I think Thomas Jefferson said it best when he said if you want to help the poor make them uncomfortable...

Again...this thread was not meant to be a referendum on welfare. Feel free to start that thread if you want.

. . . Provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare . . .

 

TB your question is much too hard. It is much easier to complain about those who are a drain on the rest of us than it is to come up with a solution.

 

We want our Christian heritage to win the day when it comes to abortion and laws governing it, but not when it comes to taking care of the poor. You see abortion is a societal problem that can only be solved by declaring the practice illegal. Poverty on the other hand is a personal problem and can only be solved by me deciding for myself what to do with my money. Again MY decision with MY money is more protectable than MY decision with MY body.

 

The bigger problem is that all those who are poor are simply there because they choose to be. They chose to be born to alcoholic/drug addicted parents who saw no value in education. They were then taught by teachers who knew nothing of their circumstances but were quick to chastise the poor student because he did not do his homework (while taking care of his younger siblings while mom was drunk and may have been at work, or drunk and beating him as well). They then chose to get so far behind in school that there was no light for them at the end of the tunnel that they dropped out so that they could help pay for food and rent in their little dumpy house. If only they had chosen to be a better person then they wouldn't be such a drag on everyone else. Their pure laziness led them to where they are now and they should probably just beg on the streets since their shouldn't be any programs for them and hopefully all of the people on here who want to make their own decisions with their own money will stop by and give them some money. But of course the poor young man will probably just use the money to buy alcohol or drugs (to self medicate since they can't afford therapy or prescription drugs) so better not to give them money - I guess we just let them starve they chose that path anyway.

 

Perhaps it's true. How do we fix it, though? IF (and for me it is an if) this is true and we can't fix it, what do we do with these people? Are our hands tied? How are these "unemployables" currently surviving? Welfare? What, do you propose, we do with them?

 

You brought up welfare... And Welfare is the problem with the "Unemployables", it what's keeping them "unemployed".

 

So to ask the question you did and then expect us not to talk about welfare is like saying lets talk about the game but not the teams...

As to the bolded, do we:

1) Let them beg on the street?

2) Let them become (or perhaps continue to be) criminals?

3) Round them up and kill them? (I know it sounds extreme, but is it an option?)

4) I assume that we would not want to "put" them anywhere, as that would still cost the taxpayers money, similar to welfare.

 

We (myself included) spend a lot of time complaining about those that "won't" do for themselves. Honestly, what do we do with them?

Honestly, why should I care if they don't?

You brought up welfare... And Welfare is the problem with the "Unemployables", it what's keeping them "unemployed".

 

So to ask the question you did and then expect us not to talk about welfare is like saying lets talk about the game but not the teams...

 

Certainly that was not the FOCUS of my question. However, that seems to be the only discussion. We've had that discussion before. This one, we haven't.

Certainly that was not the FOCUS of my question. However, that seems to be the only discussion. We've had that discussion before. This one, we haven't.

 

I tried to move away from the welfare discussion with my last post and offer a suggestion . . . I think it got lost.

Honestly, why should I care if they don't?

 

If it is about "caring," can't that change? How can we get that to happen.

I tried to move away from the welfare discussion with my last post and offer a suggestion . . . I think it got lost.

 

I know. I appreciate that.

Honestly, why should I care if they don't?

 

Because as a Christian you are told to.

As to the bolded, do we:

1) Let them beg on the street?

2) Let them become (or perhaps continue to be) criminals?

3) Round them up and kill them? (I know it sounds extreme, but is it an option?)

4) I assume that we would not want to "put" them anywhere, as that would still cost the taxpayers money, similar to welfare.

 

We (myself included) spend a lot of time complaining about those that "won't" do for themselves. Honestly, what do we do with them?

I think you are looking for a catch all answer and that just isn't possible. I think some should be helped and some shoud be cut loose. Many of these people can better their situations if they want to through education or vocational training. The problem is they have to push themselves to do it. It shouldn't be what can we do with these people, it should be what will they do with themselves.

 

Some should be cut off because enough is enough.

Unless someone is disabled, everyone is capable of doing something. Investment in education is probably the best place to start. Break the cycle at a young age of expecting others to do for you. Provide enough help and counselors at schools to target the disadvantaged and make them succesful students implant a fealing of worth in people. I agree with everyone on here, we should help those that can't help themselves, but we should expect those that can to do for themselves. Ace has asked for numbers of the just lazy people, and I can't give him any, but am sure some on welfare are there because that's where they want to be. To break the cycle of poverty people must have a feeling of self worth, and that starts at an early age, so let's start on them when there young and the most impressionable.

Unless someone is disabled, everyone is capable of doing something. Investment in education is probably the best place to start. Break the cycle at a young age of expecting others to do for you. Provide enough help and counselors at schools to target the disadvantaged and make them succesful students implant a fealing of worth in people. I agree with everyone on here, we should help those that can't help themselves, but we should expect those that can to do for themselves. Ace has asked for numbers of the just lazy people, and I can't give him any, but am sure some on welfare are there because that's where they want to be. To break the cycle of poverty people must have a feeling of self worth, and that starts at an early age, so let's start on them when there young and the most impressionable.

 

Excellent point, pigman. Is there anything that we can do for the older ones?

I think you are looking for a catch all answer and that just isn't possible. I think some should be helped and some shoud be cut loose. Many of these people can better their situations if they want to through education or vocational training. The problem is they have to push themselves to do it. It shouldn't be what can we do with these people, it should be what will they do with themselves.

 

Some should be cut off because enough is enough.

 

I was looking for an answer to what to do/for those that are unchangeable/unemployable. What I seem to be getting contradicts another thread that said that those people exist.

I was looking for an answer to what to do/for those that are unchangeable/unemployable. What I seem to be getting contradicts another thread that said that those people exist.

 

How are you getting that?