Blog 7

Galbraith and Reich

The Affluent Society:

According to Galbraith's works, he explains that America is currently an Affluent Society. In his book, "The Affluent Society," he discusses the fact that after World War II, he considered our society to be "wealthy in the private sector, but poor in the public sector". By saying this, Galbraith meant that in private institutions, we consider ourselves to be more successful, whereas publicly, it's the opposite. According to his book, he also explains how affluence plays a major role in society, considering the name, "Affluent Society". Galbraith tells the reader that our society is considered affluent or wealthy, based on both private and public organization success. I believe that Galbraith is correct when he says that the United States is considered an Affluent Society, but to an extent. To most countries, we can be seen as strong, wealthy and snobby. Whereas, when Americans look at their country, they might not think that we are as wealthy, or successful, as other countries pursue us to be. All in all, I agree with Galbraith when he says that America has an Affluent Society, but only to an extent. If we were all successful and we did not have individuals living in poverty, then our society would be 100% considered an Affluent Society.

Should the Government Provide Jobs for Individuals Who Cannot Get Them, Themselves?

According to Reich's essay, he explains to the reader that their is a growing gap between the upper class in society and the lower class in society and states that although it has not yet fully effected the middle class, it has the potential to. Personally, I believe that it is not the government's job to find work for individuals who cannot find it themselves. I know back at home in Illinois, I live around 30 minutes from Chicago, and on almost every street corner, a job opening is listed. Even though these jobs are not always the high quality that people are looking for, I believe that it is almost idiotic for people to not try to get a job and state that they cannot find one. If it's not in your field, then grow in a simpler job, work for more hours, while also looking for jobs in what you wish to pursue. You aren't going to always get the dream job, dream boss, or dream location that you have always wanted. There will always be room for adjustment and flexibility. So, even though I agree with Reich when he claims that there is a large gap between the highest and lowest social class, I think that individuals should not be so worried about the beginning of a struggle or tough journey when getting a job, but should be thinking more about where this time in their life will take them. They should be dreaming about the opportunities that are about to arise because of this.

John Galbraith believed highly in the power of bringing attention to those

in poverty and allowing them to escape it with help from the government.

Robert Reich made a statement that all individuals should realize that there

is a substantial and unfair difference between the upper class and lower class in today's society.