I agree with the statement that it is the responsibility of the US government to unveil programs that take care of the younger and older populations. Currently, there are approximately 4.2 million homeless youths, and yet the American society, politics, and culture overlook their realities and experiences (Bardine, 2019). These young people find themselves in difficult situations since they come from low-income families, and they have no places to seek refuge. Hence, the US government should step in and implement welfare programs that fund the human capital for the youth. Besides, the US government has the role of implementing Social Security services that improve the lives of older adults. About 9% of the older adults are living impoverished conditions and have no one to rely on for their daily needs ( Herd, Favreault, Meyer, & Smeeding, 2018 ). Thus, the US government has the duty of taking care of its citizens. According to the principle of social contract, the government has powers to protect the lives, liberty, and property of its citizens (Plotica, 2017). Under this theory, the US citizens have surrendered their will to the government in exchange for political equality and justice. The case applies to people with disabilities and those from low-income families. Hence, the US government should take care of the young and older populations.
However, these programs have both benefits and disadvantages. One of the benefits of government involvement in youth programs is that it enhances the security and stability of young people (Bardine, 2019). Here, the youths acquire knowledge and resources that guide them to take care of themselves. Besides, young people on welfare programs have a chance of being employed. The disadvantages of the youth welfare programs include failure to identify the root cause of poverty and the creation of a system of dependency. Among the older adults, the Social Security program reduces the poverty rates and increase their eligibility to qualify for benefits during retirement ( Herd, Favreault, Meyer, & Smeeding, 2018 ). This program has its disadvantages. One of them is income inequality due to its focus on the level of education and taxation system (Crystal, Shea, & Reyes, 2017). Older adults who had no permanent jobs are unlikely to benefit. It also creates a network of dependency on the government for basic needs. The insured individuals will benefit from reduced payments, but the government will have to increase the tax of ordinary working Americans.
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References
Bardine, D. (2019). Federal government must spend more, do more for homeless youth. Youth Today . Retrieved from https://youthtoday.org/2019/09/federal-government-must-spend-more-do-more-for-homeless-youth/
Crystal, S., Shea, D. G., & Reyes, A. M. (2017). Cumulative advantage, cumulative disadvantage, and evolving patterns of late-life inequality. The Gerontologist , 57 (5), 910-920.doi:10.1093/geront/gnw056
Herd, P., Favreault, M., Meyer, M. H., & Smeeding, T. M. (2018). A targeted minimum benefit plan: a new proposal to reduce poverty among older social security recipients, a targeted minimum benefit plan. RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences , 4 (2), 74-90.doi:10.7758/RSF.2018.4.2.04
Plotica, L. P. (2017). Social contract. The Wiley‐Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory , 1-3.doi:10.1002/9781118430873.est0531
