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Original poster

Why are so many people on MN so anti benefit bashing?

389 replies

Bearbehind · 04/04/2013 19:09

Genuine question- although I am well aware I will probably get flamed for this.

Osbourne's comments in the wake of the Philpotts's about benefits supporting lifestyles which are disagreeable to most tax payers today has touched a nerve with many for varying reasons.

I've always been of the opinion that benefits should be sufficient for the basic necessities but shouldn't cover luxuries like cigarettes, alcohol, Sky, mobile phones or holidays, as they shouldn't be an alternative to working (obviously only for those people capable of working) yet so many threads on here say its none of our business to question what benefits are spent on?

Why is it so many people are happy for their taxes to fund the luxuries listed above for others when they can't afford some of them for themselves after paying tax!? Am I missing something?

OP posts:
MadameDefarge · 04/04/2013 22:14

no grow some cress. do you actually know how much someone earns full time on the minimum wage?

BenjaminButton172 · 04/04/2013 22:17

Grow no i dont work full time. I work under 16 and declare it like you are meant to. (cant seem to find any other job Sad )

I just got a bit annoyed at the comments about people claiming jsa and working as some people dont know that you can. There is quite a few people at my work who do the same because our employer likes to employ four people on basically zero hour contracts to do one persons job.

Tasmania · 04/04/2013 22:17

A bit off-topic. What is it with Sky TV? Is it really that great and exciting??? Nowadays that you have Freeview? Seriously?!?

Don't claim benefits, and don't have Sky TV. Hardly find time to watch TV because of work, family life and hobbies...

MrsVamos · 04/04/2013 22:19

I don't get that about Sky either. DH would love it for the F1, but there's no way we could justify the money it costs.

I wouldn't put money into Murdoch's bank account either.

shufflehopstep · 04/04/2013 22:21

wannabee - That is horrendous Shock. You can report them for age discrimination if they said that. If someone was in an interview and they'd said, "very nice to meet you but I didn't quite get the responses I wanted from the advert for the job, so I'm going to re-advertise and wait to hear from a man / white person" there's no way they'd just sit and take it. It's against the law to discriminate because of age. Click here

wannabedomesticgoddess · 04/04/2013 22:23

That was MrsVamos' DH.

But I was thinking the exact same thing just now. It is definately age discrimination.

shufflehopstep · 04/04/2013 22:24

Sorry. Just realised it was MrsVamos.

MrsVamos · 04/04/2013 22:28

shuffle

I know, DH knows, employer's know, you know, but what can you do ? When he next signed on the Advisor mentioned it and was shocked, but it's not even like they can ring the person and say "you must employ MrVamos, you cannot discriminate against age" is it ?

This is just another part of the problem. A lot of companies won't be honest and say they consider him too old, it's that he lives too far away, or lives in the 'wrong postcode' for the vacancy advertised.

Kind of kicks into touch the ideas of "get on your bike" or "get on the bus" to find work, doesn't it ?

I'll have a look at your link but it won't do any good. Thanks for the thought, though. Smile

GrowSomeCress · 04/04/2013 22:29

MadameDefarge if you work full time (which BenjaminButton doesn't, so irrelevant now) then you are not eligible for JSA. If you get it you are a benefit cheat.

MrsVamos · 04/04/2013 22:29

And for the record, he's not old !

MadameDefarge · 04/04/2013 22:35

if I work full time dependent on my wage I am eligible for ctc, wtc, hb etc. which part of that legal entitlement makes me a benefit cheat?

MadameDefarge · 04/04/2013 22:38

when I had my business I paid myself minimum wage (actually I didnt even do that, I preffered to pay my staff) but I claimed as such. does that make me a benefit cheat? to have employed 12 people and have paid myself virtually nothing?

MadameDefarge · 04/04/2013 22:39

and i worked more hours out of the day than you could ever imagine. when we stopped service at 11 I would scrub the kitchen down which took two hours. I got to bed at 1 am. if i didnt cash up properly. you have no idea.

GrowSomeCress · 04/04/2013 22:40

MadameDefarge er, I didn't say it did?

I have said specifically twice I AM TALKING ABOUT JSA which you cannot claim if you work full time.

shufflehopstep · 04/04/2013 22:40

MrsV - They won't automatically employ him but you could take them to a tribunal and get some compensation. You have to pay court costs but a lot of companies will pay out outside of court to avoid the bad publicity. My DH works in HR (although at the moment he too is "between appointments" with no sign of anything on the horizon) and this is the sort of thing he deals with. Definitely have a look at the link.

BenjaminButton172 · 04/04/2013 22:40

Madame I think u might have misunderstood.

I was talking about jsa and Grow responded to that. No where did it say anything about tax credits or other benefits.

Of course you can get other benefits if you work full time, you can not get jsa.

GrowSomeCress · 04/04/2013 22:41

Honestly MadameDefarge I am confused. I was talking specifically about JOB SEEKER'S ALLOWANCE and saying if you work full time and claim it that makes you a benefit cheat.

I didn't even mention any other kind of benefit, or claim that you didn't work a lot of hours or didn't work hard or anything like that!

MadameDefarge · 04/04/2013 22:44

Well dont fucking restrict your condemnation to jsa... there are lots of other benefits people are entitle too by law like ISA or ESA. so what the fuck are you talking about? be clear. you just being pissy about people on jsa? do you even know what the stats are on that ? I hardly think so. as i stated earlier. over 90% of people on JSA get a job within 12 months.

MadameDefarge · 04/04/2013 22:46

sorry< I am bit confused, anyone of JSA is benefit cheat? what the hell are you saying? have you any idea of the hoops you have to jump through to keep jsa?

GrowSomeCress · 04/04/2013 22:46

MadameDefarge I genuinely don't know what you're talking about. I never once "condemned" JSA.

I said that people who work FULL TIME and CLAIM JSA are benefit cheats. THAT IS TRUE. I said that in response to a comment by BenjaminButton.

Blathering on about condemnation and stats and stuff - I never said that people hang around not getting jobs on JSA. Wtf!!
Stop attacking stuff I haven't even said

MrsVamos · 04/04/2013 22:46

shuffle

You're a sweetheart, but there's no way we could risk having to pay court costs !

GrowSomeCress · 04/04/2013 22:47

MadameDefarge I think you are a bit confused so I will say this once more as clearly as possible.

I never said "anyone on JSA is a benefit cheat".
I never "condemned JSA".
I never suggested that people don't work hard for little money.

All I said was that people who work full time and claim JSA at the same time are benefit cheats.
That is a fact.

KarlosKKrinkelbeim · 04/04/2013 22:48

I am always bemused by the stories I hear about no jobs on offer. I am looking for soemone to come and work for me, as a classroom assistant for my DS who has ASD. I do not ask for prior experience, and I will arrange for full training. I am struggling to find anyone. people do not seem to want the work. I am offering well above min wage, btw.

GrowSomeCress · 04/04/2013 22:48

And I was saying as a reply to BenjaminButton, not as a random attack claiming that all those on JSA are cheats. For god's sake.

MadameDefarge · 04/04/2013 22:49

IF people are cheating the system then they should be punished. They are benefit cheats and are committing fraud. what everyone else is objecting to is the notion that everyone on benefits are either happy to sit on their arses or have a cash in hand job.