HowtoGetthePooroffOurConscience

1、How to Get the Poor off Our ConscienceSomething you need to knowJohn Kenneth Galbraiththe Last American Institutionalist A PUBLIC INTELLECTUALThe Author Galbraith, far left, as US ambassador to India, 1961What is conscience?Conscience refers to the sense of right and wrong and the urge to do right.

2、Conscience is unique to us human beings and distinguishes men from animals. When we did something wrong, we would suffer from an ill conscience, we would feel guilty.To get something off ones conscienceto ease the burden on ones conscience by finding excuse for or justifying the existence of somethi

3、ng bad or wrongto try not to bother oneself for the existence of something unfairWhat does the title mean? To understand the meaning, you just recall your experience of passing by a beggar without feeling guilty. The title seems to suggest that the author is to offer some solutions to get the poor o

4、ff our conscience. ? Does the author really think it right to get the poor off our conscience美国贫富差距的现状及其原美国贫富差距的现状及其原因因 70年代以来美国的贫年代以来美国的贫富富差距差距状况状况（1）对20收入最高者和20收入最低者的平均收入进行比较，两者的差距在1974年是7.5倍，1992年扩大到了10.2倍 。 （2）1977 1992 ，最穷的20的人的税后收入绝对下降了12，而最富的1的人的税后收入却增长了136 。 （3）美国住户、家庭与个人收入中描述的美国家庭收入基尼系数的变化趋

5、势为：1970年为0. 394 ，1980年为0.403，1990年为0.428 （注：国际上通常用基尼系数测量贫富差距程度 ，基尼系数的变大表示贫富差距继续加大） （4）据美国最新的统计结果，1992年最富有的1的家庭拥有美国全部财富的42，而在1989年为39 ，三三制现象。 （5）收入分配不均的扩大带来了贫困化的发展 。贫富差距扩大的原贫富差距扩大的原因因 根本原因：资本主义榨取剩余劳动价值的本性。 在经济上，科学技术的发展、产业结构的转换、资本积累的加剧以及美国的经济形势和经济政策是影响收入分配状况的重要因素。 在美国，种族歧视、单亲家庭增多和非婚生子女人数的上升等社会问题也对贫富差距

6、的扩大有重要影响。Rich vs poor Rich vs poor The poor people A beggarThe poor Discussion Questions1) What do you think of the gap between the poor and rich in our country? What, in your opinion, are its causes?2) Is poverty very much on the conscience of the rich? 3) What are the possible dangers of wide gap

7、between the rich and the poor?4) What are the first 5 historical wys to get the poor off our conscience? 5)What are the 5 current strategies for getting the poor off our conscience?6)Why does the author say compassion along with the associated public effort is the most truly conservative course?Cont

8、ext of this articleWhen the author wrote this article, Reagan and hiscolleagues was in the White House. In the 1980s,during Reagans time, conservatism prevailed andsupply-side economics was dominant. After the GreatSociety in the 1960s, social welfare system suffered thefirst setback under the Reaga

9、n Administration. Acontraction in social welfare set in. (里根经济政策：降税、减福利开支、增加军费)Five historical solutions 1. The next life theory 2. Utilitarianism 3. Poor peoples fault 4. Survival of the fittest 5. interference ion with effective operatiom of economic systemFive Current Designs 1. Incompetent gover

10、nment 2. Harmful to the poor 3. Adverse effect on incentive 4. Adverse effect on freedom 5. Simple psychological denialOutline of the EssayPart 1 (paras.1-2): The oldest project in “getting the poor off our conscience”Part 2 (paras. 3-9): 5 historical solutions Part 3 (paras. 10-11): a transitionPar

11、t 4 (paras.12-20): 5 current designs Part 5: (paras. 21): conclusionStockbroker (股票经纪人股票经纪人) This is associated with the name of David Ricardo, a stockbroker, and Thomas Robert Malthus, a divine. (sarcasm) (Para. 5) Stockbroker: a person whose job is buying and selling shares for those with money (i

12、nvestor). the 3rd solution: the poverty of the poor was the fault of the poorstockbroker A stockbroker can easily earn big money through the commission (佣金，手续费); which depends on the amount of money the investor invests, while it is very hard for the investor to earn money in the stock market, becau

13、se of the high risk.Couples in love should repair to R. H. Macys, not their bedroom(para. 6) It implies that couples will find their pockets not that heavy while they look around the market, which will push them to work hard for money rather than enjoy their love in their bedrooms for having too man

14、y children. This statement ridicules Reagans view that the best form of population control comes from the market.Malthusianism (马尔塞斯人口论马尔塞斯人口论) （Para. 6） 马尔萨斯主义以英国经济学家马尔萨斯为代表的资产阶级学派。产生于18世纪，马尔萨斯在其代表作人口原则和政治经济学原理中提出了“马尔萨斯人口论”，人类必须控制人口的增长。否则，贫穷是人类不可改变的命运。 主要结论：认为生活资料按算术级数增加，而人口是按几何级数增长的，因此生活资料的增加赶不上人口

15、的增长是自然的、永恒的规律，只有通过饥饿、繁重的劳动、限制结婚以及战争等手段来消灭社会下层，才能削弱这个规律的作用。把资本主义制度所造成的一切问题和灾难归结为人口过剩的结果。 What was Roosevelts revolution? Why does the author call it a revolution? (Para.10 )The Roosevelts revolutionThe Roosevelts revolution referred to the social welfare policies initiated by Franklin D. Roosevelt in

16、 the New Deal. The New Deal is centered on three Rs: Reform, recovery and relief.The Roosevelts revolution In 1935, Congress passed the Social Security Act which for the first time in American history assigned specific responsibility to the government for providing assistance to the least fortunate

17、people in the country. This was a revolutionary step because it broke away from the traditional concept that the federal government was not responsible for social welfare. The Act of 1935 laid foundation for the current social welfare system of the United States.罗斯福的罗斯福的“新政新政” 罗斯福的罗斯福的“新政新政”处方先从整顿金融

18、入手就职处方先从整顿金融入手就职后的第三天，即后的第三天，即1933年年3月月6日，罗斯福宣布全日，罗斯福宣布全国银行国银行“休假休假”，这是他所采取的重建银行和，这是他所采取的重建银行和经济结构的第一步。经济结构的第一步。3月月9日，国会通过日，国会通过紧急紧急银行法令银行法令，对银行采取个别审查、颁发许可，对银行采取个别审查、颁发许可证制度，对有偿付能力的银行，允许尽快复业。证制度，对有偿付能力的银行，允许尽快复业。在在“百日新政百日新政”期间，罗斯福在解决银行问题期间，罗斯福在解决银行问题的同时，还竭力促使议会先后通过了的同时，还竭力促使议会先后通过了农业调农业调整法整法和和全国工业复兴

19、法全国工业复兴法。罗斯福的罗斯福的“新政新政” 在“新政”中，“救济救济”是一个主要方面，1933 年 5 月，国会通过联邦紧急救济法紧急救济法，成立联邦紧急救济署，将各种救济款物迅速拨往各州，第二年又把单纯救济改为“以工代赈”，给失业者提供从事公共事业的机会，维护了失业者的自力更生精神和自尊心。罗斯福上任后从一开始就倾注了极大的力量兴办大规模的公共工程，以扩大政府开支来弥补私人投资下降而出现的空白，并解决部分就业问题。Milton Friedman (1912-2006)American supply-side economist Nobel Memorial Prize winner in

20、 Economic Science in 1976. chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors of the Reagan Administration He taught from 1946 to 1976 at the University of Chicago. He wrote extensively on public policy. His most important books in this field: Capitalism and Freedom ( 1962); A Monetary History of the Unit

21、ed States Free to Choose .The ending In the concluding part, the author points out that the public assistance to the poor is in essence in the interest of the conservatives. The ending How do you feel about the ending? Do you find it forceful? the ending is mild compared with the authors radical com

22、ment in previous part. Actually, we find the ending rather abrupt, like the saying “a tigers head and a snakes tail”. One might be disappointed with the authors solution. A Summary of the passageThe author brings up 5 historical solutions and 5current designs for getting the poor off ourconscience.

23、In presenting both historical solutionsand current designs he expresses his criticalattitudes implicitly. At the end of the essay, hewarns the policy makers and people who arewealthy that “civil discontent and its consequencesdo not come from contented people.” and thatpoverty is the permanent ailment of society.The main idea of the essayBased on the analysis of historical solutions and current designs, the author ironically criticizes the attitude of getting the poor off our conscience, on which t