Vision Circle

On The Intro

I haven't introduced myself formally. My name is Lester Kenyatta Spence. I am an Assistant Professor of Political Science and African Afro-American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis.

I am not an Old School Republican (would've voted for Nader had I been able to register in Missouri in time).

But, like Bowen, I believe that the Republican political enterprise is worth saving from itself, for the larger goal of building a more progressive union. The term "Sankofa" refers to the act of looking backwards in order to go forwards. Looking back to the origins of the Republican Party, what is worth reclaiming? I'd argue that the attempt to use the resources of the state to build wealth and independence is a worthwhile one. Particularly when the goal is to build wealth and independence among the poor and the enslaved.

Thinking forward from looking backward...the current Republican platform against welfare is clear. Welfare builds dependency, destroys families, and removes the communal ties that bind. Fair enough. The problem is that the current Republican platform replaces it with nothing more than platitudes and church donations.

To paraphrase Adolph Reed, only a fool would suggest that NASA build its space program using bake sales. So why would ANYONE suggest that we can replace the largesse of the government with individual initiatives run by churches?

So what do we replace welfare with? How about IDAs? How about a program that gives low income men and women the ability to save money? This can take any number of shapes. Just two ideas off of the top of the head: a tax credit for money put away for entrepreneurial activities...a matching program where the government matches funds put away for a first house purchase. When I think of Republican philosophy at its best--a hard feat, granted--I think of wealth, and I think of civic institutions. Programs that use government resources to build wealth among the poor build civic institutions and build wealth. No brainers...really.

I'll talk more about this in the future, because there is some interesting work being done at the GWB School of Social Work at Washington University.