Blog #11

Ola Omar
                                                                      Blog #11
        The quote that I have selected for reflection #11 is from The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups by Mancur Olson. The quote that I have selected is "and once created they tend to play a crucial role." (Olson, p. 53).
        Olson wrote this quote when he was talking about how organizations create so many groups, committees, and leadership positions. Once these groups are created, they have the ability to make an essential and positive impact in our society. Take in interest groups for example, Interest groups play a crucial role in government policy by influencing public policy. Interest groups even influence legislative and executive actions that are taken by the government on certain issues. Examples of interest groups can be the NAACP or the AFL-CIO which represents labor unions. The NAACP played a crucial role in society because it helped colored people and the labor unions need people who will stand by them to take sure that they get wages that they can live off of, so the AFL-CIO helps the working class people make sure that the government is not taking advantage of them.
        I chose this quote because I agree that interests groups can play a crucial role in the government's decisions. For example, interests groups influence government policy by forming alliances, forming boycotts, and economically stable interest groups threaten to leave if they do not have a policy that they want that is not being reinforced. Do you think that the government or congress will want well funded and well networking interests groups to leave or not vote for them? I did not think so either. Also, if the interest groups get the government to pass the policies that they want, this can help the middle class and especially the poor classes of people get better opportunities and interest groups can help create equality. For example, when the interest groups opposed the increase in tax for the rich, they threatened to vote for another candidate. I know that rich people have money, but they have families to feed too and if they do not take good care of their money, it can be gone tomorrow. Therefore, putting an increase on tax for the rich is unfair. I think that interest groups need to stay because they can prevent elite groups from having too much power over U.S citizens.