This hand holding and coddling needs to stop. Now we have to go door to door and invite people to look for jobs?? The people on the J-1 visas do not affect the unemployment rate in Alaska. J-1 visas are jobs that pay less than minimum wage. You think Welfare Nation is going to take these jobs? Nope, they consider the jobs "beneath" them. Why work for minimum wage and make an effort when you can get free money from the state? I don't feel bad for people who can't get a job because they are felons. Boo hoo. Don't want to have a felony record? Real easy: don't be a felon. How many people want to work with felons? I sure don't. That puts me at higher risk. Employers want reliable employees, they don't want to invest time and money in people to train someone to have them go back to jail. If you were an employer would you? Drug tests, background tests, hiring process, insurance, new hire training etc - it all costs money. If I had a business I wouldn't be hiring criminals. No way!