Trade-Offs: Helping Out (1978)

What should we do when the actions of some people are helpful to others who are not directly involved? Watch for ways of increasing these indirect benefits. The Canadian Foundation for Economic Education and the Joint Council on Economic Education present Tradeoffs. [music] [music] >> [music] >> You will never see this man. Neither will a girl named Sarah Hamley. But they will soon meet indirectly through his dog named Shogun. Watch to see how Sarah is affected by the actions of a man she never sees. [music] Sarah again. Sarah, >> I found you, Sarah. Come on down. It's still up there. >> It's hard. >> Gosh. Are you okay? >> Yeah. Hey, why don't you go hide now? Okay. >> All right. >> What is it, Sarah? >> Could be anything. Growl, deer, bear, snake. No. Look. Oh, the push thing. I'm going to try and get it off. >> No, don't. Sarah >> Louise, >> did you read this garbage about the new taxes considered by the town council? >> I saw the article that said you were the only council member to vote against funding free life-saving classes. >> Of course, I voted against it. Why should the town provide free life-saving classes? People want lessons, they should pay for them. I got elected to the council to save taxpayers money, not spend more of it. >> Martin, the community provides schools free. Why not provide other kinds of education, too? >> I'm not against education, Louise, but you got to draw the line somewhere. >> The government's not Santa Claus. And hello, >> that you Martin, this is Angus B. >> Hey, Sheriff. Good to hear from you. I got a little bad news for you, Martin. I got your daughter here at the county hospital. She was just bitten by a stray dog a few. >> Bitten? How bad? How is she? Well, what happened? >> Oh, no cause to worry, Martin. Sarah's okay. The doc says a few stitches and she'll be all right. Uh, but the bites on the wrist, and we're worried about rabies. >> What is What happened? >> Sarah was bitten by a stray dog. She's okay, but they're worried about rabies. Pick up the extension. >> Rabies? The dogs can't get licensed around here without rabies shots. >> It's a stray dog, Martin. No license tag. And it's gone. >> We'll be right down, Angus. How do we find you? >> Emergency room. Ask for me or Dr. Abs. >> Right. We'll see you shortly. So there I was cruising up there near Ca Woods. >> That's where I live down in the woods. >> And out of the woods hopped these two little scared rabbits. Served with one sock off holding it to a wrist. So I picked him up and here we are. >> But we got a serious problem here, Sheriff. >> We may if we can't find the dog within 24 hours and make sure he's had rabies shots. With a bite like this, we simply cannot take chances. >> And I'll have to have 23 shots. But a dog can't get licensed in this state without proof of a rabies vaccination. How'd this happen, Sheriff? >> A stray dog running around without tags. You can't assume anything, Martin. As long as folks have to shell out their own money for shots, there'll be a lot of people who will find a way not to do it. >> They don't even do it here where foxes are likely to have rabies. >> Please, Daddy, let's find the dog. I don't want to have 23 shots. >> We'll try, baby. You sure it's safe to wait 24 hours for the shots, doctor? Oh, yes, Sheriff. If we can find the dog, we may well avoid the shots. If we can't, we won't know whether the dog has been vaccinated. >> Then, sir, I'll have to get the shots. >> Absolutely. >> All right, let's get going. I've already ordered a search. >> He was a big dog. He seemed young. He was all red and shaggy and uh he was limping because of the trap on his car. >> All right, let's go. If you found the dog or any information about him, call my deputy. He can get me by radio. >> [music] >> See the big red dog. Look. [music] >> No. See the big red dog? Yeah. [laughter] >> Hey, man. We were looking for a big red dog. Been biting kids in this area. You see any dogs around here? >> [music] [music] >> Bulletin. Police are looking for a dog that bit a Green Hills girl early this morning. It is unknown at this time whether the dog has been vaccinated for rabies. Please call the sheriff's office if you have seen an animal of the following description. A large red dog, an Irish Setter or Irish Setter type wearing no tags. The dog bit the girl in Carver's Woods near County Road 220. The dog may be limping from an injury to its right front paw causing. >> You seen Blaze? >> Not since this morning. >> He's all right. No doubt he's just running rabbits in his new woods. >> Yeah. >> What? >> You know the name of those woods? >> Uh, no. Why? >> How about the number of the road after ours? The one down there? >> Uh, 220. Took it by mistake first time I drove down to see the place. >> Has Blae had baby shots? >> Has what? What is wrong with you? >> Just tell me. Has he had baby shots? >> I can't remember. The guy who gave them to us said something about shots. >> Jeff, I think Blade may have bitten a little girl. What are you talking about? Bla1 is not a biting dog. I >> just heard on the radio red setter with no tags bit a girl near Route 220 in Carver's Wood. >> Are those Carver's wood? >> You're serious? >> I'm going to call the >> Called it. You're going to get my dog killed for no reason. Besides, we don't have a phone. Remember? >> It's not encouraging. >> But then people hardly have time to get home and hear the radio bulletin. Describe the door to me again, sir. >> It's all red. >> You sure it was a he? >> No. >> But show me with your hands how big he was. >> About that tall. >> Right. >> Sheriff, >> I think we have the dog that bit the hand girl. An owner called in from near Carver's Woods. A couple just moving into an old cabin out there. >> Great. Did the dog have shots? >> They don't know. Just got them. They're looking for papers now. They're still all in packing boxes. >> Uh, give me their phone number. >> No phone. >> No phone. >> It's just no sir. >> Did you tell them to stay there? >> Uh, yes, sir. They're expecting you here. >> I'll call Dr. Evans. You let me know as soon as you hear anything. [music] airport. [music] He Hi. >> Hi. >> He's locked in the bedroom. >> I'll get him. >> Hi. I'm sure hoping it wasn't our dog that bit you. He sure doesn't seem like a biting dog, Sheriff. His papers are somewhere in his mess. I'll see if I can find him. >> That's him. I sure am. >> Look, he's even limping. See where the crap cut his paw? >> That dog shouldn't have been running loose. It's irresponsible. And it's irresponsible not to know if your own dogs had ravy shots. Why didn't you take him to the vet yourself? >> Everybody's dog runs loose out here in farm country. And this dog wouldn't have bit your girl if she hadn't tried to take that trap off him. >> Right, Daddy. But how come you didn't get him a shot? Now I might have to have 23. >> That's cost too much money, man. We're just barely getting along. Look. I think this is what the man gave us. >> Nothing. >> Tells how old he is and where he was born and who his fancy mother is. >> Can't you do something about this, Sheriff? >> Calm down, Martin. Calm down. >> Where'd you get the dog? >> A man gave him to me in the country store in East. >> When? >> About two weeks ago. >> Why? >> He was leaving town and he couldn't take him with him. >> What'd he tell you about him? >> He said he's gentle. about um 3 years old, been running loose on a farm since he was born. Like >> shots? What did he say about shots? >> Like I told you, I think he said something about >> to keep his child from 23 painful days of shots. How would you like to have 23 shots in your stomach? >> Stomach? Nobody told me I'd get the shots in the stomach. >> All right, calm down. What was the name of the man who gave you the dog? >> Good. >> No, Jeff, not good. Good fellow. >> Wrong. Not good fellow. Um Goodman. It was good something, Sheriff. >> Good nothing. All right, I'll be right back control. This is car one. >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Uh, Jim, I got an idea. Contact the county records office in East. Find out if somebody named uh Goodman. >> Why'd you do such a dumb thing, jerk? >> Good anything. Had a dog vaccinated in the past two years. >> Uh yeah, I don't know, Sheriff. Might take some doing it. Sunday, uh county office will be closed. >> Do it, Jim. I'll give you an hour. Are we going back to the hamlas and get this little girl some rest? >> Oh, we'll do. All right. Why don't you follow me with the dog? I'm taking them in for observation. [music] >> I'm going to call Angus. >> He said he'd call Martin as soon as he heard anything. >> He should have gone to East himself, but only 30 miles. The deputy's been in East all day at the man's house. Well, it's nobody's fault the one man in town who had a key to the files went hunting for the weekend. >> Whose fault is it that that stray dog was running loose anyway? And how do we know the same kind of thing won't happen again tomorrow? >> Sounds like something the town council should think about. >> We'll pass a stronger law. If people don't take their dogs to the vet for a rabies vaccination, we'll pick up the dogs and throw them into pound. >> Pardon? And then what would you do? I'll vaccinate the dogs, charge the owners for it, and then add a nice stiff fine boot. >> Daddy, that's awful mean. Couldn't you just run notices in the paper asking people to get their dogs vaccinated? >> That's like doing nothing. Well, look at what happened to you. That young couple, nice enough, well-meaning folks, maybe. But you heard what they said about not having enough money to go to the vet. You think if they just read a notice in the paper that they'd rush out and spend money on that dog? Shoot. Daddy, what time is it? >> It's 11:00. The sheriff doesn't call soon, I'm going to go over to East myself and track down that records clerk. [music] >> We've got till morning before Dr. Evans wants to start Sarah's shots. We'll know something before then. >> 23 [music] shots. >> Hello. >> Good news, Martin. The dog had the shot 3 months ago. >> Fantastic. You're sure he's had the shots? >> Sure enough for Dr. Evans? >> Oh, that's great, Angus. >> Shot in the summer. >> Yeah, Angus. Well, we got to do something about this whole situation. >> Thanks again, Anger. We're all grateful for what you did today. >> Just doing my job, Mom. >> Okay. Well, goodbye. Thanks again, Angus. >> Martin, that's wonderful. >> But it's not wonderful enough. >> Why, Daddy? I don't have to have the shots, do I? >> You don't, baby. But somebody else won't be so lucky. We got to get every dog in this county vaccinated. Every dog. Even if it does take free shots. >> You're going to suggest something free, Martin. >> Well, we got to do something. >> Well, not now. The town council is not meeting tonight. Now you take that child on off to bed. It's been a long day. >> I don't want to go to bed. I'm hungry. >> You see, Louise, sometimes you have to do something special to get people to do what you want them to. >> Unless the people in charge take some kind of special action. >> Yeah, right. Like if you wanted ME TO GO TO BED, YOU'D OFFER ME A HOT FUDGE SUNDAE. MR. Goodbody paid to have Shogun vaccinated. This benefited others, including Sarah Hamley, who were not directly involved. If others also benefited, should dog owners pay the full cost of vaccination? If all dogs are not vaccinated, people can be harmed. How can we be sure that all dogs are vaccinated? This is a problem. What are some alternatives for solving this problem? Should owners who do not pay to have their dogs vaccinated be fined? This is the fine owners alternative. Should tax money be used to help pay for the shots? This is the subsidy alternative or should dog owners be encouraged to have their dogs vaccinated, leaving it up to them to pay for the shots? This is the encouragement alternative. Are there other alternatives? The alternative that you choose depends on your criteria. The things that are the most important to you. What are some criteria that might be used to evaluate these alternatives? Owner's freedom. Owner's responsibility. who benefits. If you think that owner's freedom is the most important criterion, you would choose the encouragement alternative. If you think that owner's responsibility is the most important criterion, you would choose the fine owners alternative. If you think that all who might benefit should help pay to ensure that all dogs are vaccinated, you would choose the subsidy alternative. Which alternative would you choose? [music] The content of trade-offs was developed entirely with funds from a consortium of 46 state and provincial education agencies. Other funds for tradeoffs were provided by these foundations and corporations. This program was produced by EFC, Educational Film Center, Northern Virginia Educational Telecommunications Association. Animated segments produced by Goldshaw and Associates under the supervision of AIT, the Agency for Instructional Television.