Social Democratic Policies Required to Achieve Social Mobility

I am a Social Democrat because I believe that the state and market should work together to guarantee that everyone has the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. I believe that we should promote equity and reduce class struggle. I think a Social Democratic system will reduce the level of class division and make the American Dream possible by first establishing the basic values of people. Poverty has always been an issue and many people lack the money to get an education, go to the doctor, afford transportation, raise a child, etc. This impairs the less fortunate from being what they are meant to do in this world. Many of us take these opportunities for granted. A Social Democratic program does not consist of giving lazy people money, but ensuring that everyone has the basic necessities required to achieve social mobility. This is giving them the help and tools necessary to progress in life. I am a Social Democrat because I believe social security is something we need to prioritize, both in the workplace and in society to protect our individual rights. This ideology focuses on reducing social inequality and benefiting the community as a whole. I believe there should be a balance between capitalism and welfare state, and Social Democrats make that possible.

Social inequality is rising day by day, and is the current government system really doing enough? No. Household income is far less equal than we had all imagined. According to one of Dr. King's lectures, the top 20% actually receives about 51.5% of all income while the bottom 20% receives 3.1% Why? These people don’t have the basic needs to improve their skills or to find jobs. The American Dream is the image of a classless society, where everyone has the ability to succeed if they work hard. This isn’t possible in our current society. Class is not being divided by those who work hard, it's by natural privilege. Rich and poor kids attend completely different schools because of their social status not because some work harder than others. Social Democrats propose we fix this issue from the source. Robert Putnam, in Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, concluded that family structure differences are a consequence of economic-structure differences in the United States. For this reason, a Social Democratic system would invest in maternity/paternity leave benefits as well as childcare benefits and universal healthcare. This ensures that every family, no matter the class, will have protection from many struggles that prevent children from succeeding. Inequality is inevitable in our capitalistic society, which is why government intervention is necessary to reduce antagonistic social relationships and by using social solidarity to protect people's rights in order to help them establish their social value. The current government system in the United States does not do much for protecting individuals against economic instability. We ought to adopt Social Democratic policies so that we will produce jobs and income and profits from growth, as well as tax revenues to support the welfare state. This will anticipate new opportunities and compensate those who suffer from this capitalistic society.

Different ideologies have different opinions when it comes to social welfare policies. Conservatives want to protect capitalists through low financial burden, so their priority is the private market and they do little to help people with spending assistance. They do not focus on helping out the people that need the most help. Liberals claim that individuals do not need paternalistic protections. Liberals do want some welfare policies but they aim for little government intervention. Marxists believe that social welfare is useless and will only deflect focus to the state. As opposed to other political ideologies, a Social Democracy aims for support of the people outside of the marketplace. Providing healthcare, housing and other opportunities for the poor or disabled, compensates and gives new opportunities to those who suffer from the market instabilities that come from capitalism. I agree with these implications because I’ve witnessed people who are very ill and refuse to go to the doctor because the hospital bill is as terrifying as the disease itself. For many years, I dealt with blurry vision because my parent could not afford glasses or healthcare. We need government intervention. Some people are scared of too much government but we need enough to remain protected against capitalistic instability, advance democratic virtues and helps firms escape the blindness that comes from competition and profit-maximization.

We cannot rely on the market alone to promote better economic results. We need state interference. Conservatives disagree and think that what this country needs is to get rid of government interference as a whole and that the way to achieve equal opportunity is through a more competitive economic and political structure. Not only would this system bring chaos to the market, but also limit most benefits to the privileged. The goal for Social Democrats is to make social mobility possible to everyone. Liberals might claim that Social Democrats demand high income taxes. This money, however, would go back to the community in the form of healthcare, education, disability benefits, etc. Marxists are also against government interference. They fail to consider that there has to be a balance in order to keep the country under control. The result of Social Democracy is not the conflict between public and private but the joint advancement of both. Social Democrats focus on building equity as opposed to giving the rich more power. Countries who have implemented Social Democratic governments actually have lower poverty rates and less inequality. For these reasons, I think the United States must adopt Social Democratic policies and begin standing up for the people as opposed to concentrations of private power. 

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