Do you support converting welfare and unemployment checks to a direct or guaranteed jobs program? (wages, salaries)

[no1brownsfan]

Originally Posted by Freedom123

Hello Stan,

I think my idea is more geared towards those who still want a safety net.

If one is completely against a safety net, that's fine, but it doesn't really leave any room to debate this type of policy.

Like I said, if you want to get paid, then you have to put in your time.

[Ceece]

While I think there are many who would benefit from this, and welcome the opportunity, there is still the problem of what to do with the children of the recipients and the fact that many wouldn't even have the skill or intelligence to perform said work. Not on my body or my car anyway.

[Casper in Dallas]

Originally Posted by Ceece

While I think there are many who would benefit from this, and welcome the opportunity, there is still the problem of what to do with the children of the recipients and the fact that many wouldn't even have the skill or intelligence to perform said work. Not on my body or my car anyway.

The right does not care about such unimportant details, never have.
Casper

[no1brownsfan]

Originally Posted by Ceece

While I think there are many who would benefit from this, and welcome the opportunity, there is still the problem of what to do with the children of the recipients and the fact that many wouldn't even have the skill or intelligence to perform said work. Not on my body or my car anyway.

But this is why this program could be of great benefit, because it could give people the skills necessary, and therefore become a contributor to society instead of living off of it.

[stan4]

How is this any different than the argument against prisoners doing work...they undercut private sector prices.

[hotair2]

I am not against the idea in theory; however, daycare and transportation would have be issues. Solve those two problems and then I am on board.

[Sharks With Lasers]

Originally Posted by Freedom123

In another thread, I posted the idea of eliminating existing unemployment AND welfare programs (cash, food and public housing) to a direct jobs program using existing funding. Here's how it works:

1. The goal is to give a temporary job in the public/healthcare/nonprofit sector to anyone who wants one.
2. While in the program, employees can train for a permanent career within in-demand fields like nursing, etc.
3. Certain hours off to interview for permanent positions.
4. Child care assistance for non-school age children, but the employee would pay a portion to help prevent abuse.
5. Program would cost $152 billion/yr to give the 7.6 million families in poverty a $20,000 per year job. (We currently spend $456 billion/yr on all combined welfare programs)
6. There would no longer be food stamps or public housing for anyone who isn't disabled or elderly. People could buy their own food and housing with their salary.

Since people must work to receive assistance, and have programs to help them permanently, this seems to cover liberals concerns about helping the poor, and conservatives concerns about giving handouts. Plus, it uses funds already spent in the existing welfare system and will actually cost much less.

For the libertarians out there, we can do this on the state level if you're worried about the feds controlling jobs nationally.

Do you agree with this type of system? Why or why not?

My original post from the other thread is below:

I think the main problem with this is that not all unemployed workers are alike. Some comments here assume that 1) being unemployed means that you don't have currently have skills to compete in the workforce, and 2) that being unemployed means you have messed up somehow. Neither of those are necessarily true; it's just that the employer who the person was working for no longer needs those skills. I think sometimes people forget that the "unemployed" aren't just the "other" people who struggled to get a GED - they are also teachers, police officers, engineers, businesspeople, and yes - sometimes even health care workers.

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by no1brownsfan

But this is why this program could be of great benefit, because it could give people the skills necessary, and therefore become a contributor to society instead of living off of it.

Maybe...or maybe some are just hopeless.

[Strel]

Bring back the CCC.

It was good enough for Grandpa, it's good enough for me.

[no1brownsfan]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Maybe...or maybe some are just hopeless.

This is true. We can't save everybody, but I'd rather do something that just may actually help people, and not just enable them like the current system does, and make us stronger as a society and a nation.