19-year old father of five turns down job offer...

[Galvatron]

Link

Dad of 5 turns down job

By PAUL THOMPSON

A JOBLESS teenager about to become a dad for the fifth time was offered a job yesterday — and turned it down.

Mike Blake, who has never done a day’s work, would not take the post in case his state handouts are cut.

The Sun told yesterday how 19-year-old Mike and his pregnant wife Kathleen, 23, rake in £1,150 a month in benefits and live rent-free in a council house.

The pair provoked outrage when they said they could not work because they were too busy looking after four kids — with No5 on the way.

But after the story appeared, a local building firm offered Mike his first ever job.

But despite claiming he was not a “scrounger” Mike, of Pontypridd, South Wales, said he needed to think about it.

He said: “I would love to work in the right job — but I have to make sure the family don’t lose.

“And it would not be right to go to work and leave the children at home with Kathleen.”

The couple’s big brood came to light after Mike appeared in court on driving offences.

They are demanding a bigger home for when their new baby arrives in October.

Kathleen said: “It’s a full-time job being with the kids. Mike has never left me alone with them.”

But family groups said the couple were exploiting the benefits system.

[BlkbrryTheGreat]

Not exactly a reliable source, but this is hardly the first case of welfare abuse..........







Oh, I hate fucking parasites.

[Galvatron]

Here's the first article.

[Keevan_Colton]

The trouble is when the Sun says the sky is blue my first instinct is to check outside the window.

Note as well, he didnt say no according to the article just that he'd have to think about it and consult his wife. Why the fuck is that a suprise? Where are the people that spent their time in other threads screaming that people in commited relationships should consult each other on important life changing decisions today?

Benifit abuse is always a problem, but the fact this is tabloid journalism means it's likely full of shit. I personally know a few folk that work in the tabloids and they freely admit to stretching the truth as far as it can go for such stories. After all, in honesty from the content of the article the title should be "19-year old father of 5 asks for time to consider job offer"

Edit: I should add, that one of the reasons I suspect this is, I do not consider the Sun above "suggesting" to a firm that they offer him a job with poor conditions and low money just to fabricate another days story.

[Master of Ossus]

Regardless of whether this story is true or not, stories like this are outrageous abuses of government hand-outs. This is why I support dramatically changing the welfare system in the US and other countries. Everyone should be able to eat something, but after someone has declared that they won't work in order to receive benefits, it's time to cut them off.

[Darth Wong]

Regardless of whether this story is true or not, stories like this are outrageous abuses of government hand-outs. This is why I support dramatically changing the welfare system in the US and other countries. Everyone should be able to eat something, but after someone has declared that they won't work in order to receive benefits, it's time to cut them off.

As an alternative to forcing single mothers into starvation, one might consider raising the minimum wage and enacting universal health care so that a menial job is actually more financially lucrative than welfare, but that of course is anathema to American politics.

[Durandal]

Regardless of whether this story is true or not, stories like this are outrageous abuses of government hand-outs. This is why I support dramatically changing the welfare system in the US and other countries. Everyone should be able to eat something, but after someone has declared that they won't work in order to receive benefits, it's time to cut them off.

As an alternative to forcing single mothers into starvation, one might consider raising the minimum wage and enacting universal health care so that a menial job is actually more financially lucrative than welfare, but that of course is anathema to American politics.

Shut up, you pinko-commie, bed-wetting Canadian.

[Darth Wong]

As an alternative to forcing single mothers into starvation, one might consider raising the minimum wage and enacting universal health care so that a menial job is actually more financially lucrative than welfare, but that of course is anathema to American politics.

Shut up, you pinko-commie, bed-wetting Canadian.

Heh heh ... the interesting thing is that by making menial work actually inferior to welfare on many levels, American conservatives succeed only in driving more people onto welfare, thus increasing the size of government and social programs. But perhaps that's too much irony for one day

[Chris OFarrell]

God what a mess.

I'm just glad Australia manages to find the balance between the extremes and has an effective saftey net that works AS a saftey net. Sure we get outliers, but thats normal in any system. But after trying for an hour to work out the US Social Securty and Medicare systems...I just gave up.

[frigidmagi]

You and the whole population of the United States. Of course none of our politicians actually care enough to try and fix it. They have a seperate fund that surprise, is in perfect working order...

[PainRack]

God what a mess.

I'm just glad Australia manages to find the balance between the extremes and has an effective saftey net that works AS a saftey net. Sure we get outliers, but thats normal in any system. But after trying for an hour to work out the US Social Securty and Medicare systems...I just gave up.

Isn't the Australian social programme extremely prone to abuse?

I'm asking mind you, not providing an opinion. I would dearly love to understand more of other nations social programmes and to see how they work

[CaptainChewbacca]

Well, if his salary would be less than the welfare, I can understand his reluctance.

My thinking is he'll end up taking the job, since he only said he would consider it and didn't refuse.

[Chris OFarrell]

Isn't the Australian social programme extremely prone to abuse?

I'm asking mind you, not providing an opinion. I would dearly love to understand more of other nations social programmes and to see how they work

It used to be somewhat.

Its been quite overhauled now. There are differing programs and payments these days. You don't just march up and ask for a handout. Generaly you have the 'Newstart' allowance I think its called, which is for people looking for work. Over the short term its more less given out. If you don't find employment within a month or two, you have to start going to classes run by the people to help you find work for a few weeks. Then you have another few months to help find work. Then back to class again.

And all the while you generaly have to show proof that you are activly looking for work and attempting to get a job in order to receive the payments.

People who are looking for more hands on work can actualy work for the secuirty payments a 'work for the dole' scheme. Its not just sweeping up leaves or anything, but you get put into jobs where you get certified industry qualifications and help in finding work.


Its not a perfect system, but its quite effective.

[Stofsk]

Isn't the Australian social programme extremely prone to abuse?

ALL systems are prone to abuse, if you know what you're doing and are prepared to take the risk. The good thing about the Australian system is that it's not the hard to get - you have to get up early for an appointment, and you have to earnestly look for work - while the payment isn't too much that it gives you no incentive to get a job. (unless... *ahem* you live at home already and have no problems with rent and landlords, and thus your money is quite a boon. *whistles innocently*)

When I was on unemployment benefits I essentially had to fill out a fortnightly form that gave contact details for 4 employers I had contacted for work. At the same time, I had to fill in 10 details for that same fortnight in a 'Jobseekers Diary' which has to be returned after a certain amount of time.

Now it's obviously easy to abuse this system, but even then you still have to 'work' at it, which is the irony. And while some people abuse it and get away with it, people like my brother try and get caught. (I went overseas in April for a month, and my fortnightly form came in the day before I was to leave. I could have filled it in, and got my dad to hand it in with the excuse "Oh, he's feeling ill etc" - but I didn't, I told them I was going to be out of the country and they cut off my payments - my brother on the other hand didn't, he decided to cheat the system, and they caught him. He now has to pay them back the money he got from them.)

[TheDarkling]

In order to get Job Seekers allowance (Politcal speak for the dole) you have to be, as the name suggests, a job seeker.

The situation in Britain is broadly similar to what Mr O'Farrell outlines for Australia.

[Natorgator]

Regardless of whether this story is true or not, stories like this are outrageous abuses of government hand-outs. This is why I support dramatically changing the welfare system in the US and other countries. Everyone should be able to eat something, but after someone has declared that they won't work in order to receive benefits, it's time to cut them off.

After the TANF reform in 1996 that Clinton signed, it is a lot different than it used to be. People hardly get shit nowadays for welfare, and they can only be on it 5 years total during their entire lifetime. In addition, since each state's program is different they have full control over it: in a budget crunch, guess what program's funding is the first to get cut?

[Sarevok]

Such an abuse of the welfare system. Every able bodies person should work for their living. Welfare should be for the vulenerable who cant work.