Jobless to work 'clearing litter'

Jobless to work 'clearing litter'

news.bbc.co.uk

Benefit claimants could be forced to pick up litter and clean graffiti under plans to be unveiled by ministers.

(visit the link for the full news article)

About damn time! Honestly, within my circle of friends we discuss this regularly, and have been advocates this and a "National project" of sorts.

Cleaning our streets and leaving great monuments for future generations to enjoy are things I believe we should do with those who are simply getting money for nothing. So now, we are half way there...



news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

I wish we could get this in the US. I am all for workfare instead of welfare.

I think this is a good idea as well. However, couldn't the other side of the coin be the government looking to increase the unemployment numbers so that there becomes a large workforce of people doing menial labor for next to nothing? Kind of creating a workforce of slave labor, if you will...

It would be kind of like the prison industrial complex, without the prison.

Does the word freedom even exist anymore?

Remember, remember the 5th of November.

Most people on welfare either lack the mental capacity to work, have disabilities, or some other mental disorder which is debilitating and prevents them from working a normal job. This kind of resolution is utter nonsense and nothing short of police state mentality.

Papers Please?

Next the government will be telling us when we can and can't take a dump.



[edit on 7-21-2008 by CPYKOmega]

Its a complete pointless waste of time picking up litter cleaning graffiti what a load of BS!Get them damn jobs!Or create affordable public training and education.Create a society of educated people not dumb asses who pick up rubbish.This would have to be the idea of a mentally ill psychopath.

I have never been unemployed. But I don't think I would appreciate being forced to work, to receive payments from a welfare system that I have been paying for, all my life.
Essentially if I lost my job. I would be forced in to labor to receive the money's I have already paid for.
Frankly I think a bunch of drunk monkey's could do a better job of government financing than what we have currently have.
How about managing an economy without massive theft before you force people in to this kind situation.
Why not have corrupt officials, work of what they steal at $5 an hour. I bet that would generate a ton of cash.

[edit on 21-7-2008 by foremanator]

1. in the UK we have a "benefits culture" which is crippling this country. Encouraging people to get jobs by not allowing them to sit around on their fat arses all day #ing and drinking to produce more retarded offspring like themselves is a Damn Good Thing.

2. This is in no way akin to slave labour. This is an opportunity to get some money if they have no money. It is just they will not get it for free. This is a mindset that has too-long been accepted as okay, which it is not. They have the complete and utter freedom to either get a job or just not get paid, which seems perfectly fair to me.

3. Police state? What kind of planet do you live on? This isn't about controlling their lives, this is about showing that we won't subsidise a lavish lazy lifestyle! This is to give them motivation to get a damn job and contribute to society, and stop being leeches.

reply to post by Karlhungis


IMHO - you are barking up the wrong tree

it is in the governments intrest to have people in salaried work - NOT on benefits being used as a ` community labour force `

why ?

direct and indirect taxation

a salaried worker typically earns circa 200 / week in a semi skilled manual role

a snihle adult on jobseekers allowance gets IIRC 82 / week

the salaried man is paying both income tax and NI national insurace to the govt

AND has a higher disposable income - of which a higher percentage is spent on things like fuel which is taxed - and goods subject to VAT [ value added tax ] a 17.5% levy on almost everything except food , childerens cloths , books and a few other " essential items "

the man on benefit receives all his mony FROM the govt - and spends less of it on stuff that is subject to VAT

still think that its in the govt interest to have higher unemployment ?

reply to post by CPYKOmega


what utter twaddle

this initative applies ONLY to persons in recept of ` jobseekers allwoance ` - the standard basic unemployment benefit

to recieve jobseekers - you must be fit for work - and periodically you may be asked to demonstrate that you are ACTIVLUY seeking work - ie having attended interviews , filled out applications etc

people on incapacity benefit / disability living allowance etc have to be medicaly assesed to recieve these benefits - and you have to PROVE that you are not fit for work

reply to post by Being_From_Earth


people on jobseekers allowance are already entitled to a variety of free educatiion and training

reply to post by ignorant_ape


All valid points. Good reply.

I can still see the need for a community labor force though. Illegal immigration labor comes to mind. We have a laundry list of jobs that need to be done, but we don't want to pay any money for. The government knows full well that a large population of the people who work on farms harvesting fruit...etc are not legal workers, yet for the most part they turn a blind eye. These guys are working for pennies on the dollar with no benefits, doing necessary jobs. If we were to pay them a proper wage, the cost of food would go up so it is ignored for the most part.

Now, litter is a problem and graffiti is a problem but who are you going to pay to do those jobs? Why not create a class of people who are forced into doing them?

Obviously, I am just making wild speculation, but I can see why it could happen. I am not trying to suggest that the govt would try to get everyone into the unemployment pool. But I can certainly see why they would benefit from having a fairly large workforce that can go out and do all of the jobs that no one else wants to do.

We've had this system in Denmark for quite a while... and frankly, it's worth it.

The BS about most unemployed lacking mental capacity is sooo wrong. Yes, you wlll have some of them who are like that. But most of the time it's people who caught a bad streak in life and just let themselves go.
The best thing for them is getting back out and at least doing something instead of sitting at home watching tv or what ever.

This might also be one of the reasons why Denmark is so clean. London looks like a dump in comparison to be honest... but not for long

Is the UK like the United States where the employer pays a fee for unemployment insurance? If so, why should be be forced to "work" for something they have already paid for?

Originally posted by CPYKOmega
Most people on welfare either lack the mental capacity to work, have disabilities, or some other mental disorder which is debilitating and prevents them from working a normal job. This kind of resolution is utter nonsense and nothing short of police state mentality.

There are some people who are looking for jobs then there are those who are just lazy wastes of space and can't be bothered to do something with their lives, except live lives of crime. The "Chav" culture is killing our country. There are a lot of people like that where I live and I utterly despise them. They should be forced to work, either they do that or they should be deported to a far away island and left, they have no use at all and I'm sick of knowing my hard earned money goes towards benefits for these pieces of scum.

Originally posted by C.C.Benjamin
1. in the UK we have a "benefits culture" which is crippling this country. Encouraging people to get jobs by not allowing them to sit around on their fat arses all day #ing and drinking to produce more retarded offspring like themselves is a Damn Good Thing.

2. This is in no way akin to slave labour. This is an opportunity to get some money if they have no money. It is just they will not get it for free. This is a mindset that has too-long been accepted as okay, which it is not. They have the complete and utter freedom to either get a job or just not get paid, which seems perfectly fair to me.

3. Police state? What kind of planet do you live on? This isn't about controlling their lives, this is about showing that we won't subsidise a lavish lazy lifestyle! This is to give them motivation to get a damn job and contribute to society, and stop being leeches.

I agree 100% percent with you and starred your post.

what is a PHD pays a life - time of taxes but something happens with his job so he will need like 6 months to search for a new one? i guess this is a way to force educated people to not claim any benefits while they pay the highest amount of tax (50 % for over 54000 a year I guess- not sure as i never had that much haha)

I agree there is a benefits culture and lots of people who sit on the dole because they cant do anything else. Better for them to clean the streets then sit in the pub all day. I think its more important to examine why people don't/cant work.

My husband worked his butt off to support me and our 3 young children until he had an accident and susequently lost his job just before christmas last year.
Needless to say we were very worried about how we would cope financially on benefits. However now we don't have to pay rent or council tax (a third of his wages), get free milk and veg, debt companys accept minimum payments as hes not employed, kids get free school dinners, we get free prescriptions, eye tests, dentistry etc we are actually BETTER off. Its ridiculous. Obviously my husband, once recovered from surgery,(and me when kids are older) will be returning to work as we don't like being on benefits. Its important for the children to see us working for a living. But the point is, wheres the incentive?
We pay the same income tax as single friends with no kids and with petrol, food costs and energy bills soaring I can understand why families almost cant afford to work.

Originally posted by groingrinder
I wish we could get this in the US. I am all for workfare instead of welfare.

We do have this in the US......our local county jail has a 'workforce' of those that have committed fairly minor offenses. These fellows ( usually youngish men, I've never noticed a female..) are bussed to a different part of the county nearly every day of decent weather, and they get fresh air and exercise while clearing the roadsides of litter.

Similar to, but not so extreme as the 'chaingangs' of the past......these guys seem to be fairly cheerful, despite their 'guest of the county' status.....

During the depression, when there was very little work to be had, there were the CCC boys. ( It was a something of 'make work' government program.)

They did roadwork, planted much of that ever-present kudzu, even built some dams and levees. The were paid very little, but were fed and housed.....and mostly glad to get it, considering the other options of the time. My uncle was one, and always said it was certainly better than the nothing he would have had otherwise.

I think a lot of people here are confusing unemployment benefits with welfare, two different things completely.
When I was in West Germany in the late 1970s, Welfare receiptants were often given a stretch of road to keep clean. It seemed to work well and the roads were clean to boot.

Originally posted by Karlhungis
I think this is a good idea as well. However, couldn't the other side of the coin be the government looking to increase the unemployment numbers

On the contrary, each person doing this will no longer statistically be unemployed anymore, even though they're still receiving benefit money. This is all just cooking the books for some upcoming election or popularity contest or another.