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[PEN-L:32512] Re: economics on pen-l

Nov. 24, 2002

Hi PEN-L:

Apologies for my late comment on an earlier thread. In Sacramento last week, the upcoming closure of a Catholic elementary school located in a low-income neighborhood was announced. The announcement perhaps foreshadowed what could soon face many of the state's public schools, staff and students due to California?s $24 billion deficit. Last week, Governor Gray Davis said that in early Dec. he will publicly explain California's fiscal crisis and recommend a $5 billion spending cut. Up to 40 percent of the budget reductions could come from the education budget, according to The Sacramento Bee. Word is that the budget cuts could put an unclear number of public school workers out of a job, close schools, increase class sizes, etc. Many ordinary Californians are in harm's way and will, I think, be open to straight talk from progressive economists about the fiscal crisis.

Seth Sandronsky


[was: RE: [PEN-L:32376] Re: Re: Re: Re: RE: Re: economics on pen-l]

In addition, cutting state services such as education means that religious
groups fill in the gap. Maybe Catholic education is pretty harmless (except
to those students hit by nuns or sexually abused by priests), but Bob Jones
University and similar fundamentalist organizations (e.g., Pepperdine
University) are clearly not. The madrassas of Pakistan encouraged Wahhabbi
(sp?) religion, while the fundamentalist religious groups provision of
needed social services in Palestine encouraged the political power of Hamas
and the like.

In the US and Western Europe, social-democratic parties and labor unions
often provided the social programs that the state didn't. Maybe we'll see
something like that in the future. Of course, I've always suspected that a
major reason for welfare-state programs was to take them out of the hands of
popular or leftist forces that threatened the status quo.

Jim

Gene Coyle:>
I share Soula Avramidis' insight and worry about natioanl chauvinism.
Separately, I see an environmental calamity close at hand, but I think
that it will tear humanity apart rather than bring it together.<

soula avramidis wrote:
I refer back to an item that says that the conservative desocialising agenda is at work under George w. if so and I am sure cuts in social spending are abound, then to what degree is a fall in the average level of education of the American working class fosters ultra nationalism and imperial aggression abroad, or does it really matter how social spending goes in America since the ideological framework of education and everything else fosters a sort national chauvinism sentiment across classes, and therefore, in the absence of a strong counter internationalist ideology, nothing short of an environmental calamity will bring humanity together. at least in the foreseeable future. 

------------------------
Jim Devine jdevine@xxxxxxx &  http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine

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[was: RE: [PEN-L:32376] Re: Re: Re: Re: RE: Re: = economics on pen-l]

In addition, cutting state services such as education = means that religious groups fill in the gap. Maybe Catholic education = is pretty harmless (except to those students hit by nuns or sexually = abused by priests), but Bob Jones University and similar fundamentalist = organizations (e.g., Pepperdine University) are clearly not. The = madrassas of Pakistan encouraged Wahhabbi (sp?) religion, while the = fundamentalist religious groups provision of needed social services in = Palestine encouraged the political power of Hamas and the like. =

In the US and Western Europe, social-democratic = parties and labor unions often provided the social programs that the = state didn't. Maybe we'll see something like that in the future. Of = course, I've always suspected that a major reason for welfare-state = programs was to take them out of the hands of popular or leftist forces = that threatened the status quo.

Jim

Gene Coyle:>
I share Soula Avramidis' insight and worry about = natioanl chauvinism.
Separately, I see an environmental calamity close at = hand, but I think
that it will tear humanity apart rather than bring = it together.<

soula avramidis wrote:
I refer back to an item that says that the = conservative desocialising agenda is at work under George w. if so and I = am sure cuts in social spending are abound, then to what degree is a = fall in the average level of education of the American working class = fosters ultra nationalism and imperial aggression abroad, or does it really = matter how social spending goes in America since the ideological framework = of education and everything else fosters a sort national = chauvinism sentiment across classes, and therefore, in the absence of a = strong counter internationalist ideology, nothing short of an = environmental calamity will bring humanity together. at least in the = foreseeable future.

------------------------ HREF=3D"http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine"; = TARGET=3D"_blank">http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~jdevine


------_=_NextPart_001_01C28FFB.418C1D20--


Privatizing education also tends to reinforce the fragmentation of
society into separate islands of experience.  Public schools, at their
best, bring all sorts of people together in ways that they would not have
otherwise experienced.


Tel. 530-898-5321
E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx




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