TheAgitator.com
Earning Their Keep
Monday, July 28th, 2008Be sure to check out this terrific article from the Aug/Sept. issue of reason.
It’s about a chain of private schools in the inner city whose students work at area businesses in exchange for their tuition. The results have thus far been pretty promising.
But how long before someone complains about these kids taking jobs away from adults? Granted, none of the employers mentioned in the article sound like the type to “stoop” so low as to hire a poor person, but I certainly see that question being asked.
Memphis Catholic High School does this as well.
#1, I don’t think that will really come up. The kids are getting paid a fair wage for the jobs they do. I don’t hear a lot of complaints about kids’ having after school jobs taking jobs from adults. As long as they are not Mexican.
That’s so beautiful I might cry.
If I’m going to have money stripped at gunpoint anyway, I sure wish I could choose to have it donated (no strings) to a program like this, instead of the crappy, union-ridden failure of a public school system the money goes to now.
Nothing wrong with working to better yourself.
On another similar topic, my “I lean so far left, I fall over” professor mentioned xenophobia in reference to Indians (from India) being “persecuted” when they established motels/hotels in the U.S. I seem to recall there was some federal assistance with those purchases, either from direct government help or indirectly from possible guarantees to banks who lent money to Indians for starting motels. I’m thinking this happened in the 70s maybe into the 80s.
I’m also 99% sure Bosnian refugees received help in the 90s (over and above assistance to citizens).
I figured if any group knew about these things, it would be Balko’s readers. I’m finding whispers of programs, but nothing solid I can throw back at my prof. :)
Beers on me to whoever finds something.