How do you feel about people who live on benefits?

Question

Does it wind you up that they don't earn their money?

I don't mean people on disability.

Answer 1

My wife is disabled and I care for her.
I would love to have a 'real' job. But am I supposed to go to work, only to hand over my pay packet to a carer at the end of the week? Round here they will only just pay a few pence over the minimum wage. How can I afford a carer?
To be honest after seeing some of the doccumentaries on the carer system I wouldn't trust many of them or their management to run a chimps tea party.
I can give her all the care and support she needs and be certain she gets the best I can give . Is that so wrong?

Answer 2

"live on benefits" - doesn't neccessarily mean they've never earnt their own money and provided for themselves.


Of course there are the scroungers who've never done an honest days work and just take take take. These scroungers give benefits a bad name and should get off their lazy arses and go to work.

But don't forget about the other folk who've just hitten upon hard times. These folk have worked all/most of their lives and have contributed towards being able to claim benefits if the need arises. Maybe they've been made redundant and are struggling to get a job and they need to claim benefits in order to live. These honest folk are tarred with the 'scroungers' brush which is unfair and unjust.

Generalisations can be dangerous. Rarely is it black and white.


You also say "I don't mean people on disability" - why not? Don't assume that all those on disability are disabled from working. Scroungers may be God damn lazy but they're quick to sniff out a way of getting easy money.

Answer 3

It depends, if they genuinely cannot find a decent paying job and cannot afford to get a higher education, then they need it.

There are a lot of jobs that only pay minimum wage, even if you have prior experience. I live in Kansas, and the minimum wage is the national minimum. (Cashiers usually make minimum wage) There are also many jobs that are doing away with offering benefits such as health care.



But if they are popping out a new kid every couple years and lying about their income in order to get money for non necessities: then I have a problem with it.

I wish our government would take more time to investigate people that apply for it.

I have had many jobs in retail: as a cashier and as a pharmacy clerk I used to see people who supposedly lived on welfare alone, that had brand new expensive clothes, top of the line cell phones and jewelry and nice cars.

I would also see them spend their money from the cash side of their food stamp card for cigarettes or beer: they would just withdraw it before the transaction.

Some of the people who had lots of kids: we're talking 4 or 5, had $1,000 balances on their food stamp card on just the food side, $500 or more on the cash side.

In my state, the more kids you have the more money you get.

Answer 4

The UK benefits system is designed in such a way that a lot of people are better off on benefits than to work for minimum wage.

I get benefits to top up my income to an acceptable level as I am a student nurse with 3 kids and I also work part time.

Cant be doing with 'dole boys' those who do nothing about there situation and are happy to scrounge.

Answer 5

People fall into two categories.Those who because of physical or mental problems are unable to work and need to be supported.Those fit enough to work again can not be all lumped together as being freeloaders.There are those who have been made redundant and are not able to find employment quickly in their area.These people tend to get reemployed eventually and are not usually long term benefit claimants.Two types of claimant stand out.Young single mums who don't want to do menial work and claim they need to look after their children.They cannot earn sufficient to be able to pay for childcare,and in many cases would be worse off financially going to work than just relying on benefits.Also you get the layabouts of both sexes who use all sorts of excuses not to work,bad backs,nerves,depression,you name it,they have got it,and draw the maximum benefits they can and at the same time get housing benefit and reduced or nil council tax and other perks.These are the dregs of our society with no self pride and who are happy to sponge on the rest of us taxpayers,I feel very annoyed,but what can be done in the sort of free society in which we live.In a more totalitarian society they would be dealt with probably brutally.I think we are probably better off as we are and have to accept there are these sort of people out there.

Answer 6

You are describing Freeloaders - These are people who think that they are a victim and that it is the responsibility of others to support them through theft - Democrat Party TAX Increases. These lazy bums along with Illegal Aliens are taking this country for a ride and it needs to stop before they wipe out all Middle Class Americans. Fred Thompson and Tom Tancredo are two Real Americans that are running for President and they will protect your GOD given rights to be protected from the lazy Democrat voting Bums who want to steal your hard earned dollars.

Answer 7

It does wind me up because a lot of them could get a job but they choose not to, I have nothing against people who cannot work for a genuine reason but people who are just doing it because of laziness really bother me.
Everything seems to come so much easier to them than us who actually work hard to earn our living...

Answer 8

My aunt is on disability though, and to tell you the truth it is because she is overweight. It really upsets me especially when my mom who was also overweight decided to do something about it and she lost like 150lbs. You would think that my aunt would see her sister and say "Hey, if she can do it so can I" or even ask her for help, but she doesn't. When I worked in Sioux City, Iowa there were a lot of people that came to work for me and then they would ask me to cut their hours way back so that they could still get their checks from the government. What a load of crap. I'm working two full time jobs to pay my bills. Why? Because I got myself into the financial mess I'm in and I don't depend on anybody to bail me out of it.

Answer 9

Yes it really annoys me.. The rest of us have to work our butts off, pay a fortune in taxes, etc and then at the end of the month we are still broke..

I have to say though.. it is the fault of the governments largely - why are these people not paid on the condition that they take courses instead of just paid to sit around on their arses? Although I accept that some people are just lazy shits, others actually don't have any skills to obtain a job.

Answer 10

I was brought up in a way that everyone has to work for what they want...but those who genuinely cannot work fair play to them, but remember even some of those on disability incomes fake their illnesses too just so they don't need to work, i have known people to go on about a bad back when theres nothing wrong with it.