to think that there are people who choose to live a life on benefits?

[autumnlights12]

the recent threads about George Osbourne made me wonder..
A high number of posters say that people don't choose to live like that, they stumble into it, hate it, what a miserable existence it is, nobody would ever choose it etc..
but if you have two or three children through choice, whilst at the same time having no job to provide for them, or if you turn down the job at the local factory (as I know someone who did) because it pays £7.50 an hour and a full time job there doesn't give you the same unemployment rights and benefits, isn't that choosing to live a life on benefits? Or being trapped on benefits? I'm not talking about people who can't work, disabled people, ill people, women dumped by feckless ex and left to fend for herself etc.. of course they should be protected.
I was watching 999 What's Your Emergency and I know that area. And I know people like that exist. And it's often a second, third generation who have never worked a day in their life, even during times when work was freely available. In the town I live, we have numerous Eastern European immigrants who all seem to be working, but mostly in low paid work the locals wont do
What say you?

I'm not sure I have any right to comment on how policies are affecting the rich tbh, no experience of it. If anyone wants to swap so I can find out that would be much appreciated, even for a couple of months. I do work hard, honestly. .

See Charleybarley I didn't know this and you have back up my last post. I reckon I could still manage though.

:o yes tressy, I would be up for a swap with a rich person too. Just to see.

I reckon I could still manage

I've been a "rich" person. It was fun. When interest rates, tax and whatever went up, it meant I had to maybe rethink which car to buy or serve non-vintage champagne to my guests. Now when stuff goes up, my savings have to come off a basic essentials because I'm already without extras.

As Xenia would say though it's all our faults for not making £1,000 a day etc.
We made some bad choices earlier on in life, dammit.

Charley, didn't know that personal allowances stopped at 114K and had just posted again that I couldn't really comment as no experience of being rich. It was just a cross post.

I meant to say 'backed up', can see the confusion now .

If I was rich I wouldn't mind paying more tax but I would want it to be used sensibly. And I don't think subsidising private rented houses in inner London is sensible. If it went to building more houses for people I would approve of that. So it's not the amount people pay always it's how the taxpayer's money is used. And I don't think subsidising people to have large families is good use of money either.

OK Charley I said that everyone benefited from an increase in personal allowances, then I said that I didn't know what it was like to be a high earner so shouldn't comment, just as you told me that you lose the personal allowance at 114K.

It doesn't matter and has been a long day so I might go over to the bum sex threads.

'good use'

the dla for our severely disabled daughter doesn't even cover our electric bill due to washing and drying clothes/bedclothes. 3 bed semi - £260 p/m

walk a day in someone elses shoes

I pay plenty of tax and so does my family. My vocation isn't my only income, but thanks for assuming you know everything about my life.

Touchy, aren't you.

We have done hugely well in the UK by being a home for wealth and we are lucky to have it. It trickles down.

No unfortunately it doesn't Xenia. Corporate profits and the salaries at the top have sky rocketed, the wages of the average worker haven't even kept pace with inflation.

Err, that should be the wage increases of the average worker.

I don't know anybody who agrees with less money for disabled adults and children who need care. I certainly don't. As for the other post on stamp duty. I read that Mick Jagger has never ever paid stamp duty on any of the multi-million pound mansions that he has bought as they are all bought through an overseas trust. Now that kind of thing does make my blood boil.

Not really, just making the point that I'm not keen on having assumptions made about me because of my job.

I think some people are unemployable. And some people have lifestyles and standards and expectations that mean they are unable to compete with Eastern Europeans willing to live seven to a room while they clean seven days a week.

One thing stands out to me from this thread. Part time work except for professionals absolutely sucks.

There was a link on one of these threads to some research which looked at families where there was long term unemployed. And one of the things that was mooted was that not all money is equal. Benefits money is regarded differently and handled differently to earned money. So is money that has been won in some way (ie gambling.)

I believe this. My ex was a gambler and he handled his wins differently to his salary. And I know that I see my child benefit differently to the money I earn.

nkf would you mind explaining how cb is different to you and how you express that difference?