Title: TomPaine.com - Send to Friend

Sally,

 

One of my choice remarks points out that I heroically attacked North America – in other words Toronto - with $84 and no job prospects, while all my wife, Gwen, had to do was to stay at home and care for four young children.

 

Actually, my job was easier as you are well aware. Properly caring for children is not an easy job in the best of circumstances. The situation in the urban areas is horrible.

 

Gwen had help from two families, including 6 siblings.

 

This is perhaps the way it should be. This perhaps should be the target for the inner city, an extended family helping each other. As it is, there seems to be a plethora of single women having babies – often by different fathers. I don’t blame them for this. A woman probably needs a man and I’m sure the men take advantage of any fragility.

 

Drugs, or maybe alcohol, become a way out that is really a cul-de-sac.

 

As you know, Georgists are committed to “Liberty and Justice for All”.

 

This means our attention is concentrated, not on ‘alms for the poor’ but on finding out why they are poor and ending it.

 

I’m sure you have read about the Georgist notion of privilege. Privilege is a private law (privi-lege) – legislation that takes from some and gives it to others. Of course the ‘others’ pay our legislators for being so kind – this whether they be Republicans or Democrats.

 

Then there are “countervailing privileges”. These are such privileges as food stamps, rent help, welfare money, free health care, and suchlike. This is supported by both parties with maybe the Dems being a little more generous than the GOP.

 

These countervailing privileges keep the underprivileged quiet. The whole country is being milked to provide great wealth to a relative few, so what’s the discussion?

 

Why, it’s raising the minimum wage - (why are wages low)? Or, raising welfare payments -(why are they needed)? More money for education - (why are results so poor no matter the money we spend)?

 

Perhaps we need (as said Thoreau) more people striking at the root of the problem instead of hacking at its branches.

 

Harry

 

 

********************************

Henry George School of Social Science

of Los Angeles

Box 655  Tujunga  CA 91042

818 352-4141

********************************

 

 


From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2005 11:04 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Futurework] Send to a Friend: Article from TomPaine.com

 

 

A Project of the Institute for America's Future

I thought you would be interested in this.

In particular, I thought you'd find the following item interesting:
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050926/get_hitched_young_woman.php

Highlights some of the issues around what's needed to make paid work possible

© 2004 TomPaine.com ( Project of The Institute for America's Future )

 

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