The aim of any government is to provide programs, policies, and services that benefit the quality of life of citizens. In our modern democracy it is increasingly difficult to resolve many of our current troubles (poverty, drug abuse, violence, etc.) because of the nature of our government and society. With a limited amount of resources, policymakers are placed in the position of funding some programs and policies at the expense of and instead of others. From constituents to PAC, politicians face pressure to enact policies and programs that please the most numbers of people or the most numbers of influential ones. Such a dilemma presents a ôtroubled societyö that continues to enact policies and programs that leave many groups and their needs disenfranchised. One theory that perfectly explains the inability of government to cure our present social ills is the conflict perspective of society. In Chapter One, the conflict perspective is defined as one that ôViews society as marked by conflicts due to inequalities in class, race, ethnicity, gender, age, and other divisions that produce conflicting valuesö (200X, 7).
The conflict perspective views a social problem as something that does not conform to the predominant values of society. However, in a society marked by inequalities in class, race, and other divisions, this means that the values of many subgroups in society are not considered in determining resource allocation. Only legislation can modify policy and programs for those groups who suffer most in U.S. society. Typically such groups do not have the influence, experience, or resources to foster success in the legislative process. Chapter One discusses the factors necessary for success, but few marginalized groups have the power to acquire them. Further, since the predominant social values of the wealthiest, whitest, and most influential persons dictate or heavily influence government policy, it is the values of t...