Healthcare

            The reason why the elderly are taken care of regardless of income by the federal government and not children and adults I think comes from three assumptions.
First, if your a child it is assumed that you are being taken care of by your parents or an adult guardian. The unfortunate reality is that 10.7% children do not receive any healthcare.
Second, the reason why adults are not offered healthcare regardless of income or meeting a certain criteria I think is because it is expected in this culture that an able-bodied adult works and provides for themselves. Our society is built upon individualistic standards and expectations; every citizen is expected to earn a living and climb the ladder of success.
Third, I think this may be the most negative assumption made by our culture and government is that no one cares enough to take care of our nation’s elderly; therefore, it is the government’s responsibility to take care of them. This is extremely unfortunate because the influence of the elderly can be incredibly enriching for a person, community and country.

            These assumptions reflect one of our culture’s primary values, individualism. If you can work then you work, if you cannot work then you should be of no burden to an able-bodied person and therefore the government’s responsibility. I am not devaluing the value of work; I think it’s a valuable element in the human experience and necessary for a society to function. However, this value should not be over-emphasized to the point that it alienates certain populations in our society for the sole reason that they cannot work.