What’s past, as Shakespeare told us, is prologue.
So let’s flash back only two decades to that defining achievement of President Bill Clinton’s presidency: “[The] end of welfare as we know it.” He was awfully proud of teaming up with Republican ideologues to reverse FDR’s historic commitment of providing “Aid to Families With Dependent Children.” While there were problems and abuses with this poverty-alleviation program, Clinton signed-on to the right-wing’s fantasy that simply gutting it would magically make welfare recipients self-sufficient through “the dignity, the power, and the ethic of work.”
But his faith in the work ethic lacked any actual ethics. Where were the jobs — much less decent-paying jobs — that were supposed to empower poor people? Bill had no plans for that, except a feeble request that major corporations commit to hiring a number of former-welfare recipients. Surprise — they didn’t!
Now, fast-forward 20 years, with millions of poor people, especially single mothers, having no jobs, no cash earnings and no social safety net to protect them. Clinton’s empty promise of jobs for the poor totally disappeared in the smoke of Wall Street’s 2008 crash of our economy. Plus, he had handed the remains of our national poverty program over to states that are now run by right-wing politicos who’ve shriveled the benefits to Dickensian levels.
Thus, the United States of America — the wealthiest country in the history of the world — now has a “poverty program” that largely consists of the poor being homeless, selling their blood plasma for income and scrounging our alleys and highway medians for aluminum cans. But now, Hillary Clinton says she would put Bill in charge of fixing our economy. Hello, he “fixes” our economy the same way a veterinarian fixes your dog.
This opinion column does not necessarily reflect the views of Boulder Weekly.
This is such BS. `Howler’Hightower riding his high-horse again. Haughty & near histrionic. Tell you what – let’s have a political Party that encourages poor people to stay that way, that rewards them for staying poor, that entitles them to other people’s money, that rewards them by feeding them w/ other people’s money, that constructs `social’-programs that kill jobs, that allies w/ unions against jobs, that burdens the other citizens by excusing these politically-selected from paying income-taxes at all, that constructs `social’-programs that remove those “poor” peoples control of their own healthcare, that over-regulates business resulting in ownership closing locally & solving gubmit-caused cost-issues by going beyond borders to remain competitive & tenable, & does the opposite of aiding the poor to receive education by abetting incompetent teachers-unions & insane tuition-growth conspired by Party-crony administrators. Then, … let’s top the LIE by flipping it, & blame the Republicans! .. Maybe he oughta be called .. Hypocrite Hightower!
You’re a good Calvinist.
Then again, MisterHightower & I are completely on the same track regarding SickSlickWillie. There are many women in this world who would’ve preferred SickSlick had gone away or been put away – 20yrs ago. Hightower’s condemnation of Bill is for what to a freebooter swindler filcher does not feel is impolitic about pinching other people’s money. To `Geeim’, SickSlick acceding to practical Republicans on welfare-policy set freebooter swindler filcher aims back 30yrs. How’s a good self-respecting Cloward/Piven reptile & foeman suppose to wreck his country if he agrees w/ patriot conservs&libertarians ? That HypocriteHightower’s beef.
Even more incoherent than usual, ern.
Nobody does incoherence better or with more verbosity! Its a new art form with no apparent appeal. Oh well Ern, it took Picasso a while to catch on too! Now his warped images are worth millions! Maybe earnie’s warped words will be recognized someday as well? … Nah! ;>)
I think William Burroughs did it first, and did it better.
Bill isn’t going anywhere, except back to the White House.