Public housing residents face ultimatum: Do volunteer work or get out

Detroit Free Press ^ | August 23, 2003 | ERIK LORDS

[sarcasm]

Complete eight hours of volunteer community work a month or be evicted.

That's the ultimatum being given to hundreds of thousands of able-bodied, unemployed residents of public housing complexes across the nation and in metro Detroit as part of a new federal law that takes effect Oct. 1.

[Woodman]

Why are students exempt? They couldn't give 8 hours a month? Actually, why is anyone not disabled exempt?

[At _War_With_Liberals]

There is no gratitude requirement in socialism.

The state is fulfilling an obligation. Changing the rules 30 years later is going to cause waves/

Headline is inflammatory and disingenuos.

[cajungirl]

This is interestiing. My daughter lives in Texas in the best school district in the state. They like all of us have had bad times with layoffs etc and the school made a list of cuts they would have to have because of no money. The parents said no way and they volunteer 10 hours per week, most of the parents do it. They teach foreign language, man the library and cafeteria, do teacher aide duty, landscape and clean the grounds on weekends and some clean the bathrooms. It is done with great energy and pride, people who care about their kids and their schools and want the best. You don't hear whining. Men and women leave work to go up there. She is so happy with that school and takes her two year old to volunteer her time. The attitude is amazing and none of them are whining like these housing project people. The entitlement and narcissism of these people is unbelievable. You would expect that from the well to do according to popular sentiment. But the well to do in this case showed why they are successful,,they have pride and obligation and want to contribute. They also give pots of money to the school voluntarily and pay taxes which the great state of Texas robs to give to disadvantaged neighborhood schools. Now I guess I have to say that is okay but it is a situation that makes you wonder how far the govt will go to rob those who work and contribute for those who can't care other than to complain. The people I came from, if they ended up in a public housing project, would be volunteering before the issue came up out of shame and pride and a feeling you give back something. They did that all their lives ,,,where did this sense of entitlement come from. It disgusts me.

[Glenn]

I take it that the "as much as" means that there are people in the complex who are paying even less than $160 and that $160 is the maximum?

Did you even read the article?

[Fraulein]

Yes, I read the entire article, though it is early. What do you see as the problem with what I posted?

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"Rocqumore, 46, said he has lived in the Douglass complex since 1997 and does not have a job. He said he thinks it's wrong for the complex to force him and others to work for free while they are paying as much as $160 per month in rent." Notice they do not say what HE is paying. Why not? $160 is the highest rent! What is the median? The lowest?

[GailA]

Even those who are disable can participate...unless they are severely disabled. Disabled people work don't they?

[Texan5]

I'd like for him to go to just one of my job sites, and make just one of my house payments per year....Let's see how well that would suit his lazy ass. Two of my husband's co-workers are wheelchair bound, and they don't mind working for a living.

[friendly]

I'd settle for these human vermin to just start bathing!

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"It's a Gestapo-type tactic"

Unlike the govt making me pay for it and charging me property tax to lease land that I OWN to boot!

[mtbopfuyn]

Wanna bet how many file claims from supposed injuries from their voluneer "jobs"?

[johniegrad]

To me the interesting thing about your daughter's situation is that the taxpayers refused to surrender to the threats about losing services that the schools typical use to blackmail property owners.

This could be a good strategy for defeating attempted tax increases. I'd be willing to bet that the volunteers do a better job in half the time than the government employees did. Also, since their time is free taxes don't have to be raised.

Two impediments to implementing this as a grass roots strategy come to mind. First, it may be difficult to mobilize enough energy to do this except for tightly knit communities such as your daughters. Secondly, at some point along the line, AFSCME or some union will claim unfair labor practices for using volunteer labor which eliminates jobs.

Good post. I hope this idea catches on.

[netmilsmom]

That's why I love Texas. I will move there when they break away after Hitlary become pres of the other 48. I suspect Alaska will be smart too and become it's own country.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

1/4 of those 'disabled' on SSI are not really disabled.

[Kozak]

Should be 8 hours a DAY. Detroit could use the touch up. Brooms and dust pans and shovels are cheap.

[Texan5]

It comes from being a second generation welfare recipient. These people are so stupid they don't even know that the "free" breakfast and lunch their kids get at public school every day is paid for by the property taxes extorted from those of who work. They are hopelessly ignorant, in my opinion.

[Texan5]

I used to be a casemanager, and is that ever true! Its' also the reason I won't ever work in that field again.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"I'd settle for these human vermin to just start bathing!"

Low blow. Deduct one point!

The water is free, maybe the state should supply soap too.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

"Wanna bet how many file claims from supposed injuries from their voluneer "jobs"? "

A greater % than the number of Iraqis that voted for Saddam in the last election.

[Normal4me]

Exactly. We had a local news report a few weeks ago about a run down housing project. They showed plywood over broken windows, cockroaches, overgrown weeds....Over course they also showed the Ford 'Expeditions' and the Chevy 'Suburbans' in the parking lot all with the 20" custom wheels and tires.

Sorry, but if you can afford a $40K+ vehicle then you can afford to pay for your own upkeep.

What a joke!