ANG may 4 Social Policy, the Welfare State, and the Politics of Support

The Relationship Between Government and Citizens: Funding and Values

• Funding and Taxation: The relationship between the government and its citizens is fundamentally tied to money. Funding for government initiatives comes directly from working people through taxes.
• Political Framing: Because citizens provide the funds, it is considered reasonable to be conscious of how that money is spent. This leads to questions like, "I am hardworking and you are not; why should I pay?"
• The Concept of Politics: Politics is defined as the competition and conflict over how to divide a limited "pie" (resources). There is no true neutrality in these discussions because they are rooted in varying political values.
• Language and Meaning:     * The formal definition of government support can appear neutral (the government's relationship to supporting its citizens).     * Complexity arises when asking "how, why, when, and where" support is provided. This is where the "messiness" began.

Addressing Risk and Insecurity

• Individual Capability: Social issues often arise when the things affecting well-being are greater than an individual's ability to handle them alone.
• Natural Disasters: Events like floods are described as "acts of God" or natural disasters that individuals do not cause. These events create immediate shelter and personal security crises.
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: A safe home is considered one of the most fundamental needs. When community-wide destruction occurs (e.g., Hurricane Katrina or major fires), individuals lose their shelter, food, clothing, and community connection.
• FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration):     * FEMA is the agency tasked with providing means for states to address emergencies.     * A "state of emergency" declaration triggers the ability for states to draw on federal funding when situations meet a particular threshold.
• Emergency Classifications:     * During COVID-19, the declaration of state of emergency was necessary to access systems.     * Pressure existed during the transitions between the Obama and Trump administrations to classify the opioid crisis as a public health emergency to allow states to access dedicated funding.

Social Policy: Definition and Functions

• Legislation as Policy: Social policy is not just an abstract value; it is the actual piece of legislation that creates a pool of funds for vouchers (food/shelter) and emergency support.
• Functions of Social Policy:     * Direct support during crises (disability or unemployment).     * Reducing conflict: Unemployment insurance reduces the likelihood of long-term unemployment, which supports broader economic goals.
• The Welfare State Beyond the Poor: Social benefits are not just for those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder. Examples of middle-class social policy include:     * Tax write-offs and subsidies.     * Retirement funds: Marist employees, for example, can put money into a $TIA$ account before taxes, which reduces their overall tax burden.     * Solar incentives: Tax write-offs for putting solar energy on a home.

Historical Context of Social Spending

• The Great Depression and the New Deal:     * Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) entered at a moment where poverty was beyond any single state's capacity to manage.     * This was the first time the federal government developed money-based policy that brought resources into states to benefit individuals directly.
• The Great Society (1965):     * Initiated by Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) in the mid-1960s.     * Johnson's motivation was shaped by his early experience teaching at a one-room schoolhouse on the Texas-Mexico border with poor Mexican American immigrant children who lacked shoes and textbooks.     * Key themes of the Great Society: "Opportunity" and "Chance."     * Specific Strategies:         * Job training and educational efforts to prepare the unemployed.         * Community Action Programs: Spaces to acquire skills.         * Incentivizing employers: Giving loans and benefits to employers who hire individuals.         * Agricultural Support: Funds for farmers to purchase land and maintain family farms, particularly in rural America where poverty was severe.

Lyndon B. Johnson and the Civil Rights Connection

• Political Courage: Johnson's stance on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is described as an act of political courage.
• Personal Connection: Johnson was moved by the treatment of Zephyr Wright, his cook, who was once forced to lie in the street after a fall because a white ambulance would not pick her up.
• Rhetorical Impact: Johnson invoked the phrase "We shall overcome," a term from African American protesters and Negro spirituals, in his 1965 address to Congress to show the presidency was listening.
• Medicare: Johnson was a savvy legislator who moved the Medicare bill forward (health insurance for seniors) after it had persisted in Congress for 14 years. He utilized the tragic "goodwill" following Kennedy's assassination to frame it as "Kennedy's bill" to overcome costs and funding criticisms.

Categories of Social Programs

• Contributory Programs: Administered to people who have paid into the system via taxes (e.g., Social Security tax or unemployment tax).     * There is a legal expectation of benefits because they are financed by the taxes the user paid.     * Social Security is the largest of these.
• Noncontributory Programs: Programs based on need rather than previous input.     * Means Testing: Applicants must establish their financial status (e.g., providing pay stubs) to prove they do not have the "means" to support themselves.     * The Federal Poverty Line: A stringent formula created during the Johnson administration.         * For a family of four, the threshold is approximately $\$33,000$ per year.         * In a comparison to Poughkeepsie, where average rent is cited around $\$4,000$ a month ($\$48,000$ a year), the threshold of $\$33,000$ is viewed as extremely low.         * There is no flexibility; if an individual makes $\$3,400$ when the limit is $\$3,300$, they are disqualified.

Key Program Acronyms

• SNAP: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food support).
• SSI: Supplemental Security Income (Focuses on individuals with disabilities).
• Earned Income Tax Credit: A tax credit that makes it less costly for individuals to work.
• AFDC: Aid to Families with Dependent Children (Pre-1996, focused on single parents).
• TANF: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Modern name for family assistance).

Data and Trends

• The COVID-19 Spike: Unemployment and aid caseloads saw a drastic spike during the pandemic.
• Historical Scale: At its peak during the COVID era, caseloads reached approximately $8.5 \times 10^6$ families (8.5 million).
• Post-COVID Numbers: Caseloads have dropped but remain high, hovering above $7 imes 10^6$ (7 million) families, which is still above pre-COVID levels.

Questions & Discussion

• On Deserving vs. Undeserving:     * Student Observation: A student noted that the terms "deserving" and "undeserving" feel harsh. They suggested "deserving" implies the "hardworking people" while "undeserving" targets the unemployed.     * Instructor Clarification: The categorization is necessary because resources are not infinite. Hard decisions must be made regarding public dollars. This leads to the "politically controversial" nature of social policy, which exists within both Democratic and Republican parties, not just between them.
• On Unemployment Data:     * Student Observation: A student pointed out the "trough" in data regarding unemployment compensation.     * Discussion: The drastic change from 2020 to 2023 was primarily the result of the COVID-19 pandemic ballooning the number of people out of work.
• On the Nature of Poverty Assistance:     * The instructor noted that modern policy has moved toward being "indirect"—it's not just giving someone five dollars, but paying for specific benefits (like SNAP cards or health insurance) or providing tax credits to reduce the cost of living/working.