The Other America:
Yesterday and Today
Bill Barclay
Democratic Socialists of America &
Chicago Political Economy Group
7/12/2013
1962: Four Documents – and Their Impact
• The Other America – Michael Harrington
– The War on Poverty and Medicare/Medicaid
• “The Port Huron Statement” – SDS
– The 1960s student movement
• Silent Spring – Rachael Carson
– The environmental movement
• The Feminine Mystique – Betty Friedan
– The modern feminist movement
Who and Where Were
Harrington’s Poor?
• People 65 and over
• Children under 18
• Rural
– Migrants
– Appalachian farmers
• Urban
– African Americans
– Rural migrants (especially from Appalachia)
• Small town
– Mines close
– Factories move
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor,
it cannot save the few who are rich.
- John F. Kennedy, 1963
In the sixties we waged a war on poverty, and poverty
won.
- Ronald Reagan, 1987
The poor you will always have with you.
- Matthew 26:11
Who Was Poor When Michael Harrington
Wrote The Other America (official stats)
60
Children <18
% in Poverty
50
40
African Americans
30
20
US Overall: 22.6%
Hispanic 1972*
4
5
10
Over 65
0
*1972 was the first year separate data was
reported for Hispanics
6
Percent of Population Officially Poor, 1959 - 2011
25
11.4% in 1978
11.3% in 2000
15
10
5
11
20
07
20
03
20
99
19
95
19
91
19
87
19
83
19
79
19
75
19
71
67
19
4
5
19
63
19
59
0
19
% in Poverty
20
% of Total Population in Poverty
In 1987, Reagan gave
up fighting poverty.
7
Who Was Poor When Michael Harrington
Wrote The Other America - another view
80
Children <18
70
Female Headed Families
% in Poverty
60
White Female Headed
Families
50
African Americans
40
African American Female
Headed Families
30
US Overall: 22.6%
Hispanic 1972*
20 4
Hispanic Female Headed
Families 1972*
5
10
Over 65
0
*1972 was the first year separate data was
reported for Hispanics
8
“A tremendous growth in the number of working
wives is an expensive way to increase income. It
will be paid for in terms of impoverishment of home
life, of children who receive less care, love and
supervision.”
- Michael Harrington, The Other America
Who Is Poor Today: 2011 Official Statistics
50
Children <18
45
Female Headed Families
% in Poverty
40
35
White Female Headed
Families
30
African Americans
25
20
US Overall: 15.1%
15
10 4
African American Female
Headed Families
Hispanics
5
5
0
Hispanic Female Headed
Families
10
Changes in Poverty Status,1959 vs. 2010
% in Poverty
10
Total Population Change
5
Children Change
0
Female Headed Family
Change
White Change
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
4
5
-35
-40
-45
African American Change
African American Female
Headed Family Change
Hispanic Change*
Hispanic Female Headed
Family Change*
18 - 64 Yrs of Age Change
65 and Over Change
11
From Poverty to Inequality
The US in Comparative
Perspective
Percent of Children in Poverty in Single Parent
Families, Parent Working (2008/2009)
.
U
S
60
% of Population
50
40
30
20
10
0
Denm ark
Norw ay
UK
Sw eden
Germ any
Greece
Finland
N. Zealand
France
Australia
Belgium
S. Korea
Poland
OECD
Italy
Netherlands
Austria
Spain
Canada
Israel
Mexico
US
Japan
Percent of Population with Incomes Less
Than 50% of the Median (2007/2008)
U
S
% of Population
25
O
E
C
D
A
v
g
.
20
15
10
D
e
n
m
a
r
k
1 in 6 workers in
the US earn less
than half the
median income.
In Denmark, only
1 in 16 workers
earn less than half
the median income.
5
0
Denm ark
Austria
Netherlands
France
Norw ay
Finland
Sw eden
Sw itzerland
Germ any
Belgium
Ireland
Poland
New Zealand
OECD
United Kingdom
Canada
Italy
Greece
Portugal
Spain
Australia
Korea
Japan
United States
Israel
Mexico
Where the Jobs will be: 2010 - 2020
Occupation
Median Annual Wage, 2010
All Occupations
$33,840
Registered Nurses
$64,690
Retail Salespersons
$20,670
Home Health Aides
$20,050
Personal Care Aides
$19,640
Office Clerks, General
$26,610
Food Preparation and Service Wkrs
$17,950
Customer Service Representatives
$30,460
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Drivers
$37,770
Laborers (freight, stock, hand, etc)
$23,460
Postsecondary Teachers
$45,690
A Social Market Policy for Labor
• CPEG jobs program: A job for anyone
willing and able to work.
– Create 4.5 million new jobs/yr for five years
– Most of those jobs would be direct hires in the public sector
– Would pay a living wage ($18/hr)
– Included training and a training level for youth entering the labor
force
– Include training to being provide skills to workers who may not
usually hold these jobs (e.g., women in construction)
A Social Market Policy for Labor: II
• Three targeted areas for employment:
– Physical infrastructure (highways, bridges, schools, etc.)
– Social infrastructure (CNAs, caring for very young and very
old, teacher aids, etc)
– Green economy (manufacturing/services with higher labor
content)
• How much would it cost?
– $175 billion/cohort or $875 billion by year 5
What would this Social Market
Policy for Labor do?
• It would end poverty and solve our
unemployment problem
• It would generate increased aggregate
demand in the economy
• It would change the power relationships in
the workplace
• Is there anything out there like this?
• Yes, HR 1000 (Conyers
“Do you think that, in general,
most people can be trusted?”
From Poverty to Inequality
Social Trust and Inequality
Trust Score
65.00%
55.00%
45.00%
35.00%
25.00%
U
S
Denmark .24
Sweden .23
Norway .28
Netherlands .31
N. Zealand .36
Japan .38
Germany .28
Australia .30
Canada .32
US .45
UK .34