LBJ’s domestic programs
November 24th, 2005 -- Posted in History, Ramblings | 1 Comment »The Great Depression altered the way Americans viewed the responsibilities of the national government. Out of desperation Americans turned to the government seeking help, seeking a fix to the nation’s problem. This was not a new response, but it was much more widespread as the Great Depression touched lives from coast to coast, in every state and every city. In the 1960s President Johnson expanded the role of the government even further with a series of programs enacted to address concerns of health, housing, and education. President Johnson declared war on poverty. To many, the nations poor were invisible. It was easier than ever for the nations poor to blend in with the middle class, and for the middle and upper classes to turn a blind eye to the realities of poverty. It was President Johnson’s goal “to help each and every American citizen fulfill his basic hopes (219).” According to Johnson, the symptoms, not cause, of poverty were unemployment and low income. By giving the poor a boost with “entitlement” programs society in America would see improvement. The “war on poverty” was only one aspect of Johnson’s plan. Other programs were created to combat the symptoms of poverty.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed to outlaw literacy tests for the sake of qualifying voters. The 15th Amendment guaranteed the right to vote to everyone despite race. However, those wishing to discriminate against African-American voters argued that the party primaries were private and therefore not under the jurisdiction of the 15th Amendment. Primaries are tied to voting despite the individual party nature. Therefore, it seems primary voting should fall under the requirements of the 15th Amendment. Despite the seeming redundancy, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was a positive step in the pursuit of civil rights.
Another program created in Johnson’s Great Society was HUD, or the Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD was founded for the purpose of developing and executing policy concerning housing and cities. The scope of HUD has been narrowed to focus mainly on housing offering special mortgage loans to those who would not qualify for a conventional loan, allowing more to pursue home ownership. Also dealing with civil rights and health, this branch pushed the Fair Housing and Equal opportunity housing to deter discrimination while also raising awareness to the hazards of lead. Certainly a positive aspect of the Great Society, however, like many programs, there is an element of the population that is left out of the assistance equation, the true middle. The true middle class do not qualify for assistance nor can they pursue such advantages at their current level.
The element of good works and society’s helping hand is taken away by programs such as VISTA, Volunteers in Service to America. Although a good deed for enriching communities across America in areas such as educational improvements and vocational training, it is not without the expectation of reward. Volunteers received a $10, 000 stipend, health coverage, post-service transitional wage, and educational rewards. Rather than seeking individuals to help their neighbor without the expectation of profit, and encouraging true community involvement, tax dollars were spent to pay volunteers. It is not a volunteer service if profit is gained.
Other programs, although beneficial to some, undermine the public educational system. For example Job Corps offers employment training, GED, and pursuit of high school diplomas to disadvantaged youth. It is certainly well intended to push the importance of education and job skills. However, disadvantaged youth could be better served by funding these programs through the already created public educational system by funding education at a level allowing for the vocational training of at-risk youth. Upward bound is another educational program preparing youth for the responsibilities of adulthood. Upward bound targets intelligent youth who are from low-income, rural, or first generation college candidates, training them for college success and offering incentives. It seems there is an overlap in government expenditure since the target group is considered the intelligent segment. If intelligent and doing well academically they would qualify for scholarships for college. Another education program targets a much younger audience, preschoolers. Head Start was created to prepare children of low-income families the opportunity to prepare for the social and educational demands of the public school system.
Although wonderful programs for meeting the needs of low-income and poverty stricken families there is a segment of the population that is left hanging out to dry, the true middle class. That group of the population that does not qualify for aid, but is one major setback away from falling into poverty. The group that is just barely getting by, and whose high school senior will not qualify for government aid to college, nor does the family have the funding. Furthermore many programs remove the work ethic of earning one’s rewards. Instead, rewards are handed out without expectation of return. Entitlements decrease the drive for self-improvement while increasing expectation, while allowing those in the middle to fall through the cracks. Many programs are also created with only short term funding in mind. Once created they are expected to continue and create much dispute when reduced or cut, Medicaid and Medicare being excellent examples. When created, funding for these medical programs was to be shared by the states and the federal government. Now they are a source of budget contention as states struggle to meet the massive need of medical assistance.
Despite being a noble goal, fulfilling the basic hopes of all America is not feasible in a capitalist society. Inevitably there will be haves and have nots. Extensive entitlements remove incentive, and decrease drive. With expectations of a government caretaker there is less initiative for private assistance organizations. There is also an overlap in assistance and the oversight of system abuse. The documents in Major Problems in American History indicate instances where families were better served by divorcing and receiving government aid in place of the husbands meager income. Critics such as Reagan quote Plutarch, warning “The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits (221).” In “From Opportunity to Entitlement,” Gareth Davies explains the changing definition of independence. Instead of self-sufficiency, through the growth of “entitlements” independence came to mean freedom from want, even with government dependence. Although assistance is not a negative for a society, when allowed to become expected, it fosters a dependence that cannot be erased and is detrimental to that society.