The Feckless

[time_vans]

another rant......why dont the government make the unemployed work for their 'job seekers allowance'?
Lets say they are entitled to £50 a week, they should be made to work an appropriate number of hours for the appropriate minimum wage to get the first £40 and then get a £10 bonus each week as long as they fullfilled their obligations i.e. turned up on time and worked. I am not referring to those who unfortunately have been made redundant but there is no excuse for anyone who is fit and healthy especially the young taking the piss out of the system year on end. They would learn some good lessons ie getting up early ,punctuality, reliability and hopefully get them in the mind set of ..'hey I can do this and earn so much more with a proper job' raising selfworth etc. Plus the streets may be a lot cleaner and free of dog crap!

 

[andycap]

I agree , Some people genuinely fall on hard times and when they go for benefit find that they get nothing because they have a bit of savings or something that stops them on a means test. But there are far to many that have no inclination to work , they just want to screw the system for all they can get .

What really grates me , is the fact that our construction industry is on it's knees in this present climate.Many good highly skilled men are being put out of work or are in very unsecure jobs.How can our government allow this to happen when there are major construction projects going on that are using our money to finance them i.e olympics sites,and a majority (in some trades) migrant work force is being used.Surely they should make sure that we are all working first .
I can understand the use of migrant workers in private sector projects, but not when the projects are financed from our taxation

 

[Herbie]

I too agree, but the system f***s you all ways up. I find in my situation with MS that there are times where I could work part time limited hrs but catch 22 comes into play.

Any benefits you have, stop and you have to re-start which can mean 6 months with naff all.
Or you can work but only get max 20 quid and the rest goes to the state. I tried this malarky, I could earn over 150 for just 3 or 4 hrs work instructing people to operate car transporters, I get 20 quid, or if I take it all, all benefits stop and after those few hrs I felt able to work I have to start a new claim which as I said can mean 6 months as it did in the first place. I would be happy to give my time when Im capable of doing so and only take my benefits, what little they are, but I would be either considered eligeable for work and lose, or the other crap above,and you cant blame employers as who really wants someone like me who has to go lie down for the rest of the day after a few good hrs, or cant come in cos they are feeling crap? There is no catering for this no matter how much the government may brag on about work for people with disability.
There are a lot of people like myself who would like to do their bit and have done until they had a misfortune but the system doesnt help this at all. Instead I just do volunteer stuff when Im able then it doesnt cause all sorts of interfering bureaucracy.But I too hate those who have done sweet FA and still do it.

 

[viscount17]

the other type that gets to me are those like that guy in (cornwall?), 11 kids by 3 or 4 different women, and raking it in on all of them. Said he couldn't afford to work!

 

[flandango]

My cousin is a qualified carpenter who has just been made redundant. He went to see what he was entitled to as he has just had a little baby girl with his missus. He was actually told he would get more and be better off if he didn't get another job and wait until he get another carpentry job?

He thought bugger that and just got a job in 'next' to provide for his family himself like any man should.

He could of sat at home with his baby, rent paid, etc for doing nothing. Sounds ok but something inside him know's and feels that it's HIS responsibility not the governments. So he went from £18ph to £6ph. Poor kids pride to a battering but I respect him more than any benefit cheets.

 

[Basher]

With the recent weather we have had, wouldn't it be usefull if the "Out of works" cleared the snow from the pavements?

Don't get me wrong. There are those who would love to work and those who just can't be arsed.
I think pride comes into it. Unfortunately there are so many around today who have no pride and consider the state is there for their own gain.
Why should the state look after people who just can't be bothered to get a job? It makes me sick when I hear people say "I wouldn't get out of bed for that!"
If I had my way I'd say, "OK, stay in bed but you're getting bugger all from the state!"

 

[theeaglehunter]

I agree entirely however there will always be something stupid preventing it from happening. E.g an unemployed perfectly healthy man can not clear snow from drives as he has had insufficient training and would be at a high risk to personal injury (and being a scrounge anyway he wouldn't think twice about a legal case) meaning the people attempting to promote the scheme would end up spending a fortune in training and PPE making it almost pointless, before some plonker slips and impales himself on his spade and gets a huge payout.

I agree the system is flawed but the natural laziness of many people and just the fact that many are bone idle would prevent a scheme like you suggested being put in place. It would work in some cases but for the majority who would needlessly 'scrounge' in the first place they are going to pull out all the stops to avoid work.

It is definitely a great idea though and if put in place would only have a positive impact on society.

 

[viscount17]

There is a phrase that adequately covers this, which as best as I recall I first encountered in a Robert Heinlein book.

It is TANSTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch