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You know how there are pictures of certain immigrants to NYC and other places in the early part of the XX century and they would show those people sweeping thei
by mc32 2y ago
You know how there are pictures of certain immigrants to NYC and other places in the early part of the XX century and they would show those people sweeping their stoops and sidewalks and generally keeping their neighborhoods tidy?
Well, in Japan, you still see that. Shop owners will go around their shop with a duster cleaning away any dust or cobwebs that might have sprung overnight. Awnings, signs, etc.
- Spooky23 2y agoThat was a political machine thing. In the days before social security, destitute old people with connections to the local ward leader would be handed a broom and a modest wage. In my small city (~120k people at the time) they had a few thousand people on the payroll doing stuff like this.
- SoftTalker 2y agoWhy don’t we do that any more?
- buddavis_ 2y agoSocial Security is advertised as an "insurance fund", rather than a transfer payment. If it was advertised as a handout, then many of the recipients would be asking for a broom; provided they were able.
- Spooky23 2y agoWe moved that money upstream. That infrastructure of party committeemen and aldermen died with cities. End of the day, it’s cheaper to sell politics like toothpaste than to build relationships.