GrapeEater

I'm in late on this thread - interesting!

If you take what is not yours or that which you are not entitled to it is usually from greed or desperation (& few of us are really desperate these days). The current (and historic) crisis we are living can be whittled down to greed and selfishness.... the "I want it now" culture !

I know of far too many serial scammers, tax dodgers, benefit fraudsters... none of which I have respect for.... would I report them? In the past I'd say no ... but as I appear to be paying for other's greed right now (in higher prices, less services, stealth tax, VAT... etc) - I just might! - Sod 'em, they don't give a sh*t about me !!

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed" : Ghandi

Dick Dasterdly

Apart from greed and desperation, I think many ppl these days take the attitude, "well that guy up the roads getting away with being on the fiddle and probably thousands of others in town, so why the hell shouldn't I have a slice of the cake as well".

GrapeEater

... sheep! The world is full of unhappy 'crooks' who think material wealth is the answer. Is there any wonder we are in such a global mess? .... We'll never learn will we? If only we could share instead of take and hoard?

Right, gotta go - it's time (3 in the morning) to 'borrow' some more bags of cement from that builder's stash in the next road !!

scampicat

I agree that some people DO have that attitude, but it does not make Benefit fraud OK, or even excusable, imho.

If someone literally can't feed their family (and in the UK at least there is no need for that, these days), then I can understand and excuse, but any other reason, no.

JLFS

I totally agree with this.

bil

So tell me, if you find a ten euro note on the floor tomorrow, and it didn't fall out of your pocket, what will you do with it?

I don't say that fraud is excuseable, all I say is that before a thieving bunch of MPs, who knew full well what they were doing was morally wrong, if not against the actual letter of the law, tell us to be honest, then they damn well ought to put their own house in order first.

Motes and beams, motes and beams.

scampicat

No-one is disputing that what some MPs do is wrong. But it doesn't make Benefit fraud any LESS wrong (not to me anyway).

Just because they can't see the beams in their own eyes, doesn't mean we should not be aware of the motes in ours.

My behaviour is my responsibility, no-one else's.

(And just as a bit of an answer to your question about the £10 note. My son once found £40 at a bus stop. He was 17, just left school and on a YOPs scheme, so to him it was a lot of money. I can tell you what he did. First of all he stayed at the bus stop for an hour, waiting for the person to come back, or the bus they were on (it is a circular route). However, no-one turned up loking for any money. Then he phoned the police and told them he had found it. He was told to take it home and that if no-one had claimed it within a certain time he could keep it. This he did, he kept it in an envelope in case the person claimed it. Needless to say no-one did. He rang the police again after the time had expired and they told him the money was his to keep so he bought himself a computer game and some lego.).

jackytoo

Only have to read this thread to see that the benefit culture is really entrenched with the British. They expect money for anything and despite being (in some cases) ill they can argue their case professionally. Wonder if DWP read this thread....they may "learn some lessons" Nothing will ever change as the majority of voters are on some type of benefit.

scampicat

The DWP is fully aware that my husband claims Incapacity Benefit in Spain....they send him correspondence here and arrange medicals for him here. It is quite legitimate and legal.

I myself only claim my State Pension, which can be claimed anywhere in the world. So I am legal too.

So no, they won't 'learn any lessons' from us.

jackytoo

Not aimed at you Scampicat, just generalising about peoples perceptions that it's ok to fiddle.

scampicat

Thanks, that's OK then, I thought you might mean me/my husband as you mentioned people being ill.

Explanation noted and accepted!!

bil

Your son is obviously a scrupulously honest person, and what he did was the only way to deal with the situation and remain 100% honest. If you pick up such a note and put it in the nearest poor box, that makes you a thief, and in the parlance of this thread, as much of a thief had you taken a thousand pounds out of someones pocket.

Myself, well I dare say that were I to find a 50 euro note, I would have e religious experience.

There would come a voice from heaven saying 'Take it my child, and enjoy.'

scampicat

He is. We have brought him up that way, but also I think because he has mild Aspergers Syndome and people with this condition are usually very black and white about what is right and wrong. I am like this myself, I am very black and white about keeping to the rules.

I personally have never found any money in the street, although I did find someone's briefcase, complete with wallet, money, filofax and mobile phone on our garden wall in England. I phoned them (from the number in the briefcase) and they collected it and gave me a first aid kit (?) for my trouble.

JLFS

I dont really understand the relevance in the question in relation to the topic.

To be perfectly hones, if I did not see anyone drop the money I suppose I would keep it. It is not like finding a hugh wodge or anything.

So faced with the choices available, pick it up, take it to the police, or leave it on the floor, I would do the most convient thing for myself.

I would not take it to the police in the same way that during my lifetime I have lost much more than a tenner out of my own pocket and never bothered to report the loss to the police. I think that their time could be used more constructively than filling out all kinds of paperwork over a lost tenner.

If you are trying to say that would make me a theif, then that would be your opinion. But instead of using the example of a tenner, us a newpaper. If you found one on a park bench what would you do with it?

Not take it to the police surely?????

Dick Dasterdly

I always knew you'd see the light sooner or later bil.

Altogether now,....."All good things around us are sent from heaven above, now thank the Lord, yes thank the Lord... ..............."