Question: Could this solve poverty to a degree?

[Deleted]

I know that employment, or the lack of one is a big issue around the globe right now.
I was thinking about this when I was trying to sleep last night, why don't we have "Work booths"?

Would it cost too much to give people the possibility to work a few extra hours for a smaller paycheck a few days a week by going to a booth and picking up a "What-to-do-List"? People could talk to the managers and give them an idea of what they're good at, then get work (if demanded) doing anything from picking up garbage from the streets to welding something that is broken, a street-light or whatever.

It would be a drive-in of sorts for work. Homeless people would get the money they need to keep themselves fed, perhaps buy a few pieces of clothing and food for example. I've been in situations where I could use a few extra bucks myself.

You wouldn't be able to get any work if you're earning a certain amount per month and you'll be automatically excluded.
This system would ONLY be for the people working for a minimum wage salary.

Things needs fixing in every town, every day. Why not give regular folks in need of cash the chance to earn their money instead of holding on to risky welfare checks?

[Deleted]

You mean like an employment agency already does?

[Hyve]

Poverty isn't just an issue with a lack of food, but a lack of education, social policies to promote the welfare of the individual and the attitude to continue driving forward. It sounds harsh, but a lot of the poverty issues are mostly caused by their local governments.

Over the years, how much money has been poured into solving poverty? I'm not against trying, I'm all for charities doing there bit and helping people, but until there is a wide-scale change in their nation towards their poor and needy, it'll never be solved.

[Deleted]

Not as instant as this. The employment agency in Sweden for example is absolutely horrible. It takes months, if not years to find something worthy of doing except for going to classes to educate yourself into doing something that doesn't even get you a job.

[Tornainbow]

Places like this exist and they are flooded with illegals. The average American won't work for $1.20 an hour. But the illegals will.

Look at any employment place in the Southwest US. Full of illegals every morning waiting for work.

[Deleted]

Places like this exist and they are flooded with illegals. The average American won't work for $1.20 an hour. But the illegals will.

Look at any employment place in the Southwest US. Full of illegals every morning waiting for work.

The ones where you work the docks for a few hours a la Cinderella man? ^^, I'm talking Everything from this to that that needs fixing in the entire county/state

[Noomz]

I know that employment, or the lack of one is a big issue around the globe right now.
I was thinking about this when I was trying to sleep last night, why don't we have "Work booths"?

Would it cost too much to give people the possibility to work a few extra hours for a smaller paycheck a few days a week by going to a booth and picking up a "What-to-do-List"? People could talk to the managers and give them an idea of what they're good at, then get work (if demanded) doing anything from picking up garbage from the streets to welding something that is broken, a street-light or whatever.

It would be a drive-in of sorts for work. Homeless people would get the money they need to keep themselves fed, perhaps buy a few pieces of clothing and food for example. I've been in situations where I could use a few extra bucks myself.

You wouldn't be able to get any work if you're earning a certain amount per month and you'll be automatically excluded.
This system would ONLY be for the people working for a minimum wage salary.

Things needs fixing in every town, every day. Why not give regular folks in need of cash the chance to earn their money instead of holding on to risky welfare checks?

Best solution? Distribute the horrendously disproportionate amount of wealth a extremely small amount of people have.
It's not like they need it. Or deserve it. Or will ever use it.
Yes I'm a dirty socialist pig, sue me. You don't deserve your billions for yourself. No way, no how. You earned them on other peoples work and other peoples purchases.

Take a lesson from this man.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Newman

He knew he didn't need all the money he had and that there were many that were much more deserving and in need of it. He had the gold, it made his heart golden too. The man's a legend in my eyes.

- - - Updated - - -

Not as instant as this. The employment agency in Sweden for example is absolutely horrible. It takes months, if not years to find something worthy of doing except for going to classes to educate yourself into doing something that doesn't even get you a job.

They are an incompetent, underfunded, understaffed shithole that never solves shit.
They're much more likely to cause you trouble and be in the way than they're ever gonna be of any help. Your own initative will be 100% more effective.

- - - Updated - - -

Poverty isn't just an issue with a lack of food, but a lack of education, social policies to promote the welfare of the individual and the attitude to continue driving forward. It sounds harsh, but a lot of the poverty issues are mostly caused by their local governments.

Over the years, how much money has been poured into solving poverty? I'm not against trying, I'm all for charities doing there bit and helping people, but until there is a wide-scale change in their nation towards their poor and needy, it'll never be solved.

Even if you did put the charities into constructive infrastructure and the like, there'd be absolutely no point in doing it when the things you build up will be unmanned and unserviced because there's no-one educated in using or caring for it.
And governments in poor countries are notoriously corrupt and don't give two craps about their people or their country.

[Hyve]

Best solution? Distribute the horrendously disproportionate amount of wealth a extremely small amount of people have.
It's not like they need it. Or deserve it. Or will ever use it.
Yes I'm a dirty socialist pig, sue me. You don't deserve your billions for yourself. No way, no how. You earned them on other peoples work and other peoples purchases.

Yup - All those Billionaires, all of them did absolutely nothing to earn their money. They never worked hard, had an original idea or changed the world. They're lying, horrible monsters who've done nothing for society, and just leech from it.

You know, if that was true, more people would be a lot richer then they are today ...

[Daveon]

Take a lesson from this man.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Newman

I don't have anything to say to the OP, but the world would be a better place if there were more people like Paul Newman.

[Aeula]

The only way you can solve poverty is with wellfare, lots and lots of wellfare.

[Prag]

Any solution to poverty is quickly swallowed up and abused into oblivion by the lazy... Long before it ever actually reaches the truly poor.

[Deleted]

I know that employment, or the lack of one is a big issue around the globe right now.
I was thinking about this when I was trying to sleep last night, why don't we have "Work booths"?

Would it cost too much to give people the possibility to work a few extra hours for a smaller paycheck a few days a week by going to a booth and picking up a "What-to-do-List"? People could talk to the managers and give them an idea of what they're good at, then get work (if demanded) doing anything from picking up garbage from the streets to welding something that is broken, a street-light or whatever.

It would be a drive-in of sorts for work. Homeless people would get the money they need to keep themselves fed, perhaps buy a few pieces of clothing and food for example. I've been in situations where I could use a few extra bucks myself.

You wouldn't be able to get any work if you're earning a certain amount per month and you'll be automatically excluded.
This system would ONLY be for the people working for a minimum wage salary.

Things needs fixing in every town, every day. Why not give regular folks in need of cash the chance to earn their money instead of holding on to risky welfare checks?

The problem with this is that either there is a large gap between supply and demand of skilled labour (allocation) or the job is so unskilled that it pays too little to be worth the oppertunity cost for unemployed. The relative wealth increase is not sufficient, this is marginal so wether it is a day an hour or any measure the effect is the same.

[RicardoZ]

The people who are willing to work are working already. Just because it's not a full time job that pays enough for luxuries and vacations, isn't a glamorous thing to put on your social media profile, and doesn't include benefits like insurance doesn't mean that you can't use it to support yourself while you find something else.

I just got back to the USA from 5 years abroad last April and I still haven't found a full time job with a living wage in a field that I want to be in, but I've been working a few jobs to keep our heads above water in the meantime.

So I'm not sure this would really work out, because unless it's a booth that gives out 50k+/year jobs with benefits and vacation and nights/holidays/weekends off then the majority of people who are already out of work probably won't be interested.

[Torq]

Places like this exist and they are flooded with illegals. The average American won't work for $1.20 an hour. But the illegals will.

Look at any employment place in the Southwest US. Full of illegals every morning waiting for work.

Seems like an attitude problem.

If "the illegals" are willing to work for $1.20 an hour, it's because they can make a living off that. If the "average American" can't make a living off that too, they're doing something wrong.

So if it's merely an issue of being unwilling to work for wages they deem "beneath" them, then it's an attitude thing.

[RicardoZ]

Seems like an attitude problem.

If "the illegals" are willing to work for $1.20 an hour, it's because they can make a living off that. If the "average American" can't make a living off that too, they're doing something wrong.

So if it's merely an issue of being unwilling to work for wages they deem "beneath" them, then it's an attitude thing.

That kind of stems from American culture though. The current generation of Americans grew up watching tv shows and movies that featured young characters who have easy-peasy jobs, live in upscale, hip neighborhoods, eat in restaurants every night, and go out partying five times a week.

When Millenialls got out of college with their degrees in Art History, Theater, Fashion Marketing, and Music Theory, they were quite distraught to discover that Friends and Sex and the City really were just the products of a writer's imagination and didn't reflect any real person's reality to any meaningful degree. So that, of course, means that capitalism sucks because they're not rich and famous, and the government, the rich, and the fortunate owe them the life they saw on TV.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

That kind of stems from American culture though. The current generation of Americans grew up watching tv shows and movies that featured young characters who have easy-peasy jobs, live in upscale, hip neighborhoods, eat in restaurants every night, and go out partying five times a week.

When Millenialls got out of college with their degrees in Art History, Theater, Fashion Marketing, and Music Theory, they were quite distraught to discover that Friends and Sex and the City really were just the products of a writer's imagination and didn't reflect any real person's reality to any meaningful degree. So that, of course, means that capitalism sucks because they're not rich and famous.

I don't know how one can think Friends when talking about their careers and work life. That just feels....


Well I don't know, I NEVER think about that >.>

[Prag]

Seems like an attitude problem.

If "the illegals" are willing to work for $1.20 an hour, it's because they can make a living off that. If the "average American" can't make a living off that too, they're doing something wrong.

So if it's merely an issue of being unwilling to work for wages they deem "beneath" them, then it's an attitude thing.

The wages are as low as they are because illegals are willing to work for anything. They live in unacceptable conditions too - 5-6 people in a 2 bedroom apartment, in an area that's riddled with crime and, no surprise, has no property value.

I'm all for immigration and it's not 100% their fault, but their desperation is taken advantage of by corporations and that's just the way the economy is.

[Deleted]

If we made every $1 bill worth 1 million then everyone would be millionaires and nobody would ever starve again, poverty would be eliminated overnight.

[RicardoZ]

The wages are as low as they are because illegals are willing to work for anything. They live in unacceptable conditions too - 5-6 people in a 2 bedroom apartment, in an area that's riddled with crime and, no surprise, has no property value.

I'm all for immigration and it's not 100% their fault, but their desperation is taken advantage of by corporations and that's just the way the economy is.

I live in a hispanic community and there are a lot of illegals around, and trust me, they're not working for $1.20 an hour. They actually make pretty decent money (some even more than me and I work 3 jobs), the issue isn't that their salary is too costly for companies, it's that companies can get the work done faster with no paperwork and no payroll taxes by employing illegal immigrants.

Why would they want to hire some whiny, self-entitled American kid who's going to want $30/hour, 1 hour lunch break, paid holidays, weekends/holidays/nights off, and cost them extra payroll tax when they can pay a migrant worker $15/hour for the same job and no government red tape?

I'm not sure it's really corporations who are largely benefiting from illegal immigrant labor anyway, around here it mostly seems to be regular guys who own contracting companies and one of their crew called out so they go pick up a day laborer, or maybe some warehouse someplace has a huge shipment going out that they can't handle, so they grab some under-the-table help for a couple weeks. People have the idea that WalMart is hiring illegal immigrants and forcing them to work for $2 an hour while somebody stands behind them with a whip, and that's just not true.

[spinner981]

Poverty isn't just an issue with a lack of food, but a lack of education, social policies to promote the welfare of the individual and the attitude to continue driving forward. It sounds harsh, but a lot of the poverty issues are mostly caused by their local governments.

Over the years, how much money has been poured into solving poverty? I'm not against trying, I'm all for charities doing there bit and helping people, but until there is a wide-scale change in their nation towards their poor and needy, it'll never be solved.

A government can't just magically get rid of poverty. A nation shouldn't be designed to cater to the poor, rather it should be designed to cater to those who have the ability to make that nation better. It's about the pursuit of happiness, and while there are people who legitimately can't provide for themselves (who should be helped via charity) there are many poor people that just don't try, or have gotten themselves into the situation (or continue to keep themselves there) via various methods that don't really deserve the same treatment that those do who legitimately can't help themselves.