in such a poor state and there are so many scroungers around, it's the governments fault.

Answer 3

That is the trouble with this Country - good question - but if everyone thought like that then you could not claim benefits because it is the people that are in work that pay taxes to enable whoever to claim benefits.
I have worked for 37 years and have had some very low paid jobs in the past but I did not take the easy option - I worked and I worked and I am still working.
So I hope you have some pride and decide to work even if wages are low!!

Answer 4

LAZY! I agree with the person that said get a degree, and don't settle for LOW wages. Two years of school, and/or an technical school will get you out of a MCDonalds bracket.
What happened to self respect?
If you really want to sit around and do nothing-move to a country that accepts that more readily. Don't live here in AMerica where you still get FREE health care, and food stamps. If you settle for laziness, move and settle for nothing. People complain about the cost of stuff here, like health care. If the people that have didn't have to pay for lazy people that don't have, it wouldn't be so high!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, nothings wrong with sitting on your ___ and doing nothing, just do it where I don't have to pay for YOU. And by YOU, I don't necessarily mean YOU, just whoever is thinking this is an OK way to live. That's why Tylenol's cost 10 bucks in the hospital, way to mark up what can't be charged.

CLAIM BENEFITS? For what? Living in the USA? Sorry, benefits were meant to be a bridge-not a way to sustain oneself. I mean really, if people want to sit around and do nothing, there are many countries where people are involved just looking for food and water. They don't CLAIM BENEFITS.
So, I suggest moving to one of those.

Answer 5

It's people like you that give this Country a bad name.
Anyhow, I think the Government will soon have you, my Lad. You will have to get work or lose benefits. Get that understood.
I have seen the product of lazy, malingering Fathers on a daily basis in the work I used to do, before retirement. The children, as someone else remarked, have no role model to look up to. They often fall foul of the Law, becoming clones of their own Parents.
I will rejoice when I see the effect of no benefits for the malingering scroungers who believe the world owes them a living. The first thing they will do is steal and I hope Magistrates take remedial action, in a draconian style with masses of publicity to expose the kind of person you claim to be and those of your ilk.

Answer 6

One should try not to work for low wages in fact we need more equality in having and having not and what the worth of our people really is, and one can try to work for themselves. It has nothing to do with pride, it has everything to do with freedom or lack thereof. Most poverty programs that we have now are built with policies as walls as to keep us locked in poverty and not to help us get out. These programs often have more then a poor person can get by work alone and they drive the prices in some ways so that the poor find it hard to work and afford things in different ways. Often when we are young or struggling we do not see this and sometimes it is easy to get in this trap, yet if you want out of poverty the only way out is to earn your way out one way or another. You can work and make good bucks too, if you don't know how to make that money work for you then you will be the same in fifty years as you were today. Some people look like they have a lot and are the proverbial ones that are owned by the banks, hoping they are going to get unowned one of these days. On the other hand if you are smart and listen to those around you that have gotten out of it or are not in it, they will often tell you the tricks that they have used and if you use those and your own imagination you can sometimes get out of the trap you are in. It is never easy.

Answer 7

mmmm if you can cope with being called a scrouger and then jump though hoops to get a benifit then go for it but isnt it much easier to work if you have a family and low wage there are benifits such as tax credits and rate rebates that you can claim for the sake of your own pride find a job you can always climb up the corparate ladder

Answer 8

Good question. I have wondered that myself, as my husband and I sign up for a loan to pay for a $20,000 knee surgery because we make more than $1000/mo for a family of three and can't get him healthcare. Yet we make only $25,000 annually and don't want to pay $500/mo for private health care.

If I get pregnant just once a year I can have healthcare as long as we make less than $2500. Go figure. And we can get more food stamps!!

The only thing that keeps me from doing this is the goal to save enough money to start buying rentals and earning money that way. But for a long time (ten years) we have lived in what I call "The Gap," the area between being able to live off the system, and being able to live comfortably and work our asses off. Also living off the system severely limits your choices, plus you're living at the mercy that the system's rules could change at any time and you and your 10 kids could be kicked off at any time.

Hope that the future will get better!!

Answer 9

It is lazy,selfish, and uneducated individuals like yourself that causes most of the hate and discontent in this country. Because you are what you are, and who you are, you think everyone owes you. We owe you "nothing". Get your lazy azz off unemployment or welfare and support yourself or your family with a job. Don't say there aren't jobs out there. Seems funny an illegal alien can find work but "you" can't?

If everyone lived off benefits where would the money come from to pay those benefits?

As I said, "lazy, selfish, and uneducated"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 10

its the moral factor. if you work for your money you are contributing to the economy in a healthy way, by not working with the opinion you have described it is pure lazyness and selfishness. you will not teach your children any self-respect or self-worth. there are people out there that really need the money for many different reasons. if fewer people worked rather then claimed benefits with the opinion as described there would be more money for those that really needed it. think of the people and children in the third world. they work a hundered times harder then anyone in the rest of the world and they are still a million times poorer then the poorest people we have in this world. our term of poor is wealthy to them. we shouldn't be so selfish and start to think of other people

Answer 11

I've been on unemployment before, and honey those "benefits" eventually run out and then you're up the creek. The smartest thing you should do is go ahead and collect the unemployment benefits (if thats what you're talking about)--but use that time that you're not working to get an awesome job that pays well. Spend that time getting up everyday going to interviews. If you're talking about welafre--Trust me, my mom worked at the welfare department for 20 years--and there is no more "lifetime welfare". Welfare lasts 5 years at the max--and you now have to work or be in school to collect the money. I've seen lots of young single moms on welfare who had to get up and go to work just like I did in order to get their check. After that 5 years--you can never get welfare again. The government is here to help you for a short while--and you can get "food stamps"/wic cards--but thats it, Even Section 8 housing is closed in most counties so its hard to get reduced rent these days.

The best way to get a great job is to ask your friends. I have never gotten a job from a newspaper, and I've been working since I was 14 (i'm 30 now).

A great place to work is in the Public School System. As long as you have a good criminal record and can pass a bcakground & drug test--you can apply. There are many jobs that dont require a degree--like a Teacher's Assistant, or school clerk. I'm a Teacher and I've been working in public schools about 6 years now. I started out as a Sub--and subs make alot of money believe it or not.Type in your county's Public School System website on google, for example, look up "X County school system". Search for jobs, and apply online.

The fanstasy of being taken care of by welfare is over. No one likes getting up at 6 am to go to work--but thats reality and life. I cant stand my job--but I do it to pay bills and take care of myself. If you're lucky, you can discover what you really want to do with your life and go for it. YOu can be anything--but while you are pursuing your dreams--but as Rupaul said "you better work!"