Someone is channeling me

I really should stop giving people ideas for free, not so long ago I blogged about my take on workfare in the post Talking up a Storm.I suggested that people should not receive benefits unless they take some form of job and it seems that I'm not the only one thinking along those lines, though it's a bit disturbing when it's a left wing think tank doing it.
Mail.

Workshy should be FORCED to take jobs at minimum wage or lose their benefits: Shock
A leading think-tank has urged the Government to crack down on Britain's workshy - and force them to take jobs at minimum wage.
The hard-hitting Institute for Public Policy Research report recommends people on the dole for more than a year should work or lose their benefits.
It wants a state-run scheme to guarantee a job on the minimum wage after 12 months unemployment.

The Labour-leaning think-tank said the jobs should last a maximum of six months and be no more than 30 hours a week to allow people time to hunt for more permanent jobs.
But if a job-seeker refuses to take it, he or she would lose their welfare entitlements.

Now I disagree with the government providing jobs, as they are useless at that sort of thing, however yes there is enough to do in this country to warrant some form of workfare and not at minimum wage either, could make the workfare jobs at only £1 an hour with the rest topped up in benefits. Certainly it is a way to get men espescially back into work and inculate a work ethic within them. Ladies with children though present a different problem, at least until the kids reach school age. Though call me old fashioned, I do believe that mums should be there for their kids, though balancing the system to prevent certain women having "benefit kids" perhaps setting child benefit for only the first two might get around that.
This scheme also cannot be used against the sick/disabled and pensioners, I suspect that stringent safeguards would need to be put in to prevent it becoming the thin end of the wedge.
Benefit reform has to happen, most people can see it, though everyone has a different idea as to how to go about it. I see my taxes as keeping people comfy on the state and the state unfortunately want to keep taxation high but pay it to themselves. I prefer my method of at least getting something useful out of the unemployed and unemployable, though I place most politicians in the unemployable category.
There are things that need doing, this is a way to get them done, it's definitely worth a try.