[vannrox]

No Comment.

[ECM]

'The unemployed are told that once they are on the dole it is criminal to work'

Uh-huh...riiiiiight.

Note: this is one of many idiocies in this article, though I imagine it's also probably the most severe.

[Jason Kauppinen]

This guy was on Qualudes when he wrote this....right?

[yankeedame]

The first thing I thought when I started reading this article was, "What the...??"
Then I noticed the writer is British. "Oh," I thought to myself, "well, that explains everything."

[Henrietta]

The author of this article is an idiot. People have a right to work, but they don't have a right to force other people to hire them. Unemployment is not political, it is economic. Maybe if our govt would stop imposing rules on employers that hamper productivity (minimum wage laws, ADA, OHSA laws, Family Medical Leave Act) they fewer would be unemployed.

[DannyTN]

I like number 14, apparently he thinks it's "moral" to leave yourself defenseless even if it throws more people out of work.

Or number 15, beg others for help.

[RightWhale]

Ability to work is fundamental to self-respect

Might be a survival value, too. Doesn't have to be paid employment, like in a factory, although that has been an easier way than farming in the wilderness for many people. Could be just toiling in the grain and cabbage field all day long all your life. What are jobs but an invention of the industrial revolution. Used to be job openings at the local castle guard, or at the monostery, or with the Crusades. Could be a merchant, who knows.

[boris]

"Mass unemployment is not essentially an economic problem. It is a moral matter. Ability to work is fundamental to self-respect"

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."

Just about sums it up, eh?

--Boris

[G Larry]

Gee....most Econ 101 courses teach that 4-6% unemployment IS "FULL" employment.

[polemikos]

Where's the "Barf Alert"?

[FITZ]

A smart government sees the reason for having a strong economy with most people employed. It's stupid to believe that jobs aren't at all important.