Distributive Justice What is the best way for society's resources to be distributed? In order to answer this question, I must first define the term "best"ÃÂ. My definition of "best"ÃÂ is the way in which all people have a fair and equal opportunity to acquire any certain amount of resources that their society has to offer. The distribution of society's resources should also be based on the needs and effort of the individual. I am going to start off with education because I believe that education is the basis in determining the distribution of most of society's resources.
Proposition #1: Equal access to quality education for every individual should be a goal that society should seek to offer.
Justification: Education is what you have learned, whether it comes from a teacher, parent, lawyer, etc. There are two principle forms of education. The first is the most obvious: public schooling. Public schooling should be paid for by the government and provided for all people.
Education
American Education is in the Dumpster
Education@EdunationIdeally, education in the public system should be equal for everyone. However, there are circumstances in which public schooling will be unequal for students, varying from one city to another, but these are factors that must be accepted. For example, students at a high school in downtown Chicago may not receive as good of an education as students at Siloam Springs high school. If a student does very well in his/her public schooling, he/she should be rewarded with the chance to attend college. The major expenses of college could then be paid for through scholarships provided by that school. This would allow for children who come from poor families to be able to benefit from the wealth of society by attaining a degree in a field of study that pays more than the average job.
The second form of education is life. Life can be described as on the job training, insight from family or friends, or anything else that adapts you to the real world. The experience of life is very important in the development of our education. It gives us experience and knowledge in many aspects of our day-to-day lifestyles.
Without a basic education, it is very difficult to be successful or wealthy. But just because you do not have an extensive education does not mean you should not be successful or wealthy in life. There are individuals that have become extremely successful and wealthy without a college education or even a public education. They have achieved success through their experiences in life. However, education does not guarantee wealth or success. People need to put forth hard work and effort if they want to achieve something good in life.
Proposition #2: The distribution of jobs should be based upon education.
Justification: What I mean by this is that individuals with a large amount of experience, education, or a degree pertaining to a certain job should be appointed to that line of work rather than a person with a minimal amount of education. Both forms of education apply to the distribution of jobs, and whoever has more education in the specified area of work should get the job. In my system, everyone acquires a chance to receive a good education, and if you succeed in obtaining good grades then you should be given the chance to attend college or some other form of education higher than public schooling. These people that succeed and make it this far should be able to apply for the jobs of their choice. Since their education and level of experience are greater than the average human, they should have a better chance of acquiring the job of their choice.
Proposition #3: The distribution of money should be based on many different factors.
Justification: Most people are inherently lazy by nature. However, there are some individuals who put forth more effort than others and strive to be all that they can be in life. They study hard, earn excellent grades, and graduate from college looking to become successful. They acquire a difficult job that requires many hours of labor each day. These are the types of individuals that should be rewarded with the most money. Obviously, someone who flips burgers at McDonald's should make less money than a person who works in a law firm. If this were not the case, then most people would not go to college.
The amount of money and individual makes should not be based solely on the level of education of the individual. There are many factors that should affect the amount of money that a person earns such as effort, difficulty of the job, efficiency, time spent working, and level of education. Based on these factors, companies should determine how much to pay their employees.
Proposition #4: Government positions should be distributed according to age and experience.
Justification: There are two types of government positions, elected officials and appointed officials. Elected officials are persons elected to office by the public according to the majority of the vote, and appointed officials are persons appointed to a government position by the president. I think that in order to become either type of official you need to be at least 25 years of age. The reason I feel that an age requirement is necessary is because the longer you have lived the more experience and wisdom you acquire. However, I believe that this should be the only requirement to become an elected official. The people vote on the beliefs, morals, and other attributes of an individual, which would eliminate the chance of someone who is not fit for the job becoming elected.
However, appointed officials should have more requirements than age in order to hold a government position. The president has the right to choose whomever he wants to hold the position. The public does not vote on these officials, so the best way to make sure that they are fit for the position is to have a few requirements. First of all, I believe that the individual should be at least 25 years of age because of the reasons I stated above. Also, the individual must have held a job in some point of their life. A job helps to show an individual how society functions, and it will also get the person acquainted with the responsibilities of holding some position in life. Another important requirement that I feel should be mandatory is that the individual must have a high school diploma. This will make sure that the individual has been educated in many aspects of life.
Proposition #5: Equal distribution of pieces of land should not be given to all people.
Justification: Society does not need land distributed equally in order to be fair and function well. Equal distribution of land would have a bad impact on society because not all land is the same and certain people want certain amounts of land. Some people do not want any land at all, just a home to live in. Others, like farmers, want large pieces of land in order to grow crops on.
However, determining the price of different pieces of land is very difficult to do. That is why I think that it should be up to officials hired by the government to determine the price of pieces of land. This would eliminate hassles amongst people and make the process of buying and selling land much easier and fairer.
Proposition #6: A minimum amount of healthcare should be provided for all citizens.
Justification: Healthcare is a big issue in the world today, and it will always be a major issue in the years to come. Countless numbers of people have tried to determine the best way of providing healthcare for people. Some say that total free healthcare should be available for all citizens, provided by the government. However, others say that healthcare is a universal need and everyone should have access to it, and if you need something done you must pay for it.
I believe that the best way to distribute healthcare is to have a basic minimum amount for all citizens, which would include things such as routine child checkups and immunizations, for free. I do not believe that total free health care should be available. This is the system that Canada uses and it takes too much time to get anything done. People wait for years to get small operations, which in America would only take a few days. I understand that there are people who cannot afford healthcare, but in America there are doctors that will get together and help out these people for free. My father is a doctor and he has done this before many times.
Proposition #7: Charities should distribute their resources to people in need, such as those that are unemployed, have a minimal income, or are experiencing some sort of crisis.
Justification: Charities play an important role in society. There are some people and families that are unable to support themselves because they do not make enough money are do not have any money at all. Charities give food, shelter, or anything else that is needed for people to survive. Mother natures fury can strike at anytime, and when it does, charities are there to help the victims.
How can we determine those who need the support of charities? The best way to do this is to have the government give charities information on persons that are unemployed or making little money. Then it is up to the charity to decide whom they should give to and how much based on the status of the individuals.
Summary: The basis of my paper revolves around the distribution of education. It is the main point that holds the rest of the resources together in a never-ending loop. The level of education you obtain determines the job that you get and the job that you do acquire determines how much money you earn and the amount of money you earn determines the amount of land you can buy and so forth. If education is distributed in a fair and equal manner, than it should be quite easy for society to function well. However, man must put forth some effort. No society will function correctly, over the long term, if everything is given to everyone.