Britain appears to be learning the hard way what American conservatives have been saying for years. If the government does too much to take care of the people, the people lack the motivation, even the know how to take care of themselves. While no one will argue that those who fall on hard times should be left for dead, it has become apparent in Britain that their welfare state has gotten out of control.

A “why bother?” economy has been created in Britain which has left thousands with no motivation to work, a report published today concludes.

Successive governments have encouraged a welfare culture that has left every family facing a £1,300 bill because the poor stay poor, it claims.

The findings by the public services think tank Reform suggest that increased welfare dependency has made it more difficult for those on the lowest incomes to do better.

Reform concludes that if the UK had the skills levels of the U.S. the benefit to the economy would be £32billion per year, or £1,300 per family.

And it points out that inequalities in the tax system mean that those receiving welfare who find work face punitive rates of taxation as for every extra pound earned they lose up to 90 per cent of their benefit.

This has been a problem which has plagued the United States as well with many on the welfare rolls realizing that working a full time job may actually decrease their monthly income. One of the recommendations from the Institute for Fiscal Studies to remedy this situation is to offer more to those who work, and less to those who do not. Of course such a recommendation seems logical, though it would be a difficult one to institute as to many Britons have become dependant on the government to support them.

The Daily Mail actually met with some of the families collecting benefits, and their sense of being entitled to taxpayer money should be enough for Britons to want to scrap the whole system altogether:

Known as the “Shameless” family among horrified neighbours, the McFaddens “boast” three generations of adults who are not working.

All ten members of the clan share a council house and live off benefits amounting to around £32,000 a year. And very happy they are, too.

“The only problem is,” she [Sue Mcfadden] says without a hint of irony, “that we’re living in a three-bedroom council house, which is ridiculous.

“I’m asking the council for a ten-bedroom home for all of us. We need more space. It’s awful sometimes when all the children are squabbling. Still, we do have a big TV with Sky, but we need some relaxation.”

The taxpayers supplied the McFaddens with a place to live, food, clothing, a big screen television and satellite dish, yet they feel they are entitled to more!

But the really disturbing aspect of the McFaddens’ lifestyle is that they are far from alone. Six million Britons are living in homes where no one has a job and “benefits are a way of life”, according to a report by MPs. Shock figures also revealed that 20,000 households in Britain are pocketing more than £30,000 a year in state benefits.

With thousands of children growing up in families where their parents and grandparents have never worked, a senior government adviser warned this week of a “terrible legacy” of youngsters who had no expectation of ever getting a job.

The “terrible legacy” would only be considered terrible if the children were raised with a sense of pride. Pride in oneself is achieved through accomplishments, not through handouts and it is high time the British government come to this realization. While the British government and even the United States government enjoy regulating every form of industry, and instilling mandates on this or that, why is it they have yet to mandate work on behalf of their people. Why have government allowed it to be socially acceptable to live of the hard work of others while doing little to now work yourself?

The truth is, as much as the government will condemn such behavior, those who run the government thrive on it. With each new entitlement offered by the government, one more responsibility is taken away from the individual. As the individual grows to be less dependant, they will come to rely more on the government. That dependency is what keeps politicians employed in their six figure salary jobs, and it is that dependency which will eventually bring both of our countries closer to socialism.

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Election 2008, Entitlements, Taxes