What has not been mentioned is the welfare system is a poverty generating
system. All liberal and conservative approaches are wrong as they reinforce
anti-work behavior patterns. I see this every day even at the University
level and can't comprehend how bad it must be in the K-12 system. Martin
Haberman identified the key issues in his "Unemployment Training" in Phi
Beta Kappan
(March 1997).
The key values of the welfare system are:
it's not your fault
nowness -- learning by sound byte
showing up --all you need to do is show up and not be disruptive and you get a B
teachers are responsible for my success-- if I fail it is your fault
excuses -- if you have a good excuses you are not responsible
noncooperation
lack of respect for others
belief that authority is always out to get them
you can 'mess up" as much as you want and will be given another chance
explain success by luck, chance etc.-- not their own effort
require RELEVANCE for any thing they do
lack of purpose
failure to stay on task
ignorance of rules is a way to circumvent them
lack of investment in the school (social) system
Best Ralph
At 05:25 PM 7/1/98 GMT, you wrote:
>On Wed, 1 Jul 1998 12:21:41 EDT, you wrote:
>
>>
>>In a message dated 6/30/98 5:19:37 PM, retroman wrote:
>>
>>>There is also the factor that crime tends to be higher in welfare states that
>>>limit support to males beyond childhood. Once the boys grow up and can't live
>>off
>>>the welfare trough, which they have been raised to beleive they are
>>'entitled'
>>>to, they certainly are pissed.
>>
>>
>> Look, "they" are far more than childishly "pissed".
>> What "they" are is - untrained, uneducated, unskilled and illiterate - we are
>>talking seriously unempowered, unfed, molested, ill-clothed, peer-pressured
>>into gangs (don't even get me started on that) and 99% possiblity of drug use
>>and arrests by about fifteen.
>>
>> Unprepared - by the Darwinistic environement they sum up from - to do much
>>good for themselves.
>>
>> Many choose crime OVER welfare, not because "they" were rejected by it - more
>>likely because 1) they are suicidial or 2) they have too much indiginous
>>pride to eat out of the gov'ts piggy "trough".
>>
>
>Actually here in America the welfare state is primarily set up for the
>single mother. A single, young male has a very hard time getting
>welfare
>
>
Ralph Lewis, Professor of Management and Human Resources
College of Business
California State University, Long Beach
Long Beach, California
rlewis@csulb.edu http://www.csulb.edu/~rlewis