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America offers
little hope to individuals who fall through the cracks, and the cracks are
worsening. An individual whose freedoms are abused is sometimes left with
no opportunities to correct those abuses. In fact, abuses of freedom may
grow worse when an individual attempts to pursue most social avenues for
support, potentially increasing feelings of isolation.
For starters, most healthy people want a job that satisfies their needs,
but a job without a social support system can set individuals up for failure,
and can precipitate further abuse by employers. |
| [T]he
principle problem that must be addressed is the refusal of U.S. political
elites ... to recognize that everyone within the United States has
fundamental human rights that deserve respect, protection, and fulfillment.
Political elites are especially resistant to the notion that people
have economic human rights – rights to work, food, housing, healthcare,
social security, and an adequate standard of living (Newbeck). |
|
Turning
to family is not an option for every individual, and can contribute to a
negative family environment. |
| At
the national level, the U.S. government's failure to ensure that the
basic needs of families are met has left tens of millions of people
struggling to sustain themselves (Newbeck). |
|
Many
faith-based initiatives require a certain belief structure, and can seem
to blame problems on a lack of faith. |
| Paying
tax dollars to religious organizations to provide social services
[can lead to] religion itself [becoming] the social service
(Formicola). |
|
Most
current social programs are for families, people with low income, or for
someone who has just lost their job. And most homeless shelters do not offer
much beyond food and shelter. Privacy is very limited, and safety and quiet
can also be a concern. |
| In
2002, research showed that children and families were the largest
growing segment of the homeless in America, and this has presented
new challenges, especially in services, to agencies (Wikipedia). |
|
To make matters worse, there is no healthcare system in America. People
do not even have to hit rock bottom before realizing that no one cares about
their health. |
Our
healthcare system - or, more precisely, non-system - has evolved
into a monster, a disorganized, overly complex creature that robs
people of their money and their dignity (LeBow). |
|
Because
of these problems, an individual can feel isolated, with nowhere to turn.
A social "absolute bottom" could offer hope to individuals whose
freedoms are abused by providing food, shelter, safety, quiet, privacy,
healthcare, and an opportunity to independently improve knowledge. Job placement
assistance would also be necessary, but too much interest in America's financial
system may make matters worse. Because America's financial system recognizes
only the maximization of profit, individuals will constantly confront an
environment that is hostile to social, cognitive, and environmental factors.
A healthy society cares about its members, and eventually people will discover
that their health, and freedom, is being put at risk by a society that only
recognizes the maximization of profit. An "absolute bottom" could
provide relief to such abuses, and contribute to a healthier American society.
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Gift Shop |
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| Selected Works
Cited |
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|
Currie, Janet
M. (2006). The invisible safety net. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press.
Formicola, Jo Renee. (2003). Faith-based initiatives in the Bush administration:
the good the bad, and the ugly. Oxford, UK: Rowman and Littlefield.
Lebow, Robert H. (2003). Healthcare meltdown: confronting the myths
and fixing our failing system. Chambersburg, PA: Alan C. Hood and Co.
Newbeck, Kenneth J. (2006). When welfare disappears: The case for economic
human rights. New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. |
Selected
Works Cited from Internet |
|
|
Newton, T.J.
(2007). Copyright Law and Social Change. http://www.newsking.com/newsking/iprop.htm,
20 April 2007.
---. (2004). neoNewtonian Philosophy. http://www.neonewton.com/,
20 April 2007.
---. (2003). The Struggle for Equality: Economics, Politics, & Education.
http://www.newsking.com/newsking/edecpo.htm, 20 April 2007.
Wikipedia. (2007). Homelessness. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homelessness,
20 April 2007. |
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