# Jobs Americans won't do? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 20, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-americans-wont-do/280812 "2004-12-20T16:35:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-americans-wont-do/280812/81 "2004-12-23T21:26:12Z")
The labor market in the USA is subject to many distortions…among the major one is welfare. If you look at welfare as a totality , you will learn that being on public assistance is far better than a minimum wage job. For example, you might (in addition to welfare) receive: -food stamps (half-price food) -free health care -subsidized (or free!) rent -free education -supplemental Social Security (i.e. “crazy money”) One study found that the aggregate of all of these programs was worth in excess of $16.00/hour…so why would anyone on welfare work at Crapmart for $8.00/hour? It is simple economics…and many illegals are from counties with a much lower living standard…a tenement apartment with heat is paradise for the average rural mexican peasant! ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-americans-wont-do/280812/82 "2004-12-23T21:42:03Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > If you look at welfare as a totality , you will learn that being on public assistance is far better than a minimum wage job. Let me guess – whoever tossed out _that_ nugget is a well-fed conservative insta-pundit who’s never had to live off public assistance, eh? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jobs-americans-wont-do/280812.md?page=4)