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Week 7 forums
Social Institutions
MUST USE THE BOOK FOR THE RESPONSES: College, Openstax. Introduction to Sociology. OpenStax College, 12 January 2015.
These are the following questions the students choose to pick and answer: You must use the book for the class to respond to each student 100 words each including the instructor please:
Please choose one of the following questions:
1. In which forms of government do average citizens have the least and most political power? What options might they have for exerting political power under this type of government? In your response, also discuss voter participation in the U.S. Explain how a voter’s social class and other social factors can affect his or her voting practices. Besides voting, how can U.S. citizens influence political processes and outcomes? Have you personally used any of these strategies?
2. Describe your vision of a model economic system – is it capitalist, socialist, or somewhere in between? In your answer be sure to compare and contrast the two major economic systems (capitalism and socialism). How do you think the United States economy will change as we move closer to a technology-driven service economy?
3. What factors contribute to the disparities in health among racial, ethnic, and gender groups in the United States? How is this a sociological issue as well as a medical one? What diseases are the most stigmatized in the U.S.? Which are the least? Is this different in different cultures or social classes?
The Week 7 Forum meets the following course objectives:
· Apply a sociological perspective to the social world.
· Analyze contemporary social issues using the sociological imagination and use sociological theories and concepts to analyze everyday life.
· Interpret the United States economy and politics.
· Discuss the sociological study of health and medicine in society.
Respond 100 words to Instructor Avant: Hi, James and Sean, many countries have mixed economies, so if a country is leaning towards capitalism or socialism that means they still have one or the other with the existence of both economies. For example, United States is predominantly a capitalist economy, however, the government still runs many programs such as state health care for low income or poor population, fair labor acts for minimum wage and social security benefits. Thus, even though United States is capitalist, it still maintains socialism. Similar to another country that might have a socialistic economy but still has capitalist by private ownership. Do you think that this capitalist economy system is closely related to the state power of United States? What did you learn from the assigned chapters?
Respond 100 words to SEAN: Class,
]I believe a in a hybrid system that leans more towards a laissez faire capitalist system. I will explain this in a minute, but let us first understand what the three distinctions are for a capitalist and socialist system. Capitalism requires; “individuals own the means of production, that the system is on competition where the owners determine production and set prices, and the pursuit of profit is the reason for distributing goods and services” (Henslin, 2014, p. 394). Socialism requires; “ the public owns the means of production, that central committees plan production and set prices thus eliminating competition, and no profit motive exists in the distribution of goods and services” (Henslin, 2014, p. 394). My system requires some government intervention; however, I believe it is necessary for the government to remain an uninterested party. The capitalist systems essentially allows for a more open and free market where the socialist system is dominated and controlled by the government. Capitalism allows for more “classes” to exist where socialism creates a rich and poor class. More correctly socialism creates a system of those with power (money and government authority) and those who work classes.
In our world a laissez-faire capitalist system is next to impossible. Those with power would run rampant and monopolies would spring up everywhere. Giving sole control to one entity could end up in economic catastrophe for not only a single nation, but the world as well. It is for this reason that I would allow for governmental control in areas and markets that would seek control over specific markets. For example, the cable and satellite networks of today are dominated by a mere handful of cable companies (Guarini, 2014), and just a couple satellite companies. This I believe is a case where government would have to step in to allow for open lines.For example, I live on a remote island off where Comcast is the only available cable company. This leaves DirecTV and Dish network as their only competition. Due to the amount of wind and rain we are subject to on the island many people believe the cable company to be more reliable. They are not, but because they are not required to share the networking lines for the cable network they own the cable “monopoly” on the island. As you can see in the article, Comcast controls the cable market in the United States (Gaurini, 2014).
Another point of competition where I believe government should step in and legislate is opening competition for free market across state lines. We see this as an issue with insurance companies. Various states have differing laws on the implementation and coverage required of medical and automobile insurance. If the government were to pass legislation allowing for competition of insurance companies in Florida to compete with those in Texas, the market would be more open to competition and you may see elderly couples seeking insurance in Texas even though they are residents of Maryland. This open and free market competition causes the price of the product to be lower as fewer companies will have a stake in the insurance business. If one company offers a more amiable model than another they will be successful. It is simple economics.
I do not believe in; however, the government taking money from the people to subsidize those who do not provide into the system. Of course there will always be exceptions to this such as those with a mental disability. This is where socialism goes wrong and where American capitalism is now suffering. When a system of social welfare is put in place and we relax the regulations on using that system it then becomes an incentive to not exercise any effort. We can expect the government to cover every cost without worrying about actually owing anything. The only further point to stipulate is that the government could only set regulations if one of the following conditions was applied: a threat to equal opportunity, the threat of a monopoly, a threat or degradation to the environment (and only in extreme cases as I see this as a state’s issue of governance).
References
Henslin, J. M. (2014). Sociology: A down-to-earth approach (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Respond 100 words to REED:
2. Describe your vision of a model economic system – is it capitalist, socialist, or somewhere in between? In your answer be sure to compare and contrast the two major economic systems (capitalism and socialism). How do you think the United States economy will change as we move closer to a technology-driven service economy?
I think it would be easier for me to define the two economic systems first. In a capitalist system the economy is driven and controlled mainly by private citizens. These private citizens or owners are compelled to do well in their fields for a profit. This can lead to a smaller percentage of the population controlling the majority of the wealth. The United States is an example of just that. We are a capitalist nation where a large amount of the wealth is controlled by a small percentage of the people who live here.
In a socialism system there is conflicting information from the readings. One definition says that the government is largely in charge of making decisions that are better for the people. The other definition states that the people or the community works collectively to make decisions. In either case profit is not a motivation since everyone is working simply for the better of the organization, state, etc. This would appear to be a better model for all of the people however there may be less of an initiative to excel if individual gains are not possible. There are usually commitments required of citizens in a socialist economy however. Some countries require military or civil service at the age of 18 for a period of 2 years for example. (College)
My vision of a model economy would be a blend of the two systems I think. I appreciate that in a capitalist system there is a way for individuals or small groups to be successful. I like that this system can support entrepreneurs and people who want to work harder than average to better themselves financially. Their exceptional level of skill or work ethic can be rewarded.
I also like aspects of a socialist system. In these types of economy everyone is taken care of evenly. There is healthcare available for everyone and education is also commonly available. The usually required commitments are something I understand however would not necessarily be a promoter of. I see in the U.S. military, which is 100% volunteer, that there are less than desirable individuals serving. I would imagine that mandatory enlistment would only exacerbate this issue.
If I had to choose one explicitly I would stick with the capitalist method we’ve been using in the U.S. It is not perfect but for me the pros far outweigh the cons.
As far as technology services affecting the economy I think that there will be a continued rise in unemployment. Last week we talked about credentials and I can see that in the technology industry there is a large requirement for them. It’s obvious that someone working in this field would need training and experience. This will make it much more difficult for the uneducated to achieve employment.
ReferencCollege, Openstax. Introduction to Sociology. OpenStax College, 12 January 2015.
Respond 100 words to -Veronica
:Hello Class!
Firstly, please tell me I’m not the only one completely blown away by the fact that we are in week seven of this course! It’s truly flown by!
2. Describe your vision of a model economic system – is it capitalist, socialist, or somewhere in between? In your answer be sure to compare and contrast the two major economic systems (capitalism and socialism). How do you think the United States economy will change as we move closer to a technology-driven service economy?
A capitalist is someone with money who is able to invest within goods and trade. Investment prices are then determined by the person’s opinion. Capitalism can be dangerous due to the rich being in power, and if the wrong people are in power, they can make some very serious and powerful decisions within the economy. So this has some serious influence as well as consequences. For example, Walmart is the capitalist of the shopping industry. Determining prices so low they are able to beat out the competition. More then a dozen locations of JC Penny,Kohls, and Sears among other big name companies are slowly going out of business because of Walmart’s low prices.
A socialist believes that a community agrees as a whole to where the economy goes. Socialism stands more on a equal believe system and a shared community. For example, Cuba or North Korea’s government believes in socialism.
I believe there should be a balance of of both theories. Socialism has a shared community where the community agrees as a whole on big issue stances, but if we, as the people, are left with out boundaries and someone making those decisions, then it becomes the issue of “too many cooks in the kitchen”. There should be a balance of leaders as well as followers. Both these concepts balance each other out. However, in the same breath, just capitalism can put some very influential, power people in control and if not monitored closely, that can have serious consequences.
\C
