Could American sweatshops be a good idea for orphans
First thing's first, I'm not talking about the stereotypical sweatshop, I'm talking about something a lot more beneficial to the children in question. The simple truth of the matter is that older foster children are EXCEPTIONALLY difficult to place successfully. Their situations cause all kinds of mental and emotional issues that can haunt them their entire lives and keep them from properly functioning adult society. So in my mind, it seems like a good alternative would be to give them the option(it'd be a voluntary program) of signing up to work for the government in various work camps. They'd work for below minimum wage but be provided a place to live and food to eat for no cost. They'd get to keep half of their paycheck and the other half would go into a trust fund that they'd get access to when they turned 18. And there'd be different kinds of camps available where they could learn trades in agriculture, manufacturing, computers, etc. The goods and services they provide could be used as a way to help pay for the camps themselves to minimize the amount of money the government has to subsidize. This way, by the time the kids turn 18 they've learned to manage personal wealth effectively, they have money saved so they can hit the ground running in regards to finding a place to live and a means of transportation, and they'd already have a few years of experience in a trade.
I know such a thing would require a LOT of over site to make sure the kids weren't actually being abused or forced to stay there against their will, but if it was handled correctly I really think it could be beneficial to kids that would otherwise have a really tough life in store for them after they turn 18.
Agreed with teaching orphans a trade. There was a time that kids without money or higher prospect were taught a trade to live by. As we become more technologically savvy, we’ve step away from that. Few city kids these days knows how change their own oil, even something little as a bike chain.
Then again, a few things will happen.
1. It becomes corrupt and some **** politician steals most the money
2. The kids are over worked
3. Some useless 3rd wave moron cries on how where forcing kids to work to hard and we instead should hold their hands and sang cumbaya.
exploiting children for labor, but with oversight. what could go wrong.
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Yeah there'd definitely need to be serious steps taken to make sure the system wasn't abused, but I really think it could be made to work. I envision it as being something that turns zero actual profit so stealing from it would be immediately spotted and over working the kids would be pointless. There'd undoubtedly be those who were upset about the kids working, but that's why the system would be entirely voluntary. At any time the kids can change their minds and go back into the foster system and they'd still get the trust fund they'd been putting money into when they turned 18.
with 20% of our military budget we could probably just clone them all new parents.
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Your Lord knows very well what is in your heart. Your soul suffices this day as a reckoner against you. I need no witnesses. You do not listen to your soul, but listen instead to your anger and your rage.
It's not exploiting them, because there'd be no way for the government to turn any kind of profit. The whole thing is voluntary and the kids could go back into the foster system any time they wanted to.
Because the current foster system sucks and the older kids who are constantly bounced around frequently don't do well anyway. And there could still be some kind of educational tutoring programs at the facilities.
What kind of tutoring? What would the ratio be between educating them and having them do cheap labor? How many hours a day would they be forced to work/do tutoring? How would this actually be an improvement? Who would oversee this? And wouldn't this cause some normal people to lose their jobs, as companies begin trying to make deals to get cheap child labor to do the work that employees once did?
I can't imagine anyone caring enough to teach a kid survival skills these days.
Just look at nursing homes. The elderly represent the opposite side of the coin of vulnerable people at the end of their days, as opposed to orphans at the start of theirs. The people paid to care for these seniors simply don't give a shit. And no one managing gives a shit.
I know this from personal experience, both from family in the system, and from a friend who's mother works as a nurses aid.
The people involved simply DO.NOT.CARE.
I'd imagine it's the same for orphans. Nobody cares enough to give these kids a shot.
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Never let anyone else define you. Don't be a jerk just to be a jerk, but if you are expressing your true inner feelings and beliefs, or at least trying to express that inner child, and everyone gets pissed off about it, never NEVER apologize for it. Let them think what they want, let them define you in their narrow little minds while they suppress every last piece of them just to keep a friend that never liked them for themselves in the first place.
Look I'm not saying that this is anywhere near an ideal system, but it's a pragmatic way to help thousands of kids who currently suffer under the status quo. While the country argues trying to agree on something everyone considers "perfect" there are a whole bunch of 18 year olds who get cut loose every year with damaged social skills, a limited education, and virtually no work ethic. This system could start helping those kids while we keep arguing over what would constitute a better system.
thats just offering a carrot and a stick. totally fair choice to impose on those lazy orphans.
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Your Lord knows very well what is in your heart. Your soul suffices this day as a reckoner against you. I need no witnesses. You do not listen to your soul, but listen instead to your anger and your rage.
I'm sympathetic towards the idea of making it easier to learn a trade in general. I think we should offer more options in public high schools to concentrate more on a trade like plumbing or auto repair or something. Auto repair is an elective at schools today, but there's no real benefit to taking it. Make it possible to be a more central role in high school progression and I think that would help a lot.
well yeah education and skill training are definitely the way to go. but that has to be the requirement, not an option.
__________________
Your Lord knows very well what is in your heart. Your soul suffices this day as a reckoner against you. I need no witnesses. You do not listen to your soul, but listen instead to your anger and your rage.
The lucky ones who don't get ground up into pork for chinese food..
__________________ What CDTM believes;
Never let anyone else define you. Don't be a jerk just to be a jerk, but if you are expressing your true inner feelings and beliefs, or at least trying to express that inner child, and everyone gets pissed off about it, never NEVER apologize for it. Let them think what they want, let them define you in their narrow little minds while they suppress every last piece of them just to keep a friend that never liked them for themselves in the first place.
Hell I don't know, that's something that could be worked out though. If nothing else they could get some old computers and let the kids study and take classes that way. Most of the average school day is filled with "busy work" so honestly just 2 or 3 hours on the computer should be plenty.
And no, the way I'm picturing it people losing their jobs to cheap labor would never actually be an issue because only government work camps would be allowed. That would be an absolute necessity because if you gave the option to private businesses the stereotypical hellhole sweatshop would be inevitable. You have to keep the system small enough that it can be adequately supervised.
And you think giving them no choice and forcing them to remain in the current system is better for them?
The school system isn't the problem for these kids, it's the foster system. Too many of them end up in a home with abusive foster parents who view them as little more than a source of income and outlets for the parents anger.
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Last edited by darthgoober on Mar 15th, 2018 at 02:13 AM
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Mar 15th, 2018 01:15 AM
