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Originally Posted by UGAalum94
I disagree. When the government has demonstrated it's unwillingness or inability to govern or regulate effectively, and depending on who you ask actually institutes programs that led to some of the problems, I think we have to decrease the government's power to make those decisions, rather than increase their role.
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This sounds good in theory. How does it work in practice? Whose opinions/frame of reference and what evidence will these steps be based on?
Quote:
Originally Posted by UGAalum94
And most of our view of government in the US is based on the idea that we are individuals capable of making decisions in our own welfare. The idea that most of us are simply passive witnesses to the creation of some monster is kind of odd. Purchasing a house is not a passive process really.
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Americans are both active participants and semipassive witnesses, depending on the process. We purchase homes and accumulate wealth (and inform ourselves and vote) but don't have complete control over every outcome. For instance, the unemployed people I know had accumulated a great deal of wealth such that they could be unemployed and pay high mortgages (among other costs of life) for 1-2 years if need be. However, even they can't withstand but so much economic downturn. Still, they aren't the average Americans in terms of education, income level, or wealth building. So I wouldn't base my opinion of the economy primarily on them and people like them.
I'm a Giddens' Structuration person. That applies here in that as far as I and many are concerned, America enables individual freedoms and also constrains individual freedoms. In choosing to be responsible or irresponsible, we are recreating the structure as we know it. However, I believe that there are still some structural processes that are beyond our control. When things begin to crumble and personal and/or social safety nets are ineffective, what next?
Those who were irresponsible and lack basic life skills will not benefit too much from this approach, unless people are saying that the average American fits into this category.