{"id":1464,"date":"2005-09-09T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2005-09-09T18:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/?p=1464"},"modified":"2005-09-09T13:37:00","modified_gmt":"2005-09-09T18:37:00","slug":"help-for-the-needy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/?p=1464","title":{"rendered":"Help for the needy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally a reply to an entry<\/a> by .<\/p>\n

I think there are many better, yes, more sophisticated, ways to handle this [than his proposal, provide everyone willing to document their poverty with a check to push them past the poverty line]. One, universal medical insurance. Enough $$ to cover, oh, say insulin, needles, glycometers, etc for a poverty stricken diabetic or hiv meds for an hiv+ individual could be far more than a generally healthy poverty stricken person would need. Particularly given that those needs are in addition to the common basic needs.<\/p>\n

Sophisticated work training programs. Training everyone to be a generic office worker is probably less than helpful. Checking out local needs and student strengths is more helpful. Uniting potential employers with potential employees is very helpful. Also support groups to provide counseling (be it debt, drug, or psychological) and the like as necessary very helpful. <\/p>\n

Assistance in a nonfiscal form. I don’t support helping the poor to become happier on my dime. I support helping the poor because it works towards the greater good, according to my<\/i> idea of what that good is. If their ideas don’t agree with my ideas, they needn’t accept the assistance. I’m breaking with the utilitarian line here. <\/p>\n

Their happiness is not the goal. They can spend their money to accomplish that when they get a job. Government money should be used to serve public needs. In this case, reducing the externalities of homelessness. Further, getting people into jobs, off the streets, whatever, reduces the degree to which their current state reduces others’ quality of life. Their tax revenue is simply bonus on top of that.<\/p>\n

Provide the minimum housing that will get most people off the streets. Encourage and facilitate the finding of productive employment. Provide the essentials of life and the services needed to make a meaningful life: Food, shelter, healthcare, education, counseling. <\/p>\n

Ideally, someone would create work structured to accomplish useful tasks that can be done with relatively little education, no set schedules, and other constraints appropriate to the “unemployable”.<\/p>\n

A final point, which is essential to this process. The support needs to be graduated in such a way that individuals receive rewards for incremental steps towards independence and productivity. <\/p>\n

Your solution would leave no one making less than the poverty level with any incentive to continue working beyond their own job satisfaction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Originally a reply to an entry by . I think there are many better, yes, more sophisticated, ways to handle this [than his proposal, provide everyone willing to document their poverty with a check to push them past the poverty line]. One, universal medical insurance. Enough $$ to cover, oh, say insulin, needles, glycometers, etc … Continue reading “Help for the needy”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1464","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1464\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cheerfulchaotic.crazycrew.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}