Bennett: debate got 'ugly'

I tend to agree with taxpayer #204 here in some ways. Bad things do happen to good people. We lose jobs, we get pregnant by accident. These things happen to us and it's not our fault, but it's a fact that some women do abuse the system. Earlier, my friend and I were tossing around the idea that contraception should be a requirement for women on the DPB. I like this idea. I don't mean sterilisation, I mean that we don't want women to have babies that they can't care for, and that taxpayers shouldn't have to pay for these women's offspring. DPB recipients would have to bring along a certificate that they'd had their contraceptive injection; no certificate, no DPB. Obviously, once they were no longer on the DPB they would no longer be required to use contraception if they didn't want to.

I noticed on the news last night that one of these women had a lovely big two storied house and was well dressed on her nice couch. Wouldn't it be nice for us all to have such things? Working for less than the benefit these women are getting makes me feel ripped off, no wonder so many people hang around on the "sickness" benefit and dpb. If one of these women have medical issues how do they then expect to hold down a job?

Let's be consistent here.

From now on, if anyone complains about tax policy, let's publish their income and the amount of tax they paid.

Or are these gross invasions of privacy only acceptable when committed against the poor.

Paula Bennet has quite successfully deflected debate away from welfare policy, which was obviously her aim, by attacking the people and not their argument. I had hoped National was better than this. It seems not.

Gee why is it that on the surface these womaen earn more than I do, I have 3 kids work 40-50 hrs a week, pay for my doctor, dont appear to get half the benefits these people do, Oh thats right Im self employed and have tp pay for most things myself - that will be it.... Why isnt the benefit based / Paid on a std 40 hr week at the min rate and they pay for all the extrs like most of us have to - to hard I guess, Id say they dont appreciate the hand that feeds them and If on a benefit we should know what benefit receivers are on we pay their bloody wages - although in hindsite a more general view would satisfy the privacy bashers

If you choose to go to the media, expect all the details to come out. Its simple. These women get more per week then most hard working people do with no government support. Do what everyone else does and get a student loan. Why should the NZ taxpayers have to pay for raising their children and for them to study?

A politician is honest and calls a spade, a spade, and is berated for being open and honest with information relevant to an issue. Hell! By my reckoning that's all we've ever been asking for and yet now when we find one that can actually do as we have requested she is skewered and BBQ'd for doing it. Make up your mind you Paula bashers and stop being such bleeding namby pamby grizzlers. You can not have your cake and eat it too!

Good on Paula Bennett. Obviously these two women know how to work the system to their own advantage to get the maximum return. It disgusts me that people seem to get a lot for doing not a lot. Yeah they are studying and using all the right wording, like, 'jobs that are deemed critical and important'. Well I would love to do some training in those areas, but alas I am saving for my retirement and running a house and looking after my child, and there is no way I could afford to contemplate dropping my wage to do that. The course would cost ME too much. I think benificaries need to get over themselves and realise that a welfare state we are not. In regards to calls for disclosure of Paula's payments when she was on the DPB, how is this relevant to today's topic. You have a disclosure of her current salary as a Minister - isn't that more critical in this day and age? Paula Bennett should have to reveal her payments, but I think to show she is a woman of substance, she could. It will show her as human. Go Paula, you have my vote!

I just can not believe this story. I work hard at work for 40 hours and I get $720.00 Gross. There is really some thing fundamentaly wrong in this country when people get more assistance than a working, tax paying citizen. I really feel gutted and am wondering just why I am doing this job. If this is the NZ way, then I am going to stop working and stay home and do gardening and play golf, why drive to work, that costs me $60.00 dollars for petrol, I will stay home and be better of financially. This country has serious problems, idle hands make mischief, we are on a unsustainable course as a welfare state. Paul Johnston

Apparantly I should have had a kid before I decided to go to uni and end up with a $50,000 loan.

I totally agree with Paula - let's get all the facts on the table not just half. People need to back themselves, ie invest in their own future. Some taxpayers would love to be earning as much as these beneficiaries and have tertiary education paid for as well!!!! How is someone getting benefit top-ups for medical problems going to stick long term to a tertiary course?