Term Paper on Democrats and Republicans on Welfare Reform

(First 2 Pages)

It’s the basic political urge of proving ones mettle for obtaining votes that leads to increased attention gaining activities of political parties. It is in this respect that the welfare programs also function. They are also like many others, a source of protection and promotion of welfare. But Adam Smith’s invisible hands theory seems to be working here as well. The individualized selfish motives of gaining votes by the politician leads to actions that benefit the general public such as the welfare reforms.

This piece has attempted to compare the welfare reforms of the two political parties, Democrats and Republicans. It then highlights similarities and then the differences in the welfare reform beliefs and actions of the two parties. Welfare programs for any society are very important and have the soothing power to satisfy the general public and its inspirations. There are many areas and all are characterized by one common factor i.e. the betterment or the sustenance of the current situation of the people or the particular community to whom the welfare reforms have been initiated. There are reforms for women, against rape, child abuse, domestic violence, poor and its education, entitlements and many others. Each one of the welfare reforms is hotly debated over again and again showing the disagreement of major parties over many issues. Welfare essentially entails itself into the philosophical notion of judgment and the concept of utilitarianism. The greatest happiness principle seems to be working itself up the welfare bills every now and then. One can note how logical statements could easily be manipulated by the opponent to have a negative emotion attached to it.

This is especially so with the statements about welfare of the people. When the Libertarians made the statement on the medical marijuana issue, it immediately led to sulky remarks from the other side in U.S. Rep. Bob Barr who pictured Libertarians as "druggies." It is the truth of the day that welfare reforms attach with themselves huge amounts of emotions which are then rightly taken advantage of from the political parties. Political parties face such emotional appeals from the opponents by giving stronger emotional arguments. The truth comes out during the debates where one should use a shotgun strategy. It means giving hard time on several welfare or other issues. The other way round is the sniper strategy where one makes grounds on any one issue. It is the successful usage of these strategies, which ultimately leads to winning votes over different issues and welfare being the most emotional one.

Welfare encompasses everyone without denying just as justice, which is for everyone. It is the constitution that plays the role of pasting scattered things together. One such issue is domestic violence. Republican Bob Barr filed a bill HR-26, which was to repeal the retroactive aspects of the 1996 Lautenberg Act. That legislation made it a crime for anyone ever convicted of domestic violence to own a firearm or a single bullet. The Republican suggested a penalty of $250,000 fine or 10 years in jail. It suggests that civil liberties are conditional on good behavior meaning that the past records of criminality or such does not possibly make people lose all future rights to protection against illegal search and seizure, self-incrimination or cruel and unusual punishment. It was then debated by the Libertarian Jorgensen that this bill would erase the "innocent until proven guilty" concept
 

. . . . . .

 

Order your custom term papers, research papers and college essays