Horrifying driver of McCarthy's work requirement

[Easterncedar]

Last edited Wed May 17, 2023, 06:54 AM - Edit history (1)

I heard on NPR yesterday a story about the companies that are raking in millions of taxpayer dollars to enforce work-for-benefit programs, supposedly helping people connect with employers, but of course grifting all the way.

The CEO of one company, maybe called “Maximus”, referred to the people as “product.”

I didn’t know about this. This needs to be fought.

(I remain a fan of NPR.)

On edit: See Marketplace podcast: The Uncertain Hour “The Welfare to Work Industrial Complex”

[Walleye]

1. I think a good rule of thumb is, if the Republicans are for it, there's corruption there somewhere

And they always clothe it in the sanctimonious pretense to principles. Liars!

[Easterncedar]

7. Good rule, dammit

[Walleye]

9. It's obvious that many people on their side enter politics because they wanna get rich

George Santos thought it was a great money making opportunity

[Shipwack]

18. Reminds me of the movie "The Distinguished Gentleman"

Except in that movie Eddie Murphy's grifter-turned-congressman character eventually developed a conscious...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Distinguished_Gentleman

[Walleye]

20. I think we will die of old age waiting for them to develop a conscience

[PatSeg]

24. Absolutely

It is not like they will intentionally do anything to benefit real people unless of course it benefits themselves and their benefactors. Rotten to the core!

[2naSalit]

25. +1

[MutantAndProud]

2. Hey I've heard that name

Huh. The things you pick up around right wing family…

[Trenzalore]

3. Republicans are evil

There are people in our society who cannot hold any job due to health reasons.

My brother is severely autistic and requires an aide to go anywhere. Who the hell is hiring him?

[everyonematters]

4. If you require work for social sucurity,

you are putting people in competition with others who are trying to support a family with kids. With other programs, there is always the problem with the affordability of childcare.

[Easterncedar]

10. Right. AND driving down wages for everyone...

while keeping people on welfare in poverty at low-paying jobs.

Decent training programs and educational opportunities - how about doing something with that instead?

[Easterncedar]

15. Oh, and childcare

[Walleye]

21. Like everything else with this GOP nobody has thought this through. Just working off their spleen

[bamagal62]

5. It's an awful scam.

I don’t know about the companies involvement. But, I do know that it’s a scam for those on disability. They try to convince you to work a few hours. Then, once you start working while on SS, you have to be very careful not to go over a certain amount of hours. If you do, it’s proof you can work and you are kicked off.
It’s very difficult to get disability to begin with and takes a lot of time. Their whole goal while you are on it is to get you off of it. It’s terrible.
There’s bound to be a kickback for those employers that participate in the program.

[Easterncedar]

6. Marketplace. The Uncertain Hour. Welfare to Work industrial complex

“For-profit welfare companies are pushing low-income parents into temp agencies that offer precarious jobs with rock-bottom wages.” “In the last 10 years, the state has paid companies like Maximus, ResCare [now called Equus Workforce Solutions] and other for-profit and non-profit companies tens of millions of dollars in these kinds of ‘30 day job attainment’ payments. This is not to cover the costs of any work the contractors are doing, or overhead. It’s extra money…to reward them, like a bonus.”
— The Uncertain Hour

I went looking for details and found this show. It must have been excerpted on Marketplace yesterday.

This is a great podcast!

[multigraincracker]

8. Retired billionaires need work, physical

job, required, for all tax deductions. Free loaders.

[Easterncedar]

16. Yes

And a Reagan-era wealth and corporate tax structure. Seems positively marxist now.

[Lonestarblue]

11. I don't remember the state now, but I think it may have been Iowa that is setting up a bureaucracy

to monitor work hours for those on Medicaid and SNAP. It was estimated to cost several million more than the potential savings, most of which is federal dollars and not really costing Iowa taxpayers. Republicans never cease finding ways to take from the poor and fund the wealthy.

[Easterncedar]

12. The waste of it all is infuriating

Privatizing government programs, like prisons and juvenile detention and welfare, always results in corporations and their officer and shareholders filling their pockets while the poor get ground under and the taxpayers are robbed.

[Johonny]

13. These requirements are generally used to deny

Benefits people need. The cost savings comes not from getting people to worl, there is no evidence people able to work aren’t working in the US in any real sense. This is away to punish poor people for being poor by denying them Benefits they need often for petty reasons. They're immoral, but allow politicians to put unused benefit dollars allocated to their state for other unintended means. Democrats should be deeply against work requirements. They've been shown to be thoroughly awful.

[Easterncedar]

14. What you said!

[nebby70]

17. glad to hear you heard that report too...

...I was afraid it was a nightmare of mine...
...I was aghast at the label "product"...how dehumanizing...
...I have an autistic son, unemployable w/o support...
...I'm getting seriously old...
...what are his future prospects unless I live forever???????

[Easterncedar]

19. Oh I feel for you

I have a nephew in your position, and a cousin whose life has been utterly subsumed by care for disabled children.

[MissMillie]

22. I heard this story too

disgusting


They even get paid of the worker finds a job w/o their "assistance."

[dlk]

23. Republicans can't have slavery

So they go after what they see as the next best thing.