Congress_in_crisis Essays - Newt Gingrich, , Term Papers

Congress_in_crisis The United States Congress is not in any crisis from a lack of power, and indeed since the deteriorating power of the presidency has prevented ?imperial Presidents', Congress has made Presidents seem less ?imperial' than ?impotent'. To assess the power and effectiveness of Congress, one must look at the four major roles that Congress plays in the United States. Although inevitably checked and balanced, there is no question of the founding fathers intent, when framing the constitution, they had aimed to enumerate the powers of Congress so as to create a dominant branch of government. The United States, similar to Britain is a representative democracy, ergo the name of the Lower House in Congress; the House of Representatives with its four-hundred and thirty-five members based on state delegations, dependant on the population of the represented state. Much like constituency MP's in Britain each member of Congress represents a certain district of a state. The power of the House of Representatives is limited due to ?a habitual recollection of their dependence on the people?. Representatives are elected every two years, as this term is so short a Congressman can not risk perusing or pressuring for unfavourable legislation or engaging in sleaze, as his or her electors will be unforgiving at time of his election. For example, the scandals concerning Newt Gingrich in the early 1990's led to electoral dissatisfaction, including, by 1995, twenty-three states approving limits for the terms of their Senators and Congressmen. The dependence of Senators on their electorate, a lthough restrictive, is not as overbearing as for Congressmen, as being the more prestigious house they have terms of six years, allowing Senators to attempt more long-term legislative goals, which may not be favourable early on but justifiable in their ends. This dependence on the electorate causes members of Congress to rely heavily on the views of their constituents to formulate their own opinion for voting in the house, this factor leads to a ninety percent level of incumbents being re-elected, and spawns the phrase, ?love your Congressman, hate Congress?. This quote indicates the general feeling of the United States public about their Congress, and exemplifies how Congress fulfils its role as to represent the people, they believe that individually they are represented well, but on a larger scale they are not. The public may view Congress as inadequate, and may believe that Congress is failing the nation, for a number of reasons, including ?policy gridlock' all to frequent an oc currence in modern American politics. An occurrence stemming from the ease with which Congress can block presidential policy initiatives and the difficulty it has in assuming political and policy leadership. Until recently it has been practically impossible for Congress to be pro-active with a view to initiating policy, until the House of Representatives, 104th Congress, under the leadership of Newt Gingrich attempted to reassert leadership with a policy agenda ?Contract With America?. This initiative showed that is has now become possible for Congressmen and Senators to seize political leadership, and allowed policy agenda control to shift between the presidency and the House of Representatives. Congress has both a population determined representatives, as according to the original Virginia Plan of 1783, and an equally representative Upper House as decided with the Connecticut Compromise, to please smaller and previously less represented states. The composition of Congress being such permits legitimation, by means of a public mandate, as is the case in most representative democracies, this mandate allows Congress to be the law-making body of the American government. Due to the electorates officially chosen representatives making law, the public gives indirect consent for the laws and therefore is governed by them. Since the dawn of this era of modern politics, in most representative democracies, the executive branch of government has become increasingly dominant, concerning itself with initiating as well as implementing policy. Due to the increased involvement of the executive in all areas of society it has been left to the legislature and in this case Congress to act as scrutiniser to this branch of government. Many of the powers enumerated for Congress give them the power to check and balance the President, for example Congress have the power of ratification and approval of Presidential initiated treaties

Review of Transformation of War by Martin Van Creveld

Review of Transformation of War by Martin Van Creveld Free Online Research Papers For around 200 years conventional armies and military professionals have been basing their doctrine of warfighting on the theories and writings of von Clausewitz in his book On War. In The Transformation of War, Van Creveld goes to great lengths, citing many historical events, to prove that doctrine based on what he calls the â€Å"Clausewitzian Universe† is incorrect and obsolete, especially when used to deal with the realm of Low Intensity Conflict prevalent in the world today. Van Creveld’s purpose is â€Å"to address some of the most fundamental problems presented by war in all ages: by whom it is fought, what is all about, how it is fought, what it is fought for, and why it is fought.† Martin van Creveld (born 1946) is an Israeli military historian and theorist. He was born in the Netherlands but has lived in Israel for most of his life. He holds degrees from the London School of Economics and The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he has been on the faculty since 1971. He is the author of fifteen books on military history and strategy, of which Command in War (1985), Supplying War (1977, 2nd edition 2004), and The Sword and the Olive (1998) are among the best known. He has lectured or taught at virtually every strategic institute, military or civilian, in the Western world, including the U.S. Naval War College, most recently in December, 1999 and January, 2000 (Wikipedia, 2006). Van Creveld begins The Transformation of War by roughly defining contemporary war and the uselessness of deterrence policies, based on nuclear and high-tech weapons, aimed at states (countries) that don’t have such capabilities. Written in 1991, he continues by illustrating the prevailing trend toward Low Intensity Conflicts, opposed to conventional wars, since World War II with exception of the limited conflict during the Gulf War. Van Creveld’s view is that with the propensity toward Low Intensity Conflict, Clausewitz’s theories being inadequate to cope, and conventional armies being inflexible to adapt, completely new strategies need to be implemented toward the Clausewitz Trinity (Army, State, and People). He goes so far to suggest that all Conventional Standing Armies be dissolved and reorganized as unconventional forces to deal with the prevailing type of conflict. Van Creveld’s position that doctrine, based on Clausewitz, is outdated is absolutely accurate although; current should not be totally discounted but drastically modified and adapted to meet the ever changing dynamic of Low Intensity Conflict. The notion that standing conventional armies be completely dissolved is flawed; there is still a great need for these armies, for example Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime and the recent invasion of Iraq. After the initial phases of these two operations conventional standing armies were needed to establish security around the remaining infrastructure in the midst of the power vacuums that materialized. Standing armies still play an important role in national defense and with a little molding may fit into new doctrine developed for Low Intensity Conflict. Another possible course of action, using van Creveld’s theories, would be to bifurcate the military. One branch developed to deal with conventional conflicts and one to deal with low intensity conflicts. Any military professional desiring to explore alternative views of modern doctrine that are based on Clausewitz and those stagnated in a conventional mindset, namely leaders at operational and strategic levels, will greatly benefit from reading Martin van Creveld’s The Transformation of War. Research Papers on Review of "Transformation of War" by Martin Van CreveldUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andOpen Architechture a white paperQuebec and CanadaEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenThe Project Managment Office SystemAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Canaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductTrailblazing by Eric Anderson

Math Problems Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Math Problems - Speech or Presentation Example Dividends have grown at the rate of 4.8% per year and are expected to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. What is Crypton’s cost of capital where the firm’s tax rate is 30%. Q. 3: as a member of Financial Department Ranch Manufacturing, your supervisor has asked you to compute the appropriate discount rate to use when evaluating the purchase of new packing equipment for the plant. Under the assumption that the firm’s present capital structure reflects the appropriate mix of capital sources for the firm, you have determined the market value of the firm’s capital structure as follows. To finance the purchase, Ranch manufacturing will sell 10-year bonds paying 6.6% per year at the market price of $1,028. Preferred stock paying a $2.05 dividend can be sold for $25.01. Common stock for Ranch Manufacturing is currently selling for $54.41 per share and the firm paid a 3.08 dividend last year. Dividends are expected to continue growing at a rate of 3.5% per year into the indefinite future. If the firm’s tax rate is 30%, what discount should you use to evaluate the equipment

From relative isolation to international role Essay

From relative isolation to international role - Essay Example The term ‘Imperialism’ is normally used when a nation enters into another geographical territory and captures its governance, with the intention to dominate it and also to tap from it. The late 19th – early 20th century was characterized by the spread of imperialism in the world. The US incorporated imperialism in its foreign policies to expand its political and economic influences. They did that through its involvement in the World Wars and also through other initiatives in the first half of the 20th century. This wish of US to play a prominent international role continued primarily after 1950’s, with its confrontation with Soviet Union through Cold War, Cuban Missile crisis, Vietnam War, Afghan War and with its involvement in the Middle-East, etc, etc. Importantly because of those actions, its role in the international affairs got strengthened and so US continues to play a major International role. Naturally, in such a situation the countries against whom those imperialistic policies were followed were affected and importantly even the American citizens were also affected because of US’ international role. The wish to expand the borders through imperialism rose in the minds of the US mainly to keep the country in top ranks. It all started with its indirect confrontation with Spain in foreign territories like Philippines in the late part of 19th century. That is, with many European countries particularly Britain, Spain, Netherlands, France, etc., expanding their influence throughout the world through their imperialist policies, America not to be left behind started exhibiting imperialistic policies to garner many territories. However, America did not engage in any confrontation with imperialistic mindset against the British, but they did engage against Spain. The Spanish–American War happened mainly because of American involvement in the Cuban War of Independence, and

Nonmaleficence & Healthcare cost Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nonmaleficence & Healthcare cost - Essay Example The principle of beneficence is basically about acting for the benefit of the patient – that all actions are geared towards ensuring one’s actions would be for the good of the patient. This principle is very much related to that of nonmaleficence which basically mandates that no harm must not intentionally or non-intentionally be visited upon the patient by the health professional’s actions. Finally, the principle of justice is about giving a person his due and what he is entitled to. These principles form the foundation of all health care decisions. For health professionals making decisions about a patient’s care, these principles help guide the healthcare practice towards morally and ethically prudent decisions. In the current era of economic recession which is also causing multiple budget cuts, the imposed health budget cuts seem to be coming under scrutiny for their negative implications to the delivery of health services. The principle of nonmaleficen ce is being considered as a primary consideration in scrutinizing the imposition of health care budget cuts. In effect, the application of health budget cuts contradicts the principle of non-maleficence. This paper shall consider such thesis, discussing both sides of the statement in the hope of eventually establishing a scholarly and comprehensive understanding and resolution of the issue. Discussion Since the beginning of the economic recession period, government spending in almost all sectors of social service has taken on budget cut considerations. These budget cuts have reduced funding for some health care services, and in some areas of health service, have led to total elimination of monetary support. Forms of rationing and rationalization in health care spending have also been implemented. These forms of budget cuts and limitations however have resulted to sacrifices in health care spending – some of these sacrifices have impacted on the quality and quantity of care ma de available to the general population. In considering the principle of nonmaleficence and its application to the reduction of health care spending, two sides of this issue are apparent. In one side, nonmaleficence clearly portrays how budget cuts cause both direct and indirect harm to patients. On the other side, it may be argued that these budget cuts do not cause the patient much harm; instead they make the redistribution of limited resources possible. The discussion below shall review both sides of this issue. Budget cuts cause direct and indirect harm to patients Budget cuts cause both direct and indirect harm to patients. Health care leaders point out that health budget cuts potentially endanger patients (Grant, 2011). With higher health premiums, higher co-pays, as well as deductibles, more people seem to be doing away with preventive care. Patients entering hospitals seem to sicker and harder to care for because they often wait for the last possible moment to seek medical ca re. By the time they seek medical care, their illness has already progressed into less manageable stages of care (Grant, 2011). Imposing budget cuts in the health care practice have also come to mean less nurses hired to care for patients. In effect, fewer nurses are available to care for patients who are hardly reduced in number (Grant, 2011). In considering budgets, numbers are always involved. For those who control the budget, numbers often rule their mind and their decisions. In

The Lilly Ledbetter Act Sociology Essay

The Lilly Ledbetter Act Sociology Essay In January 2009, President Obama signaled his commitment to improving the lives of working women with the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. By signing this act into law, President Obama signed a significant shift in the view of American polity toward the status of women in the workplace. While this change is significant in the upward mobility of women, only a small portion of women in the workforce will benefit from this new law. Introduction Many explanations have been offered by scholars for gender-wage disparity. Pay disparities have often been attributed to the segregation of women in certain female-dominated occupations, disparities in professional skills, education, and experience, and differences in family status, as well as the role of industry and wage structure. What that said, evidence still suggests that at least part of this gender pay gap is due to discrimination which may be subtle and even unconscious. While the pay disparity exists in nearly every traditional field, jobs associated with male roles continue to be better paid than jobs associated with roles that are considered traditionally female even though these jobs may often require the same skill level. Women dominate jobs in nursing, home health assistance, child care, teaching, cleaning, and food preparation; most of which replace things that women historically have performed in the home for free. While women are making strides in our white collar s ections of our economy, working-class America has not yet benefited from this economic and cultural power shift. Jobs held mainly by women are paid at rates that on average are 20% less than those equivalent jobs held mainly by men. Improvements in pay for women have been related to a greater presence of women in the labor force, rising educational attainment, and the movement into professional and managerial jobs, but there still continues to be an unexplained gender pay gap against women. Today, women with the same amount of education and experience earn 81 percent of what men do; although, this is better than the 60 percent they earned in 1980. This pay gap has persisted and remained relatively consistent for the past 2 decades. Historical Relevance Social Welfare Policies Recent research indicates women now make up almost half of the American work force and earn 60% of college degrees in America. Empowerment alone is not entirely responsible for this revolution. Politics has played a big role in the movement of women into the work force. A number of policies in the 1960s seemingly targeted gender discrimination in the labor market. Legislative efforts that have attempted to address this problem include the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and subsequent amendments, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Acts of 2009 and 2012. These changes along with the rise of the service sector and the decline in manufacturing have supported and encouraged the entrance of women into the American workforce, but progress has not been uniform as seen in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). The Equal Pay Act On June 10, 1963, the Equal Pay Act (EPA) was passed by Congress dictating that women and men must receive equal pay for equal work on the recommendation of President John F. Kennedys Commission on the Status of Women. Under the mindset that men were the heads of households and therefore where the primary income producer in families, women had previously been paid less when employed in identical jobs. Regardless of the fact that in many homes women were considered the breadwinners for reasons ranging from death or disability of a spouse, divorce, and/or single parenthood. The EPA prohibits gender-based pay discrimination among employees within the same work place who do substantially equal work. Although gender can no longer be viewed as a drawback, demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, and/or other considerations might merit different pay can be used if proven. The statute of limitations for filing a suit is 2 or 3 three years, depending on w hether the discriminatory act is intentional. In order to recover under the act, a woman must prove that an employer paid higher wages to men, male and female employees conduct an equal amount of work that requires equal skill, effort, and responsibility, and men and women performed the work under similar working conditions. The act establishes four main defenses for employers. An employer may pay a male employee more than a female employee if the employer can establish that payment is based upon a seniority system, a merit system, a system whereby earnings are based upon the quantity and quality of production by the employees, or a differential based upon any other factor other than the sex of the employees. While the first three of these defenses have been the subjects of litigation, the fourth exception if often litigated more frequently. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is considered our nations benchmark legislation. Signed into law on July 2, 1964, the Civil Rights Act paved the way for future anti-discrimination legislation and President Lyndon Johnson asserted his commitment to President Kennedys legislative agenda, Passage of the Act ended the application of Jim Crow laws, which had been previously upheld by the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson.   Congress eventually expanded the Civil Rights Act to strengthen enforcement of these fundamental civil rights. These changes were needed to strengthen the original proposal submitted by President Kennedy in response to the racially-motivated violence across the South which occurred during tumultuous summer of 1963. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and subsequent amendments prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex in a broader set of categories, including hiring, promotion, and other conditions of employment. It requires filing a comp laint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission within 180 days after an intentional discriminatory act. Although the inclusion of the word sex in the original draft of this 1964 Act was considered a joke, this inclusion has become the basis for most gender-based discrimination policy in the United States. As a result of fears regarding the impact of this legislation on his predecessor, congress adopted the Bennett Amendment into bill shortly before its passage in 1964. Interested parties feared that an employee filing suit under Title IV could file a wage discrimination case without the need to prove equal pay for equal work as required under the EPA. The Bennett Amendment provides that an employer may pay his employees different wages based on gender if the provisions of the Equal Pay Act authorize such differentiation. Executive Order #11246 On September 24, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson issued Executive Order #11246. Generally considered the nations first affirmative action order, Executive Order #11246 requires companies receiving federal construction contracts to ensure equality in the hiring of minorities. The order was amended in 1967 to include gender discrimination. The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on February 5, 1993. FMLA is considered a labor standard classifying requirements for eligible employers and also a major milestone in the legal support of family life. FMLA recognizes that family life events have an impact on the workplace and requires the workplace to accommodate those events to provide job protection. Entitlements for employees who meet FMLA eligibility requirements include job protection and unpaid leave for a qualified medical and family reason. Eligible employees may take up to 12 work weeks of unpaid leave during any 12 month period for the serious health condition of the employee, parent, spouse or child, or for pregnancy or care of a newborn child, or for adoption or foster care of a child. An FMLA-eligible employee is an employee who has been in the business at least 12 months and worked at least 1,250 hours over the past 12 months. Work must be done at a location where the company employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles. FMLA does not apply to workers in businesses with fewer than 50 employees, part-time workers who have worked fewer than 1,250 hours within the 12 months preceding the leave and a paid vacation, workers who need time off to care for seriously ill relatives other than parents, workers who need time off to recover from short-term or common illness like a cold, or to care for a family member with a short-term illness such as child, and workers who need time off for routine medical care, such as check-ups. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) dictates that families receiving public assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program take personal responsibility for their low-income lives and that paid work is essential to moving the family out of poverty. The PRWORA represents the change in the welfare system that no longer permitted poor families to receive assistance while staying at home with children. With the passage of PRWORA, Congress essentially ended single mothers entitlement to income support by emphasizing paid employment. The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act In 2009, President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which allows victims of pay discrimination to file a complaint with the government against their employer within 180 days of their last paycheck, not as previously stated the first paycheck. Victims were previously allowed 180 days from the date of the first unfair paycheck. Interpretation of Such Policies The 1963 Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act combined are thought to settle the matter of equal pay in law. In 1963, when the Equal Pay Act was passed, full-time working women were paid 59 cents on average for every dollar paid to men. This means it took 49 years for the wage gap to close just 20 cents; a rate of less than half a penny a year.  [1]  In a 2007 U.S. Census Bureau report in, median pay for women is less than of men in each and every one of the 20 industries and 25 occupation groups surveyed. In fact, men working in female-dominated occupations still tend to earn more than women working in those same occupations. According to the Institute for Womens Policy Research, if equal pay for women were instituted immediately across the board, it would result in an annual $319 billion gain nationally for women and their families (in 2008 dollars).  [2]  Over her working life, a typical woman could expect to gain a total of $210,000 in additional incom e if equal pay were the norm (these numbers include part-time workers).  [3]   The Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act are important laws, but they are hard to enforce, and legal cases are extremely difficult to prove and win. Part of the problem is that many women can be underpaid without knowing it. Many companies continue to make it taboo to discuss salaries even though in some cases these policies are unfair and/or sometimes unlawful. In addition, without knowing what a job truly pays, women can devalue themselves when negotiating a new salary. Suing is also not a practical remedy for women since awards are limited under the EPA to 3 years worth of pay, which may make it difficult to find a lawyer to accept the case. In addition, the EPA does not allow participation in class action lawsuits for wage discrimination, and since discrimination is almost never in the form of a smoking gun, women still continue to suffer from the glass ceiling and old boys network. Recent court decisions and settlements reveal women earning low wages, faced with s ystemic discrimination in hiring, pay, promotions, or working conditions. In 2011, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) settled lawsuits against 3 employers in low-wage industries for systemic sex discrimination.  [4]  Although this civil action is promising, the Supreme Court has recognized the fear or retaliation leads many victims of pay discrimination to remain silent. Low-wage workers face substantial risk of retaliation by standing up to an employer to challenge discrimination and often remain silent. Unavailable resources also make options for low-wage workers difficult. Women who complain are labeled troublemakers which may follow them as they seek other employment. Employers often fight back aggressively and seek to ruin the credibility of the employee as they seek to defend the company. Women are often subjected to questioning about their sexual history as well as gynecologic medical records in efforts to intimidate them in court. Legal cases can be extremely difficult to prove and win since enforcement of the laws is complaint-driven and, unfortunately, most of the information needed to prove a complaint is held by employers. Pursuing an equal pay case under these circumstances can be devastating to the personal lives and finances of the plaintiffs. The first Executive Orders addressing discrimination in private sector grew out of the unique labor market conditions created by Americas entry into World War II. The basis for these orders was felt to fall under the Presidents authority to provide for national defense. A significant national commitment was signaled by the Johnson administration to social policy. By issuing Executive Order #11246, President Johnson signaled his belief that to truly level the playing field affirmative measures were required to undo the consequences of the historic exclusion of minorities and women from many areas of the workplace. The Presidents authority to issue this Order derived from his authority to ensure that government procurement was conducted in an economical manner. The relationship between the supply of labor and these Executive Orders is evident in that the eradication of discrimination is empirically related to economy and efficiency in government. As a byproduct, research has determined the effects of affirmative action on the gender pay gap estimating that employment of women increased somewhat faster in contractor firms as a result of the effects of affirmative action, but women have seen greater employment opportunities in the economy as a whole most particularly in the public sector. In the private sector or those contractors that are not subject to affirmative action provisions, affirmative action laws and regulations are few and far between. Under Federal law, only 2 types of private-sector employers are required to implement affirmative action plans; those that have federal contracts or subcontracts in excess of $50,000 and those that have at least 50 employees. This translates to 1 in 4 American workers holding jobs in the private sector covered by mandatory federal affirmative action programs. The role of these policy changes cannot be ruled out in both the increase in the gender pay disparity. Coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is far from universal and many low-wage, single-income workers simply cannot afford to take time-off from work without pay. Low-wage workers in particular would benefit from expanded paid leave policies as they are less likely to be covered by the federal policy since they are considered the working poor and are in greater need of pay during time-off from work for major life events. Women make up 59% of the low wage service-related work force with nearly two-thirds of those earning minimum wages. Women in low-wage positions often have significant demands on their time including, but not limited to holding down multiple jobs, raising children, pursing education, and training. Many single-mother families live paycheck-to-paycheck and may fear being easily replaced by their employers. Lack of information about better paying jobs or options available to them, lack of transportation, and the inability of low-wage female workers in si ngle income families to easily recover from job loss all factor heavily in a decision to challenge discrimination or remain silent. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 was at the time considered a reassertion of Americas work ethic. This Act single-handedly increased the poverty rate of low-wage families, most of them headed by single mothers. This legislation was passed in the middle of the strongest labor market in decades, especially for low-wage work, and was followed by sharp increases in the employment of unmarried mothers. The hope was that as former single welfare mothers entered the labor market they would eventually climb the job ladder; although, research has shown that wage profiles for less-educated workers remain stagnant even if earnings profiles slope upward. Female workers with low levels of education not only typically earn less; they are also hit hard by the wage gap. Less-educated, low-wage workers experience little wage growth while working for the same employer and only limited gain. Their experience is also less meaningful than for that of more-educat ed workers when moving to a new employer. The occupational segregation of men and women into different jobs in the service sector explains the single-largest portion of the gender pay gap, 49.3 percent. Many jobs that women have historically held by women are underpaid when compared to mens jobs that require similar levels of skill. A traditionally male job can earn more a traditionally female job. It is not that the male job has a much higher level of skills than the female job, but that our society values these jobs differently and this is a choice we make. Jobs considered traditionally female have been systemically undervalued for such a long time that we think it is natural, but in fact this is an ongoing legacy of past discrimination.  [5]   Finally, The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act provides women with a critical tool to challenge discriminatory pay practices, but it will not change pay disparity. The Act amends Title VII and restores the law that existed before the Supreme Courts 2007 decision in the Ledbetter case with regard to the timing of legal challenges. With a record number of women currently participating in the workforce, wage discrimination hurts the majority of American families by compromising their economic security today and their retirement security tomorrow. Rising employment rates have forced an unprecedented number of women into the position of primary breadwinners for their families. This alone makes pay equity even more critical. While the Ledbetter Act does not end pay disparity, it brings women one step closure to making real progress in pay disparity. Stronger incentives are needed for employers to follow the law, women need to be empowered to negotiate for equal pay, strengthen feder al outreach, and education, and enforcement efforts such as those contained in the now failed Paycheck Fairness Act are needed. Discrimination would then be deterred due to strong penalties for equal pay violations as well as retaliation against workers who ask about wage practices or disclose their own wages. Criticism/Critical Debate The consequences of the wage gap are both widespread and numerous. When women are paid less than men, the means by which they support themselves and their families is compromised. The number of single-family households has risen dramatically over the past 4 decades. The increase in the number of single-mother families can be correlated to the increase in child poverty in the United States. Unsurprisingly, single parent families headed by women are nearly twice as likely as single parent families headed by men to live below the poverty level. Although most children reared in mother-only households do well, there may be adverse consequences for others. By earning less, women will automatically experience the disadvantage of a less stable economic status and may be less likely to question their wage status due to fear of poverty. The wage gap disparity is also visible in fringe benefits, which currently make up about 30 percent of total compensation. Lower wages means lower lifetime earnings resulting in lower pension benefits upon retirement. The lack of coverage or lower benefit levels may not be a problem for some women, since they receive benefits through a spouse, but for other women, lack of adequate health or pension benefits from their job is a serious problem. As with wages, the gap in fringe benefits is thought to be related to differences between men and women in human capital and job characteristics. Some studies contribute differences in human capital to motherhood and parenting responsibilities since women are largely responsible for childrearing in our society. The correlation is that women are felt to less likely than men to gain work experience and skills, and therefore, are less likely to qualify for high-paying jobs; however, studies have demonstrated that when controlling for sex-based dif ferences in work hours, work interruptions, and part-time work, childless women earn no more than mothers and single women earned no more than married women. Thus, these wage disparities are not exclusively attributable to motherhood, and factors other than unequal sharing in childrearing duties must be at play. Supporting studies have found that in narrow sections of students graduating from the same law school with the same amount of experience, the human capital argument failed to explain the gender-based wage disparities in the American labor force. Another consideration for the wage disparity can be found in the role of industry and wage structure. This discrimination clearly starts the second women begin their first job, and follows them no matter where they go or what they do. New graduates not only make less, but continue to make less with each subsequent degree and the gap actually widens as they progress. Women make less than men no matter what industry or occupation they enter. This can be attributed to the decline in blue-collar jobs where women are under-represented. The rise of women in blue collar jobs has benefited women in that traditionally men have been more likely to be union members than women. Union representation has historically helped to increase the gender pay gap, but the share of unionized workers who are female has increased as unions have grown in certain public sector and service-related occupations that have a greater share of female workers. This in itself has played a relatively small role in the de clining gender pay gap. Public sector and service-related occupations remain crucial for women. Women have historically been overrepresented in public-sector employment. Public sector jobs generally pay more than jobs in the private sector raising the average pay for women in our contemporary economy, but recent decisions by many state and local governments to respond to diminished revenues and budget shortfalls by cutting public-sector jobs have had substantial economic effects on women. Although state and local public-sector workers have significantly higher levels of education than their private-sector peers, they are consistently underpaid relative to similar private-sector workers in similar jobs, and the disproportionate share of women and minorities working in state and local government has also translated into higher rates of job loss for both groups in these sectors. Affirmative action has played a significant role in public sector jobs, but this has mainly benefited white women, many of which are not coming from the lower-class labor market. According to the United States Labor Department, the primary beneficiaries of affirmative action are white women. The Department of Labor estimated that 6 million women workers are in higher occupational classifications today than they would have been without affirmative action policies. Conclusion The empowerment of women is considered to be one of the greatest changes in the past 50 years. This has been manifested in equal rights acts, changes in social welfare legislation, and changes in employment legislation such as the Lilly Ledbetter Act. The changes have all in one way or another corresponded with the rises in the labor market that have both supported and encouraged the entrance of women and minorities into the American workforce. Improvements in pay for women have been related to a greater presence of women in the labor force, rising education attainment, and the movement into professional and managerial jobs, but pay disparity still persists. Historically, legislation favoring the elimination of discrimination in the workforce has been used also to support economic growth. This would suggest that the driving factor behind this legislation is not discrimination or gender parity, but capitalism/the economy. Executive Order #11246 and The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 are examples of this. The impact of these Acts on low-wage female workers is evident. More low-wage single-mother households are living in poverty at this time than ever before. In fact, there has been no legislation to date to protect part-time and contingent workers at all and their numbers are growing. These workers are not eligible for time-and-a-half overtime, minimum wage protections, and they have very little job security. Most low-wage single-mothers are also not covered by the Family Medical Leave Act. The impacts of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its subsequent amendments, as well as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Acts of 2009 and 2012, are largely felt to be in the public sector, which is subjected to monitoring and oversight by the EEOC, and in the private sector in the form of blue collar jobs which are dominated by unions. Unions provide better benefit protection, safety protection, and job security. Lilly Ledbetter herself benefit greatly from protection in her job due to her union. Studies have shown that women who have had the benefit of being supported by union membership experience significantly less pay disparity. Low-wage workers often find it hard to unionize, especially in the private sector as this is often discouraged by employers. Workers are often bullied and intimidated to discourage talk of union membership. Strong unions in these sheltered areas would greatly benefit low-wage workers. Better enforcement of existing laws and regulations is also needed as well as stronger laws such as the Paycheck Fairness Act to address this issue. Lawsuits will not have a significant impact on pay disparity as individual wage discrimination cases are very expensive to pursue and difficult to argue. Private cases also do not have an important impact on the labor market. Class-action lawsuits are rare and are usually based on many employees and one employer or a few employers, and are generally not feasible in wage disparity cases. As previously mention, they are forbidden under the EPA. Finally, the fact that this problem is not concentrated in one area or agency makes it difficult to assess. Change is needed from outside these organizations. Federal standards should be adopted to specifically address pay inequality at all levels of government and even in the private sector. Internet Sources American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.com. The ACLU takes an active role in defending the freedoms granted to American citizens by our Constitution and laws of the United States in this country. The ACLU brings many discrimination cases on behalf of workers each year, testifies in front of Congress on behalf of womens issues, and works hard to lobby for womens rights in the workplace. National Committee on Pay Equity, http://www.pay-equity.org/. The National Committee on Pay Equity is a coalition of organizations working to eliminate sex-based and race-based pay discrimination to achieve pay equity. The American Association of University Women, http://www.aauw.org The American Association of University Women advances equality for women and girls through legislation, research, advocacy, and philanthropy. Its mission is a community to break through economic and education barriers so that women have a fair chance.

The United States of Leland :: essays research papers

In the movie, â€Å"The United States of Leland,† Leland Fitzgerald commits a murder and becomes the center of attention as people try to understand why he did it. The only person Leland trusts is Pearl, the juvenile hall teacher and aspiring writer who helps Leland to examine the truth of his crime. Unknown to Leland, Pearl had his own agenda, and uses Leland to obtain material for a book. Pearl does this until he begins to see that Leland is giving him something he never expected. Leland is not given the concrete answer Pearl seeks, but the realization that now is the time to change his own life for the better. Leland is a soft spoke fifteen-year-old boy that appeared to be headed in the right direction despite his unusual background and past life. He moved around from place to place, with no foundation or person to attach himself to. His background and past actions, being as they were, did not show signs that would prove him a criminal. The movie’s organization was very confusing and messy towards the beginning, but was done on purpose. This disorganization parallels the disorganization of Leland’s thinking and feelings. He began talking with Pearl. The relationship seemed to be one that was to help Leland figure out his reason of committing murder, but in actuality the words and reasoning of life Leland gave allowed us to relate our mistakes with his. As various people try to deal with Leland's murder they all expose their own mistakes and we get to see how different people deal with them. The most telling message comes from the conversations between Leland and Pearl. Pearl is not a great guy himself - he's a liar, drinks too much, cheats on his girlfriend, and uses others for his own benefit. He is called on a lot of this and responds with the usual "I'm only human" lines until Leland calls even those into question. Leland asks, "How come people only say that when they've done som ething bad - never when they save a baby from a burning building?" He gets Pearl to admit that he wanted to do those wrong things and that is why he did it. Pearl realizes that he had no excuse for what he did and needs to deal with it. It is scenes like these that pull us away from contemplating Leland's crime and forces us to deal with our own motives.

Catherine Newman’s story, “I Do Not.: Why I Won’t Marry” Essay

Catherine Newman wrote an essay, I Do. Not.:Why I won’t marry, and the essay is about her explanation why she does not want to married with Michael, her eleven years partner and the father of their son. I personally do not understand with her mind. First, she said that marriage is like a trafficking. Why she said that statement? Maybe she thinks that giving a dowry to the woman family is like buying their daughter? Come on Catherine there are no parents in this world who want to sell their daughter. Second, why she has a boyfriend if she does not want to married with him? This is what make me confused, she has a boyfriend but she doesn’t want to married, so what is the point of having boyfriend if she could not married with him? Moreover, she has a son with Michael. In my religion when you have a child before you are married, it is a sin. I think she is not ready to have a new role, wife. When she is married, she will get a new role as a wife but she is still not ready to get that role so she decided not to marry Michael. Why she is not ready? Besides, she has a son and she got a role as a mother. As we know, to be a mother is harder than to be a wife. In my opinion, Catherine does not want to married because she is having negative mind about marriage.

Perception Without Reason Is Mere Experience, but Reason Without Perception Is Nothing Essays

Perception Without Reason Is Mere Experience, but Reason Without Perception Is Nothing Essays Perception Without Reason Is Mere Experience, but Reason Without Perception Is Nothing Essay Perception Without Reason Is Mere Experience, but Reason Without Perception Is Nothing Essay Perception without reason is mere experience, but reason without perception is nothing. In order to comment on the statement given above, we must first understand what is meant by the terms perception and reason. One of the most commonly used definitions, from the most trusted source of definitions, of perception is the ability to become aware of something through our senses and to understand/interpret it in a particular way, whereas reason is commonly defined as the ability to think and draw logical conclusions?.However, I believe that to perceive something in our mind is to interpret the sensory input received from our immediate surroundings, whereas reason is associated with logical thought and rationale. Therefore the statement above can be rephrased to say that Interpretation of the outside world without the interference of a logical thought is what we call experience, but logical thought and rationale without any interpretation of the world does not exist. But how can one be a ware of something if ones brain does not think about it? How can one interpret something without the interference of thought? Since in my opinion, thinking is just using ones mind to process the information input from our senses, how can that information be interpret without having ones brain process it? Thus, put in another way, how can perception exist without reason? It cannot, because to perceive something would mean to unconsciously think.However, others may argue that by mentioning reason the statement refers to a stream of conscious thought instead of something as instinctual as unconscious processing of sensory data. However, keeping in mind the counter-argument, the second half of the statement could still be challenged. I believe that our mind is capable of thinking of abstract thought without the interference of senses. Our mind is able to comprehend concepts and platonic ideas such as goodness and can think about them without the need of an interpretation of the world.Go odness is not something that can be touched or tasted or seen. However, one may argue that such abstract trail of thought and understanding should not be classified as reason as it is just a concept that can be understood, but does not relate to any sort of rationale. One could also argue that in order to understand and comprehend goodness, we need to relate the concept to an appropriate context from the real world that we become aware of through our senses. That is why children are always told fables and fairy tales so that they would develop the understanding of good and evil.Therefore, the ability of our mind to grasp the very concept of goodness, along with all other examples of such abstract thought, is based upon perception. However, one cogent example as a proof of reason existing without perception is mathematical reasoning. Abstract numbers and abstract concepts of addition and subtraction cannot be seen or touched or felt. They are something that only the mind can grasp. T he fact that we are able to say that 2 + 1 = 3 does involve rationale and logical thought but does not need any basis of perception.The concept of numbers is understood without the interference of any senses. A baby born deaf and blind would still know the number of limbs it has. As Roger Penrose says? , You cannot understand atomic particles and structures, such as gluons and electrons except with mathematics. Our whole perception of particle physics is based upon mathematical reasoning and logic, and in order to be the basis of perception in this case, such reasoning and logic should exist separately from perception. Thus, I conclude that I disagree with the statement above as I believe that reason can exist without perception.

Irish Potato Famine Essay

Irish Potato Famine Essay Irish Potato Famine Essay Alan Hsieh Mr. Gardner Modern Global Conflict 11/01/2013 Poison Gases during WW1 Poison gases are one of the most fearful weapons through out the whole entire World War I. Even though killing rate of machine gun during World War I was compared more than the killing rate of Poison Gases. Poison Gases is more as a slow term affect during the war, since when enemies are not in battle the opponent can still use poison gases to contaminate the living environment that their enemies lived in. And most of times during the middle of world war one poison gases affected the soldier’s lives; normally not just by straight making suffer through their breathing also burning their skin or their unprotected parts of their body. It was assumed that the Germans are the first people that initialed the use of poison gas, but France debunks this. Since during August 1914, the French army used tear gas grenades containing a chemical substance of xylyl bromide (which is a toxic chemical) on the Germans. Due to this act that the French did on the Germans i t has also inspired Germans will this new weapon. At the second battle of Ypres, the Germans took revenge on the French by using the first invented Poison Chlorine gas. On 22nd April 1915, the French army has no cautious about this â€Å"poisonous gas† coming towards them, at first the French soldiers thought that yellow-green mist moving towards them is just used for enemies to disguise in and totally not noticed about the consequences of the Poison gas will do

Will students benefit from studying abroad Essay

Will students benefit from studying abroad - Essay Example Intercultural development Students who get to study abroad stand the chance to develop on a massive scale in relation to intercultural development. Through their stay in foreign nations, students observe and understand the different cultures that people in the foreign country possess. This is concerning their total way of life in language, religion, morals, values and social relations (Dwyer and Peter 2). As such, these may be different from the cultural values from their parent country; thus studying abroad also the students to acquire new knowledge on how different people live, aside from the common knowledge that people live in different ways. This can be observed from a firsthand account as opposed to rote learning for the purpose of exams and common knowledge. The first hand experience adds to the knowledge of the students, on appreciation of other cultures and how to handle oneself, and watch his or her behavior and conduct in the foreign country and a new culture. In addition to intercultural development, students who go abroad to further their studies get an opportunity to share in the culture of new worlds and borrow aspects that may appear to appeal to the said students and inculcating them into their own cultures. This is a huge gain to the parent culture of the students and the students themselves, considering that they get a chance to choose the aspects they would like to see their culture adopt and implement. Through this, they become pioneers in their culture in creating reforms to improve their societies. In addition, to this, studying abroad allows students to share their own cultures with foreigner, a perfect opportunity to improve one’s skills in social relations. As such, they gain a higher sense of responsibility and possessiveness towards their own cultures as they get to share it. This is because they appear as experts in cultural issues from their mother nation, which builds self-esteem in the students a significant scale. In addi tion, studying abroad benefits students in that it acts as a revelation, where students get to see the world for what it is, rather than receiving guidance from others on how to perceive it (Crhanova 18). As a result, students become effective learners of the ways of the world concerning economic, political and social structures of both their host nation and their mother nation. Through this study-abroad experience, students gain by appreciating their own cultures and those of other s to the point that they can easily relate between the two cultures, or even more that they find between the countries in which they study. Appreciation of culture creates appropriate social relations between individuals as one comes to terms with the differences and similarities in the various systems found across the cultures. For example in the political culture of a nation, there are usually differences as different nations apply different systems of governance; thus students observe the two and adap t to the one belonging to the host country until they return to their respective nations. This allows students to build a culture of flexibility, where they can bend to fit into any society, meaning that intercultural development is a crucial development to the student studying abroad. Social relations created abroad are also observed to last for a long time, meaning that students who study abroad experience a wider clique of friends and acquaintances from a large social and cultural divide. Internships Students who go to further their studies in foreign nations, also known as abroad, have the opportunity to improve their careers through expanding the level of quality services and skills that they achieve in the foreign nations. As such, students

History Vs. Hollywood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History Vs. Hollywood - Essay Example This paper depicts the comparison of history and Hollywood. An emphasis will be given to selected Hollywood movies, which have played a significant part in illustrating the historical events, as well as the significant contributions of Hollywood. 2.0 Historical Events In the fall of the nineteenth century, historical films became interesting as demand for these productions proliferated. In the inception of the twentieth century, historical films were among the numerous genres that were successfully made (Hall and Neale 2). Historical events gained more interest in the world today. History had once dominated the world of television when viewers demanded more of television series showcasing past events (McConville 8). This will tell how interested people are to better fathom the history of the world despite the significant changes in the environment today. Moreover, Hollywood did not have a good standing as an interpreter of history. American movie creators sometimes associated with th e manipulative schemes such as supplementing inventive scenes in the history; thus, rewriting a new set of events or even called â€Å"rape of US history† (McCrisken and Pepper 1). Historical events shaped the records straight to the next generation through numerous approaches such as contextualizing through books, films, and many other means. History tells people about how the world did a long time ago before everything becomes smooth. History is full of warfares, conflicts, struggle, success and suffering. Hollywood is one of the many facets why history becomes more tangible and memorable to the present generation. 3.0 The Filmmaking Industry In the world now, historical events are not just present in readings, but also visualizations. Moviemakers now are adopting primitive stylistic facets to develop the entertainment value, as well as the return of investments from these productions. A paradigm of this kind of act is the adaptation of a true-to-life story films. However, creators of films exclude some historical characters, shorten the series of events, concentrate on only a few turmoil situations, and crash out a huge amount of minor information. The stories focus on the important characters, and not on the significant concerns, concentrating on the lives of the late heroes and heroines, and warfare has become a favorite formula. Filmmakers concentrate on the poor and humble, romance, social status and the villains, who are sometimes emerged as powerful in terms of earthly possessions (Toplin 10). Movie creators have manipulative proofs on their productions. They commenced to produce inventive events conveyed in the story, and riveted dramas into the scene to capture the interest of the audience. These panoramas have introduced ambiguity into the minds of the viewers, which leads them to scan books from libraries and do research (Toplin 15). 4.0 Hollywood’s Interpretation of Historical Events History itself has many revelations that cannot a fford to buy someone’s beliefs. However, a lot of interpretations of historical events have been made by Hollywood. One of this paradigm is the movie Apocalypto, which is an action epic film regarding the ancient Maya. The director of the movie, Gibson, firmly stands by himself about the movie as though, some of the events did not really happen in the past or somehow, might happen but has no physical evidence. The production was thought to