The Daily Mail Should Be Ashamed Of This

 

At least the Guardian agrees that this is terrible reporting with this article.

Don't get mad about the Mail's use of the Philpotts to tarnish the poor – get even



If we were to use such broad strokes in our condemnation of others, then ALL politicians are thieves and Paedophiles. OK I'll admit that the second part may not be true.

Since there is a concerted media campaign to label benefit claimants as scroungers, it seems worth the effort to examine exactly why so many people are forced (or choose) to sign on. Remember it's not just the unemployed who claim benefit, but also those who are in low paid or part time work.

Here is an excerpt from Greg Palast's "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy"

In 1998, he was hired by the Observer to find out what goes on inside "Corporate America".

I think his findings accurately display the relationship between corporatism and government.

 

$ CHAPTER 5 $  

  INSIDE CORPORATE AMERICA

"Wal-Mart invented the disposable workforce. About a third of the workers are temporary and hours expand, shift, contract at whim.

The workforce turns over like the shoe inventory, so few ever collect full pensions or profit shares.

But Wal-Mart does provide free meals-sort of. Most workers' salaries are near or below the official U.S. poverty line, so those without second jobs qualify for government food stamps. With 1.3 million workers, Wal-Mart has the nation's largest payroll, if you call that pay. Taking over the care and feeding of the WalMartyred workforce is a huge government welfare program. It could have been worse, but the courts rejected Walton's plea for exemption from the U.S. minimum wage"

 

What's the difference here, today?

 

Maybe I'm naive but if everyone was playing the game, technological advances such as the industrial revolution or the digital age, could have, (should have) made it possible for us all to do the minimum of work while still enjoying a relatively comfortable lifestyle.

 

I have more to say on this but not feeling 100% so I will go off to bed.

 

Bedroom Tax in Chaos?

According to saturday's Mirror, the Bedroom Tax is in trouble.

A judge had ordered that two severely disabled children should not have to sleep in the same room. The same is true if one of the children requires through the night care. It might transpire that many families with disabled children may be eligible for FULL housing benefit and council tax benefit, including the repayment of any arrears.
Families with children who may fall into this category, will have to present their case to the local authority, who at this point in time, have no idea of how to make the assessments needed.

This system, which has cost millions to implement, is showing signs of being unworkable.

The new Universal Tax Credit system is the same. It may prove an expensive mistake, in that the cost of implementation, including social costs, may exceed the savings made.

The system appears to be "Hamstrung" by political correctness. It all comes down to who is deemed to have the greater right.
In the case of the Bedroom Tax. The disabled children were considered to have more rights to a decent nights sleep, than the government's rights to deprive them of benefit.

Every one has rights, some more than others, but what of the right to be right? As Phillip E Johnson points out, that's when we hear the grand, Sez who?"

Red Nose Day: The Caring face of Communitarianism

I can't take Red Nose Day seriously any more. Here is why.

In relation to projects in Britain, people are giving money to help socially disadvantaged individuals who should be supported through the taxation system. instead of out tax pennies going into the bottomless pit of failed bank's balance sheets.
The gradual removal of the welfare system causes more domestic hardship, particularly those who are seriously ill, having benefits stopped by ATOS, than can ever be cured by buying red noses. And we are meant to feel guilty that we should be helping  more, when in reality, our government is "rolling us over".

The other side of Red Nose Day which deals with the plight of people in the "Third world", really hits the "guilt button" because was are mostly sitting in comfortable houses watching extreme poverty on flat screen TVs while we enjoy tea and biscuits.

As individuals, we are not responsible for the plight of the starving nations.
Collectively, we have a responsibility, but when our government decides to spend the aid budget on "peacekeeping", IE tanks and soldiers, I get the impression that those who really need the help, are unlikely to get it.

The ones who are able to fix this mess, are the ones who caused it. Criminals from the worlds of business and government. I say criminals because they lie and cheat, they steal, and even kill, by their actions.

The way I see it, this farce is one of the caring faces of Communitarianism,  Big Society, Political Correctness, Transformational Marxism, Common Purpose. or whatever you wish to call it.