Neil Brooks wrote:
On Mar 26, 12:21 pm, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:
busbus wrote:

That's is exactly the point: these people who were supposed to use
the system to get back on their feet have instead decided to live
off of it for literally generations. There is no incentive to get
off.

Correct. The last sentence is the most accurate.

True, they know no better. And maybe THAT is the real problem. We
keep on giving these people fish whenever they are hungry and never
teach them how to fish nor do we make an environment in which they
even WANT to fish. They have become a group of circus seals who bark
and get a fish tossed their way. Not enough to live off of, so they
bark some more, but enough that they don't have any reason to go out
and fend for themselves.

Bull. They do know better. You can't exist in the US today without
being exposed to a better way. The real issue is that there is a
class of people who figure out how to do as little as possible, and
to milk systems that will accomodate their laziness. That we
perpetuate such systems is a big part of the problem. It is
politcally incorrect to suggest, let alone legislate incentive to
move off of programs.

I'll just ask the question, again:

How many -- as a % -- comprise this "class of people?"

The incentive? They don't make squat.

If the majority of these people -- for argument's sake (since I don't
know) live in urban areas -- then ... what opportunities should they,
instead, take?

For generations, the opportunity available to those without a trade, a
skill, or a college education was always ... a factory job.

That allowed ... potentially ... millions of people to move into
middle class status.

But ... how's the state of those jobs, these days -- say, over the
last decade?

My understanding is that they are all but totally gone -- the victims
of offshoring virtually our entire manufacturing sector.

So ... what *should* these people do? Is it reasonable to expect that
-- without a serious, well-funded, focused, and "industry-aware"
training program -- these very people are going to buy Mary Kay
franchises? Start the next Intel? Become e-commerce entrepreneurs??

These people -- based on my theory (largely urban) are beset by the
worst public education infrastructure in our country.

What *should* they do??

I've met LOTS of people, in my lifetime, who have been on Welfare, at
some point. While I don't claim to have known anything NEAR a
representative sample size, I've NEVER met even ONE who espoused
contentment with this situation, or who actions indicated that they
were interested in continuing to be recipients of government
subsidies, or that they wished to raise their children to do so.

you personally never met any, so they don't exist? you've asked everyone
you've met this? you might be surprised to find that a lot of people in the
grocery store line with you are.

you had counter examples given to you by someone who has direct knowledge.

it shouldn't be that hard to find statistics on this. perhaps you might tell
us where you've looked.

I think it's simply a convenient and self-serving argument to talk
about the inter-generational welfare notion, the apocryphal story of
the "welfare queen in her new Cadillac and fur coat, with the acrylic
nails," etc., etc.

What I DO see is articles about industries that move into blighted
areas, and are BESIEGED by eager applicants, desperate to get jobs.