Allowing CAP Members On Unemployment To Work For DOD

[FARRIER]

http://www.army.mil/article/94545/  "Army freezes hiring, cuts base ops, reduces training"

The above article is referencing the Army, but with our economic situation, I'm thinking my idea should apply to all services.

     There are members of CAP out there who are unemployment, not able to find work. The 99 weeks of unemployment is still in effect in some States. After 26 weeks, it's our tax dollars, but it's coming from a Federal source. For those States that have military installations and are looking at budget constraints, why couldn't they use the skill sets of those CAP members on unemployment. Instead of the member sitting at home, getting depressed that they are unable to find work in their area or field of expertise, why couldn't they work at the local installation, even if it's part time. They may have a skill set that the local base commander is looking for but now can't hire a temp or a contractor for.

     The CAP member could still look for work on the time they are not working at the base. This temporary position may also allow them to network and find employment elsewhere. From the standpoint of unemployment benefits after 26 weeks, the Federal funding source would be transferring funds from one department to the DoD. And most of all, it would keep those, who can get depressed when they are unable to find work after awhile, to not get depressed.

     This would not be an official CAP activity in the sense of wearing some sort of corporate uniform. Instead, CAP would just be a labor pool. In general, CAP members are not slackers, therefore, the DoD would find a motivated group.

Just my thoughts 

[Flying Pig]

I can see so many problems with this I dont even know where to begin......

[Patterson]

Here is a place to begin.....UNEMPLOYMENT is meant as a temporary, short-term assistance measure so a person and their immediate family members DO NOT STARVE while said unemployed person SEEKS EMPLOYMENT.  A person on. Unemployment only has ONE JOB: FIND A NEW JOB.

A CAP Member that is in week 40 of unemployment benefits, should not be spending any time with CAP!!  That person is no longer "just between jobs", they are failing in the expectations of adults in our society. 

Do I think a person should be handed a broom or shovel or paintbrush and assigned work between 8AM and 5:00PM Monday-Friday if they accept unemployment benefits past what they paid in....yes I do.  If a person can not find a job in 23 weeks, time for the local municipalities to step in and put them to work!

Those in thier 30th week of being unemployed only have themselves to blame!  They may believe they are too good for certain jobs, but when your family needs food...you take the first thing you can.

As for volunteer work for DoD; the positions being "temporarily" dismissed and the hiring freeze on all new civilian employees means those current or forecasted jobs are not coming back!  They rightfully should be cut off the budget. 

If you truly want to help out our Country, get a job!!  I am tired of paying for your unwillingness to work!

[Майор Хаткевич]

Wow...its great IF you can get a minimum wage job. Try paying a mortgage on that.

[Flying Pig]

I think the point is that if you have time to volunteer at the local Army base, you probably have your priorities out of whack a little.   I see then intent, but if you should probably be in school, or networking in other ways at other places.  Volunteering to fill a vacancy at a deleted government job isnt going to get you anywhere. 

[FARRIER]

Greetings:

     The idea that people who are still on unemployment after 26 weeks are lazy and haven't been looking for work is an ASSUMPTION and broad-based. This also isn't volunteering. The conditions in each section of the country are different. At the same time we have the one constitutionally mandated duties of the government being cut back, defense. If you have base commanders having to make drastic cuts, where they may need civilians employed to keep certain functions performed, instead of sending those funds into unemployment insurance, transfer them to defense. It would make more sense to keep those positions already filled, but knowing the bureaucratic nature of government, they will cut first.

     Like I said, it's an idea, not all small details were ironed out. This was presented as something to think about.

[RRLE]

If anything like this were to be done, it shouldn't be a plum for distraught CAPers. The jobs should go to honorably discharged service members who cannot find a job in this economy.

[SarDragon]

Most non-retired veterans have gotten out of the military because they didn't have a reason to stay. Why would they want to go back to doing something they they just gave up?

[Eclipse]

First, as Patterson points out, UECI is designed to be a temporary fail-safe for people between jobs.  It is not an alternate funding source
for military employees.  In this case, you would essentially have the states funding federal employees, and would also likely wind up extending
the duration on unemployment because these people would be "working" instead of "looking" (although bizarrely enough,
not having a job can sometimes make it more difficult to get a job).

Second, I don't understand how this would be any better or even directly involve CAP members, unemployed or not.  The average member may be somewhat better informed about the military then a non-member, but a relatively small number overall have any military experience.

Where there might be some potential would be to re-scale the salary or benefits in a way to attract people who have been stuck in long-term unemployment, or need retraining.  The risk there is the tendency to tun temporary programs like these into permanent situations and
creating an entirely new class of under-employed, government-dependent people.

[Patterson]

Wow...its great IF you can get a minimum wage job. Try paying a mortgage on that.

Sorry, but not everyone is entitled to own a home!  Face it, a large piece of our nations economic struggle is due to the idea that everyone has a right to own a house.  This mindset came about after the Second World War and is terribly damaging to the country!  If you can't pay a mortgage, you should be a renter!

FARRIER: your idea would be laughed out of the High School Economics class. Think about what you have really written!  You will cut unemployment benefits by sending the money to DoD, which in turn will allow those specific positions to be saved.  What happens to the dude that currently is unemployed from a nongovernmental position??  He is still sitting out there unemployed (and now starving) because you just gave his unemployment checks to the Defense Department to keep some GS-13 fat and happy.

Truth of the matter is contractors have driven defense costs way too high!!  Turn the day to day jobs currently done by civilian contractors on posts and bases back to the service members.

[Devil Doc]

GS-12 and GS-13, are WORTHLESS!!! All they care about is where to get the next Bonus!! I see contractors everyday at work and to me IMO they take way too long to do a job. There is way to many Veterans that do not have jobs, if they could do the contractors work, it would save time and money. The reason it is not done, because the people in charge of hiring contractors get too much of the cutbacks. Its kinda sad that veterans look for jobs everday, but because they make the other workers look bad, or have better ideas, people are afraid to lose there jobs so they are not hired.

[Майор Хаткевич]

Wow...its great IF you can get a minimum wage job. Try paying a rent on that.

Sorry, but not everyone is entitled to own a home!  Face it, a large piece of our nations economic struggle is due to the idea that everyone has a right to own a house.  This mindset came about after the Second World War and is terribly damaging to the country!  If you can't pay a mortgage, you should be a renter!

Feel better?

[FARRIER]

Why does the DoD hire civilian contractors or keep civilians in positions instead of military personnel?

Institutional knowledge. Having worked for a defense contractor in the IT field, the reason is, in cases where enlistments expire and the knowledge leaves with that transferred or discharged person, a civilian will remain in place longer than two or four years.

Why did I choose CAP as a group?

There is/was the program where CAP volunteered around selected bases. Why not switch that over to our members who may be unemployed. Also people who volunteer in the community, regardless of the organization, are much more motivated.

Networking:

Using my own experience, I found leads for my photography business through interacting with people in CAP. My idea being a rough draft/concept, the person may come across leads through the temporary position. What my be considered normal networking isn't working in their case.

"...creating an entirely new class of under-employed, government-dependent people":

I'll concede that point. I'll apologize I didn't clarify this better, but they person may not work a full forty hours. It could be part-time, since my idea is to make this a temporary stop-gap idea And, that it would kick in only when Federal funds kicked in (after the six weeks).


Back to the original idea...

     Government, taking the meat cleaver approach to things doesn't anticipate things well. Early 1990's, after the First Iraq War, I can't remember if it was the Army or Air Force, but they had too many newly minted second lieutenants (ROTC). I spoke to a couple who joined CAP at that time. They were not being sent to their schools, being given options to be let out of their contract. Later in the 1990's, the Air Force was short navigators, they were pulling LTC's, who were now on the desk, back into the cockpit.

     The initial idea is to allow local Base Commanders a little flexibility in meeting their bases needs and pulling from a motivated pool of people who are still unemployed. After the Government makes the "meat cleaver" cuts, they'll end up having to go back and fill a few of those positions or at least find someone to do them temporarily. The people they originally laid off, will they still be available?

     In a perfect world, the economy would be in such a huge mess, with 10 States of the Union with unemployment rates higher than those unemployed.

[RRLE]

Most non-retired veterans have gotten out of the military because they didn't have a reason to stay. Why would they want to go back to doing something they they just gave up?

They gave up a military position. The OP has CAPers taking civilian DOD positions - an ideal spot for an honorably discharge veteran, who is out of a job but does not want to reenlist in a military position.

[PHall]

Civilian DOD positions in the Army are support jobs that usually require training.
Most of the guys that ETS the Army are in Combat Arms (Infantry, Armour, Artillery).
There are ZERO DOD civilians doing those jobs.

DOD usually does not train civilian employees, you have to have the skills already just to apply for the job.

[SarDragon]

I worked for a contractor for 14 years after I retired from the Navy. I don't know who was getting all those big bucks you were talking about, 'cause it sure wasn't my company. All of our bids went out at Department of Labor rates, which were lower than companies made doing the same work in private industry. The specific work was aviation maintenance training.

[Devil Doc]

Well i do know, that ive seen some of the Contract bills/figures and they seemed kinda high. Im used to the days where this is $100 Hammers, $50 Toliet seats, Etc. Im not blaming the companies for the high rates, im blaming the government not spending there money correctly, they act like it grows on trees.

[♠SARKID♠]

Sounds like a paid version of VSAF, which fell on its face/died AFAIK.

[Private Investigator]

A CAP Member that is in week 40 of unemployment benefits, should not be spending any time with CAP!! 

I agree.

[Walkman]

<warning: rant>

Sorry Patterson, I'm normally not one to call people out, but to me, your comments were rude, your tone is harsh and your points over generalized.

I've been all throughout the employment spectrum. I've been downsized suddenly, I've been a victim of political machinations and let go, I've worked three jobs at a time, freelanced-full and part time, spent weeks in depression because no matter how hard I worked I'm not getting hired, started a business, closed a business, worked at big companies with great benes and small companies that didn't even offer basic insurance, been successful and failed.

I know many, many good people who went WAY beyond 23 weeks in the past few years trying to find work. Responsible, educated people with solid professional backgrounds and good work ethics that got ground up in an ruthless economy through no fault of their own. People who did everything they could to keep their resume in circulation. People that were deemed "over-qualified" for lower-paying jobs in retail/manufacturing/etc.

You comments were offensive to me and offensive to these people. Not everyone who wasn't working in the past few years of this crappy economy was "unwilling to work" or thought they were "too good for certain jobs". I once worked seasonal in the shipping department of a toy warehouse during the Christmas season. It was hard, physical labor for ten hours a day and the job ended December 23rd. Back to unemployment, now what. I guess I "failed in the expectations of adult society"? Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence and all the help & support!

Sometime these things are not so clear cut. As Sgt. Hulka said "Lighten up, Francis."

</rant>