I Believe in Chances

The United States is often referred to as a ‘reluctant welfare state.’ There are various reasons for this description. One of the primary reasons for this is the differences and diversity of the political parties which are the motivating forces that control government. The Liberal Party, for instance supports government safety nets and social service programs for those in need. “Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all.” ("Studentnews," 2006) They believe it is the responsibility of government to ensure that the needs of all citizens are met, and to intervene to solve problems. The responsibility of government is to alleviate social ills, to protect civil liberties and sustain individual

All Students, Regardless of Social Status, Race, Gender, or Minority, Have Equal Opportunity to Pursue a High Quality Education

America’s education system is one of the most respectable, reputable and sought after commodities in our society, but it is also the most overcrowded, discriminatory, and controversial system ever established. Most people yearn for a higher education because it 's what 's expected in this society in order to get ahead. It means a better job, more money, power, prestige and a sense of entitlement. But this system has let down the children that are supposed to benefit from it. Education discriminates against minorities, and poorer class students are not expected nor encouraged to attain a higher education. The education system is set up to ensure that every child get a basic

Others include the Tuskegee syphilis studies and Chester Southam’s cancer studies. Consequently, this book has heightened my awareness that many of our medical and research advancements rest on the backs of those who were less able to protect themselves because of poverty, race, or illness. I want to help people have equal educational opportunities, independent of their income, race, and health. While general academic opportunities have hopefully improved since the 1950’s, children from more affluent and educated families still have greater chances for academic success. Realizing the depth of the inequality between classes has enabled me to enhance the way I engage with the impoverished children I

Growing up, my dad always told me that we were the lucky ones. At the age of 15, he escaped from Vietnam, leaving with only the clothes on his back. Saigon fell to the north, sending people in a final desperate exodus. He would say “If the mines didn’t kill me, the bullets surely would. If the bullets didn’t kill me, drowning would and if drowning didn’t kill me, dehydration would.” In spite of the possibilities faced by thousands like him, my dad made it onto the US Navy ship. While my parents had escaped the war, we faced a different conflict in acclimation. My dad struggled to keep a job. We could barely afford rent, nevertheless see a doctor. For some people, “health disparities” can be described in terms of statistics and terms like “preventative care” and “optimizing accessibility”. For my family, “health disparities” was just a part of life in America. It was the uselessness I felt as I watched my dad work 80 hours a week at several minimum wage jobs just so my brother and I could focus on school. It was the frustration I felt spending hours in vain researching ways to ease my mother’s pain as she suffered from years of untreated stomach ulcers. It was the worry I felt knowing that, despite ranking among the top 10% of students in my high school class, I still could not afford to go to college. In spite of everything, I am one of the lucky ones as I was able to fully fund my college education in scholarships and grants. I am lucky because these experiences taught me

Worse are the philosophical ideas that feed this social and economic tail-spin by also telling people that they are deserving of these programs as a right, which serves only to reinforce the anti benefit from your own hard work principal. Our government not only in its establishing of more and more programs but also in its campaigning of these programs to the American people strengthen the idea of entitlement. A perfect example is that of the current health care legislation and the promoting of it as a “right”.

In the United States one third of the population receives benefits from the government and although some do need it and use it honestly there is a large majority of welfare users who misuse and abuse it. For example there are people who spend their welfare check on items that are not needed when they go to the grocery store the main use for their check should be to buy healthy and necessary items for their family but instead they like to buy overpriced brand named foods. There are even people who try to use the money given to them to buy alcohol, cigarettes, guns, strip clubs and some even go gamble with it. These kinds of people are the ones who give this program a bad reputation and less chance for those who do actually need it to receive

Though the civil rights movement made substantial progress yet race remains a controlling factor in dictating who gets access to healthcare, the quality of care, and health insurance coverage. Because this stems from the supremacist belief that one race is superior, I would educate my patients, my colleagues, and my classmates on the importance of equity between all

Unfortunately, this fraudulent behavior is still happening today. People of difference race, gender, religion and etc., seeks public assistance and find ways to capitalized on the system to receive more than they are truly allowed. A 1987 national study found that 74 percent of those surveyed believed that most welfare recipients were dishonest and collected more benefits than they deserved (Martin, 2014, p 36).

First, this paper will show whether or not welfare works in the society through three perspectives: the proponent 's view, opponent 's view, and my personal view. The first perspective about the United States ' welfare system is the proponent 's view. Joseph Westfall, a research assistant at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, stated that proponents of welfare argue that "government is responsible for organizing the redistribution of the goods necessary to satisfy all society members ' basic needs or of the money to purchase these goods" (Westfall). This statement, essentially, sums up what

During my fourth year in college, I enrolled in a course called Psychology of Health Disparities. My decision to enroll in this course stemmed from my experience as a medical assistant, and my duty involved working in clinical settings low socioeconomic status individuals (SES). Even though this class met only once a week, it deeply impacted the way I viewed the public health care system. Health disparities are particularly evident in the United States health care system, mostly because of factors like SES, race, and education as well. Not only did we explore the causes of these disparities, we focused on how individuals with lower incomes were affected. In the private clinic where I worked, most individuals were under health insurance by

During a campaign speech in 1776, then candidate Ronald Reagan gave an image to the world, the “Welfare Queen.” A fictitious woman who ardently abused the welfare system and wasted taxpayer money. He used this image to begin his battle for dismantling the welfare system, and even after his death in 2004, this idea he put into the U.S. mindset still exists. That those on welfare abuse the system, are addicted to drugs, and don’t deserve the help given to them. As of 2015, 43.1 million people lived below the poverty line in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and in the U.S., terms like “poverty”, “welfare”, and “poor”, still seem to be pretty negatively charged.

As a testament to the next discussion point of opportunities, especially within the realm of college admission, I have experienced firsthand the opportunities presented by affirmative action. As a low-income, first-generation college student, Virginia Tech had offered me a full scholarship based solely on merit and financial need. As a “minority” according to Virginia Tech, I had an

Most of the people believe that many welfare recipients are abusing the system in more ways than one.

The age old question,”Do you believe in luck”, is asked over and over again throughout one's life. Oprah Winfrey once said, “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity”. She’s saying that luck only comes if you make it happen. One must be prepared, seek an favored occasion, and grasp at opportunities. Oprah believes that through these things, you will find your own luck.