House And Senate Took Aim At Struggling Michiganders On Wednesday, Passing Bills That Require Drug Tests

[solabeirtan]

Blessed are the meek, and they're a bunch of losers too...

 

Surely you are being sarcastic? You're reference to the Scripture is not very accurate. The original language that this was taken from was Greek and has suffered a bit in its translations. Here's a nice interpretation, much closer to it's original meaning of "Power under control"  ... highly recomended ...btw  

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New Taxes for the Poor? The perpetual losers, it amuses the 1%, whos own ignorance like their appetite for zeroes seems truly vain, narcistic and innapropriate in the Land of Greed. 

 

Perhaps they will learn to read the writing on the walls? We make Bacon out of Rich lil Piggies.

Edited September 20, 2013 by solabeirtan

[Celliach]

Of course I was being sarcastic.

[budpuffer]

well ok,i hope this back fires on these folk,,,there are a lot of Republicans getting food stamps too...how about all college students getting state aid...and then how about testing when you get your drivers license renewed..there's an endless stream of new money for the the Rep.to go after and sooner or later it'll bite em in the butt..bp

[bobandtorey]

Hey! This will help them replace the community service slave labor they'll lose when cannabis is legalized.

 

I guess they're thinking ahead after all!

Lol

[t-pain]

there are a lot of Republicans getting food stamps too.

 

theres a theory that republicans vote against their own interests.

 

also, what better way to get the poor to stop voting for democrats than to make them do community service so that they cant make it to the polls? 

[Celliach]

theres a theory that republicans vote against their own interests.

 

also, what better way to get the poor to stop voting for democrats than to make them do community service so that they cant make it to the polls? 

 

They can always blame it on Obama too.

[Chauncy Gardner]

theres a theory that republicans vote against their own interests.

 

also, what better way to get the poor to stop voting for democrats than to make them do community service so that they cant make it to the polls? 

 

I think it is demonstrable truth. It is easy to prove.

 

Example:   Affordable health care is the #1 best thing that could happen to the poor middle class, yet, due to Republican propaganda, they believe that affordable health care is a wolf in sheep's clothing, so they vote for Republicans and end up cutting their own throats.

[Dr. Bob]

This is one of those 'feel good' legislations.  Everyone likes the idea of making folks work for a living, and assumes that everyone can work and if they don't it is a personal choice they made not to. 

 

The reality is that the vast majority of people on assistance have already proven (when they applied) that they needed it as a final safety net.  They have no other options because of children, lack of job training, lack of opportunities, or get this, a criminal record because of minor transgressions such as simple possession.  I seriously doubt those promoting this bill have ever taken the time to actually look at the statistics to find out WHO the typical medicaid recipient IS.  Most are children and single moms. Very few are the 'able bodied male that can work but refuses to' that everyone seems to envision when they think of 'welfare'.  Oh yeah, they are all minorities too.  Not anything like the wealthy, college loan educated, legislators deciding their fate so they can tell the voters they are tough on welfare reform.

 

People are not a soundbite.  They are people who at worse made some poor choices in their career preparation or relationships, but they still deserve to eat.  If this program of putting people to work for their benifits has any possibility of working, daycare must be provided (hey, daycare worker is a job right), so must transportation.  Real job training with on the job experience in fields with employment prospects should be a primary result of the experience.  Bringing folks in to do meaningless tasks does nothing to improve their employment prospects.  Either does training them for an unskilled minimum wage job.

 

True welfare reform does not involve simply finding reasons to deny assistance to those that need it.  It is to give them real job skills, teach them a work ethic (you don't skip work because you have the sniffles or partied too hard last night, you suck it up and go to work to support your family because that is what you agreed to do when you took the job), and improve your lot in life through your own efforts.  To have that opportunity, you need support.  You need access to daycare and transportation, housing, and food.  You need to see the results of your efforts.  I found it absurd that if you get assistance, your efforts to reenter the work force are not only not supported, you are actually penalized for doing so.  Take a minimum wage job, it is subtracted from your benifits, so why work?

 

We simply need to change the entire paradigm of welfare reform from simply trying to reduce the number of people getting assistance (which simply shifts the cost to another program- like jail or child protective services) to RESTORING HOPE to those that can reenter the job force if given a little help and more importantly, the opportunity.  There are many college kids with the smarts and abilities to be doctors.  The ONLY reason I am a doctor and they are not is that I got in to medical school and they didn't.  They are just as smart and driven as I am, but I had the opportunity and they didn't.  We need to concentrate on creating opportunities and supporting and encouraging people in their efforts to take those opportunities.

 

We also need to remember there are those that simply cannot work due to disability.  Simple disability does not take people out of the work force completely, many can do something and Goodwill Industries is an example, but disability does limit their opportunities.  Part of the challenge is to find opportunities that are reachable, and to acknowledge that some simply need our help because their disability is too great. 

 

Dr. Bob

[bobandtorey]

This is one of those 'feel good' legislations.  Everyone likes the idea of making folks work for a living, and assumes that everyone can work and if they don't it is a personal choice they made not to. 

 

The reality is that the vast majority of people on assistance have already proven (when they applied) that they needed it as a final safety net.  They have no other options because of children, lack of job training, lack of opportunities, or get this, a criminal record because of minor transgressions such as simple possession.  I seriously doubt those promoting this bill have ever taken the time to actually look at the statistics to find out WHO the typical medicaid recipient IS.  Most are children and single moms. Very few are the 'able bodied male that can work but refuses to' that everyone seems to envision when they think of 'welfare'.  Oh yeah, they are all minorities too.  Not anything like the wealthy, college loan educated, legislators deciding their fate so they can tell the voters they are tough on welfare reform.

 

People are not a soundbite.  They are people who at worse made some poor choices in their career preparation or relationships, but they still deserve to eat.  If this program of putting people to work for their benifits has any possibility of working, daycare must be provided (hey, daycare worker is a job right), so must transportation.  Real job training with on the job experience in fields with employment prospects should be a primary result of the experience.  Bringing folks in to do meaningless tasks does nothing to improve their employment prospects.  Either does training them for an unskilled minimum wage job.

 

True welfare reform does not involve simply finding reasons to deny assistance to those that need it.  It is to give them real job skills, teach them a work ethic (you don't skip work because you have the sniffles or partied too hard last night, you suck it up and go to work to support your family because that is what you agreed to do when you took the job), and improve your lot in life through your own efforts.  To have that opportunity, you need support.  You need access to daycare and transportation, housing, and food.  You need to see the results of your efforts.  I found it absurd that if you get assistance, your efforts to reenter the work force are not only not supported, you are actually penalized for doing so.  Take a minimum wage job, it is subtracted from your benifits, so why work?

 

We simply need to change the entire paradigm of welfare reform from simply trying to reduce the number of people getting assistance (which simply shifts the cost to another program- like jail or child protective services) to RESTORING HOPE to those that can reenter the job force if given a little help and more importantly, the opportunity.  There are many college kids with the smarts and abilities to be doctors.  The ONLY reason I am a doctor and they are not is that I got in to medical school and they didn't.  They are just as smart and driven as I am, but I had the opportunity and they didn't.  We need to concentrate on creating opportunities and supporting and encouraging people in their efforts to take those opportunities.

 

We also need to remember there are those that simply cannot work due to disability.  Simple disability does not take people out of the work force completely, many can do something and Goodwill Industries is an example, but disability does limit their opportunities.  Part of the challenge is to find opportunities that are reachable, and to acknowledge that some simply need our help because their disability is too great. 

 

Dr. Bob

Thanks Doc for a well written post and i do agree

Peace

[Dr. Bob]

Thanks Doc for a well written post and i do agree

Peace

Thanks, I'm off my soapbox now.

[GregS]

Will you please get that to the press Townsend?

[imiubu]

Thanks Doc for a well written post and i do agree

Peace

[Dr. Bob]

Share the link

 

I will see about a guest editorial in the LSJ or Saginaw News.

 

Dr. Bob