Reply #22: My wife and I argue about this

[Mythsaje]

My whole problem with "reform," as it was enacted, is that it forces people with no real skills into the private sector where they STILL contribute very little to the economy and, like as not, live in poverty just as crippling as welfare. From the very beginning it should have been tied to education and vocational training, perhaps even in poverty-related occupations such as the welfare office itself. Who better to deal with those in that situation than people who already know what it's like? Given this point of view, work experience "volunteering" in group homes, shelters, and soup kitchens would be, in effect, on-the-job training that could be used as part of a specialized certification process.

Oh, yeah... I've thought about this a lot.