Should the government put people to work?

A very interesting idea:

One way to get the long-term unemployment back on the payroll is to have the government cover their paycheck for a period of time, according to experts. This gives companies a risk-free way to see what the employee can contribute, while giving workers a possible foot in the door.

"It can show employers how good somebody is, how valuable they are to the company and then there is the incentive to bring them on after," said Judy Conti, federal advocacy coordinator, National Employment Law Project.

The idea has merits. It puts people back to work, at least for a while, which helps their self-esteem, their resume, and may even help them stay at the place they're "interning" at. It's not a guarantee, and while working at the temp job they won't be able to spend much time looking for a "real" job. Still, it's an interesting idea.