to expect to have more disposable income than single mums claiming benefits

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i no longer know why me and dh bother, he works full time and i work part time so that i can juggle the child care.

i know of 3 single mums who stay near me who seem to have more money than i can dream of, out every weekend, always shopping and 2 of them manage to run cars.

i know the benefit system is needed by some people but it seems to be a complete joke these days, the wasters in this country are leading the life of reilly while the rest of us are left to slog our guts out to pay for there existence.

no doubt i will get flamed for this post but i have been out xmas shopping today trying to work to a budget then i stand next to these people at the school gates and hear about all the grants they are entitled to so they can buy xmas presents, one of them has even cut back the last 2 months and managed to save £800, it would take me bloody months to save that up.

ok rant over, deep down i am glad i am not one of these people and i do actually work for what i have but it still pisses me of.

can i just say, ive never been on benefits my dh has always worked really hard to provide a fairly decent life for us, going out at 6 in the morning and not coming home till 8. having 4 children is not easy, so to pay for extras ive worked part time around the children. but, i would rather it this way, as i know friends on benefits and its a crap life. the money they receive is a pittence really. maybe (these people you know ) their lifestyle is being funded by other means, but its no stroll in the park living on benefits.

Wow I see it's atill going strong! Well, having just done a speed read, what strikes me is that most people are desperately trying to defend their on position and slate everyone who disagrees with them. To re-iterate again: I don't think this is a single parent issue. It's an issue about the minority of people who choose to live on benefits when they are capable of working. In many parts of the country, mine included, there ARE jobs available that need doing. If you were to pop along to my local jobcentre you would see dozens of jobs advertised right now. Also in the local paper. There are people who could do these jobs and make a contribution to society who CHOOSE not to. That's a fact. I said on a previous post that I know of a handful of kids who left the school i teach in last July who aren't continuing in education and aren't working. Nobody in their right mind can possibly think that's a positive thing. I also know several parents with kids in school all day who don't work - they won;t even work part time in school hours. If you want to reply to my post by screaming that I don't understand, that I'm slating single parents, that everyone who is unemployed is living a terrible life etc then you are not reading my posts. Of course people who fall on hard times should have a level of support which will enable them to feed/clothe etc themself and their dependents, until they are able to support themsleves again. I haven't read a single post on this entire thread that disagrees with this. But the welfare system is not achieving this any more - it is hugely open to abuse and is outdated and inefficient.
As I type this, the sun is shining and tbh I'd rather go out for the day in the fresh air than sit at home marking and preparing my lessons for the start of the week. I like my job, i know I make a valuable contribution to society, but as with any jobs, there are things about it that suck. That's life!

BRILLIANT post SixLostMonkeys

I can say categorically that I know lots of single parents who are NOT screwing the state. Believe me when I say that their life is no picnic - add to that the appalling housing that counts as "satisfactory living accommodation" (sometimes damp, mouldy and too small for their needs) and I can tell you the grass is definitely NOT greener.

I also know families where nobody is working, where the father is seemingly fit and able to work BUT due to lack of education, poor social skills and poor parenting themselves are virtually unemployable - sometimes they struggle to even read. In short they have little or no hope of improving their lot without massive investment into the whole system for supporting people in this situation. This would of course cost MUCH more than simply throwing less than £100 a weeek to people.

Higher taxes anyone?

I have NEVER claimed benifits but I think this country would be a much worse place if there was no welfare state. I am sure people abuse it like there are people who don't pay their taxes (often hiring expensive accountants and tax lawyers to avoid it) but when all is said and done better a few take that piss so that the majority of honest clainants are helped.

Kerry I suspect the Irish benifit system is crap? I also supect little support to help you work.

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A very interesting post as are many on MN! I think that it is very unfortunate that there are people out there who use benefits to get out of working, and there are loads who actually need benefits. No one begrudges those who need them but I know of someone who works full time, gets paid approx £28k/year cash in hand, gets her rent paid by the council and gets £100 a week from each of the dads to her two kids. Her daughter has a horse and got a car for her 18th, as well as a trip to DisneyLand, Florida. Now why does someone else have to work a full time job just to pay her rent when she clearly doesnt need it! She lives in a massive 3 bed victorian conversion which must easily cost £1200/month - that means someone has to work for over £30k/year just to pay for her alone. And the awful thing is it gives all the people who are claiming for genuine reasons a bad name (although not in my eyes, I am happy to see there is a very real difference!) But its the system to blame, people are only doing it because they can get away with it. How many of us have noticed that a shop maybe didnt put all the items through the till and not said anything? Their fault right?? But how many of us can afford Disney, a horse and a car for their kids - I know we cant! It is wrong wrong wrong. Yes she works but she is also stealing out of the pockets of those who need it more, who cant afford new shoes for school and who would spend the money on things their kids need.

Sorry if I am repeating what anyone else has said - havent had time to read every post

harmen;

thats different. thats helping people who are already working, but on a low wage.

Excellent post 40weeks.

Very good point, Harman. Tax credits are benefits by another name.

I object to them as it means we are all subsidising crap employers who don't want to pay their staff a living wage personally.

And may I just point out we are ALL taxpayers? People on benefits pay taxes too, you know. Every time they buy something, for a start.

The majority of these posts are defending their own situations - ie being a single parent and on benefits - and, quite rightly, justifying why they claim benefits - BUT you are still missing one very valuable point - there are those in this country who CAN work but DON'T because they are better off staying on benefits. In that situation the benefits system is being abused and it is those people that will never work - ie those that are able bodied, do not have childcare commitments, are not ill, infirm, disabled or have any other reason for NOT working.

You only have to read in the newspapers about families of a dozen kids with both parents at home....and both claiming benefits and yes their incomes amount to far more than a lot of working families bring home. Whilst I realise atleast one parent needs to be at home to care for those children not at school surely the other parent can go to work and earn a living? Oh no, I forgot, they wouldn't be able to live on the reduced income.

This country and its benefits system provides an open door for those who simply do not want to work - whether they be adults or, more worryingly, young adults who leave school and have absolutely no desire to work...and it is those individuals who will probably remain on the dole for the rest of their lives.

FFS!!!! if YOU personally KNOW someone doing this, dont sit there moaning about it, DO SOMETHING!!! they are clearly commiting serious BENEFIT FRAUD!!! report them, and stop it happening, simple really isnt it! dont sit there complaining about people on benefits, and how much "someone has to earn" to pay for her life style!!

I'm sick of this bullshit on here. you are ALL talking about people commiting benefit fraud. NOT single mums/dads in need of benefits to SURVIVE! If you all KNOW these people, "living the life of reily" they are NOT doing it just on benefits, they MUST have another income.. ok? get it? you simply cannot do it on benefits alone, there is no possible way. EVRY SINGLE penny that goes into your house hold is accounted for, and your benefits are adjusted accordingly. If you've get 3p more from one area, another area takes off 3p.. get it? simple really, you can only receive a set amount, calculated by YOUR circumstances.

Someone here had the fugging audacity to state that "it was the scrounging single mums on benefits with low iq that should not be allowed to breed" or words to that affect... you sholud hear yourselves, and your ignorance, and inability to do simply maths, then question the so called low IQ's. not nice is it, when you are accused of being something you're not is it? Not nice when your post and opinions are vastly generalized and all that you say or do is lumped together with everyone else of a similar view to you? I believe its known as being tarred with the same brush?

FGS, do some actual research in to this, find out what is received, if you are s lone parent having to claim benefits, and actually have some hard facts BEFORE believing these BULLSHIT urban myths.. and if they are not myths, because you ACTUALLY DO KNOW someone doing it, REPORT THE CHEATING A*HOLES!!!

great post MALO. Now let's sit back and wait for all those posts saying how unreasonable you're being because why should all those poor school leavers be expected to earn a living, and why should those families with a dozen kids expect to earn at least one income between them lol

Because newspapers are well known for reporting every day folk, the kind you will find living on any council estate. It wouldn't be at all like them to scour the country for the family with 12 kids and no job, oh no, not newspapers! They would never attempt to whip the picket fenced public into a seething rabid foam of resentment and jealousy, just to sell their wares!

I'm sure they wouldn't. Would they?

Haven't read all thread (will go back)

it depedns on what benefitd they're on imo- in the main I think I completely understand your point, if you work then you get income.... but if you spend the koney on securities like a mortgage / insurance I think you have to count some of the bonuses of working into that. If Mum is at home with a disability or disbaled kids she will get mroe benefits and then I think disparity is mroe unfair as the choice issue is waived, iyswim?

But the fact remains Colditz that these people DO exist and its the likes of them who are living off the state.

i was reffering to 40 weeks post BTW...

just to add... when I HAD to claim benefits, for a short while, I did not see it as anyone else PAYING for me, i saw it as reclaiming WHT I HAD ALREADY paid for in MY TAXES! I pay NI, I pay tax, when i wasnt due to not being able to work, i claimed what i had paid into. THAT IS WHY WE PAY IT INT THE FIRST PLACE! god forbid should ANY 1 of you need too, as you will also be abused in this way, made to feel even more worthless and accused of being a scrounger and low life scum... this is what many of you are implying. I'm SO disgusted by it.

If you want to argue the point that there are young girls that have babies before they have ever contributed to NI/TAX etc... how about the fact that their parents HAVE, their other family members have? My mum paid tax and NI for 40 odd years, my brother and sister both pay extortionate amounts. They do not begrudge their little sister HAVING to claim for the short time I did.

malo;

brilliant post.

colditz - we all know how newspapers operate. I don't need a newspaper to tell me about the leavers from my school who are choosing to not work.

Paedophiles exist also. They are in the papers all the time. Shall I hade my children from all men ... do you think the men would be happy with that?

But surely "It's the likes of them" that commit the crime ... isn't it?

Susiecutie - read my post...I am NOT slating those single parents who NEED to claim in order to survive and nor have I implied you are scroungers etc etc.

You cannot also presume that all parents to kids having babies or parents to kids who leave school with no intention of working have worked and paid TAX/NI either.

Can I just ask a simple question to everyone, please??!!!

Do you agree that you are happy that there are able bodied, children free, healthy, fit (have I covered everyone?!) people out there who CAN work but DON'T work because should they work their income would drop?

Not sure I'm with you colditz. WTF has this got to do with paedophiles? I just said, I know how newspapers operate. I don't need a newspaper to tell me that a handful of my ex school pupils aren't working. Why can you not accept that without having to bring up paedophiles lol