Had a wild conversation with a local PDX mom about Multnomah County's Preschool for All that made me wonder if politics really isn't completely over.
Background: A handful of us were hanging out in a place where people would generally shoot the shit and also a place that attracts that "comfortable middle income" part of the so-called working class.
We had just had a chat with a friend who is a little hard up, and who is up for a raise at work. She expressed that she was hoping the raise was "this much" but not "that much" because she's pregnant and can't afford to lose OHP (Oregon Medicare). We'll call this person Emma.
The other person (we'll call her Liz) went on a mini-rant about Preschool for All (despite planning to be using the service soon), claiming that the large number of new providers in Northeast was a sign that the administrators didn't care about poor people.
She went on to express that liberal sort of concern that there is no means testing in the program. I pointed out that means testing is the reason Emma doesn't want a raise and that that is bad for an economy, and she conceded that at least.
A moment later, she half-lamented, "I guess they're going to get what they want, which is a higher birth rate."
Me: 🤔
Liz: "Yeah, my husband and I are now thinking we could afford another kid if we're in Preschool for All."
Me: <nervous laughter because why are you upset about this>
I don't know who Liz thinks pushed Preschool for All to the ballot box and ran the canvassing for it. Maybe this is just a case of "Friends don't let friends read the Oregonian."
This is just one data point, but it seems absolutely counter to the argument that you get socialism to be popular by enacting socialism at the ballot box. That said, PfA is a good in itself so I'm glad it is in force even if it isn't going to bring the Rev. Thoughts? Too much emphasis on one person's experience? Indicative of an unsolved issue in popular ideology?
#pdx #socialism #PreschoolForAll #UniversalChildcare
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