I challenge both conservatives and liberals to answer this question with reason and logic.?

Question

Let's avoid the name calling and childish accusations for a bit OK? I would like to foster some real debate on the following question. "What conditions (social, political and economic) must be present in order for a society to not only survive, but flourish?" Please address your comments to the actual question (not "libs" or "cons" etc) and support your statements, where possible with objective (observable by anyone) reasoning and logical argument.
Please extend your conclusions to their logical end result. Please address only what you believe would be successful, not what you believe would be harmful.

And no, this isn't a school assignment. I am 55 years old and far past having to fill paper with regurgitated opinions of some professor.

I actually am very interested to see how many people enter into the discussion and how many can stay on point. I will respect all answers given within the criteria stated.

Answer 1

Within society there must be equality. It's not that you have a minority that causes problems, it's that you have a minority that perceives itself as being oppressed, persecuted, or excluded that causes social upheaval.

Political stability is required but not so much in the parties, but rather in the services the government provides. I lived in Italy for a little while and at the time, they had their fiftieth government in fifty years! But through it all, the schools opened, trash was picked up, police were paid, etc. Over time the party makes a difference, but day to day, we just want the government to fulfill on its duties. By the way, with the gridlock we have in government, it's almost the same. We just like to know the services we rely upon are available.

Finally, to flourish, you need a strong economy. With the world changing as it is, I'm not sure if that means a solid manufacturing base or the ablility to effectively use information. Really, I don't believe it matters what the economy is based upon as long as we are open to change. There are no guarantees and we should be ready to shift from agriculture to manufacturing to services as the markets and situations dictate. One very specific thing though is debt. A society as a whole cannot rely upon debt to raise its standard of living. Sooner or later the bill comes due.

Along that line of thinking, I personally believe living within one's means actually promotes productivity. If I can get it before I earn it, some of the incentive is gone. If I have to earn it first, then I can maintain that level of productivity and can amass even more.

That's how I try to live and flourish.

Answer 2

here is a very short version to my answer:

to flourish there must be social equity. people must feel that none are above others. people must also feel that they are a part of that society. people who are treated as outsiders will eventually reject and oppose that society.

politically everybody must also feel equal. also, everybody must feel that they are part of and have an investment in the political process. if people feel they don't have a voice within the political process they will seek that voice outside of the political process.

economically speaking, equity is also important. but capitalism has taught us that economic movement can take it's place. people may not be born rich, but as long as they feel they can reasonably become rich they will be content.

this last reason makes me think... maybe equality isn't the most important thing. maybe just the ability, or the perceived ability to improve one's position within a system is all that is important.

Answer 3

Yours is a question more suited to a 50 page dissertation than a quick 'n dirty response on Yahoo. But I'll go for the quick 'n dirty.

For a society to truly flourish it must have sufficient natural resources to sustain itself, economic freedom & free markets, a codified rule of law that extends equal protection to all its citizens, a respect for personal liberty, a representative government relatively free of corruption, military and police protection sufficient to deter and withstand attacks from external and internal predatory forces, and a general sense of fairness and goodwill from its populace.

That would be a good base for a successful society.

Answer 4

Balance...no single party or belief system can have too much control or it always leads to corruption. There also has to be some level of cooperation between both sides. Our country would be infinitely better if our leaders would quit squabbling amongst themselves and try to focus on the problems at hand. I think our Congress could actually come up with a feasible plan for Iraq that both sides agreed with if there could just be some compromise from both sides.The only time our country seems to unite is in times of tragedy....case in point.... after 9-11, everyone agreed that we needed to strike back....after the Tsunami in Asia, Bush Sr and Clinton worked together in relief efforts.

Answer 5

Government handouts dishonor and disrespect the ability of people to pull themselves out of poverty and go on to lead a life that they can be proud of.
education is paramount to success and there must be incentive for students to continue their education.
Politics should be for the individual rather than the masses. By this I mean that one's self-reliance is to be encouraged.
Businesses need to work more closely to promote American made products along with a ceiling as to the # of inmports allowed.
The military, the police and fireman should be paid more appropriate salaries, thereby culling the most dedicated citizens.
And, finally, we speak English in this country and it should be mandated that all potential new citizens must speak our language!

Answer 6

Maybe you are asking to much here, I could write a 10-12 page thesaurus. But I think you have to start with a constitution, so that every one would have something to follow with the rule of law to back it up.

And no Brett, I don't agree, that is why we are a republic. Each of us couldn't possibly sit down and decide on what is in our country's best interest, that is why we elect a president.

Answer 7

A President that is willing to listen to the majority of his citizens' instead of arbitrarily deciding what should be done

Yes, I'm Bush-bashing but I think anyone regardless of party would agree with that statement