Job Corps

Okay. I rant and rave about people taking advantage of the system. By taking advantage, I mean people who get welfare because they don't want to work. Because they can get more for sitting on their behinds then they can from earning a paycheck.
But on Tuesday, I saw an attempt to address that.
On Tuesday I toured Pine Ridge Job Corps.
Job Corps is a federal program for "at risk" kids who otherwise might end up being a drain on the system. It is NOT a blank check, nor a lifetime membership into the Federal Dole. What it is , is a new take on the old problem: Is it wiser to put a fence at the top of a steep hill or to buy an ambulance for those who end up at the bottom?
Like the Armed Services, Job Corps covers every need ( room and board, living expenses, medical etc.) for a specified time ( up to two years)while kids are gaining skills and attitudes and ethics which translate to being useful citizens.
( Read: TAXPAYERS, not SYSTEM USERS)
Kids who come into the program with high school diplomas take a test to determine if they are proficient in math, English, etc. and if they are not proficient, they MUST take remedial classes. Imagine that. They have to be proficient before they graduate the program. WHAT A CONCEPT!
They get a great vocational education as well as some character building. They are expected to adopt the rigorous discipline of the centers as their own and to take that self-discipline with them when they graduate.
AND when they graduate, Job Corps helps them find employment. They even get 1 year of free job counseling, someone to follow them on the job to ensure success.
I HATE people who expect to live supported by the system for life. We spend a lot of money on "ambulances."
But Job Corps is a genuine attempt to put a fence at the top of that steep slope into welfare dependency. Yay.