Florida Hopes to Humiliate Unemployed

I'm not sure how I feel about mandatory "volunteering"... But I do know that companies pay unemployment insurance to their state and that employees do not pay any of it.

Basically America is a mean-spirited nation. Sure, Americans love to hear politicians flatter them by telling them Americans are intelligent, compassionate, good-hearted, decent people - the salt of the earth..

The hard reality one learns - especially if one travels abroad to nations such as Auatralia, Western Europe, Canada, the Scandinavian countries and even to nations such as Cuba - is that Americans are mostly greedy, mean-spirited, miserly, isolated, ignorant, self-worshiping and spiteful little people.

Unemployment sucks. Period. Being on it, handing over your dignity to get it, etc, etc.
The thing I remember is going stir crazy after a while. I'd go to the jobs center, check out listings, look online @ monster.com, dicejobs, etc. On average, it took me about 2-3 hours for find all of the new job postings for the week.
It's pretty easy to go stir-crazy when you're unemployed, I actually wouldn't have minded doing some work, if it meant getting me out of the house.

Unfortunately, the major problem is not having enough money for gas to make it anywhere.
if they are willing to compensate for the loss of funds in the gas it takes to do the work, I'd see no problem with it at all.
Because at least you'd have something to do, even if all it is, is going outside and cleaning up the city.

But at 12% unemployment, they'd run out of places to clean in a short period of time. LOL

goberment is the real problem...if we got rid of the parasites in gubernment who do nothing and dont represent us....we could have a great country again.
hey gubment......YOUR FIRED.......

Kathleen Passidomo is just another twit brain living off of taxpayer money. Does anyone suppose that she would live up to her proposal should she not be re-elected and take all she could get from unemployment?

She's as mindless as Michele Bachmann.

These people should not have to do volunteer work to get the unemployment benefits that they paid into to get when they had a job. The four hours Representative Passidomo wants them to work for the unemployment benefits volunteering is four hours that will be taken away from them to look for a real job.

F Y F!

HIRE ME

Isn't forced volunteering a contradiction?

Isn't Forced Volunteer an Oxymoron,
like Smart Government or People's Politician?
Seriously though, Florida has some really screwy laws.
What's worse is, our new Governor is a criminal.
Can't wait to see how that turns out.

I have mixed feelings about this. I can see both sides of the coin for sure.

I know men pushing 50 who have never been unemployed, that currently are, who are struggling to hold onto some form of self worth. I have also seen people apply for jobs simply because it is required; with no real interest in acquiring employment.

It's an unfortunate situation all the way around.

California must be different. I've worked in Mississippi and Tennessee, and in fact drawn unemployment at one time from both. But unemployment benefits were never taken out of my paycheck. It is the responsibility of the employer to pay in a certain percentage based on the amount of payroll, number of employees, and number of claims, higher turnover, higher percentage. I pay Mississippi state income tax, but an unemployment benefit taken out, no. I've seen people say this before, but I am unfamiliar with it. Florida may very well do it, they don't have an income tax. But Tennessee doesn't have an income tax and nothing comes out of my check that goes to the state, it is the responsibility of the employer.

I wonder how many people will lose their jobs because of all the "volunteers" forced to do their work? Taken to its logical conclusion there'll be no more public sector jobs in Florida -- just a bunch of indentured public servants. Pah.

Florida is the armpit of the nation.

Florida pays less in federal taxes than it gets in federal dollars.

I'm a Californian and I WANT MY TAX DOLLARS THAT WENT TO FLORIDA BACK!

things keep getting better for the rich, now they can force poor people to work for them!

Does anybody remember that old Bugs Bunny cartoon where Bugs "saws off" Florida and it floats away?

I wonder what made me think of that. I wonder.

sounds to me the rep has other ideas on how to spend the unemployment money, She probally figures people won't do it thus lose their benifits freeing up that money for something else, like a new stadium.

& maybe while they are volunteering they will meet someone along the way that knows some one whos hiring

Good! The only ones that will complain about this are the lazy sonsabitches that get the unemployment every week while sitting back and watching Jerry Springer every day

Maybe we should force the unemployed to become part of the state legislature.

If you "order" people to volunteer, it's not voluntary. This is Republican for indentured labor.

It is a good idea to volunteer while your are unemployed. You can keep your working routine and skills sharp and you will not have any gaps on your work history when you do get another job. Employers are discriminating against people who have a working gap of more than 6 months.

On the other hand, it is a bad idea to "require" voluntary work in order to get unemployment benefits. I thought the right wanted smaller government and a government that stays out of the personal lives of its citizens. Unemployment insurance is just that, an insurance plan that you have paid into. If you get more benefits than you paid it -- hey, welcome to risk capitalism. Sometimes you win, but not always. That is the risk of insurance. They are betting they will get more than they pay out. I can't help but think that government is starting to act just like the insurance companies and their shenanigans trying not to pay out on their end of the contract.

more rules more laws. more problems.so make more rules and more laws.to see more problems.to make more.MORE MORE MORE

the people need to get together and fight for there rights to be respected.

sometimes i really wonder where these i deas come from? i really dobt it happens to come from a brain.

the beginning off a circle. that will never ever end.

@Cruzankenny You don't think that employers factor in all of the costs of employing you before they hire you? I put forth that people receive a lower wage because of the unemployment insurance and other mandatory costs associated with hiring. So in essence the employee is paying the tax by accepting the lower wage. Forcing people to work twice for a benefit they already worked for is just wrong.

I can just see it now....companies will be giving out pink slips because they can use FREE forced "volunteer" labor.
What a great way to cut their labor costs.

Wow....the past several years the government has done NOTHING to seriously addresss this issue, yet they feel it's okay to humiliate the victims of their 9 year hiatus......this is some crazy chit.

While overall it shouldn't make much difference to the gist of the article, this story needs one correction. Employees do not pay unemployment tax, the employer is responsible for that payment.
Regardless of who pays the fund, I would question the legality of 'requiring volunteerism'. Isn't that an oxymoron? Once you make it mandatory, it's no longer volunteering.
This is a prime example of why a bureaucracy in charge of disbursing government funds is just another layer that costs money and makes the whole system less efficient.
On top of having an organization delving into your personal life, being treated like some lowlife, being made to stand in lines to be served and at the mercy of someone sucking at the government tit for a living, someone who was employed by your tax dollars when you were working; you now may be forced to do some form of "volunteer work" just because you were laid off. It's not even like you were fired, then you wouldn't be eligible for benefits.

The unemployment benefits are from unemployment insurance to have to do so called volunteer work in order to receive those benefits would be like wrecking your car then having to go clean the insurance office in order to get your car fixed

anybody remember the Depression at least their was solidarity and humanism not this rampant self interest and corporate& political GREED! Never was it so hostile Recession my as this aint the 80's this is DEPRESSION and worse cause they are dismantling the remnants of NEW DEAL

great insights and agreed this is disgusting how the elite have twisted this into a humiliation match good article ....

okay. since I'm a history nerd my first thought was american historical background that shares characteristics with this article. The last time I can recall somebody being forced to "volunteer" for free was during Jim Crow when they would round up all the "Lazy" African American's and force them to "volunteer" at places like big farms and local factories to pay off their jail time (normally arrested on BS charges or for simple things like walking down a street) or for their "unemployement".

My mind is noticing a lot of simular words being used.

Ok, I have two issues with this article.

1. How is volunteering a "Humiliation" as the title claims.

2. This is NOT volunteering, This is extortion.

Volunteer is a euphemism for Free Labor Farming. These dirt bags have never suffered poverty and their callousness is showing.

'Volunteer'. Misuse of language. 'Insurance.' Another.

this is a great article. i like how u should the bad with the good.... i believe everyone recieving aid from the state should have to pass a drug test. medicaitons would be legit tho

Yeah, not a huge deal, but it certainly set s bad precident. I kinda have a feeling you could just get a friend to sign off on your "volunteering" though, unless it is only through certain programs which would be BS in my opinion.

Doesn't this seem kind of redundant? What I mean to say is, how many people are out there who are "proudly" unemployed?

You know its a good idea in the realm of ideas but for most it is just one more burden amongst thousands of burdens.