Should we do something about the feral ones??

volvicspar

Easy fix number 2: If the person is deemed able to work (even if they are wheelchair bound) any kind of state aid is dependant on doing a job that is necessary, such as graffiti cleaning, litter picking, database compilation, envelope sticking...... anything that is either necessary for local council, or for local companies unable to find suitable workers (the company could part fund while the job is being done)

As for prisons..... make them a place of punishment. No TV, radio, playstation etc in cells. Whilst inside all prisoners have educational needs assessments and are trained to do whatever jobs the country is struggling to fill. On release they either take these jobs or stay in prison, but with no priviledges.

That is an absolutely fantastic idea, right up until the point where you get made redundant, and have to sign on to go and do your old job for £63 a week because your employer has worked out its cheaper to employ someone on benifits. :roll:

Stewie Griffin

I havent been chased with a bat yet Bigflange but have had neighbours knocking on my door for "advice". Visited a property very recently and asked them why the back door had a whopping great hole kicked out of it "So the dog could get in and out", but this isnt your House, its Temporary Accommodation that belongs to a Private Landlord and you are only here short term. "Yeah but its really annoying to keep getting up to open the door to let him in". I have had a Homeless Family reject temporary accommodation because it had no TV. I have been shouted at numerous times by the Mothers of pregnant teenagers not happy with the offer of emergency accommodation, but you are the one kicking her out, what do you care where we house her Im not allowed to ask. Was verbally abused outside Court (which has never bothered me, call me what you like, I really dont give a Monkeys) by a Lady that I had been granted a Possession Order against recently for rent arrears. Do you remember starting work and not advising Housing Benefit? Well thats Fraud and Housing Benefit have clawed the money back from your rent account so its your fault not mine. Visited a single Mum once, went into the bathroom to look for signs of Fraud (too many toothbrushes for Members in the household, Mens clothes in the Laundry, shaving stuff). There was nothing obvious so I turned around only to see him wrapped in the shower curtain standing on the end of the bath with just his face sticking out, we stood there looking at each other and I think he thought that if he stood stock still that I wouldnt see him. On another occasion a 3 year old boy advised us that Daddy was hiding in the loft (thankfully his Mum didnt hear) neither of those two are relevant but made me laugh at the time. Found a Mentally ill Clients flat had been sub let, he cant be that ill we all thought, he was but a member of his Family had taken control of the flat and it was him that let it out. I have been asked whose responsibility was it to cut the grass, we have lived here for 2 years and no one has been round to cut it. I could understand if he was elderly or infirm but he was in his 30's and perfectly healthy. I have had Clients bring Gas and Lecky Bills in for us to pay, Im sorry we dont pay those they are your responsibility, no one told me is the usual reply, its in the Sub Licence you signed is mine. Got a call once from a Client moaning about the state of his sofa, so I asked the Owner (again a private Landlord) of the flat to go around and have a look, he called me and advised me that our client couldnt be bothered to get an ashtray and used to put his spliffs out on the arm of the sofa. I have evicted Clients for rent arrears who have stood up in Court and admitted to the Judge that they couldnt be bothered to fill in a Housing Benefit form that I had posted to him with a letter saying fill this in and put in in the pre paid envelope to me and I will get to our HB team to ensure your account stays up to date so you are not evicted. A wheel chair bound client was arrested for having £4k in cash in a big bag of crack in his flat, why is he in a wheel chair for the rest of his life and peeing into a plastic bag? Because a crack dealer shot him in the back for being a crack dealer. Evicted a "Man" a few years ago, he had bashed his wife and had been doing so for years, she finally gets the courage to call the Police who come around and arrest him, their 16yo son then bashes his own Mum for calling the Police on his Dad :shock: . She got an injunction against her Husband and the Son went to live with Dad so due to the 16 yo being a Minor we had to house them. We housed her elsewhere and then told him to go back to the old house which he refused to as he was now in fear of violence from the neighbours after he had bashed his Wife, yes he stood up in Court and said that. This has just ended up as a bit of a rant really, sorry :oops: .

All of the above is balanced out by helping Families genuinely in need, which I do enjoy doing.

Anonymous

Stewie Griffin wrote:

I havent been chased with a bat yet Bigflange but have had neighbours knocking on my door for "advice". Visited a property very recently and asked them why the back door had a whopping great hole kicked out of it "So the dog could get in and out", but this isnt your House, its Temporary Accommodation that belongs to a Private Landlord and you are only here short term. "Yeah but its really annoying to keep getting up to open the door to let him in". I have had a Homeless Family reject temporary accommodation because it had no TV. I have been shouted at numerous times by the Mothers of pregnant teenagers not happy with the offer of emergency accommodation, but you are the one kicking her out, what do you care where we house her Im not allowed to ask. Was verbally abused outside Court (which has never bothered me, call me what you like, I really dont give a Monkeys) by a Lady that I had been granted a Possession Order against recently for rent arrears. Do you remember starting work and not advising Housing Benefit? Well thats Fraud and Housing Benefit have clawed the money back from your rent account so its your fault not mine. Visited a single Mum once, went into the bathroom to look for signs of Fraud (too many toothbrushes for Members in the household, Mens clothes in the Laundry, shaving stuff). There was nothing obvious so I turned around only to see him wrapped in the shower curtain standing on the end of the bath with just his face sticking out, we stood there looking at each other and I think he thought that if he stood stock still that I wouldnt see him. On another occasion a 3 year old boy advised us that Daddy was hiding in the loft (thankfully his Mum didnt hear) neither of those two are relevant but made me laugh at the time. Found a Mentally ill Clients flat had been sub let, he cant be that ill we all thought, he was but a member of his Family had taken control of the flat and it was him that let it out. I have been asked whose responsibility was it to cut the grass, we have lived here for 2 years and no one has been round to cut it. I could understand if he was elderly or infirm but he was in his 30's and perfectly healthy. I have had Clients bring Gas and Lecky Bills in for us to pay, Im sorry we dont pay those they are your responsibility, no one told me is the usual reply, its in the Sub Licence you signed is mine. Got a call once from a Client moaning about the state of his sofa, so I asked the Owner (again a private Landlord) of the flat to go around and have a look, he called me and advised me that our client couldnt be bothered to get an ashtray and used to put his spliffs out on the arm of the sofa. I have evicted Clients for rent arrears who have stood up in Court and admitted to the Judge that they couldnt be bothered to fill in a Housing Benefit form that I had posted to him with a letter saying fill this in and put in in the pre paid envelope to me and I will get to our HB team to ensure your account stays up to date so you are not evicted. A wheel chair bound client was arrested for having £4k in cash in a big bag of crack in his flat, why is he in a wheel chair for the rest of his life and peeing into a plastic bag? Because a crack dealer shot him in the back for being a crack dealer. Evicted a "Man" a few years ago, he had bashed his wife and had been doing so for years, she finally gets the courage to call the Police who come around and arrest him, their 16yo son then bashes his own Mum for calling the Police on his Dad :shock: . She got an injunction against her Husband and the Son went to live with Dad so due to the 16 yo being a Minor we had to house them. We housed her elsewhere and then told him to go back to the old house which he refused to as he was now in fear of violence from the neighbours after he had bashed his Wife, yes he stood up in Court and said that. This has just ended up as a bit of a rant really, sorry :oops: .

All of the above is balanced out by helping Families genuinely in need, which I do enjoy doing.

How do you stay sane, I'd be sniping at scum from a tower by now.

Stewie Griffin

They made me take my tower down as I didnt have planning permission .

Frank the tank

Another thing that irks.

I've worked all my life since leaning school 32years ago and have been fortunate to have never been unemployed. Therefore I've paid my full wack of taxes and N.I. etc. I've also managed to save a moderate amount aswell as purchase my property.

If however I were to find myself unemployed I'd be entitled to JACK SH1T by way of temporary safety net support. Whereas those in the keep net of lifetime support having never done a turn since they emerged from the womb can just carry on dragging from the pool of benefits my taxes have been good enough to provide.

Anonymous

Frank the tank wrote:

Another thing that irks.

I've worked all my life since leaning school 32years ago and have been fortunate to have never been unemployed. Therefore I've paid my full wack of taxes and N.I. etc. I've also managed to save a moderate amount aswell as purchase my property.

If however I were to find myself unemployed I'd be entitled to JACK SH1T by way of temporary safety net support. Whereas those in the keep net of lifetime support having never done a turn since they emerged from the womb can just carry on dragging from the pool of benefits my taxes have been good enough to provide.

You put my thoughts into words.

Tax breaks for those who have put in, lower council tax and free booze.

Frank the tank

dmclite wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

Another thing that irks.

I've worked all my life since leaning school 32years ago and have been fortunate to have never been unemployed. Therefore I've paid my full wack of taxes and N.I. etc. I've also managed to save a moderate amount aswell as purchase my property.

If however I were to find myself unemployed I'd be entitled to JACK SH1T by way of temporary safety net support. Whereas those in the keep net of lifetime support having never done a turn since they emerged from the womb can just carry on dragging from the pool of benefits my taxes have been good enough to provide.

You put my thoughts into words.

Tax breaks for those who have put in, lower council tax and free booze.

There's a general election looming, are you going to stand my owd?

finchy

Maybe the problem boils down to the fact that the British just don't realise how lucky we are to have been born in the modern age in a developed country. Everyone seems to think they're so unlucky, so hard done by, but look at the start we have in life, and then look at the achievements of this man, despite far greater obstacles to overcome:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8257153.stm

(seriously, this is a really inspiring story, he should be paid to go around schools and tell it)

Anonymous

Frank the tank wrote:

dmclite wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

Another thing that irks.

I've worked all my life since leaning school 32years ago and have been fortunate to have never been unemployed. Therefore I've paid my full wack of taxes and N.I. etc. I've also managed to save a moderate amount aswell as purchase my property.

If however I were to find myself unemployed I'd be entitled to JACK SH1T by way of temporary safety net support. Whereas those in the keep net of lifetime support having never done a turn since they emerged from the womb can just carry on dragging from the pool of benefits my taxes have been good enough to provide.

You put my thoughts into words.

Tax breaks for those who have put in, lower council tax and free booze.

There's a general election looming, are you going to stand my owd?

"my owd ", sorry, translation please. Please excuse my ignorance.

Frank the tank

It translates as my old. A term of endearment to a friend 'round these parts.

As in "how ya goin' on my owd tater?"

Anonymous

Ahh, thank you Frank. Can't think too much about all the wrong in this thread, drives me mental.

berliner

hoo haa!!!

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d17_1254449597

guilliano

volvicspar wrote:

Easy fix number 2: If the person is deemed able to work (even if they are wheelchair bound) any kind of state aid is dependant on doing a job that is necessary, such as graffiti cleaning, litter picking, database compilation, envelope sticking...... anything that is either necessary for local council, or for local companies unable to find suitable workers (the company could part fund while the job is being done)

As for prisons..... make them a place of punishment. No TV, radio, playstation etc in cells. Whilst inside all prisoners have educational needs assessments and are trained to do whatever jobs the country is struggling to fill. On release they either take these jobs or stay in prison, but with no priviledges.

That is an absolutely fantastic idea, right up until the point where you get made redundant, and have to sign on to go and do your old job for £63 a week because your employer has worked out its cheaper to employ someone on benifits. :roll:

That would be £63 a week, plus housing and council tax benefits...... so therefore more than minimum wage

Anonymous

guilliano wrote:

volvicspar wrote:

Easy fix number 2: If the person is deemed able to work (even if they are wheelchair bound) any kind of state aid is dependant on doing a job that is necessary, such as graffiti cleaning, litter picking, database compilation, envelope sticking...... anything that is either necessary for local council, or for local companies unable to find suitable workers (the company could part fund while the job is being done)

As for prisons..... make them a place of punishment. No TV, radio, playstation etc in cells. Whilst inside all prisoners have educational needs assessments and are trained to do whatever jobs the country is struggling to fill. On release they either take these jobs or stay in prison, but with no priviledges.

That is an absolutely fantastic idea, right up until the point where you get made redundant, and have to sign on to go and do your old job for £63 a week because your employer has worked out its cheaper to employ someone on benifits. :roll:

That would be £63 a week, plus housing and council tax benefits...... so therefore more than minimum wage

Ban skivers from smoking. They can't possibly afford it and the NHS would see the benefit.

volvicspar

guilliano wrote:

That would be £63 a week, plus housing and council tax benefits...... so therefore more than minimum wage

So you like working for the NMW then ?

Cressers

A line from a Clash song comes to mind... "Imagine if all the boys in jail, could get out now together, whaddaya think they'd want to say to us, while we was being...clever"

What would the people whos' lives you would wish to regiment think of you with your £2000 bikes and your Rapha gear and your contemptous attitudes to your fellow citizens?

They may well conclude that some of you deserve a stick jammed through your carbon spokes as you whizz by. And I'd agree with them.

Frank the tank

Cressers wrote:

A line from a Clash song comes to mind... "Imagine if all the boys in jail, could get out now together, whaddaya think they'd want to say to us, while we was being...clever"

What would the people whos' lives you would wish to regiment think of you with your £2000 bikes and your Rapha gear and your contemptous attitudes to your fellow citizens?

They may well conclude that some of you deserve a stick jammed through your carbon spokes as you whizz by. And I'd agree with them.

I have no problem with the concept and very good intentions behind the benefits system, and a lot of people are quite rightly supported by them. I do however have a problem with people who set their stall out to never do a days turn and expect benefits as a right,

One that's not been talked of is the child care benefit to subsidise nursery places. I believe you shouldn't have children 'til you can afford for one of the parents to be off work until the child is old enough to go to primary school.

There are a lot of wealthy people both in good jobs who get assistance with nursery costs that come out of my tax pound, why should this be?

guilliano

volvicspar wrote:

guilliano wrote:

That would be £63 a week, plus housing and council tax benefits...... so therefore more than minimum wage

So you like working for the NMW then ?

Well I don't earn much more than it working in a bike shop. I can't afford a flat of my own. I think that the option of keeping a flat that's being paid for by the state, having my council tax paid and having £63 a week left sounds quite appealing

Anonymous

Frank the tank wrote:

Cressers wrote:

A line from a Clash song comes to mind... "Imagine if all the boys in jail, could get out now together, whaddaya think they'd want to say to us, while we was being...clever"

What would the people whos' lives you would wish to regiment think of you with your £2000 bikes and your Rapha gear and your contemptous attitudes to your fellow citizens?

They may well conclude that some of you deserve a stick jammed through your carbon spokes as you whizz by. And I'd agree with them.

I have no problem with the concept and very good intentions behind the benefits system, and a lot of people are quite rightly supported by them. I do however have a problem with people who set their stall out to never do a days turn and expect benefits as a right,

One that's not been talked of is the child care benefit to subsidise nursery places. I believe you shouldn't have children 'til you can afford for one of the parents to be off work until the child is old enough to go to primary school.

There are a lot of wealthy people both in good jobs who get assistance with nursery costs that come out of my tax pound, why should this be?

The whole system is rotten. Realistically, you have to look after your own, provide and work for your family and keep your integrity. I have made a fair amount of my own luck and worked hard, unpacked boxes in a warehouse for 3 years on 12 hour shifts when I left the army. I think chemical birth control for a lot of people would not be a bad thing.
Also alluding to franks point of double income wealthy families getting nursery subsidies, they should be pay their own way if they choose to both work, it should be a choice, not a right.

volvicspar

guilliano just because you don't mind working for NMW doesn't mean every body else does. If we have people working for their benefits that will completely undermine the very system you are working to protect. The real problem is our economic system is wrong from the begining, endless growth can't happen. Benefit cheats/scum are just a very thin veneer over much more serious problems.

finchy

Frank the tank wrote:

1) One that's not been talked of is the child care benefit to subsidise nursery places. I believe you shouldn't have children 'til you can afford for one of the parents to be off work until the child is old enough to go to primary school.

2) There are a lot of wealthy people both in good jobs who get assistance with nursery costs that come out of my tax pound, why should this be?

Point 1 - given how much it costs to buy or rent a house these days, your way of thinking would mean that the majority of young couples wouldn't be able to have a baby until... well, until it's too late really. It's very unfair that people of your generation, who lived at a time when hard work would usually = rewards, such as being able to afford a house, are now saying that today's young parents should, on the top of horrendously expensive property prices (which aren't our fault), now be made to pay through the nose for things that your generation took for granted.

Point 2 - of course benefits like this should be means-tested.

Frank the tank

The reason I was able to afford a house when I was 25 was because quite sensibly you could only borrow three times the amount of the main bread winners salary.

I used to take home £500/month my mortgage re-payments + endowments :twisted: were £236 then of course I had all the other bills etc. I used to work long hours 7days/nights a week but my wife was at home to look after our first child.

I suggest it's greed on behalf of the financial institutions and individuals that have forced the cost of housing up. It should have been capped by government. In some respects what the housing market is going through at the moment is correcting itself.

I'm currently in a position at work where the workforce is having the sh1t kicked out of it as the company exploit the current downturn.

finchy

Frank the tank wrote:

The reason I was able to afford a house when I was 25 was because quite sensibly you could only borrow three times the amount of the main bread winners salary.

I used to take home £500/month my mortgage re-payments + endowments :twisted: were £236 then of course I had all the other bills etc. I used to work long hours 7days/nights a week but my wife was at home to look after our first child.

I suggest it's greed on behalf of the financial institutions and individuals that have forced the cost of housing up. It should have been capped by government. In some respects what the housing market is going through at the moment is correcting itself.

I'm currently in a position at work where the workforce is having the sh1t kicked out of it as the company exploit the current downturn.

Yes, you're right that the 3x the income rule was sensible. Unfortunately, that has gone, and people at the age of 25 would never be able to afford anything, even a shoe box sized flat, on one wage these days. (BTW please don't think I begrudge you your house - like I say, I think that's your reward for hard work). Personally I'm trying to emigrate, as I know that I'll never be able to afford a house in this country now, even with the fall in prices.

That's the world that has been created by, among other things, the selling-off of council houses, lax financial regulations and borrowers who were willing to borrow vast amounts of money, a government that seems more interested in upholding construction industry profits rather than urban re-generation, second home ownership and an obsession with property as an investment - thanks very much, Daily Mail, Channel 4 and BBC :evil: .

So what's your employer doing then? Unpaid overtime, stuff like that?

dilemna

johnfinch wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

The reason I was able to afford a house when I was 25 was because quite sensibly you could only borrow three times the amount of the main bread winners salary.

I used to take home £500/month my mortgage re-payments + endowments :twisted: were £236 then of course I had all the other bills etc. I used to work long hours 7days/nights a week but my wife was at home to look after our first child.

I suggest it's greed on behalf of the financial institutions and individuals that have forced the cost of housing up. It should have been capped by government. In some respects what the housing market is going through at the moment is correcting itself.

I'm currently in a position at work where the workforce is having the sh1t kicked out of it as the company exploit the current downturn.

Yes, you're right that the 3x the income rule was sensible. Unfortunately, that has gone, and people at the age of 25 would never be able to afford anything, even a shoe box sized flat, on one wage these days. (BTW please don't think I begrudge you your house - like I say, I think that's your reward for hard work). Personally I'm trying to emigrate, as I know that I'll never be able to afford a house in this country now, even with the fall in prices.

That's the world that has been created by, among other things, the selling-off of council houses, lax financial regulations and borrowers who were willing to borrow vast amounts of money, a government that seems more interested in upholding construction industry profits rather than urban re-generation, second home ownership and an obsession with property as an investment - thanks very much, Daily Mail, Channel 4 and BBC :evil: .

So what's your employer doing then? Unpaid overtime, stuff like that?

You seem to be giving the impression that the world owes you everything. Things are a lot easier today than they were 20, 30 or 40 years ago. People still struggled to pay rent and home owner ship was a lot less common. Wages were a fraction of what they are today. Interests rates and inflation were much much higher. Many lost their homes in the late eighties and early nineties.

To buy my first property I worked and saved my arse off. I don't drink. All my colleagues would go to the pub at lunch time or after work and would spend £100 on just a saturday night alone getting plastered and pissing their money up the wall. They then came into work the next day or monday morning still drunk or hung over and wondered why they had no money........ I mean what air heads. Today every young person wants everything handed to them on a plate. Well I've got news for you, you'll have to work for it. I bought my first house at 32. I now have low mortage repayments as I view financial security by making capital repayments as a much higher priority than wasting my money going down the pub or clubbing on a saturday night and getting recked or buying the latest playstation or 6ft by 4 ft flat screen tv at silly money prices. A lot of people are air heads when it comes to making tough decisions to safeguard their futures. What gets me is all these benefit cheats/scroungers can afford to smoke 60 a day, drink copious amounts of alcohol, have the newest gadgets and tvs in their fully expensed houses/flats and eat take aways several times a week. They all wear new top of the range trainers and clothes as well. They breed like rabbits to increase their benefit payments. Their lifestyles are all being financed from taxation. They have not done a days work in their lives.

finchy

dilemna wrote:

You seem to be giving the impression that the world owes you everything. Things are a lot easier today than they were 20, 30 or 40 years ago. People still struggled to pay rent and home owner ship was a lot less common. Wages were a fraction of what they are today. Interests rates and inflation were much much higher. Many lost their homes in the late eighties and early nineties.

To buy my first property I worked and saved my ars* off. I don't drink. All my colleagues would go to the pub at lunch time or after work and would spend £100 on just a saturday night alone getting plastered and pissing their money up the wall. They then came into work the next day or monday morning still drunk or hung over and wondered why they had no money........ I mean what air heads. Today every young person wants everything handed to them on a plate. Well I've got news for you, you'll have to work for it. I bought my first house at 32. I now have low mortage repayments as I view financial security by making capital repayments as a much higher priority than wasting my money going down the pub or clubbing on a saturday night and getting recked or buying the latest playstation or 6ft by 4 ft flat screen tv at silly money prices

Hey, I never said that I think that the world owes me anything, I've always worked, although I did have a period of about 3 months unemployed. At the moment I go out and do a badly-paid, mind-numbing job (and have been doing so for the last 16 months) because I can't find anything in line with my qualifications and experience. I very rarely drink, don't smoke, don't have a TV (I do have a laptop which I bought to do work on), the only new clothes I've bought in the past year are one shirt (£5) and 10 pairs of socks (also £5). I try to save as much as possible (I wouldn't even buy a new front mech for my bike for about 6 months until I found one for £20), but of course, I'm not over 30 yet, so obviously I must just want to get it all handed to me on a plate :roll: . House prices were, very recently, more expensive than they've ever been. Have a look at these figures which show historical house prices adjusted to inflation

http://www.mortgageguideuk.co.uk/housin ... index.html

Do you still think it's easier today to buy a house?

I'm happy to work for whatever I can get in life, but I can't afford to leave my family home to buy a house in the UK, and rent would just wipe out pretty much all of my income.

Actually, wait a minute, the world does owe me something - I'm prepared to go out and work hard, and I just want to be able to afford a house. Anything wrong with that?

guilliano

volvicspar wrote:

guilliano just because you don't mind working for NMW doesn't mean every body else does. If we have people working for their benefits that will completely undermine the very system you are working to protect. The real problem is our economic system is wrong from the begining, endless growth can't happen. Benefit cheats/scum are just a very thin veneer over much more serious problems.

So what are you saying? That people on long term unemployment benefits should have the choice to not work and carry on having everything paid for? My point is that people who have been unemployed for 6 months and having rent and council tax paid for them by tax payers should be forced to fill jobs locally to continue claiming their benefits. The employer can help fund this by paying the benefits system the same amount they advertise the job's wage at. After the usual 3 month probation period they can then opt to take on the person full time meaning a stop to the benefits.

I also never said i LIKED working for the low wage I earn, but I like working as apposed to claiming benefits (which I could easily have slipped into after spending 6 months or more off sick with bi-polar). I am working and riding my way to a recovery in an industry I care about. I won't stay in it forever.... I have the experience to do something in a higher wage bracket, but as I still suffer bouts of pretty severe bi-polar behavior I will continue to work in a bike shop and indulge my love of all things cycle related until such time as I feel I have recovered sufficiently to use my skills in a suitable job.

Frank the tank

I've only ever committed one crime in my life, that of being working class, and for most it's a life sentence.

We will all struggle to make ends meet and we will always be exploited by employers (especially in times of recession. "There's fifty men up the road who'd like your job" As they increase your working day/week whilst reducing your wages).

There are so many "unjust" things in society but no-one ever said life was supposed to be fair. I accept in my life I have been very fortunate to have had full employment in a skilled job since leaving school 32 years ago. But I still have a fair few years to do before I pack my tools away for a final time and unfortunately I see nothing but tough times ahead.

Never thought I'd say this but, I'm glad I'm not 21.

verylonglegs

dilemna wrote:

You seem to be giving the impression that the world owes you everything. Things are a lot easier today than they were 20, 30 or 40 years ago. People still struggled to pay rent and home owner ship was a lot less common. Wages were a fraction of what they are today. Interests rates and inflation were much much higher. Many lost their homes in the late eighties and early nineties.

Sorry, that statement is a bit too broad and quite wrong if you take into account the family I grew up in. My dad was a fireman, only he worked while mum stayed at home to look after me and my 2 brothers. On the old man's single wage they bought with a mortgage a 3 bed bungalow. A firemans wage around here now wouldn't even be enough for a one bedroom flat let alone entertaining the idea of bringing up a family. Oh and your point of higher inflation is actually beneficial as far as debts go, it erodes them quicker.