Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 783, Different Political Philosophies.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 783.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
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This episode is a dialogue between Carla and Adam, talking about everyone's favorite subject politics.
Let's get started.
Our government should do more to help people who can't find jobs.
Be careful, you're starting to sound like a socialist.
Haven't you always said that you're a staunch capitalist?
Of course I'm a capitalist, but that doesn't mean I think the government should be completely hands-off.
We pay taxes, and the government has a responsibility to take care of its citizens.
Ooh, now you're sounding like a communist.
Next thing I know, you'll be calling for a revolution.
I'm serious.
I think the government should help people find jobs and pay for their living expenses until they get back on their feet.
Okay, but in a capitalistic society, you're subject to market forces.
If people aren't buying, businesses aren't producing or providing services.
That puts people out of work.
Do you think the government should intervene?
I just think the government should do more, that's all.
Okay, but that would mean higher taxes.
Yes, we should tax the rich.
The more, the better.
Aren't you among the top 10% of income earners?
I mean they should tax the 1%.
Pass the buck, you mean.
No, I mean we need better distribution of wealth.
Are you with me or against me?
That depends on when you're planning to start the revolution, comrade.
Carla begins our dialogue by saying to Adam...
Adam says, A socialist.
A socialist is someone who believes in socialism, the political philosophy that the government should own and run a large number of the businesses in a society, or should basically be in charge of the economy to a greater extent.
A capitalist would be someone who believed that the businesses should be owned by individuals and not be interfered with by the government.
Those of course are very broad differences, but I think you get the idea.
Adam says, haven't you always said that you're a staunch capitalist?
He's asking Carla.
Carla says of course I'm a capitalist, but that doesn't mean I think the government should be completely hands-off.
To be hands-off means not to be involved.
Carla is saying the government should be involved in the economy somehow, in this case to help people who don't have jobs.
Carla says, we pay taxes and the government has a responsibility to take care of its citizens.
Taxes, you probably know, is money that you pay to the government and either when you buy something or when you make money at your job.
Carla says the government has a responsibility to take care of, to watch over its citizens.
Citizens are people who belong to a certain country.
I'm a citizen of the United States.
I have a United States passport.
Well, Adam says, oh, now you're sounding like a communist.
A communist would be a person who believes the government should basically run the entire economy, that everything should be in the hands of the government.
A socialist would not want the government to own all of the means of production.
They would not want the government to control everything.
A communist however, would want the government to be in charge of the entire economy.
Once again, I know that's not a perfect description, but it's the general idea when we're talking about the economic aspects of these different philosophies.
Adam says, next thing I know, you'll be calling for a revolution.
The expression, next thing I know, is used to predict what might happen in the future.
But usually when we say this, you're kind of joking.
You're being sarcastic.
Next thing I know, you'll be calling for a revolution.
Adam doesn't really think Carla will be calling for or asking for or demanding a revolution.
A revolution is when usually, you take over the government in order to change the government, often by using violence.
But Carla doesn't want to joke the way Adam does.
She says, I'm serious.
I think the government should help people find jobs and pay for their.
You are able to pay your own rent and buy your own food.
We use this expression when someone has had some problems, some difficulties.
Maybe they can't afford to buy food or can't pay their rent.
So someone else helps them until they get back on their feet, until they can be independent again.
That could also happen if you are injured physically.
Adam says, okay, but in a capitalistic society, you're subject to market forces.
To be subject to something means to be influenced or controlled by something.
The market refers to people buying and selling things in general.
Market forces would be a general description of the buying and the selling what we would call the laws of supply and demand, where prices are determined by how much people want something and how much of that something there is.
Adams says if people aren't buying, people aren't purchasing, Businesses aren't producing or providing services.
That puts people out of work.
To put someone out of work means to make people lose their job.
To do something that causes people to lose their job.
Adam says, do you think the government should intervene now?
To intervene I-N-T-E-R, V-E-N-E means to become involved in something, usually to try to change that something, to change the results.
So if the government intervenes in the economy, they do something to change the way the economy is working.
Carla says, I just think the government should do more.
That's all.
She doesn't have a specific idea.
She just thinks the government should do something.
Adam says okay, but that would mean higher taxes, meaning if the government got involved, people would have to pay more money to the government.
Carla says, yes.
We should tax the rich.
The more, the better.
We should make rich people pay more money, pay more taxes.
She says, the more, the better, meaning the more money they pay, the better things will be.
Adam says, aren't you among the top 10% of income earners?
Income is money that you receive from either working or from investing your money.
Earners are people who work and get paid for their work.
So it's a little redundant.
You could just say earners, but Adam says income earners.
He's saying that Carla is in the top 10 of people in the country in terms of how much money she makes.
So she's pretty or fairly rich.
Carla says, I mean, the government should tax the 1%.
She's saying no no, they shouldn't tax me, but they should tax people who have more money than I do.
Not the top 10%, but the top 1%.
Adam says, pass the buck, you mean.
The phrase to pass the buck says B-U-C-K means to try to make someone else responsible for your actions, especially if you do something wrong, to try to blame someone else.
Here, I think Adam means more generally to have other people pay for the things that you want.
Carla says no.
I mean we need better distribution of wealth.
To distribute means to give things to different people.
Wealth is in this case money.
So the distribution of wealth is who has the money in a certain society, in a certain country.
There's another expression redistribution of wealth, which means taking money from some people, usually rich people, and giving it to people who have less money.
Carla says, are you with me or against me?
To be with someone here would mean to agree with them, to support their position.
To be against someone would be to disagree.
Carla is asking whether Adam agrees or disagrees with her, whether Adam will support her or not.
Are you with me or against me?
Adam, again making a joke, says that depends on when you're planning to start the revolution, comrade.
Comrade, C-O-M-R-A-D-E, means friend.
But it was used traditionally to talk to fellow citizens in a communist country, in a communist society.
So once again, Adam is saying that Carla is like a communist, because she wants the government to raise taxes on the rich to help the poor.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Be careful.
You're starting to sound like a socialist.
Haven't you always said that you're a staunch capitalist?
Of course I'm a capitalist, but that doesn't mean I think the government should be completely hands-off.
We pay taxes, and the government has a responsibility to take care of its citizens.
Ooh, now you're sounding like a communist.
Next thing I know, you'll be calling for a revolution.
I'm serious.
I think the government should help people find jobs and pay for their living expenses until they get back on their feet.
Okay, but in a capitalistic society, you're subject to market forces.
If people aren't buying, businesses aren't producing or providing services.
That puts people out of work.
Do you think the government should intervene?
I just think the government should do more, that's all.
Okay, but that would mean higher taxes.
Yes, we should tax the rich.
The more, the better.
Aren't you among the top 10% of income earners?
I mean, they should tax the 1%.
Pass the buck, do you mean?
No, I mean we need better distribution of wealth.
Are you with me or against me?
That depends on when you're planning to start the revolution, comrade.
If you ask me if I'm with our scriptwriter or against her, I would definitely say I'm with her.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2012 by the Center for Educational Development.
