"volunteerism"

[SHRED]

First off I realize this may appear petty on my part...and maybe it is so talk me down please.

While walking at our favorite beach walk this morning my wife and I noticed weed clearing on the state beach property.
On closer inspection this appeared to be a large church group. Another group had "Bank of America" shirts on. Here is the event: http://www.creektobay.org/

Why do I see the dark side of this?
Why was I so tempted to ask the BofA folks why the bailouts were not good enough? Why are they compelled to volunteer to replace what would otherwise be paid jobs?
Same with the church group clearing that brush.

Sorry but this is public property that needs a workforce to take care of it especially in these unemployment times we are in.

I love volunteerism when directed at families in need or the homeless.
When directed at the public sector (volunteer cops for example) I get defensive quick. I look at this as doing the work that someone could be getting paid for and helping our economy.
I look at it as job theft.

Now talk me down please.

[Ohio Joe]

1. It kind of depends

Did they approach the town and ask to take it over from paid workers or did the town simply stop doing it so they started to keep it looking good?

[phasma ex machina]

2. A most interesting psychological question.

Citibank(ster) and other big corporations also do this. During the weekday Citibank(ster) uses corporate clique rivalry to promote a survival of the fittest corporate culture. A "whack the rival clique before they whack you" mentality.

Then, during the weekend, it's one big happy family pitching in to make the world a better place.

:crazy:

[jwirr]

3. The reservation where I live hire their youth to clean up trash beside

the roads. I have heard volunteer groups who want to adopt a highway complain about it but there are not many jobs for these kids. In fact when the time to hire the kids gets close you find that a lot of people deliberately litter to give them jobs. You are right, anyone interested in doing volunteer work should first explore the possibility that they are taking a paying job from someone else.

[xfundy]

4. Probably nothing, but--

That's why I try to never use the unmanned checkout at the grocery store and NEVER bring a shopping cart back to anything but the corral. Jobs get lost when we let the corpoRATS condition us to follow their wishes and "help lower prices!" Bullshit. Price goes up anyway, they make more money with fewer minimum wage employees.I also don't mind littering their parking lots for the same reason: picking up trash is a JOB.