Defining an Ownership Society - Essay Example

Benefits to the national economy are both direct and indirect. The burden on the economy is reduced by transferring investment related to the development of property from the state to the individual whereas indirect effects are connected to improvements in the maintenance of properties and the development of more responsible citizens. The author also adds that increase in private ownership is certain to boost the economic market as well. Individual benefits are also numerous. In addition to a significant reduction in the amount of taxes paid to the government, the individual benefits are mainly concerned with freedom and democracy.

The citizens are able to decide which schools to enroll their children in, plan their own retirement funds and medical plans and become more responsible. These effects are due to an increased availability of investment for the individual and an increased say in the decisions of the government. Since this model furthers a capitalistic form of governance and has implications on subjects such as democracy, etc, it is extremely significant. Evidence used by the Author Since the author bases his argument on a number of advantages offered by the proposed model, he uses a number of examples as well.

The case of Britain during the rule of Margaret Thatcher is cited, when nearly 1.5 million public housing units were converted into private homes, to demonstrate the feasibility of the plan on a large scale. Other intangible benefits envisioned by the British administration are also stated. In addition, in order to emphasize the personal benefits, tax calculations on the average American income is carried out to reveal the significant amount of savings which can be used to invest in various avenues.

The ripple effect of such investment on the economy is also noted. The degree of increased freedom with respect to education, advances in society with respect to responsibility and even benefits to the environment is observed. To illustrate this, the case of Eastern European economies, where the social culture is somewhat similar to the western countries, is taken into account. Therefore, a number of illustrations are used by the author to support his point of view (Yagelski et al., 2011, p263-267).

Effectiveness of the Essay The essay deals with a very controversial topic which has a number of implications on various subjects. Moreover, the viewpoint of the author is such that it is a deviation from the traditional one which emphasizes socialism and government control for subjects such as health care, etc. However, the author is able to reveal a number of benefits for both the individual as well as for the society through ownership society. The most appealing benefit concerning the model of the author is with respect to democracy and freedom of choice.

Despite the effectiveness of the current social model on the subjects of health care, education, etc, the limitation associated with it is lack of choice. Through the model of the author, citizens are able to decide their own health care plan, schools in which to study and financially plan for their own future which unquestionably has an impact on responsibility and leads to a better society. In other words, such a model is closer to a true form of democracy in which people have a greater say in the decision –