• Federal oversight? Trading sandboxes in my opinion. [Financial Times]• Welfare queens may suffer. [NPR]
• Magic budget tricks. [SJ Mercury News]
• Movie title suggestions. I would have picked "Red Heat." [bizjournals]
• Sucks to be dependent on a dysfunctional State. [Reuters]
20 comments:
Top of the morning to you, too.
To take exception with your characterization, I think the current set of welfare recipients are far from the "welfare queens" of the golden age of welfare, when the government would pick up the check for all living expenses (and cable television, and spending money for the drug habit) in perpetuity. Programs now are much more transitional, which means the recipients have to think about what they'll do when the assistance runs out; certainly not a bad thing.
But what struck me is the focus on college education for welfare recipients and their families. That's a mistake. We already have too many college graduates for the number of positions that require that level of education (and the situation is even worse at the post-college level.) The focus, rather, should be on placing welfare recipients in jobs where they can immediately use the abilities they already have, or giving them vocational training for something slightly better.
In short, they should be focusing on transitioning welfare recipients into the jobs now held predominantly by illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, I don't expect that to happen any time soon. Between advocates for the poor who want middle-class jobs for everyone and welfare recipients who will settle for nothing less, there is little desire to be practical about the situation.
One wonders how much welfare Casey is getting, since he's arguably mentally disabled and thus unable to work even at menial jobs.
Certainly, he puts the "queen" in "welfare queen". :-p
Why are two 23-year-olds getting subsidized college and housing? Shouldn't they have graduated and be working already? Maybe it's on the theory that if they are not wasting their time as loosers in classes, they'll wind up costing the economy real money by committing serial mortgage fraud.
PV,
23 yrs old at home, nobody working, 6 and 11 year olds and not fathers in the story. I'm good with welfare queen.
[talk to the hand]
PV has a point that with unemployment so high ther are plenty of jobs that 'americans wont do' that americans now should do.
I find it interesting that she constantly says going to get help is humiliating. getting govt help, going to soup kitchens and handouts should feel bad and make you want to change your situation. Humiliating is a hell of a lot better than starving.
Anyone catching Nightline? They are focusing on important things. Did you know that Michael Jackson's hair caught on fire in 1984 while he was filming a Pepsi commercial?
Rob, you should blog about soft drinks and the pop stars who drink them. This is what the media says is important, and you should follow their lead.
While waiting for the "Tour de France" to come on I am watching an infomercial that is just hilariousl. Sounds like something Casey would do it....CALL NOW!
http://www.jeffpaul.tv/index.htm
Sweet passive income on the iternetz. Millions without doing actual work! Ending the rat race! Easy Easy Easy :-)
Couple things:
1) Tough job market? Who says? There are jobs out there, it's just a matter of either having the right skills -or- being willing to take what you ARE qualified for. I was doing contract computer work for a quasi-state agency, they lost the budget and couldn't renew. Took me just two resumes and less than two weeks to find a new gig. I have certain marketable skill sets, but in my time off, I also noticed a lot of places around here (SF Bay) hiring. Retail and other less desireable jobs, but... they are out there.
2) Da pic: Nice legs. Defnitely a "butter face" though. I'd lower the hat a little to cover that.
3) Welfare queens / sucks to depend on the state: It's only going to get worse budget-wise. Anyone on state aid programs should REALLY start looking at either moving to another state (not sure who else is as generous as CA was) or look at finding another teet to suck. The legislature is not going to find a magic way out of this, it'll take major cuts. Much of the budget is pre-determined (thank to ballot initiatives), there are a limited number of places that can be cut - ALL of them will be to one extent or another.
4) State workers / furlough. Just chatted with a friend who works for the state. 3 days / month now, that's a 14% pay cut. It's painful, if they go to a fourth day (currently suggested), he's thinking he'll have to quit and get something else. Otherwise, he'll have to make major life changes (sell the house, etc.).
Not a good time to be dependant on CA in any form.
@PF,
Agreed that there are still jobs out there, more a matter of what you're willing to take for compensation than anything else. Plenty of jobs filled by illegals where the employer would rather have legal workers; provided there aren't any drug or crime issues, which is where a lot of gov't dependents are going to have difficulty.
If CA cuts way back on assistance, and that's looking likely, I would expect large numbers of dependents to move on to other states in hopes of more available entitlements. The problem they'll be facing is that a lot of places have welfare systems heavily slanted in favor of locals; e.g., long wait lists for public housing (in D.C., the wait lists are years long) and legal residency requirements (a not-so-subtle way to favor blacks over Hispanics.) The only way to get to the front of the queue is by knowing someone in local government; very corrupt and not at all fair, and yet another reason that the government dole is hopelessly broken.
I've already ranted on state employee cutbacks, but I'll just reiterate that staff cuts, not wage cuts, are the way to go. If the SEIU had their heads screwed on the right way (they don't), they'd be pushing for staff cuts in order to protect the wages of remaining staff.
Off topic, but an anniversary of note:
visual
audio
and what I find absolutely compelling, the mission transcripts .
At least, are those university studies in fields that have somewhat better chances of finding a job? In fields where there is a shortage of qualified workers?
Flopper,
I've also heard things to the effect that a 4-day furlough (~20% cut) would cause lots of public servants to look elsewhere for work. Boy, that'd sure help with the pension & benefits problem, too. Killing two birds with one stone, eh?
Public workers have no idea what's out ITRW
Welfare queens, like agri-business and the petroleum industry?
When you resort to tired clichés and stereotypes, it means you have no grasp on a decent argument.
TJ - That is actually part of the plan. The hope is that those who are eligible for retirement will take it since they'd now make more retired than working. Shifts the problem from the current budget the retirement system - a problem for another day.
Rob - VERY true. I had to chuckle each time I heard one of the state people going on about how difficult their job was. It was especially fun where I was working - UC system. All the efficiency of a gov't agency with the lack of accountability unique to an educational system.
Where are "Daily California Watch" nos. 8 and 9...??
Or will be just be getting "blogging IOU's" from the Walrus from now on? :-)
Where are "Daily California Watch" nos. 8 and 9...??
Rob has abandoned us and spends his time on CR. Rob, how come I don't see you over on Mish?
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