For those who receive public assistance

[NoStateofMind]

Whether it be in the form of food stamps, housing or monetary means should they be put to work to compensate for their "free income". The workers of this country pay taxes and some of that money goes to public assistance programs for those less fortunate. Some may be unable/unwilling to work. So what if we implemented a program where those who got this assistance would be put to work (parks, soup kitchen, construction, fixing roads/bridges or name any job) at the minimum wage until they have recouped the costs they have burdened the taxpayer with. I'm thinking that this would be a joint venture between government and private business to help get Americans back to work and also give them a skill once the economy comes back. Although we would have to have a way to identify those on disability who may be able to assist in some minor way. Those mentally disabled may need to be exempted. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Whether it be in the form of food stamps, housing or monetary means should they be put to work to compensate for their "free income". The workers of this country pay taxes and some of that money goes to public assistance programs for those less fortunate. Some may be unable/unwilling to work. So what if we implemented a program where those who got this assistance would be put to work (parks, soup kitchen, construction, fixing roads/bridges or name any job) at the minimum wage until they have recouped the costs they have burdened the taxpayer with. I'm thinking that this would be a joint venture between government and private business to help get Americans back to work and also give them a skill once the economy comes back. Although we would have to have a way to identify those on disability who may be able to assist in some minor way. Those mentally disabled may need to be exempted. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

That's a reasonable start. What is also needed is a requirement of educational competency and policies which promote domestic job growth. There ought to be a comprehensive program of reform, but Jesse Jackson will kill it.

 

[Atreus21]

Whether it be in the form of food stamps, housing or monetary means should they be put to work to compensate for their "free income". The workers of this country pay taxes and some of that money goes to public assistance programs for those less fortunate. Some may be unable/unwilling to work. So what if we implemented a program where those who got this assistance would be put to work (parks, soup kitchen, construction, fixing roads/bridges or name any job) at the minimum wage until they have recouped the costs they have burdened the taxpayer with. I'm thinking that this would be a joint venture between government and private business to help get Americans back to work and also give them a skill once the economy comes back. Although we would have to have a way to identify those on disability who may be able to assist in some minor way. Those mentally disabled may need to be exempted. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Sounds reasonable to me. But I second Hayabusa's cynical claim about Jesse Jackson.

 

[nehalem256]

Public assistance should move from being based on "need". To being based on deserve. See for example unemployment benefits as an example of a relatively good program/

If you want society to assist you then you should be required to live by societies rules.

 

[umbrella39]

What about someone works for 20-30 years and gets laid off/loses job for a year or two and needs to get food stamps to get by... they should be pay it back in labor? How do you discern who is unable/unwilling? Don't they pay these same exact taxes all the time they were working?

 

[Capt Caveman]

Who says that they're not working already?

And the cost to administer this?

 

[MooseNSquirrel]

Dont ask to many hard questions umbrella, that would require a person to think this through, and consider all its consequences, before trotting this out for the millionth time.

 

[mattpegher]

I think the practical problem would be you would be spending so much money to evaluate who has to work and at what job that you would create a system that cost more. Don't get me wrong, I think that public assistance should be a temporary thing with a "back to work" program but I just think that it would probably cost significantly more money initially. I would hope that after 10 or 15 years the program would begin to save money but our politicians just cant work in that kind of time frame.

 

[WelshBloke]

You'd have to be careful that they wouldn't be used as cheap labour to undercut and put out of work existing workers.
Also you'd have to be willing to swallow the increased costs of managing a demotivated workforce that doesn't give a shit about the quality of the work it does.

 

[Cerb]

Not only might sensationalists have a problem with it, but our corporate overlords and unions would, too. You're basically talking about taking people without jobs, and using them to replace people that might be working. Whether that's the case or not is not relevant: vacuous Republicans would tear any such suggestion to threads, as the government doing the work of the private sector.

A more practical problem, however, would be that it would increase the cost of welfare programs. Worker safety would be on the government agencies handling the workers, you'd need more workers to service the programs, keeping up with actual work being done, you'd need to be able to keep track of it all using flexible worker schedules (let us assume that some of these people have work to do other than to get their welfare, including part-time jobs, contracting, etc.), and you would attract people to the programs who otherwise would not try to get government handouts.

Now, if there was plenty of work to go around, and pay for said work, fine. But, is there?

P.S. great point by WelshBloke, as well.

 

[BoberFett]

You'd have to be careful that they wouldn't be used as cheap labour to undercut and put out of work existing workers.
Also you'd have to be willing to swallow the increased costs of managing a demotivated workforce that doesn't give a shit about the quality of the work it does.

We've got hordes of people crossing the border to pick vegetables for slave wages. Seems to me that putting welfare recipients in the fields could solve two problems at once.

 

[BoberFett]

What about someone works for 20-30 years and gets laid off/loses job for a year or two and needs to get food stamps to get by... they should be pay it back in labor? How do you discern who is unable/unwilling? Don't they pay these same exact taxes all the time they were working?

Dont ask to many hard questions umbrella, that would require a person to think this through, and consider all its consequences, before trotting this out for the millionth time.

Why is any reasonable attempt at reform immediately shouted down by the left? Why so resistant to change? Conservative at heart?

 

[WelshBloke]

We've got hordes of people crossing the border to pick vegetables for slave wages. Seems to me that putting welfare recipients in the fields could solve two problems at once.

One of the arguments I hear hear is that illegal immigrants take jobs away from working Americans, wouldn't this be the same thing?

 

[waggy]

I think in theory its a good idea but i don't think its going to work.

A) what are they going to do? you mention field work. so they going to buss people from chicago into the country?

B) what about those with disablity's? field work is out. what then?


I think this is a good idea. just needs a lot of work.

 

[WelshBloke]

I think in theory its a good idea but i don't think its going to work.

A) what are they going to do? you mention field work. so they going to buss people from chicago into the country?

B) what about those with disablity's? field work is out. what then?


I think this is a good idea. just needs a lot of work.

Yeah, it's one of those things that on an emotional level everyone wants to implement but when you sit down and look at the logistics it falls apart really quickly.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Dont ask to many hard questions umbrella, that would require a person to think this through, and consider all its consequences, before trotting this out for the millionth time.

Hard questions need to be asked. Only a fool supports the status quo.

The answer to the cost is "more" per unit time. The end result is that people have skills and education while doing useful work. The value of their efforts need to be taken into account. The old WPA did a hell of a lot, and it might have been cheaper to send them a check in the short term. In the long term? A lifestyle of dependency isn't free, although it seems that is your favored approach.

I can tell you this much- no economy is good enough that they will hire people who have no skills and refuse to participate in it. Until there is BOTH opportunity AND motivation to work things will remain as they are.

Want specifics?
Require work and education. Provide day care. Yes it's not cheap.

Pay is based on performance. Screw off and you don't get what you think you deserve. Get good grades and do a good job you get more. Make it cashless. We have a system in place where one cannot buy OTC medications with few exceptions if using a health savings card. Expand that program. Yeah it costs more to set up. Beats writing checks for thousands to buy HDTVs like we did in NY. NYC can limit sodas? Hell. Then we can certainly limit tax money spent on poor food. It's supposed to be assistance, not a lifestyle choice.

At the same time change tariff and trade policies. Make investing in the required infrastructure economically favorable. Give tax incentives for policies which encourage long term domestic jobs. Government should not be looking at how to punish and squeeze. It needs to be a facilitator of change working with industry, not make hay out of the situation.

The end result is that we get people off of welfare and put them and others to work. That means the program can default to back to those who really need it for temporary or disability use. That costs less in the long run.

A better society, less ignorance, greater opportunity. Of course you might like things as they are. I don't.

 

[mattpegher]

We could steal back the customer service and tech support phone lines back from india.

 

[umbrella39]

Why is someone who sucked on the unemployment tit harping about change... sitting up on that fence must make the buttsore...

 

[BoberFett]

Why is someone who sucked on the unemployment tit harping about change... sitting up on that fence must make the buttsore...

So I'm not supposed to take advantage of the system that's in place? Maybe if you wanted me to get back to work right away instead of sitting on funemployment for two years you should have made me pick vegetables in order to collect.

Democrats are such confused people. They don't see simple cause and effect.

 

[umbrella39]

Talk about being confused... The guy in my scenerio could be you, I just used foodstamps instead of UE...

 

[fskimospy]

As said above this is one of those things that appeals to people emotionally, but in practice would be a nightmare to implement.

 

[jackstar7]

Sounds like bigger government to me.

 

[Veliko]

Why is any reasonable attempt at reform immediately shouted down by the left? Why so resistant to change? Conservative at heart?

There is nothing reasonable about anything that the OP is suggesting.

The money used up by the poor people at the bottom, is tiny compared to the money being sapped out by those at the top.

 

[BoberFett]

There is nothing reasonable about anything that the OP is suggesting.

The money used up by the poor people at the bottom, is tiny compared to the money being sapped out by those at the top.

Really? Show me some figures to support your claim.

 

[BoberFett]

Sounds like bigger government to me.

Ah, so if the goal is smaller government, then you'd be satisified if we simply eliminated welfare of any kind.