Kansas Gov is a mean human.

[Graeham]

Unemployment is constantly on the rise due to a variety of different factors in pretty much every modern country. The population is growing through new births and immigration and many jobs are being cut in favour of automated services which are seen as much more efficient.

Unemployment isn't going to go away and people on welfare deserve to have a bit of pleasure in their lives from time to time. Heck, many are on welfare due to mental and physical health problems that most people don't even care to understand.

[Orlong]

Because a new job or moving are valid options in every situation? You are truly living in a delusional world. You have no idea how the real world operates. Finding a new job or moving ARE NOT valid real options for the majority of people.

Why not? A U-haul rental is less than $100. Find a new place that cost the same as what you pay now

[Christan]

Why not? A U-haul rental is less than $100. Find a new place that cost the same as what you pay now

if i remember right it's a $200 deposit (say it gets towed or they have to track ya down) $25 a day, plus mileage.

even when you get the deposit back, depending on how far you are driving you are looking at spending well over that amount.
then you have connection fee's for utilities, gasoline(petrol), first months rent/security deposit/pet deposit, as well as, looking for a job in the place you've moved to.

so lets say you go look for a job in this new city, are you spending money to commute back and forth every day, so you have a secured job before you move?
that adds even more onto the bill.

moving cross city is easy, get friends to help, hopefully know someone with a truck to move the washing machine/dryer, couches etc, pay em with a nice dinner.
moving to another city is something else entirely.

lets say you live paycheck to paycheck, using foodstamps or tanf when needed, (a lot of people work 30 hours and are still well below poverty level)
well on gov't assistance there is a limit on what you can have in savings(if you can even have a savings account)
so either you lie to the gov't, or you get your assistance reduced / lowered until you are under that limit (for SSI it's $200, even computer, mhmm...anything you could sell except 1 vehicle is considered savings)

how in the world, unless you are BFF's with your current landlord, or forgo paying rent for a month or two, do you expect to have the money to move to another city?
some cities are big, i'll agree, some aren't so much, moving across town will generally not net you many job opportunities, changing cities may indeed.

also you have to take into account cost of living, if you are already in a trashy cheap neighborhood, and move to a 'larger city' for more job opportunities, even the trashy cheap neighborhoods will have higher rent. as well as everything else costing a bit more.

sure you might get lucky but, it takes money - to get into the situation to make more money, living paycheck to paycheck won't get you that, especially if you are already so poor you are living on assistance(even with working)


(also why do people keep saying food stamps when this is about tanf -temporary assistance for needy families
get a debit card you can withdrawal money with, limiting that per day, sure...not wanting tatoo's, movies, nightclubs, sure..
swimming no...
and the 36 months 'lifetime' means
say you are on it 6 months when you turn 18 and move out of your parents basement, that means you have 30 months left of your 'lifetime' allowance... 2 years later your lady gets prego, you get back on it for a year, down to 18 months left for your 'lifetime allowed'

(that's what it sounds like to me)

and in that case, it's screwed up, don't agree with that or the...swimming...(seriously, taking away exercise?)
cut and pasted off the bill itself

No TANF cash assistance shall be used in any retail liquor store, casino,
gaming establishment, jewelry store, tattoo parlor, massage parlor, body
piercing parlor, spa, nail salon, lingerie shop, tobacco paraphernalia
store, vapor cigarette store, psychic or fortune telling business, bail bond
company, video arcade, movie theater, swimming pool, cruise ship, theme
park, dog or horse racing facility, facility, or sexually oriented
business or any retail establishment which provides adult-oriented
entertainment in which performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed
state for entertainment, or in any business or retail establishment where
minors under age 18 are not permitted. TANF cash assistance transactions
for cash withdrawals from automated teller machines shall be limited to
{$25}, per transaction and to one transaction per day. No TANF cash assistance shall be used for
purchases at points of sale outside the state of Kansas.

now, if someone is living exclusively off gov't aid, i can agree with all that except swimming.

if someone has a job, but still can't make ends meet, they shouldn't be doing most of that anyway, though i'd give some leeway since they are working at least, cigs/alcohol are hard addictions to drop

[ladylin]

Why not? A U-haul rental is less than $100. Find a new place that cost the same as what you pay now

you act like there are just thousands of jobs lying around. You haven't ever rented a uhaul. It's more than $100. Depends on how big of one you need. You keep acting like everyone has the exact same options. Please join us In the real world.

Signed someone who has been there and done that. But supports the poor.

[Lolretadin]

That's not "published by Forbes". Anything that says "forbes.com/sites" is not Forbes, it's a blog hosted by Forbes and not under any sort of Forbes editorial control.

Even if it was published by Forbes, as they put it, it really doesn't matter. Forbes has as much credibility speaking about social issues as the Nazis do on racial equality (protip: not very much).

[Orlong]

you act like there are just thousands of jobs lying around. You haven't ever rented a uhaul. It's more than $100. Depends on how big of one you need. You keep acting like everyone has the exact same options. Please join us In the real world.

Signed someone who has been there and done that. But supports the poor.

He already has a job. Hs complaint was that he couldnt ride a bike or walk to work because he lived too far away. I suggested he move closer to his job so he wouldnt have to buy a car. Also I see Uhauls every day in huge letters on the side they say rent me for $99 a day or $50 for a partial day. Sometimes they even have hourly rates

[Nobleshield]

He already has a job. Hs complaint was that he couldnt ride a bike or walk to work because he lived too far away. I suggested he move closer to his job so he wouldnt have to buy a car. Also I see Uhauls every day in huge letters on the side they say rent me for $99 a day or $50 for a partial day. Sometimes they even have hourly rates

So your solution to someone is to move closer to work rather than get a car? What? You really think that people who struggle making ends meet should just suffer?

Poverty being a "just punishment" for not working hard enough is rubbish. This entire Puritan concept of hard work for rewards is borderline ridiculous in the modern age.

I think if we got rid of this ridiculous idea of "needing" to work to live we'd experience a renaissance. If you remove the need to work people can indulge their own interests. Universities for example move away from teaching you skills to get a job and go back to what they originally were - places of higher learning to indulge in things that you fancied and engage in discussion with your peers. We could see a renaissance where people will go take university classes on subjects they have an interest in and become more learned instead of going to university because they need a degree in X to get a job so they can pay their bills and not starve to death on the streets.

The next Mozart might be undiscovered because they're stuck working a shitty job somewhere to make ends meet so they can't devote any time to music.

[Fugus]

He already has a job. Hs complaint was that he couldnt ride a bike or walk to work because he lived too far away. I suggested he move closer to his job so he wouldnt have to buy a car. Also I see Uhauls every day in huge letters on the side they say rent me for $99 a day or $50 for a partial day. Sometimes they even have hourly rates

Many jobs that isn't possible as the cost of housing increases by leaps and bounds the closer you get to the businesses. And to be honest, most jobs I have seen don't pay enough for you to live in the area they are located.

You should see Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I went out there to see a friend who played in a band about 12 years back. I was was a talker and liked to strike up conversation and was curious about the subject and would ask. Virtually everyone out there who wasn't working in a college required profession had to commute upwards or 20 miles to work or more because their job only paid enough for them to live on the outskirts of the area and not in the area. The main ones who lived close enough to work to not need a car was making 60k+.

Orlong, you really need to read up on these situations before you propose stuff like this. Because you really are clueless on this subject because, if it was that easy more people would be doing it. But as is, many people are having to commute 10-20 miles per day just for $7.50 an hour because to live near their work would require a job paying over $20 an hour.

[Adam Jensen]

Perhaps you should either move or find a job closer to home

Moving closer brings me to apartments out of my price range. My apartment is an easy $575. To get within walking distance, I'd be lucky to find one for $700. $900-1000+ were the most common. $575 was the cheapest I could find within a 60 mile radius.

My job was the result of three months of searching. I don't have time to go hunting for the ideal job while bills are mounting, you take the first one you can get that covers your expenses.

I think if we got rid of this ridiculous idea of "needing" to work to live we'd experience a renaissance. If you remove the need to work people can indulge their own interests. Universities for example move away from teaching you skills to get a job and go back to what they originally were - places of higher learning to indulge in things that you fancied and engage in discussion with your peers. We could see a renaissance where people will go take university classes on subjects they have an interest in and become more learned instead of going to university because they need a degree in X to get a job so they can pay their bills and not starve to death on the streets.

Indeed. I've always wondered why mankind is cursed to spend most their lives in service to someone else, rather than free to chase their dreams. Very few actually get to chase their dreams. But I think in the next century, maybe even sooner, as automation becomes more and more common and computer intelligence becomes more complex, some sort of revolution (preferably a nonviolent one) will be necessary simply because there won't be enough jobs. Basic income can solve this, but the usuals would scream "communism" and do everything they can to block it.

[Orlong]

Moving closer brings me to apartments out of my price range. My apartment is an easy $575. To get within walking distance, I'd be lucky to find one for $700. $900-1000+ were the most common. $575 was the cheapest I could find within a 60 mile radius.

My job was the result of three months of searching. I don't have time to go hunting for the ideal job while bills are mounting, you take the first one you can get that covers your expenses.



Indeed. I've always wondered why mankind is cursed to spend most their lives in service to someone else, rather than free to chase their dreams. Very few actually get to chase their dreams. But I think in the next century, maybe even sooner, as automation becomes more and more common and computer intelligence becomes more complex, some sort of revolution (preferably a nonviolent one) will be necessary simply because there won't be enough jobs. Basic income can solve this, but the usuals would scream "communism" and do everything they can to block it.

And if everyone is living on their basic income, who is going to pay all the taxes to pay for it? The people who choose to work give up 90% of what they make? With the current workforce we dont take in enough in taxes to pay everyone a basic income, how are we going to do it when only 25% of the amount of current workers we have actually work?

[Adam Jensen]

And if everyone is living on their basic income, who is going to pay all the taxes to pay for it? The people who choose to work give up 90% of what they make? With the current workforce we dont take in enough in taxes to pay everyone a basic income, how are we going to do it when only 25% of the amount of current workers we have actually work?

Which I'll be honest, is one of the hurdles. But if and when we get to the point where we can't keep a significant portion of the population employed, something must be done, some fundamental change must occur. And we can't allow people to blindly scream "communism!" We instead must have actual rational discussions to find a solution. Basic income is one possibility, and as you said, "how will we pay for it?" Well, that's a discussion we might have to have, but without people just blindly screaming talking points and half-assed slogans.

[Sunseeker]

Which I'll be honest, is one of the hurdles. But if and when we get to the point where we can't keep a significant portion of the population employed, something must be done, some fundamental change must occur. And we can't allow people to blindly scream "communism!" We instead must have actual rational discussions to find a solution. Basic income is one possibility, and as you said, "how will we pay for it?" Well, that's a discussion we might have to have, but without people just blindly screaming talking points and half-assed slogans.

Like treating companies who offshore 90% of their workforce as foreign corporations and taxing them as such? Having your CEO and a pittance of staff within the country does not make you a national business IMO.

[Eijah Juliana]

If you have money on top of the government aid than you can easily still do these things, but if you only have money the government gives you I see no issue with telling people sorry but you can't afford a trip to the movies or to the pool.