Welfare reforms helping thousands get ahead
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is delighted over 62,700 people went off benefit and into work in the first nine months of 2013 alone.That does not however equate to overall benefit numbers dropping by the same number.
Here's the official graph for benefit numbers since National took office.
On the one hand, numbers did not soar in spite of a deep (and ongoing IMO) recession.
On the other, for all of the fanfare about welfare reforms, the picture doesn't offer a lot to get excited about.
Every ninth New Zealander is still dependent on the state.
Go into some neighbourhoods and it'll be every second or third.
4 comments:
A long way to go yet, but it's promising.
I want the Nats to bring in a law similar to what the UK is considering - only the first 2 children in a family would get benefit support. After that, it'll be "you breed 'em, you feed 'em." That's an *excellent* law.
There would be a very good case for stopping *all* benefit support (even for the first two children) but a step like this would be a good first step and would be *very widely supported* - no doubt about that.
On the one hand, numbers did not soar in spite of a deep (and ongoing IMO) recession.
That's because National is still resisting real economic reforms and "rebalancing" that would greatly increase the welfare rolls. With NZ's economy now more state-dependent than 1991, with KiwiBank and KIwiRail and god knows what else inefficient businesses all state dependent, and vast amounts propped up by WFF and a lax tax system - any real reforms would lead to mass unemployment .
Every ninth New Zealander is still dependent on the state.
And you're being very selective here: not counting WFF, Accommodation "benefit", State employees like teachers etc, bludgers on Super, and the biggest categories of all: State school users, state hospital users, ACC claimants.
Go into some neighbourhoods and it'll be every second or third.
Hell even in Epsom every third person will be dependent on the state - either they or their kids going to the Epsom Normal, EGGS & Grammar.
NZ - Land of Bludgers
There would be a very good case for stopping *all* benefit support
The massive fiscal drain, intergenerational equity, and moral hazard are three excellent examples for immediately stopping every benefit. Including the Super.
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