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This. I see absolutely nothing wrong with requiring people to pitch in a bit, provide volunteer assistance....etc.
It doesn't have to be anything extensive or anything that would interfere with someone's normal life or finding a job but if you are not disabled and were required to work 5-10 hours a week on a volunteer basis to get your benefits, would that be so terrible.......
"...pitch in a bit...? "....your benefits...?" Are you for real? Un-BELIEVABLE.
How about putting in a full day's work? No one is entitled to pick my pocket, or anyone else's for "their benefits." And let's be clear, we're talking about able-bodied people who seem to be able to do everything but work, including flopping out kid after kid, and all that entails.
"...pitch in a bit...? "....your benefits...?" Are you for real? Un-BELIEVABLE.
How about putting in a full day's work? No one is entitled to pick my pocket, or anyone else's for "their benefits." And let's be clear, we're talking about able-bodied people who seem to be able to do everything but work, including flopping out kid after kid, and all that entails.
Enablers, like you, are part of the problem.
Ooh..."enablers."
Like it or not, various people throughout their lives will need help at one point or another, someday it might even be you. I have no problem with the government providing a limited amount of benefits to help people get back on their feet, I also have no problem with people being required to volunteer or do some sort of vocational training but the idea is that it be something that also allows them to pursue an education or pursue job opportunities so that they can get off welfare and have some sort of financial stability unless you are advocating for people working full-time for the government in exchange for benefits in an open-ended arrangement. Having come to the U.S. with my family as completely broke immigrants, we had our fair share of struggles so I'm certainly sympathetic to those who fall upon hard times. Not every single person that's obtaining benefits is looking to cheat the system or get a free ride through life. I'd say most people want something better for themselves and especially something better for their children.
Being required to work 24 hours in a month certainly isn't overly stringent or demanding, but as far as "picking your pocket", that is just asinine. Our taxes pay into all sorts of things that we don't directly benefit from, if we individually only paid into what we thought was important or necessary, we'd find out in short order that there was no money left for exactly those things.
it's so amazing how much Americans hate the poor in this country. We don't know why the numbers dropped from 12,000 to 2,000. No one asked these folks if they found jobs, did they even have access to the services the are having them do, Maine isn't necessarily a small state and I'm damn sure it has a lot of government services centralized in areas those without transportation cannot get to. What makes this worse is even if a person is able to work himself or herself out of the SNAP Program there, they are not eligible to reapply for 3 years. What does one do if they have a temp job? What if a person's hours are cut back? What if a person gets ill or injured and can't work? Seriously what was 12,000 people to the government of Maine? How much money was that? I support the requirements cause that was the only way I could get the $40 I get now. But we have to think about implications and how other states will take steps even further. You never what would happen to you and God forbid if you got to end up in the welfare line
Americans hate the poor? You make no sense with that statement alone. It seems that so much these days is designed around helping the poor. There are so sooooooooooooo many programs in place for the poor to take advantage of. No one has to do without anything in this country it seems, not matter what the reason. The so called "poor" in this country live a life of luxury compared to other nations. America's poor get free healthcare, free food, free housing, even free cell phones. The vast majority of our "poor" have flat screen televisions and cars and eat just as well, if not better, than the middle class taxpayers. So stop complaining because they are asked to get some job training or do some volunteer work in return. 24 hours per month is a drop in the bucket. If someone needs free food given to them, food which is one of the most basic requirements we need to live, you'd think one would be happy to do a little volunteering or get some job training. So no one is hating on poor people, in fact, it's quite the opposite. The poor should be grateful they get the entitlements this country has available for them.
If anyone cannot find something to volunteer, contact your local animal shelter and animal rescues. They are always in desperate need for any help.
lets all stand back a second and remember who caused the housing market to crash and caused
lost of jobs, lost of communities, loss of health care, loss of bank savings. please do not cast stones we all may someway or someday need the government. Not permanent but temporarily. Where are all these folks now. Hmm, selling drugs, breaking into your homes, killing for money and stealing your way of life. Sorry to say. We are living in the real world of WE DONT GIVE A DAMM. GET IT THE BEST WAY YOU CAN. Take care and be safe.
Meanwhile, for all the naysayers who say that this program is unfairly targeting those in rural or extremely poor areas
A lot depends on what side of the "Volvo Line" you live on. My real hometown of Eastport Maine is in Washington County which is the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, it is also one of the poorest in the country. Jobs are nearly impossible to come by, it's not the Maine you see in the postcards. There may not be a library or community center to volunteer at let alone a place to enter a training program, a lot of towns are just a few houses and maybe an Irving station.
As a kid I spent a lot of time tub trawling and wrinkling with my uncle, my aunt worked in a sardine cannery which closed and burned down over 30 years ago. A lot of the paper mills are shut down, Lincoln, Millinocket, and now Bucksport. A lot of people get by on harvesting clams, whelks, eels, crabs and evergreen tips for wreath making.
I would have loved to have been able to stay in Maine but like a lot of others had to go elsewhere, we are the "exiles"
Hard to live on a "pension" that only provides payments for 5 years over a life time.
That's only TANF..SNAP is forever
Except in this case it was extended from 3 months back in 2008.
It expires in 2016 so that would be 8 years for people who only qualified for 3 months worth.
This. I see absolutely nothing wrong with requiring people to pitch in a bit, provide volunteer assistance....etc.
It doesn't have to be anything extensive or anything that would interfere with someone's normal life or finding a job
Yes, because how dare the taxpayers footing the bill intrude upon their living "normal" lives being idle while everyone else works.
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but if you are not disabled and were required to work 5-10 hours a week on a volunteer basis to get your benefits, would that be so terrible.......
I think it should be 5-10 hours a day. I get up every morning and go to work. Why can't others?
If they had to volunteer at something (even if they don't work hard it's occupying their time that's somewhat important here) and their time was occupied many may opt for just getting a real job anyway, especially if over time they'll get raises.
If anything at least make them gather in a public place to stand in formation for hours at a time (hey, I was in the Army and I'm not faking welfare benefits, so what's wrong with these people?) in order to receive benefits, or if they can't stand in formation at least have them sit in a chair and face a wall. How many would "bother" to get jobs when faced with extreme boredom like that?
I think it should be 5-10 hours a day. I get up every morning and go to work. Why can't others?
Of course, because what we want is people spending all their time NOT looking for a job or other opportunities.
This is foolishly punitive. What you want is for people to be looking for jobs, to be trying to do something productive so that they don't need those benefits anymore. That is what most of their time and resources should be dedicated towards. I think requiring someone to do vocational training or volunteer work for 20-30 hours a month while hopefully spending the remainder of their time either looking for jobs or seeking to improve themselves to open up better opportunities than their current job, is quite reasonable.
I also think people way overstate the amount of those who are trying to "game" the system, while most able-bodied people, especially nowadays, are trying to get a better life for themselves and their families so they don't have to rely on food stamps and welfare.
Over 70% of the people who do get food stamps are either elderly, disabled or children, so not people who are just going to go "get a jerb." Of the able-bodied, 50% already have jobs.
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Of those that are considered able-bodied adults, half work. A large percentage of recipients are not expected to work because they are disabled, children, or elderly according to CBPP.
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