Lecture 3 Discussion

“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly, and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick the needy and the handicapped.”  - Herbert Humphrey. The type of giving mindset relative to this statement is wonderful in theory. I think it important as a public servant to remember though your particular job in helping those in the immediate community. When we consider the rate of poverty in the United States, especially since the onset of as it is known, 'The Great Recession', citizens have become increasingly dependent on their local governments as well as the federal government for aid. This type of expenditure is wearing thin on our ability to retain fiscal responsibility when we spend. Poverty as we know is caused on a multi-level continuum, and often times an individual surrounded by poverty in the family, neighborhood, school district and the like cannot escape it. Our government has in place its social security program which assists those after retirement. Policies we should work towards in the coming years of budget shortfalls should target retirees, that they may have the means to handle their own care an finances after retirement age. In addition, we must implement policies and mindsets that perpetuate the move of poverty-stricken people to methods of incentive-based programs so that money is not just being freely disbursed. Within poverty, we know that minimum wage laws attempt at bringing up the poverty level, however, the most surefire way to ensure citizens and needy workers to get paid is to have jobs. Positions in and around cities should be catered to said citizens providing services for fair pay and compensation. Essentially contracting out jobs for those who are able goes back to the 'carrot and stick' analogy discussed in class. My hope is that people realize their innate potential for greatness, and at no point would I suggest that people should be complacent with receiving welfare checks, rather having the audacity to affect change in the world and earn their respective livings.