Putting People to Work

I think the intent was "read silently" to get people off the streets. But reading aloud to children or elders, especially people in a care facility, would be a terrific way for society to get something back for meeting people's basic needs. There are any number of beneficial things that people could be doing, that often go undone because people can't afford them.

>> I'm not so sure it would work for just hanging out, or what incentive there would be to job hunt over hang out at the library.<<

Being unemployed and unproductive is destructive; most people dislike it strongly, and wish to be doing something useful. That might mean working for someone else, or it could mean raising a family, growing a garden, writing a novel, etc. I'd really like to see people get paid for a lot of unpaid work that they already do. Plus many people hate taking "charity" and won't even if they desperately need it; but they would participate in a program that exchanged work for benefits.

Communities could talk about what kinds of things they value enough to pay people to do them. Do you want to boost child development? Pay for child care or enrichment work. Do you want to make sure your elders are happy and comfortable? Pay for caretakers and social visits. Do you want educated citizens with strong people skills? Pay for teaching and attending classes.

>> I'd say the biggest problem would be getting anyone to actually fund this sort of thing, really. <<

Well, one immediate benefit is that it would get people off the street. That's something people are always bitching about. You want them off the street, here, do something about that.

Then too, cash isn't the only resource that can be used for this. Also look into using surplus resources: empty buildings, food that needs to be used before it goes bad, equipment that still works but is being replaced, time that unemployed or under-employed people aren't at a job, skills that people have, etc. Use what you have to get what you need.

>>For example, a great many an artist is out of a job, I actually know several people who wouldn't mind the idea at all of getting minimum wage to do something like putting murals on schools and libraries<<

Agreed. This is a great idea. I'd love to see a lot more funding in public art. Our local area is great -- we have lots of murals.

One important thing is just getting the money to circulate. Once people have some money they will spend it to buy food, pay rent, get their hair cut, etc. The more of that you can get moving and keep in your community, the better.

*brilliant lightbulb goes on* Okay, here's a huge improvement. Pay people in local currency. Organize some businesses who will accept the LC as payment. Each of those businesses is then entitled to post jobs that need doing. Say a hair salon needs someone to sweep up in the evenings, but can't afford to hire a janitor for cash. They accept LC for doing haircuts and someone from the LC job exchange sweeps the floor. It might also be feasible to allow individuals to participate by listing what skills they'll take LC for, in exchange for listing what work they need done. I could post my writing/editing skills (need a resume written up and printed?) and ask for help with yardwork. Imagine how popular, say, an electrician or handyman would be.

When starting the program, teach everyone that motion makes an economy work: you have to keep the exchange going. Do work that earns you LC, spend it at the businesses that accept it. Businesses might turn in the LC to a central organization, trade it amongst themselves, issue it as change to customers, or use it as partial payment for workers -- all of those have been done in different programs. (People who are leery of cashlike LC may prefer the "hours" version where one hour's work is good for one hour of any other participating work/service.) Teach social skills and encourage community bonding in the process.

I'd certainly be doing better if I got base pay for my writing/editing time.

Such a program would create a lot of public art and other material, which would benefit everyone.

I think both of those are excellent ideas. Even better, with today's technology, the reading could be done at home, negating the need for a commute.

Ideally, focus on jobs that people can be proud of doing and that are difficult or impossible to export. Nobody dreams of being a janitor or Wal-Mart clerk.