In the chapter the author talks about how all these attempts to reduce poverty arose following the Cold War. This was intended to lower the poverty rates and gap between the rich and poor. The funny thing I found about this is how much of a failure this is in the long run. Military money for GI’s was misappropriately distributed, and the idea of sorting youth is ridiculous if what you are trying to combat is differences in money. Also, the idea of government run programs in schools to avoid communism seems a little to government controlled to not be ironic. When it came to the Military training or college route individuals it got me wondering if the same methods would be utilized today in the event that they bought back the draft? Would America’s “intellectuals” be spared from war and the poor went to the military? I do not know if this obviously unjust decision would stand in today’s society.
Another thing I found interesting was the “Poverty breeds poverty” line from the Heller Report. I think that this is a bold, yet true, statement to make. This idea was in my head the entire time I read the chapter, because the same way we discussed how kindergartens were intended to aid parents and children, poverty is not just a child’s problem for future generations. The proper way to manage money, invest in one’s future, and so forth must be taught and understood by the parents. Not only this, but these parent’s must have access to the same facilities as the more well off individuals. It is the question of access to facilities (such as universities) that, in my opinion, is the major determining factor in differences in income. Poverty can not be totally understood by this alone, but it is a good place to begin investigation. Would poverty levels be like they are today in America if universal access to universities were provided by the government? What about universal healthcare for that matter? These differences are large determinants in SES, and as we know, SES is heavily correlated with poverty rates. Another, less reading specific question I had is, where do you believe is the best place to being fighting the war on poverty… would you too begin with youth in the school system?
