[lbo-talk] Political Cartography: The Welfare State

Bill Bartlett billbartlett at dodo.com.au
Mon Nov 22 18:20:24 PST 2004


At 10:34 AM -0500 22/11/04, Doug Henwood wrote:


>>Only people who have never lived at the pointy end of the welfare state
>
>You haven't had a job in what, 30 years? That doesn't sound too pointy to me.

I haven't had a PAYING job. Though most of that time was spent as a full-time community activist. Of course if your definition of a job is the capitalist definition, a job they approve of, then that isn't a job.

I prefer a different definition.

Extracting an income from welfare to support myself requires battling the welfare authorities. You get to see how pointy is when you get up close. I could go into details, but given that I have experienced it personally for a great length of time and especially given that I also spent nearly 20 years as working as a welfare rights advocate, assisting other people to uphold their rights in the welfare system, I think you should just take my word for it.

Trust me, the welfare state is the pointy end of the capitalist state. Has been for 500 years.

Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas



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