One of the more unlikely campaign promises that GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has made was all about helping families with the cost of childcare, which can be rival the cost of college tuition for some families.
I’ve written a lot over the years about the Arizona Legislature’s failure to come through for working families when it comes to helping with childcare. (As of June 13, more than 7,500 kids were on the waiting list for childcare assistance.) It’s a pretty simple issue at heart: If you want single moms to enter the workforce and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, you have to help with safe and reliable childcare because otherwise, they can’t keep their jobs. And that’s just at the low end of the economic spectrum; even working families that are doing well are facing big bills if both parents work and they want their kids to be in preschools that help them get a great start in life.
Democrats have been pushing to make universal pre-K a thing in recent years and Democrat Hillary Clinton has made it a key part of her platform. (Let’s leave aside the challenge of getting such an expensive program through Congress for a moment.)
But it was a bit of surprise when The Donald’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, announced during the Republican National Convention that her dad was pushing for a federal program to address childcare concerns.
Trump announced his program this week and the reviews suggest that it (a) is geared mostly toward people who are at the upper end of the economic spectrum, (b) doesn’t do all that much for new dads, and (c) has a funding mechanism that’s (surprise!) unrealistic. (Slate has a pretty good roundup here.)
Now, amusingly, Cosmopolitan magazine interviewed Ivanka about the proposal and it didn’t get well. Reporter Prachi Gupta asked a few reasonable questions, only to have Ivanka come unglued, snap a few times about the unfairness of Gupta’s line of questioning and abruptly end the interview.
For more on Ivanka’s bullshit media tour on her dad’s phony plan, check out NY mag.
This article appears in Sep 15-21, 2016.
“(Let’s leave aside the challenge of getting such an expensive program through Congress for a moment.) “
Let’s not! Because failure to get any program through Congress, expensive or not, lies at the heart of our national malaise. Here we have candidates ostensibly in favor or supporting working families by assisting with the high costs of childcare. Does anyone seriously believe a bipartisan solution will be hammered out in congress and then signed into law by President Trump or President Clinton? Seriously?
When the pandering is over in early November, political promises will forgotten and platforms burned in bonfires. Then, business as usual under the leadership of either party.
If you cared about working families you would be screaming to seal the border and lower corporate taxes. Stop with blaming everybody else and the childish name calling. The people you support have caused this, as we watch Ford move more jobs out of the country.
Actually Nintzel, you come across as Mr. Bullshit Media and as the phony problem solver.
You and your progressive friends can’t stand any ideas that don’t institutionalize another
generation of crumb crunchers and make sure that the indoctrination begins early on.
Hey Vince, you can believe that single moms living paycheck to paycheck and trying to keep a job while raising their kids is a phony problem is you want, but–as usual–you couldn’t be more wrong. Do you even have kids? Do you give a shit if a 3-year-old is left abandoned? Your attitude honestly turns my stomach.
Wow, I think I hit a nerve with the usually cool, calm and collected Nintzel.
We must have read different proposals.
I’m enjoying grandkids these days Jim. So don’t try to shame me into raising everyone else’s kids.
Sorry about your stomach. Try Pepto-Bismol.
Vince got served!
Hey AZ/DC
Is it your job to be Jimbo’s little cheerleader?
Sounded like typical liberal outrage when I dared to challenge him in his little newspaper.
I’m “wrong” and he’s got the moral high ground? Says who? Just “opinions” and everybody
has one. Then of course, it is time to go personal. He knows nothing about my charitable
giving or volunteering, but since I don’t want to solve problems exclusively through government,
I must be an evil person. The Trump plans promotes child abandonment? Come on.
Try to come up with your own original thought AZ/DC. Now you’ve been served.
No, You didn’t serve me.
But Nintz sure served you!
The more you believe the nonsense which you actually type, you’re only serving yourself.
Have a blessed day. DC
Vince, please. Your entire response to me was personal–“you come across as Mr. Bullshit Media”–so don’t go whining when you get it back, you big crybaby. You’re right: I do take this issue personally. My mom spent most of the last four decades of her life taking care of preschool kids. That meant getting up five days a week and spending a full day chasing after more than two dozen kids. She didn’t have to, but she chose to keep working well into her 80s because she wanted to make the lives of those kids better, not because she wanted to “indoctrinate” them in anything, unless you consider teaching reading, going on field trips and making pinch pots to be some weird form of indoctrination.
And here’s the deal: My mom is not alone in trying to help these kids have happy childhoods. The teachers who take care of my kid during the day couldn’t be a better bunch. They’re not a crew of Cold War leftovers who are trying to teach kids about the glories of the Motherland. They work way harder than I do and they deserve respect, not your cheap insults. And the results with my kid have been spectacular. She is whip-smart, curious, happy and has the sweetest temperament imaginable. I’m lucky, I can afford do send her to one of the best early childhood education schools in town. Every kid should have the opportunities she has.
And that’s not even getting started on the other point I made about how if you want single moms to work and build a better life so they’re not dependent on government for the rest of their lives, you have to make sure they have safe, reliable childcare. That’s a simple idea and one that Republicans embraced when welfare reform passed in the 1990s. Sadly, at least in AZ, Republicans have turned out to be deadbeat dads, at least when it comes to holding up their end of the bargain there.
It’s not about “institutionalization” or whatever dumb ideological one-track notion you have in your head. It’s about education and making sure we can compete with the rest of the world in the 21st century. And that starts with taking care of kids to build them up rather than leave them victims of neglect and abuse. If that point eludes you, you’re more deplorable than I ever imagined.
Sorry Nintz but you missed the mark. Truth is the government promised us just what you hoped for for the last 50 years. It was called Head Start. It began under LBJ and his “Great Society” campaign. His vision was that by spending money on low income families, and their children they would experience greater successes in life and benefit society on the whole.
Obama’s budget in 2016 approved $10.1B for this program. But there is no possible way to track results unless you base it on emotional expectations. Maybe a better way to measure that result would be to look at welfare, food stamps and SNAP programs.But they are growing exponentially. Spending has increased on every one of those programs and results are disappointing.
Is it possible that AZ lawmakers do not want to throw more money into failed programs that have devoured billions of federal tax dollars?
Rather than dismiss your opinion as being based solely on personal beliefs, I read and understand your position. But there seems to be a move afoot to dismiss anybody that holds a differing opinion as a kook. But I think even you would admit the public schools stepped over the line of indoctrination when they di this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJFC1qFCgyA
And what else could you call it, other than indoctrination?
Guess what, Rat? School kids were singing the praises of presidents before the black one came along. It’s just that nobody considered a big ol’ scandal.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/f…
Honestly, I don’t think it’s all that great an idea but it’s also not widespread and it wasn’t ordered by either president so I’m not too worked up about it. It’s certainly not the typical curriculum of the preschool programs I’m talking about (as in both cases, it wasn’t preschool in any event) so it’s irrelevant to the conversation. It’s odd that folks on the right never bring up the Bush example, though.
Also, plenty of studies have shown benefits of Head Start. Some have suggested that the program hasn’t had much longterm impact. Sometimes you have bad outcomes in the best of circumstances and sometimes you have great outcomes in the worst of circumstances. But the fundamental fact remains: If you want single moms to work, you have to ensure they have safe and reliable childcare. I don’t really understand how you can dispute that very basic reality.
Personally, I’m not really eager to go back to the days when kids went hungry in this country as I’m of the opinion that being starving makes it difficult to do well in school but your mileage may vary. Judging from your history of comments, you don’t appear to be a particularly compassionate person, especially if the kids in question have skin darker than yours and don’t have the proper paperwork. Thanks for being such a fan of our site, though! It’s great that you’re one of the many out there who are can’t go more than a few hours a day without hearing what we have to say. I’m not terribly interested in debating with you because I have a life, so this will prolly be my last word on the subject. I’m quite certain I won’t be changing your mind on anything and nothing you’ve posted in your long history of being a fan of our work has ever changed mine, so it’s basically a waste of my valuable time.
Sounds like the liberals are getting restless.
Hebra Dolt:
My, aren’t you original. It wouldn’t shock me if you, Ratt and Vinnie all shared the same brain cell. You could all be the same person, seeing as none of you have the oysters to actually post your nonsense under an account name.
I’ll never understand the mentality of people who do nothing but come to this site and insult the “evil liberals” and their “diabolical plans” to bring education and employment to a a fairer level. Why don’t you and your ilk stick to commenting on your teabagger websites? That way you can pat each other on the back without all the “libtards” blocking your misguided love against what is actually correct.
I understand that what you just read is a lot to take in. Don’t strain too hard to figure it out; you have to save some of that low brain power so that your lungs have something which tells them to breathe.
Sincerely, DC
Wow Nintz what an asinine assumption. Because I want our immigration laws enforced you find it necessary to call me a racist. That is so typical of how the left has eliminated dialogue with name calling and “deplorable” type comments. The media is assisting the politicians.
If the ideology produced definitive results, you wouldn’t be so defensive. I understand.
I don’t recall calling you racist. I just observed that you were critical of teachers having children singing about a black president but were not critical of students singing about a white one. And that you have an ongoing tendency to be critical of people whose skin is darker than yours. It’s almost like you’re accusing me of using some kind of dog-whistle code talk.
Contributing Content to Tucson Weekly
All users are encouraged to contribute information and pictures to Tucson Weekly All contributions will be accepted for publication on the Web site provided they adhere to these rules:
1. You agree not knowingly submit any false, defamatory, abusive, obscene, threatening, racially offensive, sexually explicit or illegal material to the Web site.
2. In posting comments on the contributions of others, you agree not to harass other participants.
3. You may not submit information that is libelous or defamatory or that discloses private or personal matters concerning any person.
4. You may not post information or links that are obscene or pornographic.
5. You may not contribute information or pictures that violate the property rights of others, including unauthorized copyrighted test, images or programs, trade secrets or other confidential proprietary information, and trademarks or service marks used in an infringing fashion.
6. Content contributions solely focused on the promotion of commercial events or businesses are not permitted.
7. You assert that the information and pictures you contribute are your own, are licensed to be uploaded and downloaded by other participants, are in the public domain, or are otherwise free of copyright or other restrictions. You also grant Tucson Weekly an irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free license to redistribute or republish the information in any medium or form.
Oh noes! Not … THE RULES! I’m in big trouble now.
I did break my own rule today: Do not feed the trolls. Always a mistake.
Hey Nintzel, Could I interest you in a valium? Or maybe you should just smoke a bowl and calm down.
Maybe it’s time to attend another “civility in discourse” meeting. Have you been playing hooky Jim?
That Ally Miller election result along with the latest Prez polling seems to really have your nerves on edge.
So after writing five times to the commentary section you have suddenly discovered that you are
wasting your valuable time? ……….Priceless and pompous at the same time/ Yep, you need to save your strength for the masses who tune into watch you on AZ Public Tele.
Love the way you pulled a TD and went anecdotal with charming stories of childcare.
Tom would always go long winded about his fabulous teacher wife and honor student kids whenever any one dared to question public education results. Nice deflection tactic, but totally off topic.
I don’t doubt that your mom was nearly a saint and that you ” hit the lotto” so to speak with your choice of teachers/ caregivers. None of whom I insulted by hassling you about the Trump child care entitlement proposal. The “BS media” and “phony” were taken from your last sentence.
” Indoctrination” and “institutionalized” are pointed at the heavy overreach of Government departments and you damn well knew that I wasn’t criticizing individual workers. Think IRS, Justice Dept., Dept. of Education, and the EPA Jim. Many of your favorites I’m sure.
My point is that the Trump entitlement is still an entitlement. You should be ecstatic. The debate has been framed just the way you want it, much to the chagrin of many conservatives. Oh my, a tax credit
instead of a deduction, unacceptable. More earned income tax credit shenanigans, nothing new.
It seems that new jobs should be the first step when considering the numbers of men out of work and not looking for work. Don’t have to worry about the kiddies until you have to leave the house.
As for “ideological one track”, don’t throw any stones Jim. I’ve watched the way you do the ” party hack” thing on your TV show. You are kind of a George Stephanopolus “wanna be” in our Old Pueblo.
By the way, your fake righteous indignation isn’t fooling anyone either. Seems to be more of an anger management issue with you. How long has your party been running education?
I am taking being called ” deplorable” by a Hillary supporter as a badge of honor. Playing the race card
on Rat T was right out of the Dem playbook too. Have a wonderful weekend.
Mr. AZ/DC You really are a waste of time. Bringing back “Teabaggers” again eh?
Talk about no originality. People who disagree with you should shut up and go away I take it.
Why don’t you find yourself a little “safe zone” with the other “snow flakes” and cover your little ears.
Maybe you can send Nintz a private love letter via snail mail next time. It would be a lot less humiliating than going down on him ( metaphorically speaking of course) in plain public view.
And a blessed day to you also.
Wow, people get testy when Nintz shows them up.
Come on now this whole thing is really my fault. I just get a kick out of dragging all the liberals out on a full moon and bitch slapping them a little. See you next month.
A spirited rally, but Nintz takes the game.
Nintzel 1, Asstrolls 0.
“If you want single moms to enter the workforce and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, you have to help with safe and reliable childcare because otherwise, they can’t keep their jobs.”
The fallacy behind this statement — and behind much of our public discourse about paid child care — is that caring for children, when they are your own, is not work. The whole economy continues to run on and benefit from the lie at the heart of the system: that the work of caring for and supporting the development of your dependent children is not “work,” whether it is the extremely labor-intensive care of infants and pre-school children, or care and homework help for kids after school, or volunteering in schools that are unable to meet the full range of kids’ needs exclusively through the paid labor they are able to fund. This is work that, in terms of its ability to build the human capital necessary to run the next generation’s economy, is the most beneficial and valuable work being done in this country. Until we find a way to classify it as beneficial labor to which financial security independent of a “supporting” spouse’s earning capacity must be attached, we will continue to find ourselves unable to build a better society, with kids whose development and flourishing are fully supported and women whose constructive labor receives the return in economic security it should receive.
Check out this piece in the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/opinion/sunday/how-to-fix-feminism.html
Or this book by an economic journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee:
https://www.amazon.com/Price-Motherhood-Important-World-Valued/dp/0312655401/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474396649&sr=8-1&keywords=the+price+of+motherhood+crittenden
On another topic: both sides of the above debate in this comment stream fall well below the mark in achieving anything that could be called civility or constructive dialogue. But it is the so-called liberals / progressives, including Nintzel, who end up looking worse. Their supposed “compassionate outlook” repeatedly produces remarks full of contempt for those who differ from them.
I’ve left the article and the comment stream with reduced respect for Nintzel, someone I had previously thought better of.
I don’t understand how he went from bragging about his mother’s dedication to calling his respondents racist. The US can not afford for more women to join the workforce. We still have high unemployment and high under employed.
But both political parties offer the drug of government addiction. It’s all they ever accomplish.
It’s a year later and Jim, you have been proven 100% correct. Yet another lie from our Commander-in-Blather Trump. The trolls were wrong, you were right. The world still turns. And it’s round.