WORK UP AMERICA!!

If we want to make America great again, we have to make America WORK again. I’m not talking about creating jobs. There are jobs out there. I see “Now Hiring” and “Help Wanted” signs all over. No…I’m talking about the ones who refuse to work, because it’s easier, and apparently more profitable, to sit at home and get a check, while I bust my butt to provide for my family – and theirs, too! Now, I’ve never been one to say we need to do something, then just sit back and wait for it to happen. I do have some ideas about this that, may or may not make sense, but at least I’m throwing something out there. What does make sense is the more people working, the more money floating around in the economy. Also, it gives people something to do…a reason to get up in the morning.

From my 21 years in my current career I know that there are barriers to obtaining – and keeping – gainful employment, such as addiction, mental and physical disabilities and educational barriers to name a few. I’m not a huge fan of big government. In fact, I’m anti-partisan, but that’s beside the point. I think that the federal government and individual states should be working together to put more money into programs and service providers whose main function is to help others overcome such barriers. I would even support tax breaks for these providers, dependent upon the number of people they help and place into employment-ready status. Unemployment is a national problem, and should be tackled AS A NATION! There are resources that the Feds have that states don’t have, and the same for states that the Feds don’t have. Merge people!! Now…for the big idea…read on…

The biggest issue facing many states across the nation is infrastructure. Roads, drainage, utilities, bridges and buildings all need repairs and upkeep. Taxes for gas and cigarettes and booze, blah, blah, blah, keep being imposed to “cover costs”, but nothing is getting done. Stop the fake check claims and put those that are able to work! The federal government needs to turn some things over to the individual states, but they also need to work more closely with them on others and make sure they have the resources to do what needs to be done. If a person can work, then you tell them, “You want your benefits? Okay, this company needs workers, so you are going to report to them and work for them. You will be paid minimum wage, and you will have minimum health and medical benefits for you and your family. The health and medical will be at no cost to you and your gross minimum wage salary will be taxed and deducted from your monthly benefits. If you refuse to work, or you lose your job because of your own devices, you lose your benefits. It’s that simple.”

Here’s where the Feds and the states come in. Employers can’t afford to hire a lot of workers due to salaries and health insurance, however, more workers would mean more contracts, which means more money for the contractor. The Feds would already be paying the salary for the extra workers through the above mentioned benefits check (thus subtracting their salary from the benefit check). Then you get a few insurance companies to offer minimum coverage for the employee and their family (which also could be deducted from their check), and the employer has more workers for no more cost to them. Offer tax breaks for the participating insurance companies and also to the employer for every one they hire full-time, once their economic status improves.

I hope this isn’t too confusing. Like I said, it may or may not make sense. From 1933-1942 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a federal program that offered work and educational opportunities for young single men. I’ve said for decades that we need to bring back a modern version of the CCC to rebuild our infrastructure. So, two things from this blog:

1. Federal and state governments need to merge and work together, and…

2. WORK UP AMERICA!!