When I was in college I had bouts if poverty. I couldn't afford food and could barely make rent. I utilized a "food pantry" and was able to get pasta, veggies, canned goods etc. It was nice having that help, but the guilt I associated with it was intense. Why should it have been? I was a poor college kid and I now pay heavily in to that system. I'm signing my family up for a Food Gatherer organization that once a month will pick up a box of food/canned goods from your doorstep. It's a nice program.I think the primary problem with this discussion is it implies that a social safety net has to be earned. That's fuckin' weird and progressive countries don't do it that way.
this is true. Not only that, but regardless of what or how government assistance is consumed, it's always implied that there should be shame attached. Whether you have paid in to the system or not.
There was a story on "The World" the other day where they highlighted an NGO in India whose mission was to provide LED lanterns to people in areas without electricity. These people mainly use kerosene lamps after dark, which are expensive to operate and dangerous, besides. They were stunned to find that giving them away was not as easy as they thought it would be, but that selling them for $25 has been a smash hit. $25 is a ton of money for someone who lives on $2/day. Anyway, I guess the point is that the psychology of earning vs. charity falls squarely on the side of earning. I think that a similar thing might do well here. In urban areas I would love to see small business loans made available easily and cheaply. Not huge loans, but something where a person can start a food stand, open a lawn care business, etc. Small one or two person operations that the proprietor can feel proud of. There's no access to credit for most people who live in ghettos, and giving them a couple hundred bucks per week does very little to help their mobility, although it adds up to a lot of money in the long term. I would also like to see a WPA style program specifically targeted at inner cities. There are roadblocks to this from the right and the left, unfortunately (which probably means it's an awesome idea). We spend an unconscionable amount of money "helping" the poor in relation to the benefit we actually get to society for all that cash. I think a fundamental problem is that we think of "poor people" instead of "people who happen to be poor". The latter is a state of being, and the former is a moral judgement.
Micro-lending is a viable alternative. Organizations like Kiva.org have had great success rates. As Americans, I think we are quick to rally round kickstarter as though it were a micro-lender, but there are other options available.In urban areas I would love to see small business loans made available easily and cheaply. Not huge loans, but something where a person can start a food stand, open a lawn care business, etc. Small one or two person operations that the proprietor can feel proud of. There's no access to credit for most people who live in ghettos, and giving them a couple hundred bucks per week does very little to help their mobility, although it adds up to a lot of money in the long term.
Got a friend who works in sound. She grew up in Guadalajara. Dual Mexican/Swiss citizenship. She loves Unemployment. She thinks it's amazing that you get money for not working. No matter how many times I point out that it's money she's paid into the system, the idea of "something for nothing" blows her away.