Essay Example on Great Society: War Against Poverty and Impact on Society

Great Society programs were initiated to reduce poverty, crimes, abolish inequality, as well as the advancement of environmental management. President Johnson laid down the agendas to propagate and mitigate the programs that would advance and improve society (Burnham, 1989). In the paper, the war against poverty initiative will be stressed to show how the nation was liberated from the situation. Besides, it will establish a relationship that was created between the government and citizens. It will also discuss some of the improvements required to improve the programs for more success and efficiency in the fight against poverty.

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The great society legislation was initiated by President Johnson, who had seen the plights of society. He had discovered that citizens were going through a series of hiccups that required the attention of his government. The president, therefore, introduced several programs that included the war against poverty, health care and Medicaid, education reform programs, urban advancement and reconstruction, support for arts and humanities program and finally the environmental management programs (Burnham, 1989). The programs had a positive impact on citizens. The fight against poverty by the government was a great deal since more people were recruited as corps and offered employment. Through the program, most families were able to earn a living from the job hence development as well as the change in their economic welfare. The citizens, therefore, had experienced the care of their government as well as strong bond established in them through employment and provision of other services. The relationship between government and citizen was felt through public service delivery, such as medical care that changed the lives of many up to date. Besides, President Johnson declared that all arts and humanities belonged to all people of the United States, and therefore, there was equality among all persons (Burnham, 1989). The change, therefore, was welcome to the development of better laws and regulations to govern the citizens. The linking between citizen and the government was introduced to execute justices in fair judgment.

In a cross-track of war against poverty program, since 1964, the United States has been able to alleviate and eradicate poverty from its citizens. The program has enabled continued employment of the citizens as corps hence earning income that helps them meet their needs. It is through the program that the government was able to come up with the strategies to assist peasant farmers. The government offered farmers funds to purchase vast land as well as establishing agricultural co-operatives that would aid them to produce quality product as well as finding the markets for their produce (Burnham, 1989). It is through the financing that the subsistence farmers were introduced to commercial farming. In such production, more workers were needed as well as more occupations opened. The program also introduced community action initiatives to solve poverty plights within their communities. The initiative brought people together and allowed them to contribute different ideas on how to end specific hiccup on their community. The government also offered loans and guarantees to employers who provided job opportunities to unemployed. The initiative was aimed in the expansion of the business and firms to accommodate more people in the employment sector. It is still away done by US government to perpetually offer more job opportunities for an increasing population (Burnham, 1989).

As a result of different background of citizens, there is a need to raise minimum wages that perhaps will boost the welfare of the families in the worst conditions. It is also advisable for the US government to increase the taxes for the childless employee for equal distribution of funds as well as reducing the earned income tax credit for a worker with children. It would help in the reduction of poverty through the proper distribution of the income as per dependents. Finally, the government should reform the criminal justice system for successful re-entry. It involves clearing the criminal record that sometimes hinders people from securing jobs. Through the reform in policy, some people may be able to get employment hence boosting their economic welfare as well as that of the state (The Top 10 Solutions to Cut Poverty and Grow the Middle Class - Center for American Progress, 2019).

References

Burnham, M. (1989). Legacy of the 1960s: The Great Society Didn't Fail. The Nation, 249(4), 122-24.

The Top 10 Solutions to Cut Poverty and Grow the Middle Class - Center for American Progress. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/news/2014/09/17/97287/the-top-10-solutions-to-cut-poverty-and-grow-the-middle-class/