Judging by the topics to consider, one might think that society is on the brink of total annihilation. This is not the case. However, the moral standards in the United States  today are low enough to merit significant concern. Unless the problems that now plague society are acted upon, they will continue to expand to the point that they are virtually impossible to deal with. 

A solitary person is limited in the amount of transition he or she can bring about, but the trail that society must follow to a brighter future is one that leads through the individual.  Caring individuals are who really make an impact in communities and in the larger picture.  If people themselves are unwilling to work to bring about a change, no amount of money or government regulations will be able to make an impact.

Having stated the importance of the individual, it is also important to note the necessity of non-profit organizations to collaborate the efforts of individuals.  There are numerous non-profit organizations that operate on a national and even a global scale, but perhaps the most crucial to communities are the local organizations that coordinate efforts like food drives and soup kitchens. These local organizations are what really provide the caring that communities need because they are based in the area and are familiar with the people with whom they are dealing as opposed to international organizations with no notion of what the area is like. True, many of these large establishments have local offices to keep in touch with the needs of smaller communities, but smaller operations started by local citizens seem to have greater effects when allocating their resources.  Therefore, the best way to improve a local community is by donating time and money to local charitable organizations like churches. That way the generous givers know that their contributions will go a long way toward improving their community. Another point to consider is that many of the large-scale operations, like the Red Cross, prefer to react to problems and disasters rather than precluding them. Local organizations are constantly working toward meeting the needs of the community, so they prevent latent situations from ever becoming problems on a huge scale.

Another main topic of discussion is the plight of the middle generation. It seems that this generation has been charged with the colossal task of economically supporting the government, the older generation, and the younger generation simultaneously. Is the problem that the older and younger generations are lazy and worthless?  As mentioned in the required reading, the members of the largest generation yet, the baby boomers, are nearing retirement. This unprecedented exodus from the work force will undoubtedly cause an economic burden to be placed on the younger generations. However, the reading also mentions that many of these retirees will possibly reenter the work force, so the load may not be quite so great as some imagine.  It is likewise anticipated that many retirees will work as volunteers, giving a tremendous boost to businesses that rely on volunteer work.  This leaves the problem of the younger generation to be resolved. But, the younger generation certainly is not the economic bane of society. Young men and women are graduating form college and immediately entering into the work force at jobs that pay quite well. They in turn give a large sum of this back to Uncle Sam in the form of taxes. Suddenly, the economic problems of this society look far less ominous than they did before because it can now be seen that both the younger and older generations are pitching in with their fair share.

In order to combat the problems of society on a nationwide scale, the involvement of the federal government is a necessity. Unfortunately, the members of Congress and the President are too busy with partisan bickering to form any sort of plan to improve the moral standards of America.  This lack of headway evident on both sides of the feud is preventing a large-scale program from ever lifting off the ground. The budget surplus that the United States anticipates for the years to come provides an incomparable opportunity for the government to improve multiple facets of society all at once. A percentage of the surplus could be used for tax breaks and also to pay off at least a part of the immense deficit the United States currently has to deal with.  The lack of resolve on the parts of the Democrats and the Republicans to find a way to cooperate on this matter may end up destroying this golden opportunity that the United States is currently endowed with.  Hopefully, both factions will realize that this money can be utilized to benefit all of society through investing in programs that will improve the moral standards in this nation.

The problems with the social structure of today’s world are not so blatant as in years past, but their dormant potential to wreak havoc on society cannot be taken lightly.  Instead, the primary solution seems to be the increasing involvement of all areas of society in the dealing with of these dilemmas, including individuals, non-profit organizations, the economy, and government. The interaction among all of these factors may just be enough to ensure that society slides along smoothly into the future, allowing society to forget about all of these problems until they resurface years down the road.

Answers To Questions Regarding Required reading

1- Society has invested less and less in marriage in the United States in recent years, creating a culture in which decisions usually reserved for married couples are now commonplace for unmarried ones.  In Manus, society invests in marriage through economic means to give longer-lasting ones prestige.  Members of the groom’s family pay the members of the bride’s family with dogs’ teeth and shell money, and these investments are returned later with the payment of pigs and oil.  Therefore, the investments in marriage by the Manus are truly investments of the economic sense, while America places less emphasis on marriage than ever before.

2- Person A has been married 37 years, was not married before, and said to be flexible and communicate.

Person B has been married 18 years, was married once before, and said not to get married.

Person C has been married 33 years, was not married before, and said to communicate a lot.

Person D has been married 17 years, was not married before, and said to be sure you are ready for a lifetime commitment.

Person E has been married 6 years, was married once before, and said that marriage takes a lot of compromise.

Person F has been married 22 years, was not married before, and said that you need to remain best friends.

Person G has been married 23 years, was not married before, and said not to get married.

Person H has been married 12 years, was not married before, and said to communicate.

Person I has been married 19 years, was married once before, and said that marriage takes  compromise.

Person J has been married 22 years, was not married before, and said know yourself and the person that you are marrying.

3- Richard Eckersley believes that our collective goal should be to move beyond growth and to ensure that the factors of our economy are driven by different values.  He refers to his theory that more is not always better, pointing out the fact that our economy is driven by the prospect of more money, goods, and services. He makes the point that we should make new social and personal goals that will increase the quality of life.

4- A worthy goal for our local community would be to follow through with the planned economic expansion of our area.

5- Tomorrow’s child will have a much better chance of success and prosperity if the child is raised in a wealthy household and has a good relationship with its mother because of the fact that there will be many children who will not have the benefit of either of those.

6- Kathleen Sullivan makes the point that lawyers are particularly helpful in our democracy because they help protect individuals from government and the majority.  Lawyers also protect the interests of many groups, whether they are separated by custom, wealth, or size.

7- Punitive damages seem to be the most effective method of dealing with bad practices because they hit the business in an area that it will surely notice: money. Given the fact that our society prefers to react rather than prevent, punitive damages appear to be the easiest way to curb these bad practices.

8- The baby boomers will remain an active part in society even after retirement. They will work as volunteers to help organizations.  Some will also reenter the business world by starting their own companies.  Those who stay at home will create jobs by needing people to care for them and provide them services.

9- President Clinton’s efforts to reduce poverty will be in vain because private parties can find better places to invest than poor areas, private parties have an exaggerated fear of risk in poor areas, and banks are unwilling to invest in minority businesses that are typically in poor areas.

10- Both Truett Cathy and Tom Lewis saw extreme poverty during their lives, wanted to help the children in these areas, and used their own assets to set up programs for children that had nowhere else to go.