If one aspect of society is true, and unlikely to change, it’s that there is a large section of people who lack the skills and/or the common sense to look after themselves emotionally, financially, physically. It raises the question of what, exactly, the government should do to care for these individuals; there are two ideas at play here: the first being that they should learn how to look after themselves, and the second being that the government should step in and provide for those who, fundamentally, lack the skills to do so for themselves. Naturally, this raises further questions of ethics, and, in particular, the old idea of ‘give a man a fish and you feed him for one day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ An idea which President Barack Obama seems to have focused on, when accepting his party’s nomination to run as President, he claimed that every human being has a right to a college education.
Arguably, he is right to think this: every human being should be able to undertake a college education, if they choose. This works on the basis that by educating the masses, they will not need as much of the government’s support as they might otherwise do. Obama’s view that everyone should have an education stands in-line with the view that an education opens doors and allows the individual to stand squarely on their own two feet. Governments have an ethical obligation to care for their people as this is their primary function as an elected body. By offering a college education (with education being a human right), the government would not need to throw indefinite amounts of money at the problem, but rather, focus on a singular amount which will enable individuals. Perhaps this funding could come from private donations, although, ethically, these private donators will undoubtedly expect something in return. Meaning that a slightly raise in taxes could solve the problem and unite a nation in approaching an endemic problem that will, ultimately, affect every member of the nation. Ethically, it is sounder to offer practical solutions than it is to just throw money at a situation because it harks back to the old phrase: give a man a fish and it demonstrates a government which nurture independence as opposed to one which envelops its nation’s needs.
