Comrades Our dept of social welfare (DSW) is currently funding a conference called "Beyond Dependency" at which many reportedly notable and expert persons will present their views on how to get people off welfare. Some cynical individuals have suggested that this is merely another of those events where the new right agenda is applauded loudly by the new right who then claim that a concensus has been reached blah blah. These cynics point to the presence of various supporters of the wisconsin model as evidence of the dark hand of the Business Round Table (BRT).For those interested in antipodean matters this is currently being touted as a model for reform of the NZ welfare system by the BRT and their helpers in the DSW. Heavily disguised as a very large and somewhat rotund avacardo and shrimp cocktail one of my spies attended a BRT dinner at which a Sister Connie Driscoll, manager of the St Martin de Porres House of Hope in Chicago spoke. She also apparently has an attachment to the Acton Foundation from Grand Rapids, Michagan. Could any of you kindly disposed americans shed light on who this person is and what the nature of her organization and the acton foundation is also. cheers Bill Cochrane Centre for Labour and Trade Union Studies University of Waikato Hamilton New Zealand [EMAIL PROTECTED]
