CNAS on the NSP: Echos of El Sal

[jmm99]

CAP here = Community Action Program; not the Marines' CAPs in Nam (although that was also, in part, local political action).

The CAP program was part of the OEO (Office of Economic Opportunity) started in 1964, by formation of Community Action Agencies. The Head Start program began there as well, but was spun off in 1969. The CAAs varied from locality to locality in quality, purposes, etc. - this one is fairly typical of the present program as I know it.

The idea was based on a Saul Alinsky model ("all politics are local"; as opposed to the "Rodham" model - large government programs). Over the 40 years that my wife worked in it, the program morphed. Aside from some instances of local corruption and incompetence, the major problems were:

1. Increase of bureaucratic control in the Fed and state agencies involved in oversight and funding.

2. Diversion of funding to larger (more governmental) programs, which look better on legislative resumes. E.g., various forms of welfare programs.

In the case of my wife's consortium (a number of CAAs) the sources of major funding changed over the years from Fed > State of Michigan > Private (not a bad thing).

The net result to her was a rather cynical attitude toward government programs that "help" the poor (welfare programs) - and towards politicians in general. She still has a torch she carries - give a break to the working poor (emphasis on "working"), who do get screwed in our system.

My own perception for the relative non-effort by government toward CAP was that it was potentially too dangerous for politicians because it was not part of their political machines. When politics becomes truly local (with organized community groups), demands are made on - and questions asked of - politicians. They do not like that.