Sell your soul - get on the Dole!

I'm just going to come right out and say it: I have a problem with the Dole.

You can call me stuck up, or snobby, or whatever else your little heart desires, but the fact of the matter is, I have a huge, enormous, excruciating problem with the Dole.
Why such a loathing for the unemployment benefit, you may ask?

Simple. Because it's just that. An Unemployment Benefit. But yet there's a vast number of people that seem to think it's a Sit on Your Arse and Do Fuck-All Benefit.

The dole was created so that people who had lost their jobs or couldn't find jobs could keep themselves afloat whilst looking for work.

All very well and good, but of course, this is Ireland, and Ireland wouldn't be Ireland without people trying to get something for nothing.

The government may be crap, and yes, the opportunities for jobs in this country aren't the best, but the fact of the matter is that we still go to school, college, work, whatever. We work to earn a living. We work hard and long hours and save for holidays and Christmas and go on nights out and really appreciate what we're earning. Most of us anyway.
But what we also do is pay tax. We pay tax, and we grumble and moan about it and bitch about how the Government doesn't need any more money.
And this very same government, the one that's taking our money and making us pay tax because we work, is taking that money and giving it to people because they DON'T work.

How many people who are on the Dole can honestly say that for every month they've been on it, they've been actively out seeking work? Not many, I'd wager.

Let me tell you something. When I was in Second year of college, I had a really shitty job. It was hard, hard work and left you feeling insanely drained at the end of the day. Granted, I only worked Saturdays and Sundays, but throw this in on top of my college work, I was knackered. I got paid €120 per week, for working those two days. Not great, but when you're in college and all you really care about is having money for pints and a 3-in-1 from Charlie's on the way home, you get by.
So, there I was. Getting €120 per week, and a friend who's on the dole informs me that she's taking in €195 per week. To say I was disgusted was something of an understatement.

I was going to lectures, going to work, doing essays, spending time travelling to and from these places. My friend, on the other hand, was waking at noon, watching reruns of Sex and the City, going out till dawn and having a great time!

I'm not complaning about my own situation. I'm just saying that, put in comparison with people on the dole, what the fuck are we working for?

I'm currently studying for a Masters. And many of you out there are in college too. We're all studying, and working, because we want a good career, right?

Well, the next time you're in the company of a total waster, you may as well write them a cheque. That's where your money's going anyway.

Oh, and worried about the recession? It's okay, there's always the fucking dole.

:)