Government policy should be directed at addressing the needs of the present.

Government policy should be directed at addressing the needs of the present.

5:00-5:30

Throughout the course of history, humans have had a central form of governance that initiates law and promotes order in society. Without this society will be deep in pandemonium and many problems will arise such as social unrest, riots and in security amongst citizens. The primary goal of every politician is to represent the general public and voice the public’s interests to the legislature for consideration. However, politicians should balance between when government policy should address the needs of the present and when to focus on future planning.

From the past few decades there has been much concern of biological warfare,  reemergence of pandemics and natural disasters of similar magnitude to previous outbreaks. In 2004 and in 2009 the world was faced with the pandemic of avian H5N1 and swine H1N1 flu. Both these viruses took many lives initially because the disease was a mystery but under close inspection by government health officials it was revealed that it resulted from contamination and unhygienic practices in processing factories for meat. In China, where the disease started it was reported that chickens were slaughtered improperly that blood from the chickens were contaminated by feces and transmitted by biological vectors or direct consumption of contaminated meat. Likewise the swine flu started out in pigs and eventually mutated to be transmitted from human to human. In both cases, international governments such as the US, as advised by WHO, took immediate steps to prevent the virulence of the disease by establishing quarantines as well as issuing vaccines to develop immunity in susceptible populations. The US issued a state of emergency and the CDC warned the public of the danger and advised steps to take to prevent transmission. As a result, this is an example where the government directed policy on current issues that needed attention.

On the other hand, there are instance where government policy should be addressing need of the future. Major issues are at stake for the world today such as climate change & alternative energy sources . For instance consider the issue of climate change. Since the start of industrialization in the 1920s, the world has increased in temperature significantly and in most cases is from excessive presence of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere from combustion of fossil fuels. The reliance of fossil fuels is the biggest problem in the modern world today not only for the environmental impact but also for the high cost. Gasoline is an inevitable part of life and in used to fuel our cars, machines and homes. Due to the visible effect of climate change on the receding polar ice caps and harm done to many animal species many countries are taking steps to reduce the carbon footprint. As a result, many nations are slowly encouraging the use of alternate energy sources such as solar, geothermal, wind and hydraulic power. Focusing on these alternative energy sources for the future will prevent future damage to the planet’s livelihood from climate change.

All in all, government policy should find a balance between address the needs of the present and when to focus on future planning. When a country is suffering from a health crisis then immediate action must be take to prevent further casualties. However, if an imminent danger in the future is present such as climate change then steps must be taken strategically and slowly to prevent the problems.