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Political Science Assignment Discussion 4A: Welfare
Political Science Assignment Proponents of expanded welfare programs argue that welfare provides a safety net for its recipients as well as a means of providing order to society by preventing the desperately poor from engaging in crime, riots, or even insurrection. What function do welfare policies perform in society? What might American society be like if such programs were not available to the poor? Opponents of welfare programs argue that welfare programs actually hurt the poor by creating a cycle of dependency and a permanent underclass in society. How might welfare programs actually hurt the groups and individuals that they intend to help? Given the functions that welfare and “poor support” generally perform in society, what alternatives exist? Is there a way of providing support without incurring unintended negative consequences? What is that and how that works?
Make sure to post one original post requiring 300 words in length.
Discussion 4B : Environment/Energy
Recently, the federal government has granted large tax credits to Americans who purchase gas-electric hybrid vehicles. California has modified its law to allow hybrid car owners to drive in the less-crowded highway carpool lanes. Do you think that such “giveaways” are more effective than higher fuel taxes in convincing Americans to exchange their large, inefficient cars for more environmentally friendly models? What other “cost” or “benefit” might encourage drivers to make the switch?
Make sure to post one original post requiring 300 words in length.
The activity is about Issues and Controversies in Public Policy. This activity focuses on welfare and social security policies. It is required to complete two activities in this module.
Activity #4A: Welfare Reform
Welfare reform has shifted the focus of government assistance to the poor from cash benefits to services designed to help poor people get and keep jobs. Cash assistance now counts for less than half of all spending under TANF. Instead, states are using their welfare dollars to help meet the transportation needs of welfare recipients to get to work, address drug abuse and mental health problems, and provide childcare for single parents. Welfare reform has helped reduce the welfare rolls, but it has not eliminated poverty. Political Science Assignment
Go to the web site of governing.com (Link opens in a new window) and read this article.
Also go to the web site of The Brookings Institution (Link opens in a new window) and read this article (These two articles are also available in Doc Sharing under Module 4).
Q 1. What responsibility does the U.S. government have to the poor? Are the opportunities provided for the poor in the American system sufficient to justify the responsibilities they are expected to live up to? Do you think welfare is working or not? Is welfare reform a success? Why or why not? (You are required to write 100-150 words).
Activity #4B: Social Security Reform
Without a doubt, Social Security is the “third rail” of American politics. A supremely popular program, Social Security is in financial trouble. As the baby boomers retire, there will be fewer workers to fund the system resulting, according to some prominent estimates, in the eventual financial insolvency of Social Security. Even today, Social Security is the single biggest piece of the federal budget; the large influx of retirees from the baby boomers coupled with longer life expectancies is putting a very real strain on the system. Given that Social Security is a promise the federal government makes to the American people, members of Congress and various presidents often discuss ways to reform Social Security. Nearly every option is unpopular with some segment of society. Suggestions include raising the retirement age to seventy years old, paying lower benefits to wealthier individuals, allowing people to invest their Social Security obligations into the stock market via their own personal retirement accounts, cutting benefits across the board, raising Social Security payroll taxes, and raising Social Security taxes on the wealthy. Of course, most of these potential solutions are political non-starters given the power of organized interests and general public opinion that has been resistant to change when it comes to Social Security policy. Regardless of the political problem that Social Security reform has been, policymakers will eventually have to address the program by making potentially unpopular choices to help ensure Social Security’s long-term solvency. Political Science Assignment
Q 2-1. Examine the 16 policy options presented below and rank-order (from #1 to #16) the options from most preferred to least preferred.
| Policy Options | Your Rank |
| Change the Taxation of Earnings | ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ |
| 01. Increase the payroll tax rate by 1% in 2012 | |
| 02. Increase the payroll tax rate by 2% over 20 years | |
| 03. Increase the payroll tax rate by 3% over 60 years | |
| 04. Eliminate the taxable maximum | |
| 05. Raise the taxable maximum to cover 90% of earnings | |
| Change the Benefit Formula | ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ |
| 06. Raise from 35 to 38 the years of earnings included in the Average Indexed Monthly Earnings | |
| 07. Index earnings in the Average Indexed Monthly Earnings to prices | |
| 08. Reduce all Primary Insurance Amount factors by 15% | |
| 09. Reduce the top two Primary Insurance Amount factors to roughly one-third | |
| 10. Reduce the top Primary Insurance Amount factor by one-third | |
| Increase Benefits for Low Earners | ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ |
| 11. Introduce a new poverty-related minimum benefit | |
| 12. Enhance low-earners’ benefits on the basis of years worked | |
| Raise the Full Retirement Age | ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ |
| 13. Raise the Full Retirement Age to 70 | |
| 14. Index the Full Retirement Age to changes in longevity | |
| Reduce Cost-Of-Living Adjustments | ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ |
| 15. Reduce COLAs by 0.5% | |
| 16. Base COLAs on the changed CPI-U |
Q 2-2. Who are the winners and losers associated with most preferred policy option that you chose? (You are required to write 150 words).
Q 2-3. What are the likely political impediments to most preferred policy option that you chose? (You are required to write 150 words). Political Science Assignment