I have an idea that would reduce the state’s welfare costs and, at the same time, give Maine businesses an edge on cutting labor costs, as well as taxes, to be more competitive with other states.

In order to eliminate entire families from becoming lifetime welfare recipients, people should be allowed to collect welfare benefits for a certain period of time.

There should be a law that would allow sending a person’s welfare check directly to any company that would hire him. That would reduce the cost of hiring additional employees, as well as give businesses an incentive to hire people currently on welfare. After a year of employment, the welfare check amount sent to the employer would be reduced by one-half; after the second year of employment, it would be eliminated altogether.

The businesses would be required to keep those employees on the payroll for a minimum of five years to keep them honest and prevent them from firing those workers in order to hire a new welfare person to get the entire welfare check.

Such a program would give a person on welfare an edge in getting a job and would give the businesses a cost advantage in hiring new employees.

The program would cost taxpayers less than what it is costing now because if people on welfare never get jobs, taxpayers pay them forever.

Any person capable of working would be required to get a job within a certain time frame or lose welfare benefits.

Warren Packard, Rumford