As a society we can not let people exist below the poverty line however, it is not morally right to support them with more than the average worker's pension. Some of these old hippie characters seem to have enough to buy grog & cigarettes & drugs whilst a retired worker can barely make it from pension to pension. There's definitely something not quite right in the way the various welfare departments assess the applications.

Dear Paul,

«"People always have the option to not receive care at all" True, but in many cases such people could not survive without in home care. They would need to be institutionalised just to live.»

Fortunately, surviving and living are not compulsory!

Everyone is destined to die anyway, so better die in dignity!

An honourable person would rather perish than beg from a beggar who then goes and robs future generations to finance their donation of money they haven't got.

I have no criticism of government for providing financial-care for those who being weak-in-spirit beg for their lives - only of those that are willing to accept such money.

«My beautiful and kind niece in NZ does voluntary Meals-On-Weeks»

God bless her!

Hi Yuyutsu,

I am a strong believer in social justice, and a part of that is providing for those who can't provide for themselves. Everyone deserves to live with dignity. One of the basic things in life is to meet a persons practical material needs without question. If we become to judgemental then we tend to look for ways not to provide, to exclude, to stigmatise etc.

Dear Paul,

I think we agree because I am not critical of the willing to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves, without question - only of the acceptance thereof under the circumstances.

Yes, everyone deserves to live with dignity, and in order to maintain one's dignity, one ought to refuse donations from thieving paupers, even at the cost of one's life.

People who have no money, $0.00, are by far richer than governments that owe around a trillion dollars!

Everyone deserves to live with dignity
Paul1405,
That goes without saying. Those who need help need to be helped. All who chose an undignified life are eventually Centrelink clients where they then demand to be afforded more respect than they every showed towards others.
Those who worked for over 50 years often suffer the indignity of having their contributions questioned, the former appear to get treated much better.
Dignity has to be a two-way street !

"All who chose an undignified life are eventually Centrelink clients where they then demand to be afforded more respect than they every showed towards others."

Indy, I understand that is your situation. Didn't you arrive here with nothing, and land a cushy $1,000/week PS job, but got sacked when Gough took over, Gough was all about hard work and efficiency, no malingers on the job was Gough's motto! Then it was all those years on 'No Start' welfare, then along came 65, and aged welfare kicked in for the next, how many years now, 20? But once we get that Seniors National Service up and running she'll be apples, I'm sure you'll be okay swing a decent sized pick axe 16 hours a day, keep yah fit. I've estimated that a SNS will save use poor suffering taxpayers $60 billion /year. In fact I'm certain if the government rations the baked bean (food) allowance for those in the SNS, us taxpayers can be given a very hefty tax cut! More to spend on our OS holidays. What do you say to that?