Resolved Question

Could you get people on the dole to shovel snow off the pavement?

Many Councils (in the UK) are struggling to clear side streets and pavements of snow - even the busy pavements have become a slippery death trap for people who have to walk anywhere in and around town. It's understandable that they don't have the manpower for the task but there is a huge pool of able-bodied unemployed people who are not working and are being given a financial handouts when they sign on (Hello Recession!).

Why haven't these people been given shovels and asked to clear the pavements to create far safer streets to help out? What is your opinion on the idea?

(Please don't have a go at me for raising the subject, I'd just like to know what your point of view is.)

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I'm just wondering what happened to general community responsibility. I clear the pavement outside my house and those of infirm elderly neighbours. I'm only in my 40's.and people always used to do this, so that the whole street ended up clear from each person doing a small area. I get seriously p** off that supermarkets expect our custom but won't bother to clear the car parks.

I don't believe we as a community need to give these tasks to one part of our community, to take care of what is, after all, a problem that affects us all. We need to work together more, rather than think it's somebody else's job! I reckon we are all victims of this nanny state- " somebody else's job"

There are currently no comments for this question.

Other Answers (4)

• in thius civilized country we have HUMAN rights this protects us from slavery and exploitation think before you suggest itll never work even tho i understand our goverment prefer to waste our money on ****
• Never been unemployed as a skilled worker then. I take it.
• I for one have long been of the opinion that some community hours should be worked by the some claimants. The present snow conditions being an excellent example of a task they could undertake.
  
  It would have to be carefully regulated though because as a previous answer stated there are people who may well be 'able bodied' but who have other problems - if anything these people should not be on JSA and they should be getting more care and help - but for your basically ok, can't be bothered types then yes get them out shovelling snow.
  
  It would not be slavery, they are paid by the government each fortnight so making them do a few hours general community work should be simply par for the course. As fot it being humiliating I would ensure this by having them wear pretty luminous lilac overalls or something so the community can see how well it is being served by the people it is supporting on a long term basis. Surely living off the backs of others for years at a time is humiliating enough! If it isnt then we should be doing more as a society to bring humiliation into the lives of these long term claimants and street sweeping in violet overalls would be just the trick. Perhaps something like after 12months on JSA you have to go on a register for general community work and report in every morning to some depot somewhere to see if there is a job for you to do that day. A) It would help them get in the habit of getting out of bed and reporting somewhere every day (just like the workers) and B) they may actually decide getting a proper job would be easier.
• if the government enforced that plan me and my cronies would probably go and hide for 2 weeks. it could also be seen as humiliating. i wreckon only those with balls and no shame would do it.
  
  it could also be seen as slavery and exploitation of many vulnerable adults. alot of people live off of the government for a reason. i reckon it would make more sense for people to get help and support with finding work. i live in sheltered accomidation and most of the residents are 16-25 year olds with aspergers syndrome.
  
  my nextdoor neighbour is 29 and has never had a job. he's got the mental age of about 12 and lives completely in his own world. i'm always round there giving him company and i would hate to see him terrified into something like that. he's such a vulnerable person, i feel the need to protect him at times.
  
  many of the people around me like the idea of work but they are terrified and need the support to develop the confidence, myself included.
  
  people like us are critisized instead of being given the support. i think that if my neighbour did some kind of work that he was capable of he would be kept busy and i actually think that he could benefit from that... still he needs help and direct guidance in finding that kind of thing. i hate it how the staff do nothing and he sits in doors depressed all day, hardly eating and washing and getting himself into constant dramas online because he does not have a life outside of his flat... i try and help him but i don't have the direct authourity to do so.
  
  and i would take away social services in helping the needy and unemployed and replace them with a totally different system... social services do very little good in my experience.
  
  maybe if people put aside their resentment of the unemployed tried to work out why and find a way around it then we wouldn't have all these problems.
  
  the recession proves that we cannot afford to procastrinate.