Many problems affect our society, and each problem presents us with different challenges and obstacles. The most prevalent of these problems are crime, poverty, and poor education. Collectively, society looks toward the government to intervene and find a solution to these problems. This is easily illustrated by reflecting back to our last presidential election. The two candidates, George Bush and Al Gore, gave their views and outlined the agendas they hoped to implement in order to resolve societys problems. Mr. Gore proposed that we give more economic relief to individuals to increase their economic status, thereby reducing the need for crime and providing more opportunity for enhanced education. This belief asserts a social agenda in which the government plays a paternal role to aid society. George Bushs ideas revolve around the underlying premise that people should have more responsibility for the actions they take and a greater ability to make decisions individually, in order to lessen the burden on society. His beliefs assert an individualistic approach that relies on a person to make their own decisions to resolve societal problems. One can argue for or against each philosophy and give sound reasons for each view. This issue raises a great debate among the people of this nation, which is proven by the fact that the last presidential election was the closest in history.It is easy to identify problems, yet, it is much more difficult to identify the causes. Politicians want to make decisions proactively, instead of simply reacting to problems as they arise. One of the largest and most prevalent causes of crime, poverty, and poor education stems from the breakdown of the family. Leslie Carbone writes in her article, The Governments Role In Family Breakdown, Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school and five times as likely to live in poverty. The likelihood that a young male will engage in criminal activity doubl...
