two more issues
<Issue>
<Tag>WARONPOVERTY</Tag>
<Display>The War on Poverty</Display>
<Image>Family</Image>
<Icon>gfx\Issue_Images\Issue_Generic_Pos.png</Icon>
<Description>The War on Poverty|From the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt onwards, progressives and social liberals from both parties proposed a variety of measures meant to tackle the prevalence of poverty in America, with Lyndon Baines Johnson explicitly calling for a war on poverty. Aside from opposition to the Vietnam War, it was the cause of Bobby Kennedy in his fated 1968 campaign. However, it could be argued that the various New Deal, Square Deal, New Frontier and Great Society programs of liberalism have failed, in that they contributed to the development of an “entitlement society”, “welfare fraud”, and a “dependency culture,” according to many classically liberal conservatives. Whilst some admit these programs are well-meaning, they claim that it undermines the individualist work ethic, racks up American deficits and debt and sometimes contributes to inflation.
Some conservatives go so far as to say that hard-working middle and upper class Americans shouldn’t have to pay taxes for scroungers and that, by involving the Federal Government involved in the affairs of the states and people’s lives, liberty is undermined.
Some neo-liberals in the Bill Clinton mold admit that there should be more assertive efforts to move poor people, particularly single mothers, into the workforce so as to break the poverty trap.
However, progressives and liberals say the War on Poverty has failed because it needed broader and more in depth coordination and more funds. Moreover, the welfare reform of the 90’s could be seen as contributing to the problem experienced by low income families in that it pushes them into work that is unsatisfying and low paid. The termination or drastic reduction of benefits could also hurt families. For a war on poverty to be successful, a massive new effort is needed focusing on job creation, effective law enforcement, family counseling and support, early childhood development , access to high quality and nutritious food and investments in education and healthcare.
Other ideas that have attracted the support across the political spectrum have been education reform, housing vouchers and Special Enterprise Zones, in which businesses are encouraged to invest in deprived areas. The latter idea was championed by RFK before his death, and was later adopted by conservative icon Jack Kemp.
Moreover, the focused and strong attention paid to tackling extreme poverty amongst all groups, regardless of race, benefits the economy as a whole, because increased incomes for the poor lead to higher growth and opportunities to expand the middle class. Other benefits include reduced crime.</Description>
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</Issue>
<Issue>
<Tag>FEDERALGOVERNMENT</Tag>
<Display>The Federal Government</Display>
<Image>generic</Image>
<Icon>gfx\Issue_Images\Issue_Generic_Pos.png</Icon>
<Description>The Federal Government
The debate about the role of the Federal Government has existed since the founding of the United States and the Constitution. Conservatives argue that the Constitution was established so as to check the Federal Government’s power by ceding sovereignty over most issues to the states. Liberals argue that this isn’t the case and the Constitution was drafted so as to improve on the Articles of Confederation- which ceded too much power to the states- and provide a framework for the Union to function more efficiently by pooling sovereignty. The Federal Government derives power from the Bill of Rights and the Constitution to levy taxation, regulate commerce, provide for a national defense, pooling of finances to fund services and defend individual rights.
The Tea Party claims that the Founders wanted the maximum possible freedom for the States and the people. However, evidence points to founders such as Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton that wanted a strong government that can protect liberty from itself. Moreover, even staunch state rights advocates like Thomas Jefferson modified their views once in office. They also point out to how Andrew Jackson [ironically a Democrat like Jefferson] contributed to an early 19th century Great Depression with his populist abolition of the National Bank [an early Federal Reserve].
The Jeffersonian-Hamiltonian debate will go on.</Description>
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</Issue>
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