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Dialogues
Government and the Economy: Three Dialogues
One of the leading topics in American society today is the economy and the government's role in it; and there are very diverse views on that subject. For more than two years now the U.S. economy has been in a recession. Actions by the government to spur economic growth seem to have had a minimal effect. Many ask what should the government do to address this problem, others say the government has done enough, and more federal intervention can only lead to more problems.
The first subject was a white male, 44 years of age, who is a manager in a supermarket. The subject has a negative attitude toward unions and the amount of money spent by the government on pay and benefits for public union members. He stated that taxes were too high and his money should not be spent on "lazy government workers." As a former member of the military...
He felt that the average American was too dependent on the government for everything, and if people were more independent, they wouldn't need the government so much. It is the American dependence on government to solve all of life's problems that have led to the overspending by the government.
The second subject was a 29-year-old white female teacher. She just had her second child and although she is part of a public union, she feels that the government spends too much money on superfluous things instead of concentrating on serious matters. While she agrees that government spending must be cut, she think that education is too important and shouldn't be cut. Instead, the government should raise taxes on wealthy businesses in order to balance the budget. She feels that the government has an important role to play in society, and stated…
The second subject was a 29-year-old white female teacher. She just had her second child and although she is part of a public union, she feels that the government spends too much money on superfluous things instead of concentrating on serious matters. While she agrees that government spending must be cut, she think that education is too important and shouldn't be cut. Instead, the government should raise taxes on wealthy businesses in order to balance the budget. She feels that the government has an important role to play in society, and stated only the government can do certain things like build roads and airports, or run a school system.
Finally the last subject was a 76-year-old African-American female immigrant from Jamaica. She had been in the United States since the 1980's and has worked as a cleaning woman until her retirement in 2005; when she retired to spend her time taking care of her many grandchildren. This subject may have been the most typical of all possible American subjects as she both blamed the government for the current economic problems and thought that the government was the only way out of the current economic mess. First, she blamed former President George Bush for the collapse of the economy, stating that it was his insistence on going to war that caused the problem. She also felt that while the government had a role to play in society, but that it had so far failed in this role. When asked what role the government should play, she replied "to make life more fair for the poor people." And while she does not blame Obama for the economy, stating that he was doing the best he could, she also was forced to admit that he was not doing a very good job.
All three subject come from various backgrounds and have very different life experiences. These backgrounds and experiences have shaped the way they look at the world. It has influenced what they think of the government and its role in the economy. While the first subject wanted the government out of the economy as much as possible, the second wanted government to fund things important to her, while cutting other things not important. The third had a view that the government should play a leading role in the economy, ensuring a more fairly distribution of economic resources.
The faster recovery of industrial production in emerging economies can be partially explained through the rebuilding of inventories, which were initially low and required replenishment when it became clear that the global economy would slow its freefall. Still, developing countries have shown significant heterogeneity in relation to the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, much worse than emerging Asia. The results from Latin America were located in the middle
Collaboration Across Boundaries for Small Local GovernmentsLocal governments can maximize their potential for providing quality public services through collaborative efforts. By coordinating their initiatives and consciously weaving a network of mutual support, communities can leverage their resources to achieve a greater impact. For example, sharing of data and information can enhance the effectiveness of public services such as public health initiatives and disaster preparedness planning. All key stakeholders such as
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Singapore Economy Singapore: Looking Back to the Past for Answers to the Future Looking Backwards According to the Singapore Ministry of Finance the world economy has created a challenging environment for growth in any nation. However, despite these challenges, the Singapore economy has averaged 5% growth per year over the past decade. The Singapore economy has experienced a deep recession over the last two years, but still continued to manage at least minimal
Green Economy Solomon and Krishna (2011) discuss what they see as a coming transition to sustainable energy sources. Hydrocarbons are a finite energy source away from which human society will have to transition. They note that historical energy transitions take over a century or more to enact, and are stimulated by resource scarcity and the attendant problems thereof. In their study, they use academic discussions of prior research on different energy