earning £42K a year for doing nothing?

Have any of you heard about this story?  I read it in shock.  I know benefits are necessary for some people - but £42K a year?  That's not even what some university educated people make!  Can't find a job? Maybe that's because they are watching their premium SkyTV, playing their Wii, or DS a little too much.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1266649/Theyre-family-Mercedes-drive-getting-42-000-year-benefits-Scroungers-AMANDA-PLATELL-meets-them.html

I read this story awhile back and it is amazing to me.  If one of them were to get a job (and definitely if they both worked since they would have to pay child care costs plus a carer for their disabled child), they could potentially make A LOT less than that...so where is the motivation to get off benefits and become employed in situations like these? 

It's terrible, isn't it? I've read similar articles before, where the parents have lots of children, so they manage to claim tons in benefits, live in big houses and buy all the latest technology.

I read this story awhile back and it is amazing to me.  If one of them were to get a job (and definitely if they both worked since they would have to pay child care costs plus a carer for their disabled child), they could potentially make A LOT less than that...so where is the motivation to get off benefits and become employed in situations like these? 

Exactly! In one particular article I read in a magazine, the husband was asked why he didn't go out to work instead of living off benefits. His answer was essentially: Why bother? A job won't pay as much as we get in benefits. 

grrrrrrr

Sure its "law" and you are "entitled" but geez there has to be a limit on welfare benefits. You cant get MORE just because you keep having kids...

Ohh this is a hot spot for me

... and she says 'who doesn't have sky?' Ummm, I dont! Its too expensive! We've got a freeview box that records.

I see both sides of this and I think its the governments fault for providing the family with such a lucrative income from the benefits systems. I mean, they're not stupid... to go back to work for LESS money than they're getting at the moment would just be daft... 

While I understand the difficulty and cost of taking care of a disabled family member, the government should set some kind of limit - £42K is quite a substantial amount of money. Give individuals some kind of cap on benefits independent on the number of kids you have.  That would encourage people to better manage their family and finances.

Seems like they are trying to keep up with the Jones so to speak - no hand me down's for the children, Wii, DS, SkyTV.  It's teaching their children the wrong thing.  

Change in government or policy could leave them SOL one day. With articles like this becoming more prevalent, the time could be sooner than they think.  That huge UK deficit could be on its way to being resolved quicker if they would cut off or decreased ££'s to people like this.  Money is going to run out someday with people like this having babies left and right.

It seems like now they're just having more kids to ensure that they keep getting benefits over the coming years.

There was a story here last year about a guy who was laid off and started collecting benefits. It worked out that due to not needing to pay for commuting costs and childcare, he was actually making more money on benefits than he was when he was working. At that point he had no plans on getting a job and I can't say I blame him! It's the government's fault, not his, so why shouldn't he take advantage of it!? 

What I can't get my head around is that the father quit his job voluntarily because it was more lucrative to live off benefits.    

I'm not touching the rest of it with a 10 foot pole.   

It is such an issue.  

It is not the child's fault that their parents are irresponsible, but then how do you punish the parent and not the child?  

But it is not fair either.  

There are no easy solutions.  

However, if their son has the recessive form of the disease then they have a 25% chance of passing the disease along and a 50% that their child will be a carrier.  From the article it sounds as if he has an serious case of the disease and it disgusts me that they would continue to put their children at risk.

It is the same disease that affected the young man in The Boy whose Skin Fell Off and the suffering is just horrible. 

How about the fact that despite getting £42K/yr in benefits, they filed bankruptcy to get their £20K worth of catalog shopping debt cleared?  "It's every mother's right to buy their kids nice things."  This woman is hung up on her 'rights' ("No one can stop me having children...it's my right").  I like the part where the writer says "Rights without responsibility, it seems".

While I can understand why they wouldn't bother looking for alternatives to living on benefits when the benefits pay more, I really am disgusted that they want more kids. That poor boy's condition sounds horrific, and it's genetic (and the unborn baby has it, too). Don't be self-centered enough to have another person risk being born with the condition as well. You have 7 kids, that should be enough (and if it's not, fork over some money and adopt more children).

The rest of the article? Bleh.

He claims that he can't get a job because he doesn't speak Welsh.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/04/18/family-s-815-a-week-in-state-handouts-91466-26265107/

I am disgusted that this is where my tax money goes. I know that right now it is difficult to find a fulll time job. But if this guy had any kind of work ethic he would take a few part time jobs. I do...I don't ever want to be on benefits..I want to make my own way. And not everyone has sky..I have basic freeview and my life is fine..I hate that she says she is Entitled..and although I feel sorry for her son them both saying they are full time carers are bs. I know someone here where I live that uses his handicapped daughter to get benefits...they get a car every 3 years..they had thier kitchen completley refitted..and they get lots of money that he doesn't really spend on the daughter..it is disgusting..and no one monitors these people..where is the council to monitor these people living on 42K a year? I think if you are able to work you should have to look or at least attempt to try and find employment...these people are making people who geniunely need to be on benefits look bad..I still don't understand the government and the benefits scheme here..and these people make me sick...

There's a family like this on our street. Yep, they are the ones with the massive semi-detached house on the corner with the big garden that is filled with nice trampolines and playsets and bikes and toys for their 5 children. Neither of them work. You can see all their nice furniture and big screen tv mounted to the wall when you pass their window. It sucks that even though DH and I both work, we live in a terraced house half the size of theirs with a tiny concrete patio instead of a big huge garden and don't have a big flatscreen tv or a nice car (they have a nice, new SUV).

I do agree with the others who said that it really isn't their fault, though. If the government didn't make it so lucrative for people to go on benefits then maybe more people would get out and work to afford that lifestyle. If the benefits are there for the taking, can we still really blame these people?

It seems like now they're just having more kids to ensure that they keep getting benefits over the coming years.

I think this is true.