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Originally Posted by gonglee";p="
How to fix our (US) welfare programs?
Which programs need fixing, and what would you do about them??
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It's important to get programs to fix what they're supposed to fix. For instance, the most scrutinized form of welfare is that given to poor single mothers for the purpose of raising their kids and providing them with better life chances. The unfortunate part is that the kids don't usually get better life chances. The idea of getting mothers to work helps to set an influence for the kids, but what about having an adult to watch the kids? Social Security on the other hand does exactly what it is supposed to, keep the elderly and the disabled off the streets, but its equity is questioned and the method of paying for it is running into some problems. These are two examples of where reform is needed.
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Originally Posted by gonglee";p="
Do you know of a good book on the subject?
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Not off the top of my head. Check out text books about social stratification and basic economics. I think the understanding of the subject lies in the understanding of those subjects. Sociologists are heavily interested in welfare, but sometimes lack the economic understanding to make their ideas productive.
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Originally Posted by gonglee";p="
Thanks for your dedicated response on the subject - you too seem to have pondered over this issue. Are you an idealistic utopian?
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Somewhat. I think most of us are deep down. Primarily I just think we can do things better than we are. I often find that "realism" is quite pessimistic, oftentimes enough to deter one from any improvement. The dangerous thing about realism is that the proponents of it are blind to how ideology affects them. I'd rather be an idealist with a sense of practicality.
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Originally Posted by gonglee";p="
Then what do you think of UN Millenium Project and the economist Jeffrey Sachs' ideas on helping the 3rd world?
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Do you have any links on the subjects? I'm a bit familiar with the Millenium Project, but not much. Overall I feel that the UNDP is probably the only competent branch of the UN left. The WTO is the one I'm not wild about because I think its rules are too static and don't meet the needs of every developing nation. I'm not familiar with Sachs.