If you ever wonder where all your tax money is going, here is a true story that has happened to someone I know quite well that just might give you a few clues.
I know this guy, let's call him "George" ( changed to protect the innocent ) who is middle aged and unemployed. I've known George for a few years now and although I would not say that we are best of friends, I certainly don't harbour any ill feeling towards him and we have always got along reasonably well.
Now George is not the kind of person to just sit and home and do nothing with his unemployed time, so he spends a lot of time out and about trying to occupy himself whilst also looking for full time work.
As Eddie Murphy ( or Axle Foley ) might say, like most normal people in his lifetime he has "fractured the occasional law", however I remain under the same impression of him as I had back when I first met him, which is that, by and large, he is mostly harmless.
Now when I saw George the other day he had a sorry tale to tell of his latest run in with the D.S.S. office. Apparently a little over a month ago they received a serious enough tip off that they decided he was worth placing under investigation.
So, for four entire weeks, they secretly followed his every movement. They followed him to his friends, his families, the shops and he has to admit that on one occasion did actually witness him partaking in a days casual part time work
Thus it was that when he was called in for a disciplinary hearing with his D.S.S. officer they read back to him his entire last months movements and whereabouts. It did not matter if it was leaving his house at 10am or arriving home after a late night with friends at 2am they knew everything.
Which meant that at least two people ( either together or rotating in shifts ) were being paid to watch him around the clock, not to mention having all their meals and travel ( be it train fare or petrol and parking ) paid for out of taxpayers money for a full four weeks.
Now I have never been paid for 24 hour surveillance work, but I cannot imagine a person accepting less than £100 for the lousy shift work. Plus at least £10 for meals / refreshments and a further £10 for travelling costs. So in my very rough estimation it would cost on average £220 a day to have him followed, totalling £6,600 for the entire months operation.
Then factoring in the relevant back office organisation, head office authorisation and general filing costs I have to say I very much doubt it could be done for less than £8,000.
Having been spotted doing a half days weekend work on one occasion he was penalised and forced to pay back a single weeks D.S.S. allowance, which was around £60.
Daily surveillance cost = £220. Total surveillance operation cost = £8,000. Fine awarded £60.
Q.E.D.
No wonder this whole country is as fecked up as it is with insanity like this rife in everyday life !!!
No comments:
Post a Comment