Forced manual labour?

What is your take on this?

Personally i think the idea is ridiculous for various reasons, mainly being the fact that no one should be forced to do anything.

Obviously if they do the right thing and make this charity work and such then it has many benefits, but the other side of the coin is the manual labour side...i.e free labour for the government.

But that's exactly all I can see this being used for, free labour.

What about people who actually cant work?

What about people in areas like mine, rural areas with a specific actual lack of jobs? (Yes, i do work before you ask)

I'm all for getting rid of benefit cheaters and people abusing the state, but forced labour...?

I'm surprised the Condem government has lasted this long to be honest, don't get me started on the university fee increases.

P.S I am a Labour supporter and generally don't agree with much of what comes out of Conservative mouths, and certainly not the Lib Dems who sold themselves out, but i do see the benefits of this but it still doesn't sit quite right to me, knowing that, please focus on the two sides of the coin rather than attacking anyone personally for political views.

Debate away.

Forced manual labor is exactly that.

Getting welfare benefits and having to work for them is not force.

Just like the cases here in the US where they are thinking of drug testing all people that get welfare. Heck, in my opinion working for the government is a form of welfare, they should drug test everyone in government.

Here is the deal folks, if you are going to TAKE something from the government, do not start to whine when the government begins to put chains on those gifts. That money comes from somewhere, it does not grow on trees, no matter how many times they fire up those printing presses.

Didn't they have debtor's prisons in Great Britain at one time? Sounds like they're trying to bring it back.

I think people who are receiving welfare (and not on disability, etc.) past a certain amount of time should be doing *something* for what they get. I don't think "forced labor" is the answer for most...people should be in programs to increase their skills, and maybe also doing some kind of physical work part of the time. They also need some time so they can actually look for a job, etc., as well. It's simply not fair to people who are working to have a permanent welfare class. I don't think welfare should be abolished, but beyond a certain amount of time of receiving welfare, its not unreasonable to try to get the recipients to do something productive. In a sense, that's the whole purpose of welfare anyway. You could have people training each other, swapping skills, bartering, learning new skills, and so on...there are lots of ways the long-term welfare system could be set up to help lift people out of the mire.

Notwithstanding the above, a program like this could be abused quite easily. It could become an incentive for any government to actually decrease the amount of "real jobs" available so almost everyone has no choice but to enter the government program, at which point they get worked like slaves for next to nothing, told what to do for a living with no choice, etc. The gains in efficiency and reductions in labor costs could certainly benefit "contractors" making use of dragooned labor at cutrate prices, etc. Its a dark road to go down.

What's the difference between 'forced' or 'loved' labour?

It is still labour, a means to earn a living and sustain oneself, regardless if one is the President of the most powerful nation on Earth or just a humble tea lady.

It is only one's qualitications that enable him/her to progress into higher responsibilities of labour - management.

Unfortunately, the room at the top is limited. Each year see millions of graduates whom had worked hard and should deserve such positions, but there are never enough vacancies to go round for everyone. So what happens if one is qualified but there is no vacany?

He/she can either turn entreprenuer or with their amassed knowledge through discipline, go into other fields. If that is not possible, than the only ones who had profitted were the education centres who sold piped dreams to our children.

Manual labour is the only logical answer, but there should be no stigma attached to labour. It is still an honest living compared to crime. Most critically of all, that salary MUST BE SUSTAINABLE for reasonable living, and not one of slavery of our own citizens while foreigners gets the cream of high wages or unconcionable Coporations profit from mass cheap foreign imported labour at the expense of one's own society.

May such form of imposement be seen in such light, or it would be unfair and cruel treatment of our own fellow citizens and humans forced into slavery.

Originally posted by silent thunder
The gains in efficiency and reductions in labor costs could certainly benefit "contractors" making use of dragooned labor at cutrate prices, etc. Its a dark road to go down.

edit on 11/7/10 by silent thunder because: (no reason given)

Exactly, it is free and easy labour...which also....removes jobs vacancy's from councils and such because they people doing it for free, seems a bit counter productive to me.

I think a better road to go down is getting more people involved in apprenticeships, and training programs and qualifications, not cleaning up leaves off a street or cleaning out drains.

Manual labour doesnt really fix much apart from make local council lives easier, training people up to a level 3 NVQ/University standard would be much better and can incorporate a working week alongside education so they are in the habit of work.

People who advocate forced or compulsory labour should be imprisoned.

originally posted bySeekerofTruth101

Manual labour is the only logical answer, but there should be no stigma attached to labour. It is still an honest living compared to crime. Most critically of all, that salary MUST BE SUSTAINABLE for reasonable living, and not one of slavery of our own citizens while foreigners gets the cream of high wages or unconcionable Coporations profit from mass cheap foreign imported labour at the expense of one's own society.

Maybe this is the reason Obama made his trip to India...Americans will be put into forced labour camps(FEMA)

under the excuse that a sustainable work wage can't be paid...Smacks self in forehead with palm....why not outsource newly trained Americans AND their jobs to India, trade person for person instead of just the jobs.

It is cheaper to live in India than the US...it would be a way to create overseas jobs for Americans, and I'm sure they would still be responsible for taxes "back home"...and of course, after a service time in India, those that come home could always use what they learned overseas to become trainers to others on welfare. Well, whoop te dooo....maybe I just came up with the Mother Lode....

NOT!!

Forced Labour in the US would definitely be a final nail in the coffin...If Americans stood for that...then it's done.

Edit to add: ARBEIT MACHT FREI....we all know who the origional author for those words was....

Originally posted by DragonsDemesne
It also seems fair; if you are going to accept a government handout, you should have to do something to earn it.

Don't you think that the Government should provide money so that people can have their basic human rights like food, water and shelter? Why should we have to work for these?

If you want luxuries like a big plasma TV, by all means you should work for it.

If you have to work for what is accepted as human rights, then you are a slave.

If a farmer did this to his animals, he would be in big trouble. Don't see why it should be any different for TPTB.

One problem well a major problem, would you let someone work for you if they dont want to be there? Also I know for a fact community work is laughable. Unless you are actually commited then community work works, however you get someone who has been forced to do something well dont expect the job to get done or done very poorly. As long as they turn up they dont care. Another knee jerk reaction from a dumb government.

Originally posted by NuclearPaul

Originally posted by DragonsDemesne
It also seems fair; if you are going to accept a government handout, you should have to do something to earn it.

Don't you think that the Government should provide money so that people can have their basic human rights like food, water and shelter? Why should we have to work for these?

You do not have a right to my take property, drink my water or use my shelter.

You might think you do - but that is your delusion, not mine.