Pay low quality people not to have kids

[liamfoley]

Benefits need to be reviewed. That may be a better route than incentives like this. Giving people to have children who are condemned to poverty and social depravation or giving them money not to have children is too much state intervention. There must be a genuine discussion on the minimum people should be due and how they can be helped live a life beyond that.

[Cato]

I'd love to know how you do that. I'm the single earner in the house with one child and we are struggling. Packed lunch everyday and haven’t been to the pub since the 16th of March and before that it Christmas (Both times with 40 euro in my pocket, staying out of rounds and sharing a taxi home). We cancelled the internet, recycle vigorously, sold the dishwasher and shop only in Lidl, cooking in batches and freezing for later consumption. We have an eleven yr old car that is paid for, free on street parking (for now) and have the heating timed as efficiently as possible for hot water in the evening. Haven't seen the inside of a restaurant in over a yr and buy only the essentials. We have no credit cards and are not paying off any loans and are barely managing.

By doing all of the above and more to trim costs. Not having any loans other than our mortgage also helps, as does two cars with low running costs.

I think he was being sarcastic

No I'm deadly serious. The wine we buy is cheap and not great and certainly when I'm earning again we will buy better, but I could not get by without my farmhouse cheeses!

[escoline]

There is room for a cut without too much hardship. We are managing to save a little every week and I still get my cheese from Sheridan's and we have more than a couple of bottles of wine every week and I get to the pub every week. As I said life is not uncomfortable on the dole.

Its nice to know that you can maintain the lifestyle that you were used to.

[Cato]

Its nice to know that you can maintain the lifestyle that you were used to.

Believe me I was used to a much better lifestyle, but one must cut one's cloth to measure.

[Gimpanzee]

Packed lunch
shop only in Lidl,
cooking in batches and freezing for later consumption.
We have an eleven yr old car that is paid for
have the heating timed as efficiently as possible
no credit card debts

Kevin - that's not struggling, that's just deciding not to piss away cash. Pretty much everything there makes sense regardless what your circumstances are.

[Thranduil]

Benefits need to be reviewed. That may be a better route than incentives like this. Giving people to have children who are condemned to poverty and social depravation or giving them money not to have children is too much state intervention. There must be a genuine discussion on the minimum people should be due and how they can be helped live a life beyond that.

Why should Texas care about our social welfare setup?

In the US democracy the politicians serve on behalf of the top 1%... Hardly a model to emulate, combined with corporate welfare and warfare it's especially obscene to see so many tens of millions there on food stamps and the prisons are basically slave plantations with people often jailed for almost nothing slaving away there for multinationals for as little as 25p an hour, for shame... A total ignoring of the greater mass of the people's basic needs is American principle since the days when they really did have slave plantations.

[liamfoley]

Why should Texas care about our social welfare setup?

In the US democracy the politicians serve on behalf of the top 1%... Hardly a model to emulate, combined with corporate welfare and warfare it's especially obscene to see so many tens of millions there on food stamps and the prisons are basically slave plantations with people often jailed for almost nothing slaving away there for multinationals for as little as 25p an hour, for shame... A total ignoring of the greater mass of the people's basic needs is American principle since the days when they really did have slave plantations.

Way off topic, but as someone who has paid tax in Ireland as well as the USA I think I am entitled to comment on both. As for your post, go over to one of the discussions on the USA and I would be delighted to school you on those matters.