Why work when you can get a good salary on benefits?

[Orwellian]

Sorry to come over all DM but I just can't believe the amount that is given out in benefits. I just read this story; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2087857/Romanian-Big-Issue-seller-given-legal-right-claim-housing-benefit.html
and this lady is getting over £25k a year tax free (and will get housing benefit to boot soon) as well as her nice little earner from selling the Big Issue (isn't that supposed to be for homeless people, not those on £25k per annum?).

Anyway, it just got me thinking. What is the point in getting into debt at university to achieve a high career (which will take years to climb the career ladder), when you can simply achieve the same income by having several children. I did a calculation on the Turn2us website and there is actually not much difference (especially when all the extra benefits such as free school meals are included) in a family with one higher rate taxpayer and a similar family where nobody is working once everything is taken in to account.

I never see my husband because he works so many hours. Maybe I should suggest he gives up work as we would only be slightly worse off on benefits but he would be around to help me with the children.

MrsHeffley, the point we are trying to explain is that if you have out of two families on the same low income the family where a child has SN is going to be struggling more because disability comes expensive. We don't even qualify for DLA, but there have been times when I have been spending the whole of my income on dd's needs, just to enable her to get to school and access medical treatment. But at least I was able to work: if she had been more disabled I would not have been able to.

Why is the focus of some posters on DLA when the obvious headline suggests strongly that this woman is Romanian and is here to milk the system?

Where is the father of the children?

Why are we paying her so much?

Reasonable questions as yet unanswered.

thank you

I had to give up a job where my tax bill was more than many peoples wages.

When the savings ran out (much quicker than you would have thought) I ended up having to apply for benefits.

Do you really believe that she would drag her disabled child across europe if she thought she had a choice?

Could be because the headline is a pile of crap designed to get all the numpties' knickers in a twist?

To answer your questions. Don't know where the father is perhaps he is an arsehole and beat her? Maybe he has another woman? Maybe he died? Who knows? Let's try not to judge.

We are paying her 'so much' because at least one of her children are disabled.

And what gives her the right to come here just to claim a fistful of benefits ?

Let's just bang open the doors and allow everyone access who looks remotely vulnerable.

Families have far less than that to live on why should they subsidise her?

actually her child is severely disabled, as isnt that figure higher rate? and you have to get the higher (maybe middle as well i am not sure...) in order to get carers

Ohhh I know..

Because the DM has published a totally false account of this.

Conspiracy theorists please don tin hat.

I get that but I'm very disappointed with the lack of empathy for others who dare to question what seems a slightly bonkers system.

Basically if somebody not on benefits can't keep up their rent/mortgage payment which could be as much as 1K a month(so they could actually have less in their pocket) or more they'll loose their home,be out on the street and be at the very bottom of the benefit system because they've never claimed.Said person may only have 1 child because they couldn't afford more.They may be working all hours in a very stressful job.

Said Romanian woman has as many children as she pleases, a healthy salary off a state (she's never contributed to) and then gets help with paying her rent. Sorry I don't think it's unreasonable to be a tad meh about that and to question how many in the middle are expected to perform miracles on very similar sums of money to those on benefits.

This I couldn't give a shit as you're not on benefits isn't nice and actually perhaps we should all be saying we're all struggling and maybe the whole system needs looking at to make things fairer for all. Unfairness breeds bitterness and questions ime.

She has the right because Romania are in the EU. We are all allowed to move within within the EU arent we?

To Cory

how exactly is she "milking the system"?

She is out doing what many consider legal begging. Selling the big issue will earn her a pittance, she will be freezing cold and tired. No doubt she would much rather be at home caring for her children. She could just claim benefits and sit on her arse, like a great many English women.
But to her she is out working for her family. She believes what she is doing to be akin to running her own business.

I think she should be proud of herself. If only more of our natives had some of her work ethic.

It is in the Times as well. that is where I read the story and it did say the same thing. It annoyed me reading it there as well. Its just no good, we cannot afford to have everyone here on benefits. The money will run out.

Why should my DC have to work their socks off at university and run up huge debts to try and better themselves and be good citizens? Then be taxed on it and pay interest etc etc.

Perhaps my DD's should have children now (16, 18) and get free accommodation and finance and not bother with univeristy. There just seems to be no reward for doing the right thing IMO and I know that is moveable and subjective but at times that is how I feel.

So could we pitch up in Romania and get the same?

they'll loose their home,be out on the street and be at the very bottom of the benefit system because they've never claimed.

errm.
do you actually believe you get frequent claimant privileges? Your claim is treated exactly the same no matter how often you have claimed.

£25k is hardly a healthy salary when you have four children at least one of whom is disabled. I would guess that she came here for better medical care. What mother in the world would not up sticks and move herself away from all that she knows to help her child?

She has the right to come here and claim 'fistfuls' of benefits because her country is part of the EU. If you like our country and it's system you could always move to another EU country, like this lady did.

I was of the understanding that in Romania they still instititutionalised Children with severe mental impairments, maybe that is why she left.

So if dp lost his job tomorrow and we had no money at all to feed the dc would we be housed and in receipt of the same benefits(bar disability allowance) the next day?Would we be dealt with as quick and have the same as those who have been in the system for life? Genuine interested questions before I get any hysterical Daily Mail reader accusations.

'The money will run out.' not if bankers and big businesses' start paying their taxes it won't, but hey, they're rich, right? Lets not turn on them. Let's just turn on others who struggle more than us. They have less to fight back with.

Doin it's the equivalent of a salary of £35K.If that is low for benefit receivers it's low for those not on benefits.

Also as I said would we get the same in Romania?

No, but I imagine that's why she left.

And lets turn on those in the middle-they must be Boden wearers.

Yes MrsHeffley, you would be helped quickly and you'd actually receive more because you'd also get JSA or IS and CTB plus HB immediately if you're in rented and after 13 weeks if you have a mortgage.

Where in that article does it say she came here and was given housing immediately? That is rarely the case. Most likely she ended up in a center or emergency accommodation such as a bedsit, which the great british public would also get if they were made homeless and had children.

Sooooo the UK is propping up other countries then?