Dole bludgers, Welfare rorters, or Trying to make do (A worthy tale)

Mention of the 'Welfare State' evokes hugely emotive outbursts, from people on all sides of the political spectrum. From those who will insist it is up to the individual to get off their backside, to those who believe in a universal welfare state, the argument is seldom anything but polarised.

As an individual who works full-time for a living, but who has also been dependent on Social Security, I have been on both sides of the fence. I'm fortunate to live in a country that does have a semi-decent social security system. You're never going to have an amazingly luxurious life living on the dole in Australia (contrary to what many 'shock-jocks' tell us), and ultimately I think the welfare state provides more benefit than not. I know there will be plenty of posters who disagree with me - so be it, we are all entitled to our own opinions. My own feeling is that if we live in a wealthy society, nobody should have to die in the street because of homelessness, starvation, or medical issues.



I read an article in the Guardian today, and I think it worth a read. Sue Townsend was the author (she died from a stroke just last week), of a book that I believe was on the syllabus of plenty of schools, 'The Diary of Adrian Mole'. I've no doubt that Sue Townsend went on to live a far more comfortable existence than the one she wrote about in this article.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of the welfare state, I think this is an excellent piece of writing, and should give some understanding of what it's like to be dependent on the state for all your needs.

www.theguardian.com...

Sue Townsend: how the welfare state left me and my kids scouring the streets for pennies

The writer, who died on Thursday, created her teen diarist Adrian Mole while she was a struggling single mother of three. In this Observer article from 1989, she described how the state had left her destitute

We were waiting at the bus stop. "If the conductor asks how old you are, tell him you're four," I instructed my five-year-old son. All I had in my purse was 11 pence. Enough for my fare into town but not his half fare.

Throughout the journey he asked in a voice that could cut through limestone: "Am I four or five?"

reply to post by cuckooold


It is a very emotional piece of writing.

The benefits system in the story is obviously in bad shape (as the author accurately states in her article: it is unfair, inefficient, and totally unprofessional) and the protagonist describes a pitiable condition. No argument here.

It is unfortunate that the perspective in a story like this doesn't also mention who or what is responsible for her/their situation, and what caused them to be dependent on the state in the first place.
This point is left out, although it is crucial to the issue at hand.

Nobody goes to a DSS office to ask for state benefits if they are well and happy and employed. Nobody needs to.

reply to post by cuckooold


nice to actually see two people make sane rational and reasonable posts about folks who have to turn to government slavery.Most that I am aware of did not get there by themselves. Bad medical care, no medical care are the two reasons most folks end up on disability in our world. IF the banks etc engineered economic collapse, well, I mean it isn't stretch to see that poverty is also a bit of social engineering. WE send money to others countries, we ship jobs to other countries.. then we wonder why so many are poor. WE lack health insurance for years. $5,00 people die a year during that time or more and the right wing applauds. There is a reason the media uses the language they do regarding the poor. To demonize them . Cameron has been real good at this of late and the death to grows higher as the NHS comes down.
Demonization of the poor in any country is simply the old Roman trick of divide and conquer. Make the middle class hate the poor or working poor, make the working poor hate the disabled, the elderly and anyone who needs help. Look at how we treat our veterans..I mean really..
WE are not human beings.. we are animals. Empathy is a natural human emotion. However, television and really good manipulation with misinformation has made us all people who would rather suggest changes to the other guy than change themselves.

I'd go into detail as to how I know all this. However you all seem to want links and all I have is first hand experience.. How bull**** is that? (sarcasm)

I knew the battle was lost when the government started calling people "consumers".. When KIssinger called the elderly "useless eaters" well.. all theories I had gained in 20 years .. were validated.

I became disabled due to being denied medical care and I was too ill to go hunt for an honest lawyer in a tourist town. 15 year later a doctor said to me "it's morally reprehensible" I said .. "what?" DOC:" you should not have had to wait 15 years for a diagnosis."
Now I am not saying this toi engender anything..I am just illustrating real life . Reality bites. BUT hell folks will appluad the thinning of the herd.

I would have taken the name cynic ..but someone else already had..

we have been sold a bill of goods that suces means money.. for millions of disabled.. success means standing and breathing

a wee bit of perspective as war is started to cover up global pedophilia in govt

I dont know about where you are, but here in the uk its very simple to find yourself wrapped up in the slave trade, its simple because there are NOT ENOUGH REAL JOBS!!!

Having recently been on the dole I discovered the following.
Research by the Gaurdian and Channel 4 revealed that 60 ~ 70% of vacancies being advertised were FAKE, they did not exist!
Of the few existing real vacancies, most of them were less that 16 hours per week, this is because big employers like Tesco's etc break one full time position into three 15 hour positions. This means they can avoid paying NI stamps, but it also means the employee is forced to continue to receive benefits.

The only help offered to me via the job centre was work experience, this would involve working for an employer (such as tescos) for just my dole money! Thats slavery! For the employer, its free labour, provided at the expence of the tax payer as its them who'd have been paying my benefit while I gained that work experience. Also!!! I'm nearly 60, I dont need work experience, what I need is a real full time job with proper wages!

While on the dole, most uninformed sheeple would have labeled me as a scrounger! Yet I would have starved to death without those benefits!
For those who shout "Scrounging Benefit scum" I say this. Go shout at the big corps like Tesco's etc who avoid paying NI stamps, who employ slave labour at the tax payers expense, who split a full time job into three useless jobs. Go shout at those in power who set up the system that allows Tesco's etc to get away with it!

The system is totaly corrupt!

reply to post by VoidHawk


The system is corrupt all right but is designed by genius' to be run by self-styled 'Little Hitlers' wielding their power like a WW2 German Prison Camp guard.
I was 63 when I was retrenched after 23 years in the job ("we're restructuring and your job has to go" - someone was in my old job a week later but at two-thirds my wage). I had to apply for the dole and was told to apply for 6 jobs per week (and list them on a form provided). When I stated the obvious that nobody was looking for 63 year olds I was told by a snotty-nosed nerd in his mid-twenties that he would stop my dole if I failed to fill in the form. When I reached 65 and went to pick up my superannuation (a modest $65,000) I was told to "Just sign here" but I said "Where's my cheque"? and was then told "Oh NO, you need an allocated pension not a lump sum"! NB An allocated pension is where they take all your money, give you a weekly sum representing about 5% interest and then, after 16 years, they tell you it has all gone. My wife is 23 years younger than me which meant that after I went there would be nothing left for her. I declined and accepted a lump sum (much to their disgust) and can tell you that after 10 years this has grown considerably and will see my wife out to the end of her days. From the pay-out I received I bought a small 10 square modest home in the country ($56,000) and we live modestly comfortably on a full pension supplemented by the small interest I receive from the 'super' investment. I am fortunate in being able to claim a part British Pension. I have lived in Australia for some 48 years.
I know people who own houses valued at well over a million dollars, who received a huge superannuation payment and have many valuable assets but thanks to financial advisers their money is distributed in such a way as to allow them to claim a welfare payment of a dollar or more. This then enables them to receive a concession card for discount medicines and discounts off their rates and utilities etc. Nice work if you can get it. Our treasurer Jo Hockey now says he's going to look into this and bring in a "Work till you Drop" scheme so that nobody will get a pension in the future anyway. Should anyone reach retirement age they will have to sign up for an allocated pension so the Government gets it when you 'drop'.
Meanwhile, thousands and thousands of people are being welcomed into this Country (quite a few by claiming they are relatives of people already living here) when there are no jobs, no accommodation and no education or medical facilities. The Welfare System has reached saturation point.
I believe that Holland, Russia and France have said that enough is enough we are full up and if you want to stay here you will have to learn OUR language and learn to live OUR way of life and not expect us to change to YOUR way of life.
The Manufacturing Industry in Australia is all but gone with Holden and Toyota closing their car manufacturing plants within 3 years. Up to 200,00 jobs going.
Where the hell is all this going to end?

reply to post by VoidHawk


I've been saying this for a while

It's ludicrous how this system is set up.

reply to post by OzTiger


Hey quality post star for you


Living in Australia i get the feeling that there is nothing left here its all offshore processing now and the industries are rapidly moving offshore and the politicians could stop this with ripping up free trade agreements forcing the companies to manufacturer in Australia keeping Australia economy breathing. companies are the ones getting it too easy these days, paying cheap wages and basically free tariffs on products. its got to stop someone needs to step up and come to the realization someone is selling us out.

reply to post by amraks


Yes, but WHO is selling us out?
It's happening all over the world.
The reports I am reading about Detroit in the USA for instance says that what was once the Motor Manufacturing Capital is now derelict and you need a foreign passport to get in.
Multiculturalism is promoted by just about every Government in the world yet has never worked anywhere in the world.
Schools in England are being investigated because they are refusing to teach Christian beliefs. Who the hell has taken over English schools?
Nativity Plays are no longer allowed in Christian dominated Countries because they offend minority religious groups. What?!
A bloke sued an organization because of sexual offenses he received from a perpetrator employed by them. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount and now the perpetrator is suing the victim for $20,000 court costs. Are we serious?!
Members of Parliament here in Australia can take early retirement, receive a huge Superannuation Payout, a life pension and then get a 'Gold Card' entitling them to free travel so they don't have to spend any of it. They can then be given a 'job-for-the-boys' plum, highly paid, position as Ambassador to somewhere with innumerable staff with all expenses paid. Then they tell us to 'work till you drop'!
Car Manufacturers (and others) move into Asia where their workers get a bowl of rice and half a dollar a week. How the hell can Countries like Australia compete against that?
We import tonnes and tonnes of fruit from all over the world whilst our own orchards lay waste.
Whilst pensioners and people on the dole are struggling the current Government is pushing for Paid Maternity leave where a woman earning $150,000 can receive thousands of dollars for the birth of a child. What?!
Yes. There is something seriously wrong with the world just now.

It all started with Paul Keating signing a certain document here in Australia selling us out.

amraks
It all started with Paul Keating signing a certain document here in Australia selling us out.

What document was that?

Can you elaborate upon this please?

reply to post by cuckooold



Agenda 21

reply to post by cuckooold


I dont know how many times i have got on a bus in the last few years and not had the sufficient fare for both myself and child. Truth be told i didn't start paying for her until she turned seven. The thing with state benefits is they will marginally cover your food and rent but at the expense of you being able to provide proper electricity and gas for your household. Never mind the notion of being able to also afford travel cost!

Same problem exists with minimum wage monkey jobs, there is simply not enough cash to go round and it's not like anything is becoming cheaper!

What happened to a fair days work for a fair days pay?

andy06shake
reply to post by cuckooold

 

I dont know how many times i have got on a bus in the last few years and not had the sufficient fare for both myself and child. Truth be told i didn't start paying for her until she turned seven. The thing with state benefits is they will marginally cover your food and rent but at the expense of you being able to provide proper electricity and gas for your household. Never mind the notion of being able to also afford travel cost!

Same problem exists with minimum wage monkey jobs, there is simply not enough cash to go round and it's not like anything is becoming cheaper!

What happened to a fair days work for a fair days pay?

edit on 16-4-2014 by andy06shake because: (no reason given)

That has been changed my friend to: "A fair WEEKS work for a fair days pay" (lol)