A Dickens novel for 2003
Bush, Congress try to snuff Head Start
By Greg Butterfield
It sounds like a Charles Dickens novel:
wealthy (mostly) men stealing education, medical care, and food
from impoverished preschoolers.
But it's not fiction. It's the Bush administration's plan
for Head Start.
Head Start is a modest but popular program won by the civil
rights movement in 1965. Head Start centers provide tutoring,
parenting advice, checkups and dental care for thousands of
children of poor and working-class families.
Head Start also provides food for hungry kids and an
alternative to costly daycare for many low-wage families.
Bush's plan calls for ending federal standards for Head
Start and allowing states to use the money as they wish. At the
same time, Head Start teachers would be required to get more
education. The plan provides no additional money to help
them.
It also encourages the privatization of Head Start through
religious institutions, and allows them to discriminate in
hiring staff--for example, against people who hold other
beliefs or against lesbians and gays.
On July 25, a modified version of the Bush plan passed in
the House of Representatives by 217-216. Under this
legislation, eight states would be allowed to "bid" for the
privilege of taking over Head Start for the next five
years.
Now it goes for approval to the white millionaires' club
called the U.S. Senate.
Remember welfare 'reform'?
The plan to give the states power over Head Start is eerily
familiar to anyone who watched the dismantling of welfare under
the Bush Senior and Clinton administrations.
First a few gung-ho governors are given the go-ahead to
privatize the program. Money is held back from helping the
needy so that states can show they are "spending more
wisely."
Workers servicing government programs are given unrealistic
goals without the funds to meet them. This in turn is presented
as evidence of the need for privatization.
Democrats present a tepid "opposition" to the Republican
plan, especially with an election year in the wind. But they
never seriously challenge it by mobilizing people to fight for
their rights.
In fact, several Democrats have already voiced support for
the Bush plan. Their opposition, they say, is only based on the
need for more funding to train Head Start staff. (Washington
Post, July 25)
Richard Gephardt, a leading Democrat in the House and now a
presidential candidate, showed his contempt for families who
rely on Head Start. Instead of returning to Washington to
vote--his "no" could have caused a tie and the bill wouldn't
have passed--Gephardt was on a two-day visit to South Carolina,
chatting up contributors with deep pockets.
Gephardt later claimed it didn't matter, because the
Republicans would have "persuaded another moderate to support"
the bill. (Associated Press, July 26)
Head Start is a small program by Washington's standards. Its
2003 budget is just $6.7 billion.
In contrast, it is estimated that the Bush administration is
spending over $4 billion PER MONTH to illegally occupy
Iraq.
The bombs and bullets killing and maiming Iraqi children are
also exploding across the U.S., endangering the lives and
well-being of the most vulnerable children, especially in
communities of color.
Reprinted from the Aug. 7, 2003, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page