To the Editor,
Re: Poverty issue falls to society, Editorial, Jan. 22.
“Governments and communities must continue to prioritize programs that lift people out of poverty…”
Ah! There’s the rub. For what government or community might overcome the reality of there being many who have absolutely nothing even as some, as a matter of enshrined ‘privilege,’ have so much that to protect their interests, they sponsor governments so effectively that all would-be progressives must continually affirm the zeitgeist’s hold on economic propriety if they have hopes of finding the media favour that enables election sponsorship?
As disparity of wealth grows as a simple matter of the economic format, governments and communities will always do the only thing they have ever been able to do -- express their consternation with the systemic failure of the latest collection of remedial policies.
David S. DunawaySouth Wellington
To the Editor,
Re: Poverty affects thousands of city’s children, Jan. 20.
It seems that most people are unaware of a project called ‘Mincome’ which was a joint federal/provincial attempt to reduce the impact of poverty. It was set up in Dauphin, Man. in the 1970s. People with low incomes received funds based on their income tax returns. The expectation was that these people would spend the money to improve their lot in life. Sadly, the data from this experiment has not been thoroughly analyzed.
The preliminary analysis that has been carried out suggests that students stayed in school longer, domestic violence decreased, and hospital visits dropped significantly that one reviewer suggested that the reduction in hospital visits would cover the cost of funding the scheme. No doubt there were some who took advantage of this ‘cash cow,’ but overall, it appears to have been of net benefit.
Maybe it is time that the federal government funded a thorough review of this experiment, and if preliminary results are validated, implement such a scheme as a method of improving our society as a whole at a net financial savings to society.
Wayne BrownNanaimo