Is this OK
Is this OK? No
Poverty in South Africa is getting worse each day and not enough is getting done about it. There are people who want to help the poor, but no one knows exactly how to help them. Those who are against poverty agree that something needs to be done, but they do not know how to go about getting things done. A primary reason for people not taking action is because of lack of information that is provided about issues on poverty. Issues about poverty is not stressed enough by the media to keep SA informed on what the country is going through with this problem. Poverty is being blamed on the system and the individual affected.
Principle 1: Greatest Equal Liberty
John Rawls states that every person should have the same privilege whereby I don’t fully agree on. Rawls claim a person must have freedom of speech but in many cases the freedom of speech is limited by the law. The freedom to vote is a fair statement but many times a person’s vote is influenced by others through false promises or by blackmailing. The right to own property also seems like a fair deal but the government have the authority to take your property for mining and you pay property tax every month. These are just a few examples of liberties which indicates that a person does not fully have equal rights to a liberty. Although I am satisfied to have rights to basic liberties, it is not always a full right as claimed by Rawls.
Principle 2a – Equality of Fair Opportunity
John Rawls developed the most well-known conception of FEO which requires that social positions, such as jobs, be formally open and meritocratically allocated, but, in addition, each individual is to have a fair chance to attain these positions. Women faces a much greater risk of poverty as they are paid less than man even when they have the same qualification and work the same hours.
Veil of Ignorance
As John Rawls put it, “no one knows his place in society, his class position or social status; or does he know his fortune in the distribution of natural assets and abilities, his intelligence and strength, and the like. The only thing that a given member knows about themselves is that they are in possession of the basic capacities necessary to fully and willfully participate in an enduring system of mutual cooperation; each knows they can be a member of the society. Rawls, believe that the “veil of ignorance” principle naturally leads us to broadly social-democratic, unrestricted, progressive policies, because once you’re behind the veil of ignorance, you will want strong redistribution and generous social welfare policies just in case you end up as one of the poor people in our society. Based on Rawls line of reasoning one can easily get the impression that once the veil is lifted the person who were selected and who had a say in how their unfolding society should work consistently maintain the same supposed pattern. People don’t live like that. They would find a way to cheat and get the most for themselves at the expense of others. Basically, greed is a human challenge; there’s no getting away from that. It’s a good line of reasoning but difficult to manage and maintain.
My opinion
Millions of men, women, and children live in poverty. Children grow up without access to school, a stable home, or nutritious meals. Lack of job skill or education hinders adults from living a fulfilling life. The high cost of health care, housing, and other necessities forces people to choose between basic needs and medical care. Three ways we can reduce the poverty would be: promoting childhood development, building skills, and supporting disadvantaged youth. By promoting childhood development, especially at an early age, we give future generations a head start. Increasing participation in Head Start or other such public programs, would promote improved childhood development in the early years and can bridge the social divide between the educated and the non-educated. All children deserve the right to enter school with the ability to succeed, and starting at an early age gives people a good foundation to be better-educated adults, and improves work outcomes for the disadvantaged.
