Protest against Austerity Sheffield 8th July

[WiseOwl182 10]

This is nonsense. The people who pay tax are consumers, and it includes those out of work.

 

Those who find themselves out of work still pay tax and receive very little in social security payments.

 

If your only source of income is benefits, you do not pay any tax. Even when you pay for things and pay VAT, you're simply replacing some of the money the taxpayer has already given you. Moving money around doesn't create wealth. If I give you £1 and you give me back 20p, you've still had 80p off me; I'm not 20p better off.

[cgksheff 44]

Can you expland on that?

In what way are banks purely and solidly "bad"?

 

Not necessarily all 'purely', but those in the banks knew exactly what they were doing.

Loans & debts should not have been bought and sold, but in the absence of transactions, the greedy would have no bonuses.

Hence the complicity and turning of blind eyes.

[Anna B 1,401]

I'm getting pretty sick of this battle between poor people and slightly more affluent people.

 

Don't you realise we're all on the same side?

 

If you want to find enemies to pick on, look to the mega corporations, non tax paying big businesses, self serving politicians, the banks, oligarchs buying up expensive property they will never live in as a money laundering scam, and so on... There's plenty out there.

 

But these divide and conquer tactics (8 TV programmes about 'benefit scroungers' this week, not counting repeats,) have got to stop. Or at least, stop being effective.

 

Know your enemy and stick together. The enemy is not the British public, rich or poor.

[WiseOwl182 10]

I'm getting pretty sick of this battle between poor people and slightly more affluent people.

 

Don't you realise we're all on the same side?

 

If you want to find enemies to pick on, look to the mega corporations, non tax paying big businesses, self serving politicians, the banks, oligarchs buying up expensive property they will never live in as a money laundering scam, and so on... There's plenty out there.

 

But these divide and conquer tactics (8 TV programmes about 'benefit scroungers' this week, not counting repeats,) have got to stop. Or at least, stop being effective.

 

Know your enemy and stick together. The enemy is not the British public, rich or poor.

 

 

Anyone who intentionally lives off the taxpayer, who can work but chooses not to, and thinks the state owes them a living, is a parasite. Such people are not on my side.

 

And yes, there are lots of others not on my side either, who are at the other end of the spectrum. That's not what's being discussed here, but, for example, I choose to avoid spending my money with large companies that work the tax system in order to cheat the UK out of money.

[Anna B 1,401]

Anyone who intentionally lives off the taxpayer, who can work but chooses not to, and thinks the state owes them a living, is a parasite. Such people are not on my side.

 

And yes, there are lots of others not on my side either, who are at the other end of the spectrum. That's not what's being discussed here, but, for example, I choose to avoid spending my money with large companies that work the tax system in order to cheat the UK out of money.

 

Did it ever occur to you that you could be joining the 'benefit scroungers' tomorrow?

I don't know your circumstances, but it could happen to anyone. I don't think any of us realise how close we are to disaster. An accident at work, (or anywhere else,) an unpredicted illness, a change of management, a sudden redundancy... anything could happen.

 

Think you're safe? Unless you are one of the very wealthy elite, how long could you survive with no income? It's enough to floor anyone, and it does - I've seen it happen. To nice white collar middle and top income earners who thought they were somehow cocooned by their lifestyle and contacts.

 

Think you'd soon get another job? Think again. If you're over 50 you're going to find it very, very difficult. Start a new business? Yes you and every other guy with a payoff. Most of them lose their life savings. Can you imagine yourself flipping burgers in Macdonalds? Cleaning toilets? Stacking shelves? Think you'd do it proudly until something better comes along? But then it doesn't... ever... and all your savings are gone...

 

Yes my friend, people are very quick to criticise, look down their noses and stand in judgement on others - until it happens to them.

[Chris_Sleeps 10]

But these divide and conquer tactics (8 TV programmes about 'benefit scroungers' this week, not counting repeats,) have got to stop. Or at least, stop being effective.

Let us not leave out yesterday's masterpiece of 'Dogs On The Dole' - a step up in the rhetoric.

 

Unemployed people don't deserve any sympathy, help, money, shelter, warmth, food - and now they don't deserve to have pets either. The next steps will be taking away their children, and then their right to breathe.

[harvey19 541]

Let us not leave out yesterday's masterpiece of 'Dogs On The Dole' - a step up in the rhetoric.

 

Unemployed people don't deserve any sympathy, help, money, shelter, warmth, food - and now they don't deserve to have pets either. The next steps will be taking away their children, and then their right to breathe.

 

Surely these aren't your views !

Edited July 25, 2015 by Ms Macbeth
Fixed quote tags

[Chris_Sleeps 10]

Surely these aren't your views !

It's Channel 5's new Saturday prime-time show - Benefits Britain : Oxygen Thieves.

 

Gary has just been laid off from work after 30 years. He has two weeks until his savings runs out. Will he find a new job in time or will the DWP claim he's drain on society and put him in a forced labour camp? Watch this week's exciting episode.

 

Edited July 24, 2015 by Chris_Sleeps

[WiseOwl182 10]

Did it ever occur to you that you could be joining the 'benefit scroungers' tomorrow?

I don't know your circumstances, but it could happen to anyone. I don't think any of us realise how close we are to disaster. An accident at work, (or anywhere else,) an unpredicted illness, a change of management, a sudden redundancy... anything could happen.

 

Think you're safe? Unless you are one of the very wealthy elite, how long could you survive with no income? It's enough to floor anyone, and it does - I've seen it happen. To nice white collar middle and top income earners who thought they were somehow cocooned by their lifestyle and contacts.

 

Think you'd soon get another job? Think again. If you're over 50 you're going to find it very, very difficult. Start a new business? Yes you and every other guy with a payoff. Most of them lose their life savings. Can you imagine yourself flipping burgers in Macdonalds? Cleaning toilets? Stacking shelves? Think you'd do it proudly until something better comes along? But then it doesn't... ever... and all your savings are gone...

 

Yes my friend, people are very quick to criticise, look down their noses and stand in judgement on others - until it happens to them.

 

 

Spare me the emotional rhetoric. I quite clearly said "intentionally lives off the state". Clearly someone who has just lost their job does not fit into that category. They should be able to claim benefits for an interim period until they find a new job.

 

If it happened to me I'd find another job. I would accept it could have to be at a lower level, temporarily or otherwise, and my lifestyle would adjust accordingly. What I would not expect is to live off benefits indefinitely.

 

Welfare was supposed to be a safety net but due to people like you it has become a lifestyle option and at an ever increasing, unsustainable cost. It had to stop sooner or later.

[Lotusflower 10]

Spare me the emotional rhetoric. I quite clearly said "intentionally lives off the state". Clearly someone who has just lost their job does not fit into that category. They should be able to claim benefits for an interim period until they find a new job.

 

If it happened to me I'd find another job. I would accept it could have to be at a lower level, temporarily or otherwise, and my lifestyle would adjust accordingly. What I would not expect is to live off benefits indefinitely.

 

Welfare was supposed to be a safety net but due to people like you it has become a lifestyle option and at an ever increasing, unsustainable cost. It had to stop sooner or later.

 

You should be ashamed of yourself!

 

---------- Post added 24-07-2015 at 13:51 ----------

 

Well said!

 

See the above!

[Lotusflower 10]

Not really.

Some of us don't bleat on and on about how hard 'done by' we are in life, get on with it and fix the problem leading to happier lives.

 

If you want me to weep tears because people cant find jobs (apparently) then you'll be waiting quite a while.

 

Making derogatory comments about people you have neither met nor know does not does not define them!

 

It does define you!

[WiseOwl182 10]

You should be ashamed of yourself! :

 

Why? Because I think welfare should only be a safety net?

 

If you're inferring anything from my statement that you bolded of "people like you", I should clarify I mean those of a left wing persuasion; I know nothing about AnnaB or her individual situation.