all great ideas

but how would that fit in for the unemployed with children who aren't school aged, they would need child care to 'volunteer', but wouldn't have income from that 'volunteer' job to arrange it,,,

my mothers career was accounting and we have talked many times about the economy and solutions and many of your ideas are similar

I think vocational counseling is/will be an ENORMOUS asset in the work towards decreasing unemployment and economic instability,,,

you hit the nail on the head, many people don't know what their 'value' is and they don't know where to go to learn about how to market it,, they don't have those networks that can expose them to the resources

inclusion of such networks in an economic solution would work wonders, in my opinion

this is all interesting and such, but how do tax credits for low paying jobs and vouchers for volunteer work bring down the debt?

getting people off unemployment into low paying jobs does nothing for the debt. unemployment insurance is taxed just like the low paying job and neither will owe any income tax.

you want employers to reap the benefits of cheap labor while getting tax credits to do it.

I can appreciate the idea of volunteerism and it is something we all need to do more of, but as far as using that to better your chances of getting a job or whatever you are implying might happen is hardly enough.

Increased revenue through real job creation and cutting wasteful spending is how you reduce the debt.

I do appreciate your comments and you make some great points. The idea isn’t to allow businesses to reap the benefits of cheap labor while receiving a tax credit. Obviously there will have to be certain policies put in place to address every issue. The volunteer idea is based on the employer hiring the individual within a three month time frame which is the exact amount of time their benefits would last. Volunteering only gives that employer a chance to train the individual on how to do the job according their standards but they are required to hire them to receive any tax benefits. You are truly right when you say we need real job creation. All that I’m suggesting is, and mind you this is based on the fact that I’ve been doing this for more than twenty five years and I happen to be a small business owner to boot, creating incentives for employers to hire and for folks to not depend on benefits. And keep in mind, the first suggestion is not to volunteer but instead to tie benefits to employment. If a business understands that they can cheaper labor they will take advantage of that. And why not? They will be required to regular wages and keep that person employed for a certain time frame in order to qualify for the tax benefits. And the thinking is that we need to reduce the corporate tax rate anyway so why not do it through employment.

I would like to point out a piece of reality that tends to get overlooked whenever unemployment is discussed.

All too often, there is a mismatch between the experience, knowledge and skills possessed by people who are unemployed and the experience, knowledge and skills needed for the jobs that are available.

Employers create jobs in order to fill needs that the employers have, not to give people jobs to do.

If employers needs people for X jobs, then it does no good to encourage the creation of Y jobs just because some unemployed people can do Y jobs.

Plus, in the USA at least, the desire for affluent living drives young people to pursue training in occupations that have become over-saturated, instead of pursuing trades that can keep them fed and living in sufficient comfort. That over-saturation prevents people from obtaining the jobs that they have trained for.

Creating jobs will bring down the debt. And as a small business owner who happens to have a contract with the DC government that requires me to create jobs, I can tell you first hand that the best way to create jobs is to pass the unemployment bill then attach it to securing employment. You can accomplish this by allowing employers to hire folks receiving unemployment benefits by matching their benefits for six months (or if their benefits plus the match exceeds the normal rate of pay then match it until meets but not exceeds a typical employee’s pay rate). Then the employers must hire that employee at the normal pay rate. The government should also provide incentives such as lower tax rates when and only when they participate in this type of program. Thus you've created the incentive to go back to work as well as opportunities for employers to hire while paying lower wages. This may even help with the hiring of illegals since it lowers the cost employers are paying employees.
You could also tie the benefits to volunteering . . . example would be a person would only have access to the unemployment benefits if they volunteer with a nonprofit agency. The thought process is that when you are actively participating in a work environment you are being productive. And by volunteering you are possibly learning a new job skill. The government could also provide incentives to the nonprofit organizations who hire these folks after they’ve volunteered for a while. It’s a win/win situation simply because companies usually are hiring from time to time and it’s always best to hire someone who understands what you’re doing and how you’re doing it . . . the continuity of services.

all great ideas

but how would that fit in for the unemployed with children who aren't school aged, they would need child care to 'volunteer', but wouldn't have income from that 'volunteer' job to arrange it,,,

Very good question …and I’m sure there are a number of people who would fall into this category. There are a number of options that could be available; one solution could that state and/or local government agencies could create a list of approved organizations/businesses where someone would be able to secure a volunteer position. Many churches have day care centers attached to them and if the government agencies had a voucher program that could be used for childcare then this would eliminate the additional cost. One would not have to volunteer the entire day therefore someone participating in the program would have a chance to make arrangements for childcare. Another solution would be that rather than volunteering the individual participates in the paid version of the program. The idea here is one, lower the unemployment rate, and, two lower the national debt.
There are jobs available. There are people who need jobs. If a new unemployment bill is passed then that would be a great thing but there is no reason why it could not be tied to an incentive that would eventually solve a number of problems.

this is all interesting and such, but how do tax credits for low paying jobs and vouchers for volunteer work bring down the debt?

getting people off unemployment into low paying jobs does nothing for the debt. unemployment insurance is taxed just like the low paying job and neither will owe any income tax.

you want employers to reap the benefits of cheap labor while getting tax credits to do it.

I can appreciate the idea of volunteerism and it is something we all need to do more of, but as far as using that to better your chances of getting a job or whatever you are implying might happen is hardly enough.

Increased revenue through real job creation and cutting wasteful spending is how you reduce the debt.

one person has offered solutions, good for them.

if the money is already being spent in ways people gripe about (means tested programs), what is the problem with redirecting the WAY the money is spent?

I wonder if we will have any other solutions offered or just more of what is 'wrong' with everyone and everything,,,,,

I do appreciate your comments and you make some great points. The idea isn’t to allow businesses to reap the benefits of cheap labor while receiving a tax credit. Obviously there will have to be certain policies put in place to address every issue. The volunteer idea is based on the employer hiring the individual within a three month time frame which is the exact amount of time their benefits would last. Volunteering only gives that employer a chance to train the individual on how to do the job according their standards but they are required to hire them to receive any tax benefits. You are truly right when you say we need real job creation. All that I’m suggesting is, and mind you this is based on the fact that I’ve been doing this for more than twenty five years and I happen to be a small business owner to boot, creating incentives for employers to hire and for folks to not depend on benefits. And keep in mind, the first suggestion is not to volunteer but instead to tie benefits to employment. If a business understands that they can cheaper labor they will take advantage of that. And why not? They will be required to regular wages and keep that person employed for a certain time frame in order to qualify for the tax benefits. And the thinking is that we need to reduce the corporate tax rate anyway so why not do it through employment.

one person has offered solutions, good for them.

if the money is already being spent in ways people gripe about (means tested programs), what is the problem with redirecting the WAY the money is spent?

I wonder if we will have any other solutions offered or just more of what is 'wrong' with everyone and everything,,,,,

I would like to point out a piece of reality that tends to get overlooked whenever unemployment is discussed.

All too often, there is a mismatch between the experience, knowledge and skills possessed by people who are unemployed and the experience, knowledge and skills needed for the jobs that are available.

Employers create jobs in order to fill needs that the employers have, not to give people jobs to do.

If employers needs people for X jobs, then it does no good to encourage the creation of Y jobs just because some unemployed people can do Y jobs.

Plus, in the USA at least, the desire for affluent living drives young people to pursue training in occupations that have become over-saturated, instead of pursuing trades that can keep them fed and living in sufficient comfort. That over-saturation prevents people from obtaining the jobs that they have trained for.