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InvisibleAhab McBathsalts
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Freedom and Human development: Poverty in Canada
    #7929425 - 01/25/08 11:55 AM (16 years, 7 days ago)

here is an essay i just wrote. Its kind of thrown together but enjoy if you want. I wanted to put a freedom farm metaphor in there but it kinda got lost as the deadline got close.

Freedom and Human Development

Many groups around the world push a sensationalized ideal of freedom. This contested concept of freedom is often exploited for political justification, but what is freedom? Freedom is the ability to achieve the maximum potential according to the willing choices of the individual. A person has the right to pursue what gives them pleasure in life so long as it is within the structure of appropriate and justified laws. The nature of “appropriate and justified laws” subject freedom to a wide array of interpretations, but as a foundation to life the essentials start as food, water, clothing and shelter. In order for society to capitalize on the many levels of diverse forms of potential from human capital, a citizen must have the means and ability to sustain himself and more. Appropriate clothing and shelter, and nutritional food provide the foundation of freedom on which human development can be built upon. For about half of the world’s population that live on less than two dollars a day, access to these essentials of life are not steady and as a result early death, disease, starvation, crime, conflict, suicide and substance abuse will occur. People living in poverty do not have access to the basic human dignities; however, these troubling consequences of poverty are entirely preventable.

But who will pay for this? The responsibility of bringing the basic necessities to the poor that they so urgently desire is no small task, across cultures, languages, mountains and seas. Although, the poor are directly impacted harder than the rest of society, society has a tremendous burden with high populations of the poor. Everyone is affected by the consequences of poverty, so everyone should contribute better those who are less fortunate.
For those that can find basic sustenance, on top of these bare necessities, basic human rights must extent to everyone for a society to reach its peak efficiency and provide the most freedom distributed among citizens. Each member of society must have equality in terms of justice, respect, and security. Each individual must also have a voice democratically and each must influence the outcomes of decisions that affect their lives in a fair and transparent electoral system.

The diversity of the human spirit challenges the present to find diverse mental and physical stimulation to solve problems and thrive. Freedom goes beyond simply sustaining life. Human development is the expansion of freedom. Finding solutions to give people a more enjoyable longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life is a subtle expansion of freedom. Constructing a house of human development on top of a foundation of life, then enforced with basic human rights provides a home for citizens to sculpt and fine tune their talents and ideas. Under this protection of the house, the expansion of science and self-awareness can flourish.

Human development is a wide collection of improvement in the richness of life through education, skills, health, happiness, security and leisure. Human rights are a required to reinforce human development. Human development is an effort to improve the options through-out the lives of a nation’s population through social programs and policies. In Canada, human development has been shown successfully in many government programs such as our daycare subsidies, pension and welfare services and our universal(ly criticized) health care system. There has been a significant reduction in poverty since 1971 according to both the HDI and relative poverty indencies().

All citizens receive equal benefit from a society that is safer and more productive, so it is in the interest of all citizens to combat poverty. Crime and corruption in society also affect everyone equally. The reduction in social disorder and public misconduct benefits the entire population. Accordingly, government must actively try to reduce poverty. Full employment is likely the most efficient way to reduce crime, social unrest, and increase productivity of a country as shown in many developed countries(). A long term government priority plan to focus resources into energy efficient infrastructure and, arctic sovereignty defence, health care facilities and education would be a possible course of action to diversify Canada’s economic dependence on banks and natural resources in the coming future. This long term investment would provide long term benefits to all Canadians.

Our healthcare infrastructure, especially in terms of healthcare and the elderly will be an important topic of debate as the boom generation reaches retirement. Some potential infrastructure programs to deliver meals to immobile seniors, increase numbers the number of nurses, and extended care facilities. Canada needs to meet the growing demand before this our aging population bogs down our healthcare system.

Other forms of infrastructure are equally valuable to society. A proposed plan in the province of Alberta is to install a high speed transit train between Calgary and Edmonton(). Because of the economic feasibility of profitable oil and gas extraction in Alberta significant travel takes place between Alberta’s two major cities. The proposed transit would provide a beneficial long term infrastructure benefits and job creation. British Columbia similarly is thinking to the future in infrastructure coming along with the Olympics in Vancouver().

Education spread across population is like fertilizer to the field. In all areas of life, from pre-natal care to early childhood, post secondary, adult and continuing education. A government has a priority in creating a highly adaptable, intelligent and employable work force in order to compete on a global economic scale and ensure the continuing prosperity of Canadians. Creating and retaining human capital is required to ensure the longevity and competitiveness of a nation. Innovation is required for success.

Economic development will follow from human development. The two are inextricably tied as well educated, employable populations will innovate creative solutions to the problems of the world with a goal of economic profits. These educated individuals can efficiently use the available resources of the area to create feasible and profitable economic projects. Depending on the opportunity costs, allocation of natural resources, available human and fiscal capital, infrastructure and current government policy, a site may be developed for economic gain. The multiplier effect trickles down money throughout the economy. Inevitably the distribution of the wealth doesn’t trickle the areas that it is needed most. In order to properly irrigate the far corners of society, transfer payment channel funds into areas that would dry up and die otherwise. Transfer payments to individuals deliver aid to those that would otherwise not be able to get by. However, investment by government into a wide array of businesses could create nationally owned federal work programs for diverse range of skills. Combined with increased incentives to produce and paid educational skill development days often the skills and training needed by individuals can be given to them. Guaranteed full employment of a nation would ensure everyone in society could work for a fair and appropriate wage in order to survive and improve their life and lifestyle.

Alternatively, the costs of unemployment are multiplied through GDP produce the GDP gap according to Okun’s Law to drag significantly on society. With this in mind, a more strategic mission of social welfare would be to develop long term carers in areas of society that accessible to many poor that benefits society the most.

The issue of poverty in Canada is a complex topic with major funding issues and immediate costs. Poverty is a result of the invisible hand of the free market missing a population. The people do not have the means or ability to sustain themselves. Our charitable humanity cannot allow us to let people continue to suffer needlessly at the hands of poverty. Spending billions of dollars to rehabilitate marginalized populations is a risky political platform, despite the overwhelming benefits. Greater awareness about the problems facing many of the poor is needed raise support for solving this rubix cube.


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"Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's going to die."


Edited by evilnick (01/25/08 11:58 AM)


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OfflineGnosticWarrior
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Re: Freedom and Human development: Poverty in Canada [Re: Ahab McBathsalts]
    #7931321 - 01/25/08 06:17 PM (16 years, 7 days ago)

Pretty good essay! Had a hard time following along but you did say it was thrown together. I live in the USA so I don't know how the govt. is like in Canada. Also all most of my role models are American.

There's a good article in Fortune Magazine regarding Melinda Gates. http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/04/news/newsmakers/gates.fortune/index.htm She and Bill are working on some of the issues you just touched upon in your essay, except their focus on poor third world countries. Too bad they did not show the image they had in the hard copy of the size of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Although the Gates Foundation is the has the largest in 2006 for grants, even when adding several other foundations, collectively they still dwarf the funding from the National Institute of Health.

What does this mean to me? I dislike big govt. I wouldn't say I hate the U.S. govt. But, I'd say it is a poor allocator of capital and creates more incentives for corruption, cronisims, and abuse than actually doing good with the money. However, it is up to the people to collective vote for smaller govt. and take the power back. They suffer from believing they are marginalized and need "big brother" to help them. I think govt's main function is to have a country, but then stay out of the way of the citizens. We are not little children and don't need govt.'s hands in stuff like education and health. Those roles could be filled by non-profit organizations like the Gates Foundation. Let the individual keep his hard earned money and spend as they seem fit.

Whatever I pay in taxes, I would rather donate to the Gates foundation. So what can an Individual do? Look at all the ways you can pay less taxes. Utilize IRA's, 401k's, stock ownership, and even paying cash whereever you can. The more unreported income the less money that goes in the govt.'s hand.

Here's a quote that I found by MLK since we celerbrated him this past Monday.
Quote:

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.





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InvisibleAhab McBathsalts
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Re: Freedom and Human development: Poverty in Canada [Re: Ahab McBathsalts]
    #7945168 - 01/28/08 12:37 PM (16 years, 4 days ago)

20 / 30.

not bad for a 2nd year university paper that contains no facts / citations and instead is reliant on deep policy debate rather discussing what the topic of the paper was.


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"Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody's going to die."


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