Quote:
Originally Posted by Eric
And yet, there is an argument to be made that it is not benefits that are too high, but wages that are too low. Or, that too many of the well-paid industrial jobs have been exported ... or full time jobs with benefits have been turned into part time jobs. A common tactic of corporations. It doesn't make any economic sense. In a consumer economy, cosumers have to consume ... sorry for being a tad tautological  ; and in order to consume, they need money. If you take away most of the well-paid jobs, you have to make credit easier. This is how we got the NINJA loans in the states ... the ones that were a leading cause of the last recession. Or you have to pay large for benefits.
The growing inequality of incomes is what is at the root of riots and protests all over the world. CNN and Hilary Clinton would love us to believe that Egypt rose in revolution because they wanted freedom ... bs, they had enough of seeing Mubarak and his cronies stashing away billions, while many of the ordinary people could hardly make ends meet. Govenrments like the one in the UK will continue to give out billions in benefits in order to keep the poor quiet. There's no more Colosseum ... but there are 60" flat screens ... and cheap booze. |
Whether benefits are too generous, or wages too low, is an irrelevance.
What we've seen happen over recent years is a broken, flawed system
The welfare state was a ground breaking concept.
It was created to help those, who through no fault of their own, were in genuine need.
To be able to chose to live on benefits, because it's better paid than working for a living, is wrong, and it was wrong for successive governments to allow this to happen.
I'm with Marg P, on what constitutes the definition of poverty.
To me that's not having enough food to give your children, no money to heat your home, and not having enough money to see a doctor, and buy medicine.
In my opinion you don't live in poverty if you have a house full of the latest 'must have' gadgets, many working families would struggle to afford to buy.
Why work when I can get £42,000 in benefits a year AND drive a Mercedes?