Arguments and Issues- Political Systems

A: Do you think that the class system

still exists in Britain... I mean, is there
an upper, middle and working class?

B: Well, I think the terminology is a bit out of date.

You see, many top managers regard themselves as
workers. That said, there's definitely a group of people
who are disadvantaged and you'll find them living on
welfare benefits such as income support.

A: Do they have jobs?

B: Yes, many of them do, but their employers don't pay them a living wage.
It's a scandal, because many pizza parlors, pubs and burger bars are really
being subsidized by the Government.

A: How come?

B: Because nobody would be able to accept jobs in these places if they didn't
have their incomes topped up by the state.

A: What would happen then if state

benefits were cut completely?

B: You'd get an underclass of people who

would be forced to turn to crime in order to
support themselves and their families. Such
a group probably already exists. There's
probably a good argument for raising
income support.

A: But surely, if you raise benefits too

high, people wouldn't bother to work. Once
the level of the benefit is higher than their
take-home pay, why should they do a job?

B: Precisely, but the answer isn't to

remove benefits from those who really need
them. The solution is to compel all
employers to pay a minimum wage. Then
you will increase the incentive to work and
the state wouldn't be subsidizing businesses which wouldn't otherwise be
viable.

A: You mean these enterprises couldn't exist were it not for exploitation of
the workers.

B: Well, some of them could probably survive, but their profits would certainly
be lower. A lot would depend on the level at which the minimum wage is set.

A: Of course, there's nothing to prevent burger bars from moving to other

parts of the world where labor is
cheaper.

B: But, who cares if they do? As

long as there's a market for fast
food in Britain, someone is going to
set up shop. There may even be an
increase in co-operatives where
employees and customers have a
share in the profits. Do we really
need big conglomerates running our
economy, when really "small is
beautiful"?

Vocabulary
terminology 술어, 전문 용어; 술어학

disadvantaged불리한; 가난한, 혜택받지 못한 *poor의 완곡 표현

underclass (사회의) 저변, 최하층

minimum wage 최저 임금

subsidizing 보조금을주다,장려금을주다

viable 생존할 수 있는, 자랄 수 있는, 실행 가능한

 exploitation이용, 개발, 착취

Vocabulary Exercise

Find the "odd one out".

There may be more than one answer. Give your reasons.

A B C

1. The Leader of The Prime The

the Opposition Minister Government

2. benefits subsidies welfare

3. a referendum a General a coup d'état

Election

Discussion Questions
1. Would you prefer to live in:

• a class-less society, regulated by a

democratically elected government or
• a society with all levels of income and
wealth, regulated by
the free market
including the power of
multinational
companies?

2. Should important utilities such as water, gas and

electricity be under government or private ownership?
How is it in your country? 3. Should social services such
as schools, hospitals, prisons and social security, be provided mainly from the
public purse, or should more be left to the private sector? How is it in your
country?

4. Do Trade Unions serve a useful purpose and should every worker have the
right to join one?

5. Should political power be limited to

people who have been democratically elected? Is Monarchy now out of date?

6. Should political parties and politicians have to publish all their sources of
income, including private donations?

7. Should political power be regionalized or centralized?

this lesson is from http://www.btinternet.com/~ted.power/discuss.html