"Future of the Welfare State" with John Humphrys

[Supertramp]

That's utter rubbish, I've been out of work and I can tell you for a fact your better off in employment. This is just another deflection tactic by the rich and powerful to blame the poor and weak.

 

Did you watch the programme? There were lots of examples on it, and what are they exactly blaming on the poor here or deflecting?

 

There's a lot of use of buzz words on this forum when they don't make sense. Bankers, poor, privileged etc., at least use them in context or explain what you are talking about.

[Maxster]

Let's hope the poor start voting.

 

Well at least that is free...

[L00b]

I could agree with you about the public sector being tax-income draining if the economy required money to function.

Both the private and the public sector require money to function.

 

But the private sector must first make a profit, for that profit to be taxed, before the public sector can be paid from the tax income.

 

It's the natural order of an economy, at whatever scale, and always has been (since well before the current woes, for however long you go back).

 

Note that, when I say 'draining', it is not meant as an attack on the public sector. It's simply my way of referring to the principle of communicating vases that is private profit>tax>public services.

[Mister M]

But we can't afford this amount of money being spent on the welfare state given the current economic state.

 

Interestingly the MORI polls shown within the programme seem to back up the general public's view of this.

 

But we could afford to bail out the banks....

 

And after decades of selective reporting in the media about the poor being a drain on society, I'm not at all surprised that the public were in favour of the idea that the welfare state should be scaled back.

[Total Chaos]

The bit that really annoyed me was the woman complaining about "why should she work all day at minimum wage".

Answer; because that's all you're going to be worth love and you'd get less than that if it were allowed.

 

She went on to say she'd be worse off. Translation - she gets paid more now to do nothing than a working person. She then complained about not getting enough Child Benefit.

 

It gets me so mad

 

The problem is,she is right.I work,so lets get that in 1st .I had a motorbike accident 10yrs ago and trashed my left leg,i had to have an external fixater on it for 9mths.I was on incapacity benefit,until i returned to work.I got my rent paid for in full,£8 for council tax per mth and £170 a week put into my bank account and i wondered why i came back to work.

[chem1st]

Both the private and the public sector require money to function.

 

But the private sector must first make a profit, for that profit to be taxed, before the public sector can be paid from the tax income.

 

It's the natural order of an economy, at whatever scale, and always has been (since well before the current woes, for however long you go back).

 

Note that, when I say 'draining', it is not meant as an attack on the public sector. It's simply my way of referring to the principle of communicating vases that is private profit>tax>public services.

 

But if money is supposed to be a means of exchange and a store of value and we use a currency monopolised by the state/private BoE it all starts to get a little bit confusing.

 

A private business doesn't need money to function, it could mine commodities and pay people in commodities... It just needs a bit of control over the workforce, it's easier with money, but money ain't always needed.

[freudstheory]

I have just watched this program on iplayer, very interesting. Made me angry though.

People don't want to work for minimum wage? Tough! People with no qualifications or skills may have to.

People would rather not work at all and spend time at home? Tough, get off your lazy arses.

People think that they are owed something from the state? Not a chance, get a job.

 

To those that genuinely cannot work, they should be helped financially.

To the rest of the shameless benefits slobs, cut their benefits and get a job like the rest of us have to.

Just my opinion

[Maxster]

I have just watched this program on iplayer, very interesting. Made me angry though.

People don't want to work for minimum wage? Tough! People with no qualifications or skills may have to.

People would rather not work at all and spend time at home? Tough, get off your lazy arses.

People think that they are owed something from the state? Not a chance, get a job.

 

To those that genuinely cannot work, they should be helped financially.

To the rest of the shameless benefits slobs, cut their benefits and get a job like the rest of us have to.

Just my opinion

 

Those are my sentiments entirely but let's wait to see if the wider audience agree.

[freudstheory]

Those are my sentiments entirely but let's wait to see if the wider audience agree.

 

Like I said Maxster, just my opinion.

 

I know a few people around here that have never had a job, I know a few that don't want a job as it's too much like hard work and it really winds me up knowing that day after day I work hard for not a great wage and struggle, while they sit on their lazy arses.

 

William Beverage would be outraged!!!!

[Mecky]

So people are saying, people should work and get themselves into debt when they're better off on benefit?