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Friday, 16 September 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 06:28 |
1 comments
Hi Michele,
1 Comments:
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
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
