|
| |
PRESIDENTS & POVERTY.
Term Paper ID:23342
|
|
|
Essay Subject:
Examines socioeconomic policies & poverty programs of Democrats Kennedy & Johnson & Republicans Reagan & Bush.... More...
|
7 Pages / 1575 Words
7 sources, 15 Citations,
APA Format
$28.00
Return to List of Papers
|
Paper Abstract:
Examines socioeconomic policies & poverty programs of Democrats Kennedy & Johnson & Republicans Reagan & Bush.
Paper Introduction:
The divergent social policies and programs of the Kennedy/Johnson era and the Reagan/Bush era demonstrate the different attitudes in which these administrations viewed the poor. Kennedy/Johnson policymakers regarded the poor as flawed and inexperienced, in need of government assistance to enter the mainstream and assimilate society's work ethic. Reagan/Bush policymakers regarded the poor as victims of government overindulgence, whose only hope for self-sufficiency was by weaning them from the government dole. Social policies and programs continue to come under severe attack as legislators seek means to control the country's spiraling federal deficit. An examination of the goals and social theories underlying the policies and programs of the Kennedy/Johnson and Reagan/Bush administrations demonstrates why the thorny issue of poverty
Text of the Paper:
The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper.
He contended that welfare recipients must do theirshare to take responsibility for themselves and for their children. References Barry, N. The social engineering philosophy of the Kennedy/Johnson era wasdisplaced when Ronald Reagan became president. Berkowitz, E. Not onlydid Johnson fulfill Kennedy's legacy, the new president became a strong,personal advocate of public welfare assistance. Martin's Press. During the Reagan era, the racial characteristics of publicassistance were highlighted. Kennedy/Johnson policymakers regarded thepoor as flawed and inexperienced, in need of government assistance to enterthe mainstream and assimilate society's work ethic. They justified an expansive federal role in reducing or eliminatingpoverty theorizing that the programs would ultimately result in decreaseddependence on public welfare, thus easing the financial burden on society:"[Public assistance] was meant to be a 'hand-up' rather than a 'hand-out'and recognized a distinction between welfare and state welfare" (Barry,199 , p. At thetime of his assassination, Kennedy had formulated major plans to escalatehis efforts at reducing poverty. Poverty was an important issue in John F. Also, dependency onpublic welfare created a vicious cycle which diminished the motivation ofthe poor and perpetuated a culture of poverty. President George Bush shared Reagan's philosophy on public welfare.In his own State of the Union address in 1992, Bush also quoted FranklinRoosevelt's admonition about the narcotic tendencies of welfare. Teenagers in the household were characterized as out-of-controland prone to promiscuous sexual activity that perpetuated generationaldependency on public assistance (Berkowitz and McQuaid, 1988, p. 1 8). Amongthe new programs the Economic Opportunity Act established were Medicare andMedicaid, Head Start, and the Elementary and Secondary Act (federal fundingfor school districts based on their proportion of low-income students). As Johnson announced inhis State of the Union address to Congress in 1964: "This administrationtoday, here and now, declares unconditional war on poverty in America . The logic of social welfare: Conjectures andformulations. He believed that it wasimpossible to reduce dependency on public welfare by substituting one setof programs for another. This increase, whichoccurred in 1989, was the first time the minimum wage had been raised since1981. Clinical Social Work Journal, pp. Previously, welfare had been reserved for that segmentof the population that was too old, too young, or too physicallyincapcitated to work: "Welfare now went to the less than totally deservingwho were expected eventually to work" (Berkowitz and McQuaid, 1988, p.2 5). The philosophy of both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations wasthat the existence of poverty should not be tolerated in the United States. New York: Columbia University Press.----------------------- 9 2 9). One significant measure to help the working poor during Reagan'sadministration was the increase of the minimum wage. The breakdown of family structures and changingsexual and marital mores contributed to a sharp increase in never-marriedsingle mothers with illegitimate children in need of public assistance.Reagan blamed the welfare system itself in creating this dilemma, ignoringlarger social and economic contributing factors. Chilman, C. 89-1 4. Rethinking social welfare: Why care for thestranger? Not since the New Deal era of Franklin Roosevelt had such amajor effort been expended to fight poverty. Kennedy's campaign for thepresidency. This familywas characterized by a present, but nonworking, alcoholic, or abusivefather. New York: St. 48).Opposition to the growth of government entitlement programs has often ledto the election of conservatives who campaign on platforms promoting alaissez-faire form of government: "The resistance to this [strong federalpresence] reached a new peak in the election of a Republican administrationin 198 committed to not only a slowing down in growth, but an absolutereversal in the scale of national responsibility for social needs" (Morris,1986, p. What is clinical social work?Looking back to move ahead. (1996, Spring). America has been termed a "reluctantwelfare state" because, in general, its citizens abhor big government,regardless of race. Despite the considerable efforts of Reaganism to reduce the role ofgovernment in providing public assistance, social welfare continues to be amajor institution in modern society. Reagan also favored letting the states assumesome of the burden of public welfare programs. . . (199 ). 9 ). 7). In 199 , Congressauthorized $5 billion for child care assistance programs. An examination of the goals and social theoriesunderlying the policies and programs of the Kennedy/Johnson and Reagan/Bushadministrations demonstrates why the thorny issue of poverty persists incontemporary political debate. 515-524. 19). In his State of the Union Address in 1986, Reagan quoted FranklinRoosevelt, "'Welfare is a narcotic, a subtle destroyer of the humanspirit.' And we must escape the spider's web of dependency" (Rank, 1994,p. These programs weresignificant because they marked an end to political resistance to fundingchild care for low-income parents (Chilman, 1995, p. (1994). This"participation" philosophy involved a diverse range of efforts: "Communitydevelopment approaches focused on rebuilding housing stock, encouraging theestablishment of new businesses, and similar endeavors to transform innercities into economically productive neighborhoods" (Rank, 1994, p. One program wasdirected to parents who needed to work to avoid becoming dependent on AFDC. .Our aim is not only to relieve the symptoms of poverty, but to cure it, andabove all, to prevent it" (Rank, 1994, p. Important welfare reform legislation was approved by Congress duringthe Bush administration to aid the working poor. New York: Longman. 17).This philosophy resulted in concomitant change in the practice of socialwork:" . The divergent social policies and programs of the Kennedy/Johnson eraand the Reagan/Bush era demonstrate the different attitudes in which theseadministrations viewed the poor. Creating the welfare state:The political economy of Twentieth-Century reform, 2nd ed. This Act was themost impressive federal social welfare strategy since the New Deal. an hour still needed, onaverage, over $2 in additional Aid to Families with Dependent Children(AFDC) grants plus food stamps, and EITC [earned income tax credit] paymentof $126 a month, Medicaid and child-care assistance" (Chilman, 1995, p.519). Currently, social programs andpolicies remain at the center of political debate, exacerbated by soaringteenaged pregnancy rates and a sluggish economy. To facilitate this involvement many of the social policiesand programs of the New/Great Society advocated empowerment of the poor inpolicy and program decisions that affected their lives. The typical family on welfare was describedby influential political analysts as a black ghetto family. In total,Johnson's Great Society initiative resulted in forty-four major programs ata cost of about $2 billion per year; these programs provided aid to morethan 5 million people (Barry, 199 , p. the social work profession itself turned its attention away fromindividual, family, and group treatment to community organization, socialprogram and policy design, and social action" (Goldstein, 1996, p. Morris, R. Another program provided child-care assistance for low-income workingfamilies and parents in job training programs. Inaddition to focusing on the economy to aid individuals in overcomingwelfare dependency, the Bush administration added the following elements toits social welfare strategy: "George Bush emphasized the importance ofvolunteerism from the private community, as well as the concept ofempowering the poor through policies such as tenant management, schoolvouchers, and enterprise zones" (Rank, 1994, p. Reagan consistently emphasized the need to link welfare paymentswith work requirements. Mohan, B. Programs and policies for workingpoor families: Major trends and some research issues. 15). As Morris (1986) puts it, "There is noconvincing myth in the American society which engenders sympathy for aminority population" (p. Johnson's war on poverty resulted in sweeping legislative changes.In 1964, Congress passed the Economic Opportunity Act. When U.S. This was a significant new concept in thephilosophy of public welfare: "During his address to Congress on February1, 1962, the president argued that the answer to the welfare problem wasnot just greater financial support to the poor but also the provision ofservices to enable the poor to climb out of poverty" (Rank, 1991, p. 16). The Kennedy administration believed that one of the majorcontributing causes of poverty was a lack of skills. Lyndon Johnson stepped into the void created by Kennedy'sassassination determined to carry out the battle against poverty. Acknowledging the necessity of providingmore coverage for low-income families, the Kennedy administration alsocreated the Food Stamp program and endowed states with the power to includemarried couples (with unemployed heads of households) in the AFDC (Aid toFamilies with Dependent Children) program. Inaddition, programs for jobs and job training were established. Social policies and programs continue to come undersevere attack as legislators seek means to control the country's spiralingfederal deficit. 1 8). By the early 196 s, it became apparent thatthe social work caseloads were no longer dominated by widows, dependentchildren, and orphans. generate sufficient incometo sever dependence on AFDC. Goldstein, E. In addition, Congress passed ameasure that added a rehabilitation services component to AFDC. (1988). 21). Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomaschaired Ronald Reagan's Equal Opportunity Commission, Thomas explained thathis own opposition to welfare was based partly on the experience of membersof his immediate family, who became dependent on welfare and grew tobelieve that they were entitled to such assistance (Mohan, 1988, p. (1995, September). A comprehensive approachis needed to the problem of public dependency, one which encompasseseconomic, social, political, and moral initiatives. Welfare. Only workers employed full-time at $7. When the Kennedy administration took office in 1961, thepresident set to work almost immediately to implement his social policiesand programs. Rank, M. Theracialization of social welfare was effective in reducing public supportfor social policies and programs. Kennedy and Johnson also reasoned that alleviating the symptoms ofpoverty would improve the participation rate of low-income persons in theircommunities. Social welfare is a complex issue that has defied the strategies ofboth liberals and conservatives alike. The new minimum wage was insufficient, however, to elevate welfarefamilies out of poverty: "A study of California's welfare-to-work programfound that workers employed full time at $5. To address these issues,policymakers developed job training programs for the poor (e.g., the JobsCorps, the Neighborhood Youth Corps, etc.) and programs that helped instillpositive values in young people. Once the increase took effect, the minimum wage became $4.25 anhour. (1988). 52 ). Reagan/Bushpolicymakers regarded the poor as victims of government overindulgence,whose only hope for self-sufficiency was by weaning them from thegovernment dole. Kennedy's strategy shifted emphasis from merely providing cashassistance to needy families to providing services that would preventdependency in the first place. New York:Praeger. Kennedy's philosophy on poverty marked a major intellectual changefor policymakers. (1986). . and McQuaid, K. Living on the edge: The realities of welfare inAmerica. Reagan's policy on publicwelfare encompassed three basic themes: (1) reduction of the role ofgovernment, (2) rejection of social engineering, and (3) federalism.Reagan sought to stem the expansion of big government in favor ofstimulating investment in the private sector. Minneapolis: University of MinnesotaPress. The feminization of poverty has also contributed to waning publicsupport for social welfare. 175). Social ServiceReview, pp.
If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again:
or
Click here to request an essay written just for you.
|
|
|
