If you rely on state support , you should have a great quality of life, not the breadline

[confidenceboost]

Aibu? Can we have a healthy chat on this one:

I will set my position out so nobody can say I've drip fed. I would say I have quite socialist mindset to be honest although I have grown up very privileged due to my parents hard work
I am from the uk but moved around as a child coming back to England age 18 for uni

I have been always lucky enough not to need help from the government. I think some people probably do claim help and don't need it but mostly I would say the cases are very genuine

Here's where I don't know if I am different

I think you should be given a high , highest quality of life by the govt if you genuinely for whatever reason need it.
Why should you live on the breadline?
Why should you turn down your heating?
Why should you not get treatment or help that would improve your life ?

Is it degrading to give state benefit as a breadline type lifestyle? I say yes

I think I am not being unreasonable saying that benefits and state support should be increased as it is unfair to resign people to a poor quality of life due to them needing help?

Thank you

Where is this breadline?

I help a disabled person manage their finances. They are similar age to you. They are not on any breadline… if there is one.

They live comfortably within their means. They do not use credit cards, don’t have debt. They are safe, healthy, eat appropriate meals most prepared at home and have a good standard of living. It’s all relative. They probably won’t own a home, but they will be housed.
There were a few months when this person first started living away from family when money was stretched (having to buy home items) but that was temporary.

Maybe your parents “had it better” in early 20s…. not sure how you would describe the “standards” of living you expect. Many many just out of education struggle financially.

re:disability Nothing is instant when there needs to be approvals. You probably need to be contacting adult social care or job centre … whining to MN not going to get you money.

@Bleekers
Hard to say to be honest, I know for a fact I couldn't rent a one bedroom flat here where I live and by the way it's deprived here, and also eat?

Probably 5x rent / mortgage ?

So where's the incentive to better your life if the government provides all the milk and honey?

Yeh in ideal world everyone would be treated equally. I doubt you would have had the same privileges if all the money and resources were equal.

How do you propose the government and those of us that not chose this option pay for it? Taxed to the breadline I suppose. Great system eh

but at the same time where is all these lovley companies and how much they apricate their workers etc

Great. No problem.

Only you now need to ensure EVERYONE in work, from the lowest paid, most menial job upwards gets paid SIGNIFICANTLY more so that they are comparatively better off. Because otherwise, where is the incentive to work?

Not sure how you think this should all be paid for either. Well, presumably from taxes, so you're going to have to pay every worker a MAHOOSIVE gross income to be able to pay enough tax to give everyone on benefits this lifestyle.

I'm guessing economics isn't your strong suit.

Nah, when my family are able to have “the highest quality of life” on 2 full time wages, it’d feel less bad that some people who don’t already have a higher quality of life than us.

If people get more on benefits than working then people won’t work and then who pays the taxes?

Right now, the ultra-rich and corporations play by a different set of rules. They stash wealth offshore, dodge taxes through loopholes, and rake in billions while workers get squeezed. A smarter tax system closing loopholes, implementing a financial transaction tax, and ensuring multinational corporations pay their fair share would generate trillions without crushing ordinary taxpayers.

Reading your other post doesn't your DH help as you're a SAHM?

You say you had a joint income of 130k last year, now you've lost your 24k job but receive a higher amount of PIP so jointly that surely it should still be enough to live on.

You co own 2 properties.

Why haven't you applied for a medical exemption card or at the very least a yearly pre payment one instead of spending £1000 on meds?.

And as more people quit work and take up this all expenses paid lifetime holiday, the taxation on the ones that can be bothered to work will continue to rise.
Well end up with 100% of the population sat on their backsides.

Of course not. But then number of people that can't ever work at all are a tiny fraction of those on benefits so are kind of incidental to the argument of what is, or isn't affordable.

OP, it doesn't sound like you are a good advocate of people who genuinely struggle living on benefits. Instead, you come across as someone used to a very nice lifestyle and struggling to accept that you gave to lower your standards somehow, although remaining above the average.

The luxury given to people who earn well is insurance. If you want to ensure you keep a good standard of living in case of health issues, you take out insurance when you can afford it. Those who can do so are very fortunate.

The only people who can't work are people suffering from some disabilities that genuinely mean work is totally impossible temporarily or ongoingly, or those with children who need 24 hours care.

Not those with disabilities that make working harder, but not impossible, or who have children with disabilities who are in school or care for 6 hours a day. Of course it makes the management of day to day harder, and you are more limited in terms of the jobs you can do, but that doesn't mean it is impossible and not worth trying.

I have to agree.

@confidenceboost Oh dear OP, I assumed you were new to MN when you started a thread about welfare support saying "Can we have a healthy chat"?Threads about benefits always reveal the same thing - people will always punch down rather than up - and that's exactly what the wealthy 1% want us to do. Because when we 99% are pointing our fingers at each other, we aren't pointing our fingers at the 1% (who must really chuckle at our stupidity). I mean, how is it that 40% of people in receipt of Universal Credit are also working? Why aren't UK companies required to pay their workers a liveable wage? Why are all tax-payers subsidising some workers wages because they're so low? How is it that the average UK CEO earns 120 times more than the average worker, when in 2000 it was "just" 60 times? Why are we allowing the rich to get richer when so many people can't even afford to turn on their heating? It's astonishing when you think about it, but we all just put up with it. (We need a revolution, but the British just aren't like that.)
I'm sorry your health has taken a serious downturn and your experience reminds me of some people I've met on a number of occasions. I volunteered for Citizens Advice for 10 years and people, like yourself, would seek advice on their benefit entitlements following their change of circumstance only to be astounded at how little they would get (the "but how can I live on that?!" refrain was frequent). Sadly, they'd all fallen for the Daily Fail lie that benefit "scroungers" are living high on the hog - and it wasn't much fun disavowing them of this belief.

I totally agree. I do not understand 'in work benefits' surely this is tax payers topping up wages that companies should be paying?

Private meds I said

Thanks

exactly

So my mortgage is 1200 which means I should be able to receive 6k of state support. Tax free.
I currently earn 48,5k which amounts to about 36k after tax, pension and student loan. Please explain to me why would I not give up my job and get 100% payrise from the state instead?

So now you've been classed as disabled and claiming PIP visit your GP and ask for the meds to be given via their practice.

I think the whole system needs reworking from birth upwards from a health perspective.

The vast majority of individuals who are healthy in body and mind want to do some kind of work. If we set about creating a populace that was mentally and physically healthy from birth, the vast majority would become productive citizens who could support the rest, and who didn't need expensive medical interventions throughout their lives.

Including concepts such as 15m cities, regulations on working time to allow time for exercise, ban on UPFs and healthy food available at a decent price.

It's not going to happen, but then neither is OP's solution, which is targeting the effect, not the cause.

On the whole no.

im all for people on benefits (disability benefits are another matter) having enough to cover their rent, council tax, food, utility bills and maybe enough for little day to day expenses we all incur like being able to replace a washing machine etc BUT so should those who are working and single working people without dependents are shafted time and again.

Ive been on benefits myself and it’s not the picnic people think it is but neither is working full time in a minimum wage job trying to survive and getting no help. It’s unfair

Im struggling to work full time due to increasing health problems and I know that I’m not going to survive due to the unfair changes to benefits and PIP. I’m seriously considering getting all my ducks in a row just so I’m not a burden to my family and society

100% agree.
The problem is not the 'benefits scroungers' (theme started by the Tories, whipped up by the media and about to be given a boost by Labour).

The problem is that most people's standard of living is too low.
My household is currently supported 100% by benefits. I get Carers allowance for my disabled son. It is £81 p/w. I got a letter this moring that it is going up to £83 p/w. He has been in heart failure and I have struggled to afford the heating.
There are other people who are able to work and do, who work hard for long hours and who also struggle to afford the heating/ bus fare/ healthy food etc.

The answer is that we all petition Govt re the things that hold us back. Why does Apple pay no taxes? Why do water Co's reap huge profits whilst charging ever more (& poisoning our rivers into the bargain) etc etc. I am not saying I have all the answers. As a country, we do not have enough money, especially now we need to increase our military. However, what we do have is not shared out well.

I predict this will turn into a benefits-bashing thread.
If anyone would like our 'free' Blue Badge (my council charges for anyway), they are welcome to the lifelong disability that 'earns' it.

Trumptonagain · Today 12:08
Reading your other post doesn't your DH help as you're a SAHM?
You say you had a joint income of 130k last year, now you've lost your 24k job but receive a higher amount of PIP so jointly that surely it should still be enough to live on.
You co own 2 properties.
Why haven't you applied for a medical exemption card or at the very least a yearly pre payment one instead of spending £1000 on meds?

So, assuming your husband is still in work, you have an income of £106K and own 2 properties?
What are you actually complaining about?