That same Puritanical streak comes into pernicious play when small government types complain that welfare breaks up families, especially black families.
Of course, when those programs were passed, the political process could handle aiding children and their mothers, but not able-bodied men, especially black men.
And I agree that it should quietly be put back into place, perhaps under a more boring name in an impenetrable tax reform bill.
But I'm not optimistic. Who would do it among our politicians?
There may be some bipartisan interest in reviving a version of it. But, you're right that the "puritanical streak" will probably mean a work requirement if it does get revived. If it goes as far up the income ladder as the 2021version it would cover a lot of people so it has that going for it.
Child-care is already expensive and getting more so. See the article today below from the WSJ. It should be ungated.
I agree our politicians have no (self) interest in reviving this, but I disagree that it should be done quietly. It should be done loudly, with great fanfare and in a manner to draw attention to a nation that cares to do what is right for its poor and also understands that, in the long run, it serves the nation. The great political trick is to convince our lame Congress that it is the right thing to do and that is reason enough.
" I should add (and not just because my children read my posts) that the psychic and emotional payoff of being a parent can be immense." I hope the kids are reading this. Also, those with teenagers may need the reminder. Now back to your post.
Sorry for the chopped nature of my comments. Sometimes, I just react and respond to a line or even a word. In this case, several times.
"Well, as a bumper sticker issue, the CTC doesn’t grip the imagination." Well, there's a solid metric! "Not like a war with heroes and villains and pictures of dead civilians in the street..." It is a war and there are pictures to be taken, but no one wants to see them. "And behind these views is the pernicious and longstanding American myth that the poor are poor from choice rather than contingent circumstances." See the poor that way IS a choice made by people who can afford choices. "This is a topic that deeply frustrates me because, simply put, the expanded CTC was the right thing to do." I raised a grandson and told him repeatedly, "do the right thing just because it is the right thing to do." Some things are not really complicated, but our politics are.
That same Puritanical streak comes into pernicious play when small government types complain that welfare breaks up families, especially black families.
Of course, when those programs were passed, the political process could handle aiding children and their mothers, but not able-bodied men, especially black men.
And I agree that it should quietly be put back into place, perhaps under a more boring name in an impenetrable tax reform bill.
But I'm not optimistic. Who would do it among our politicians?
There may be some bipartisan interest in reviving a version of it. But, you're right that the "puritanical streak" will probably mean a work requirement if it does get revived. If it goes as far up the income ladder as the 2021version it would cover a lot of people so it has that going for it.
Child-care is already expensive and getting more so. See the article today below from the WSJ. It should be ungated.
https://www.wsj.com/economy/child-care-prices-are-rising-at-nearly-twice-the-overall-inflation-rate-2c279c61?st=jgebqtm7xzhg009&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
It seems that at those prices, we would be better off normalizing live-in nannies/tutors, maybe make that a typical job for college kids.
It's an educational model used by old aristocracies, and I've always wondered whether it could be mainstreamed.
I agree our politicians have no (self) interest in reviving this, but I disagree that it should be done quietly. It should be done loudly, with great fanfare and in a manner to draw attention to a nation that cares to do what is right for its poor and also understands that, in the long run, it serves the nation. The great political trick is to convince our lame Congress that it is the right thing to do and that is reason enough.
I damn sure wish that the governing class felt that way, but they work for the ownership class, and *they* don't feel such noblesse oblige.
That's a really interesting thought.
" I should add (and not just because my children read my posts) that the psychic and emotional payoff of being a parent can be immense." I hope the kids are reading this. Also, those with teenagers may need the reminder. Now back to your post.
Sorry for the chopped nature of my comments. Sometimes, I just react and respond to a line or even a word. In this case, several times.
"Well, as a bumper sticker issue, the CTC doesn’t grip the imagination." Well, there's a solid metric! "Not like a war with heroes and villains and pictures of dead civilians in the street..." It is a war and there are pictures to be taken, but no one wants to see them. "And behind these views is the pernicious and longstanding American myth that the poor are poor from choice rather than contingent circumstances." See the poor that way IS a choice made by people who can afford choices. "This is a topic that deeply frustrates me because, simply put, the expanded CTC was the right thing to do." I raised a grandson and told him repeatedly, "do the right thing just because it is the right thing to do." Some things are not really complicated, but our politics are.