...thorough evaluation of the articles, the common theme of the new health care reform was present. Many articles took a different look at the negative aspects as well as a few positive aspects that the new bill would bring to the medical system. Being a predominant issue to the public, the health care legislation is highly criticized. The passing of the bill will affect more than just the medical system. It will affect the doctors, patients, and financial status of hospitals. In noting that this reform can affect the population, people are continuously opposed to the law. If the bill passes to become a law, opportunity costs will be present. Such opportunity costs can include waiting in lines, less quality in patient care, or even a downfall to the hospitals that cannot keep up with the change. Today’s society is not willing to change. Americans are mainly against any type of change that can alter their lifestyle. The health care reform is seen to have a negative effect on the medical system. Another similarity with the articles is they all establish some credibility. Each author chose to include a credible physician, actuary, or reliable higher figure to support their argument. The article “The Discipline of Efficiency” from the National Journal uses Foster the chief actuary, but then questions his credibility. When an author is trying to persuade the audience to understand his argument, questioning the credibility of data collected makes the reader not want to believe...
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...The Battle Biased Against Women In American history, the battle between Congress and the president has never stopped for even one second. The check and balance system guarantees both Congress and the president can oversee each other`s powers and veto its opponent`s decisions. Especially when the ideas come from female, Congress is always hard to be persuaded on these opinions. In the very beginning, there was no business related to women in this inherent war because those sexist founding fathers did not give voting right to female voters. After ladies got right to vote from the Amendment XIX of the Constitution, American women thought that they finally have same discourse power equal to men. However, actually, even in today, it is harder for any female candidate to compete for power than a male candidate. It is because that the whole government system, which includes legislative, executive, and judicial, is biased against women. And people can easily find the evidence from Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Elena Kagan`s experience and encounters. Congress had defeated Hillary Clinton`s healthcare bill when she was still First Lady. This tarnished her reputation considerably, and was looked upon as a rebuke from Congress. The 1993 reform of health care was considered a bill would be submitted by Congress by most citizens. However, after an over one year debate, neither the Senate nor the House wanted to enact First Lady`s proposal into the law. Republican senators Bob Dole...
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...national popular vote. This system was implemented by the Founding Fathers about 200 years ago (Shea 2005, 4-6) In recent times the debate about whether the Electoral College is still an effective system considering the circumstances the United States has to face now, is arising more and more. “American society is highly polarized in its perception of the existing election system” (Belenky 2012, ix). This paper has the aim to contrast the arguments against and in favor of the Electoral College and to demonstrate possible alternatives. In the conclusion an answer to the question “Should the Electoral College be reformed?” will be given. 2. How it works The Electoral College, as it is outlined in the 12th Amendment, is a body of electors chosen to elect the President and Vice President of the United States. In Article II of the Constitution the electing procedure is written down. Each state delegates a specific number of electors to the Electoral College, dependent on its representation in Congress (House of Representatives & Senate). According to the fact that each state has two Senators and at least one Representative (dependent on the size of the population in the state), each state has three electors at the minimum (for example Alaska). With 55 electors, California has the largest number at the moment (see illustration 1) (Electoral-vote.com 2013). Figure 1: Blank map of the U.S. with electoral vote Each presidential candidate has his or her own group of electors...
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...Analyzing the DREAM Act Controversy Immigration reform has become a topic of a lot of debate among United States’ politicians in the past few years. Ever since its introduction in the Senate on August 1, 2001, the DREAM Act has been in the center of a lot of disputes. Every year, 65,000 teenagers who arrived at the United States illegally graduate from American high schools. Boys and girls that were brought into the United States by their parents at an early age, and who see this country as their home. However, most of these students will be denied a college education, as well as a fair chance to pursue their goals and ambitions, all because they are undocumented citizens. The DREAM Act aims to change this, but it has and will continue to...
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...UNIT 3C: REPRESENTATIVE PROCESS IN THE USA SECTION 1: ELECTIONS & VOTING Primaries: * Election to select a parties candidacy for president * Open primary: A primary for any registered voter, democrat or republican. E.G. Texas * Closed: A primary for democrats and a primary for Republicans. (Separate one’s) * Invisible primary: candidates try to gain support and finance in the year before the primary * Proportional primary: awarded delegates in proportion to votes they get * Winner-takes-all: Win the most votes and you take all the states delegates Advantages: * Increased level of participation from ordinary votes (30% in 2008) * Increased interest from people * Increased choice of candidates (14 in 2008) * Removing power from party bosses Disadvantages: * Turnout is usually low * Voters are usually unrepresentative of normal voters (tend to be wealthier, old and better educated) * Process is far too long and expensive (Obama in 2008 announced his running 332 before the first primary * Fails to test presidential qualities Increased importance of primaries: * Really the only route to become a parties President Caucuses: * A meeting for the selection of a candidate * Usually held in states that are geographically large but thinly populated (Iowa, North Dakota, Nevada) * Turnout is usually pretty low, and usual favour ideological candidates National party conventions: Formal functions: ...
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...In the process of consolidating his position, Napoleon's Consulate Reforms betrayed the principles of the French Revolution" To what extent is this true? In napoleons consolidating section "he oversaw the development of a police state that Louis XVI could never had dreamed of" said Francois Furet. this was said to be achieved through a gradual increase in power through the series of reforms in which he would have completely changed the course of French History. Many of the key aspects of the french society which Napoleon reformed were for the Political, electoral systems as well as education, social, religious and financial. these reforms set out his path to his overall power being established, however this question also leads to the debate on wether he upheld the principles of the French Revolution, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as people like Sutherland believes he has betrayed many of the principles with the majority of his reforms and as a result has betrayed the Revolutionary principles what the new republic were founded upon. Napoleon reformed key aspects of the French electoral and governmental systems in such a way that it lead many to believe he had betrayed the principles of the Revolution. One way in which people disagreed with that statement was because on the surface level the electoral reforms seemed to be a good thing, six million people were entitled to a vote, unlike the Ancien Regime, this promoted liberty and equality. Also another positive...
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...is submitted that in today’s legal and political environment, Canada does not need a Senate to have its government function fairly, honestly and efficiently due to the procedures of the House of Commons. The Senate should be abolished for the reasons noted below. Firstly, the costs of operating the Senate have become extremely high, and there does not appear to be any political will to change this. Second, in spite of numerous half-hearted attempts to reform the Senate, senators are appointed by the Prime Minister and not...
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...Affordable Care Act For the first time in U.S. history, every American will have access to quality, affordable health care under the updated health insurance reform legislation passed by the House. "The Affordable Health Care for America Act or H.R. 3962, blends and updates the three versions of previous bills passed by the House committees. "(Kruger, M. 2010) This bill is expected to ease the out-of-control costs of health insurance, introduce competition into the health care marketplace that will help maintain coverage affordability, protect people’s choices of doctors and health plans, and guarantee all Americans access to quality, consistent , affordable health care. The Association of American Medical Colleges stated in a Mar. 21, 2010 article; "we have taken the first step towards truly transforming health care in this country. This historic vote by the House of Representatives sets into motion long-overdue efforts to cover 32 million uninsured Americans and to assure their access to high-quality care. The nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals have expressed their full support for this bill to President Obama, and now stand ready to work with the administration and Congress to carry out these significant changes to our health care delivery system." (AAMC, 2010) The health care reform bill creates a shared responsibility for health care among individuals, employers and the government to ensure that all Americans have affordable essential health benefits. Two of...
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...terrifying power of a gun. Those who wield it hide behind and rely on its power as they commit horrible crimes. In January of 2008, representative Gabrielle Giffords became yet another victim of gun violence. The democrat from Arizona was shot, point blank, in the head while campaigning outside of a Safeway. This experience has driven the now recovered congresswoman to seek firearm reform. Meanwhile, senators in Washington have been tip-toeing around gun legislation for fear of backlash from interest groups like the National Rifle Association, and the money that comes with them. In 2014 alone, the NRA contributed $626,702 to candidates who are against legislation restricting guns. (National Rifle Association Summary, 2014) Gifford’s close call with death at the hands of a crazed gunman and her past experience in politics have motivated and enabled her to seek reform in not only gun legislation, but in Congress itself. Through the rhetorical elements of logos, pathos, and ethos, Giffords appeals to the audience’s emotions and gains their trust in order to persuade them to join her fight against the stagnation of congress on this important issue. Gabrielle Giffords is a Tucson, Arizona native, was elected to represent Arizona’s...
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...following reasons - religious beliefs, individuals who cannot afford the healthcare coverage, taxpayers whose income is below the income threshold, or any person deemed to belong from an Indian tribe- the statute requires individuals to avail a health care insurance plan or pay a penalty. II. Historical Analysis a.) What policies and programs were developed in the past to deal with the problem? Policies that were developed in the past to deal with the same problem of limited and reluctant healthcare coverage include the Medicare (1965), Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (1985) Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996) and the Massachusetts Health Care Insurance Reform Law (2006). Very notable is the Massachusetts Health Care Insurance Reform Law as it was described as the model of the PPACA. b.) How has the specific policy/program under analysis developed over time? The PPACA Bill was...
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...the ethical issues regarding immigration is that of equality(parrcenter.edu).This paper I will discuss the unethical immigration debate. Increased immigration is important for both the economic and spiritual well being of the United States. Immigrants often take jobs, which would otherwise go unfilled and increase the productivity. Empirically, the United States has recently undergone a long period of increased immigration and has an economy, which may have its ups and downs but is still the envy of the world with significant immigrant contributions in the prominent high technology sector. The most convincing argument against immigration is usually their effect on wages, but current economic policy is already focusing on fighting this wage pressure to reduce the threat of inflation and subsequent depression. As such, the chief argument against becomes an argument for increased immigration. Most important do not forget immigrants are people who simply want a better life, just like our parents and grandparents, who all came to the United States in similar situations. Helping them in their quest for a better life makes us rich in ways which transcend money...
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...these flee-booster stole was called goods. In the end an additional syllable wormed its way into the word, and flee-boosters got to be called filibuster. It additionally tackled political significance in the 1850s. Filibusters were individuals from the United States who went to Central America and the Spanish West Indies keeping in mind the end goal to wrongfully support revolution. History of Filibuster 1890 marked the first time the word filibuster was used to mean the way or strategy for talking for a long time to interfere with the normal running of senate business. The initial Filibuster in U.S. Senate history started on March 5, 1841, over the issue of the terminating of Senate printers, and kept going six days. Since the time that, government officials have cherished delays or abhorred them depending on which side of the battle they were on. Defenders contend the delay secures the privilege to free discourse and keeps the Senate lion's share from steamrolling the minority, in this way...
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...Until recently, we had observed a slight resurgence in the power of political parties. A lot of this was demonstrated by the increasingly polarised ideological stances of the Republican Party and the Democrat Party, because as the divide between the two parties became more apparent, ideological differences were more visible, with less policy overlap. The exploitation of primaries by the Republican Party over the last 20 years has also proved an effective deterrent for any Republican who dared to oppose the party line. In recent years, the Tea Party’s hijacking of the process has resulted in more extreme candidates being elected. The Democrats have in turned voiced their support for unpopular Republican social issues all the more readily, such as gay marriage or abortion. Therefore, it would appear that the parties have represented the core beliefs of their voters more successfully than during the 1960s, for example, when the New Deal Coalition comprised both the traditional support of white Southerners who had always voted Democrat, and the African American community that had gained employment through the construction of federally funded infrastructure. This draws a sharp contrast to the Republican Party that swept Bush to the White House in 2004, when the support was made up of almost unanimously social and fiscal conservatives, although Bush’s immigration stance won him a slice of the Hispanic vote as well. Moreover, the parties’ running of government has also generally...
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...Public Policy: Immigration The reforms that President Obama are trying to properly execute throughout the states is changing life for immigrants today. Obama recently gave two Executive Orders, the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents for Americans), which are helping families resist separation. The big question on Obama’s immigration Executive Orders are if they are within the President’s power. It is Congress’s job to made the laws and the president’s to executive them, but with the creation of DAPA and DACA, many think that Obama is overstepping his authority. One big reason why President Obama felt the need to create his Executive Order is because of the what happened in 2013 when the Senate first created a bill addressing immigration. The bill was created by the Gang of Eight, which were composed of four Democrats and four Republicans, which was lead by Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer. They passed a bill with a vote of 68-32. The bill “promises to overhaul immigration laws for the first time since 1986…” (Silverleib). The 1,200 page document would change four things, the first is that it creates a new 13-year pathway for citizenship for a majority of the undocumented immigrants. It would also raise the cap on visas for highly skilled workers, while also creating a new visa program for lowly skilled workers who would be working on America’s farms. The issue that House of Representatives were most concerned with was border security...
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...feel it is their right to bear arms because it is written in the second amendment from 1791. But times have changed, and today most Americans believe that the gun law needs to be stricter. Therefore it can be difficult to understand why nothing happens when the majority of the US population supports stricter gun laws. So why is it that the law cannot be changed? And what can the politicians do to end this nightmare? Barack Obama is trying to highlight this issue in his newest speech on gun violence – “Remarks by the President on Common-Sense Gun Safety Reform” – that he presented at the White House Press Conference on the 5th of January 2016. This paper analyses Obama’s speech. The analysis will focus on the communicative and rhetorical devices in the speech. The sender of the speech is Barack Obama, the current president in the USA. He is representing his own party, the Democrats. Obama is speaking for all Americans and against the gun lobbyists. The speech is built on the foundation of all the gun tragedies, which have happened over the last years, and therefore makes use of al lot of pathos. He expresses his compassion for all the people who have been victims of gun violence and uses concrete examples of victims he has known. Obama presents four solutions to the problem of gun violence and mass shootings. Number 1 “…make the background check system more efficient” and “…hire more folks to process applications faster…” He wants to use more resources on the background checking...
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