Should action be taken to ensure those on welfare are seeking jobs? (1 Viewer)

[LetsGoBrandon]

We could just raise wages so it’s illegal to pay someone a non-living wage. That would be much simpler. Then employers couldn’t use/abuse the welfare system by using it to subsidize the low wages they want to pay. Problem solved.

Once again, minimum wage laws were never intended to provide a living wage. They were intended primarily to either allow young unskilled individuals to enter the work force early, in some cases before graduating from high school, or to work their way through college, or to supplement retirement, etc. The intention is that they get experiance or increase their skills so they can earn higher pay. Many who worked at McDonalds ultimately became wealthy in future endeavors. However paying buger flippers $20.00 an hour is for instance in California just leading to layoffs and automation. Many of those start up jobs are going away.

 

[LetsGoBrandon]

Thanks for your input. I can see you’ve thought deeply about it.

Considerably more then you have. You have been indoctrinated.

 

[brianpatrick]

Considerably more than you have. You have been indoctrinated.

Terrible, isn’t it?

 

[LetsGoBrandon]

Terrible, isn’t it?

For you I suppose. I am quite happy that I live in capitalist society. You on the otherhand must be quite depressed.

 

[Along Came Jones]

Once again, minimum wage laws were never intended to provide a living wage. They were intended primarily to either allow young unskilled individuals to enter the work force early, in some cases before graduating from high school, or to work their way through college, or to supplement retirement, etc. The intention is that they get experiance or increase their skills so they can earn higher pay. Many who worked at McDonalds ultimately became wealthy in future endeavors. However paying buger flippers $20.00 an hour is for instance in California just leading to layoffs and automation. Many of those start up jobs are going away.

Thinking about automation and human replacement, you might enjoy reading Yuval Noah Harari's short but scary essay, "The Rise of the Useless Class." The ultra short version is eventually we can all be replaced by Artificial Intelligence algorithms. And worse! We might be owned, or at least controlled, by them:

As algorithms push humans out of the job market, wealth and power might become concentrated in the hands of the tiny elite that owns the all-powerful algorithms, creating unprecedented social and political inequality. Alternatively, the algorithms might themselves become the owners. Human law already recognizes intersubjective entities like corporations and nations as “legal persons.”

 

[LetsGoBrandon]

Thinking about automation and human replacement, you might enjoy reading Yuval Noah Harari's short but scary essay, "The Rise of the Useless Class." The ultra short version is eventually we can all be replaced by Artificial Intelligence algorithms. And worse! We might be owned, or at least controlled, by them:

As algorithms push humans out of the job market, wealth and power might become concentrated in the hands of the tiny elite that owns the all-powerful algorithms, creating unprecedented social and political inequality. Alternatively, the algorithms might themselves become the owners. Human law already recognizes intersubjective entities like corporations and nations as “legal persons.”

I'll let you worry about that. I am retired.

 

[brianpatrick]

For you I suppose. I am quite happy that I live in capitalist society. You on the otherhand must be quite depressed.

Nah, I don’t get depressed. Would you like another cookie?

 

[LetsGoBrandon]

Nah, I don’t get depressed. Would you like another cookie?

No thanks....would like like another bowl of borscht with a vodka chaser?

 

[brianpatrick]

No thanks....would like like another bowl of borscht with a vodka chaser?

No beet soup, but what kinda vodka you got?

 

[Tbird19482]

if a person has a disability that prevents them from working they should not have to look for work but everybody that can work should have to be out there looking for work and every so often called into the welfare office and bring proof they have been looking for work, notes from places they applied to.
have a nice day

 

[jaypatriot]

"Expecting able-bodied people to work for a living = cruelty."

You can't make up this kind of nonsense. It takes serious brainwashing to be able to come up with it.

Able-bodied people should be expected to work.
Why shouldn't they? They are able-bodied.
They should contribute to our society and not suck the life out of it.

 

[Along Came Jones]

I'll let you worry about that. I am retired.

Worrying about that dying ancient mesquite tree out back crashing into my house is my big concern these days. Enjoy your borscht with a vodka chaser! I'm also retired but my health limits my soup to caldo with a bit of lime juice.

 

[PoliticalDJ101]

That is clearly not true, as you explicitly demonstrated in this thread.

I never said you couldn't share anecdotal evidence. I just said it doesn't matter as much to me as statistics.

 

[NWRatCon]

I never said you couldn't share anecdotal evidence. I just said it doesn't matter as much to me as statistics.

That's simply not true. The only thing you seem to care about is anecdotes, and not even ones that are true. You've provided no substance whatsoever, forget statistics and data. You have none.

 

[NWRatCon]

Might be useful for thread participants to look over a statistical visualization of who receives assistance. For the years 2021 backwards to 2013 the Census Bureau published an interactive graph showing, "Who is Receiving Social Net Benefits?"

REALLY useful. Now, watch that be ignored.

 

[NWRatCon]

Thinking about automation and human replacement, you might enjoy reading Yuval Noah Harari's short but scary essay, "The Rise of the Useless Class." The ultra short version is eventually we can all be replaced by Artificial Intelligence algorithms. And worse! We might be owned, or at least controlled, by them:

As algorithms push humans out of the job market, wealth and power might become concentrated in the hands of the tiny elite that owns the all-powerful algorithms, creating unprecedented social and political inequality. Alternatively, the algorithms might themselves become the owners. Human law already recognizes intersubjective entities like corporations and nations as “legal persons.”

My younger son and I had an interesting discussion about this just today. What he pointed out was that the "utopian" version of AI had it replacing menial tasks that humans don't want to do, like maintenance, cleaning, etc., but the reality is that we are asking AI to replace skilled work. That, of course, is what corporations want, not what is best for the public.

 

[antiquity]

I would think this would be an easy one... Let's see

A program called 'workfare' was put into effect during the Clinton administration and worked well....until Obama got into power and basically cancelled it.

 

[antiquity]

I agree. I think our current welfare system incentivizes staying on the welfare system and doesn't reward getting off of it. I've met several people on the system that have told me they don't want to get a job or get a higher paying job because they're afraid they will loose benefits (food stamps, housing, healthcare). It needs to be reworked and I feel requiring them to find or improve their employment should be part of that. I think that would allow for there to be more gradual cutoffs in assistance rather than abrupt ones.

You are right...LBJ 'great society' welfare program created generational welfare. Since the 70's children on welfare has doubled and over 52% welfare recipients are children. A lot of those mentioned are from single parent fatherless households.