Welfare cuts will make life impossible
Finance Minister Brian Lenihan listens to Michael McGrath, assistant secretary of the Budget & Economic Division at the department earlier this month
Friday November 27 2009
In the run up to "D" day or should that be "B" (Budget) day, I have read many articles with great interest.
From the McCarthy report to bankers taking a mere €500,000 salary, the more I read the more I think that the vast majority of these people are so out of touch with reality.
If it wasn't so serious it would be funny!
I screamed with frustration at my car radio during a discussion on RTE Radio 1 in which panellists had the audacity to question if €500,000 was a good enough salary!
Please -- if I had 10pc of that I would consider myself well off. Living on €391 (jobseekers for two adult and two children) a week is no easy task.
We have two teenagers to feed, clothe and a house to run.
On top of this my youngest child is seriously ill, awaiting a transplant.
I spend much of my time in the hospital with her so the added strain of the cost of diesel, parking fees and feeding myself in the canteen is a huge drain.
Plans to cut social welfare benefits and child benefit would make it impossible for us to survive.
One letter writer (Letters, November 25) praised the introduction of the prescription fee, and the writer went on to suggest a "mere" 50 cent per item!
My child's prescription is two-pages long, this added fee would crucify us and many like us, possibly leading to people not filling out their entire prescription.
I can assure the writer I never waste any of my child's medications. She has them because she needs them.
It's a simple case of mathematics; if we don't get it we can't put it back into the economy.
We are being strangled already. I have cut back everywhere I possibly can.
There are no more holes on the belt to tighten and no room to make more. I am writing this from the ICU unit in Crumlin's children's hospital.
I ask all of these panellists, letter writers and especially the Budget makers to please consider how you would survive in my circumstances on jobseekers allowance and half a carers allowance.
We are not to blame for the downturn.
Let the punishment fit the crime and take it out on those who caused this crisis.
Name and address with editor
Irish Independent
