Has DLA Turned Disabled People Greedy?

feir

would it be too simple to say that everyone should have access to a decent of quality of life and if money is needed to attain that then those with a need should be given some from those who are not needy?

i know it's too simple overall but the priniciple is not. it's why we have an NHS and paltry benefits system in the first place.

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Geoark

Hi @feir what you are talking about is redistribution of wealth. In effect that is what the tax and welfare system sets out to do. Unfortunately that does not tend to favour the poorest in our country.

There is growing support for another way of tackling this around the world, through the use of Basic Income.

Basic income has the following five characeristics:

1. Periodic: it is paid at regular intervals (for example every month), not as a one-off grant.
2. Cash payment: it is paid in an appropriate medium of exchange, allowing those who receive it to decide what they spend it on. It is not, therefore, paid either in kind (such as food or services) or in vouchers dedicated to a specific use.
3. Individual: it is paid on an individual basis—and not, for instance, to households.
4. Universal: it is paid to all, without means test.
5. Unconditional: it is paid without a requirement to work or to demonstrate willingness-to-work.

While support and interest are growing there is also a lot of political resistance.
 
More information can be found at http://basicincome.org/basic-income/

Topkitten

Disability benefit is not designed to provide people with an income and that's why it isn't means tested. It is a supplementary payment to help towards the additional costs of living with a disability. Trying to turn it into something else will result in it being removed from the system altogether and inflict further suffering on an already pressured minority. It should not be expected to cover ALL additional costs but the additional costs for differing levels of disability.

The benefits for living on are such things as JSA, ESA, UC, etc. These should, in theory, provide the standard of living appropriate to wherever you live and, as part of that, leaving an amount over for a few luxuries (going out, take-away's, TV's, etc.). If there is a problem with the system then it is those types of benefits that need to be addressed.

The subject of greed is not really a part of disability benefits (or shouldn't be) except that when people cannot have everything they want and they are the type of person to do it, then they will use fraudulent claims to be better off.

However, people today are definitely greedy. They want everything NOW and don't like it when they don't or can't get it. The greed is a product of advertising, the people next door and other factors. I always find it upsetting when I see programs on TV professing to show how tough life is when, in the background, the kids are playing on the latest console in front of a massive TV with designer clothes and trainers and all with the latest mobiles. And yet the person front and centre is professing an inability to buy enough food. People want too much, have too much and get too much of the things they don't have to have instead of living within the budget enforced upon them.

I see things only getting worse especially when some put forward complicated suggestions of ways to address things which, in the long run, will only mean more hardship for those forced to live at the beck and call of the government and local councils.

If the government really wants to help (which they don't) they would start to curb the constant brain washing enacted by the media and instead spread the belief that we cannot have everything, especially when we are only supported by the system and, usually, unable to contribute. Ofc all they actually want to do is give less to a minority that needs it in the hope that the minority cannot fight back successfully.

TK

feir

thanks @Geoark i have heard of universal income. i think it's a good idea myself. by unconditionally giving people enough for the basics to survive it tells them they deserve their basic needs met no matter what, which being poor tells them the opposite of that. it also removes the stress of being forced to look for non-existent (or unsuitable) employment too :this can also have the effect of employers not being messed around also by desperate but uninterested potential employees.

Topkitten

@feir , from what I have seen and heard there have been a lot of problems with UC. People being worse off, poorly implemented, lack of training for staff and information for people, etc. There have been cases of people getting into debt through not understanding it and even some evictions because of it. Like everything else the government is doing it is aimed at saving money but is poorly thought out and not supported correctly. They NEVER learn.

TK

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feir

Topkitten said:

@feir , from what I have seen and heard there have been a lot of problems with UC. People being worse off, poorly implemented, lack of training for staff and information for people, etc. There have been cases of people getting into debt through not understanding it and even some evictions because of it. Like everything else the government is doing it is aimed at saving money but is poorly thought out and not supported correctly. They NEVER learn.

TK

hi, one of my sons was on UC and had been for over a year since it came out in this area, he was on JSA before that and before then he was doing training schemes from the age of 13 for nothing. UC is enough to live on basically but not much more i think personally, if you need money for an emergency your stuffed too.

main problem with him was that they kept sanctioning him and all you're entitled to now is loans -not hardship payments. his mental health went right down because of the stress, so much so that he ended up seeing a team and has been diagnosed with something (i forget what but it's some type of bipolar) and his team intervened in his benefit claiming process to tell them they had to stop sanctioning him and put him on ESA instead. i'm not sure if the sanctions are the main cause of his illness but they definitely made it worse.

i agree it's not supported properly. and i think there's a lack of communication between everyone involved now too.like my son has been sanctioned for things he has done because the benefits office thought he hadn't done them (and they never asked him if they had so whoever was supposed to tell them had not told them).

i don't get why they won't learn from their mistakes? if they were clever enough to put themselves into positions of power then they should be clever enough to sort out the messes they make.

Topkitten

@feir they aren't interested in whether mistakes are made or sorting them out. They are ONLY interested in reducing the costs. They don't care because they are above retribution and sanction and think that they can do as they like and not be punished for any problems or hardship they cause.

As for the idea of Karma.... it's complete rubbish. No one who has ever made my life more difficult has suffered in any way. In fact, their colleague's have always rallied round and protected them from the mistakes they made. As I don't believe in any sort of life after death the idea of retribution at that point is meaningless to me and always will be.

TK

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Topkitten

@DannyMoore most of the people who have hurt me the most I am still in contact with. I know a  lot of what has happened to them and consequently know that they have suffered much less than what they did to me.

As for your "don't do's" list. I do or have done all of them many a time. I hide nothing. I am completely open and honest. I never keep secrets except those of others. I am not the only person like this.

Tbh if everybody behaved as you suggest it would be one more nail in the coffin of living and society. I choose to believe people are better than that, even if they are not sometimes. I am sorry you suffered but, in my eyes, had you been open about it and told people maybe it would have stopped. In an honest world people cannot be dishonest without being seen and punished (if punishment is warranted). I taught all my children to stand up to bullies and fight back and to tell people it was happening. They all did and suffered very little because of it.

TK

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janice_in_wonderland

'Greed or need' 'corrupt'

Its the unpredictable sporadic accumulation of invisible illnesses that seem to be dismissed as if looking and sounding ok is proof 

Medical evidence or not there are people who are genuinely aren't strong enough to fight their battle

Many unable to go attend appointments to enable them to get the evidence they need to be taken seriously 
Neglected, possibly suffering silent slow manslaughter while they're judged 
Innocent people are paying the price for the 'need or greed' process 

janice_in_wonderland

Hurt people hurt people...catalysts are necessary 

Nystagmite

janice_in_wonderland said:

'Greed or need' 'corrupt'

Its the unpredictable sporadic accumulation of invisible illnesses that seem to be dismissed as if looking and sounding ok is proof 

I was pretty much told this at my assessment. I would love to know how one looks a) partially sighted (my eyes look "normal" - the damage is behind my eyes) and b) Autistic. 

janice_in_wonderland

Nothing surprises me re vulnerable disability claimants anymore

No idea how society functions these days - desensitised people or they never had any empathy in the first place @Nystagmite

Keep on keeping on 

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iza

So it is time to start remind the society to leave in unity back again. 

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iza

Hi @DannyMoore, you need to see Christ does exist and appear in other people  hearts. Look for good people who helps others the Christ is already there  with them. You do not need any specific appearance of new person send here in physical state. The Christ is in hearts of those who believe in GOD or  not. They been gifted to be here to help others. Believe in it. 
Believe in Angels too.