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None of those except perhaps welfare implies that the money is going to people less productive than yourself. Also, I'm sure many people on welfare would love t

by tensor 16y ago

None of those except perhaps welfare implies that the money is going to people less productive than yourself. Also, I'm sure many people on welfare would love to have a good job and be productive.

yummyfajitas 16y ago
People who have retired from productive labor are, by definition, not productive. As for people on welfare wanting to work, that's unclear. Most (about 80%) poor people don't want to work [1] and I expect the ones who do work are less likely to be on welfare (though I don't have stats granular enough to prove this). Do you have a better estimate? [1] http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf
- macrael 16y ago
  Sorry, did you get that "80% of poor people don't want to work" figure by dividing the number of working poor by the total number of poor people from that report you linked to?[1] I didn't see any information in that study pertaining to motivation or desire. Just because 75% of people below the poverty line were not employed for half the year does not mean that they did not want to be. [1] http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf
  - yummyfajitas 16y ago
    Just because 75% of people below the poverty line were not employed for half the year... Go read the first 3 sentences of the report. That includes clauses inside parenthesis.
    - macrael 16y ago
      Quite right you are. I still take some issue with the idea that 75% of the poor don't want to work. The report is not entirely clear on what it means to be "looking for work", and it's hard to know what different motivations are driving that 10% of the american population. But, absent data, I will concede the point.
      - yummyfajitas 16y ago
        "Persons are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work." More details: http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm By the way, didn't mean to sound hostile in my last post. I think I came across a little stronger than I meant.
larrywright 16y ago
Also, I'm sure many people on welfare would love to have a good job and be productive. It probably depends on how you define "many", but I don't think history sides with you on this one. Welfare programs in the US have tended to produce more people on welfare, rather than getting them off.

by tensor 16y ago

None of those except perhaps welfare implies that the money is going to people less productive than yourself. Also, I'm sure many people on welfare would love to have a good job and be productive.

yummyfajitas 16y ago

People who have retired from productive labor are, by definition, not productive. As for people on welfare wanting to work, that's unclear. Most (about 80%) poor people don't want to work [1] and I expect the ones who do work are less likely to be on welfare (though I don't have stats granular enough to prove this). Do you have a better estimate? [1] http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf

macrael 16y ago
Sorry, did you get that "80% of poor people don't want to work" figure by dividing the number of working poor by the total number of poor people from that report you linked to?[1] I didn't see any information in that study pertaining to motivation or desire. Just because 75% of people below the poverty line were not employed for half the year does not mean that they did not want to be. [1] http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2008.pdf
- yummyfajitas 16y ago
  Just because 75% of people below the poverty line were not employed for half the year... Go read the first 3 sentences of the report. That includes clauses inside parenthesis.
  - macrael 16y ago
    Quite right you are. I still take some issue with the idea that 75% of the poor don't want to work. The report is not entirely clear on what it means to be "looking for work", and it's hard to know what different motivations are driving that 10% of the american population. But, absent data, I will concede the point.
    - yummyfajitas 16y ago
      "Persons are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work." More details: http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm By the way, didn't mean to sound hostile in my last post. I think I came across a little stronger than I meant.

larrywright 16y ago

Also, I'm sure many people on welfare would love to have a good job and be productive. It probably depends on how you define "many", but I don't think history sides with you on this one. Welfare programs in the US have tended to produce more people on welfare, rather than getting them off.