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- Newsgroups: sci.econ
- Path: sparky!uunet!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!uchinews!usite-next.uchicago.edu!sug6
- From: sug6@usite-next.uchicago.edu (Patrick Sugent)
- Subject: Re: American underclass
- Message-ID: <1992Aug25.225455.2184@midway.uchicago.edu>
- Sender: news@uchinews.uchicago.edu (News System)
- Organization: University of Chicago
- References: <BtK4Jy.2uz@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca>
- Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 22:54:55 GMT
- Lines: 75
-
- Since you are really looking for reading material, I'll make a couple
- of recommendations and keep my opinions short and sweet.
-
- In article <BtK4Jy.2uz@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> idfriedm@hertz.uwaterloo.ca (id friedman) writes:
- >
- >I have always wondered why the U.S, the richest country in the world in
- >terms of per capita GNP, is having such a hard time solving the problems
- >of homelessness, urban poverty, drugs, etc..
-
- Because you can't get rid of poverty by spending money. With the
- money our government devotes to poverty, it should put every poor
- person above the poverty line (in terms of straight math.) If someone really
- knew what the problem was, I think it would be fixed by now. The fact is,
- no one knows how to fix it and I believe many different solutions should
- be tried in conjunction with one another rather than assuming that a
- "Grand Plan" can work.
-
- >Of course, Democrats and Republicans yell and scream at each other for
- >ignoring and neglecting these problems. I am wondering whether people
- >know of *** good *** books addressing this problem.
-
- Well, I recommend a US News & World Report article from April 20, 1992.
- I also recommend Lawrence Mead, "Beyond Entitlement" and
- Charles Murray, "Losing Ground". You are unlikely to agree with them,
- but they do represent two schools of thought on the issue.
-
- >
- >I am ** not ** interested in unsubstantiated accusations.
-
- Who is?
-
- >
- >I am interested in opinions on the following subjects:
- >
- >
- >(1) Is rent control is places like N.Y a large part of the problem in terms
- >of distorting the housing market?
-
- Absolutely.
-
- >
- >(2) Do you think that either Clinton or Bush are *** serious *** about
- >addressing these problems?
-
- Yes and no. Clinton has shown success with Project Success in Arkansas
- (from what I hear). However, he pretty much emphasizes his vague "economic"
- plan as the way out. Bush seems to believe that the States should be
- responsible and is more than willing to give them free reign. However,
- the solutions usually proposed are short-term more expensive than
- just letting the problem continue. With government at all levels in a
- budget crunch, not many states/cities are picking up short-term more
- expensive new ideas.
-
- Overall, I'd say it is a back-burner issue for both of them. I
- have yet to see any vaguely impartial source give credit to either
- Bush or Clinton's economic plan and neither (to the best of my
- knowledge) has any realistic proposals specifically addressed at
- urban poverty.
- >
- >(3) Is there any way that these problems can be ameliorated without a large
- >tax increase?
-
- Tough to say. Really, as near as I can tell, nobody really has
- a solution that will work no matter how much money you throw at the
- problem. Some programs have certainly shown some level of success,
- but come far short of eliminating the problem. I'm convinced
- that no one knows.
-
- Pat
-
-
- --
- Patrick Sugent "Cry 'Havoc!' and let slip
- sug6@usite-next.uchicago.edu the Hogs of Peace."
- (708) 447-1771 --P.J. O'Rourke
-