I’m in the UK and live in Supported living with 3 other people who all have various disabilities. We are supposed by a team off around 14 staff who do shifts so it’s a 24/7 property. We are all quite able. I fortunately get benefits including housing costs so after my rent and utilities/food are paid I’m left with a monthly disposable income off around £800. I know that is a lot and I feel bad because the staff here working 36 hours a week will only have a take home pay of £1100 a month and they still have to pay, rent and all their outgoings so end of the month they aren’t left with much afterwards. I think some staff are gossiping behind our backs saying how unfair it is and we don’t deserve the money. it makes me feel really bad and paranoid, I’m not claiming anything I’m not supposed too. I can feel a atmosphere in the property.
I’m sorry you have to live with the gossip. You are being honest and are receiving the benefits you are entitled to. If the staff there don’t feel they are making enough they are more than welcome to go elsewhere and find a higher paying job. It’s not your fault you’re sick, it’s not your fault they picked the job they did. Try not to feel bad and paranoid, life’s too short for that.
Many of these people are taking the only jobs they can find now. It’s not a sustainable system when those who aren’t working are getting paid so much more than those who do.
I bring home as much money not working as I would if I was working and paying all the taxes and insurance and ss and medi-care and the rest of the crap. It would not benefit us financially for me to work. So when I think of going back to work I just think about how it will affect me mentally and physically. I think am I capable of doing this and at what cost to me mentally in the long run. So far I haven’t been able to clearly think it through so I figure I’m not ready yet.
Then the answer is not to punish the disabled by reducing their income,but to pay those in work a decent wage.
In most cases those in work are getting more money. If there is enough difference in income between those working and those not working is another matter.
A large part of that would be charging residents of the homes more. That wage has to come from somewhere.
Edit: Here’s a look at the situation in Great Britain:
Thus punishing the disabled who are on low incomes anyway. Of course the alternative is to make sure excessive profits are not being made at the expense of the workers.
My experience has been that “excessive” profits are mostly an urban legend, except for mega corporations like Apple, Google, and Facebook that would have been broken up by government regulators if they hadn’t bought them off.
You’re very much a right of centre ,ultra pro capitalist we’'ll have to disagree on it being an ‘urban legend’ .
Ultra pro capitalist who supports public education and who has volunteered over 700 hours of his time and over $5000 of his own money so far this year at his local public school. I’ve also raised over $23,000 in the past two years to help the school buy computers for disadvantaged students to use.
Never let the facts get in the way of your narrative.
You seem to be very much against the disabled having a reasonable amount to live on. It appears you support excessive profit over the disabled being treated well . You would rather the disabled pay more ,than companies/owners earn less profit in order to pay their workers a decent wage.
You guys are feeling feisty this morning!
@firemonkey I have the feeling that @shutterbug 's financial situation is very very good.
We’re middle class. It helps that both my wife and I work full-time. I also have a part-time media business.
I just don’t like this anti social belief that wanton profit should come before the needs/welfare of the disabled and vulnerable.
I don’t disagree that those in work should be paid more than those not in work but it should not, if we claim to be a civilised society, be achieved by reducing the income of the disabled/vulnerable.
Oh, I understand!
Just saying,
Its a pretty fiery post for a lazy Sunday!
The profit that businesses make is what the owners live on. For the most part they are pretty good about investing the excess back in to grow the business. Those who view profit as “bad” generally understand nothing about business and have no experience running one.
The disabled should have their needs met with a bit extra (like I did when I was first on assistance). When you are able to bank over 800 pounds extra a month, something is fishy in terms of the math. It should also be a goal of ALL disabled to earn what they can, when they can. All members of society have a responsibility to contribute wherever possible to the betterment of the community they live in.
If these views make me evil, oh well.
@shutterbug I think that there is a lot of bitterness in society about the financial side of life and it is fully justified.
I strongly support a situation where EVERYONE, including people who can’t or don’t want
to work or start business or something like that, everyone feels financially comfortable and can afford everything they need.
It will allow a much better society for all,
and if all are comfortable and have everything they need there would be no bitterness.
I would like to see SZs enjoying financial success. Poverty sucks. We just need realistic government policies. Governments spending more than they make never ends well. Look at Venezuela right now. People are rioting over toilet paper.