[acb-hsp] We Fund Dependency

[peter altschul]

We Fund Dependency
  John Stossel Oct 03, 2012
  "There are no jobs!" That is what people told me outside a 
government "jobs center" in New York City.
  To check this out, I sent four researchers around the area.  
They quickly found 40 job openings.  Twenty-four were entry-level 
positions.  One restaurant owner told me he would hire 12 people 
if workers would just apply.
  It made me wonder what my government does in buildings called 
"job centers." So I asked a college intern, Zoelle Mallenbaum, to 
find out.  Here's what she found: "First I went to the Manhattan 
Jobs Center and asked, "Can I get help finding a job?" They told 
me they don't do that.  'We sign people up for food stamps.' I 
tried another jobs center.  They told me to enroll for 
unemployment benefits." So the "jobs" centers help people get 
handouts.  Neither center suggested people try the 40 job 
openings in the neighborhood.
  My intern persisted: "I explained that I didn't want handouts; 
I wanted a job.  I was told to go to 'WorkForce11' a New York 
City program.  At WorkForce1, the receptionist told me that she 
couldn't help me since I didn't have a college degree.  She 
directed me to another center in Harlem.  In Harlem, I was told 
that before I could get help, I had to come back for an 8:30 a.m.  
'training session.'" Our government helps you apply for handouts 
immediately, but forces you through a maze if you want to work.
  "WorkForce1's website says to arrive 30 minutes early, so I 
did," Zoelle said.  "A security guard told me the building was 
closed.  At 9:15, Workforce1 directed 30 of us into a room where 
we were told that WorkForce1 directs candidates to jobs and 
provides a resource room with 'free' phone, fax and job listings 
and helps people apply for unemployment insurance and disability 
handouts.  This seemed like the only part of the presentation 
when people took notes.
  "One lady told me that she comes to WorkForce1 because it helps 
her collect unemployment.  One asked another, 'What do you want 
to d"' The second laughed, 'I want to collect6' One told me, 
'I've been coming here 17 months; this place is a waste of time.' 
"Finally, I met with an 'adviser.' She told me I lacked 
experience.  I know this.
  I asked for any job she thought I was qualified for, and she 
scheduled an interview at Pret, a food chain that trains 
employees.  At Pret, I learned that my 'interview' was just a 
weekly open house, publicized on the company's website.  Anyone 
could walk in and apply.  Workforce1 offered no advantage.
  Despite my 'scheduled interview1' I waited 90 minutes before 
meeting a manager.  He told me that WorkForce1 had 'wasted my 
time, as they always d.' He said, 'They never call, never ask 
questions.' He prefers to hire people who seek out jobs on their 
own, like those who see Pret ads on Craigslist.'"
  My intern learned a lot from this experience.  Here are her 
conclusions:
  --It's easier to get welfare than to work.
  --The government would rather sign me up for welfare than help 
me find work.
  --America has taxpayer-funded bureaucracies that encourage 
people to be dependent.  They incentivize people to take "free 
stuff," not to take initiative.
  --It was easier to find job openings on my own.  The private 
market for jobs works better than government "job centers."
  Yet now New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to expand 
Workforce1, claiming that it helps people "find real 
opportunities." I bet he never sends people in to find out 
whether they really do.
  Once politicians figured out that welfare creates dependency 
and hurts poor people, they (logically) assumed that employment 
services and job training would help.  Job training does help -- 
when employers do it.  But government does everything badly.  
GeorgiaWork$, a state program in that state, provided such poor 
training that only 14 percent of trainees were hired.
  The Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CETA) operated more 
like a commercial for government handouts.  It launched 
door-to-door food stamp recruiting campaigns, and gave people 
free rides to welfare offices.
  America now has 47 federal jobs programs.  They fail.  Yet 
politicians want more.  They always want more.