Extended benefits for doing nothing: Really?

It’s Me Louise

I just heard about the passing of the unemployment extension bill to two years. What do you think of these extended unemployment’s payouts that in the long run our great grand children will be saddled with?

During the last depression our government started the WPA – (Works Projects Administration} and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) was created in 1933 by Franklin D. Roosevelt to combat unemployment. It was called work relief .They used these programs for work projects that we are still benefiting from today. They were infrastructures, digging ditches in swamps  paving many roads ,putting in sewers in roads and many more projects which I just named a few and oh yes ,they built the Lodi stadium that we enjoyed for at least 50 yrs before that turned it into a new high school site. 

The WPA jobs were for the family men who got paid around 30 dollars a month; their work was always in their hometown, never far from their families. After a time limit, I think 6 months it would end and the wives would start WPA work.

In Lodi, NJ our Columbus School was equipped with sewing machines cutting material rooms etc. that took made use of our auditorium and our cafeteria and our play room in the basement. My Mother worked there sewing flannel nightgowns, pajamas and men’s shirts. All the sewing projects were for the needy relief families in town, needless to say, we children had to have half day school, half of us went in the morning and the other half of the town went in the afternoon because so many of … I really don’t remember how many class rooms were converted into relief worker projects. 

The CCC was created for the young men over 16 yrs old who were taken to camps far from home to work digging ditches and clearing up forests etc. They got room and board in barracks just like soldiers and dressed like soldiers too. I guess they got a little spending money for cigarettes and little things. I remember when my brother Mikie came home after his time was up, he brought back his water canteen and metal fold down pan which served as a frying pan and a dish too, he looked just like a soldier and he would tell us about the camp, the food and the work he did. He met some boys from our town and their friendship lasted many years. My Brother really enjoyed that hard work and most of all that experience.

Now let’s get back to my opening question above, what do you think of these extended unemployment’s payouts that in the long run our great grand children will be saddled with? Don’t you think these folks should work for something considering all the work and infrastructure that needs done or should they just wait for free hand outs for doing nothing! 

We were taught the dignity of working for whatever we got – never accept charity although we were charitable to those who cannot work but not to those who will not contribute to societies multitudes of current needs. During a depression or recession – everyone should roll up their sleeves and do whatever needs to be done to make or get our country better and then go cash the check knowing we did our share toward a solution rather than adding to the problem.

We never paid in as much as we are now expecting to be handed and we sure are not giving back near as much as our country has given to us. Some of these folks ought to travel to other countries and see what poor really looks like.

Shame on you if you cash that next check without first asking what you can do to earn it and then roll up your sleeves ladies and gents and go earn it!