Free Republic

Britain’s welfare system is ‘bust’ and faces its most radical overhaul for 60 years to undo Labour’s legacy of benefit dependency, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has declared. The former Tory leader vowed to end the scandal that means welfare claimants are no better off – and sometimes poorer – if they come off the dole to take jobs paying up to £15,000 a year. He also signalled that benefit payments to the middle classes were likely to be pared back in favour of income tax cuts – and the state pension age might have to rise more...

 The Stella Awards The "Stella" awards rank up there with the Darwin awards. In 1994, a New Mexico jury awarded $ 2.9 million U.S. in damages to 81-year-old Stella Lie beck who suffered third-degree burns to herlegs, groin and buttocks after spilling a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself.  This case inspired an annual award - The "Stella" Award - for the most frivolous lawsuit in the U.S. The ones listed below are clear candidates. All these cases are vergingon the outright ridiculous and yet (in the good old USA) with the right  attorney you could win anything!  1. January 2000: Kathleen Robertson of Austin Texas...