How would You 'fix' the welfare state/society?!?

Question

Before anyone goes of on one, I would like to point out that I work full time and pay tax. My Husband is now disabled and claims ESA and DLA!!!

If you read/watch all of the media reports, it would seem that we, the British Public, are having to work longer to receive a state pension, while at the same time there seems to be more and more people on JSA, ESA, DLA, etc etc etc.

Some who need ESA and/or DLA get turned down for it after being made to jump through hoops for it, while others get these benefits, when they don't actually need them. Of course there are also those who have never had a job and don't particularly want one!

More people seem to be resorting to squatting while houses all over the county sit empty.

Money also seems to be being poured down the drain to pay for 'worthless' reports, and schemes. And in donations to other countries. It all seems out of kilter, and not particularly fair!

So what would YOU do to re-balance things?

Answer 1

JSA should be no more than the equivalent of minimum wage for a 40 hour week.

Social housing should be a temporary measure and not a roof for life

Conviction for a criminal offence should result in a total withdrawal of benefits.

Immigrants should receive nothing until having paid into the system for 5 years.

Immigrants committing any crime should be deported on completion of sentence or on conviction.

Child allowance should be capped at 2 children per couple.

Pensions should reflect the amount the person has paid in during their working life.

Foreign aid payments should stop altogether.

The government should be forced by law to abide by pre-election promises.

Answer 2

You pose a very worthy question, one that I wish I could answer in a few sentences. However, this is impossible, as the so called higher classes and the well off have ruled the roost for far too long.

They say tax is fair, I disagree, a family on a low income still has to pay 20% vat, just the same as a family earning £10,000 per week!



The whole system is wrong, pride should be brought back to those who are able and willing to work, and help given to genuine struggling people. It seems to me, the harder the work, the less you get paid.



We need a great big shake up, to level things out.



Have many ideas, but feel the rich and powerful are too rich and powerful to care, I mean really care, about others.



Suppose this may be why some people say why should I work, when I can benefits for not working. They would like to work, but for a pittance only to boost the wealth of the rich.

Answer 3

I am one of those unfortunate people that is stuck right in the middle of this through no fault of my own.I had an accident and am now disabled so as a result can't work.



To start with i think the age of consent should be raised for sex to 21.It will help to curb the amount of teenage pregnancies we have,and will give teenagers a chance at earning some money before they fall pregnant and go on to benefits at 16-17 years old.



Introduce rules for immigrants to make sure they have paid in to the system before they are allowed to receive benefits.This might help slow immigration as a lot of immigrants only seem to come here because our benefits system is a little too easy on them.



limit the number of children per family that are entitled to child benefit.Some people have 6-7 children so not only are they receiving lots of child benefit it also costs a lot to house them in a big house.



Stop corporations using off shore accounts to avoid paying tax.



Stop getting involved in wars that do not concern us.



Tax bankers bonuses at a rate of around 60% After all a bonus really is an unearned income as they get paid a salary as well.



Tax corporations that make insane profits more.Something along the lines of anything made over £500 million pays an extra 10%.It will also level the playing field a little a help smaller businesses compete.Competition when working correctly is good for us all.It will also help the distribution of wealth a little.



Increase the tax on some luxury items like yachts,cars,mansions etc.Say anything with a value of over £500,000.This way the people who want to buy extravagant items pay a little more.They can after all afford to pay a little more if they can afford extravagant lifestyles.



Buy back the public services that were sold in the 80's.Gas,Electric etc.Then run them as a proper business would run them and make a profit.This profit would then benefit us all instead of the shareholders.EDF one of the biggest electricity suppliers is 80% owned by the french government and made over £1billion profit last year.It is therefore possible for a government to make a profit from a service despite what many people in this country think.The fact that previous governments have not been able to do this in this country should not be an excuse.They are supposed to be amongst the most educated in our country and should be capable of learning from past mistakes.



Change the way foreign aid is dealt with.Set up an aid agency with professional aid workers.Then when buying equipment for foreign aid the aid agency purchases that equipment from English companies unless it is impossible to get here.This way aid can be targeted better and we will have the added benefit of it creating jobs.The money spent on equipment would also be going through our own economy so would also benefit us then as well as those in need of the equipment.It would also mean we don't give money to foreign countries and allow them to abuse that money.

Answer 4

The donations to toher countries are so small as a part of a % as to not bother about.



The simple answer is it can't be fixed, it is a case of making the best of a bad job.



Politicians lie (actually in most cases they merely delude themselves, but in the eyes of the public it amounts to the same thing) and promise fixes, and wonderful green uplands, that don't exist.



With these problems (Communism is a similar point) I go back to the beginning, in this case what caused the problem, and basically the State started to intervene with Queen Elizabeth and the poor Laws, so what happened before that I hear the cry, well basically the Church in the form of the Monastries did the job, Government had no part.



It wasn't perfect but it worked as well as it could for the times, and in fact there was more satisfaction than now. The problem is expectation, you believe the Politicians, and they believe themselves.



It is not that all is lost, it is that the expectations you think are achievable aren't.



Most of the lack of jobs can be placed at red tape and extras you are told are your rights, Minimum wage, Paternity leave, holiday pay it all costs others at the bottom of the pile jobs, which leads to taxes to pay for the unemployed etc, which costs jobs.



Laurel and Hardy are alive and well and living in Westminster,

"That's another fine mess you got us into"

Answer 5

I read the book "Red Tory" by Philip Blonde which seeks to change the welfare state in many of the ways you have outlined. The wider points the book was naking- that long term people on benefits are made dependant with no way out, and should be given money directly to invest with how they wish- were very radical. Many of its ideas were adopted by the Tories although Blonde thinks they went too fast.



But overall Blonde has some amazing ideas about giving people the power and the money they paid tax for so they can invest it how they please to break cycles

Answer 6

Take an in intensity seem at a guy or woman's life kind from a human attitude quite than a itemizing and numbers. Generalizations on each and every guy or woman's life kind do no longer equate to equate to a choose for score. the two heavily audit each and every beneficiary to ensure that the money have become spent wisely, or require a properly-written, ordinary, impartial, and in-intensity biography to be written up on a guy or woman's way of life and allow the prevalent public to vote on regardless of if that guy or woman/relatives could desire to get carry of help. in case you go with for funds from the government, you could desire to inherently could desire to offer up freedoms so as that the government has the skill to attend to you and handle it somewhat is supplies. (of course to no longer the quantity which you would be able to no longer come again on your ft on your guy or woman)

Answer 7

This government promised to cap the amount one family could receive in benefits.They need to keep that promise. Also if you haven't payed in you shouldn't get out.This would solve the problem of benefit immigrants and also give teenage mothers food for thought

Answer 8

stop all overseas aid , stop paying for all the immigrents in the uk, deport all foriegn prisoners and block all these people comming here to get free nhs

Answer 9

true welfare state is only theoretical where rich earns for the poor

Answer 10

who said its broken? we didnt hear anything from the right about welfare for the 8 bush years, but then when Obama gets in they act like he drastically changed it...when its the exact same thing

Answer 11

Pay for it by raising taxes on the rich.

Answer 12

send bankers to afghanistan