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Friday, September 16, 2005
It is often said that the good society is one which is defined by how it treats the poorest most disadvantaged people within it. The US has traditionally been seen as the society of opportunity. There have been periods of social consensus where governments have sought to enable opportunities for all, I refer here to The New Deal after the great depression. Recently under the current Bush administration social policy has taken a back seat, with tax cuts given high priority. Recent administration escapades in Iraq have pushed the budget deficit way into the red. Leaving little or no money for social projects that are badly needed.It's good that the administration is finaly putting much needed funds into the reconstruction & relief effort. It's a shame that it's taken a disaster of this magnitude before the administration has realized that poverty in this area of the US is a real and pressing issue.
I find it difficult to think that they were un-aware of the abject poverty that a lot of the people in this area face, & the fact that they ignored it say's a lot about the republican agenda full stop. If as much effort were put into social policy as were put into the administrations escapades in Iraq perhaps we would not be facing the social problem's that are so self evident today. Access to a free at the point of demand healthcare system,quality education & reasonable minimum wage combined with a decent pension system & free prescription for seniors & unemployed would be a good start towards a more equal society but these things take time.
Equality of access to decent wages, healthcare & pensions is important in a society where the income disparity between the have's & have not's is so high. A mark of a decent society must be how it treats its poor, young & elderly people. At the moment the US has a very low minumum wage, access to quality healthcare & education for some & a pension & prescription system for seniors which is a disgrace.
For a country with the wealth of the US serious questions need to be answered regarding it's social policy. Until serious issues are resolved abject poverty will remain in the US & this can only be bad for the young the old & those who are not fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of opportunities to better themselves.
President Bush speaks from Jackson Square, New Orleans (Susan Walsh/AP)President Bush in New Orleans on reconstruction Part 1 - CNN
Download & Watch - asf
President Bush in New Orleans on reconstruction Part 2 - CNN
Download & Watch - asf
Former President Clinton on Katrina Aftermath - BBC
Download & Listen - mp3
To see the president standing in the french quarter of New Orleans talking of social exclusion & the unacceptable images of people dead & dying, crying for help & food & water, is in one way good but forgive me for being cynical. The Bush administration knew full well the depth of poverty & social exclusion in this part of the US & yet did nothing in it's first or second term upto now. The huge amount of money promised by the president for reconstruction & social aid is welcome but why does it take a disaster like Hurricane Katrina before this administration wakes up to the fact that social policy matters.
The people in the US will, despite their current inept leadership see this crisis through to better times & a better government hopefully. The good society is not dormant but waiting for a spark of inspiration from a more enlightened president & administration to achieve it's true potential.
hewitt.mobi Posted at 2:28 pm |
3 comments
Hmmm, interesting thoughts.
Hi Michele,
By
Thanks for your response here and on my blog.
3 Comments:
I'd like to add, that as much as we hear about "big brother" with his/its hands in everything..on the local level is where it starts. Poverty and it's effects are in many places in my country. New Orleans is but a small example of a much more widespread dilemma. There are "Professional Welfare" recipients that believe that it is their "right" to be looked after. They seem to represent themselves as victims. There are many that truly are victims of circumstance. The professionals don't want to work, have no real idea of personal integrity... but they sure know how to work the system to get what they want/need. I know this because I knew personally some of those types. Not all are bad, not at all. One family -very troubled -ended up having to live with that fact that one of their sons killed his wife in front of their child - stabbed, I believe. That family was always known for stealing from neighbors, vandalism and bullying. Professional welfare recipients. The other family also had many kids...and not one child was ever in trouble. They kept to themselves, were polite and friendly. But, they never worked. No health issues , no mental issues...nothing, just never worked. Didn't have to ..welfare provided. But neither family (adults) ever did anything extra for anyone. They never strove to "better" their way of life, I can't understand that. I was friends with the polite family -didn't know or care about class differences back then. I remember being told that as soon as a female was 16yrs old, they would be pulled out of school -parental choice - they didn't believe that females needed education beyond 16yrs of age. Why? Because then, she could have her own children and...well, the cycle could continue.... How can our Federal Gov't be proactive with that scenario? This is something that the city/town and/or state government needed to , and still needs to, address. Some of the poverty in LA, falls in this category. How can Pres. Bush change that mind set from way up there in D.C.? Its a much more complex problem. It involves all levels of government. But it needs to start close to where the people are. In this case, the City of New Orleans..its business owners, community leaders and yes, the rich.
On one of my blogs, I wrote about a trip I took. A boat ride that followed the shore near ocean front properties. A small blue house was pointed out. A summer home, for use only a few short months in the summer..sold for 9.2 Million dollars. Not sure how that translates into pounds, but its still a whole lotta money. If the people around the world who have THAT kind of money to throw away on frivolous luxury won't help their local communites' less fortunate ...and can walk by them and their children and not feel a twinge of concern or empathy, then truly, the poverty in situations like New Orleans will never go away.
Of course, hand-outs don't work.
No one respects or appreciates freebees on that scale. It leads to sloth.
But job creation, education...things they have to work for to get the skills they need to go forward..those things should be made avaliable without all the rigormarole (redtape) that seems to surround any monetary benefit.
Am I rambling yet???
My mind is just swirling with thoughts....so many options, hopes, wishes, and yearning for understanding the human condition.... It's written somewhere that poverty will always be with us. Has been for centuries. Its the little things that WE do...the pebble in the pond type things that make a difference. No one ever sticks around to see how far the ripples go...once you can't see them, for you, (figuratively speaking) if you can't see them, they no longer exist..not so..ripples can go on into infinity. So too can the small things we do for people in helping find their own hidden internal strengths. Such is the challenge before all our politicians. But first, some one has to throw the pebble.
OK, sorry to be so long winded and ....weird.
Its just such a big issue and its hard to know where to start....
*chuckle* and when to stop :-)
It's a difficult issue to be sure. You can see where I'm going as far as politics goes. My politics has always been towards the left of centre & it will be a dark day indeed if I ever vote republican.
A good social welfare & health system is crucial to dealing with poverty. I hoped when Clinton was elected he would get the healthcare bill through but, those vested interests were just too strong I guess. My point being that when there are extremes of povery & or wealth then society suffers. Your example of the coastal property illustrates this.
I am not suggesting for one moment that we all live on government handouts but there is a sensible compromise there somewhere. The issue of healthcare is also a problem, a recent study of children in New Orleans found that a large % had not even the basic vaccinations against TB, Polio, & other vaccines which we take for granted in this country. The availiability of healthcare free at the point of demand has been a basic right in this country since 1934. It upsets me to think that children & older people there just don't have access to decent healthcare.
Anyway I'm decending into a political rant which I'm sure you don't need so just to say yes this is a complicated issue but good leadership can make a ll the difference.
Charlie xxx
hewitt.mobi, at
8:19 pm
BTW- I do check back to see if you comment to my comment on your blog...not necessary to post in both places....just wanted to save you a step.
My answer at my blog is different than this one.
I have you saved to my favorites so its easier to check back.
Toodles!
All this will not be finished in the first hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin. - John F. Kennedy
