Now it's the government's turn to become tight-fisted about the money it doles out for the needy about to make a First Communion or a Confirmation.
Joan Burton is taking a long, hard look at how much the Exchequeur is giving to social welfare recipients to cover the cost of the Big Day.
The State is suffering from empty pockets, and those looking to cut back on expenditures are wondering if the government really needs to give a family E242 to pay for clothes for the kiddies.
In Ireland, the whole Communion/Confirmation business has gotten out of hand, becoming occasions for lavish and over-the-top spending. Fine if you've got the cash, but for those on the dole, it's the taxpayers' cash funding a religious event that wasn't ever meant to resemble a miniature wedding.
Community welfare officers are going to reduce the stipend to E110. It's enough to buy a new set of clothes for the guest of honor, which falls into line with the Church's take on the explosion of expenses related to the religious observance. In other words, quit worrying about putting on a holy show and concentrate on God.
Those with the ready cash, however, will continue to try to out-do one another.
And those at the bottom will complain mightily, that they can't have what someone else has.
Those would be the Sinn Fein supporters.
2 comments:
I am catholic but I must ask, Why should the state pay anything towards a catholic service? The church can give to people who are finding it difficult to make the occassion special. You would not see this in any other country, it would be funny if the cost was not serious
The State isn't paying anything for the service, but for the finery.
As those who found success in the boom years started displaying that success on their children's backs, those who were left at the bottom wanted the same expensive show.
Social justice dictates equality, and what better way to buy the voters than with prezzies?
No wonder, so, that the country's skint and the Germans aren't keen to fund the bail out.
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