One variable that we have observed in this course is that peopleâs concerns for the future are relative to their own social and economic security. A secure middle-class can afford to protect their grand-childrenâs interests, while economically insecure people are largely preoccupied with their own day-to-day survival. At least one economist has noted that because the interests of business are always short-term, they are better served by an economically insecure population which has a similar focus. In effect, the best way to avoid environmental restrictions is to keep people economically insecure. The classic example of this is the practice of mountaintop-removal mining in the Appalachian Mountains of the American southeast. The United States has the highest levels of poverty of any industrialized nation, by far. It also affords business interests an unprecedented degree of participation in our political system. If their interests are best served by an economically insecure population, they would have a legal responsibility to their owners (or stockholders) to work toward perpetuating those conditions. If your goal is to convince people to let you do mountaintop-removal mining, you want people just as poor and as desperate as they can be. You invest your money in political representatives whoâs actions (or lack thereof) will complement your interests. Give your thoughts on this arrangement. If you find it lacking in some respect (e.g. ethics, morality), suggest a remedy for this conflict.
One variable that we have observed in this course is that peopleâs concerns for the future are relative to their own social and economic security. A secure middle-class can afford to protect their grand-childrenâs interests, while economically insecure people are largely preoccupied with their own day-to-day survival. At least one economist has noted that because the interests of business are always short-term, they are better served by an economically insecure population which has a similar focus. In effect, the best way to avoid environmental restrictions is to keep people economically insecure. The classic example of this is the practice of mountaintop-removal mining in the Appalachian Mountains of the American southeast. The United States has the highest levels of poverty of any industrialized nation, by far. It also affords business interests an unprecedented degree of participation in our political system. If their interests are best served by an economically insecure population, they would have a legal responsibility to their owners (or stockholders) to work toward perpetuating those conditions. If your goal is to convince people to let you do mountaintop-removal mining, you want people just as poor and as desperate as they can be. You invest your money in political representatives whoâs actions (or lack thereof) will complement your interests. Give your thoughts on this arrangement. If you find it lacking in some respect (e.g. ethics, morality), suggest a remedy for this conflict.
