It's the Futures of the Kids, Stupid!
By JANNY SCOTT
The New York City Housing Authority's proposed rent
increases would affect nearly 47,000 households with
incomes greater than $19,800.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/nyregion/21housing.html?th&emc=th
..................
Having lived in public housing for 3 years when our budget fit the model, I am all too aware how a little more in the way of expenses really hurts. We paid the standard flat rent of 30% of income -- $60.00 per month for us -- and could count on that without surprise fees and other insults -- there was a demand that public housing beneficiaries be obliged to put in so many hours of public service work a few years back.
Again, I saw the vast difference in the quality of life -- particularly of children in the projects versus those in tenements (with whom I had worked and of whom in my little group 80% died violently at an early age).
What is wrong here is the attack on the individual versus seeing the gains for society as a whole in providing the basics for people so that particularly kids can get a decent start in life. I saw the contrast first hand, as I had also as a teen worked with poor kids in the East End of London (many partial war orphans) where the British government ensured provision for the basics -- food, housing, medical care, etc. One of my colleagues in philosophy once came from that community in the East End, Bethnal Green.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
The New York City Housing Authority's proposed rent
increases would affect nearly 47,000 households with
incomes greater than $19,800.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/nyregion/21housing.html?th&emc=th
..................
Having lived in public housing for 3 years when our budget fit the model, I am all too aware how a little more in the way of expenses really hurts. We paid the standard flat rent of 30% of income -- $60.00 per month for us -- and could count on that without surprise fees and other insults -- there was a demand that public housing beneficiaries be obliged to put in so many hours of public service work a few years back.
Again, I saw the vast difference in the quality of life -- particularly of children in the projects versus those in tenements (with whom I had worked and of whom in my little group 80% died violently at an early age).
What is wrong here is the attack on the individual versus seeing the gains for society as a whole in providing the basics for people so that particularly kids can get a decent start in life. I saw the contrast first hand, as I had also as a teen worked with poor kids in the East End of London (many partial war orphans) where the British government ensured provision for the basics -- food, housing, medical care, etc. One of my colleagues in philosophy once came from that community in the East End, Bethnal Green.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
posted by Ed Kent at 12:52 AM
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