BS: good news for rat catchers

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Apr 11 - 06:41 AM

About 40% of appeals against Richie's friends' arbitrary decisions succeed. And of course by no means all the people unjustly deprived of the benefit appeal.Some of them with terminal conditions are dead by then anyway.

The rats who make those decisions don't get caught, of course.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 04 Apr 11 - 05:38 AM

Tried that stunt in Australia. It cost a fortune (but no private companies profited by turfing out suckers) and almost the same number of pensions still existed. There was a sudden lack of interest when various people campaigned on behalf of Downs Syndrome etc people getting letters etc....

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Richie Black (misused acct, bad email)
Date: 04 Apr 11 - 04:53 AM

The coalition's crackdown on sickness benefits is getting under way in earnest today, with ministers suggesting half a million claimants could be ready to start work immediately.

The first letters are being sent out asking some of the 1.6 million incapacity benefit claimants to submit to reassessments. By the end of the week 7,000 people will have been contacted, rising to 10,000 a week by the end of April, with the first assessments happening in June.

The move follows the publication of final results from trial assessments in Burnley and Aberdeen, which ministers said confirmed almost a third of claimants were fit for work while a further 38% had the potential to work with the right support.

Of the 1,626 people assessed in the two trial areas, a third had been found fit for work straight away and transferred to Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA), 38% were assessed as able to work with the right support, while 30% have been placed in the support group for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - which means they will receive unconditional support and not be expected to look for work.

The trial results show that, if replicated nationally, we could expect around half a million people to be found fit for work over the next three years as the reassessment exercise is completed. Another 600,000 of the 1.6 million people who will be tested are likely to be able to find work.

I think it's an excellent idea that private companies will be used to help to catch people scrounging off benefits. These companies will be rewarded with fees of up to £14,000 for each individual case
.

The Government has insisted people genuinely too sick to work will continue to receive unconditional support from the state, and will not be expected to look for work. They will also receive a higher rate of benefit than they currently receive.

Great news to start to anyone's week, would you not agree ?

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 10:38 AM

If you're looking for an organization to support, here's one I can recommend:

Compatible Technology International. They design, make, and distribute low-tech food-processing devices for developing countries.

No rat-catching devices, not yet anyway, but it sounds like the kind of thing they might support.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 Dec 09 - 09:53 AM

Thanks, maeve, for helping out with the link.

Now everybody - when anybody starts a thread complaining about Christmas, Christmas music, or carols in stores, post a link to the rat-catcher article and tell them to escape all that by donating instead of shopping. That'll shut them up.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 11:43 PM

Interesting links.

In the meantime, look for Dahl's short story collection Someone Like You and read "The Ratcatcher" and then "Rummins." Those are a couple of charming stories, I can tell you! A starting place to find the book.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Gurney
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 10:22 PM

I read the book too, LH. I liked the bit where the wolves pissed on his loaves.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Little Hawk
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 08:36 PM

With increased earnings, I think they will have the option of considerably improving their daily menu.

Mind you, Farley Mowat spent a winter eating wild mice up north (while he was studying the life of wolves who also live mainly on mice), and he seems to have managed fine on them.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: mg
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 08:18 PM

They have to eat the rats for food too. Fortunately these are from grain fields. mg

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Little Hawk
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 08:15 PM

Very interesting story! Given the incredible reproductive abilities of rats, I doubt that the rat catchers in India will ever run out of business, and now they have a way of quadrupling their previous earnings.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: maeve
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 07:00 PM

Global Giving involvement link


A way to help this project through Global Giving


I think you may find your answer here, Mary.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: maeve
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 06:53 PM

Here is a link for Mary's story.

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: mg
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 06:40 PM

Just google rat catchers and India. There was a big TV special on recently. They are untouchables and can't even get water without someone from a higher caste turning the tap for them (or maybe I am mixing up two groups). mg

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 06:12 PM

mary, I hope you come up with a link because that first post made very little sense at all. I can't begin to think what blowing into a ceramic pot has to do with catching rats.

My rat catchers do it for the pleasure of the work, and they're pretty good at it. (Pit bull and Catahoula).

Actually, when I saw the thread title I thought you might be referring to the short stories by Raold Dahl that have to do with a rat catcher. Amazing and bizarre.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: Gervase
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 05:31 PM

???
My rat-catchers probably wouldn't be impressed. It takes a lot to impress a jack Russell terrier, though.

Subject: BS: good news for rat catchers
From: mg
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 02:09 PM

There is this new device that will help them double their income, allowing them to send children to school. It also prevents the terrible respiratory problems (this is in India) they have from blowing into a ceramic pot. New device is stainless steel and hopefully will be made by village women. I will google it later and send a link. If anyone comes across a way to donate to this I would like to know...didn't see anything. It won a prize for design.