U.S. Political System Overview

Technological advancements can lead to increased healthcare services demand, even when unnecessary.

Competing healthcare providers often duplicate services, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.

Individuals sometimes pay out-of-pocket for healthcare due to high service costs in the U.S.

Most U.S. citizens receive health insurance through employers, often managed by HMOs.

Programs like Medicare and Medicaid ensure healthcare access for seniors and low-income groups, funded by taxes.

The VA provides direct healthcare services for military veterans, a fully government-run system.

Patients may overuse medical services when costs are covered by insurance, increasing overall expenses.

Critics argue universal healthcare can result in long waits for non-urgent procedures.

Injustice is acceptable if competition rules are fair for all.

Everyone deserves sufficient resources for a dignified life.

Inequality motivates hard work, benefiting all economically.

Middle class creates barriers limiting access to jobs.

Capitalist class division: conflict between owners and workers.

Inadequate job creation leads to societal exclusion.

Educational shortcomings among the poor contribute to inequality.

Underlying societal structures create and perpetuate poverty.

Core values supporting citizen participation, rights, and freedoms in governance.

Principle that everyone is subject to the law, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Systems in place to prevent abuse of power by dividing responsibilities among branches.

Political system dominated by two major parties, often marginalizing smaller parties.

Sharing of power between national and state governments, allowing localized governance.

Citizen-led movements driving change from the bottom up, such as civil rights efforts.

Ownership of multiple media outlets by a few corporations, affecting information diversity.

The U.S. has the highest military expenditure globally, impacting resource allocation.

Consumerism causes environmental degradation and resource depletion.

Cycle of earning more to spend on more, reducing leisure time.

Buying to compare with others, leading to anxiety and dissatisfaction.

Capitalism promotes consumption to drive profits, often harming sustainability.

Marketing shapes societal values and consumption norms.

Children pressing parents to buy products seen in advertisements.

Enable instant purchases, often creating debt and financial burdens.

Buying goods on impulse, often encouraged by advertisements.

Children are seen as emotionally valuable rather than economically valuable, with no cash nexus.

A legal battle in the 1980s over a surrogate child, highlighting issues of ownership and emotional connection.

Children born to provide organs for ill siblings, raising ethical concerns about their treatment and purpose.

Distinguishing between market money and special money, with the latter symbolizing emotions such as love and sympathy.

Financial allowance given to housewives by husbands, symbolizing control and limited autonomy.

The practice of financially exploiting children, treating them as commodities for the benefit of adults.

Children viewed as priceless emotionally, despite having no market value, highlighting societal contradictions.

The psychological concept of categorizing money differently based on its source or intended use.

A bribe is disguised as a donation through different naming conventions.

Intimate relationships and economic activities often intertwine without necessarily corrupting each other.

Compensation for lives lost varies based on factors like economic status and profession.

Higher payouts are often given to high-income professionals than to low-income individuals for loss of life.

Calculates a person’s economic value based on past and future contributions.

A method to assess non-economic damages in wrongful death cases, emphasizing emotional loss.

Includes military spending and loss of lives, along with emotional costs.

Determined by legal frameworks and societal values, leading to compensation discrepancies.