Mum’s on the benefit...
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Topic: Mum’s on the benefit...
Posted By: astral_monkey
Subject: Mum’s on the benefit...
Date Posted: 23 February 2011 at 3:00pm
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708125&ref=twitter - http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10708125&ref=twitter
Everyone is different, and I know not all of those on the benefit will have the same attitude as the woman in this article. I'm just really quite angry that this woman sees no issue with living off other peoples tax dollars, simply to suit her lifestyle and choices. I have always been taught that the benefit is not a choice, it's a last resort. It would be great if we could all stay at home with our kids, but the reality is that many mums have to go back to work. Their kids don't get any less love, or structure, because of that. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  |
Replies:
Posted By: astral_monkey
Date Posted: 23 February 2011 at 3:04pm
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"Ms Houltham said she was forced to dip into her savings to provide nappies, food and educational toys for her daughter."
- Forced to use her OWN money to raise her child, *gasp*. "Ms Houltham said she knew only too well from her work as a truancy officer the effect absent parents could have on a child's development." - Since when did a working parent become an absent parent? ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 23 February 2011 at 4:42pm
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Hmm, I'm a benefit mum (student allowance and hardship) but gee... I had over $7000 worth of savings and have nothing really to show because ... Having a baby is darn expensive! I used as much of my own money as I could before I decided to go on the benefit. I get the whole wanting to stay home thing but to me, I am doing everything I can to get OFF the benefit because imo it is for a last resort not a lifestyle choice. I am studying so that when I do/can work I am able to get a good paying job. But I worked hard to save that money and payed my taxes. (Not saying she didn't.)
I agree with the absent parenting but that is more parents simply not really parenting at all/caring about their kids rather than working! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: _SMS_
Date Posted: 23 February 2011 at 6:05pm
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This is a touchy subject for me lol. Not that i will share my feelings on here.
Im not at all against single parents who need it. Its all the other people who dont need it and are ripping off the system that really make me 
There are alot of people who dont need it and abuse the benefit system which makes it hard on the people who do need it and cant get it or dont get much. -------------  
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Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 24 February 2011 at 8:56am
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I went and signed up for DPB yesterday and honestly i feel like scum for doing it. I have a job, i'm on maternity leave, but due to my physical job and a few pregnancy concerns i started my paid leave at 29 weeks so am due back to work on March 03 - my son will be 4 weeks old. I live at Mt Cook where there is NO child care, and i am a single parent. Its not possible for me to return...yet. But i DO intend to be part time by the time he is 4months and full time by the time he is 6 months. So its a temporary fix for me and i've been working and paying taxes for years now but still feel like i'm ripping everyone else off.
Ideally i would love to be a stay at home mom, i don't want to miss out on anything but that 'luxury' IMHO is for people who can do it without benefits. I'm not sure that everyone else should pay for my relationship breakdown (since, if it had survived he would work and i would SAH). There was a similar article in the press on the weekend about people struggling to survive on unemployment that gave as an example a man who had to pay rent, loan repayments, bills and then after he'd brought $40 of smokes and $60 of beer he only had $20 to buy food. Right, so don't buy the beer and smokes? I get addiction (as an ex smoker) but surely if its so hard to survive on that $20 a week then give them up? |
Posted By: Hopes
Date Posted: 24 February 2011 at 12:49pm
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Amen, Bowie. Except for the part about you feeling guilty. In my opinion, the benefit is there for people like you - decent, hard-working people who happen to be having a baby without the support of a partner. I'm more than happy for my taxes to go to people in your situation.
On the other hand, I read this article and felt the same way as the posters so far. In my mind, it's not fair to ask a Mum to leave a new-born and go to work to support herself; those of us who have another source of income can help out there. And there might be cases where the kid is three years old and there's a really good reason for Mum not to go out to work. But there's also a point where you have to man up (woman up?) and help yourself as well. Loved your comment, Astral_Monkey "Forced to use her OWN money to raise her child, *gasp*"   -------------   
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Posted By: astral_monkey
Date Posted: 24 February 2011 at 2:32pm
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Thanks guys, I had to rewrite my post a bunch of times because I was afraid people would take me the wrong way.
The benefit is there for a reason, it's the people that take advantage of it that really piss me off. Particularly as there would be more $'s to help those who really need it if there weren't so many pure bludgers out there. Bowie, I feel for you. It can't be easy being in the situation your in. Please don't feel guilty, just concentrate on taking care of you, and your wee one. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 24 February 2011 at 10:54pm
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I think the media has put a negative spin on it. Being forced to dip into her savings is a sad choice of words but it wasn't quoted from her. She may have just been trying to make a point that the benefit is not just the easy road?
But I do agree that she should be able to make the choice to stay at home with her kid until that kid is 5 years old. While a lot of 3 year olds are happy to go to daycare/kindy, many are not ready yet and that would only serve to set them back in years. -------------  |
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 25 February 2011 at 1:21pm
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Good point busy mum. My mum had to return to work as a single mum to survive as DPB wasn't enough BUT at 3 I wasn't ready for kindy but was lucky to have a close relative who I had been around a lot that was able to look after me. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: lil_lease
Date Posted: 25 February 2011 at 2:01pm
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I was under the impression that you had to have little to no savings to be able to get ANY benefit. ------------- Antony, gone but never forgotten 2-4-2010 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 25 February 2011 at 2:08pm
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If you have substantial savings then they put you on a stand down period so say you get made redundant - I think they divide your money up to how many weeks of Benefit pay it would be and that's how long you have to wait until first payment or something. Remember my mum looking into it last year when she got made redundant. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: lil_lease
Date Posted: 25 February 2011 at 2:22pm
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Well that makes sense. ------------- Antony, gone but never forgotten 2-4-2010
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