[quote=Shadowfax]
While there are probably some destitute folks that collect a check and don’t have any plans or aspirations to get a job, there are a lot of folks out there who are facing real, stiff challenges in seeking employment. It takes money to make money, even in the minimum wage world. To get a job you have to have adequate (suitable) clothing, transportation, a minimal education (fill out a job app at McD’s), etc. Many of the destitute are not well equipped–societally or financially–to even start a job search. And as you point out, the minimum wage/low wage market is not very appealing when you can make not much less by not working.
Someone posted some great data (I may track back and try to find it) about how a large percentage of those “lazy, jobless, tax evaders” are actually retirees and the disabled. Retirees often don’t have the option to get employment since they are outside the employable age, may have physical limitations and they live on reduced incomes (be nice to Grandpa, the Walmart Greeter–hey, bonus to Walmart, he already collects Social Security and is eligible for Medicare!). Do you want to squeeze them for taking their tax rebates? How about the guy who is a paraplegic and also mentally disabled who puts together component parts on an assembly line ’cause he can’t really find any other work? Oh, wait, his $8/hour job just got shipped overseas to Indonesia where they only have to pay $1/day–yeehaw, look at those corporate profits soar. And there are people who transition in and out of “poor” status–laid off and takes them a year or two to complete some courses to enter a new field…
My point? Don’t generalize. At any given time, there are people “not working” and “not paying taxes” but they are not all baby-mamas and fat lazy union workers. Some really don’t have any prospects or don’t have enough hope or belief that the system will work for them. I suspect their numbers will be growing in the coming months as the economic nuclear fall-out starts wafting down on America’s Main Streets.[/quote]
I agree with you regarding the retirees and disabled. I don’t considered them in this category I’m generalizing about. The people I’m refering to are the people who could work but choose not to. I think they’re still a decent portion of welfare recipient. I know many who came to this country with nothing more than the clothes on their back. They worked extremely hard, starting at the bottom with minimum wage. Then they got the education and moved on up. Some came here in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s, yet they all went through this path and now are doing decently well to extremely well.
