Decreasing Child Poverty
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/us/politics/child-poverty-analysis-safety-net.html?smid=url-share
The pandemic, or do we use the Royal "P", Pandemic inspired millions of people all over the world to look at various aspects of their lives and reflect, evaluate and in some cases, change the way things have always been done. Almost 30 years ago, then-President Bill Clinton signed the "Welfare-to-Work" bill leading to a revamping of social assistance to compel welfare recipients to find jobs in order to qualify for financial (and other benefits) assistance from the government. Criticized by many on either side of the aisle according to articles in the New York Times recently about child poverty, many Clinton staffers actually quit in response to Clinton signing the bill. But, some conditions need time to resolve themselves. Comprehensive poverty and lifting generations out of poverty could very well be one of those issues. Maybe unique conditions and unusual circumstances involving the right people at the right time can also facilitate a positive change. COVID relief, revamping traditional systems and an emphasis on poverty-, lower- and middle- classes would also be contributing factors to lowering the child poverty rate by 59 % over those 30 years. That phenomena provides a blueprint for helping end poverty in the United States and, possibly, internationally. So let's look at what worked.
A review of how parents went to work.
Covid and the national quarantine that followed the guidelines of the CDC, forced employers to re-think the duties of some of their workforce. If they COULD do their work from home, maybe they SHOULD do their work from home. Post-Covid, thousands of single, and working, parents found they could save on child care costs, maybe struggle a bit with getting their work done without interruption and still remain employed and successful. Sometimes the struggle became very real and hilarious when toddlers would pop in to the room during a ZOOM meeting. It was a time of patience, understanding and flexibility. It was a time when those living hand-to-mouth and struggling financially - got a bit of a break. Unfortunately, those same job situation come under severe scrutiny and some employers are "forcing" and coercing their work-from-home staff to return to the office but with the same lack of childcare and childcare subsidy that forced those families into poverty - it might result in the same statistical slide.
Clinton's Welfare-to-Work Program's unforeseen consequences
In the 1990s, Bill Clinton - among other programs like the War on Drugs, Literacy 2000 and others, aimed to leveling the playing field. Programs such as these fell into the trap illustrated by the philosophy that to rise out of poverty, a person need only work harder. In that context, work harder meant, people disenfranchised by school curriculums, apartment rental agreements, mortgages and so on should be able to solve their poverty problem pretty easily. To everyone's surprise [maybe not the people who know them and the people themselves], Americans WANT to work. Many Americans find their identities in the job they do and vice versa. Following the no cash for social assistance and teh requirement to work - assistance recipient were ALREADY working at a higher than average rate. Since that was the incentive for the social assistance, the money became moot and didn't keep people out of poverty and certainly didn't move them OUT of poverty. Astonishingly, many people who criticized the welfare to work program and other incentive based social assistance programs were pleased to see that the work the recipients did kept them off the streets but never within the reach of middle class. Keeping socioeconomic classes right where they are serves the capitalist system in which we live and the people who provide assistance and who set policy, therefore benefitting from the status quo. But social assistance recipients DID work and it helped keep young children's families just out of poverty.
COVID RELIEF FUND
The third branch of what contributed to a 59% decrease in children under 18 living in poverty is the 2020-2021 Covid Relief Fund. This program, in response to families and individuals being quarantined and unable to pay bills, helped lift at least 7 million children out of poverty. It continues to help families in that the impetus of effort and opportunity created by getting the opportunity to take a financial "breather" if you will, provideed motivation and the energy and will to continue their upward trajectory. The monthly payments given by, for example, some Scandinavian countries kept the virus at bay but also strengthened the relationship between the government and its support and its people. The monthly payments given to families here in the States gave us a glimpse of what is possible under former Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang and his platform issue, Universal Basic Income (UBI). He proposed that a monthly payment to every adult American could lift them out of poverty, motivate workers and foster creativity. It makes so much sense. The relief fund helped millions of children out of poverty and even though the poverty rate for children under 18 decreased by almost 60 per cent, according to the Children's Defense Fund's State of the American Children report, in 2020, there were still 11 million children living in poverty. We are still falling short and the Relief Fund may have given us the key - UBI.
In conclusion, the pandemic gave us a glimpse of a future where American children no longer live in poverty conditions. It takes will, sound policy, compassion and an eye for the future. Our children really are our future and we are risking that future as each year passes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/us/politics/child-poverty-analysis-safety-net.html?smid=url-share
The pandemic, or do we use the Royal "P", Pandemic inspired millions of people all over the world to look at various aspects of their lives and reflect, evaluate and in some cases, change the way things have always been done. Almost 30 years ago, then-President Bill Clinton signed the "Welfare-to-Work" bill leading to a revamping of social assistance to compel welfare recipients to find jobs in order to qualify for financial (and other benefits) assistance from the government. Criticized by many on either side of the aisle according to articles in the New York Times recently about child poverty, many Clinton staffers actually quit in response to Clinton signing the bill. But, some conditions need time to resolve themselves. Comprehensive poverty and lifting generations out of poverty could very well be one of those issues. Maybe unique conditions and unusual circumstances involving the right people at the right time can also facilitate a positive change. COVID relief, revamping traditional systems and an emphasis on poverty-, lower- and middle- classes would also be contributing factors to lowering the child poverty rate by 59 % over those 30 years. That phenomena provides a blueprint for helping end poverty in the United States and, possibly, internationally. So let's look at what worked.
A review of how parents went to work.
Covid and the national quarantine that followed the guidelines of the CDC, forced employers to re-think the duties of some of their workforce. If they COULD do their work from home, maybe they SHOULD do their work from home. Post-Covid, thousands of single, and working, parents found they could save on child care costs, maybe struggle a bit with getting their work done without interruption and still remain employed and successful. Sometimes the struggle became very real and hilarious when toddlers would pop in to the room during a ZOOM meeting. It was a time of patience, understanding and flexibility. It was a time when those living hand-to-mouth and struggling financially - got a bit of a break. Unfortunately, those same job situation come under severe scrutiny and some employers are "forcing" and coercing their work-from-home staff to return to the office but with the same lack of childcare and childcare subsidy that forced those families into poverty - it might result in the same statistical slide.
Clinton's Welfare-to-Work Program's unforeseen consequences
In the 1990s, Bill Clinton - among other programs like the War on Drugs, Literacy 2000 and others, aimed to leveling the playing field. Programs such as these fell into the trap illustrated by the philosophy that to rise out of poverty, a person need only work harder. In that context, work harder meant, people disenfranchised by school curriculums, apartment rental agreements, mortgages and so on should be able to solve their poverty problem pretty easily. To everyone's surprise [maybe not the people who know them and the people themselves], Americans WANT to work. Many Americans find their identities in the job they do and vice versa. Following the no cash for social assistance and teh requirement to work - assistance recipient were ALREADY working at a higher than average rate. Since that was the incentive for the social assistance, the money became moot and didn't keep people out of poverty and certainly didn't move them OUT of poverty. Astonishingly, many people who criticized the welfare to work program and other incentive based social assistance programs were pleased to see that the work the recipients did kept them off the streets but never within the reach of middle class. Keeping socioeconomic classes right where they are serves the capitalist system in which we live and the people who provide assistance and who set policy, therefore benefitting from the status quo. But social assistance recipients DID work and it helped keep young children's families just out of poverty.
COVID RELIEF FUND
The third branch of what contributed to a 59% decrease in children under 18 living in poverty is the 2020-2021 Covid Relief Fund. This program, in response to families and individuals being quarantined and unable to pay bills, helped lift at least 7 million children out of poverty. It continues to help families in that the impetus of effort and opportunity created by getting the opportunity to take a financial "breather" if you will, provideed motivation and the energy and will to continue their upward trajectory. The monthly payments given by, for example, some Scandinavian countries kept the virus at bay but also strengthened the relationship between the government and its support and its people. The monthly payments given to families here in the States gave us a glimpse of what is possible under former Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang and his platform issue, Universal Basic Income (UBI). He proposed that a monthly payment to every adult American could lift them out of poverty, motivate workers and foster creativity. It makes so much sense. The relief fund helped millions of children out of poverty and even though the poverty rate for children under 18 decreased by almost 60 per cent, according to the Children's Defense Fund's State of the American Children report, in 2020, there were still 11 million children living in poverty. We are still falling short and the Relief Fund may have given us the key - UBI.
In conclusion, the pandemic gave us a glimpse of a future where American children no longer live in poverty conditions. It takes will, sound policy, compassion and an eye for the future. Our children really are our future and we are risking that future as each year passes.