Benefits Crackdown

Maybe i read your post wrong but don't you think working helps your mental health? I've often struggled in the past but two things without my mental health would suffer are exercise and work.

 

I guess it depends on what you do with your time. If I won the Euromillions tonight Id jack my job in, but I'd spend my life doing my hobbies, looking after myself etc... it is when you stay in bed all day and routine goes out of the window that things start to go south.

I love my job, I rarely dread going to work but I would jack it in in a heartbeat if I could afford to and immerse myself in stuff I love.

 

I also tell myself I'd spend my life going for walks in the country, going to the gym, learning a new language and improving my chess skills if I suddenly won the euromillions. But realistically, I'd probably spend at least the first year travelling round the world eating too much food, drinking too much beer, and possibly developing a coke habit. It would then be a case of whether I'd get bored of it before it killed me.

 

I agree and I would do the same given the chance, but for me having the routine getting up going to work then in free time exercise and watching Niel Collins super reds keeps me sane... just about.

 

I think it would definitely take discipline. I can see how lottery winners sometimes end up wishing they'd never won.

 

That's the key "mental health". It's always with you whether you're at work or not. You can supress your emotions whilst you're at work but what if one of those emotions is fear? I work because if I didn't I wouldn't be able to afford this and that. One could argue it's work and luxury that allows people to take on unnecessary debt that forces them onto a hamster wheel.

My debt paid off, somewhere to live and basic living allowance would suit me fine. Had enough crap down the years. I know I'm only 38 but I want to wind down.

 

According to something I saw the other day, lottery winners (big, over $100million in USA, winners) are statistically much more likely to go bankrupt, commit murder or be murdered than regular members of the public.

 

I think I'd certainly be far happier if I was in a situation where I had my mortgage paid off and a passive income of maybe £5k per month, than if I had squllions in the bank. I'd have the freedom to do what I wanted, without having enough to do anything extravagant or stupid, or not be able to trust any new people I met.

One Liverpool player does something similar. Might be TAA. After his mortgage and bills, he keeps £5k a month from his wages for entertainment and everyday living. Everything else he puts away for retirement, his family's future etc. Very sensible approach.

 

Are people who refuse/don't want to work/ would rather live off handouts committing benefit fraud? I always classed benefits fraud as claiming for benefits like sick or disability when able to work or working cash while claiming.

 

Not if that living allowance is available to everyone.

 

Imagine being more bothered about this than the billions and billions of unpaid taxes that the top 1% of the world dodge.

 

Going after the poorest people again, I bet we all know someone who’s claiming benefits illegally and it get frustrating but it’s not got a patch on the what the elites get away with.

 

Or one of the healthy ones.

 

So it's fine to be workshy and not want to work because richest are dodging taxes... hmm I think both are wrong.

 

Just another part of the tories culture wars election campaign strategy' they told us they were going to do it' Sunak said something about getting the disabled back to work a couple of weeks back' expect more and more of this' benefits claiments' immigrants' transgender etc will all be targeted aimed at trying to appeal to some of the red wall knuckle draggers..

 

My job is bad for my mental health in many ways, some of them self imposed.

I'd jack my job in tomorrow if I could afford it.

But I'd have plenty to do in it's place.

 

Benefit fraud amounts to, from what I believe, about £0.2B a year. Tax avoidance amounts to around £102B p/a

 

I spend some of my time organising & occasionally doing DJ work. I spend the rest of my time doing projects in music I want to do. I also spend a significant amount of my time training dogs. Rest of my time is checking in with my Dad in his care home. Plus a few beers...

I don't have big overheads. I try to divide my time 50/50, although I never have a holiday, there are always work things. I tend to do a holiday just after New Year, which is the quiet time & cheap flights.

 

I am 58 BTW. i did 13 years at Yorkshire Bank, including the Strike Years. Only time I've been out of work was during Covid, but I did towards the end work for my brother's company doing IT recruitment. I'm fairly clued up regarding IT & I interview a lot of people for radio. I'm only really happy with music & dogs, but can do IT, if it is not too technical. I'm better with open source than Microsoft, but got a bit of both.