Chef, We Have a Problem

Cuomo and Paladino have very different plans on how to reduce unemployment.  Cuomo is trying to call for more help in economically depressed areas in order to reduce the poverty rate.  He would have more housing vouchers and redevelope housing projects that are not functioning correctly.  Instead of developing a new Department of Housing and Urban Development, Cuomo would reinvent it and fill in the gaps that need to be fixed. Paladino, on the other hand, feels as though people should not be given money simply because they are in need of it, they must work for it.  He would create a program in which long-term welfare recipients and people who have lost their jobs due to the recession get a chance to make their money again. He is proposing that in order to carry out his plan that he would use prison facilities and vacant ones to house the people who can work.  These recipients would work for the state and would recieve benefits in exchange for their service. Although Paladino's idea seems insane, I believe that he has the right goal, but a very intense process.  I do believe that people should not simply be given money, they should work like the rest of us and if they can't find jobs, here's their chance.  I wouldn't, however, make them work in prisons, but I would do something more humane such as getting them involved in their community so they dont feel so pointless. Cuomo's idea is great, but it's unrealistic.  Whether or not housing projects are fixed, the people who live there will stay the same.  People who dont have jobs will not automatically find one because their living situation is better.  Therefore, although I may be the only one in this country, I feel as though Paladino has the right direction, but the wrong process causing him to have the better plan.

Cuomo:  http://www.lohud.com/article/20100928/NEWS05/9280380/Andrew-Cuomo-announces-proposal-to-revive-upstate-economy
Paladino: http://beavercountyblue.org/2010/08/23/unemployment-problem-solved-dept-tea-party-candidate-wants-to-bring-back-the-poor-house-and-expand-prison-jobs/



Alison Cohen
B Band