Ownership Society
The Ownership Society means controlling your own affairs through ownership. When you control your own affairs (instead of government or someone else) you become a better person: you’re more responsible, you have greater choices in life, you become empowered, and a vitality is created not only in yourself but in your family and, by extension, society as well.
President Bush and the Ownership Society
The Ownership Society is a concept promoted by President Bush:
"...if you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country. The more ownership there is in America, the more vitality there is in America, and the more people have a vital stake in the future of this country."
The Challenge: America's Changing Society
"Life in America is changing dramatically, and President Bush believes that the Federal government should change too to help meet the challenges of our times. American families should have choices and access they need to affordable health care and homeownership; Americans should have the option of managing their own retirement; and small businesses, which employ over half of all workers, need lower taxes and fewer government mandates so they can grow."
" 'The idea is to control your affairs through ownership, starting with homeownership and running to health care and retirement,' says Dan Bartlett, White House communications director. 'The question is: Do I trust myself more, or the government more?' "
The dynamics of ownership
When you own something a relationship develops between you and the thing you own. You develop a stake in that thing, you become invested in it.
And that investment you have sparks a vitality in you as the owner. This vitality is a quality that would probably not be present if you didn’t own it. You become more responsible and accountable for that which you own and you work harder to maintain its value.
For example, if you own your own home, you’re more likely to work harder, be more responsible, and do those things that ensure you maintain your investment.
Ownership society versus Entitlement societyWith ownership, there is a shift of funds from government to the individual. An example is retirement accounts: if the emphasis is on enabling individuals to invest in and run their own retirement accounts, it will be less likely that they will have to rely upon government to provide income during retirement years.
Four cornerstones
Ownership is emphasized by President Bush in the following four areas:
Home ownership;
Retirement;
Health Care;
Small Business (by lowering taxes).
Choice and empowerment
Ownership gives greater choice which provides greater freedom. When there is greater freedom, you are empowered to do more than you would otherwise be able to do.
Self-reliance
Stock market ownership lessens the possibility that retirees will have to rely upon government in their old age. This is particularly important for lower-income and lower net-worth demographic groups who will be more likely to put funds into retirement plans such as Roth IRAs, traditional IRAs and health account savings plans if LottoStocks is available to them.
Lottery terminals: Portals for the Ownership SocietyThere are over 184,000 lottery retailers (of which over 133,000 have terminals) in the United States in which 87% of the population has access to within a five minute drive. Let those terminals be conduits -- entry points -- for the Ownership Society. Let’s transform these machines of misery into portals of positivism.