Raise the Hammer

A Smith: You are missing the point I am trying to get at.

You write: If society got even tougher and forced people on welfare to get a two year college degree, their median wage would rise further to $18.40/hour.

For the majority on welfare, if you read my previous post, the illiteracy rates are high. There numerous reasons why this is so.

I stated that Peer to Peer is getting people coming in who want to learn , but you negate the fact that there is real opportunity for people to do so.

You negate the fact, that the current system is not about moving people forward.

I have college education and struggle to get living wage, despite having almost 20 years experience in my field. It is the way it is. If I have problems navigating the system, where does that leave those who cannot read, write, do simple math? I did a temp assignement in the filing department of OW, I know what reality is.

You have no idea what people have to go through, it is a maze of no wheredness, dealing with people who are not trained in many areas. The only question they ask is is your WSIB payment is to update, they will never ask beyond that. As a worker. who knows, there are no rights, you are chastised, made to be the bad guy, if you ask the real hard questions. What is the word, oh yes privitization. Who really cares if people are actually being helped?

I called the main office of the first place they will send you , you got to wonder, when general manager admits, we do not know nothing about Ontario Works, yet OW sends many there? Privatization, is this really the best model, when you deal with people who are completely unqualified? There job is only to fill out paperwork, which you pay for, meanwhile back at the ranch,!!!!

Currently, if you are a young person, who comes from a bad environment say. If you are on Ontario Works, as a single person, which you get 585.00 per month. If you are in a shelter, you get only street allowance which is considerably less. If you want to complete GED, it costs about $100.00 to register with courses, so you have to make a hard decison whether to pay rent, food, or go have the opportunity to go to school. She system does not help you in any, to complete grade 12. Some programs lead nowhere, meaning you will not get accredited by the "high" school system.

I thought I would add, the stats are meaningless to me, in a sense, as they only represent numbers, not human life or reaction or ability to participate. My back ground is accounting and numbers.

Yes, education is the way forward, but you must ensure that it is a envrionment that promotes learning, acceptance, understadning. Your words are too "one sided". There are many variances, one does have to have a soul!