Employer of Last Resort

[jackace]

Why can't the government be the "employer of last resort"?

They are already a "lender of last resort" for the financial industry. They are also essentially giving wall st welfare to remain in business. They are lending them money at or near 0% interest and borrowing that money back at 3-4% interest.

Why not employ people who can't find work and put them to work instead of just paying them unemployment, welfare, etc and requiring no work? Many of these people have good skills and those who don't can still do manual labor. We have all kinds of local, regional, and national infrastructure that could use maintenance, repair, and cleaning. We could even be building new infrastructure to prepare our country for the recovery.

 

[Infohawk]

I would support a law making people do volunteer work to get unemployment. I don't think you'd want them to do work people should be paid for because that would distort the labor market.

 

[nutxo]

I would support a law making people do volunteer work to get unemployment. I don't think you'd want them to do work people should be paid for because that would distort the labor market.

First off I think minimum wage might come into play.

Then there are the unions.....

 

[EagleKeeper]

CCC back a few years ago.

Nowdays, the liberals feel that people should not be forced to work for a handout

 

[Infohawk]

First off I think minimum wage might come into play.

Then there are the unions.....

Yep, this would all require changes in the law. Not like it's gonna happen anyway.

 

[theeedude]

No brainer, better have people working for government improving infrastructure than getting paid unemployment by government to do nothing.

 

[Double Trouble]

Having to put in a days work (assuming you are physically and mentally capable of such of course) to get something from the government seems perfectly reasonable to me, but there seems to be a big segment of the population that believes government welfare and handouts are a basic 'right' and should never come with strings attached.

 

[spidey07]

I thought that was what the stimulus was for right? All those shovel ready projects begging to be done.

In all seriousness I'm sure many people would think their rights were somehow violated if we attempted something like this.

 

[Throckmorton]

Because the teabaggers would complain that it's socialism.

 

[MovingTarget]

I would have no problem with this. The CCC is just as good of an idea now as it was during the depression. If you are willing to work and the private sector cannot provide you the opportunity to put in an honest day's work, then a 'public option' should be available. The real question is how you would structure such a program to make sure that it would meet people's real needs yet still be only a short-term employment refuge and not a permanent alternative to employment in the private sector.

 

[JS80]

Because the teabaggers would complain that it's socialism.

Loliberals think paying someone to do nothing is a good thing. So intellectually superior.

 

[TheBDB]

Hmmm there were 4 million welfare recipients on average in 2009 out of a population of over 300 million. More people should get smart and take all this free stuff liberals like giving out.

 

[blackangst1]

I would support a law making people do volunteer work to get unemployment. I don't think you'd want them to do work people should be paid for because that would distort the labor market.

Well, then it would be a job

 

[Infohawk]

Well, then it would be a job

Meh you're right.

 

[Hacp]

I have no problem with government stimulus. However, today's stimulus includes major union contracts and high wages. That is NOT stimulus. That is a handout. Government should get the lowest prices possible when hiring people, just like any good business. Especially in a recession, when people are desperate for jobs, Government should take advantage of the fact and underpay.

 

[jackace]

I have no problem with government stimulus. However, today's stimulus includes major union contracts and high wages. That is NOT stimulus. That is a handout. Government should get the lowest prices possible when hiring people, just like any good business. Especially in a recession, when people are desperate for jobs, Government should take advantage of the fact and underpay.

Yeah I'm not saying all these people should become permanent government employees, but they should be allowed/required to do something to receive money, food, etc.

Even if it's a handout I don't understand why people are so upset with government giving handouts to individuals? The government is giving out $billions if not $trillions in handouts to wall st and the banks, and continuing to do so everyday. They are also strapping us and our children with the cost of these handouts. Personally I would rather have the government giving handouts to poor and middle class people rather than huge corporations.

 

[Patranus]

Workfair
Workfair
Workfair
Workfair
Workfair
Workfair
Workfair

 

[Hacp]

Yeah I'm not saying all these people should become permanent government employees, but they should be allowed/required to do something to receive money, food, etc.

Even if it's a handout I don't understand why people are so upset with government giving handouts to individuals? The government is giving out $billions if not $trillions in handouts to wall st and the banks, and continuing to do so everyday. They are also strapping us and our children with the cost of these handouts. Personally I would rather have the government giving handouts to poor and middle class people rather than huge corporations.

No! I don't want taxpayer money going to the guy that sold drugs as a teenager.

 

[jackace]

No! I don't want taxpayer money going to the guy that sold drugs as a teenager.

Not sure exactly what you mean by this^^

Handouts are going out and lots of them. Would you rather give them to wall st, or to some poor or middle class people just trying to make ends meat?

 

[ShawnD1]

Why can't the government be the "employer of last resort"?

Join the armed forces.
/thread

 

[Mursilis]

Yeah I'm not saying all these people should become permanent government employees, but they should be allowed/required to do something to receive money, food, etc.

Even if it's a handout I don't understand why people are so upset with government giving handouts to individuals? The government is giving out $billions if not $trillions in handouts to wall st and the banks, and continuing to do so everyday. They are also strapping us and our children with the cost of these handouts. Personally I would rather have the government giving handouts to poor and middle class people rather than huge corporations.

How about the gov't get out of the handout business altogether? Especially while we're still staring at trillion dollar deficits. I'm no more in favor of big business handouts as I am in favor of lazy bum handouts.