Proposal: End government welfare with jobs program

[Dr.No.]

Here is a proposal:

First, end all direct government welfare programs. HUD, SNAP, EBT, Medicaid, whatever, at both the federal and state level. Keep things like drug rehab programs and mental health programs, and maybe keep temporary unemployment benefits, but get rid of all direct payments (and medicaid).

Instead, substitute a federal jobs program. Anyone who wants it can get a job paying $8/hour for up to 40 hours a week, with full healthcare benefits (for themselves and their family), vacation time, and a full suite of job placement benefits (so that if someone wants to leave for a job in the private sector, they have the full and complete support of their government employer). Have them put to work doing something...whether it is shoring up infrastructure, handling the overburdened Veterans Affairs department, clearing out lines at the DMV, etc. Even people who are mentally or physically handicapped and getting disability benefits, end those benefits and let them be receptionists or work in the mailroom...something.

This ensures that people are working and not leeching off of government benefits. Anyone who wants a job can get one. It gives people on-the-job training and the dignity of work. It taps into the productivity of those workers, perhaps costing the government between 200-300 billion/year while savings nearly twice that in welfare spending. This would also act as a "heatsink" for employment in the economy. As the private sector wants to hire people, it will hire people from this pool of low-wage government jobs. While the jobs provide the basics to the employee, wages will be low enough that the individual will be motivated to leave the government job ASAP.

[Zippyjuan]

This ensures that people are working and not leeching off of government benefits.

Really? No government benefits?

Instead, substitute a federal jobs program. Anyone who wants it can get a job paying $8/hour for up to 40 hours a week, with full healthcare benefits (for themselves and their family), vacation time, and a full suite of job placement benefits

Who is paying for that? (though I do agree with more job training to replace more welfare- along with rehab instead of jail for drug related crimes too to reduce jail populations).

[dean.engelhardt]

Eliminating all programs, then giving all citizen a basic guaranteed income would probably be cheaper than giving everybody a "job". Federal employee benefits are pretty rich. Libertarians call it a reverse income tax.

[ILUVRP]

i think all members of congress are on goverment welfare , i hear the neocons and others saying " we have to reduce goverment spending " . has anyone ever heard of a member of congress cutting his/her staff or not giving them a bonus/raise .

even members of congress get their raises every year w/o even all members voting on it as they put it around midnight when no one is there .

[Dr.No.]

Really? No government benefits?



Who is paying for that? (though I do agree with more job training to replace more welfare- along with rehab instead of jail for drug related crimes too to reduce jail populations).

They aren't leeching off of those benefits. They are earning them through work.

Eliminating all programs, then giving all citizen a basic guaranteed income would probably be cheaper than giving everybody a "job". Federal employee benefits are pretty rich. Libertarians call it a reverse income tax.

The benefits are rich since they include 401k and pensions. I would only include healthcare benefits (about 3K per year per worker) and vacation time (with 3 weeks/year, still less than 1K/worker).

[Brian4Liberty]

Here is a proposal:

First, end all direct government welfare programs. HUD, SNAP, EBT, Medicaid, whatever, at both the federal and state level. Keep things like drug rehab programs and mental health programs, and maybe keep temporary unemployment benefits, but get rid of all direct payments (and medicaid).

Instead, substitute a federal jobs program. Anyone who wants it can get a job paying $8/hour for up to 40 hours a week, with full healthcare benefits (for themselves and their family), vacation time, and a full suite of job placement benefits (so that if someone wants to leave for a job in the private sector, they have the full and complete support of their government employer). Have them put to work doing something...whether it is shoring up infrastructure, handling the overburdened Veterans Affairs department, clearing out lines at the DMV, etc. Even people who are mentally or physically handicapped and getting disability benefits, end those benefits and let them be receptionists or work in the mailroom...something.

This ensures that people are working and not leeching off of government benefits. Anyone who wants a job can get one. It gives people on-the-job training and the dignity of work. It taps into the productivity of those workers, perhaps costing the government between 200-300 billion/year while savings nearly twice that in welfare spending. This would also act as a "heatsink" for employment in the economy. As the private sector wants to hire people, it will hire people from this pool of low-wage government jobs. While the jobs provide the basics to the employee, wages will be low enough that the individual will be motivated to leave the government job ASAP.

We have already tried that. It's called working for the government. How many more people can work for the bloated government? You don't have an economy when there is no private sector.

[Zippyjuan]

They aren't leeching off of those benefits. They are earning them through work.



The benefits are rich since they include 401k and pensions. I would only include healthcare benefits (about 3K per year per worker) and vacation time (with 3 weeks/year, still less than 1K/worker).

Then lets give healthcare to all workers. After all, it isn't a benefit. They are working for it. Maybe Social Security as well.

[Dr.No.]

Then lets give healthcare to all workers. After all, it isn't a benefit. They are working for it. Maybe Social Security as well.

They are working for the government?

[Zippyjuan]

What would the government be hiring these people to do for $8 an hour?

[The Gold Standard]

There really isn't much difference economically between giving them money to do nothing and giving them money to do a job the market doesn't demand.

What would the government be hiring these people to do for $8 an hour?

I shudder to think of what a government could come up with for millions of people to do for their ill gotten paycheck. A new Sturmabteilung?

[Dr.No.]

What would the government be hiring these people to do for $8 an hour?

Man, if you aren't going to read what I write...

There really isn't much difference economically between giving them money to do nothing and giving them money to do a job the market doesn't demand.



I shudder to think of what a government could come up with for millions of people to do for their ill gotten paycheck. A new Sturmabteilung?

Because the private sector doesn't do everything. Like I mentioned, infrastructure, DMV, the military...these are branches of the government. IIRC, Obama has cut government-sector jobs, and overall government jobs are down, no? Moreover, by getting this people employed and trained, perhaps you can get them skilled enough so that they can enter the private sector to do a job the market does demand.

[Zippyjuan]

So spend more tax dollars on bigger government. Why not just have training for private sector jobs? End government welfare with a government welfare jobs program.

Jobs programs create jobs the economy decided it does not need. Give people money and they get to decide what they want to spend it on- market decides. It creates jobs in the fields they spend the money on.

[AZJoe]

Jobs program? Here's your jobs program:

[Danke]

What would the government be hiring these people to do for $8 an hour?

I could put many of them to work to recuperate some of my taxes.

[Dr.No.]

So spend more tax dollars on bigger government. Why not just have training for private sector jobs? End government welfare with a government welfare jobs program.

Jobs programs create jobs the economy decided it does not need. Give people money and they get to decide what they want to spend it on- market decides. It creates jobs in the fields they spend the money on.

I'm arguing it will cost the government less while being more efficient. I agree with job-training as well...

This jobs program would also give people money. They will then spend it on things, and that will create jobs in the fields that they spend the money on. The difference is that instead of just handing out the money for free, it would pay them for completed work, while training these individuals and giving them the dignity of work in the meantime. You also get the side-benefit of what productive thing they could do for the government whilst employed.

Jobs program? Here's your jobs program:

Why not do both?

[oyarde]

Lets just pick a date and end the programs and wait two years to revisit it . I think you will find no replacement is needed.

[Zippyjuan]

Government guaranteed work for all. Worked for the USSR which officially had zero unemployment (and a massive government apparatus as percent of GDP).

[Krugminator2]

Instead, substitute a federal jobs program. Anyone who wants it can get a job paying $8/hour for up to 40 hours a week, with full healthcare benefits (for themselves and their family), vacation time, and a full suite of job placement benefits (so that if someone wants to leave for a job in the private sector, they have the full and complete support of their government employer).

There aren't a shortage of jobs at $8 now. You could just end welfare and give people free health insurance and it would be the same proposal. If the government is not finding work for the mentally challenged now, then I would agree they should.