Introduction
Liberal democracy is a political ideology on liberality where a government under representative democracy operates under the rule that governs classical liberalism. It is primarily characterized by frequent elections held by different political parties, various government agencies with powers separation, the rule of law, equality in terms of human rights and many other characteristics. The United States has implemented the Hobbesian concept of social contract in its liberal democracy, a profoundly clear idea. How liberal democracy and classical liberalism portray their roles and responsibilities as a governing system for the people by the people has some contradictions that create tensions in their position. These tensions are some times bound to cause several problems in the society. The system is one that raises a lot of concern, and it needs to be reviewed so that it is in harmony with all primary human interests.
Liberal Democracy and Public Health Issues
With a democratic government, the people have a choice to make decisions that cannot be countered by the higher authorities. The contrast in a liberal democracy is that there are liberal limits where appeals to freedom and the popular will. This limitation is one that creates tension in this kind of ruling system, as applied in the united states. The availability of this stress can be connected to health issues such as obesity, climate changes, air pollution and many more.
The system is responsible for air pollution in the US to some extent. First, liberal democracy does not deal proactively with environmental issues across all the US boundaries. What happens is that the government deals with ecological issues as they arise. For instance, the government puts policies into place to counter anti-air pollution when industries when industries are already up and running and polluting the air. Secondly, the government does not give an interest in the goodwill of the people. Everybody is responsible for their good. Therefore, people concentrate more on what brings them income first and, in this manner, they cannot give the environment a priority. They put up industries and activities that pollute the air with poisonous gasses to earn a living (Maniates, 2001).
Liberal democracy can also be responsible for obesity. Justice requires that a government undertake a relentless commitment to people's health (Gostin & Powers, 2006). However, the liberal system overconcentrates on the nations defense system and fighting internal crimes. Their primary concern is people's security. This emphasis takes place at the expense of people's health affairs. The lowly in the society is left to cater for their well being, and they get malnourished. The government does not take the initiative to offer food to the people. This situation causes obesity to a good population.
My Analysis of the Issue
In my perspective, the system should be revised to have an interest in the people in their heart. Apart from people's security, there are other vital issues in human life. Health issues are one of the other central and most important things that the government should consider. For instance, the government should make strict policies for air and environmental pollution. A polluted environment cannot assure a healthy society.
Lastly, people's nutrition is also vital, and the government should pay a quite significant interest in the issue. A healthy society translates to a healthy and prosperous economy (Mirowsky, 2017). A country cannot thrive if its population is suffering from illnesses such as obesity. A government system that does not take an interest in the health aspects of its society is one that should not be allowed to run in any country.
References
Gostin, L. O., & Powers, M. (2006). What does social justice require the public's health? Public health ethics and policy imperatives. Health Affairs, 25(4), 1053-1060. Retrieved from https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.25.4.1053
Maniates, M. F. (2001). Individualization: Plant a tree, buy a bike, save the world?. Global environmental politics, 1(3), 31-52. Retrieved from https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/152638001316881395
Mirowsky, J. (2017). Education, social status, and health. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781351328074
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