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Re: LaborTalk: Two Welfare Scenarios

>Robert Maleck: I think you can guess which of the two scenarios I
>endorse. My previous LaboTalk piece, "Work Ethic for the Poor," makes
>that clear. With righteous wrath, you command American colleagues to
>get off their fat asses to do something. I'd be interested in your
>suggestions. Harry.

Harry, could you send me the "piece" you mention above.

Well as far as the trade unions are concerned and especially the trade
unions in the public sector the welfare stuff is extremely important. Not
only do most of our members work in this field involving health, childcare,
the sick, the old and welfare in general, but most of our members through
their own experience see the price behind the present system which benefits
the people with money against those who have nothing.

Here is and intersting set of lists i recently found on the subject in
regards to numerous countrie.

******************************************************************
Percentage of children and elderly living in poverty 1984-1987:(3)
******************************************************************

CHILDREN ELDERLY
COUNTRY IN POVERTY IN POVERTY

United States 20.4 10.9
Canada 9.3 2.2
Australia 9.0 4.0
United Kingdom 7.4 5.2
France 4.6 4.5
Netherands 3.8 3.4
Germany 2.8 2.8
Sweden 1.6 4.3

Source: Timothy M. Smeeding, "U.S. Poverty and Income Security Policy in a
Cross National Perspective, October 1991, Luxembourg, October, 1991,
Luxembourg Income Study, working paper 70.

******************************************************************
Percentage of population covered by
public health insurance, 1990(25)
******************************************************************
COUNTRY PERCENT COUNTRY PERCENT
Australia 100 Sweden 100
Canada 100 United Kingdom 100
Denmark 100 Austria 99
Finland 100 France 99
Ireland 100 Switzerland 99
Italy 100 Spain 99
Japan 100 Belgium 98
New Zealand 100 Germany 92
Netherands 100 United States 21
Norway 100

Sources: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris),
Health Data file, 1991: U.S.: National Center for Heath Statistics, Advance
Data, No. 201, June 18, 1991.
******************************************************************
We're Number One in percentage of population without health insurance.

******************************************************************
Percentage of preschool children with full polio, DTP
(diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis), and measles immunizations,
1985--87:(50)
******************************************************************
COUNTRY POLIO DTP MEASLES
------------------------------------------------------------------
Denmark 100.0 94.0(51) 82.0
Belgium 99.0 95.0 90.0
France 97.0 97.0 55.0
------------------------------------------------------------------
Germany 95.0 95.0 50.0
Netherlands 96.9 96.9 92.8
Switzerland(52) 95.0 90.0 60.0
------------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom(53) 87.0 87.0 76.0
Norway 80.0 80.0 87.0
Spain 80.0 88.0 83.0
------------------------------------------------------------------
United States 55.3 64.9 60.8
------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. nonwhite 40.1 48.7 48.8
------------------------------------------------------------------

Sources (for chart and text): Bret C. Williams and C. Arden Miller,
Preventive Health Care for Young Childnen (Arlington, Va.: National Center
for Clinical Infant Programs, 1991), p. 76; Bret C. Williams, "Immunization
Coverage Among Preschool Childnen: The United States and Selected European
Countnes," Pediatrics (Elk Grove Village, 111.: American Academy of
Pediatrics, 1990), p. 1052: various releases and publications of the
American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
##################################################################

Cumulative number of offcially reported AIDS cases and
cumulative rate per 100,000 population, as of 1991:(57)

##################################################################
CUMULATIVE
COUNTRY TOTAL CASES RATE PER 100,000
##################################################################
U.S. nonwhite 93,569 155.7
##################################################################
Malawi 12,074 131.8
Uganda 21,719 120.9
Congo 2,405 107.3
------------------------------------------------------------------
United States 202,843 81.0
------------------------------------------------------------------
Switzerland 1,891 28.0
France 15,534 27.6
Spain 9,1 12 23.2
Canada 5,228 19.7
Australia 2,678 15.8
Italy 9,792 17.0
Denmark 842 16.4
Netherlands 1,799 12.0
------------------------------------------------------------------
Belgium 896 9.0
Germany (unified) 6,708 8.5
New Zealand 274 8.3
United Kingdom 4,758 8.3
Austria 594 7.8
Sweden 587 6.9
Ireland 205 5.9
Norway 220 5.2
Finland 88 1.8
Japan 405 0 3
------------------------------------------------------------------
Sources: World Heath Organization, Global Programme on AIDS (October,
1991); U.S. figures: U.S. Centers for Disease Control "HIV/AIDS
Surveillance," December, 1991, p. 9.
------------------------------------------------------------------
##################################################################
Ratio of average teacher salary to per capita gross domestic
product (GDP), 1988-90(30)
##################################################################
MAXIMUM SALARY STARTING SALARY
(RATIO TO PER (RATIO TO PER
COUNTRY CAPITA GDP) CAPITA GDP)

Switzerland 2.97 1.69
Austria 2.60 0.98
Canada 2.22 1.10
Japan 2.21 0.75
Germany 2.19 1.37
United Kingdom 2.05 0.95
Australia 1.60 1.09
------------------------------------------------------------------
United States 1.58 0.94
------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: American Federation of Teachers.

The above tabells give us a lot to work on and is clear proof that there is
a price on the great American apple pie dream!

I would suggest that a working class party based on the trade unions and
urban poor with a program that clearly state a goal of a complete
redistribution of the wealth in America is neccessary. Naturally it has to
based on the people who in America get the shitty end of the apple pie
stick..This at least for starters.

There is a furios debate going on at Usenet about the Welfare reform. These
exchanges i have posted to the list. In fact the present right turn by the
Congress is going to have far reaching Social consequences. History has
shown us that the urban pooor in despair go out and start burning down the
ghettoes. My position on this is better to burn the local bank if you have
to burn something!

However it does not solve the problem! So unless the trade unions and urban
poor can come up with a political party that fights in its interests and its
interests alone we are certainly doomed.

However, if the rage of the urban poor is not directed in a direction which
can attack those responsible for their misery. There are certainly figures
in the wings that will make them in to the next generation of Brownshirts!
In fact this is already happening here in Europe and Scandinavia..

So obviously we are going to have to address this question far more
seriously then before as trade unionists. Because the Urban poor section of
the population is growing in leaps and bounds because of downsizing and cuts
everywhere.

However we do not need a new bunch of bureaucrats that sit behind their
desks and turn papers. We need people that can go out and organise amogst
the urban poor,
around housing,childcare,healthcare,pensions and all the rest.

In other words and organisation that is prepared to go all the way in a
redistribution of wealth to the majority of the people that works in there
interests and not in the interests of the rich and powerful.

Thats the short version..

malecki

PS: I am sending this to some various newsgroups today..




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