questions in(sociology of poverty)
psychology123
FinalQuestion1.pptxPerspectives of poverty
Question 1 from from Lectures and Williams
1
Question 1
Critically discuss how the New Racial Politics and Social Policy in the Nixon years (1970’s) and Reagan and Bush years (1980) affected women and people of color. Also, discuss the factors that set the stage for the New Racial Politics.
Nixon’s Racial Campaign Strategy
Open appeal to racism was not longer socially acceptable and needed to distance themselves from the old right right (overt white supremacist, segregation and anti-Semites)
Racial symbols and code words
“All American:” code for white
“Law and Order:” rhetoric to get rid of militant radical groups (i.e. Black Panthers)
Moral opposition to civil rights and racial favoritism-against affirmative action
Civil rights and the War on Poverty were products of liberal Washington elites
Would nominate strict constructionist to Supreme Court if he wins
They were critical of federal intervention and would ensure social programs receive little support
Transfer the views of Governor Wallace into mainstream views
Two Goals
Conservative political base with less affluent
Divide the constituency of democratic party
Family Assistance Plan (FAP)
New approach to welfare and would replace Aid to Dependent Children (AFDC)
Assist those left far behind the national norm and provide motivation to work
Eliminated the procedural and legal rights to the poor (i.e. eliminate fair hearing if terminated)
Eliminated equal opportunity-would slightly increase income of working poor which would win over poor white to the Republican Party
Emphasized work- those who did not work would be denied benefits
Force people to take low paying jobs because they will lose benefits
Provide disciplined supply of low-wage employees
This would allow unemployment to rise because of inflation. Inflation does not affect poor or people of color as much as unemployment
1970s economic decline and global expansion means there is no money to pay for reforms
Philadelphia Plan (PP)
Required all contractors working on federal funded projects to adopt numerical goals and timetables to ensure desegregation of the workforce
If one race was disproportionately represented among union membership, the employer could bypass the hiring hall of the union and look elsewhere for workers
Unions opposed the PP because it prevented them from controlling the supply and demand
Unions control apprenticeship and who gets them
Losing the power to manipulate the number of available trained workers
Civil rights organizations supported PP however democrats did not
Under Nixon
Expanded EEOC staff from 359 in 1969 to 1,640 in 1972
Expanded the EEOC budget from $13.2M to $29.2M
Developed affirmative action policies and regulation (housing)
Proposed Equal Employment Opportunity Act 1972
Introduced the Rehabilitation Act protecting disabled person from discrimination
Dissension among women and people of color
Middle class blacks separated from working class blacks; they wanted to gain social and economic benefits that their white middle class counter partners were receiving in suburbs
Black leaders entered the political arena, government bureaucracies, universities and business
Blacks were no longer protesting and became involved in electoral politics
Assassinations of MLK and Malcolm X cause crisis in black leadership
Regan and Bush Years
End of the post WWII boom
Mid-1970s: highest state of unemployment
Whites concerned about the declining proportion of white men in the labor market
Newly created jobs were low paying and temporary without benefits
Increase in unemployment and inflation was largely due to globalization and automation but people of color became the scapegoat
Businesses loosing money
Sought to reduce influence of unions who protected employee wages
Cut social programs because they were the reason for higher taxes
Business organizations mobilized and attempted to turn back labor laws, defeat consumer protection laws, curb regulations, enact favorable tax legislation, and withdraw the social policy concessions made during the Great Society
1980s
According to Williams, by 1980, a network of Washington-based conservative think tanks and policy institutes as well as individuals academic in elite universities mobilized to represent and present the politics of the conservatives.
They formulated, legitimated, and publicized a political program linking race to family values, crime, poverty, and inner cities
Forged their alliance with individuals of the populist right
Political Action Committees (PAC): direct route for business to influence political candidates of both parties
Linking Crime to Blacks
Reagan and Bush linked crime to Blacks through racial symbols
1988 campaign used William Horton Jr as an example of crime.
While on furlough, Horton assaulted a white couple.
His name was brought cited repeatedly during the campaign saying that if his opponents shutdown prisons, those like Willie would come out.
Never used his race in describing him
Exploited widespread stereotypes of Blacks as lazy and dependent and claimed that the anti-discrimination policies had made blacks the problem of poverty and discrimination worse
Supported policies that demanded personal responsibility and policies that reward individuals because of merit
Social Policies of Reagan and Bush
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981: Ended the public service jobs program (CETA) and replaced it with the Job Training Partnership Act, which provided block grants to states
Urban Development Actions were eliminated
Grants provided funding for improving urban communities, which mostly Blacks resided
Removed 400,000 individuals from food stamp programs, many were women and children
Termination of funding for new constructions of subsided housing
Raise required rental payment by residents of public housing from 25% to 30%
Cuts to welfare program AFDC that benefited the working poor
Amount of earned income allowed was reduced
Fewer deductions for work related and child care expenses were allowed
AFDC eligibility was limited to those who income fall below 150% of the states standard needs
63% increase in poverty among families with children
87% increase in poverty in Black households who were headed by females
