Grapes of Wrath

Unemployment.
Aint it hard to do something about it.....?
Well.......NO
Last week I had three job interviews.
One of them, curiously enough for one of the agencies who will deliver the new UK Government Work Programme.
I'm sure they have some Wonderful New Ideas.
I have some too!
All three of these interviews I attended were some distance away from where I live.
Each one of them cost me about ten English pounds to get there and back.
None of them are eligible for the (discretionary) Travel to Interview scheme as run by Jobcentre Plus as they are all considered to be "within commuting distance", however they all do, naturally cost money to get there and back.
Current Jobseekers Allowance is £67.50 if you're over 25 and £53.45 if you're younger.
So let me see.....three interviews at £10 travelling to each interview  would have cost me.....ooooh
Thirty quid. Just under half what I had to live on for the whole week.
If I'd been 24 (which I was once) I would have had the grand total of £13.45 to live on after attending these three interviews in a week.
Is there something wrong with this picture?
How about this for a thought:
If someone has an interview for a job, and they can prove they have an interview, and the interviewer can confirm that they attended the interview....why not pay their travelling expenses to attend it?
The alternative to them attending the interview and getting a job is ....that they remain on welfare and don't pay taxes to look after all the other people on welfare.
So why discourage people from attending interviews?
Hell, if it was up to me I'd be doing them all a packed lunch!
Here's another one:
If someone attends university and takes a degree you expect them to pay back their student loan when they get a job.
The reasoning is it makes them more employable to have a degree.
It does!
And so does a person having a driving licence and a car.
It makes them more employable!
Here we go then:

1. Interest free loans for people to pass their driving tests.
2. Interest free loans for them to purchase an approved  second-hand car.

You would also stimulate the economy by creating a bigger demand for driving tuition.
You'd get people off their asses and away from their Bright House plasma TV's and into work and..... paying taxes!
I'm quite happy to donate these ideas for free, but if Her Majesty's Government could see their way to giving me a few dollars for them I might be able to attend some more interviews.....AND eat.
All in the same week!