to be fed up of hearing 'I've worked hard for my money'

[newbluesofa]

Lots of chat on MN recently about taxes on high earners. So heard lots of 'we have this money because we work bloody hard for it' and honestly I'm sick of it and think the people who say it are selfish.

Nurses work incredibly hard, long shifts, difficult job. Carers provide absolutely essential service, again shift work, difficult hours, difficult job. Teachers provide essential work, I know multiple teachers and they all devote evenings, weekends, school holidays to the detriment of their own families. All of these jobs also have huge emotional tolls. So 'I've worked hard for my money' means nothing to me, because a lot of people work a lot harder for a lot less.

Nobody wishes they bought more stuff on their deathbed.

But maybe they wished their experienced and enjoyed life more. You can do that when you buy some stuff.

Well, I have worked bloody hard to be fair - 3 part time jobs while doing my A-levels and I worked part time alongside my full time jobs while doing and college and then Uni. Then worked 60+ hours a week and went back very quickly after mat leave.
i am now fortunate enough to work part time, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate just how much others work, sadly hard work doesn’t always = a higher income.

I get my taxes subsidise people but do I agree with the excesses that the benefit system has got to - no.I ahve a long term chronic health condition and have always worked - now this no fault condition needs to eb compensated for by the government for some people - why?

We ahve a generation that has forgotten how to work.

No.:: not everyone has. Plenty of people didn’t start working until 18, or even older (after uni).

I know other people who have barely worked a day in their lives

Nobody wishes they bought more stuff on their deathbed.

Some might get to the end of their life and wish they'd made different choices and had a better life. Maybe they wish they'd been able to get that motorbike they'd always dreamed of and regret that they'll never know what it feels like to blast down a country road with the wind in their hair on a summer's day.

Maybe they wish they'd been able to buy that guitar they always wanted and learned to play.

Maybe they wish they'd been able to buy their own house in a nicer area so their kids hadn't had to grow up listening to the pisshead nextdoor scream at his partner every night.

Lots of possibilities.

Tbf, anybody that works will be working harder for their money than somebody that doesn't actually work for their money.

I think this type of thinking is the problem, and a lot of people do it.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/5454109-am-i-missing-something-childcare

That somes it up someone who would ahve a 1000 left after childcare in a dual income family- does not see the point in workng because she would get the child care paid for and be given 900 quid - that should not be an option.

Thsi country has gone mad.

I agree. Heard it last weekend from someone who works in tax. Nope!

I lay awake at 4 a.m. and just found this crazy thread.

It often feels like politicians are just laughing, treating people like pawns, and watching the spectacle of personal and financial struggles being turned into arguments over who’s better or worse off. Meanwhile, inflated salaries and perks are funded as the country is run into the ground—a job simple enough for anyone to do, yet just as easy to mess up—because, in the end, it’s all about personal gain. It’s draining to hear constant complaints about what others have, as politics has made the UK feel jealous, bitter, and backbiting. The only real control online is over yourself, so stop obsessing over strangers’ lives or leaving nasty comments, and focus on enjoying your own life in the moment—you never know how long you’ve got. There are plenty of resources to help let go of what can’t be controlled online. Venting might feel good briefly, but it can harm your mental health, and dwelling on what others think, do, or own will only bring you down.

Back to the thread’s topic—I’ll rant along to match the vibe. I worked hard for my money. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for a decade, living off passive income I spent years building so I could be comfortable without needing to work. Back in the late 1990s, I researched the highest-paying careers online and chose a path with great salary and perks. My husband also works hard and earns well. Anyone claiming we didn’t or don’t work hard is just a keyboard warrior acting morally superior. I respect anyone’s effort, whether they’re a firefighter, paramedic, or working another essential but low-paying job. But I have no respect for those who think they’re better than us while calling us the scum of the earth and themselves the salt of the earth—those people aren’t worth the dirt on a firefighter’s boot.

Because society needs nurses, waiters, cleaners, carers and couriers.

Yes, and those are different jobs with different profiles, skill levels, and investments. There is a reason why my friends and I were catering assistants on our school holidays and not architects.

I was responding to your assertion that if well paying jobs were so easy, why didn't everyone do them.

I'm making the same very basic point. There are reasons why jobs are compensated differently.

Yes, thank you; I realise that, and am able to understand basic points.

Childcare costs don't last forever even though it feels like it at the time.
I didn't work when my eldest was tiny (lost job when baby arrived no day care nurseries etc) DC was still costing in "childcare" as went to playgroup and nursery so could mix with other children and I had time to do some retraining - 24/7 with a small child and a DH with old fashioned ideas about doing long hours at work isn't great.
With my younger DCs there was very little left after nursery fees for two (minimal funding) but it was only for a couple of years.
Now have money left over at the end of the month - have I worked hard for it? Some may say so but I enjoy going to work it is interesting lots to learn and I work in a lovely setting with nice people.

There are always going to be some people of whom your final sentence is true, unfortunately. But just because you are able to work despite your condition doesn't mean everyone who is chronically ill can. FWIW I am in a similar position, have several chronic health issues but am thankfully (with the help of flexible wfh and a v understanding employer) able to work despite them at present. However, that may well change before I reach retirement age. Don't assume that just because something is possible for you it's possible for others.

I have type 1 diabetes since being a toddler. Why do we pay parents now because they need to loook after children with diabetes?
How often do we hear that people can not work from their type 2 diabetes.

Sorry there are some jobs you might be better suited not doing with any form of DM but there are loads you can do and not claim benefits for your DM.
This is one example.
Do not get me started on the anxiety diagnoses - that now mean you can not be put in a situation that might make you anxious so the tax payer will support you doing nothing and yes I get some pople have sever anxiety but there are an awful lot of fake diagnoses. We all get anxious in some situations that is normal - we have medicalised and decided to compensate people for a normal reaction to meeting new peole, going to a new job, doing bits of a job we do not like etc.

UItter madness

I know someone who is unable to work, and their Type 2 diabetes is certainly part of that. They have about 5 toes between both feet, and wear callipers and specialist shoes. They struggle to walk because of this and because they can't feel their feet properly. They are also morbidly obese, and have severe depression which means they struggle to manage their diabetes properly, which obviously goes on to affect their physical health.

I know I shouldn't judge. But if all of their medical issues due to genetics/misfortune and not due to lifestyle?

It does not really matter if it is due to genetics or lifestyle when it comes to being able to work or claiming benefits though. He is disabled, and it doesn't really matter why.

We set the bar very low on being able to say you can not work in this country

Well, if you knew the person I mentioned you would be able to tell straight away that he is unemployable. He did used to work.

“We all get anxious.. that is normal.”

There is a difference between getting anxious, in the way you refer to here, and having an anxiety disorder.

Nobody would get signed off from work just for being a bit wobbly. You’d have to have an actual diagnosis of a significant disorder.

I can promise you, they do exist. I’ve been anxiety medicated for at least a decade. I do also work, before anyone calls me a scrounger, but I can well understand why it would make it difficult for some!