OK, so how would YOU change the welfare system?

[MathsMadMummy]

just wondering following on from various threads lately. sorry it's probably been done before.

I guess it's more a question of how you'd change the culture really, where people feel it's their entitlement to never work etc.

I have no idea what the answer is, please tell me your bright ideas

BA surely what is wrong with the system that most would agree on is that some people claim who have other options but choose not to use them?

ExP nah, Dp is very pro carers etc- whereas BA is at best from what I see yes they need cash as a necesasary evil but pennies not pounds!

Thing is, I never sked for a single penny in a rise; I don't think we need one but mass cuts would make what we are doing now untenable. By what we are doing now, I mean studying for the future (couldn't afford it), making sure the boys get good educations and lots of things like visits to museums etc; the special diets they depend upon; a roof soemwhere where theyc an access schools with specialist provisions.

I don't give a flying famn about plasma screens, designer clothes or iphones. I just want teh kids to have the chance of some kind of life. Oh and the DLA does pay for 2 CM sessions a week for the youngest (becuiase we can get one for the NT child) so I can do reckless things like have a kip and maybe even a bath/ SOmetimes I even get to wash my hair although its crap looking atm as the boys broke the mirror so i can't even dry it properly. And I don;t care, not really, I just don't want it to get harder- is that so unreasonable?

Never have I begrudged a penny in NI and tax, even a moment I always recall when Dh and I had to buy a second hand buggy and someone I kn ew ahd never worked a day and had 2 kids by different men by 16 turned up with the one I actually wanted. Blimey for teh life she'd ahd I woudln't want to swap (and she has none of har 4 kids with her now becuase the events earlier in her life were too damaging- we're talking about 8 years of sexual abuse here)

So really I don;t feel at all self serving in my opinions because they are not changed. In fact I might be a better eprson if I could manage self serving but thats a whole other thread

woo!

(will be back to read later...)

i think people like myself who want to work but cant (due to ds health) should be given more help to return to work. I live off peanuts, everything i have is either 2nd or 3rd hand. most of ds's things i get from the freebies page on gumtree. I get IS CB and CTC and HB.

Now i know most of you will think thats plenty to live on but it really isn't. Everytime i leave the house its 10 or 20 quid at a time. thats a lot of money when you have no money.

I didn't make the choice to sit on my arse and do nothing but this is where i am at the moment.

So then what would you suggest happens to people in my position, their opinions on how the goverment is run shouldn't be taken into account as i am infact dole scum? Or maybe i should have my money stopped when ds hits 2 or 3 and make my situation even more stressful?

I'd increase the rate at which education is becoming more traditional and demanding.

I'd halt incapacity benefit for obesity.

I'd increase the proportion of public health resources allocated to carers of elderly and disabled people.

I'd restrict the rewards of chosen single motherhood.

I'd increase benefits for armed forces disabled.

"One is depressed and didn't go to an interview that he had applied for and got, because he had a rip in his only designer shirt and couldn't wear his other one because it wasn't trendy and he would 'look like a dick' - apparently."

He doesn't look like a dick, he is a fcuking Dick, he doesn't need hand holding he needs a boot up his arse.
My Grandfather worked every day he could physically get out of the door from the age of 15 to 64 and no doubt he was bloody depressed with the lives they led, hardly any food in the house, 2nd hand clothes, rented flat.
Why should anyone who owns a designer shirt with or without a hole in it not be working ?

But it starts as can't be bothered lets face it.
My cousin was with a similar character for years, thank god she's booted him into touch and no doubt he is now depressed, combined with a regular pot habit which seems to be as normal as smoking ciggies in some circles.
But it started with no being bothered enough to drag his arse out of bed in the morning.

^I work with very vulnerable people (physical and learning disabilities) but admit to feeling uncomfortable with the views of many I deal with who seem to think that if you are disabled in any way, you deserve more or better than anyone else.

This is debilitatiing and patronising in the extreme ('Poor disabled person! Let them spend the rest of their lives being waited on hand and foot.')

There is dignity for all in contributing to society and not taking and most people, even those with quite severe disabilities, can and should contribute.^

That was exactly the point I was trying to get across, before I offended someone. Wish I had put it that clearly.

italics failed.

The benefit system is not perfect I agree.

However, the biggest change I'd like to see is for jobcentres to start acting like recruitment agencies, for example:

If an employer contacts them with a vacancy, they should actually suggest canditates they have on their books who might suit. They need to put more work into getting people back to work and less time making claimants feel like something scarped off the floor.

I'm on the dole. I hate it. I'd give my right arm for a job. Nobody is interested.

Very true Stuck ..when my dp was made redundant he hated going to the job centre he was treated like shit ..he has worked all his life, applied for loads of jobs no body wants to employ a 55 year old ..he now works for an agency for shit money on mostly council contracts ..so when the council cuts are made he will be out of a job again but never mind when hes on benefits he can pick up litter

I think tax credits should be extended to those without children.People cannot live on minimum wage and something has to be done to get people into a situation where fulltime work is enough to live and support a family on.
Another thing which would help is addressing the housing supply.By relaxing planning rules a bit to free up more agricultural land for housing.Eventually as supply increased housing would drop to a level where it is more widely affordable.Although I suppose that would plunge most of us into negative equity.

Means test the winter fuel allowance for older people.

I have a retired relative, who in a 12 month period this year, will be taking 3 foreign holidays including 2 long haul (7 weeks total) 1 UK holiday (1 week) and 1 UK short break.

These people do not need hand-outs at the taxpayers expense, and it makes me cross.

How about private business get involved instead of everyone expecting the state to sort it out? Raise the minimum wage because - as far as I'm concerned - if you can't afford to pay someone a decent living wage that raises them above benefits, you can't afford to employ someone. Why should businesses - even small businesses - prosper on paying others insulting slave wages?

Oh, and educate kids properly at school level, so they have self-respect and options, instead of trying to make education 'fun' and 'relevant' all the time. I teach kids at university level to whom I have to explain the following things:

• When to use capital letters;
• When to use full stops and commas
• How to use chapters and indices to find the information you want in a book;
• What 'indices' are.

Who will employ these kids if they're leaving school without these basic skills, never mind trying to teach them how to analyse or synthesise? They're reasonably bright kids, but they've been seriously let down.

Oh I totally agree about jobcentre staff. I had to sign on twice after I was made redundant after working for over 20 years.

My allocated 'advisor' stood in front of me chatting to a colleague about last nights telly, whilst I tried to settle a starving, shitty nappied baby. Bastard.

If I wasn't suffering from PND at the time, I might have had the courage to change DS's nappy on his workstation and lob my breast out there and then for a feed.

Anyway, as to changes I'd make...

Well, to start off, I'd legalise all drugs and put their distribution in the hands of healthcare professionals, taking away the drug barons. As part of the deal, I'd encourage addicts to dob in their dealers and confiscate all of their wealth, unless they could prove it was gained through legal means. Assuming they were found guilty in a court of law of course.

I'd scrap child tax benefit and use the money to provide free, top quality, school meals for all state educated children.

I'd fund breakfast clubs, after school care and holiday time care available at all schools.

I'm interested in the IDS idea of universal credit. I think it could provide a great incentive to work, making part time and casual work much easier to get into, without losing out.

I'd like to re-introduce real apprenticeships training for young men and who don't have the funds or inclination to go to university.

Anyone able bodied who hasn't undertaken training/study or held down any type of work by the age of 25 would have to do something in order to continue to receive benefits. Not road sweeping or taking away real jobs but community work of some sort.

Dora: "these people" have probably been taxpayers themselves all their lives and have almost certainly been net givers to the welfare state. I don't begrudge them a penny. I would take a TV from a single mother who's chosen the state as a father, before I took away winter heating allowance from a pensioner who can afford a holiday.

They can afford holidays because they've worked hard and been thrifty. Why punish them for those admirable characteristics? Or the next generation will learn there is no point in contributing at all.

StarlightMackenzie - yes, you're right...I do have an interest in reducing the amount of money taken from me and in trying to ensure that that which is taken is at least spent as effectively as possible.

However, the simple fact remains that "He (or she!) who pays the Piper calls the tune."

I have oodles of compassion, thanks very much. My charitable donations are considerable; I do voluntary work as a Samaritan. I don't need the State to seize more of my property in order to demonstrate how much I "care".

The fact is - the present system is neither fair, from my point of view, nor effective, from the point of view of the benefit recipients...and needs to change.

I think council housing should be available to around 60% of the population.

Whilst I agree that much more council housing is needed, am slightly at the idea that the state should house more than half the population.

I would (for starters) reform the job centre experience. It's an easy trip if you don't want to work (they are easy to fob off) and a depressing one if you do want to work (a lot of them aren't interested in your last 2 weeks worth of job hunting anyway).

I would have a back to work team. Discretionary funds that can be paid immediately by cash or direct to your bank for practical help when you have found a job. My rant? DP found a job. £40 train ride needed for the first day. We had £1 in the house and I was riding the petrol light to get to the JC (with the DC's in the back). The JC and relevant departments couldn't even organise a same day payment so DP could get to work the next day. Utter crap. This was even after DP had been on the phone since 9am trying to ask them to help.

Perhaps we should have saved for such an event, well we failed on our £60 per week budget.

We were lucky and we have family about (the shame after years of doing it all on our own of having to ask family), but I wonder what would have happened if we had no on to call on or if all our family had been as skint as us (or just thought that work was a waste of time anyway so wouldn't lend us the cash)? DP would probably have been classed as another person on JC who go offered a job but couldn't be arsed to turn up.

Iam living on widows benefit which is only given for one year then I have to be employed,easier said than done round here.I was in work till hubby was in later stages of cancer and needed looking after and job disappeared.Benefit agency told me taking even a low paid job over 16 hours would entitle me to tax credits BOLLOCKS I am entitled to nothing as no dependent kids.I was also told benefit gave me free glasses and dental treatment more BOLLOCKS.Benefit offices can't even get their own rules right.

I would like to see a scheme where companies were encouraged to introduce a new type of job share.

They would employ parents with children at school during term-time. And students during the holidays.

(These would probably have to be lowish level jobs.)

I would VASTLY reduce means testing, keep child benefit for ALL in society who have a child (because it is for the child and surely each child is entitled to the same) and bring back notions of responsibility.

It is ridiculous that people believe they are entitled to a house, social support etc - there is free education and if some choose to take advantage they should not be harmed for doing so by the tax system. Not welfare state but I would also scrap inheritence tax - the Government and many people have a worrying belief that a person's income/savings actually belong to either the Government or a central pot.