April18, 1990 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS ARE WE a HUMANE NATION? Passivity and Privatism: "Look out for No
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7342 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS April18, 1990 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS ARE WE A HUMANE NATION? passivity and privatism: "Look out for No. cuts in basic social and human service pro 1,"-those who can't are shiftless, a drag on grams will exact social and human costs, the economy. and they will also appear as direct financial HON. LEE H. HAMILTON Times also have changed for our disadvan costs at the future times in different ledg OF INDIANA taged youth. In the '60s, there was hope: ers. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Upward Bound, the Neighborhood Youth There is a price to be paid for Reagan's re Wednesday, April18, 1990 Corps and the Job Corps held out a helping duction of human and social services. The hand. Youngsters who had never before had price is that these cutbacks did not reduce Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to a chance believed that the dream of achiev crime; they increased it. They did not pro insert a recent article by Arthur I. Blaustein ing selfhood could become a reality. By the mote better family life; they destabilized it. into the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. Mr. Blaus early '80s, though, that hope had been They did not reduce alcoholism; they in tein was chairman of the National Advisory dashed, and it was replaced with despair, as creased it. They did not increase respect for youngsters turned to drugs, crime and vio Council on Economic Opportunity under Presi the law; they weakened it. lence. The four particular elements of the dent Carter. He now teaches at the University It is important to clarify this reality, for Reagan administration's policies that have of California, Berkeley. Mr. Blaustein's pro along the way, in deliberate efforts to de- served to undermine our social equilibrium vides an insightful critique of society's unful . stroy the credibility of these programs, con are: (1) the massive across-the-board cuts in filled goals of equality, justice, and economic servative politicians began manipulating social and human service programs; <2> the opportunity. I recommend the following article symbols in order to stigmatize them. During transfer of federal authority and program as important reading to all my colleagues. the Nixon era, they cleverly began to refer responsibility to states with diminished re to them as "minority" and "welfare" pro sources; (3) the abolition of delivery systems [From the San Jose Mercury News, Dec. 24, grams, rather than as "opportunity" ones, 1989] provided for in the Economic Opportunity thereby switching the message from a posi Act; and (4) the abdication of moral leader ARE WE A HUMANE NATION? tive to a negative one. This kind of deceit ship. <By Arthur I. Blaustein> and distortion was not an accident; it was COMMITMENT TO EQUALITY Twenty-five years ago, this nation under designed to exploit fear and racial divisive ness. I want to quote from a tribute to Jane took a course of action designed to combat Addams made in 1960 by the distinguished "the paradox- of poverty amidst plenty." In By the time we reached the '80s, we had entered an era that officially-at the high writer and historian Archibald MacLeish; doing so, President Lyndon Johnson decided because it touches my sense of the meaning upon a broadside effort to seriously attack est levels of government-condoned and even encouraged negative attitudes, code of the war on poverty. Jane Addams, he the root causes of poverty: inadequate said, "was not working for her immigrants health care, impaired education, lack of words and symbols directed against the poor in particular, and toward basic human and and her poor. She was committing herself decent jobs, deteriorating housing and de with them to the common life-that life our caying neighborhoods. When Johnson re social service programs in general. Those conservative politicians who did so are adept generation watches more and more as spec quested-and Congress passed-the Econom tators, as though it were not common, as ic Opportunity Act, it also signified a moral at moralizing endlessly over the issues: the "problems" of the unemployed and under though it were a life for someone else. She commitment on the part of our political was as explicit about that as a woman could leadership to pursue the unfulfilled goals of employed, the homeless and hungry, of al coholism, drug abuse, mental illness, infant be. She was not, she said, a reformer: she equality, justice, and opportunity. wanted to establish a place <Hull House) 'in It truly was a historic moment-one worth mortality, child and spouse abuse and dis rupted families. But they have neither the and around which a fuller life might grow recalling with pride-for it was a time when for others and for herself.' And having Americans demonstrated their commitment, heart nor the will for the rigorous thoughts and work of finding cures or even just re made that much clear she then reversed her openness and generosity. A new federal words to make her declaration clearer still. agency was created to spearhead and coordi lieving some of the suffering and symptoms. CREATING DISTORTIONS 'The good we secure for ourselves is precari nate this endeavor: the Office of Economic ous and uncertain until it is secured for all Opportunity <OEO>, which had the respon Let me give a concrete example of what I sibility for initiating several programs, in of us and incorporated into our common mean. During the course of the 1980 presi life.' cluding Head Start, Volunteers in Service to dential campaign, then-candidate Reagan "No, Hull House changed Chicago and America <VISTA), Legal Services, Job would entertain crowds with the line, "Do changed the United States, not because it Corps, Upward Bound, Foster Grandpar you know how much it costs to keep a kid in was a successful institution but because it ents, Community Economic Development, the Job Corps? (pause) And how much it was an eloquent action by a woman capable and Community Action; all of which were costs to send a youngster to Harvard? Oong of action regardless of the dark ahead. We direct and specific, aimed at pressing nation pause> Well, I'll tell you: $8,200 for the Job talk as though the great question before our al problems. Corps and only $8,000 for Harvard." This society was whether the things that need to It was a time of enthusiasm and hope. usually elicited gales of smug laughter. But be done in America to keep this last best People not only thought about what was it was a false comparison, a perversion of re hope of earth alive should be done by the right and talked about what was wrong, but ality. It just shows how distortions and false federal government or by the states or per they also accepted personal responsibility myths are created. The average taxpayer haps the cities or by industries or by some for actually doing something about righting doesn't want complex economic answers, other kind of organization. But that, of those wrongs. The nation's spirit was enliv but they do deserve an honest answer. course, is not the question. The question ened by the tens of thousands of young <and There are substantial costs if we eliminate before our society is simply whether or not not-so-young> Americans who volunteered the Job Corps. For example, it costs $26,000 these things will be done. And the answer is for the Peace Corps, VISTA, Legal Services a year to keep a youngster in prison. It costs that they will be done if we ourselves see to and the Teacher Corps, or who supplement $32,000 to keep a youngster in an alcohol it as Jane Addams and her friends saw it-if ed their education by providing worthwhile and drug abuse program or a halfway house. we accept, as she accepted, responsibility for social services to the poor through the more It costs $55,000 to keep a youngster in a our lives. That, when all is said and done is than 900 Community Action Agencies mental institution. And it costs only $16,000 why our time remembers her-that she ac <CAAs> established across the country. to keep a youngster in the Job Corps, where cepted for herself responsibility for the I do not have to tell you that times have they're learning self respect and job train changed. Nowadays, people complain a lot, ing. 'common life.' " but they do not take personal responsibility The issues are: What are the values of the SERVING THE POOR for anything other than their own ambition, society, and where do we want to spend our I cite this passage because it best describes career or security. On campus and . off, money? The alternative to our Job Corps is for me the spirit and the intentionality of rather than activism, idealism and vitality, not Harvard, it's despair. And there are sub the Economic Opportunity Act, its pro the mood has shifted to apathy, fatalism, stantial future costs to taxpayers. Drastic grams and the people who worked at OEO. e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor· April 18, 1990 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 7343 In 1965, the concept of Hull House was in Politics today, in a period of limited eco May to compete in the National Competition stitutionalized through the Economic Op nomic growth, seems to have reached a level against teams from across the Nation.