Re: AUT: welfare state

["Nate Holdren" <nateholdren@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,
I do think Michael's right that one function of calling more nakedly
social-engineering programs 'welfare' is to deflect criticisms from the
cutbacks in welfare programs but I think there's more to it than that. I
think this is an area where some the work done using Foucault is very
important, in the analysis of the state managing functions of life and
creating subjectivities via discipline.
The rise of different educational classifications that Chris and Michael
talked about out is part of this. Michael, are you in the US? Does anyone
know are there similar trends happening in other places?

On welfare here in the US, I've been getting food assistance for the past
year and have had trouble with being ordered into job training. I skipped a
meeting last friday and they may take my food stamps away now. That was the
threat. It was set to run out in a month anyway so I'm not too heartbroken.
I've just got a new job so don't need the food money anyway but still it's
pretty irritating. From what I'm told budget cuts here will likely mean lay
offs for welfare case workers, leading to higher work loads for the
remaining case workers and a further depersonalizing of the process for us
benefit recipients.

This would be interesting to look at in connection with the discussion of
'homeland security' and various proposals to have parts of the populace spy
on the rest of us. I know funding for managing health and other concerns
that can be written in under the heading of homeland security remain funding
priorities, while human need programs are getting cut. I think this is going
to lead to concerned advocacy groups and social service providers making
deals with the devil, trying to save important programs (or at least
partially beneficial programs that are somewhat defensible) by getting them
funded under the heading of homeland security, opening up the possibility of
further converting welfare programs into social administration programs.

Nate





>From: Peter Jovanovic <peterzoran@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Reply-To: aut-op-sy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>To: aut-op-sy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: AUT:  welfare state
>Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 15:56:59 +1000
>
>hi all
>
>Chris wrote:
>>I think that you are all on to something here.  My take is that the
>>welfare >state has less disappeared and more been increasingly turned into
>>a policing >apparatus of enormous proportions.  So while funds that go
>>directly to >working class people are cut, so that they have less access
>>to money not >directly gained from waged labor, the apparatus of control
>>put into place is >actually as big as ever, but the money goes to the
>>agencies which intervene >in and take control away from working class
>>people, such as DCFS (Department >of Shildren and Family Services), which
>>can take kids away from their >parents, for example, of the reorganization
>>of welfare into workfare and >other such moves.
>
>A few observations on the welfare regime here in Australia:
>I've been getting the dole (unemployment payment) for most of this year and
>last. In a few weeks I'm going to have to do my second 3 weeks fulltime
>'job search training' course run by a private employment agency. These
>scumbags get a bonus payment from the government for every person they get
>'breached' (a reduction or stop in dole payments for not applying for
>enough jobs, showing up to courses etc).
>
>My brother got and 18% cut for six months for not showing up to a course.
>
>I heard some federal govt minister on the radio this morning saying roughly
>that people on single parent welfare should have to do parenting courses so
>that their kids are turned into decent citizens and productive workers.
>
>cheers
>peter
>
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