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Why America Lost the War on Poverty--And How to Win It |  | Author: Frank Stricker
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Seller: Stanford_specialty_books
Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 345988
Media: Paperback
Pages: 360
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 0807858048
Dewey Decimal Number: 362.5560973
EAN: 9780807858042
ASIN: 0807858048
Publication Date: September 10, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Analyzing the War on Poverty, theories of the culture of poverty and the underclass, the effects of Reaganomics, and the 1996 welfare reform, Stricker demonstrates that most antipoverty approaches are futile without the presence (or creation) of good jobs. He argues that a serious public debate is needed about the job situation; social programs must be redesigned, a national health care program must be developed, and economic inequality must be addressed. If we actually want to reduce poverty significantly, he says, we must expand decent jobs and government income programs, redirecting national resources away from the rich and toward those with low incomes.
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How Could the Richest Nation on Earth Lose Its War on Poverty? December 4, 2007
Joan Williams (San Diego, CA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is a timely, must-have book for anyone who cares about reducing the level of poverty in our country. In an ambitious undertaking, History Professor Frank Stricker examines fifty years of attempts to solve problems of poverty. His analysis covers the historical settings as well as the political decisions, public attitudes, and public policies enacted from the 1950s to the present time.
Stricker examines the War on Poverty in the 1960s under President Lyndon Johnson and evaluates its scope and effectiveness. He shows how job training and other antipoverty programs didn't lower poverty levels as expected because an equal effort wasn't made to create good jobs. In one enlightening chapter he describes the causes that led to a shift from a war on poverty to a war on the poor. At a time when the focus should have been on the effects of global changes, deindustrialization, and recessions, blame was shifted to individual habits and accusations of laziness of the poor. It seems that it has been much easier to blame the poor for their poverty than to deal with the complex conditions that cause poverty.
The author provides eye-opening evidence that demonstrates how the poor fare in other countries. As he points out "American capitalism does not initially produce more poverty, but American governments offer fewer income supports to help the poor than every one of fourteen other rich nations." To see the effects of this lack of support, one need only to read today's headlines expressing concern about the uncertainty of our economy and the worry it is causing. Many middle class Americans are now facing a likely fall into poverty. In other industrial countries income supports help people get through the bad times of the markets.
In the last section of his book Stricker argues for a much-needed debate on ways to win the war on poverty and offers seventeen suggestions of his own. Foremost among them is the need for government to stimulate job creation and to create good government jobs, real jobs that provide real benefits. One that comes to mind would be hiring more inspectors to check on the safety of our food, drugs, toys and other goods. Stricker acknowledges that many of his suggestions will be politically difficult to achieve because of ideological differences among political parties and differences of opinion among citizens. But he points out that if we care about eliminating poverty we must try. Whether more low-income Americans can be moved to vote and more politicians can be unchained from increasing corporate influence will only happen if the attempt is made.
Stricker's book is a thoroughly researched history written in a clear, down-to-earth style. It is a good read from beginning to end, and also a valuable reference book for citizen activists interested in learning how specific programs to eradicate poverty have worked. "Why America Lost the War on Poverty-And How to Win It" answers the questions it asks and gets my enthusiastic recommendation!
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