Make Work

In the UK, they are finally getting a little bit serious about getting those resting on the dole out of the house and shaking up their sloth.

Of course, the Brit MSM are up in arms about losing their lumpy audience

From the BBC:

Ministers defend plan to force jobless to do work

Ministers have defended their plans to force the long-term unemployed to do manual work or lose benefits.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander told the BBC the idea was not to “punish or humiliate” but to get people back into the habit of working.

But the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the changes could drive people “into a downward spiral of uncertainty, even despair”.

Under the plan, claimants thought to need “experience of the habits and routines of working life” could be put on 30-hour-a-week placements.

Anyone refusing to take part or failing to turn up on time could have their £65 Jobseekers’ Allowance stopped for at least three months.

The Work Activity scheme is said to be designed to flush out claimants who have opted for a life on benefits or are doing undeclared jobs on the side.

Sounds reasonable enough to me. There are enough actual unemployed without those who just don’t want to work soaking up the taxpayer money.

al-Guardian is, of course, much more dandered-up about it.

Unemployed claimants to face loss of benefits for refusing work

A tougher-than-expected squeeze on the unemployed is to be announced today as the jobless face the threat of losing all benefits for as long as three years if they refuse community work or the offer of a job, or fail to apply for a job if advised to do so.

In the most severe welfare sanctions ever imposed by a British government, unemployed people will lose benefits for three months if they fail to take up one of the options for the first time, six months if they refuse an offer twice, and three years if they refuse an offer three times.

The welfare white paper is deemed so groundbreaking that David Cameron chose to laud the measures as he landed at the G20 summit in South Korea.

He said: “The message is clear. If you can work then a life on benefits will no longer be an option. If people are asked to do community work they will be expected to turn up. If people are asked to apply for a job by an adviser they will be expected to put themselves forward. If people can work and they are offered work, they will be expected to take it. This is the deal. Break the deal and they will lose their unemployment benefit. Break it three times and they will lose it for three years.”

That is what the British call “A tougher than expected squeeze”? No wonder they ceased being “Great” Britain.

And for anyone you may know who thinks that the UK media’s attitude about the unemployed will never reach US shores, let them know that it already has. The leftosphere is outraged, outraged I tell you.

Check out this typical hyperbole from the inappropriately named AmericaBlog

It’s a surprise that the US right hasn’t promoted such a plan yet but the day is still early. All we need now are debtor prisons and maybe a witch burning or two and we’re fully back in the dark ages. I’ve worked full time or close to it since starting college and part time years before that but I can’t see how it’s fair to punish those left behind by this poor excuse for capitalism that we find today. Modern conservatism on both sides of the pond is increasingly all about being nasty and kicking those who are down. It offers nothing positive that can benefit society though there’s little doubt hard labor will somehow help their business friends.

Hard Labor? Showing up for a job interview or helping paint a Council House is now “hard labor”?

Have you ever seen the Simpson’s episode where Homer arrives home after work and complains about how hard his day was because he had to push three buttons in eight hours? That must be the world Chris at AmericaBlog lives in.