Thoughts after reading Nicholas Kristof’s “Why I Was Wrong about Welfare Reform” Published in The New York Times.
“Not well intentioned”, and twenty years is a lot of years and a lot of pain, but ok, Kristof. What are you going to do about this change of heart now, besides write your column?
I have a few ideas.
Tell Hillary, Bill, and other Dems to come up with something better, maybe with a Universal Basic Income at its core, instead of any conditional, categorical parsing out of economic rights?
Openly critique the whole neoliberal anti-social agenda of criminal justice reform, work requirements, time limits and income caps for everything public which is left, like food stamps, public housing, student debt relief, etc. etc? It’s all of part of twenty years of “bipartisanship”. Say it’s “enough” to anyone anywhere who listens to you.
Support and promote national and local poor people’s movements, like the new Poor People’s Campaign. They are folks who have kept the faith for welfare rights and human rights, while so many professionalist allies moved on.
Hear from and publicize the voices of the individuals and groups from all sorts of places who so strongly opposed “welfare reform” in the 1990’s. We knew then even more than you know now. Get our voices re-heard with the respect we were never accorded then.
For once, I’m willing to say “we told you so”.
I have a few ideas.
Tell Hillary, Bill, and other Dems to come up with something better, maybe with a Universal Basic Income at its core, instead of any conditional, categorical parsing out of economic rights?
Openly critique the whole neoliberal anti-social agenda of criminal justice reform, work requirements, time limits and income caps for everything public which is left, like food stamps, public housing, student debt relief, etc. etc? It’s all of part of twenty years of “bipartisanship”. Say it’s “enough” to anyone anywhere who listens to you.
Support and promote national and local poor people’s movements, like the new Poor People’s Campaign. They are folks who have kept the faith for welfare rights and human rights, while so many professionalist allies moved on.
Hear from and publicize the voices of the individuals and groups from all sorts of places who so strongly opposed “welfare reform” in the 1990’s. We knew then even more than you know now. Get our voices re-heard with the respect we were never accorded then.
For once, I’m willing to say “we told you so”.
– Ann
Replies are still welcomed, don’t forget to also check out my last article and join in the discussion, both links bellow!
Radicalreentry 
Hilary’ s choice of Kaine yeaterday is boring, with no nod at all to the Bernie Folks and the energy of all those who opposed her. Now we, and and she, will have to watch her either make it or break it on her own. I hope it works.
But all of us who never bought her act must recognize that she will have to be a one term President if elected. We will have to assume no loyalty to her. Post- November we need to start finding the younger, non-white Democrat to succeed her in 2020.
But now we can’t have Trump.
My guess is that, assuming Trump loses big, the next Republican nominee will be our Gov. Charlie Baker, or someone like him.
Democrats have to start telling her right away, if she wins in 2016, that she should announce herself out of the running for 2020 asap — because of age, or Bill’s health or whatever. So the next Democrat doesn’t have to run AGAINST her — but we will if we have to. Then we all need to start organizing from a Black/Bernie/Hispanic base FOR something better.
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