DOCOREMT RESUME ED 175 746 SO 011 990 AUTHOR Thode, Kathleen B., Ed. TITLE Freedom from Want: Towards More Equality. Proceedings of the Conference ou Income Maintenance and Full Employment. INSTITUTION Safeco Insurance Co., Seattle, Wash. SPONS AGENCY National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAB), Washingto- D.C. PUB DATE Apr 76 NOTE 129p.: Photographs are not included in this maauscript and are therefore not available froi EDRS EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO6 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Change Strategies: Changing Attitudes: Economic Change: *Eaployment: Employment Opportunities: Federal Legislation: Finance Reform: *Government Role: *Guaranteed Income: *Income: Jobs: Political Issues: *Social Problems: Taxes: Unemployment: Values: Welfare ABSTRACT The document reports on a 1976 conference discussing c- ical issues related to income maintenance and full employment. 7".9 lblective is to explore the persistence of inequality andwant in Am.:.-ica and the issue of achieving more equality through income maintenance programs and full employment. Major topics includevalues issues: inccae naintenance as related to the shortcomings ofthe current system, its implications and practicalities: attitudes necessary for change: and suggested strategies for change. Conclusions show a need to heighten publicawareness of the inequitable distribution of income and wealth, the necessityof dealing with full employment and income maintenanceprograms in an integrated way, a need to redesign currentmeans of providing income support and Jobs, and a need for leaders who promote cooperative values, Speeches are entitled: "Recent Welfare Reform Efforts," "Income Equality - Tax Exemptions and Tax Credits," "The WelfareNess - Underlying Value Assumptions," "Political Prospects for Full Employment and Income Mainteaance Legislation," "The Politics of Full Employment," "Implications of Welfare Reform," "Full Employment Legislati0n." "The Persistence of Inequality," "Extending Employment Opportunities - Who and How?" and "increased Employment- Private Sector Initiatives." A bibliography concludes the report. (Author/CM *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Of. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTEDSY ll'hiirez TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." FREEDOM FROM WANT: TOWARDS MORE EQUALITY U I DEPAITMENT OP NEALTN, EDUCATION 6 WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT NM BEEN REPRO- DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN. ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW Oa OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILy REPRE SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR PcNocy Proceedings of the Conferenceon Income Maintenance and Full Employment Co-sponsored by: Seattle Urban League A.D.C. Motivated Mothers Central Area Civil RightbCommittee Church Council of Greater Seattle League of Women Votersof Seattle League of Women Voters of Washington Seattle-King CountyNew Careers Project, Inc. Tacoma Urban League University of WashingtonSchool of Social Work Washington Associationfor Social Welfare INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION Jerome W. Page I am very pleased that there has been such demand for the proceedings of the Freedom From Want conference thata second edition has been printed. The topics of the conference areeven more timely now than they were in 1976. Full employment and welfare reformare the most critical issues facing the nation today. The Seattle Urban League isvery proud to have set 4-he pattern for other Urban Leagues throughout the country to hold conferences and publish material dealing with these crucial topics. This second edition has been made possible courtesy of Safeco Insurance Company and the Washington Commission For The Humanities,to whom we are indebted. 3 CONFERENCE COMMITTEE KATHLEEN B. THODE, Conference Director Seattle Urban League Health and Welfare Director ELIZABETH PIERIN1, Conference Chairperson Seattle Urban League Board of Directors VERN BRYANT,University of Washington School of Social Work DARYL JAKOB,League of Women Voters of Seattle LAURA KENNEDY, League of Women Voters of Washington ROBERT MOSS, King-Snohomish Manpower Consortium REVEREND PAUL PRUITT,Church Council of Greater Seattle THADDEUS SPRATLEN, Professor of Marketing, University of Washington PAT THIBAUDEAU, Washington Association For Social Welfare WALTER WILLIAMS, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Washington LEOLA WOFFORT, Board Chairperson, Motivated ADC Mothers The proceedings were edited by Kathleen B. Thode. Taping by Juris Jansons. The tapes were transcribed by Claire Lee. Conference cover design by Cole and Weber Advertising Agency. Photographs by William Strawbridge. Manuscript typing by Fay Vahl with assistance from Barbara Latimer, Louise LaDay, Yolande Williams and Bettie Williams. Suggested readings on income maintenance and income inequality were excerpted from a bibliography by Ronald B. Dear and other references. Suggested readings on full employment were excerpted from a bibliography by Thaddeus Spratlen and other references. Proof reading by Cheryl Crawford and Robert Thode The conference was held April 23 & 14, 1976 Underwritten in part by a grant from THE WASHINGTON COMMISSION FOR THE HUMANITIES A STATE PROGRAM OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES 4 THE SPEAKERS MARY ALDRICH, Instructor of English, Central Seattle Community College MINER BAKER, Vice-President, Seattle First National Bank SUZANNE BARNETT, Assistant Professor of History, University of Puget Sound KATHY BRIAR, Instructor of Social Work, Edmonds Community College NORWARD BROOKS, Washington State Commissioner of Employment Security RONALD H. BROWN, Bureau Director, Washington Bureau, National Urban League ROBERT BURKE, Professor of History, University of Washington LISLE CARTER, JR., Chancellor, Atlanta University Center GARY CHRISTOPHERSON, Vice-President, Mathematica Policy Research ROBERT COBURN, Professor of Philosophy, University of Washington MARK COOPER, President, Seattle Urban League Board of Trustees LARRY FLINN, Director, Private Sector Employment JOHN JUNKER, Professor of Law, University of Washington ABRAHAM KELLER, Professor of Romance Languages, University of Washington BONNIE JEAN LEARY, Instructor of Philosophy, Edmonds Community College JOSEPH L. MC GAVICK, Regional Commissioner of Social an 1ehabilitation Services, Region X, Department of Health, Education and Welfare ROBERT MC PHERSON, Director, King-Snohomish Manpower Consortium CHARLES MORRIS, Secretary, State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services FRANCES FOX PIVEN, Professor of Political Science, Brooklyn College City University of New York SUMNER ROSEN, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Columbia University THADDEUS SPRATLEN, Professor of Marketing, University of Washington WALTER WILLIAMS, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Washington LEOLA WOFFORT, Board Chairperson, Motivated ADC Mothers PitFACE On April 23rd and 24th, 1976, two hundred and seventy people met togethelto discuss the critical issues related to income maintenance and full employment in the Freedom From Want: Towards More Equality conference. The conference was sponsored by the Seattle Urban League and nine co-sponsoring organizations. Funding was obtained from the Washington Comm- ission for the Humanities "to explore the persistence of inequality and want in America" and the issue of achieving more equality through income maintenance programs and employment. The co-sponsoring organizations were the Central Area Civil Rights Committee, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, the League of Women Voters of Seattle, the League of Women Voters of Washington, the Motivated ADC Mothers, the Seattle-King County New Careers Project, the Tacoma Urban League, the University of Washington School of Social Work, and the Washington Association For Social Welfare. The conference brought together academic humanists, program admin- istrators, public and private sector economists, low income persons, students, and interested citizens. Ninety-seven of the two hundred and seventy persons present completed the conference evaluation form. The profile of these ninety-seven persons gives some idea of the mix ofpersons who attended. 65% were female; 35% male. 88% were between 26 and 65 years old. 70% were white; 30% non-white. 58% had more than four years of college; 16% a college degreE, and 21% some college. The majority were from King County. People identified themselves as affiliated with: Business- 5% Labor- 5% Government - 24% Students- 21% Low income - 27% General public- 31% Church - 15% Education- 15% One third identified themselves as affiliated with more than one category. The issues examined during the conference impacted the wider comm- unity via rebroadcast of a number of the speeches on local radio stations KUOW and KZAM. 77% of those who responded indicated that they wished to meet subsequent to the conference to plan how to take action to promote full employmPnt and a more equitable income maintenance system. The conference was vitwed as just a beginning. The proceedings which follow are presented with a minimum of editing in order to preserve the flavor of what took place during the two days. Hopefully, this volume will stimulate a further exploration of the important issues raised here. 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page SUMMARY Kathleen B. Thode 1 WELCOMING REMARKS 11 Mark Cooper