Reply to New York Times on the miracles of Universal Pre-K in DC

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Reply to "New York Times on the miracles of Universal Pre-K in DC"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Do you all really think that everyone should work? Is there any idea in your mind that maybe, just maybe, it might be better for our society in the long run if some people did not work? And if you disagree, what do you think about the fact that we have more people than jobs? You not only think everyone must work, but they must work for substandard pay, part time, no benefits, etc?

It's easy to say everyone should work when you have a relatively easy job and good life and you see real value from working (whether personal fulfillment or a living wage). There are not enough jobs that pay living wages for everyone. Have you all forgot that helpful McDonalds primer on how a worker could live on its salary (plus a second job?) already?

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Think the job market is tight now? Imagine if all the formerly-professional SAHMS were also still working. Half our block are SAHMs with JDs and masters degrees.[/quote]

Exactly. There are NOT that many good jobs out there. On the other hand, those who do work are expected to work very long hours. So either, everyone works shorter hours (earning living wages and less disparity between haves and have nots) or if one parent must work 60+ hour workweeks then the other parent has flexibility to scale way back or quit. Why can't we focus on that as an option? My argument is not against free Pre school necessarily, but I don't think you should say the solution to the huge social ill that is wage and income disparity and the absolute critical need for almost every family to be a dual income family (whether it is to preserve your lower-middle class income or your working class income or your poverty income) is to just provide free childcare for the masses. That should be one option among many. Multiple studies show that kids in middle class homes thrive with a parent at home and that daycare can be (not saying it always is!) a leading cause of behavioral problems later on. Why in the world is the default response something that simply enables greater numbers of parents to be apart from their children in greater numbers for greater hours? This works well for some families but shouldn't be the default. It forces the rest of us into it. But we're afraid to say it lest we upset the working parents. (BTW, I am one, and so is DH). I just don't think that it should HAVE to be that way. [/quote]

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