Government jobs programs

[Master Shake]

A personal take from James Bovard.

Mayors, governors and congressmen are busily hyping summer jobs programs. Kids can learn a great deal from a season on the government payroll. I benefitted from my 1973 experience at the Virginia Highway Department, digging postholes, cutting brush and, best of all, wielding a chainsaw—an experience that proved invaluable for my future work as a journalist.

As a 16-year-old flag man, I held up traffic while highway employees idled away the hours. On hot days in the back part of the county, drivers sometimes tossed me a cold beer as they passed by. Nowadays, such acts of mercy might spark an indictment.

I did "roadkill ridealongs" with Bud, an amiable, jelly-bellied truck driver who was always chewing the cheapest, nastiest ceegar ever made—Swisher Sweets. The cigars I smoked cost a nickel more than Bud's, but I tried not to put on airs around him.

We were supposed to dig a hole to bury any dead animal along the road. This could take half an hour or longer. Bud's approach was more efficient. We would get our shovels firmly under the animal—wait until no cars were passing by—and then heave the carcass into the bushes. It was important not to let the job crowd the time available for smoking.

I was assigned to a crew that might have been the biggest slackers south of the Potomac and east of the Alleghenies. Working slowly to slipshod standards was their code of honor. Anyone who worked harder was viewed as a nuisance, if not a menace.

Rest here.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...pinion_LEADTop

[dbarberic]

Re: Government jobs programs

What is old, is new again. Democrats in Ohio are considering restarting the FDR Ohio Works Progress Administration.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A pair of Cleveland-area lawmakers want to revive a Depression-era jobs program in Ohio to create about 5,000 jobs.

The program, called the Ohio Works Progress Administration and modeled after a federal agency President Franklin D. Roosevelt established during the Great Depression, would create an average of 50 jobs in each of the state's 88 counties. Each job would pay $27,500 a year to perform a variety of public services.

The program would run for two years and cost about $400 million in salaries and benefits. An expected state budget surplus this summer of about $1 billion would cover the costs, said Rep. Nickie Antonio, a Democrat from Lakewood who is behind the program.

"This is a kick-start to really get people at the ground level employed and working and doing the maintenance things in our communities," Antonio said.

Antonio, along with Rep. Mike Foley, a Cleveland Democrat, introduced a bill on Monday to create the program.

Antonio acknowledged the plan is not expected to gain the support of Republicans, who hold a 59-40 majority in the House of Representatives.
Employees would provide a variety of public services, including demolition and rehabilitation of vacant homes, recycling and landfill maintenance, disaster cleanup and conservation of lakes and waterways.

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index....propose_r.html

[Master Shake]

Re: Government jobs programs

What is old, is new again. Democrats in Ohio are considering restarting the FDR Ohio Works Progress Administration.



http://www.cleveland.com/open/index....propose_r.html

FDR era programs worked back then because people had a good work ethic and no sense of entitlement. Not true anymore.

[RebbePete]

Re: Government jobs programs

FDR era programs worked back then because people had a good work ethic and no sense of entitlement. Not true anymore.

Also, back then, people primarily worked manual labor jobs anyway. It was easier, for example, for a farm boy to work filling potholes than it would be for a telephone rep from a defunct mortgage company.

[Master Shake]

Re: Government jobs programs

Also, back then, people primarily worked manual labor jobs anyway. It was easier, for example, for a farm boy to work filling potholes than it would be for a telephone rep from a defunct mortgage company.

Reb, it doesn't take much training to learn how to fill a pothole.

[RebbePete]

Re: Government jobs programs

Reb, it doesn't take much training to learn how to fill a pothole.

No, but picture, behind door #1, a lanky farm boy, calloused hands, tough as nails, used to hard work. Behind door #2, we have an obese couch potato, doesn't even mow his own lawn, bought an exercise bike but sold it in a yard sale... you get the idea. I wasn't taking about training as much as inclination and physical fitness. I think that feeds into your comment above about "good work ethic." I still hear about unemployed acquainances who are looking for "the right job."

[sunskyfan]

Re: Government jobs programs

We still do have public works jobs they just aren't manual labor jobs and there isn't fair access to them. Does anybody doubt that most of Wall Street, most of the Real Estate folks, and the American auto industry isn't government works projects now?

[Slimprofits]

Re: Government jobs programs

Most of the underemployed people that I work with on a day to day basis (basically picking up temporary jobs here and there) want to work more and most of the men would welcome physical labor instead of sitting still at a desk all day, but the the work just isn't there.

You get the occasional piece of shit that wants to sit around and watch, but they're rare and when they do pop out, we shame them.

[Slimprofits]

Re: Government jobs programs

No, but picture, behind door #1, a lanky farm boy, calloused hands, tough as nails, used to hard work. Behind door #2, we have an obese couch potato, doesn't even mow his own lawn, bought an exercise bike but sold it in a yard sale... you get the idea. I wasn't taking about training as much as inclination and physical fitness. I think that feeds into your comment above about "good work ethic." I still hear about unemployed acquainances who are looking for "the right job."

yes because everyone that is out of work or underemployed is fat and lazy with no work ethic and a huge sense of entitlement.

You guys really should get out and try the real world instead of just message boards and chat rooms for once.

[c1ue]

Re: Government jobs programs

The issue isn't merely filling in potholes.

How do you pay mortgages or college tuition on minimum wage?

How about driving a car?

How do you fulfill your duty as an American spending when you have nothing to spend?

The legal/illegal immigrants who had traditionally performed day labor were sending their payments home where the money would be able to buy a better life for their families; how does minimum wage make-work do the same for Americans in the US?

[Master Shake]

Re: Government jobs programs

yes because everyone that is out of work or underemployed is fat and lazy with no work ethic and a huge sense of entitlement.

You guys really should get out and try the real world instead of just message boards and chat rooms for once.

You ought to examine how government road crews work or visit, say, the zoning or public works offices of your local big city.

[flintlock]

Re: Government jobs programs

Most of the underemployed people that I work with on a day to day basis (basically picking up temporary jobs here and there) want to work more and most of the men would welcome physical labor instead of sitting still at a desk all day, but the the work just isn't there.

You get the occasional piece of shit that wants to sit around and watch, but they're rare and when they do pop out, we shame them.

I agree with you, but it really does matter what crowd you are hanging with when it comes to this kind of thing. Definitely a gap exists between those with and without a work ethic. And both types exist in large numbers. Afraid I have to agree with RebbePete that many Americans( not all!), regardless of the their "work ethic" are physically lazy as hell. They'll put in 12 hour days at the office, but when it comes to breaking a sweat, nope, won't do it. Some have an almost pathological fear of physical labor. You'd be amazed how much relatively poor people pay me to do relatively simple tasks. Just sayin!

[cjppjc]

Re: Government jobs programs

I agree with you, but it really does matter what crowd you are hanging with when it comes to this kind of thing. Definitely a gap exists between those with and without a work ethic. And both types exist in large numbers. Afraid I have to agree with RebbePete that many Americans( not all!), regardless of the their "work ethic" are physically lazy as hell. They'll put in 12 hour days at the office, but when it comes to breaking a sweat, nope, won't do it. Some have an almost pathological fear of physical labor. You'd be amazed how much relatively poor people pay me to do relatively simple tasks. Just sayin!

I would submit it has a lot less to do with sweating, than not knowing what to do. Now the arguement can be they should take the time to learn what to do. But that is a different arguement. Or is it?

[flintlock]

Re: Government jobs programs

I would submit it has a lot less to do with sweating, than not knowing what to do. Now the arguement can be they should take the time to learn what to do. But that is a different arguement. Or is it?

Sometimes yes, certainly, but then how hard is it to change a light bulb or even a switch? Almost every week I get called out because a light won't work. " Did you change the bulb?" Usually the answer is no. Hard to believe but true. Same with re-setting a breaker. I used to cut them slack. Then I remembered I have to make a living too. Its almost embarrassing sometimes. For some of these people its can be a days salary for me to change a light bulb. Its not like its all just rich people. They are just not used to doing these things for themselves. Daddy or Mommy always took care of things I guess. America has really changed in that regard. Good for me I guess.

I see homes with trees growing in the gutters. Thats just lazy. Newspapers left out in the rain for weeks. Neighborhoods that don't have covenants look like crap today because people won't clean up their yards. No particular skill required for that. My grandmother used to always say, " You don't have to be rich to keep a clean house".

Some people lack confidence to try anything outside of their comfort zone, which is another issue. And I'm not talking about people who can afford to pay someone to do these things. But people who could really benefit financially from doing stuff themselves. Its just really expensive to have almost anything done these days. Most stuff is really not that complex, at least around the house. The internet makes things really easy too. You can watch a video on how to do almost anything on YouTube today. I can completely understand those who can afford it paying someone, its those who can't that perplex me. These are the same people who fight over a parking space 10 feet closer.

[aaron]

Re: Government jobs programs

Sometimes yes, certainly, but then how hard is it to change a light bulb or even a switch? Almost every week I get called out because a light won't work. " Did you change the bulb?" Usually the answer is no. Hard to believe but true. Same with re-setting a breaker. I used to cut them slack. Then I remembered I have to make a living too. Its almost embarrassing sometimes. For some of these people its can be a days salary for me to change a light bulb. Its not like its all just rich people. They are just not used to doing these things for themselves. Daddy or Mommy always took care of things I guess. America has really changed in that regard. Good for me I guess.

I see homes with trees growing in the gutters. Thats just lazy. Newspapers left out in the rain for weeks. Neighborhoods that don't have covenants look like crap today because people won't clean up their yards. No particular skill required for that. My grandmother used to always say, " You don't have to be rich to keep a clean house".

Some people lack confidence to try anything outside of their comfort zone, which is another issue. And I'm not talking about people who can afford to pay someone to do these things. But people who could really benefit financially from doing stuff themselves. Its just really expensive to have almost anything done these days. Most stuff is really not that complex, at least around the house. The internet makes things really easy too. You can watch a video on how to do almost anything on YouTube today. I can completely understand those who can afford it paying someone, its those who can't that perplex me. These are the same people who fight over a parking space 10 feet closer.

The Millionaire Next Door would say they are poor BECAUSE they pay people people to do things they should do themselves.

Peak oil will change this. When you have to choose between lunch and changing a light bulb, you will learn to change the light bulb. At this point, the choice is still not painful enough.

I think the future is pretty good for repairmen. I think the future is even better for teachers of handyman skills.

And, cjppjc is definitely right. People do not know how to do things. I am not very handy, but I find it crazy what people cannot do (righty tighty lefty loosey) compared to me. I realize that had my father been like the majority of his generation (baby boomers) working constantly and not teaching these skills, I would be just like my crazily incompetent cohorts.

It does not surprise me that you run into circuit breaker issues, etc at all. For example, the power went out in our kitchen. I asked my wife to check the circuit breaker.

After I translated it into Chinese as best I could, she knew what I was talking about.
Do we have to replace it?
No, just turn it back on.
She took a look at it.. "which one, they all look the same"?
The one that is tripped.
Tripped? What is that?
Off... half way.
OK, found it... it will not turn on. It keeps going back to the middle.
You must turn it off all the way and then turn it back on.
OK. Got it.
Why did that happen?
Good question... old house, too much equipment on at the same time...

My wife's father would have taken care of this when they grew up. She never saw it before. And, why should she have?

Did she need help the second time? No.

I dislike handyman stuff because I am not good at it. I am quite competent in my computer career, but not home repair. I think that is a big reason why I avoid stuff (in addition to the laziness) around the house. It makes me feel like a useless child.

As an example.. hanging blinds. I hated it. I drilled in the wrong places, mis-measured, etc. etc. I am sure I screwed up several of them before I "got it". I can hang blinds quickly and correctly now. But, it cost me a lot of time and money 'learning' the skill.

Men do not like to feel incompetent, especially doing things we all know we SHOULD be able to do.

Right now, I feel like I should learn more so I can teach my kids.