What is a benefits scrounger?

[adrea]

And lets not forget that only this week the DWP were FORCED to reveal that between 2011 and 2014, 2,380 sick and vulnerable people died within 2 weeks of being kicked off their benefits. Maybe some humility from those who like to advocate a harsher regime of benefits wouldn't go amiss.

 

Between 2011 and 2014 approximately 2,000,000 people died in England.

That's pproximately 10,000 people every week, many will have been claiming benefits, so its highly likley that the 2,380 would have died anyway, it's just 11 a week out of the 10,000 a week that die.

[gomgeg]

I like the way some on here talk about austerity for those on benefits, then have a go at pensioners. I'm retired after starting work at 15 and until I reached retirement age had a total of about three months on the dole, when I left or lost a job I went out looking and got another one, including twice in the eighties when unemployment was a lot higher than it is now. We had as many kids as we could afford without housing benefit or tax credits, them and the grandkids who have left education also work without getting benefits because they've been brought up to be self reliant. We've all got a responsibility to the vulnerable but choosing a life on benefits when fit for work is not being vulnerable.

As I've said on here before pensions are not a benefit according to governments both Labour and Tory. With our state pension and private one we are still living in poverty according to the definition, but we still have to pay at the dentists and opticians and pay for a new boiler not so long age. If we were on benefits those would be free.

[TJC1]

I like the way some on here talk about austerity for those on benefits, then have a go at pensioners. I'm retired after starting work at 15 and until I reached retirement age had a total of about three months on the dole, when I left or lost a job I went out looking and got another one, including twice in the eighties when unemployment was a lot higher than it is now. We had as many kids as we could afford without housing benefit or tax credits, them and the grandkids who have left education also work without getting benefits because they've been brought up to be self reliant. We've all got a responsibility to the vulnerable but choosing a life on benefits when fit for work is not being vulnerable.

As I've said on here before pensions are not a benefit according to governments both Labour and Tory. With our state pension and private one we are still living in poverty according to the definition, but we still have to pay at the dentists and opticians and pay for a new boiler not so long age. If we were on benefits those would be free.

 

Should pensioners with more than one house, cash in the bank and a whacking pension get the subsidies?

 

Shouldnt that money go to people like yourself?

[gomgeg]

TJC1. No it shouldn't go to people like me. I agree those pensions should be means tested if any money could be recovered economically it should go to the truly vulnerable. Even though as I said we are technically living in poverty, that is just a term like the one people use on here "extreme poverty" no one in this country is living in extreme poverty, are smart phones, Sky television symbols of poverty because we've got neither of them but we still live quite comfortably within our means. Last week on here I quoted a bloke from Eastern Europe I'd seen on the television he was doing a labouring job had a wife and three kids, he was told by the social worker he could claim £285 per week in benefits.i was then accused by someone on here who claims to work with university students that I shouldn't believe the television and I was a gullible tabloid reader.

Then as a matter of interest I logged in to one of the benefit calculators putting what I thought would be a reasonable rent and council tax for him, the total it came up with including 40 hours on minimum wage was nearly £600 per week, more than I ever earned. Is that living in extreme poverty?

[TJC1]

TJC1. No it shouldn't go to people like me. I agree those pensions should be means tested if any money could be recovered economically it should go to the truly vulnerable. Even though as I said we are technically living in poverty, that is just a term like the one people use on here "extreme poverty" no one in this country is living in extreme poverty, are smart phones, Sky television symbols of poverty because we've got neither of them but we still live quite comfortably within our means. Last week on here I quoted a bloke from Eastern Europe I'd seen on the television he was doing a labouring job had a wife and three kids, he was told by the social worker he could claim £285 per week in benefits.i was then accused by someone on here who claims to work with university students that I shouldn't believe the television and I was a gullible tabloid reader.

Then as a matter of interest I logged in to one of the benefit calculators putting what I thought would be a reasonable rent and council tax for him, the total it came up with including 40 hours on minimum wage was nearly £600 per week, more than I ever earned. Is that living in extreme poverty?

 

A lot of that money goes to a private landlord and to look after kids. It's not pin money.

 

I don't think 600 quid to look after and house 3 kids and 2 adults is much. Especially not down south. Whatever way they get the money.

 

I agree, our definition of poverty is different to the past. But then again there is so much money swimming around. Nobody should be homeless in this day and age.

 

I agree work if you can, I also saw that program as it happens. The fella was going out to work 6 days a week, bringing home about 200 quid per week. His wife and three kids were in 1 room. And their scummy landlord had put the rent up illegally.

[carosio]

Pensioners and suchlike are really benefit recipients. I would say that a benefit scrounger is usually thought of as

 

"A person who, by pretence, convinces the authorities that they are unemployable in order to achieve their goal of securing their income from the benefits system.[/i]"

[TJC1]

Pensioners and suchlike are really benefit recipients. I would say that a benefit scrounger is usually thought of as

 

"A person who, by pretence, convinces the authorities that they are unemployable in order to achieve their goal of securing their income from the benefits system.[/i]"

 

Doesn't seem like much of a lifestyle. These benefits don't pay much.

The tories capped it at 20 something grand per year.

[carosio]

Doesn't seem like much of a lifestyle. These benefits don't pay much.

The tories capped it at 20 something grand per year.

 

Wish I was getting half that, but looked at another way, no getting up at 6am on a freezing winter morning, no slogging through the day watching the clock, no line managers hassling you, no "performance reviews" etc etc.

[gomgeg]

TJC1. I wish we got £20K a year.i never said he shouldn't get what he was getting, we had 2 kids because we couldn't afford any more, we'd have loved to have more. Anyhow me and you could go round in circles all night about this but I'm now going to get ready and go to the pub, only two pints mind and only twice a week because I can't afford any more but then again We don't spend our pension on bingo and fags.

[TJC1]

Wish I was getting half that, but looked at another way, no getting up at 6am on a freezing winter morning, no slogging through the day watching the clock, no line managers hassling you, no "performance reviews" etc etc.

 

Fair enough...

 

---------- Post added 31-08-2015 at 18:49 ----------

 

TJC1. I wish we got £20K a year.i never said he shouldn't get what he was getting, we had 2 kids because we couldn't afford any more, we'd have loved to have more. Anyhow me and you could go round in circles all night about this but I'm now going to get ready and go to the pub, only two pints mind and only twice a week because I can't afford any more but then again We don't spend our pension on bingo and fags.

 

I don't think they automatically give out 20k a year....