America is home to a variety of people with diverse backgrounds, customs and ethnicities. It is a country of immigrants, hopefuls and idealistic citizens. The three branches of power provide checks and balances to stop a majoritarian rule and prevent change from happening at a rapid pace.
This country used to be viewed as the nation of opportunities — a golden ticket. You could do anything you wanted to do if you worked hard enough. America would provide for you and guide you.
“The American Dream” is a hard life to achieve. It may be easier for someone with a good family, educated background and money in the bank to reach that big house on the hill. But people don’t like to talk about how difficult it is for someone from a low-income background. Can they still achieve “greatness”?
In Poor People’s Movements, Frances Fox Piven and Richard A. Cloward, state, “At most times and in most places, and especially in the United States, the poor are led to believe that their destitution is deserved, and that the riches and power that others command are also deserved.”
This quote can be interpreted in two major ways. One, the poor are people who have brought an underprivileged financial situation on themselves. They did not work hard enough and choose to accept government money instead of searching for a job. Two, the rich will always remain so and they deserve to stay powerful.
There are those who are less fortunate and are actively seeking to change their lives. However, there are also people who take advantage of welfare pensions and are not trying to turn their lives around. I believe that if you work hard you can make something of your life.
Is the “work hard and succeed” mentality a myth? Is it our job to even the playing field for every citizen and close the income inequality gap with the help of large government programs?
Nicole Francisco, a political science graduate student, believes that the “work hard enough and you will succeed” mentality is a myth because it assumes an equal playing field. She wishes that the constitution would fit the times as they change.
“I think when a society produces massive amounts of inequality, it’s fair to produce more government programs,” said Francisco of welfare programs. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to spend money on something that benefits a large amount of people.”
In 2014, 49 percent of every dollar went to major entitlements such as Medicaid, Medicare, social security and health care. These programs have no budget limits. According to The Heritage Foundation, per American household, the national debt exceeds $145,000. The United States is now approaching 18 trillion dollars in debt, and yet we still continue to make government programs and spend more money. America’s welfare domain consists of about 200 federal and state programs.
What I find interesting about welfare money and sharing the wealth is that a large amount has to come from people who did work hard. Yet, if we continue to take from those who worked hard to earn their money then eventually no one will feel the need to succeed. What would be the point in paying for college and getting a job if what you make will be given away? At some point, there would be no money to share because even many of the hardworking people would stop striving to achieve.
In The National Review, Ben Carson writes, “The real problem is not the existence of wealthy people among us. Rather, it is the feeling of helplessness and dependency that has been propagated falsely throughout many facets of our society.”
Maybe that’s the problem. We will forget what it means to succeed. People will continue to grow ever more dependent on government support as we strive to close the inequality gap. There is some hope in this endeavor, but we should cut some programs and focus on expanding and sharpening only a few that can really help citizens.