AIBU to resent friend on UC living better than us?

[Sunshineandrainbows123]

I know I am being unreasonable but just need to rant and I’m aware that perception is different to reality. I’ve worked hard all my life, since I was 14, paid my way through uni to get a decent qualification and job at the end of it all. I bought a house with my partner but as with so many of us I feel like I can’t rub 2 pennies together. Meanwhile a close friend claims universal benefits, has minimum 4 holidays a year, 2-3 abroad, gets regular beauty treatments, a new car and is able to regularly take her children to the cinema, days out and buy them new clothes, trainers and toys. I feel like I took the wrong path sometimes - she doesn’t have to pay rent for the home they live in, or school lunches for her kids, there are so many discounts and opportunities afforded to those on UC that working families don’t get. I don’t know if it’s better to distance myself. I know I need to probably give my head a wobble.

I'm on uc and have just bought glasses as I earn to much from my job to get free glasses or free eye tests. Uc doesn't mean you automatically get these things we pay for dentist as don't have an nhs dentist. I got free prescriptions anyway as have a medical exemption. I don't get anything from being on uc

What's your alternative to the welfare state? How would it look?

Quite, I think that there is a misconception that people on various benefits suddenly get lots of free stuff. Most people on free prescriptions will be getting them (as in my case) due to a medical exemption. I'm on PIP, no UC, so no free glasses, council tax etc. for me. And that doesn't bother me. What does bother me far more is, the growing demonisation and hatred (online at least - I'm thankful that so far I've only received help and kindness in real life, although I do keep my financial circumstances to myself...) towards certain groups in society. I'm aware that this thread is about UC and this family may well be gamimg the system and be able to do more to help themselves, but the problem is that more innocent and vulnerable people get dragged into the debate and are seen fit to doubt, scrutinise and demonise.

You have to be on a very low income to qualify for a voucher towards glasses. It's a voucher. It's not always going to be free. The last time I got it I was on basic UC and I did not get them free - because my prescription is pretty complex and I have to pay over and above. I got a voucher for 69 pounds from recollection

I get free prescriptions as standard as I live in Scotland.

Of course working part time saves on communing and childcare - but that's not a UC problem. It's a problem that childcare is so expensive that people struggle to pay it

There are always going to be people who struggle working full time - for lots of reasons but people have been working part time for decades. Many women worked part time so they could bring up kids while their partner if they had one worked full time

Of course in work poverty is real - but why is it always the fault of people who work part time and get top ups. Why isn't peoples anger directed at employers who don't pay people enough or give people enough hours?

Right. So single people should get nothing and be made homeless - because that's what would happen to me if I wasn't on Uc. My rent wouldn't be paid and I would be homeless - and it would cost the taxpayer a lot more to house me in temporary accommodation.

So you started a thread on an entirely made up premise?

If she really is doing all that on UC, I'd be encouraging her to run financial literacy classes, because that woman sure knows how to make a dollar outta 50 cents!

Don't have one I guess. Private aid, voluntary charity, person responsibility. Why should anyone else be forced to work to provide for someone else? Bodily autonomy, no one has add inherent right to someone else's labour.

Great, so back to the Victorian era we go. How well that worked first time round...

I paid taxes for over thirty years -according to you I shouldn't get benefits because I don't have children?

Charities would not pay someone's rent. Person responsibility - with respect you've said it yourself - you have no idea how poor people would cope without a welfare state

I do wonder why that’s always the cry? Why the only option is full expectation of tax payers to fund the life you want or the Victorian poorhouse?

What do you mean the life you want - single people on UC get less than 400 pounds a month - and many people who are on Uc and who work pay taxes too. I think a lot of people forget that when they talk about taxes propping up the system

Because that's the reality if you take away the welfare state! (Although in my case, I probably wouldn't have survived beyond infancy in the Victorian era so wouldn't have needed welfare).
Believe me, I don't feel entitled to anyone's money (I do still work part-time as well!), but I also don't see why my existence should be resented.

YABU to think they're wasting energy on you. They're too busy enjoying 3-4 holidays a year to hate on you hard workers.

Im on UC. I don't go on 3-4 holidays a year

Do you have children are they in private education, did you go private to give birth or am I paying for them ?

She's joking, nobody does

I don't think any of us would enjoy living in a non welfare state. I've spoken to people who have and they describe very dangerous and unstable societies.

You can't decide UC is too generous by observing the lifestyle of someone on UC. If you really want to judge objectively, go to the Turn2Us website and put your details into the benefit calculator as though you didn't work. It will tell you exactly what you'd recieve on UC so you can see for yourself how much 'better off' you'd be.

I wonder how people who work who think there shouldn't be a welfare state would cope if their life changed. Disability. Redundancy.

It will all be on the never-never, I suspect. Behind the facade there will be maxed-out credit cards/pay day loans. There's still a lot of unscrupulous lending going on and a lot of people in debt up to their necks. There's people who buy holidays on credit card and spend the year paying it off, etc.

I couldn't live like that, myself, but people do.

Exactly. Welfare retrenchment is such a superficial way of thinking. It's all about moralising and nothing to do with practicality. It demonstrates an odd desire to punish people.

I never said that in work poverty is UC claimants fault. I simply said that people who live in in work poverty are angry at UC claimants who don't appear to be in poverty because they don't have enough, and the people who do have enough don't give a shit what holidays UC claimants are going on in answer to your question of why are people angry at UC claimants going on holiday.

By their logic it would be personal responsibility to sort themselves out. It sure would be interesting to see them try. lol.

Or would they think they have some special right to support because they think they’ve been working harder than everyone else.

I broke my leg in three places 18 months ago. A bad fracture - I couldn't weight bear for three months - and I went through the lwcra assessment. Scored zero points and was told I was fit to work. I had to go to tribunal to get that decision overturned - I had actually just been offered a job - zero hours but I would probably have got a decent amount of work from it - and I obviously couldn't take the offer up

Getting disability benefits has got me other linked benefits. I get a Scottish winter fuel allowance - 58 quid and a bus pass for three years - which I'm grateful for. I would much rather not have smashed myself to bits to get said benefits

Again why is anyone entitled to live off someone else's labour without their consent?