To ask what's the beef with benefits?

[mytartanscarf]

Do people think they are too little? That they should be more?

There's always a lot of upset on here about them - about how wrong the government are and how awful life is on benefits. I've never been on benefits so obviously can't judge. But what are the solutions?

I suppose I am asking what should the government do?

[HappyAgainOneDay]

Wouldn't it help if benefit recipients were given food vouchers (I know some are) so then there'd be no money for booze and fags. Benefits should be for only necessities ie food, heating, water. There's no need for clothes to be bought every month or for holidays or school visits to other countries (I had to forego one of those with I was a teenager).

[Viviennemary]

I don't agree with zero hour contracts. And I don't care if people work or not but shouldnt expect the taxpayer to support them indefinitely. And benefits should be more towards a flat rate rather than all those bits and pieces which results in some people doing well and others struggling.

[zeezeek]

It is getting a bit tiring seeing the words "lifestyle choice" to describe almost everything.

No-one in their right mind would choose a lifestyle that involved having to decide whether they eat, put fuel in the car to get to work or put the fire on to heat their house. Yet, that is the reality for increasing numbers of people - those with children, with more than one child, no children, couples, single people.....

[Dawndonnaagain]

Happy my husband is disabled, he cannot work due to his disability and extremely high levels of pain. Why would you think he isn't entitled to a glass of wine now and then?
Food vouchers stigmatise further and create a black market. Not a good idea. I have every right to choose what meals I cook and what ingredients I use. My children with ASDs cannot for various reasons associated with their ASDs eat certain foods. This requires occasional specialist shopping, food vouchers would not allow for such.

[dashoflime]

I for one am glad people are having children they "can't afford". If the entire working class stopped having kids (which is what Daisy is suggesting) the result would be a demographic catastrophe. Put cruedly, Daisy would find her care home horribly short staffed in 20-40 years time.
Supporting children is an investment in the future. I don't think we should begrudge it.

[Bellerina2]

And not all stores would take food vouchers, you might have to travel a fair bit to find one that does.

[diaimchlo]

Happy

Also the food vouchers would be for a company such as ASDA, Tesco's etc both of which benefit from the free slave labour that this Government are providing for them alongside the money they get for each claimant they take advantage of.

[BiscuitsAreMyDownfall]

Some people genuinely forget or dont realise that they (unless they are in the top 5% or whatever of the country in terms of wealth) are only a month or two away from being on benefits or being homeless.

[dashoflime]

Biscuits maybe they realise it on a subconscious level and the fear informs their need to disparage claimants.

[BiscuitsAreMyDownfall]

possibly dash good point there, not something I thought of. I just wish more people realised that things happen and whoops you're on benefits.

[Bellerina2]

I work for an organisation that helps asylum seekers and refugees and the problem with vouchers is that it's usually only the big chain supermarkets that take them. So unless you live in a city it can be difficult - a small village shop wouldn't take vouchers.

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

Daisy I did not say that not having experienced something negates your right to have an opinion on it.

Back has responded very well to you also.

The thing perpetually missing from your rock-solid view is EVIDENCE.

[expatinscotland]

Yes, Happy, because all people on benefits drink, smoke, go on foreign holidays and buy clothes every month. FFS.

[ilovesooty]

There are one or two posters who might change their tune if it happened to them Biscuits

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

Happy here is a link to a discussion on MN about Pre-paid benefits cards

[HappyAgainOneDay]

I do not have an exorbitant income so I do not buy booze unless I'm going to someone's house for a meal (not very often). I would include things like soap in the voucher system I have never smoked. It's quite obvious that I should not have used the word 'food' before 'vouchers' so I apologise for that. There must be a way of paying for electricity or gas or water directly to the companies. If housing benefit can be paid directly to landlords, so can utilities. Televisions and hand held technological gadgets are luxuries. Schools have libraries so techno homework could be done there or the local public library (preferable to the school library.

I worked part time at Tesco a few years ago and met vouchers there for the first time when payment was offered by customers. This couple had a small baby with them and they were buying formula milk. I felt pleased that they had this help.

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

We aren't some strange species that need policing.

^^ this with bells on

[ghostspirit]

everyone deserves respect weather on benefits or not. no need for nastness. maybe someone on benefits does have a nice tv. so bloody what.

[diaimchlo]

Happy and Daisy

If you did not watch Casualty last night please watch it on iplayer, they covered the benefits issue and the stereotyping very well.

[WooWooOwl]

My beef with benefits is the way they are distributed. I'd happily have the benefits bill be much higher but be administered more sensibly.

JSA is not enough for most people to live on when they have been made redundant, especially if they have lost a well paid job and have a lifestyle that matches their income.

Disabled people don't get anywhere near enough financial support, and when people are genuinely too disabled to work, benefits should be enough that they can actually live a life, not just exist while still having to forgo things they have real medical need for. Benefits for people who have terminal illnesses are not enough.

Carers allowance is sickeningly low, and should be much more. Widows and widowers should be better supported as well.

Child tax credits are too high. We should not be paying for people to choose to have children they cannot afford, and I don't think any benefits should be given for more than two children, including housing benefit entitlement. If parents with more than two children become ill, disabled, or are made redundant after having children, then they should have their safety net in the form of more generous disability benefits and JSA. I'd rather see people get free childcare than income support so they can go back to work after mat leave. We should be taking more action against parents who don't pay for their children instead of allowing them to be secure in the knowledge that someone else will pay for their children. If people can't pay for their children right at the time that their children need to be paid for, then they should have a sort of loan thing going on with the government so that their children are supported, but they are expected to pay it back, otherwise they face criminal charges and shouldn't be allowed passports and driving licences.

FSMs and the pupil premium are a joke. They don't reach the people that need them but are still sometimes wasted on people that don't need them. That whole thing needs a serious re think.

Basically the benefits system should, IMO, be a very safe and secure safety net that is able to fully provide for people who are in need, but people should know that it is only an safety net, and they are expected to provide for themselves and their children if they are heathy enough.