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> A disabled lady thought saving some of her disability was the responsible thing to do, despite further impoverishing herself ??? So if I earn £100k/year, an

> A disabled lady thought saving some of her disability was the responsible thing to do, despite further impoverishing herself ??? So if I earn £100k/year, and I choose to save all of my income then I am impoverishing myself. Do you understand what saving is? The UK has this terrible habit, like the US, where people are infinitely jealous of other people. Any benefit that someone else is getting, I want it. You get tax credits, I want them too (even though I am making £50k/year). The result of this situation was/is a "welfare" state that primarily gives money to those who don't need help. Yes, if you have £18k in savings...you don't need help. Do you understand what being poor is? You are not poor if you have £18k in savings. In the pandemic, it was utterly appalling to see middle-class people who earn substantial amounts of money complain about not being able to claim benefits. How greedy can you possibly get? And then the Tories bring out a huge wage subsidy scheme that lavishes support on the middle-class support, not five or so years after they tried to squeeze £100/week out of people dying of cancer or who literally cannot work to feed themselves. £4000/month to a middle-class person on hard times...no problem. £70/week to someone dying of cancer or someone is homeless...what a scrounger, unbelievable scrounging, greed. I am British but Britain is a truly amazing place. In the US, everyone seems to think they are middle-class, even if they are in a two-person household earning $400k/year, they seem to resent being forced to pay for anything. The UK is heading this way quickly but from the other way: Blair introduced universal benefits, everyone has their hand out now, no matter how wealthy. Also, the purpose of benefits is not to get someone out of poverty. It is to help people who need help. The system has been totally debauched by middle-class people who think it is their "leg up". It is not. Spending should be focused entirely upon people who cannot help themselves (for whatever reason).

zozbot234 5y ago
> Yes, if you have £18k in savings...you don't need help. Do you understand what being poor is? You are not poor if you have £18k in savings. Savings is not income. One is a stock, the other is a flow. People might be in need of income support even if they've been saving responsibly for a while.
- hogFeast 5y ago
  Yes, you can use your savings. Savings are income. The only reason for savings is to consume in the future. Believing that you should have permanent savings that can't be used for consumption is just out of this world...I would speak to someone who has no money. The welfare state exists for people who need help, not those who wish the state to keep them in a luxury to which they have become accustomed. EDIT: most benefits pay out £4-5k/year, saying £18k is "peanuts" is...a little sickening...it is a monumental amount of money to people on benefits. I would talking to someone who is homeless and tell them that £18k is "peanuts" to you. What an utterly middle-class/greedy sentiment.
  - zozbot234 5y ago
    > The only reason for savings is to consume in the future. Yes, but try amortizing £18k over any number of years. It's peanuts when judged on an income basis. This person is just as much in need of help, whether or not they're prudent enough to keep £18k in the bank as a precautionary buffer.
imtringued 5y ago
>So if I earn £100k/year, and I choose to save all of my income then I am impoverishing myself. Do you understand what saving is? You are still living the life of a poor person. You are homeless. You don't have a car. You don't have a smartphone. You have nothing except your savings. The crucial difference is that the disabled lady apparently didn't even own the savings she sacrificed her living standards for.

zozbot234 5y ago

> Yes, if you have £18k in savings...you don't need help. Do you understand what being poor is? You are not poor if you have £18k in savings. Savings is not income. One is a stock, the other is a flow. People might be in need of income support even if they've been saving responsibly for a while.

hogFeast 5y ago
Yes, you can use your savings. Savings are income. The only reason for savings is to consume in the future. Believing that you should have permanent savings that can't be used for consumption is just out of this world...I would speak to someone who has no money. The welfare state exists for people who need help, not those who wish the state to keep them in a luxury to which they have become accustomed. EDIT: most benefits pay out £4-5k/year, saying £18k is "peanuts" is...a little sickening...it is a monumental amount of money to people on benefits. I would talking to someone who is homeless and tell them that £18k is "peanuts" to you. What an utterly middle-class/greedy sentiment.
- zozbot234 5y ago
  > The only reason for savings is to consume in the future. Yes, but try amortizing £18k over any number of years. It's peanuts when judged on an income basis. This person is just as much in need of help, whether or not they're prudent enough to keep £18k in the bank as a precautionary buffer.

imtringued 5y ago

>So if I earn £100k/year, and I choose to save all of my income then I am impoverishing myself. Do you understand what saving is? You are still living the life of a poor person. You are homeless. You don't have a car. You don't have a smartphone. You have nothing except your savings. The crucial difference is that the disabled lady apparently didn't even own the savings she sacrificed her living standards for.