Unemployed people getting the odd
so called "nixer" and getting a few quid, are illegally claiming the
dole, but, only for the days they are not available for work, as a result of
the nixer. In reality if a person was to sign off for a day’s work, then, the
system would penalise them severely. The social welfare would deny that, but
the fact is, there would be all sorts of complications and their payment would
be disrupted at minimum. For an unemployed person that is the ultimate
nightmare. The cost of this for the state is minimal.
People working for an employer regularly, and claiming the
dole at the same time, are very definitely breaking the law, but so too, is
their employer, and that constitutes while collar crime, that crime that costs
the state billions, but nobody ever goes to jail for.
If a person is prosecuted for
working and claiming the dole, then, they would not be charged with fraud. I don’t
know what the title of the charge would be, but, it would not be fraud.
Fraud happens when you pretend to be someone you are not, and then, claim state payments using the identity that you have manufactured or stolen.
Fraud happens when you pretend to be someone you are not, and then, claim state payments using the identity that you have manufactured or stolen.
Professionals nixer all the time, i.e. they do work outside of their normal paid work. We all know they are supposed to declare this income for tax purposes, but, we also know they ask for cash on the basis, that, they will have to add the VAT on to their fees if it’s not paid in cash. This is not fraud either. It is a crime to not report the earning to the revenue commissioners, but, it’s not fraud.
Somehow Leo managed to talk about
fraudsters and social welfare cheats, and, somehow, he got people on their high
horses, about unemployed people claiming social welfare. I know what he meant,
he knows what he meant, but, he never came out and explained precisely who he
was after. He let poor unemployed people be given the rap. He played to the
gallery of FineGael voters, and never once considered how the public would react
to unemployed people.
He ruthlessly and unscrupulously used
some of the poorest people in Ireland as a stepping stone, so he could rise
another rung on the ladder to success.
In some minds that is a sign of
strength and decisiveness and is seen in a very positive light. In reality it
is just seen as ruthlessness, and those that know it, will refuse to trust you
and will never help you. Burning bridges is for dictators and rarely works out
well for a democratically elected politician.
The high horses jockeys always
look away from white collar crime? Why? It was white collar crime that caused
the country to become bankrupted, and, it is white collar crime that is costing
millions each year, way more than the working class are responsible for stealing.
How many high horse jockeys make
mileage claims each month that do not honestly reflect the actual mileage driven?
I could go on and on about those scams, but, the reality is, most hypocrites do
not see that as a crime, but the fact is, it is a crime. The high horse jockeys
might want to get themselves a new pair of glasses, the kind without the rose
coloured tints, and take a long hard look at themselves, before they start
throwing stones at other less fortunate people.