Teach a Man to Fish…and Lead Him to a New Pond?

Talking about a major issue that MUST be addressed in the next Administration — Inner-City Poverty and Developing More Effective Public Policy to Break the Cycle.

This is one of the best Bloggingheads.tv diavlogs that I have seen in a while. This segment, a discussion between social theorists/researchers Joshua Cohen and Brink Lindsey, is enlightening on the subject of Americans’ “personal and collective responsibility to alleviate poverty.”

http://bloggingheads.tv/video.php?id=345&cid=2007

Among the talking points are:

• The plight of those stuck in a cycle of multigenerational poverty in the larger inner cities and the resulting economic inequality

• Whether a policy of dispersement in offering incentives to these impoverished people to move to outlying and more promising areas would prove successful, or if the problem should be dealt with in place through improved programs in job training and increased socioeconomic support

• The possibility that much of the problem is cultural as well as economic, in that modeling of dysfunctional behaviors is what perpetuates situations that foster poverty.

• The fact that poverty has shifted from being mainly a rural problem to an inner-city one

• That there would most definitely be a resistance in offering incentives to relocate as there is a strong cultural and social identity among the impoverished in these concentrated areas.

• The 3 factors most determining/perpetuating inner-city poverty are: dropping out of public high school, too-early parenthood/having children outside of marriage, and the inability to secure even a low-paying/low-skilled job

• That “public policy could possibly let the first step be in acknowledging collective responsibility of citizens.” Yea for that!

• The fact that America’s middle class is best off of any civilization in history, and that poverty is not a middle-class issue

• And especially how something must be done “…for the painfully large but relatively small American population that is trapped in this black hole of hopelessness and isolation from the community of being a productive and contributing member of society.”

After listening to it, it would seem that many answers are somewhere in this discussion. In the best interest of those stuck in the cycle of poverty, what do you think is the best answer — because there is certainly not just one — in breaking the cycle? Reforms in welfare and public school systems? Haven’t these been tried already? Voluntary dispersement to less-concentrated, more economically promising areas just might be a solution for some who are frustrated and desperate to break free.

So would the government ever set aside funding for such a program that, instead of welfare dollars, would, through a kind of mentoring program, assist a person/family in the inner-city projects to relocate to a suburban community and, thereby, change the whole landscape of his/their future?

One thing is for sure — we are all responsible in some way — yes, even us suburbanites — and not just in shelling out tax dollars, donating school supplies, and blogging comments. One answer just might be in opening our little close-knit communities, churches, schools, social circles, and welcoming into our everyday existence those relocating, who desperately want change. But the success probably won’t be seen until it’s done on a personal level, with friendships and working relationships.

Or do we throw up protective walls and begin to worry more about increased crime and our property values going down than the person standing before us? Well, guess what — their problems are our problems. We need to find where our public policy is failing, as well as our churches and public schools, and especially where we are failing on an individual basis.

~ by Galvanized on July 24, 2007.