take on the welfare state

TOR is usually brutal to the MTA and usually doens't look kindly upon people who leech off the state so we were intrigued when today's Daily News features an article where they describe a plan where the MTA is considering putting welfare recipients to work by having people who live off the state clean subway stations and we are all in favor.

Now I'm sure that there are people who will say this is cruel or a bad business model but really in this day and age with everybody cutting budgets, I see it as a perfect fix for two issues: Welfare Queens driving Cadillac's and filthy subway stations.    The Daily News took an informal poll of their readership and 95% of responders agreed that this was necessary both as a practical need with the MTA cutting 3700 jobs last year and a way to possibly incentify welfare recipients to get off their asses and to work.

Now my liberal friends will scream foul saying that this is yet another way to take advantage of the poor and will say that by forcing to work the unemployed will all of a sudden not have time to look for jobs.   I think that there are two mistakes in this thinking:  one is that unemployment and welfare are not synonymous and the other is that people who be so busy that they cannot look for other work.

I'd argue that this isn't about a guy who gets laid off because of budget cuts and is collecting unemployment and is actively looking for work, this is about chronic issues in welfare where generations of people have never living without state-assistance.    I also know that working empowers people which gives them pride and purpose, all aspects that will help them find new better-work.     People in the workforce constantly find new jobs all while working at present jobs,   they interview during lunch or on personal-days and job search at night.   There is no reason that welfare recipients cannot do the same thing any other member of society does. 

Although the cynic in me would say that this could all be a ploy by the present administrations because now these welfare recipients will all of a sudden be 'working' thus bringing the unemployment numbers down.