.... and that's how it goes Nicola, in that, when you've been brought up properly, all your family have always worked, it's already instilled into you that that's what you DO in life, whereas, nowadays, the dreggs of our society who have never worked and never will, bring their own kids up in that very same vein!

I've never claimed a penny in my life, I always thought you had to work for what you got, unless of course, you are disabled/unable to work, then the state helps you, and that's how it USED to be, it was set up for the likes of this type of person, it was never intended to be abused the way it is today by SOME people!!!!

They are helping out the likes of you Nicola by increasing the earnings limit before you pay tax, to I think about £7,500 (ish), so you'll benefit from that, but then again, from the title of this very thread, maybe you should think about giving up work altogether, having a pram load of kids, get a nice house, maybe a nice new 4x4, and get everything paid for you and earn more than most of the working fraternity bring into their households when they're struggling to pay a mortgage! Our income is only just over what these scroungers get on the thread title, but I manage, it's a case of having to, I know how to be thrifty (sometimes!) and I know we've got to go it alone there's no help out there for us because we chose it this way.

I think for a lot of people the figure of £2200 really grates because lots of people with mortgages are taking home around the same amount or less and yet are managing to live, buy their own home, feed themselves and their children etc without claiming anything from the government.
My husband works long unsocialable hours and brings home a reasonable amount but is a higher rate tax payer as a result. He accepts it without much complaint and accepts he'll now be working for more years than anticipated but he was gobsmacked at just how much that family were claiming in benefits. So if they need that much to live on then we should get something back in return, work in the community in return for benefits, they're able bodied so why should they receive that kind of payment for free, give something back they might just feel better for it.

Exactly Helen. What you say is so very true indeed!

It's about time the namby pambies made them get off their erse and get a job when they are perfectly capable of working but are just to bloody lazy and expect handout after handout and think there's nothing wrong with that!

You know, sometimes I wonder if I'm better off doing as you have just said. Have several kids, don't work, get the council house (often a brand new build) all paid for me etc.....makes you wonder.

Well, let`s hope you never get sick, or old, or abandoned, eh?

I think that is just it! If you have been able to live on less than that, and still pay your bills, feed your family etc; I suspect you can't help but get annoyed that people get this amount for nothing (especially if you've managed through horrible/difficult times yourself).

It's a shame, because people who really need the benefits (made redundant, single parents through no fault of their own, genuinely sick/ill people, etc) have to jump through hoops to get the money, get stick from people who think they're sponging and feel ashamed that they aren't able to support themselves. That's not how it should be at all.

Abandoned? Who would I have to adandon me?

We all get old and hopefully I will still be working up until my retirement and will deserve my state pension when I get it, which probably will be minimal anyway!

As for getting sick, hopefully not, no! And I'd need to be really ill for me not to work at all, even PT. Even if I really couldn't work, at least I'd be a genuine claimant of benefits unlike some of the people who claim benefits.

As I've said, I have no problem with people who genuinely are unable to work at all, but there are far too many that choose to claim benefits instead of finding a job (I don't care what job!) and earning a living, there's no denying that.

If people are genuinely sick, genuinely old or genuinely abandoned I don't think anyone begrudge's people claiming benefits - that's what it's there for. It's when people use benefits as a meal ticket/excuse not to work etc that people get annoyed and rightly so!

Exactly. That's what it should be there for. NOT for those who CHOOSE to be on benefits rather than to work when they are perfectly capable of doing so.

I think we've been here before!

Yes it does ring a bell!