[AGDee]

Originally posted by hoosier
What would you suggest?

The US already provides free breakfast and lunch at school. Food stamps for the family. Counties have free health clinics, and a hospital has to treat anyone who shows up.

The earned income credit sends thousands of dollars to families with low income.

Some of the old housing projects have crime problems, and every child age 10 and up knows who the drug sellers are. The ghetto 'code of silence' keeps them from telling the police, which might help reduce crime.

Every city has housing codes. If the necessities aren't being provided, the code dept. will take action upon request.

In reality, you get more of what you reward. If you provide free/cheap food, housing, med care, transportation, books, pencils, education, etc., you get more people wanting the free stuff and much more for free.

On the other hand, one of the more successful plans - put thru Congress by the Republicans before the '96 election - has been workfare. If you are healthy and don't have an infant, you have two years to get a job and get out of the project (and help will be provided). When the two years came up, thousands had found jobs and found better housing.

If oportunities are available, and the free stuff is not available or very hard to get, people will get their act together.

You're talking about some utopia that definitely isn't Detroit. The unemployment rate is 7.1% in Michigan. The city is almost bankrupt. There are no county hospitals in this area. The crime rate is sky high and there are areas of the city that even police and EMS won't go because it's too dangerous. YET, the kids who fail in those schools are failing because of the teachers? Nope.