Reagan, social change Flashcards
What were the 2 types of poor that Reagan saw
-‘Deserving poor’
-‘Welfare scroungers’
How did OBRA impact the poor?
- Cuts that were made mainly targeted federal spending on projects that aided the poorest
- altered the AFDC programme; fewer people were eligible and many payments were capped
what does AFDC stand for
Aid to Families with Dependent Children
What was ‘workfare’
Administration wanted to change welfare, by requiring at least one working parent before it paid out family benefit
Problems with workfare (2)
-Much of the work provided paid below minimum wage, sometimes less than benefit, so families struggled.
-Single parent families found childcare impossible to find, making it impossible to work
Number of low-income homes available statistics
1970- 2.4 million low-income homes available to families that applied for them
1985- none were available
How many families qualified for low-income housing in 1985
3.7 million
Federal funding for low-income homes stats (2)
1978- spent $32 billion
1988- $9billion
Federal funding to help homelessness stats
1984- $300 million
1988- $1.6 billion
Legislation to help homelessness
1987 McKinney Act- set up the Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter Programme to be run by FEMA
What were Reagan’s welfare measures (4)
- Job Training Partnership Act 1982
- Social Security Reform Bill 1983
- McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act 1987
- Family Support Act 1988
Job Training Partnership Act 1982 (2)
- Shifts job training from federal hands to state and private schemes
- Removes any need for the trainees to have their incomes made up to the minimum wage
Social Security Reform Bill 1983 (3)
- Raises the amount government takes from wages to cover the benefit
- Makes part of benefit payments taxable
- Changes the earning test for eligibility
McKinney Homelessness Assistance Act 1987
-Sets up the Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter Programme to be run by FEMA
Family Support Act 1988 (2)
-Family only eligible for benefits if at least 1 parent is working for at least 16 hours a week
-Single parents expected to finish education and undergo job training, the state to provide childcare
Positive impact on working families
Some did benefit from lower taxes
Negative impact on working families (4)
- Hit hard by the changes to the family credit regulations
- Hit by rising interest rates that pushed up housing costs
- Between 1980-7, average mortgage debt increased by 30%
- Rate of foreclosure quadrupled
Impact on worker’s leisure time (2)
1973- workers had on average 26 hours of leisure time a week
1987-16 hours
Impact had on young people in the workforce
- Were worse off than their elders
- 2-tier wage structure emerged in many business; Established workers kept the wage rates and benefits. whilst new workers could be offered a lower salary and fewer benefits for doing the same job
Reagan’s desire to cut back on federal involvement result on BA
- Unwilling to extend civil rights legislation or push for affirmative action
What scheme did Reagan abandon+ who did it harm?
Abandonment of busing students was particularly harmful to black and Hispanic americans
-Children in the poorest and most deprived areas would have to attend these schools, therefore creating segregated schooling
What funding did the Reagan administration withdraw
Withdrew 40% of its funding for bilingual education
What type of black americans were able to get ahead
- Hard-working, well-educated, middle-class, conformist black Americans could get ahead
- Especially women, filled 2 minority ‘quotas’ for businesses
What Civil Rights Act did Reagan veto
1988- Tried to veto the Civil Rights Restoration Act, which undid a SC ruling that limited anti-discrimination laws
Minority accomplishments in the Reagan years (3)
- Major cities such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia elected black Mayors
- Black middle class continued to grow
- Jesse Jackson’s run for the 1988 Democratic nomination showed black political strength
Women’s economic position under Reagan
-1980 earned 62% of what men earned
-1990 earned 72% of what men earned
What was defeated in 1982
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Who did Reagan appoint to the SC
Sandra Day O’Connor (who was liberal on abortion)
Prisons
- During the 80s, drug offenders constituted 60% of rising prison population
- over half were black or Hispanic
Welfare to Work programmes were enacted by how many states
40
What did the 1986 Tax Reform Act remove
- working poor from federal income taxation
What was passed in 1988
Fair Housing Act of 1988; expanded provisions to cover families with children and disabled
