How sad is this Labour Government

[rodgerd]

Has anybody figured out how many people earning wages it takes to support some leech who doesn't want to work 'as a lifestyle choice'? :spudwhat:

I don't know. What does working in the police force pay again?

[rodgerd]

A single adult on the unemployment benefit gets $164.16 a week.

If we make a hand-waving guess that, say, 20% of the tax take is spent on welfare, then you could arguably say that after all other public service costs are covered from income tax, it takes, on average, 5 people working to pay for one adult on the dole.

Unemployment is, of course, one of the smallest social welfare costs. It's the giant pork barrel of national super that hoovers down most of our money - last I looked, more than the DPB and dole combined.

At what's worse is that, eg, Bob Jones can claim just as much our of it as Joe Average.

[rodgerd]

Jeepers.
The equivalent of a $58,000 salary in his pocket, just to stay home with the wife and kids?

You, of course, won't be first in line to complain if he goes back to work and the kids grow up neglected, and run wild, will you?

[rodgerd]

Lucky I havnt purchased a house yet or I would have lost everything - the buggers at winz even checked my bank balance to ensure I didnt have any savings stashed away somewhere.

I should fucking well hope they did. They shouldn't be ladelling out benefits to people by taking their word for it they need them.

The simple rule - if you want to get ahead in life - dont live in new zealand. You'd have the same quality of life living on a pacific island somwhere. Great for retired people but rubbish for us professionals.

So why are you here? Or are you like all those bullshit artists who reckon being a teacher is the biggest, best-paid, laziest rort in all creation, but seem strangely uninterested in putting their money where their mouth is.

[jrandom]

Unemployment is, of course, one of the smallest social welfare costs. It's the giant pork barrel of national super that hoovers down most of our money - last I looked, more than the DPB and dole combined.

Maybe. Quote real numbers if you want to make those points; they should be available. I've grown wary of debating bits and pieces along these lines without actual data.

[jrandom]

You, of course, won't be first in line to complain if he goes back to work and the kids grow up neglected, and run wild, will you?

In this case, if he goes back to work, the kids will still have a full-time stay-at-home mum.

Of course, with both of their parents at home right now, they'll turn out to be twice as worthy as, say, *my* kids. Who only have one full-time at-home parent. So perhaps that $58,000-equivalent is money well spent by the taxpayer, after all.

Oh, I almost forgot. Their mum's Depressed, and therefore non compos mentis; heaven forbid I should commit the cardinal sin of implying that a Depressed Person should snap the hell out of it.

[jrandom]

I don't know. What does working in the police force pay again?

Nyuk nyuk.

Look, if you restrict yourself to non-obvious trolls, we'll get a better discussion going. So keep it in check, mmmkay?

[scumdog]

You, of course, won't be first in line to complain if he goes back to work and the kids grow up neglected, and run wild, will you?

WTF? Like my kids grew up neglected and running wild 'cos both their parents worked which according to your theory means they should be twice as neglected and twice as wild?


Poor attempt at troll: 2 out of 10

[The Pastor]

Cut income tax and the dole, The dole should be barly enough to live off as to encourgage work. Down with income tax and down with dole.

[scumdog]

I don't know. What does working in the police force pay again?

Not anywhere near as much as the guy pulling $58,000 out of the tax-payers pocket and showing nil return of effort for the money

[jrandom]

Like my kids grew up neglected and running wild 'cos both their parents worked...?

No, dawg, that was just their awful genes coming through.

[jrandom]

Cut income tax and the dole, The dole should be barly enough to live off as to encourgage work. Down with income tax and down with dole.

Always first up with the subtle and insightful new ideas, eh?

[rodgerd]

Nyuk nyuk.

Look, if you restrict yourself to non-obvious trolls, we'll get a better discussion going. So keep it in check, mmmkay?

It was toooooo hard to resist, you know?

(But seriously, it is funny to hear government employees slagging off government spending, even if I do likely get better value fo my tax dollar spent on a cop than on a benefit.)

[rodgerd]

Cut income tax and the dole, The dole should be barly enough to live off as to encourgage work. Down with income tax and down with dole.

Oooh, yeah, that high-on-the-hog living on $160/wk (pre tax...).

[Warren]

There is a lot of information below about the Governments revenue and expences.

http://www.treasury.govt.nz/budget2004/taxpayers/