New £23k Benefit Cap.

[legotits]

AIBU to ask if anyone still supports this?

Which families is this targeted at?

Anyone who will be affected, is it even feasible to not be pushed into debt?

"yet the women on benefits just seem to be able to have one after the other, and appear to be able to afford them okay. How can that be fair?"

How childish. Of course it's not 'fair'. But those children exist as individuals in their own right, who are unable to care for themselves or earn money.

We have two options: let these children WHO HAVE DONE NOTHING WRONG suffer the fallout of extreme poverty by denying their irresponsible parents the benefits sufficient to feed, clothe and house their children adequately, or accept that a small number of people will exploit the benefits system and suck it up in the interests of the greater good for children.

Simplistic people think they can force attitude change - punishing these families by impoverishing them. But impoverished, uneducated women have always had larger families than educated women who are comfortably off, regardless of their access to financial support from the state. The only thing which I'm the long term impacts on family size is EDUCATING WOMEN, and improving their professional prospects.

"but no where near as bad as it is now."

5 years of daily criticism of benefits claimants in the media has had a huge impact on people's attitudes.

. Jess don't cry anymore, I'm sure you're doing your best. It isn't your fault your OH pissed off because he couldn't face up to your ds autism. I hope things will improve for you soon.
Don't know what the answer is really but I know what it's like to be stereoyped.

mini I've got a degree and still found myself asking for help because I was a DV victim. I'm ok now and don't claim anything.
You're so correct about 5years of media indoctrination but I fear the damage has been done.

Portia - it's still a general truth that women who are educated start their families later, have fewer children, and are less likely to raise their children in poverty.

I feel sad about how much hatred there is towards working class women raising large families on benefits. I know several such women, and none has had a chance educationally or professionally. All of them first became parents when they were very very young, and they have all been treated badly by the fathers of their children. Instead of wanting to metaphorically beat these women and their children into economically and socially responsible behaviour we need to find a better way of guiding them towards more sensible and reasonable life choices.

The only thing which I'm the long term impacts on family size is EDUCATING WOMEN, and improving their professional prospects.
This, in spades!

Portia, I'm in the same position as you, but the point is, we're in general more able to make informed choices due to our education.

mini your post hit home a bit for me. Seems there is truth in your post.

I think it does matter what that benefits money is able to buy. Does the cap leave people hungry?
It's not acceptable to have people starving.

It leaves people homeless and/or starving

It leaves people homeless and/or starving on £23k? How?

High rents.

Nathan, it's the housing costs.
Most of the benefit income goes toward housing costs.

Yep, high rents.

About 16K a year for a 3-bed and 12K a year for a 2-bed in our dull suburban town 60 miles outside of London.

In some ways it would make sense for people to share housing more then. Would that help? Part of my family live in multi generational housing.

head what do you mean? Like for example me and my kids live with a single parent with a couple of kids or simlar?

Yes, that is the nub of the whole issue - people on benefits having more than those who are not on benefits. The sharing is a case in point. My children in their 20s have shared rooms bunked up with friends and all sorts in ways those on benefits don't have to who are being kept by those others.

I house-shared when I couldn't afford not to. No way could I afford to live in London & DH & I earn over £70k between us so why on earth people on a fraction of that expect to I have no idea.

I don't understand how people in work think people out of work get more. when the people out of work can't afford to keep a roof over their heads.

I'm not sure how I would be able to share a property. Me and three kids are in a two bed house. Where would we squeeze someone else in?

I wonder how many people who are in work are entitled to help but think they are not.

Erm, I house shared etc as a young singleton, moving around for work.

Not sure that it would be a workable idea for me and my 2 kids to shack up with another single parent family - even presuming my 2 kids shared a room and their 2 kids did, the rent on a 4 bed is rather more than the rent on a 2 bed

ghost In answer to your question take a look at this

www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/10bn-worth-of-benefits-go-unclaimed-each-year-in-the-uk-a7085166.html

Argh! another tedious left-wing link

But yeah - benefits gadgees are fucking scroungers!

I for one also cannot wait for the in work benefits to be stopped so that feckless people on minimum wage jobs don't bring in more than someone in a professional, qualified role.
Stupid fuckers should have tried harder at school so they didn't have to work for minimum wage - and they DEFINITELY shouldn't have had kids that they couldn't support without relying on in-work benefits.
Fucking scroungers.

...except that's a really shitty, nasty thing to say/believe and I don't believe or want that at all.
Firstly, because it's not true.
And secondly, because I'm not a narrow minded cunt that can't see outwith my own bubble.

Nathan - there is some social and affordable housing in london.

Thank fuck, otherwise our hospitals, schools, buses, supermarkets, shops, trains and you name it couldn't function - they rely on a large number of people on minimum/very low pay.

"My children in their 20s have shared rooms bunked up with friends and all sorts in ways those on benefits don't have to who are being kept by those others."

Single people under 35 generally get a restricted rate of housing benefit which doesn't cover the cost of a self contained one bedroom flat. It's called the "shared accommodation rate" and covers the cost of a single room in a shared house.