11. Government and Society

What governments can do

• Governments provide public services like healthcare and education
• They support people who are living in poverty or unable to work
• Governments raise money by taxing working people
• They can spend money on resources and campaigns
• They can introduce new laws
• They can impose taxes
• They can raise people’s awareness of issues (e.g climate change/healthy eating)
• They can influence people’s habits and opinions
• They can create jobs
• They can regulate the activities of companies such as banks
• They can provide resources for schools
• They are also responsible for the security and well-being of their citizens
• They control armed forces and police forces

Public services

• Governments pay the salaries of public sector workers like police officers and teachers
• The necessary money is raised by taxing people’s income
• Free education and healthcare may be provided by the state
• Some governments control public transport systems and even TV channels
• In other countries, these services are provided by private companies
• Some people believe that competition between private companies is good
• It helps to improve quality while bringing prices down
• Other people think that essential services should be free
• Governments should pay for them

Censorship: Opinion

• Governments can censor what public sees or reads in the media
• To a certain extent censorship is necessary
• We should use censorship to protect children from violent images
• Some computer games involve killing people or committing crimes
• The Internet also needs to be controlled
• Many websites show pornography and violence
• There should be age limits for websites and computers games
• Parents need to take responsibility for checking what their children watch
• It is impossible for governments to control everything we see

Video cameras in public places

• The use of CCTV is becoming widespread
• Video cameras have been installed in many public places
• They are supposed to protect us and deter criminals
• Many people think that this surveillance violates our privacy
• The authorities could build databases with our pictures and identities
• We should not be treated like criminals

Smart cards: Positives

• Governments will probably introduce a digital identification card system
• Smart cards will have benefits and drawbacks
• They could help to reduce crime
• They could hold personal information, such as DNA
• Digital bank cards could contain fingerprint information
• It would be very difficult for criminals to use a stolen card
• It would be easier for police to identify people and catch criminals

Smart cards: Negatives

• Many people are worried about losing their privacy
• Governments could store all our personal and medical information
• This information could be used by insurance companies
• Employers could check our health records

People with Disabilities

• People with disabilities should be treated the same as everybody else
• They should have the same rights as other people
• They should have access to the same jobs as other citizens
• Discriminations against disabled people is illegal in many countries
• Ramps and lifts for wheelchairs should be installed in public buildings
• Support teacher can be employed to help children with learning difficulties

政府能做什么

• 政府提供公共服务如卫生保健和教育
• 他们支持哪些生活在贫穷和无法工作的人们
• 政府通过向工作的人征税筹集金钱
• 他们可以花钱在资源和运动上
• 他们可以引进新的法律
• 他们可以征税
• 他们可以提高人们对问题的意识(如气候变化、健康饮食)
• 他们可以影响人们的习惯和观念
• 他们可以创造工作
• 他们可以规范像银行这样公司的活动
• 他们可以给学校提供资源
• 他们也对他们城市居民的安全和福利负有责任
• 他们控制军队力量和政治力量

公共服务

• 政府给公共部门员工如警察官员和教师付薪水
• 必要的钱通过向人们的薪水征税筹集
• 免费教育和卫生保健或许由州提供
• 一些政府控制公共交通系统甚至电视频道
• 在其它国家，这些服务通常由私人公司提供
• 一些人认为私人公司之间的竞争是好的
• 它帮助提高质量同时降低价格
• 其他人认为必要的服务应该是免费的
• 政府应该付给他们薪水

审查:观点

• 政府可以审查公众在媒体上所看和所读到的
• 在一定程度上审查是必须的
• 我们应该使用审查制度来保护孩子远离暴力图片
• 一些电脑游戏涉及杀人和犯罪
• 网络也需要被控制
• 许多网站展示色情和暴力
• 对于网站和电脑游戏应该有年龄限制
• 父母需要负责检查他们孩子观看的内容
• 政府不可能控制我们看的所有东西
• +审查可能阻止艺术创新

公共区域的摄影机

• CCTV 的使用正在变得广泛
• 摄影机被安装在很多公共区域
• 它们应该保护我们和阻止罪犯
• 许多人认为这种监听侵犯了我们的隐私
• 机构用我们的图像和身份证可以构建数据库
• 我们不应该被像罪犯一样对待

智能卡:优点

• 政府很有可能会引入一种数字身份证卡系统
• 智能卡会有好处和缺点
• 他们可以帮助减少犯罪
• 他们可以保存个人信息，如 DNA
• 数字银行卡可以保存指纹信息
• 对罪犯来说会很难使用一张偷来的卡
• 对警察来说识别人们和抓捕罪犯会更加容易
• +make our life easier and more convenient

智能卡:缺点

• 许多人担心失去他们的隐私
• 政府可以储存我们所有的个人的医疗信息
• 这信息可以被保险公司使用
• 雇主可以检查我们的健康记录

残疾人

• 残疾人应该被其它所有人一样对待
• 他们应该有像其他人一样的权利
• 他们应该像其它城市居民有一样的工作机会
• 在许多国家歧视残疾人是非法的
• 轮椅坡道和电梯应该被安装在公共建筑
• 支持老师可以被雇佣去帮助那些学习困难的孩子