Social Policy: Crash Course Government and Politics #49

Today, Craig is going to talk about social policy - in the United States this means achieving one of three goals: protecting Americans from risk, promoting equal opportunity, or assisting the poor. Many Americans strongly believe in individualism, that is self-reliance, but since the Great Depression and the New Deal the government’s role has increased significantly. We’re going to focus on two social policies that came out of the New Deal - Social Security and what we tend to think of as “welfare” - and talk about why they’re still around now and potentially the future. These and other social policies are not without controversy, as things tend to be when involving our tax dollars, and we’re going to talk about that too.

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[GirlyOreo]

I DID IT! I got through the 49 episodes in 2 days and before any of you ask it wasn't to study for a test. It was just for my own entertainment

[TheWatchmanontheWall]

In my opinion, Crash Course is one of the most useful channels on YouTube. I think it is what brought value to this platform tbh.

[noemig]

I'm extremely grateful that cc isn't biased, strictly facts stated in an entertaining fashion. I love all their episodes my only con is how fast they talk! I'm sure most appreciate it but a gal like me needs a few more seconds in between to absorb it all. Either way, absolutely appreciate yall!

[TheFireflyGrave]

Only has 12 minutes.
Gets the video done in 9.
That's efficiency.

[keenynmoly]

Thanks Craig! I just passed my American Government CLEP test! I only studied for 3 weeks and ended up with an extra $900 in my pocket (well- sort of)!

[isawesomeitstrue]

Please do more videos about Social Policy! I have been studying it in depth and there is a lot more that could be touched on. Specifically more about social policy/welfare state in other countries compared to the US (eg switzerland, Uk, Australia) could be good as it links about what was said about cultural attitudes towards tax and receiving welfare.

[sirellyn]

It's so sad. The great depression was prolonged and deepened by government action. A vastly harsher depression happened in 1921 and was all but forgotten specifically because the government did NOTHING. And it ended in less than a year.

And because they did make it worse, the started a social policy that's been eating away at the US for over 80 years now. Starting social wars like the "war on poverty" and "the war on drugs" they've never won. And which has only become worse.

[SchiferlED]

What? People can be poor without it being their fault and without being lazy? Impossible! /s

[TheOsamaBahama]

1:55 the dog is showing to the other dogs how to stand up

[DanLink]

Aren't social polices the thing you get when your empire has accumulated enough culture?

[LegoSwordViedos]

I love having worked 3 close to minimum wage jobs, where they all stole from me, or caused me harm, or found loopholes or other shady means to not give me what I had earned and worked for. I was very conservative and used to think the minimum wage should be abolished and had faith that people were generally good. OH boy was I wrong when I had to start working enough to support myself. Particularly the people where I live.

[Onodera]

I think the fact the fact that both parties were working toward ending social programs shows that there is only one party, the corporate party.

[comitfam]

I have a social policy exam and i didn't even know what social policy was till this moment RIP my existence

[DoubleGoon]

Bernie Sanders when he was a young man: 2:53

[archlinuxrussian]

I thought of this earlier and I think this is a decent way to think about it (from a realist [I think form IR jargon] standpoint):

Is the economic cost of people without access to health care / education / trains / etc more taxing on the economy than a levied tax to provide access to all? A typical example: would it cost more to provide health care to all people and have mostly relatively healthy people or have people pay for it themselves and deal with being around sick people who cannot afford care? Or would having students graduate without debt and having more people be able to go through college/university to get higher-paying jobs (presuming there are fundamentally enough) be better than having students and their family foot a large bill to "get a substantial career"?

At least these questions should be asked by all, and these ignore any moral or ethical reason to have such programmes (which are also important questions).

Hope this contributes ^_^ please have an amazing weekend and life! DFTBA!

[emanemy]

thank u sir it was very beneficial episode, especially the subtitles was there helps a lot
to understand because my language is Arabic .very appreciated your efforts .best regards from Iraq

[BeornBorg]

Starving to death, or dying when there's medical treatment seems like the least we can do to help fellow citizens. Give them food. Give them medical care. Eating and living aren't *LUXURIES*. WTF? We have people, *PEOPLE* ... with so much money it couldn't be spent in a hundred life times. And the American's of the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s didn't think asking them to pay taxes was an insult.

[LipGloss]

Thanks for the continued education, Crash Course! I enjoy having you s a host :)

[teszter]

It was interesting to hear an American point of view, since I'm doing my social policy MA in a postsocialist country. I wish you have mentioned that the States is the "prototype" of the liberal welfare state and that there are other types as well. (look up Esping-Andersen). Also, social security does not only stand for the US pay as you go pension scheme and medicare. In European countries, social security provides some sort of safety for a variety of risks and not just for old age (loosing your job, some sort of universal health care etc). Anyway it kind of fascinates me how a country with such high GDP rate can be so indifferent towards the poor in the policy making. But probably because I'm not libertarian. :)

[db-cncq]

This video came just in time for test on Monday.