Should welfare recipients be banned from spending their benefits on alcohol, cigarettes, and strip clubs?

I think best thing to do would be turn them inot food stamps. That's as far as I would allow in terms of control.

Most places have a black market for those already.

Absolutely. Wne people fall into welfare they are supposed to be getting back on their feet and looking for a job. Odds are great they claim they are too poor to afford school lunches so we feed their children breakfast, lunch, and maybe even send "backpacks" home with them. Odds are great we provide free medical care, maybe even food stamps. Should we be doing all these things so that the parents can afford to party, I think not.
Oh, one I forgot, tattoos, how can these poor people who can't afford to buy school lunches for their kids afford all these tattoos? What's up with that?

Yes, that money should be earmarked only for necessities and nothing more. If they would like luxuries, they can work for them.

PROSECUTION IS NECESSARY! *(THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN FELONY ROBBERY!)

These are luxury items that should be payed for with unneeded and extra cash not tax payer dollars

All welfare recipients should be drug tested, allowed to only have 2 children then forced to be fixed. It was set up to help families in need, not to become a lifestyle and that is how most use it. It goes on for generations. If I have to work to pay taxes so someone else can sit on their bum and draw benefits from our tax dollars, then there should be harsher rules and regulations! Besides those oppose to drug testing are doing something they shouldn't, if I have to take a drug test for a job then they should have to be drug tested to use our tax money for us to take care of them! Just my thought on the subject!

Yes, and in that I would include junk food, although that would be harder to regulate.

Welfare should not be able to buy any non-essential goods. Only cheap food and clothes, no TV's, cheap phones, no recreational activities, etc. If they want booze, cigarettes or an Xbox 360, they can bloody get a job.

duh!

why do people who do not get benefits think its such a windfall for people who do?? its absurd. the govt gives pennies to people.

Because many of us with the jobs who pay the taxes for welfare can't afford these things! Welfare is for the purchasing of necessities only!

um,hello! neither can people on welfare! you have this distorted image of welfare recipients. they receive benefits every 2 weeks,as most people do,but it hardly covers necessities.

In most European countries, benefits are much higher and they're able to afford more than just the bare essentials.

but thats europe,isn't it?

And it's better. I support higher welfare payments for a shorter time, say 2 months, then ordinary payments after that.

why? why higher for 2 months?

To keep them going whilst they find a new job.

well that would be fine if there were jobs to find. there aren't though.

Obviously I wouldn't do it now, we need to sort out all these convoluted taxes and regulations first, so they actually start making jobs again. Make the tax system fairer and incentivise employing more people, then there'll be enough jobs. Also, give more money back to the poor/working classes, so they buy more consumer goods.

sounds like a plan.

For those who are able, those with barriers are granted disability.

Indeed. This is only the base system, extra help is available for those who physically cannot work, and to help them back into work, maybe being self employed or working from home. There would also be child benefits, available for the first three children and you can again only purchase essentials with it, as well as school uniforms, school supplies, etc.

like iphones and great big 60 inch TV's and 15 billion channels of Sky TV

Exactly. I have family on benefits, the dad has sleep apnea, he could easily open his own business or work from home doing something, but he's a lazy beep and prefers to live in a council house and they all have nice phones and go on holiday and have a big TV... It's sickening, and with the lack of jobs, it's only going to get worse, we need to end this entitlement culture now.

I hear blighty is having a tough time of it right now job wise as with everywhere else.

And the government's only making things worse, taxes are hidden and extremely high and businesses are swamped in regulations - you know to employ someone £23,000 it costs an employer £33,000. It's ridiculous...

its a lot more than that here in Aus

Really? That's after tax, obviously... It says it costs an employer the equivalent of £33,000 to pay an employee £27,000 in Australia...

then how are they buying these things?

they aren't buying them off of welfare thats for sure.

Maybe some of us have a realistic image of welfare because we know people on it. Besides welfare we feed their kids with free school breakfast, lunch, and in many areas even send "backpacks" home, plus provide food stamps. We provide free medical care. How come so many of these people, while claiming they cannot afford to pay for school lunch can afford a pack, or 2, or cigarettes a day, get tattoos up and down their necks and arms, have their nails done with fancy designs every week, drive newer cars than I can afford, ( I know one with a Jaguar) and go out to the bars partying every Friday night. The fact is that our welfare system is out of control and in many cases has simply evolved into an enabling system for shuffling parental responsibility off on the taxpayers so they're free to party.
There are always those who will need help, temporarily, but there are also a lot who simply ride the gravy train.

now,why would anyone who can do all that and afford all that want the measly little dollars welfare gives them? ask yourself that. its not even chicken feed to people like that. it makes no sense and if it makes no sense it isn't true.
sounds more like urban myths to me.

It's only a myth in your dreams, or in the world you wish were real. Unfortunatey, although I wish it were false, I see it all the time. Simply because something makes no sense to you doesn't make it not so.
How do they do these things on welfare, could it be because the taxpayers pick up almost all of their other costs, like feeding their children, food stamps, medicare, subsidized housing? I know some on welfare collecting quite a bit more than my mother on social security, and she doesn't get free lunches, it's not all chicken feed as you suggest, especially when we include all the other things thrown in.
I'm not against welfare, when I worked for the census I saw more than I cared to living in shipping containers, tents and campers along the river, or living in overturned dumpsters, under bridges, in foreclosed houses with no electricity or water. There are people who really need help, but I also so way too many who were seriously abusing the system, depriving those who really need the assistance. This is where we get to the point of this post, welfare needs to be cleaned up, and it's use strictly controlled. There are limited resources and as the average middle class incomes continue to decline the resources will shrink even more. Why should someone go hungry when another can use their welfare to smoke, drink or get tattoos? Yep, it's happening all around you.

and that would just be the beginning. Supposed to be for necessities not what the person paying taxes can't affored to buy.

Ideally, yes. But how would you regulate it?

Give all welfare recipients a special debit card. Do not allow them to get cash off this card. Do not allow it's use in liquor stores. Block it's use if alcohol or cigarettes are rung up at a grocery store. All a matter of simple programming.

in which every retail system must be able to recognise the card, and respond appropriately?
The system while theoretically possible just wouldn't work in practice.
Not to mention you still need cash for some things. (e.g. just about any public transport, or Taxi service.)
A nice dream, but sadly that's all it is.

I think it would. In fact I may have a new project on my hands. >:D

Good luck, but don't expect to suceed.