Should welfare recipiants have to do community service?
Blockhead
Posts: 1,538
Like title says, should people receiving welfare benefits be required to do community service? Think about it, no one is spending 40+ hours a week looking for jobs/work. What about requiring them to do 20-30 hours of community service a week given out by the local city. It would be a good way to give an incentive to find work. It could also save some tax payer money. Maybe some of those poor innercity areas would not look so bad if all the people on welfare were required to clean the areas up, maintain the playgrounds. What do you think?
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Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
sure some people scam the system, but most of the people i see in my office that are below the poverty line getting assistance are working poor or laid off, or disabled. this proposed solution does not take into account how they got poor to begin with. were they born into it? were they comfortable middle class and bankrupted by an unexpected medical expense that was denied coverage by insurance? were they made disabled and unable to work? or were they irresponsible with credit cards and financially ruined that way? were they caught up in a shitty ARM that reset and made them lose everything? every situation is different and you can not paint with a broad brush and mandate anything like this. your proposed solution only looks at the ends, and in no way takes into account the things that cause people to become dependent on the government. unless you do that, no amount of overzealous rule making or kicking people off of assistance is going to change anything. i dare you to go about mandating community service or cutting aid to these people. it will only increase problems. the money you save denying benefits had better be used to have more police on the streets, as crime will definitely increase.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
It is a positive thing and should be looked at as an opportunity, not a punishment.
Working together raises self esteem and brings new life experiences
and the opportunity to make new friends, even future business contacts.
It also helps youth to feel involved in their community
and learn skills they may not have had the opportunity to learn.
Perhaps finding a needed mentor.
My kids and I have volunteered and done community service
and took away very good lessons from it.
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
If I had to spend 30 hours per week doing community service, it may have taken me months to find a new job... or I just would have given up and not collected unemployment and taken a job well below my skills and education.
I should also point out, that I got paid a WHOPPING $600 for three weeks of unemployment. My fucking mortgage was 2x that.
edit: oh ha... welfare... unemployment... whats the diff? Give me a break plz I've had the flu.
The problem is those who are abusing the system often feel an unnecessary entitlement... As if everyone owes it to them to pay them while they sit and choose not to work. In that sense, I'm not sure if those that are just lazy would get much out of it...
And to that extent I actually kind of understand what Heidijam is saying...
Maybe not a universal rule but its a good idea I think, although hard to administer. As gimme and others have said, the welfare system includes many people who actually need it as well as those who abuse it. :?
I think it's a good Idea, some people are on welfare for generations and for the people that can work and depend on welfare as a their only source of income then that would be a great idea, unemployment is usually a temporary thing and if your not in a union you have to job hunt everyday just about.
Godfather.
Those who feel an entitlement or are lazy may not get anything out of it
but the community will and in time most likely the welfare recipient won't be able to keep from taking away positives, it is a positive builder. They may just want to find employment or may find some in their journey.
Those who have a genuine need may get a lot out of it because it is an opportunity for personal growth and understanding of others.
I find it odd that it is looked on as a punishment by so many here...try it you might like it.
if you included corporations who get public dollars via tax breaks and subsidies, then I'm all for it...
it really sounds like you're wanting a public works program, which is very FDR of you...
I wonder how those who are disabled, both physically and mentally, fit into your proposed public works program...
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
how much would it cost to run and oversee this program...?
by the way, hey republicans, it has been a few months since you got your mandate, where the fuck are the jobs??
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
And to your last statment, what are you 16? Keep playing the party war buddy, thats a great way to keep american people seperated.
Also, once again you make the misleading point that we can pick and choose which programs we collect taxes for which society pays for as a whole, and inject individual biases and implementation of it. We do not have line item veto of such things and certainly not of tax based programs for benefits and people in need.
Lastly, you just said senior citizens on medicare have paid into the system? Most women since the creation of this program (1965) have not worked and have not been part of the work force of our nation. So technically aren't most of the people on medicare now simply milking the system they didn't really contribute too? Atleast in your line of logic and rational, that is completely true. Do you agree they should get their coverage stopped or perhaps have to provide services (like community service) to pay back society?
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
I see your point
I believe you are looking at it as a punishment not an opportunity
I see many disabled people and the mentally challenged
enjoying their work in many public places.
They are happy to be involved in community, making their way.
I think in their cases they get what its all about
that working makes them appreciate life more and feel apart of
instead of isolated from society.
Who really doesn't want to work at something in life?
I feel there is a true positive here everyone is missing.
huh...what are you talking about...?
you proposed something, act as if it's all simple, then type some gibberish...
how much do you think this program will actually cost...?
so your point is now about millions of people across the world? i thought we were talking about the united states. if you are talking about the world then you are wrong there because higher education is funded, at least partially in other countries in the world. and no i am not of the opinion that if you are poor you should stay poor. i am a REALIST. i know how the world works, and you can not just apply the same standards to everyone because the world is not in black and white. my comment about republicans is that they usually think in black and white and fail to see the shades of gray and exceptions. no i'm not 16. i'm 35, come from a lower middle class family, have a masters degree plus 9 hours towards a phd, and a good career. i am the only one in my generation of grandkids to have a college degree. so yes, i made something of myself. but i had more opportunity than most of the poor and welfare kids i rode the school bus with. i was just applying the same logic that the tea party used for a year when demanding immediate results and solutions to problems..
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
those many disabled and mentally challenged folks that you see, do they have supported employment workers standing by their side...? I bet yes...that service is not free...in fact, far from it...
My point is it is better for the soul and spirit to be busy...this how we learn.
That work is enjoyment not a punishment.
This something the physically and mentally challenged have learned,
to be contributing to society builds character, gives life purpose.
It makes a person feel good to complete a challenge.
An idle mind and body is no favor we are doing for those on welfare.
huh...what are you talking about...?
you proposed something, act as if it's all simple, then type some gibberish...
how much do you think this program will actually cost...?[/quote]
Like I said before how would it work any differently than current volunteer programs. It seems pretty simple to me. I don't see where the confusion is, what are you have a hard time understanding?
And again you keep missing the point. People on welfare are GIVEN Gov. money without putting anything into the system. Housewives of 50 years ago did not receive a gov. check weekly and were not given food/clothes/houses/. You can't really compare a woman's role in a different era to a welfare recipients. Woman's roles were different back then and still gave back to society by raising their kids as a full time job.