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Chat => General => Topic started by: goldencup on September 10, 2007, 11:03:40 am

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on September 10, 2007, 11:03:40 am

Every pregnant women in the UK is to be given cash for fruit and vegetables to boost the health of their unborn child.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson will announce the plan for a "Health in Pregnancy Grant" in a speech outlining plans to reduce health inequalities between the richest and poorest in England and Wales.

The Department of Health hopes to have the scheme in operation by about 2009.

The cash will be given to all mothers seven months into their pregnancy, accompanied by professional health advice on maintaining a balanced diet. Women will be encouraged to spend the money on fruit and vegetables.

OK - who thinks this cash will actually be spent on healthy food?  Surely vouchers would be a better idea?

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 10, 2007, 02:34:51 pm

Good idea in principle but as you say, it should be vouchers.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: wjp666 on September 10, 2007, 04:34:22 pm

it'll all be spent on fags and such.

 

as for vouchers, if you go into any Co-Op, they will still (to this day) exchange milk tokens for ANYTHING in the shop, which kind of defeats the purpose, really.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: oldspice on September 10, 2007, 06:12:27 pm

I am in favour of vouchers, although seven months into the pregnancy seems too late to me.  The vouchers should be exchanged only for fruit and veg. 

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 11, 2007, 08:28:17 am

This does seem to be a hair-brained scheme.  How will the authorities ensure it will be spent on fruit and veg and not fizzzy drinks, scratch cards and pizza?  Vouchers would have been the answer. 

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 11, 2007, 09:11:02 am

Keeping their legs shut and practising chasteness is the answer for under 16 year olds.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 11, 2007, 09:36:20 am

I don't agree with giving them cash or vouchers.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 11, 2007, 01:15:02 pm

It is a sad indictment on our society that the government thinks that people need to be given money in order to feed themselves properly.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on September 11, 2007, 06:08:34 pm

Quote from: bounty hunter

It is a sad indictment on our society that the government thinks that people need to be given money in order to feed themselves properly.

 

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: wjp666 on September 12, 2007, 03:09:07 am

 indeed

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 12, 2007, 10:15:27 am

If they feel responsible enough to have sex and then to have kids then they should take responsibility to eat.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: wjp666 on September 12, 2007, 04:10:12 pm

i'll say it again...

 

 indeed

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: spira_lover on September 21, 2007, 06:09:02 pm

This is a ridiculous idea, the money could go on something much more worthwhile, such as the NHS. However if it was to go ahead, they should be vouchers, if it was money then all the teenage mothers would just get cigarettes, and teenage mothers are already enough of a drain on our society without giving them more money!!

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 21, 2007, 10:24:53 pm

Just deliver them a fruit and veg basket once a week and see how long it is before they say they don't want it anymore.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 22, 2007, 12:46:09 am

Quote from: spira_lover

This is a ridiculous idea, the money could go on something much more worthwhile, such as the NHS. However if it was to go ahead, they should be vouchers, if it was money then all the teenage mothers would just get cigarettes, and teenage mothers are already enough of a drain on our society without giving them more money!!

 

Yes, I'm sure every single one of them deliberately got pregnant just to be 'a drain on society' and annoy you.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 22, 2007, 10:46:33 am

To deliberately annoy others would involve a concerted effort on their part. That simply isn't going to happen.
Drain society? Yes they are amongst that sub-class of people that now exists in Britain expecting the world to pay them their living.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 22, 2007, 06:02:55 pm

Methinks someone's trying to rile me.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 23, 2007, 07:02:00 pm

Quote from: spira_lover

This is a ridiculous idea, the money could go on something much more worthwhile, such as the NHS. However if it was to go ahead, they should be vouchers, if it was money then all the teenage mothers would just get cigarettes, and teenage mothers are already enough of a drain on our society without giving them more money!!

I fully agree.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 24, 2007, 09:13:39 pm

Okay, this is probably exactly what some of you want, but I have to say it - I am shocked and very disappointed at some of the attitudes on here.

1) Goldencup's original post says the cash will be given to ALL mothers. No mention of single or teenage mothers was made.

2) I am sure some mothers are irresponsible enough to smoke through their pregnancy, but surely anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see that suggesting ALL pregnant women will spend all this money on cigarettes is ridiculous?

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 24, 2007, 09:32:56 pm

It's the ones who don't even smoke that I feel sorry for!
I mean, couldn't the Govt just give them fruit and veg vouchers instead of money for ciggies? paulham2007-09-24 20:33:30

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 24, 2007, 10:39:34 pm

Surely a lot of pregnant women don't need the 200.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on September 25, 2007, 09:58:13 am

Quote from: loulou

Surely a lot of pregnant women don't need the 200.

 

True, like a lot of pensioners don't actually need a free bus pass - don't get me on that one!  Just watch all our Council Taxes soar next year.  I think all these things should be means tested.  At one of the organisations I belong to, the over 60's pay half the subscription that the rest of us do (50 instead of 100)  yet they have far more money than the younger members.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 25, 2007, 02:56:21 pm

You may not be aware, but from now on pensioners will have to apply for their free bus pass (at least in the West Midlands - I don't know if this is national yet), so those that don't need them simply won't apply. I think this is far more effective than means testing and I would be very disappointed to see this come in for free bus passes.

Lou - I agree the fruit and veg money could be means tested, but then the people who are eligible would probably the single and teenage mums you have such a low opinion of...

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 25, 2007, 06:18:32 pm

If a teenager becomes pregnant and cannot afford to have the baby then take it off her. Young girls see having a baby as an easy option to getting housing and benefits because they don't want to work. Why should they be given from the state when they have not paid anything in.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 25, 2007, 07:58:02 pm

Couldn't they just give them the coupons from the cigarette packets instead?

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 25, 2007, 09:06:20 pm

Give them seeds and let them grow their own veg.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 25, 2007, 09:18:03 pm

Hemp seeds?

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on September 26, 2007, 10:10:42 am

Quote from: smurfboy

You may not be aware, but from now on pensioners will have to apply for their free bus pass (at least in the West Midlands - I don't know if this is national yet), so those that don't need them simply won't apply. I think this is far more effective than means testing and I would be very disappointed to see this come in for free bus passes.

 

They have to apply for them here too and believe me, EVERYBODY does.  So now they have had to stop loads of the school buses because the Council can't afford to run them, even though we pay through the nose for them.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 26, 2007, 03:17:23 pm

'Young girls see having a baby as an easy option' - what, all of them?

'They have to apply for them here too and believe me, EVERYBODY does' - you asked every pensioner in county did you?

Thank heavens no one is indulging in sweeping generalisations.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on September 28, 2007, 12:00:20 am

Ooooooh!!!  Smurfy, you are so easy to wind up.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 28, 2007, 01:31:02 am

I used to be until a single mother stole my handle.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 28, 2007, 11:30:16 am

[/QUOTE]

 

They have to apply for them here too and believe me, EVERYBODY does.  So now they have had to stop loads of the school buses because the Council can't afford to run them, even though we pay through the nose for them.

[/QUOTE]

 

Here they do not bother with many school buses because there were so few kids using them and the ones who were using them did too much vandalism.  Nowadays they all seem to arrive in taxis or their parents drop them off.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on September 28, 2007, 06:32:34 pm

Quote from: loulou

 

They have to apply for them here too and believe me, EVERYBODY does.  So now they have had to stop loads of the school buses because the Council can't afford to run them, even though we pay through the nose for them.

[/QUOTE]

 

Here they do not bother with many school buses because there were so few kids using them and the ones who were using them did too much vandalism.  Nowadays they all seem to arrive in taxis or their parents drop them off.

[/QUOTE]

 

What a sad state of affairs.  Presumably their parents don't work then.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 29, 2007, 02:13:09 pm

I have noticed when the schools are on holiday the roads are a lot quieter so maybe the parents don't work or maybe they are in jobs where they start late. I know a lot of people who don't start work until 10am.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 29, 2007, 03:02:34 pm

A lot of mothers I know work part-time so they can take their children to school and save them from coming home to an empty house.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on September 29, 2007, 03:28:09 pm

I think that is such a good idea.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: on September 29, 2007, 04:51:27 pm

 

Quote from: loulou

I know a lot of people who don't start work until 10am.

The ridiculous thing is that they are in the place for 8:30 AM.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on September 29, 2007, 11:48:43 pm

Quote from: smurfboy

A lot of mothers I know work part-time so they can take their children to school and save them from coming home to an empty house.

 

The second part is fine but why put lots more cars on the road unnecessarily.  My son is 16 Smurfy - are you saying I still shouldn't work?  His school is nearly five miles away and there is no public bus.

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on September 30, 2007, 01:30:48 pm

Of course I'm not saying you shouldn't work - but you seem to be saying that any parent who can take their child to school doesn't! I am just pointing out that some women arrange to work part-time to allow them to take their children to school, and I don't think they should be criticised for that. Working full-time when your youngest child is 16 is very different to doing so when they're five or six - and yes, I know some people have to do that, but I don't see why that means we should knock the ones who don't.

 

You criticise people for putting more cars on the road unnecessarily, then in the same breath say that there are no school buses in your area. Why do you assume all these other women are just selfishly putting big bad cars on the road? Couldn't it possibly be that they are just in the same situation as you?

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on October 01, 2007, 09:24:00 am

Are you having a bad day Smurfy?

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: loulou on October 01, 2007, 10:09:29 am

GC do you drive the school bus?

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on October 01, 2007, 03:06:37 pm

Quote from: goldencup

Are you having a bad day Smurfy?

Nah, I'm just naturally an argumentative so and so

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: goldencup on October 01, 2007, 03:46:30 pm

Quote from: smurfboy

Quote from: goldencup

Are you having a bad day Smurfy?

Nah, I'm just naturally an argumentative so and so

 

We'd never have noticed!

Title: Cash for Pregnant Mothers
Post by: smurfboy on October 01, 2007, 04:26:49 pm