Wed, 10 Jun 1998 11:21:17 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 11:21:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: Franklin Wayne Poley <culturex@vcn.bc.ca>
Subject: More than one way to skin a cat...or set up a Gulag!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 10:49:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Franklin Wayne Poley <culturex@vcn.bc.ca>
To: John Drury <J.Drury@sussex.ac.uk>
Subject: Second Reply to John Drury.

On Mon, 8 Jun 1998, John Drury wrote:

> Against this, critics such as our local campaign group (the activities of which 
> I have detailed in a previous mailing to this list) argued:
> 1, The ten pounds is so pathetic that it made no difference - this was 
> still work-for-dole. Moreover, many of the victims had to travel to work and 
> lost most of the ten pounds through the expenses they incurred.
> 2, Some of the work would, indeed, receive a wage in other circumstances, 
> and certain organizations seemed to be saving money by employing 
> dole-slaves to tidy their premises etc. rather than paying someone to do it. In 
> Edinburgh, claimants on 'Project Work' were working in rest homes and 
> hospitals! Moreover we also argued, that even if the work was not normally 
> one that people would receive a wage for, forced labour set  bad precedent 
> for employment practice and was the slippery slope to job substitution.
> 
I break up long essays like this because short postings are more likely 
to be read and long periods of concentrating on this screen are 
stressful, too.
   I think that phrase has to be repeated over and over in all postings 
on all lists concerning all forms of forced work-for-welfare. It is 
FORCED labour. And it is illegal (in international law) and immoral. It 
can also be fairly called proto-fascist or an inroad into 
reinstitutionalizing slavery. Th rhetoric, well used can help the cause.
   There are two major forms of work-for-welfare that I am aware of. Does 
anyone else know of any others?
(1) People forced into "work gangs". This is usually called workfare.
(2) People forced into what is called welfare-to-work. This forces people 
into existing jobs in the work world which may be set up as minimum wage, 
make-work projects masquerading as free-enterprise, free-market jobs.
I think this is Clinton's clever plan via his welfare-to-work. Give the 
pogy to the big businesses who will set up make-work projects, ie 
workfare, under another name! Isn't capitalism grand?
FWP.