Yes and no, you have to remember that the republicans were very much in favor of workfare replacing welfare and that basically is a program where the government will sign you up for a job, even if it is a job taking classes on how to get a job, rather than give you welfare. Of course, I think that the recession of 2007+ kind of slowed that down as there wasn't even busywork to be done.
Great book on this called 'workfare states' by jamie peck of Wisconsin by the way. I need to check in to see if he has written anything about the recent Wisconsin stuff.
Yeah, I recognize that workfare isn't the answer either. I know that you couldn't break through the partisan opinions that would allow for an idea that is actually workable.
You can't put a single mom to work, for instance, unless she makes enough money to pay for childcare and still has enough left over to make her income better than welfare. And taking away welfare altogether doesn't work because it punishes the kids who were born into the situation.
I know there are a lot of moving pieces but it is nice to imagine a world where it could actually happen.
Ya know, the good part about having a Republican majority right now is that we have two years to get a sense of their approach to the financial crisis, which will hopefully allow us to keep our president for another 4 years.
While he is imperfect and has _certainly_ been handicapped in accomplishing his goals, I still think he's the best president I've been alive to see, if merely because he talks to the country like adults and works toward transparency.
No President is ever going to be perfect. The republicans have made it pretty clear in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin what their approach is going to be. It feels less like fiscal restraint and more like using a position of power to destroy unions and grab more power but we'll see.
I'm a liberal but I'm all for fiscal restraint. You can't spend more than you make. At least you shouldn't.
If only W. hadn't undermined all of Clinton's progress on that front... Our country's financial situation pretty much sickens me, though it's obvious where the blame lies for that one.
Way harder to make repairs than it is to fuck it up in the first place.
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Great book on this called 'workfare states' by jamie peck of Wisconsin by the way. I need to check in to see if he has written anything about the recent Wisconsin stuff.
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You can't put a single mom to work, for instance, unless she makes enough money to pay for childcare and still has enough left over to make her income better than welfare. And taking away welfare altogether doesn't work because it punishes the kids who were born into the situation.
I know there are a lot of moving pieces but it is nice to imagine a world where it could actually happen.
Reply
While he is imperfect and has _certainly_ been handicapped in accomplishing his goals, I still think he's the best president I've been alive to see, if merely because he talks to the country like adults and works toward transparency.
But yeah, jobs would be good right now too. ;)
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I'm a liberal but I'm all for fiscal restraint. You can't spend more than you make. At least you shouldn't.
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If only W. hadn't undermined all of Clinton's progress on that front... Our country's financial situation pretty much sickens me, though it's obvious where the blame lies for that one.
Way harder to make repairs than it is to fuck it up in the first place.
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