blog 7

 Galbraith:

1. One of Galbraith’s most basic premises is that America is now an affluent society. Examine in detail the society that you know for the purposes of validating or contradicting that assertion. Is America an affluent society? What are the signs of affluence? What qualifies as affluence? What are the results of affluence?

John Kenneth Galbraith writes, “An affluent society that is also both compassionate and rational would, no doubt, secure to all who needed it the minimum income essential for decency and comfort” (Galbraith Paragraph 17). This means that the not well-being wouldn’t be pushed on the children of families. Scarcity of resources isn’t common, and the economy is being reached by a majority of the members in a population/society. Qualities of affluence include having wealth and property, luxuries, and several other charming items. People who are happy and aren’t struggling to pay for utilities and other important aspects of their lives are those who live in an affluent society. America at the time was an affluent society, but Galbraith believes there are concerns with the economy and how it’s assessed. He believes poverty is sticken everywhere and needs to be addressed. The relationship between the production and consumption of items needs to be worked out. Because of these factors, along with several other factors, America is not an affluent society. 

Reich:

2. To what extent is it the government’s responsibility to provide jobs to people who would otherwise not be able to get them? For example, should the government provide jobs for routine workers if their opportunities dry up? What arguments favor or oppose such a proposal? 

To a certain extent, the government should be responsible for providing jobs to the people who aren't able to get a job, however there comes a point where the government can only do so much. If you are not willing to work hard and put yourself out there to find a job or make yourself known, then why should the government go the extra mile to help you out. If the opportunities for you dry up, then it would be okay to ask the government to help. If you are a routine worker and your opportunities dry up, and you are not able to continue working because of the demand, the government could give back to you by providing a temporary job until your routine job is back in place. To go along with the statement above saying how if a person is not willing to do their part, the government shouldn't have to put the extra work in to provide a job for you, Robert Reich once said, ‘Those who take their money abroad in an effort to avoid paying American taxes should lose their American citizenship”. Although this quote does not directly agree with the topic on hand, if you dig deeper into what he's really saying, People need to work hard for what they want, unless their loss was directly associated with the whole business.