Christmas is not all roses - sometimes it is guns

Stress and other matters: This year when we went to get the Raffle draw done at the Police Station it was very quiet. I said to the person with me that some years we have crying children and woman after being bashed up, drunks etc. As we know Xmas can be very stressful for some and it is the worst time of the year for places like the Women's Refuge.

We have another couple of horrific cases.

One 5 year old dead and in the other a 9 year old being basically tortured.

Sadly sometimes children are wanted for the benefits that dependent children bring; priority for housing, extra income, and parents not having to work. They are not wanted in the usual sense but are seen as meal-tickets.

Whilst the vast majority on a benefit don't stay on it all their life and are soon generally self-supporting there is a hard core largish minority that are a real problem.

Meal-ticket children are hostages to their parent's or caregiver's lifestyles. We know that funding cannot be withdrawn from these parents because the child will suffer. A phenomenon we are now seeing is like the the Kahui case - older women in their 30's 'shacking up' with young teenage boys and having their children. Then moving on to a new person to breed some more.

So what is the answer ?

I believe that we have to withdraw the children from these "families" and any hangers on (putting them with the whanua is often the worst option, although the 'do gooders' think the opposite). Once they are taken away the person must be directed to work - even if it is a 'make work' job.

As if the child isn't suffering anyway. Living in environments with gang associations that bring a culture of violence, alcohol and drug abuse; sexual and incestuous abuse.

These children exist in their hundreds, if not in their thousands.

It seems that the more that 'poor' families are paid to look after their children, the more abuse has occurred so if more money isn't curing the problem perhaps it is time to ask if more money is exacerbating it?

Grandparents raising grandchildren will tell of bitter custody battles with their own offspring (frequently drug or alcohol addicted) intent on keeping children in their care merely to advance their chosen lifestyle - receiving a state income with no obligation to do anything for it.

Between a third and a half of people receiving the DPB became a parent in their teens when a benefit income guarantees more than an unskilled job. This group has been shown to have the longest duration of stay on welfare often adding more children, and more income, to their benefit. The incidence of abuse amongst non-working families is around four times higher than among working families.

While the taxpayer must assist parents experiencing a crisis or losing the support of a partner it should not be an open-ended lifetime income.

But it won't happen.