What Goverment spending would you cut? poll discussion

Scousemaid

no1riggie wrote: »

I'm fed up with it too. However, I must to correct you on one point. I work for a Council and I can assure you that we DO contribute to our pensions,

i THINK THAT YOU WILL FIND THAT THE FIRESERVICE - AND MAYBE THE POLICE DON'T CONTIBUTE BUT COUNCIL WORKERS, TEACHERS ETC MOST DEFINITELY DO!

minerva_windsong

My inner hippy says cut defence - by which I mean, scrap Trident. It's come to the end of its useful life and there are much more cost-effective and appropriate defence systems out there. Then channel the money into effectively equipping troops in Afghanistan to do their job.

Next on the list is an overhaul of the benefits system. I do think you should get money from the state if you genuinely need it (too ill to work etc), but you definitely shouldn't be allowed to take money from the state if you simply can't be bothered to get a job. I also think that after a certain level of earnings, possibly geographically dependent, child benefit should begin to peter out until it is cut off completely. Finally, the system should work in a way where you won't lose money by coming off benefits and getting a job, otherwise it's counter-productive.

spendalot_sanj

It cannot be beyond the wit of our collective minds to come up with a list of "made" up jobs. Jobs which have little of no use and have been created in the last few years.

Two examples of this:-

1. The six thousand of new staff working for Jobscentre plus branches
http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2009/05/11/50614/jobcentre-plus-seeks-4000-more-frontline-staff.html. Does the nation need 6,000 more government workers?

2. I have visited the leciester county council website and have found a number of jobs which just can't be critical http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/jobs/job_listpage.htm

Here are a list of jobs which total around £200k in salary payments which, if absolutely required, could be filled internally by moving people arround, or simply are not required.

Administration Assistant and Midday Supervisor Nuneaton, Warwickshire -14475
Administration Officer County Hall, Glenfield -15828
Administration Officer Mountsorrel -14475
Administrative Assistant Loughborough -20000
Administrator Hinckley -14475
Archive Assistant Records Office, Wigston Magna, Leicester. -9625
Dignity in Care Project Officer Mountsorrel -32607
Museum Support Officer Coalville -10920
Night Inspector Home Based -13188
Principal Educational Psychologist County Hall, Glenfield -50825

namford

I know this may appear a selfish view, but I strongly believe that, as much as I would love for us to continue helping poorer countries, we need to look after ourselves first - so I would cut overseas aid until we have our finances back in shape and then obviously we can return to helping them again.

voiceofreason

spendalot_sanj wrote: »

It cannot be beyond the wit of our collective minds to come up with a list of "made" up jobs.

To be fair though, given the calibre of some of the knee-jerking mongs who've been subjecting the board to their ill-informed "opinions" and nonsensical prejudices it wouldn't entirely surprise me if the "collective minds" of this board (present company and notable others excepted) added up to the equivalent mental capacity of a fairly dense four-year old.

Shame, that.

cupkate

spendalot_sanj wrote: »

It cannot be beyond the wit of our collective minds to come up with a list of "made" up jobs. Jobs which have little of no use and have been created in the last few years.

Two examples of this:-

1. The six thousand of new staff working for Jobscentre plus branches
http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2009/05/11/50614/jobcentre-plus-seeks-4000-more-frontline-staff.html. Does the nation need 6,000 more government workers?

TO SPENDALOT SANJ: this article is over a year old. These people were employed on temporary contracts to deal with the swelling ranks of unemployed. Most of their contracts have now expired and have not been renewed, so the Government is already making savings in the Civil Service. Unfortunately, these ex-employees have now rejoined the ranks of the unemployed so have increased the Government's benefits bill.

I agree that more benefits should be means tested.
Some American states do not pay welfare for any children conceived while on Welfare-that sounds like a good idea.

Marisco

Scousemaid wrote: »

i THINK THAT YOU WILL FIND THAT THE FIRESERVICE - AND MAYBE THE POLICE DON'T CONTIBUTE BUT COUNCIL WORKERS, TEACHERS ETC MOST DEFINITELY DO!

I think you'll find they do!!! Unless things have drastically changed since I got divorced!!! My ex husband was a fireman, and I think it was 11% of his wages was paid in pension contributions. I don't know about the police, but should imagine they have a similar system.

This thread is a microcosm of what will happen when the cuts start to bite!!!! People will be at each others throats if they feel that others are not shouldering their share of cuts!!! And from the replies, it looks like benefit claimants are going to be the "whipping boys"

Philycheesesteak

Trident and reduce the policing of the world (i.e. bring our soldiers back from Afghanistan and Iraq). Let the American's waste their money if they want to, their economy seems to be recovering, our nation is too small and no longer a Victorian Empire to sort out the world's problems, we have enough of our own to sort out.

Greece and Portugal may be on the brink, but watch out UK could be next!

MoveOver

Education. Many of the Adult Education classes provide certificates that are worthless in a Job Hunt. Many courses take far too long. EG: DTP was for 32 weeks and I completed (and passed) in 7.5 hours. RSA1/2/3 college course was 3 years I sat the exams privately and passed in 4 months. Universities: Open University was using faulty computer software which I repaired nd had thrown away ten years previously. Local University had 5/6 instructors who could not use a computer to work out how many pupils they had or seats required in a classroom. Same place had a photography course where students had to pay for first 15 hours sitting in a cafeteria until a teacher was appointed. Then the first hour lecture was "How to set up a tripod". Same Uni had a computer teacher who had an Asian Art degree and had never heard of a debug program. Same Uni taught Dbase normalisation to level 3 yet the Dbase had a button to press which did the whole thing for you. Tony Blair asked Industry what they wanted from UNi's and then sponsored the University For Industry. I enrolled for training as a Remote Internet Instructor and found I was one of two qualified teachers on a course of 180 teaching assistants (TA's spend a minimum of 2 hours per week assisting !!!!!! pupils) who were overjoyed to discover that they could use the Internet to discuss Eastenders. HE is a rip off for Teachers benefits.

My Manager asked me to recover her computer from a BSOD. I did and discovered that she had spent 5 hours drawing computer symbols. I asked why she had not used those provided by the application? She replied that her University Professor had told her not to meddle with software she did not understand so she had never opened those menus.

brenda10

My neighbour is on the highest level of disabled allowance because of 'arthritis', he is fitter than me. I do notice he watches non stop when he is out using the push lawnmower for hours etc etc, He is a conman and it pays. He has been reported but the DHSS have not bothered to investigate as they are not interested. It is a joke, me and my husband pay for him in our working tax payments.