For the moment, I’m going to set aside the debate about people who are forever stuck in poverty if our system remains the same. They’re out there and their numbers are great. I know plenty of people who are impoverished mostly because of choices they’ve made. They are also another debate.
I agree that a drastic increase in MW would not translate to ending poverty. I think it should be raised some, and probably more frequently than it is currently.
I agree with those who say the old welfare programs probably did more harm than good. People, referenced by **Magiver ** when he said "…Self-sufficiency cannot be passed down if it does not exist in the family structure… " are part of that group. But simply tossing them to the wolves isn’t the answer. Rather than falling back to the old ways of issuing checks, generation after generation, we need to concentrate on teaching the skills that parents were either unable or unwilling to teach in the first place.
It involves more than being able to physically do a job. The concept of the modern world and its intricacies can be daunting to someone who doesn’t see someone navigate it on a daily basis. You absorb much of that understanding by watching your parents work their way through it. You see your friends and family take strides and have setbacks and you watch how they manage those situations. If your window to the world lacks exposure to those scenarios, you will most likely be overwhelmed when faced with them yourself.
For starters, I think our schools fall short in teaching basic home economics. All they taught us back in the 70s was a little cooking and sewing. I think they need to teach kids how to open a bank account, how to balance a checkbook, how to set up a savings plan, how to provide nutritious meals, family planning and child development. They need to understand interest and how quickly credit card debt can screw up their ability to stay above water. They also need to provide this instruction to welfare recipients so they’re prepared when they’re mainstreamed into the working world.
There are all sorts of “soft skills” that need to be taught so a welfare-to-work person can function in the workplace. Discipline, punctuality, willingness to take direction, the ability to work with others…all these things are essential to the success of any individual in a work environment.
Workers also need to understand that their contribution is important, no matter how small. They need to know that they are needed to make the business run smoothly. This is something that needs to be reinforced by employers, as well. The best companies will recognize their employees as multi-dimensional people who are more than just a body performing a task.
I also think counselors should be available after a person goes out into the workforce so they have someone to turn to when they hit the bumps in the road. Often times there is no support system; families can’t provide useful advice because they’ve never dealt with those problems effectively themselves.
All of this requires funding. We need to reprioritize if we want to see welfare-to-work folks flourish.