The Role of the Government in Reducing Poverty

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Introduction In 1986, President Ronald Reagan issued the pithiest expression of the modern American political conservative credo when he told a Chicago audience, “I've always felt that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.”1 While the current Republican administration is hardly an embodiment of this sentiment (President Bush has overseen the largest inflation-adjusted increase in federal spending since the Johnson Administration2), conservatives, at least in principle, believe in the notion of “small government” when it comes to social programs: less welfare, less federal control of education and Social Security privatization, among other proposals. The question of whether or not government has an “important, positive role in a capitalist society” is to a degree axiomatic; capitalism cannot exist without some form of government to set the rules (print currency, balance exchange rates, etc). Aside from this quibble, the heart of the matter is to what degree government should involve itself in the lives of its citizens (the “importance” of the role of government) and if said involvement will lead to beneficial outcomes (whether that role is “positive”). For a capitalist society to be considered decent, there must exist some governmental 1 Michael White, “The Layers of Tarnish on the White House.” 2 Stephen Slivinski, “The Grand Old Spending Party.” Cato Institute Policy Analysis 543. involvement to minimize poverty and its many social ills through programs that put incentives on work. ills through programs that put incentives on work. Before exploring these issues, it would be instructive to explain the ideal, yet realistically obtainable, sort of society the majority of us envision. While some political actors today vouch for societies that are nothing short of utopian, I believe that a reasonable middle ground exists for those on the left and the right, Democrats and Republicans, in creating a “decent” society. This would mean a society where every citizen is clothed, fed, can find stable work if he seeks it and is able to attain adequate health care should he require it. Infant mortality rates should be low and life expectancy high. These are basic needs and expectations that we ought to assume all parties of good fa... ... middle of paper ... ...ch, 2005. Greenstein, Robert, “The Earned Income Tax Credit: Boosting Employment, Aiding the Working Poor,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 17 Aug. 2005. Schlozman, Kay L., Benjamin I. Page, Sidney Verba, and Morris Fiorina Page. “Inequalities of Political Voice.” Task Force on Inequality and American Democracy, American Political Science Association. 2004. Slivinski, Stephen, “The Grand Old Spending Party: How Republicans Became Big Spenders,” Cato Institute Policy Analysis 543, May 3, 2005. < http://www.cato.org/ pub_display.php?pub_id=3750> White, Michael. “The Layers of Tarnish on the White House/The Accumulating Allegations of Corruption in the US Administration.” The Guardian. 15 Aug. 1986. com/universe/document?_m=60fdaea7b1da2b4f561cbd2470a86e9d&_docnum= 4&wchp=dGLbVtz-zSkVA&_md5=ae7a915dc4b77ec2797634b92606c544> MLA: Wallis, Claudia, et al. “The New Science of Happiness.” Time. 17 Jan. 2005. Academic Search Premier. Yale University Library. 11 Jan. 2006.

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