Ending Poverty As We Know It : Guaranteeing A Right To A Job

William Quigley

ISBN 10: 1592130321 / ISBN 13: 9781592130320

Editore: Univ Of Chicago Behalf Of Temple Univ Press Jun 2003, 2003

Riguardo questo articolo

Neuware - Across the United States tens of millions of people are working forty or more hours a week.and living in poverty. This is surprising in a country where politicians promise that anyone who does their share, and works hard, will get ahead. In Ending Poverty As We Know It, William Quigley argues that it is time to make good on that promise by adding to the Constitution language that insures those who want to work can do so-and at a wage that enables them to afford reasonable shelter, clothing, and food.

Codice articolo 9781592130320

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Ending Poverty As We Know It : Guaranteeing A Right To A Job
• Editore: Univ Of Chicago Behalf Of Temple Univ Press Jun 2003
• Data di pubblicazione: 2003
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 1592130321
• ISBN 13: 9781592130320
• Rilegatura: Buch
• Condizione: Neu
• Dimensioni: 235 L x 163 A x 21 P (millimetri) 235 millimetri di larghezza per 163 millimetri di altezza per 21 millimetri di profondità
• Peso: 531 grammi

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

Across the United States tens of millions of people are working forty or more hours a week...and living in poverty. This is surprising in a country where politicians promise that anyone who does their share, and works hard, will get ahead. In Ending Poverty As We Know It, William Quigley argues that it is time to make good on that promise by adding to the Constitution language that insures those who want to work can do so--and at a wage that enables them to afford reasonable shelter, clothing, and food. Author note: William P. Quigley is the Janet Mary Riley Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of the Law Clinic and the Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University, New Orleans. He has been an active public interest lawyer for over 20 years, and served as counsel for a wide range of public interest organizations on issues including public housing, voting rights, death penalty, living wage, civil liberties, civil disobedience, educational reform and constitutional rights. Quigley has litigated numerous cases with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., and served as General Counsel for the ACLU of Louisiana for 15 years. He has served as Chair of the Louisiana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and with many other local, state, and national legal and civil rights organizations. He has been counsel for ACORN and other community groups in the effort to enact a one dollar an hour raise in the minimum wage for every worker in New Orleans.

Recensione

"Bill Quigley draws on the common sense of Thomas Paine, the moral inspiration of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the political wisdom of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to issue a bold challenge for our society: to guarantee people who want to work the right to a job at a living wage. In a brave and witty book that is both visionary and practical, Quigley reminds us that if once radical ideas like social security and the abolition of slavery can become realities, then the current partnership between poverty and work can be upended too." --Lani Guinier, Professor of Law and co-author of The Miner's Canary "Bill Quigley's book makes us believe that America can really change for the better and provide a decent job and a fair wage to hard-working families. This is a very important book. Bill brings a lifetime of knowledge and commitment to this; and he really shows us, step by step, how it can be done." --Sister Helen Prejean, social activist and author of Dead Man Walking "Quigley, an active public interest lawyer and law professor, makes a good case for a constitutional amendment that requires a living wage job for everyone. The living wage is currently about double the level of the current minimum wage, and would, with full-time employment, provide enough income for a family's basic needs. The living wage would thereby lift the working poor above the poverty level. Quigley discusses both the present poverty definition and his proposal for revising it to a higher level. While eliminating poverty is a utopian ideal, he believes it is possible. The author thoroughly discusses why his plan is needed and reports on public support for the living wage and for guaranteed employment opportunities. He does not discuss how political opposition to his plans can be overcome, however. While he believes that the US economy can be redirected to produce a maximum number of jobs, this reviewer is skeptical that the political will to implement the plan exists. Liberals will applaud the plan, while conservatives will oppose it because it expands government's role in the economy and reduces the need for personal responsibility. Nevertheless, a timely and interesting topic that makes for good reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended." --Choice "While it will not solve America's poverty crisis, Quigley's book stands as a call to arms to the American public to act, to think, and to consider his proposal not just for the sake of charity, but for the sake of the country." --Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law