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3 Feb ’15
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This is an offshoot from the mandatory voting thread. This thread is for discussing how best to motivate people to take control of their lives/situations.
I suggested that voting rights should be temporarily removed whilst a person is receiving government assistance. I personally don't see this as a penalty of being poor (Even though it would be), but rather potential driver to help people lift themselves out of dependence by not making it so comfortable to remain in this position. This obviously has pros and cons such as:
Pro (In my mind): Prevents people voting in candidates and laws that grant further benefits.
Con: Legitimately disabled people may have substantial barriers to make it in the work force and likely need assistance even if they are making a pay check.
This is a very complex issue that also has to do with the current laws on the books and how they are administered from a variety of programs and services.
I very much align myself with this Benjamin Franklin quote: "I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer."
3 Feb ’15
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Warning: Graphic language
http://buzzpo.com/wh.....ng-denied/
Obviously this is not indicative of everyone receiving benefits, but with a large portion of the population receiving something, it's concerning that this attitude exists.
12 Oct ’12
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This is an interesting topic JSW; sadly it would get shot down as discriminating against citizens who need support. In our "food stamps make us feel second-class; give us a prepaid VISA card every month" society, any politician who proposed such measures would be cast as hating poor people. Personally, I agree with your frame of mind on this, but the media would have a field day slaughtering the conservative who attempts to bring it to fruition.
21 Feb ’12
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I think this topic has merit, I'm glad you decided to start this thread.
Personally, I don't think removing voting rights would be the answer to the problem. As jonathco said, it'd be political suicide for anyone even mentioning anything of the sort. I totally agree something's gotta give however. When collecting welfare/food stamps/medical equates to having a $20+/hr job, there's not much incentive to go out and find work.
My thought on it is along the lines of the "give a man a fish" parable. I feel like having a hard cap on benefit amounts or period length, coupled with mandatory job training and placement after completing the program would be a more viable alternative. If you give people hard up for work training in a career field where jobs are needed, like infrastructure repair and maintenance (roads, power grid, sewer and water, etc.) you're setting them up for success and the ability to fend for themselves. The biggest snag I see in a solution like this is funding for more jobs/projects in those kinds of areas. Most states don't have it in their budget to make a bunch of new hires, let a lone keep them working. I know here in WV the roads and the power grid are absolutely atrocious. The state road department however is grossly underfunded and under staffed as well as poorly managed. Something serious would have to change for a solution like this to be a success.
15 Feb ’12
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biggest issue I have is there is no set expiration, at least here in Maine there isn't. You have whole generations of families that just live on welfare. Like DD said, I believe the estimates they had for total benefits broke down to 16 dollars an hour. I don't believe that even includes Mainecare.
4 Mar ’12
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when I'm down and need some help and someone helps me, I'm thankful. What I see more of in today's world is people who seem to think they are OWED something. Over and over again, I've seen certain groups that get angry and violent if they dont get free handouts.
15 Feb ’12
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One thing that frustrates me is when the talking heads make welfare a race issue. I guess the fact that Maine is 98% white and is one of the top welfare states throws that argument out the window
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jonathco15 Feb ’12
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interesting study
Generous welfare benefits make people more likely to want to work, not less
Generous welfare benefit levels make people who are not in employment more likely to want to work rather than less, new research suggests. "Many scholars and commentators fear that generous social benefits threaten the sustainability of the welfare state due to work norm erosion, disincentives to work and dependency cultures," the researchers say. "This article concludes that there are few signs that groups with traditionally weaker bonds to the labor market are less motivated to work if they live in generous and activating welfare states."
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