political science
Political Science101
Alex Lust
Erin Deng
05/15/2011
Question 1
American citizens have less tax burdens than people in most West European countries. The United States government also spends less money on social programs than most West European countries. They are all democratic countries, they have some similar cultures, and they even at the same development degree. However, what makes the difference on levying taxes and spending money? It should be explained from economic, political and cultural three aspects.
In the economic system of America, many policy attitudes share a commitment to economic individualism and personal responsibility. Americans can be tolerant of economic inequality better than political inequality, as they believe in “equality of opportunity” in economic but not “equality in results”. This belief may help people to accept the poor and make themselves the people to blame but not others, they know they are provided the same opportunity, the failure or poor is leaded by their weak competitiveness. So, people would not expect much from the government or social welfare. Another result found by comparing people in many other countries with Americans is that Americans are less likely to believe that hard work goes unrewarded and government should guarantee citizen a basic standard of living. In this way, government can spend less money on the social programs. When government runs a deficit, the reason in the voters’ eyes is that it is spending too much but not taxing too little. There is no doubt that no one wants to pay a high tax, and a relatively low tax has advantage to not only the citizen but also the government as it somehow prevents cheating. According to a survey, the tax burden in the United States is lower than it is in most other democratic nations and Americans evade their income taxes less than do citizens of , say, France and Italy. (American Government, James Q. Wilson and John J. Dilulio)
On the other hand, America has a
Alex Lust
Erin Deng
05/15/2011
Question 1
American citizens have less tax burdens than people in most West European countries. The United States government also spends less money on social programs than most West European countries. They are all democratic countries, they have some similar cultures, and they even at the same development degree. However, what makes the difference on levying taxes and spending money? It should be explained from economic, political and cultural three aspects.
In the economic system of America, many policy attitudes share a commitment to economic individualism and personal responsibility. Americans can be tolerant of economic inequality better than political inequality, as they believe in “equality of opportunity” in economic but not “equality in results”. This belief may help people to accept the poor and make themselves the people to blame but not others, they know they are provided the same opportunity, the failure or poor is leaded by their weak competitiveness. So, people would not expect much from the government or social welfare. Another result found by comparing people in many other countries with Americans is that Americans are less likely to believe that hard work goes unrewarded and government should guarantee citizen a basic standard of living. In this way, government can spend less money on the social programs. When government runs a deficit, the reason in the voters’ eyes is that it is spending too much but not taxing too little. There is no doubt that no one wants to pay a high tax, and a relatively low tax has advantage to not only the citizen but also the government as it somehow prevents cheating. According to a survey, the tax burden in the United States is lower than it is in most other democratic nations and Americans evade their income taxes less than do citizens of , say, France and Italy. (American Government, James Q. Wilson and John J. Dilulio)
On the other hand, America has a