I do think our welfare needed some reform as there are people that do make it a lifestyle choice and I have met a fair few. I do know some girls that had children to get social housing, my cousin being one of them and now her daughter at 15 has done the same. I do know people who love the benefit system and will only work part-time hours as they earn more in benefits than they could working full-time and therefore have more time with their kids/free time than I do. I do know people who have a greater social life than me and live on benefits and don't appear to struggle financially at all.
However, I also know people that do struggle and will be worse off due to the cuts. I also know that I am very lucky to not be stuck in a system that is very hard to get off due to minimum wage being so low. I am also very lucky that I have not been unemployed for any serious length of time because I have been able to be flexible, work whatever hours I wanted to in the past and studied to get the job I do now.
Not everyone is that lucky, not everyone is that healthy, not everyone has support to get themselves in work or in a well paid job. Not everyone wants to be on benefits that is on benefits. Making people poorer is not going to help them get a job. It is not going to get them more qualifications to get a better job. It is not going to make them healthier, get rid of their disability or degenerative disease. It is going to make them sicker, increase their chance of depression, limit their access to culture/activities and this will have a knock on effect on their children and their children's outlook on life. None of this is good for society in the long run.
In regards to the bedroom tax I understand the thinking behind people not having social housing that is too large for their needs but it has been ill thought out. People should be offered smaller housing to show that it is their and then if they refuse tax should be put in place. My nan is in a 4 bed family house with front and back garden it is way too big for her needs and should be given to a family that needs it and will enjoy it like her family did. Yes she would be sad, I would be sad but I expect that after a while of living in a much more appropriate place for her needs she would be okay. Families should not have to be in B and B accommodation, crammed into flats or hostels when their are family homes being blocked by pensioners.
I hope to god I never have to be on benefits it's a shit place to be. I might be a bit worse off financially than some on benefits but I have a mortgage at least and therefore some stability for my son. This new system is still not going to stop those that abuse it.