The signs are everywhere
Signs, signs, everywhere are signs. No not the political yard signs that recently littered the landscape, but signs that read “Help Wanted,” “Now Hiring,” “Apply Within” or “Now Taking Applications.”
Businesses produce a product or service and they need labor to do so. Employees receive a paycheck and in turn it is cashed and spent. It seems that if an individual who wants a job should have no problem getting hired. But why the signs? Is there a shortage of qualified applicants? Can applicants pass a drug test? Do they really want to work?
Last year, legislation passed in the Pennsylvania House of Representative and the Senate that would require able-bodied Medicaid recipients to find part-time work or participate in work training programs. The Bill HB 2138 went to governor Tom Wolf for his signature and he promptly vetoed it.
Why would the governor veto a bill that could possibly lead to an individual starting a job that may lead to self sufficiency? Is it a function of government to encourage work or promote the status quo of a reliance on a government program? This is not the first time Wolf vetoed legislation of modest medical assistance reforms. He did it twice, once in 2017 and then in 2018. In articles written on this legislation, it is estimated that close to 500,000 individuals would be affected by the passage of this bill. Lets see. If someone has a choice of getting up and going to work or sitting on a couch and watching satellite television with a bag of potato chips in one hand and remote in the other which one do you think they will choose?
Edward Zadylak
Connellsville