Nats to "crack down on people on benefits"

[Lilith7]

Their second favourite  scapegoat group after criminals - it was only a matter of time until they did something along these lines but I did think perhaps they'd have the decency to wait until after the election. 
But no, poor bashing is apparently far too useful in gaining votes from the ill informed so they just couldn't wait until they're in power before showing their hand.
I'd say shame on them  but its very clear they're lacking any vestige of conscience.

It seems incredibly short sighted to stop raising benefits in line with the cost of living/wage inflation; they must be well aware of the consequences of this but are clearly not bothered by that.



https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...n-benefits

"The National Party has confirmed its welfare policy, including a change Labour says will see "thousands" of children fall below the poverty line.

National Party social development spokesperson Louise Upston told The Post in an interview from August that the party would stop raising unemployment benefits in line with the higher of either wage inflation or the cost of living. Labour social development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni told Stuff that proposal would see “thousands” of children sink below the poverty line.

The Children's Commission said indexing benefits to wage growth had been “the single biggest step to stop children remaining in poverty”.

National's plan to move back to increasing benefits only in line with inflation was confirmed during this morning, during its welfare policy announcement at a West Auckland strawberry farm.

The party also said it would introduce a "traffic light" system for benefit sanctions, with an "orange" warning for beneficiaries when they've breached one or two work ready obligations, before cutting benefits at the red setting.

Other promises included requiring those on jobseeker support to reapply for the benefit every six months, and imposing a one-month benefit stand-down for people who are evading arrest warrants."

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Not cracking down on white collar criminals, or tax evaders I note...

[Kenj]

Quite so... Although, I used to employ about 40 casual labourers each year for a company I was with in the '80s. A lot were sent by WINZ, or its equivalent in those days and were clutching a bit of paper they wanted signed. When I said maybe I could find a job for them, a lot just scuttled out the door rapidly, sans a signature from me. They needed to get so many companies to sign saying "No work". I forget how many they needed?

Right and wrong in everything, isn't there?

[Oh_hunnihunni]

If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

[Olive]

As an extra bit of harshness National plans to make Jobseekers reapply for the benefit six monthly instead or the present 12 monthly system.  This will double the "back room" requirements in the applications processing sector of WINZ just as their numbers are being cut as part of an earlier election threat by National to significantly reduce numbers of non-frontline civil servants.

[Praktica]

If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and  in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

So - National will be training the revolution's shock troops...

[Oh_hunnihunni]

It takes a lot of years to break a person this way. Look at the age of our current crop of ram raiders and look back to their life experiences.

I am utterly convinced education is the key to most of society's problems, including this one. To snap an intergenerational cycle we need to start educating the parents of tomorrow, before they bring their children into that endless cycle.
That means investing in alleviating poverty, providing good safe homes, raising the standard of living for everyone, and providing access to education for everyone without any barriers of any kind.

Not punishing people already damaged by old ways.

[Kenj]

It takes a lot of years to break a person this way. Look at the age of our current crop of ram raiders and look back to their life experiences.

I am utterly convinced education is the key to most of society's problems, including this one. To snap an intergenerational cycle we need to start educating the parents of tomorrow, before they bring their children into that endless cycle.
That means investing in alleviating poverty, providing good safe homes, raising the standard of living for everyone, and providing access to education for everyone without any barriers of any kind.

Not punishing people already damaged by old ways.

I agree with you about education, It's going to take a long time though. Some of the girls I carried in the school van did really well. They had babies and they all of a sudden realised the responsibility they had. Some had parents who didn't care, and generally they dropped out. Then, some had parents who would push them to be ready on time. Mostly they did well. Then as an example one of the girls mothers said to me, "do you have to come so early (8.15ish) after all, she's only 15"  I got a growling in a gentle way from my boss when she had had a complaint call from the girls mother. Won't tell you what I said   Sadly that girl didn't do well. Some of them during my 11 years got degrees in law, nursing, business management and lot got good solid jobs. Very satisfying!

[Lilith7]

Not cracking down on white collar criminals, or tax evaders I note...

Don't talk so daft - they vote National...

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If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and  in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

It does & at some point in the future, unless real change is made to a fairer system there will almost certainly be a channel for that anger, possiby even revolution.

The grapes of wrath should be required reading for every politician, once a year lest they forget.

---

It takes a lot of years to break a person this way. Look at the age of our current crop of ram raiders and look back to their life experiences.

I am utterly convinced education is the key to most of society's problems, including this one. To snap an intergenerational cycle we need to start educating the parents of tomorrow, before they bring their children into that endless cycle.
That means investing in alleviating poverty, providing good safe homes, raising the standard of living for everyone, and providing access to education for everyone without any barriers of any kind.

Not punishing people already damaged by old ways.

Absolutely agree - imagine the difference we'd likely see if every person in the world had free access to education over their entire life time.

Dogs are right - human are nuts.

[jim157]

If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and  in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

so the taxpayer should carry them for the rest of their lives along with feeding their children at school is that what you want?

[Olive]

If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and  in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

so the taxpayer should carry them for the rest of their lives along with feeding their children at school is that what you want?

I am a long term tax payer, pakeha and as such a recipient of the benefits of colonisation.  I am willing to carry financially the citizens of our country who are struggling with the intergenerational damage caused by my English antecedents' land grabs and suppression of indigenous culture, and also the citizens who have mental and physical health challenges which make their working lives precarious.   

Would you prefer that children starve?

[Oh_hunnihunni]

If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and  in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

so the taxpayer should carry them for the rest of their lives along with feeding their children at school is that what you want?

They are human beings.

Like you.

I'd feed you if you were hungry.

[Zurdo]

so the taxpayer should carry them for the rest of their lives along with feeding their children at school is that what you want?

Yes, that is what I want. I also want them to pay my pension, same as I paid the pension for those who came before me.

[harm_less]

If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and  in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

so the taxpayer should carry them for the rest of their lives along with feeding their children at school is that what you want?

We "carry" the cost of a few school lunches by way of auto payments each month to Kids Can. There are far too many entitled people who feel it an imposition to help others not so well off who are probably also prone to complaining when those stricken by poverty resort to crime as a result. Cause and effect seems like a foreign concept to many whose life comes easily to them.

[C_T_Russell]

It's not just the Nats with this policy, NZF and ACT both have similar policies.

[harm_less]

It's not just the Nats with this policy, NZF and ACT both have similar policies.

Most people are all too aware of that coalition of the greedy and selfish.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

It does seem just a little ridiculous seeing the economy they promote relies on high unemployment to keep wages low and a ready supply of minions, punishing those minions seems punitive.

But maybe they like a little slave whipping.

[Lilith7]

If someone has been under educated, raised in generational poverty both financial and  in other ways, they have limited hopes and dreams. They know their opportunities are limited, and see no reason to fight a system that agrees with them, so they play the game and do their own thing. Which can be very destructive.
Punishing them only beds that attitude in further. And generates real anger...

so the taxpayer should carry them for the rest of their lives along with feeding their children at school is that what you want?

Ah - so don't mind stepping over starving people in the street then - you may want to be a bit careful though, apparently the dead ones have an annoying tendency to stick to the feet, & could absolutely ruin those ever so expensive shoes...    

You know what? If there are hungry kids then what you do is  feed them; you don't muck about enquiring into whether or not their parents are going hungry themselves, or whether they're shiftless, or vote left or whatever your pathetic objection might be. You feed those kids.

And if you really want to look at this issue solely in terms of cost then consider the cost of helping people survive by supporting them as opposed to the cost of a rising crime & mental health rate, & cost of imprisoning people for years.

[Praktica]

The whippings will continue until the complaining stops...

[jim157]

so the taxpayer should carry them for the rest of their lives along with feeding their children at school is that what you want?

I am a long term tax payer, pakeha and as such a recipient of the benefits of colonisation.  I am willing to carry financially the citizens of our country who are struggling with the intergenerational damage caused by my English antecedents' land grabs and suppression of indigenous culture, and also the citizens who have mental and physical health challenges which make their working lives precarious.   

Would you prefer that children starve?

intergenerational damage, what a joke, no maori alive today would exist if not for colonisation, as for land grabs they did a fair bit of that pre whitey