Houses of Faith welfare_laws.1
The prospect of workhouses including religious instruction in their work has allowed the proposal of … to gain favor with the ….
"What is the difference between the man who is pursued by poverty to his own destruction and the ascetic who pursues poverty for the betterment of his soul? The answer surely lies not in the nature of material poverty, but in poverty of the spirit. This is the form of poverty that the workhouses most desperately need to alleviate."
The Principle of Population welfare_laws.2
Some intellectuals are warning that if the … are not passed, an increasing population of unproductive poor will become an unmaintainable burden on society.
"A growing poor population is an inevitability in a society which does not attempt to control it. Some measures may seem callous to the short-sighted, but if the poor are not discouraged from multiplying, we shall soon have more starving mouths."
Prisons of the Poor welfare_laws.3
Some social reformers among the … have spoken out against the proposed …, viewing them as an attempt to make poverty itself a crime.
"If I may bring your attention to the design of the most ambitious workhouse plans, you may notice a striking similarity to our most modern attempts at constructing ideal prisons. This is because they are prisons. Prisons intended to house people who have committed no crime, where the purpose is not justice, but punishment and exploitation of the weak for its own ends."
Child of the Workhouse welfare_laws.4
A child who grew up in a workhouse institution spoke before … today, detailing the conditions there and urging the abolition of the Poor Laws.
"Most of you listeners would, I am sure, hesitate to bring your child to visit such a place. Yet children are nevertheless there, every day, although they learn quickly to be less like children, to be less a part of a family and more a part in a machine. Family being, like food, merely another luxury that no amount of work seems to make an inmate deserving of in these places."
A Guiding Hand welfare_laws.5
The … are concerned that, without the workhouses watching over the poor, they will be lacking the guidance they see as necessary for the lower classes.
"In any society, the aristocracy has a certain responsibility towards the lower classes, as they too have a responsibility towards their betters. When we abolish an institution designed to facilitate such a responsibility, we must take care that we do not abolish the responsibility with it."
Idle Hands welfare_laws.6
The closing of workhouses with the abolition of the Poor Laws has some citizens concerned about increased crime rates as the poorest members of society will no longer be contained in these institutions.
"If someone suggested the abolition of a leper colony, surely the first question they'd be expected to answer would be: Where will these people go? Yet we are expected to assume that the destitute and desperate pouring out from closing workhouses should not be cause for such concerns. These are people who could not make an honest living. What dishonest living will they make once they're out?"
The Price of War welfare_laws.8
Old veterans have spoken out in favor of …, rallying many in the … to support the reform.
"I cannot emphasize enough how much of the brutality of war on the human mind comes down to uncertainty. Uncertainty about when the enemy will attack, uncertainty about where you will wake up days from now, uncertainty about if you will wake up days from now and about who will still be with you if you do. Many feel uncertain about what will happen to them if they die. All we ask is the relief of having some certainty about what will happen to us if we live."
Unionized Leverage welfare_laws.9
The … are concerned about the proposed … reform giving the … leverage in benefits negotiations.
"Charity is all well and good, but the idea that there are certain forms of charity one is entitled to simply by existing can be quite insidious. A fair negotiation allows the parties to come to an agreement based on what they need from each other. If one party is already guaranteed certain provisions, well, you've already given them an inch for free, haven't you? And you know what they say about giving them an inch."
… Urges Caution welfare_laws.10
… … has recently held a speech warning against government overspending, making … supporters in the … more skeptical of the proposed ….
"…'s institutions must be built to last, through good and bad times alike. We must take care that we do not, during a mild winter, gain the ambition to expand our house so that we cannot afford to heat it during a harsh one."
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