Universal Healthcare in the US

Explain how access, quality, and cost is improved in your new system by answering the following questions 3. What economic impact will these changes bring? Scope and Size of the US Healthcare System The US healthcare delivery system Is massive.Total employment In various settings Is almost 10 million, which Includes; Professionally active doctors of medicine(Meds) 744,000 Active nurses Dentist Pharmacists Healthcare Administrators 168,000 226,000 700,000 Therapists(physical, occupational, and speech) Hospitals Nursing Homes In-patient mental faceless 5,760 16,100 4,300 Federal health centers(undeserved rural and urban areas) 325,000 ,700 clinical cites Medical Schools dental Schools Pharmacy Schools Nursing Programs 150 91 1,500 Americans with private health insurance Medicare Beneficiaries Medicaid recipients Health Insurance Companies 41 42500,oho 1,300 Retrieved from: National Center for Health Statistics 2006; Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; American Health Insurance Plans 20 09; Kaiser Family Foundation Commission on Medical and the uninsured 2008; American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy 2009; American Association of Medical Colleges 2010; American Dental Education Escalation 2009; and the National Association of Community Health centers 2009. Exhibit: Show; Supply and Demand Curve as Demand change with increased access Access We propose to pay for our universal healthcare plan through the Implementation of a 5 percent value-added tax (VAT). Revenue from the tax could not be diverted to other uses such as the military or Social Security.No other tax revenues would be used to that we now spend on health care. The money would simply be collected in a more equitable way and spent more rationally, avoiding waste and excessive administrative costs. Under a VAT system, consumption is taxed throughout the chain of production, not just at the point of consumer purchases. When a manufacturer purchases raw materials from a supplier, it pays a tax to the gove rnment; when the manufacturer turns around and sells the good to the retailer, the retailer again pays a tax with its purchase; and the consumer pays the VAT when he or she buys the final product from the retailer. The amount that each player pays is a fixed percentage of the transaction price.Under this plan, the government insists that all insurers offer the same comprehensive benefits to everyone, including: office and home visits, hospitalizing, preventive screening tests, prescription drugs, some dental care, inpatient and outpatient mental health care, and physical and occupational therapy. (Individuals who want to purchase coverage for additional services like caretaker medicine, experimental drugs for serious conditions, complementary medicines or more mental health benefits could do so. ) Under the proposal, all Americans would receive a health certificate entitling the individual or family to enroll in the health care plan of their choice. In most cases, they would keep th eir current physician.The certificate would not be a â€Å"cash card† to buy services; instead, it would be a voucher that gives the individual or family the eight to enroll in whatever insurance plan they choose. The vouchers are of equal value, and the health plans must all offer the same rich package of benefits. No one would be forced to buy insurance; everyone would simply receive a voucher that entitled them to an equal place in our health care system, at no charge. This program would replace employer-based insurance with insurance that offers generous benefits to everyone who is not now covered by Medicare, Medicaid or the State Children's Health Insurance Program.Today, the average state spends more than one-third of its budget on health insurance for state employees, Medicaid and SHIP. Any one already qualified for one of these three programs could switch to the universal coverage and within 10 to 15 years we could phase out those state and federally sponsored progra ms. This would free-up revenue to be used to rebuild some of the deteriorating infrastructure in America such as falling bridges and city water reclamation services. This would create Jobs for the economy. Transaction price. The VAT is as reliable a cash cow as you're going to find: It can generate an enormous amount of money at a relatively low tax rate. 5% for this proposal) For example, a median-income family earning $50,000 a year might well spend the entire $50,000 on housing, food, utilities, clothing, transportation, etc. Under a 5 percent VAT, that family would pay $2500 a year to help fund universal coverage. But, in return, it would receive health insurance worth at least $12,500 (the going price for an employer-based family plan). This VAT tax proposal is four-fold: It faces up to the fact that reform won't pay for itself, and It offers a funding mechanism that is fair and efficient and could deliver high-quality care nationwide. It regulates insurers, forcing them to con centrate on quality.Finally, and perhaps cost importantly, this plan insulates our health care system from the lobbyists who, today, have far too much control over our health care system. Lengthy waiting times for treatment. Many Canadians, that can afford it, travel America to receive treatment due to the inefficiency in their own healthcare system. Canadians also averaged 17 weeks wait time for general practitioner referrals to treatments in 2008 (Small, 2009). This is so called health care is nothing more than a bunch of bureaucratic red tape meeting extensive waiting lists and increasing patient suffering. Universal health care has no exceptions to the rules nor of patients ell being in mind. Matter of fact no matter what your condition there is no disparities of care.It is unfair to the healthy tax payers because it gives people, who smoke, drink, do drugs and eat unhealthy unfair benefits within the health care system. Universal health care will become a melting pot of sick an d unhealthy people thus increasing the cost to keep the program alive. Taxpayers, doctors and insurance companies will suffer economic hardships. Nationalized health care cost will be absorbed by employers and employees. Unfortunately the incurred cost will not stop at the employers. The majority of employers will pass the cost increase onto the employees and the consumers. The cost of goods will steadily increase as a natural cost adjustment to the constant rising of health care expenses. These rising costs will have a deep impact on the economy.Not only will health care raise but so will the cost of goods and services to try and keep up with the market. The resulting factor is individuals will pay higher income taxes, even as they pay increased health care costs, reducing their ability to support families or save for retirement (McBride, 2007). Americans will not only suffer airdrops with rising taxes but many will suffer the huge blow of unemployment. The universal health care pr ogram will decisively eliminate the need for health insurance companies to exist. The resulting factor is thousands of people nationwide will be unemployed. The end result will be increased taxes, goods and services and mass unemployment but we will still have health care for all.This is not a good situation, this plan will bankrupt the American economy and slowly strangle everyone into a virtually unrecoverable downward spiral of indebtedness. Read more: http://www. Essays. Com/essays/sociology/impact-universal-health-care- as-on-doctors-and-insurance-companies-sociology-essay. PH#ixzz2VfunmylJT large body of research in recent years. There is ample empirical evidence that economic resources are associated with health outcomes. Studies to date have consistently shown that income and wealth improve such health indicators as mortality, incidence of diseases, and self-reported health status. While the association between health and economic resources is well documented and accepted, t here is considerable disagreement over its source.Economists have been more interested in the effect of health on economic well-being, arguing that poor lath (disability, chronic disease and the like) affects labor market outcomes and ultimately individual resources, while medical scientists have stressed instead that background differences in economic resources and socioeconomic variables determine differences in health outcomes. The framework that we use to analyze the connection between income and health takes into account the potential two-way causation between health and economic resources. We then use information on health care quality to investigate the importance of quality on such economic variables as health inequality, income inequality and saving behavior.

English dream to reality

‘I'd like to welcome y'all to the rap states battle where the best freestyles from everywhere around the world have come to compete against the best' the adrenaline rush paced his veins as the enormous, high pitched voice from the Rap Battle host announced the welcome. The crowd cheered as a shiver ran up his spine, this was the chance for Shorty to gain his respect as a known MC. Round one and up went the first contestant, up against one of the best, Nas, the challenger was practically chewed up and spat out. Now Shorty was getting weary, he began to see what would happen to him if he failed. ‘Give it up for my main man Shorty! ‘It was now Shorty's turn, as he walked up to the stage the microphone was put to his mouth and the crowd in their thousands were shouting ‘choke, choke, choke' at that same moment Shorty threw back the microphone in disgust, he had ruined it all, there was no chance of him becoming a known MC around the world. It was now the champs turn, after a few long agonising minutes, the crowd roared out with cheers Shorty had been put down like a dog. It was now or never Shorty's whole rap career depended on this, he decided to have another go, again the crowd shouted ‘choke, choke, choke' As Shorty starred at the hating crowd the stage went quite, suddenly the silence was broken ‘Blood I aint hating on you, so why you hating on me? ‘ Shorty had words spilling out of his mouth like water running out of a tap, hope now turned into anger and anger into words, the words being expressed were very strong and passionate. After a long 30 seconds of pure MC'in the battle was over, now all Shorty could hope for was fate being on his side. Put your hands together for my man Nas! ‘ loud cheering from the crowds of thousands and thousands of people were ringing inside of the ears of Shorty. ‘Now put your hands together for Shorty! ‘ silence. ‘I know many of you have come here tonight to see young MC's being ripped apart but I am glad to say we have a new Champ, it's the one and only tongue twisting Li-‘ The piercing sound of the fire bell was ringing inside the head of Shorty, his head was a big church bell banging side to side. Ahh,' he gave a little scream and then began to scream ‘I won' repeatedly as he came back to the light of reality from his dream. The class suddenly turned to face him, a long silence hovered over the cold, dull classroom this was soon broken by the bellowing voice of Mr Crankbrook, ‘Pardon? What did you say? ‘ Here sat the greatest MCing lyricist. Shortys head went from pale and dead to a bright hot red as he had the loud voice of Mr Crankbrook's shouting spinning around his head doing circles. Shorty replied in complete confusion with a simple grunt and shrugged his broad shoulders. As the lesson progressed, Shorty's ball of anger against Mr Crankbrook for his embarrassing outbreak raged deep within him. For the remaining part of the lesson Shorty stared aimlessly at the ceiling. ‘Are you ready to die? ‘, ‘No, p-please gimme one mo chance' cried the tall shady man who was practically on his knobbly knees begging. ‘I gave you many chances Crankbrook, you chose to blow them back in my face! ‘ ‘Shorty†¦ Nooo! standing coolly and calm, Shorty, in his ice white suit lit a cigar, seconds later he laid a long grubby finger on the trigger of his P90 Rugar, Cranbrook looked at the gun in disgust, a shot was fired, in a slow motion the 9mm bullet came out of the gun like a spitting snake and the surrounding went dead a split second after the gun shot a finger of lightening lashed out aimlessly in the dark night sky. Crankbrook who was now dying from lack of blood breathed his last breath a further eight ear splitting gun shots were fired simultaneously which drained away the screaming of Cranbrook. In a deep cold voice Shorty muttered his final words ‘Whats mines is mines, what's yours is mines, sometimes people tend to forget that' the final gunshot was fired. The atmosphere of the scene died down and Shorty dropped down on his knees as his conscience came crawling back to him, Shorty, now the most respected thugs of LA, sat on the damp grass in disbelief to what he had just done. ‘Haha†¦ Shorty you just wet yourself you just wet yourself! ‘ shouted a boy passing, ‘what? Shorty replied ‘Get outta my way home boy, I want my food' exclaimed the plump, Dennis the menace look alike boy, pushing Shorty out of the lunch line. Shorty grasped his money in his hand with a firm grip and clenched his fist. The boy, a waddling pig, then squealed out, ‘gimme your lunch money' and shorty gave up his money within seconds not considering the fact that he could say no. for the rest of the day Shorty thought about what had happened and how stupid he had acted to give up his lunch money, ‘Get out my way shouted a passenger walking by' and moments later Shorty found himself in a big puddle of murky mud. Shorty looked at the computer shop and saw the new computer hacking game for his games console he wanted for a mighty long time. ‘Shorty we got someone tryin' to hack into our server, they go by the name-‘ ‘I aint got time for this' butted Shorty ‘but sir' ‘but nothing end of discussion' Shorty took control straight away. ‘Lets get down to business men' Shorty picked up a remote control and moved swiftly across the gigantic table, he clicked a button and the coughing of the room of hackers got drained away by the sound produced by the presentation. Shorty began to explain their assignment, ‘right my fellow hackers we are going to have to act quick on this, the government of the white house are planning to get rid of peer to peeer networking and it is up to us to prevent this' a big dark haired man wearing a jet black cape like coat spurted out, ‘Sir don't you think this is a bit, well way out of our league' a streak of sweat dropped slowly down Shorty's face as he snapped ‘Hush, impossible is nothing' as the long hours passed the hackers became weary and tired. I've found something, I've Found something,' shouted Neo. The specifications of the governments' computers showed that they had a total of 100 firewalls, this meant the the hacking team had to act quicker. ‘Use Denial of System to hack into the main framework of the computers, I'll write a backdoor Trojan for remote access to the generic host' explained Shorty as he wiped his sweaty forehead with a hankerchief, who was working the hardest he had ever worked before. After a stressful three quarters of an hour of death defying hacking, the team finally got through the hundreds of security software that was holding the precious government documents. This was time for Shorty to shine, he began writing his backdoor Trojan after a realm of debugging and source code writing the Trojan was complete and it was time. The Trojan began to do its works. Success the intense moment broke into cheers of laughter, ‘98% of downloading content complete†¦. as the percent downloaded gradually increased the crew became more uptight, finally 100% complete. Shorty, Neo and Morpheus the first to ever hack into the White House stood staring amongst each other. ‘Kid, you aiite? ‘ asked a concerned stranger, Shorty starred ahead of him into the busy street and saw the reflection of the moon on the wet, damp road, ‘I'm fine' he replied, and then continued to gaze into the night sky.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol's Role in Information Security Essay

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol's Role in Information Security - Essay Example   Since a long time the Congress has identified that there is a requirement of a border security system which would gather data regarding the overseas citizens coming in and out of the United States and which would also recognize the persons who are overstaying their visits. In 1996 there was the implementation of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) (Newton, 2008) in the United States which was one of the legislative attempts for the creation of an entry-exit control mechanism which were to be used for recording and matching entries and exits of the overseas citizens who travelled to the United States. One of the requirements of this act is to see that there is integration by the entry-exit system of the foreign entries and exit data that is recorded in the databases of the Department of Justice and State Department. Following the attacks of 9/11, there have been more laws addressing the use of biometric technology within a foreign arrival departure control mechanism. For instance, there is the USA Patriot Act (Scheppler, 2005) which authorizes that such a mechanism should have the ability of interfacing with other law enforcement associations, and also that the system makes use of biometric technology and files which are tamper-resistant. Other than this, there is a requirement by the Aviation and Transport Security Act for the airplanes to electronically transfer apparent data for each of the intercontinental flight passengers and the crew members to the Commissioner of Customs prior to the plane landing at an airport in the United States. Additionally, there is the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act which has the requirement of using biometrics in the files for traveling and this act expands the passenger entry apparent needs in the Aviation and Transportation Security Act to t he ships as well as to the air and sea exits.   

African Americans and Dementia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

African Americans and Dementia - Research Paper Example African Americans may have less knowledge about health care institutions that care for dementia patients. Awareness about the availability of health institutions and health services present in the society is crucial in providing care for dementia patients. Knowledge about assessment center is crucial in proving care for the African American elders, who suffer from the disease more than any other age group in society (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). The availability of finances also affects the treatment of dementia. Lack of adequate financial resources has been attributed to poor dementia care in the African American community. In particular, African American elders are often uninsured or economically disadvantaged. They cannot afford to pay for the medical care needed to manage dementia symptoms (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). Mistrust between the caregiver and the patient has also been reported as a major barrier to treatment. African Americans have avoided seeking medical h elp due to the lack of cultural diversity in medical teams. In addition, African Americans are dissatisfied with the formal health care available for them in their communities (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). Consequently, racial discrimination has been attributed to a lack of treatment for patients suffering from dementia. In particular, bias against African Americans has been reported in medical institutions. Discriminatory admission practices; have led to few African American seeking medical help to counter the symptoms of dementia (Ethnic Elders Care Network, 2012). Effective treatment of dementia; demands establishment of a rapport within members of caregiver networks. Family members are advised to identify certain caregivers they can consult regularly to help the patient overcome the effects of dementia. In addition, proper communication with the caregivers is also crucial. Family members should ensure that they communicate all details to the caregiver. There are instances whereby family members may or may not want clearly labeled medication. They should communicate with the caregiver if they feel uneasy about the label of the medication.

Clarkes the Influence of Arthur Schomburg on My Concept of Africana Essay

Clarkes the Influence of Arthur Schomburg on My Concept of Africana Studies - Essay Example The author relates to how Schomburg says that scholars should approach the study of African history in various ways. First and foremost, John Clarke turns out to be a teacher due to the influence of Arthur A. Schomburg (Clarke 4). John quotes that Arthur was the person who influenced him in setting the establishment of his career as an educator, as a Socialist and a Pan Africanist. According to John Clarke, Arthur A. Schomburg was responsible for influencing him to become an individual who sees no problem in being a Pan-Africanist and a Socialist at the same time and an African World Nationalist at an early age of his life. Also, Clarke relates to Schomburg’s statement by studying through other cultures and understanding how they relate to the African American culture. According to Schomburg, in order to understand the African American culture, it is vital to understand the origin of African oppressors first (Clarke 6). Also, it was vital for a scholar to understand what led t o the Africans being oppressed by the whites as this would be the only way people such as Clarke would understand the African American culture. Question 2 Some of the organizations that focused on the African history during the 30’s and the 40’s include the Harlem History Club and the National League of Negro Youth. Individuals, on the other hand, who focused on the African history during the 30’s and the 40’s, include Willis N. Huggins, John G. Jackson, Eugene Orr and the author of the article himself, John Clarke.

Trading bloc member Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Trading bloc member - Case Study Example With the advantages gained through NAFTA, Quaker Fabrics products can now be resold to customers at a lower cost than it would have been had there been tariffs and licenses fees to honor. They are now able to freely access the Mexican Market and present a much more favorable deal to their partners in that country. It is now cheaper for both partners to conduct business. Quaker would also receive Preferential treatment as opposed to an outsider. Quaker now have an advantage over producers from Asia who export fabric to the United States but do not use US fabrics. (281) This results in an even bigger market for the company but serves as an disadvantage for the Asian producers who may now have a bigger challenge on their hands. They may now have to cut staff and production as there is not enough market to support them as before. In this case Quakers is now able to market their business to other businesses as being cheaper, better quality by customer preference which makes its fabrics more marketable. This may lead to business expansion and the ability to employ more persons for all the partners involved. Greed is essential for competition and survival purposes within the Business to Business marketplace. Business to Business will from hereon be referred to as B2B. ... They may now have to cut staff and production as there is not enough market to support them as before. In this case Quakers is now able to market their business to other businesses as being cheaper, better quality by customer preference which makes its fabrics more marketable. This may lead to business expansion and the ability to employ more persons for all the partners involved. 4 Business to Business Competition Greed is essential for competition and survival purposes within the Business to Business marketplace. Business to Business will from hereon be referred to as B2B. Survival of the fittest is a crucial principle within this arrangement. If an organization is to emerge as the fittest by creating and maintaining a competitive edge there are several factors that come into play. The first rule of the game is knowing your competitors and understanding the marketplace of which you are a part. Organizations have to employ strategic management tactics to arrive at the best analysis of the marketplace and use this to charter the way forward. Jain cites that, "A strategic plan specifies the sequence and timing of steps that will alter competitive relationships." (10). An organisation may have a brilliant strategy in its plans but the untimely implementation of this strategy will render it useless. In strategic planning, companies need to identify and clearly state their goals and "develop rational plans to implement them." (11). The core of strategic planning is based on the relationship of an organization to its environs.It is important that viable plans be put made based on existing and projected environmental changes. To cover all related areas of strategic planning and to execute a successful implementation

Practice Intercultural Speaker Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Practice Intercultural Speaker Summary - Essay Example This acted as his core source of motivation that sought to unravel the finer details of what entailed the suffering of Indian minority in American land. At some point, he would even pose to question if the expensive infrastructural facilities across the American land would be in place if the American natives had not come there. Through his works, he explores consequences minorities face because of cultural differences. The majority forcefully try to assimilate the minority by making them believe that their culture is superior and superb. Sherman tries to bring out the raw picture of the plight of minorities in societies that are dominated by a majority. He goes ahead to state that the majority can do anything just to get away with their culture. In this pretext, he asserts that the Native Americans are the ones who suffered all kinds of humiliation ranging from ethnic cleansing to genocide not because they choose that was, but just because they fall victims of circumstances (Billmoyers.Com, 2013). That notwithstanding with the cultural gap that was evident between the minorities and the majorities it was for a minority to make up to understand the culture of the majority and not the other way round. That is why he says he knows the American culture more than anyone would think he knows the Indian culture. The majority will use all means possible including force to make the minority feel like they are in the wrong culture and thus the need to assimilate to the dominant culture. Throughout his literal works, Sherman Alexie was always trying to bring out the cultural indifference that existed between the Native Americans and Whites. He vividly narrates first-hand accounts of the suffering and indiscrimination that befall the Indians in American land because of being a minority in a white dominated land. The targeted audience may be the public but most specifically the audience will be divided into two; the majority who represent the whites for this

The Significance of Harlem Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Significance of Harlem Renaissance - Essay Example Migrants settled in Harlem, manhattan making it the largest Negro city in America and a center of cultural expression. Alain Locke is regarded as the father of the Harlem Renaissance as he was the dean, conceiver and editor of â€Å"The New Negro† in 1925 that summed up the essence of the movement. Other archictects included Charles S Johnson (editor opportunity magazine) and Jessie Fauset (editor of Crisis magazine). It drew artists from all walks of life both old and young including W.E.B.Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Bruce Nugent, Zora Neale Hurston, Arna Bontemps, Wallace Thurman, Nella Larsen, James Weldon Johnson, Claude McKay, Jean Toomer and Kelly Miller among others. Also important were musicians Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. This paper will discuss the Harlem Renaissance highlighting its architects and their vision as well as the artists that helped revolutionalize the African American culture. Harlem Renaissance originated in Harlem the largest Negro city in America after the Great Migration from rural South to Urban North in 1890 as well as the First World War. The population in this area included Africans, West Indians and Negro Americans but they all had experienced white supremacy through civil war and Reconstruction that ended in 1877 and the Jim Crow laws of segregation in the South. Those who moved to North were looking for opportunities as in the South they were disenfranchised, had no land hence turned to sharecroppers with endless debts, increased social terrorism. WWI also shut off Foreign migration hence increasing labor demand for Blacks in the North (Ushistory.org, nap). Though with multiple motives, believes and objectives, the communities joined hands to demand for a fuller and truer self-expression. In the words of Locke, â€Å"let Negro speak for himself† hence democracy in the American culture (10). By being known for what they are, the Harlem gr oups would gain race pride.

Pacifist Philosophy in Response to the Idea of War Essay Example for Free

Pacifist Philosophy in Response to the Idea of War Essay There are a variety of different philosophical interpretations of the idea of war, even what it means to be at war. Engaging in war is generally described as being the resort to violence in order to attain political ends. War is described by some as being a tyrannical crime, in that power hungry individuals lose sight of their morals and resort to unethical violence committed against others (Walzer, 2006). From this perspective, one notes the assertion that there is never a good reason to engage in such brutal behavior as to harm another individual. However, there are supposed potential weaknesses in this theory, due to the fact that nonviolence at all costs can be viewed as a complete lack of self defense (White, 2008). In any regard, the pacifist philosophy holds that there is never a good reason to engage in combat with other people, that true solutions are found solely through peaceful means. In light of the pacifist ideology, the idea of war has no place, even in the face impending and actual violence, and the best route in the face of danger is to resist participating in the cruelty. It is not always easy to attempt to manage a violent situation in peaceful ways, non-harmful ways, yet there are a myriad of creative ways to address the problem of violent people, ways which do not support aggressive thoughts and actions. In order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the pacifist position, it is essential to engage in comprehensive research and thought about the meaning of peace at all costs. Pacifism The principle ideas which serve as the conceptual framework of the pacifist movement center on the assertion that war is dictatorial cruelty derived from evil thoughts and actions and that peaceful behaviors are the only way in which to effectively diffuse this brutality. Practical pacifism affirms that resorting to violence is not the answer to the problem of violence in the world, that violence should be absolutely avoided and peaceful means of solution oriented action should be taken (Fiala, 2004). In other words, there is the example of the country who supports the death penalty as a means of supposed just punishment for people accused of the crime of murder. From a pacifist perspective, the idea of using violence as a means to eradicate violence is simply unreasonable and points to an illogical frame of thought and action. The pacifist would be likely to condone a means of arrest and rehabilitation rather than arrest and kill. The idea of peaceful interventions is paramount and supercedes all options deemed to be harmful to people. On a more personal level, one can take the interaction between and husband and wife or mother and child. When a person becomes angry enough to yell or hit, then the answer is not to yell or hit back in response, but rather to be calm and communicate with the other person in figuring out a solution. This kind of civilized action and communication can go a long way in ensuring that the violence does not continue, and this kind of civilized communication and action is able to be successfully translated to the public and political sphere as well. Strengths There are many strengths of the pacifist movement, in that the people who support peace at all costs are able to devise a great many solutions to violence which are centered on ensuring the absolute safety and wellbeing of all people. It is important to consider the ideas generated by pacifists, as they directly speak to the absolute moral concept of non-harm. Jesus Christ himself is quoted as saying, â€Å"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you, ‘Do not resist one who is evil; but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also’†, described as one of the most revolutionary sermons he ever gave (Ellens, 2007). This powerful commentary demands that people utilize the supremacy of restraint when faced with violence, even at a time, like today, when major religions condone the use of brutality. There is not one major religion in the world which absolutely forbids the use of violence, to the detriment of all people in the world. There is not one country which expressly forbids the act of war and supports the command for love, the command to offer one’s cheek to one’s aggressor. With all of the available options for peace, including communication, protest, boycotting, arrest, and rehabilitation, there is a known and certain positive effect which can be produced through the use of more gentle modes of action than violence. The media today is full of popular artists who tout violence as a masculine or commanding way of settling a score. However, when a person resorts to violence in an attempt to eradicate violence, the end result is simply another person who is drawn into the problem itself. The only way to end the violence in the world is by commitment to faith in the inherent goodness of humanity, to staunchly support the idea that solutions can be found which do not cause harm to other people. Criminality is basically defined as causing harm, and it makes no sense to become a criminal in the desire to ensure justice. Weaknesses There are those people who claim that there are weaknesses in the pacifist philosophy, that absolute peace defies the need to defend oneself from harm. People who do not support absolute pacifism claim that one of the only ways to address the problem of rogue states is to resort to war (Jacobson, 2007). Engaging in the violence of war is supposedly justified as an unfortunate effect of having no other option but to defend oneself and one’s country from the violent actions of others. To some people, pacifism may seem to be weak. In response to an event such as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, many people believed that the best solution was to violently enter into the home countries of the terrorists and to take over through the use of brutal force. To some people, there are terrorists, offenders, on one side of the war, and defenders on the other. From this perspective, there are two teams in the war game, certain people who are committing evil and need to be stopped at all costs, even through harm and loss of life, and people who are engaged in righteous self defense. This philosophical viewpoint stems from a bipolar system, where some people are engaging in violence for bad reasons and some people for good reasons. This simple yet convoluted way of thinking is highly selfish and negative, in that one person, or one team, is the victim, the oppressed, the suffering agent, the other person or team is the tyrant, the oppressor, the harmful agent. In this mode of judgment, there is only one guilty party, and the guilty are deserving of cruel punishment. However, the essential problem is always the same, in that there is supposedly never a good reason to cause harm to another person. Although the determination for war may be convenient, especially when people are actively engaged in the violent activity, there is still the basic problem of violence as a moral problem rather than a solution. Dividing couples, families, societies, countries, and political systems into warring teams of bad versus good does little to solve the core issues of the criminality of causing harm to others. Rebuttal Although some people believe that the pacifist ideology is weak and perhaps even a pathetic mode of political action, a powerful case can be made in support of peaceful decision making, decisions which are strong and influential while also being relatively calm and diplomatic. There is no government which has successfully demilitarized their country, no political system which has shifted to a purely diplomatic strategy for achieving peaceful end results (Djerejian, 2007). Due to the fact that all countries in the world are suffering from some form of violence, the case can certainly be made that policies which promote violence simply encourage the violent behaviors of citizens. What a different world this would be if the response to an attack was to demilitarize a region, to offer one’s cheek. What an interesting phenomena it would be to witness a region where guns were systematically removed from all persons, homes, and cars, even if it meant being shot in the process. Although an initial, primal, or habitual response to an attack is to harm one’s attacker, there is the ever present possibility of changing one’s response, to commit to the idea of peaceably reacting in the face of impending danger. When a child is hitting a parent, often the best reaction is to let a child hit until the child realizes that the parent is not going to hit back, to allow the child to realize that the parent is totally loving and totally dependable. Conclusion The political solution for all policy making is always going to be a peaceful solution, whether politicians realize it or not. The leaders of the world are going to be the ones who quietly offer their cheek, who are committed to helping their neighbors, even when these neighbors are seeking revenge. It takes a smart person to realize that one is participating in an immorally violent society, and it takes an even smarter person to realize that one is responsible for being an agent of change in support of pacifism. There are very few truly innocent people out there, if any, no countries which are politically perfect. From this perspective, people need to humble themselves in the face of their neighbors, to be aware of the shameful past and current atrocities being committed by governments across the globe, and to resolutely stand for the implementation of peaceful solutions. Policies can only be effectively changed by people who are committed activists in the name of peace, and these activists are the leaders of the world, pacifists in the name of the goodness of humanity. References Djerejian, E. (2007). Changing Minds, Winning Peace: A New Strategic Direction for U. S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab Muslim World. Lulu. com. Ellens, H. (2007). The destructive power of religion: violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Greenwood Publishing Group. Fiala, A. (2004). Practical pacifism. Algora Publishing. Jacobson, A. (2007). Nonviolence as a Way of Knowing in the Public School Classroom. In Factis Pax 1(1), 38-54. Walzer, M. (2006). Just and unjust wars: a moral argument with historical illustrations. Basic Books. White, J. (2008). Contemporary Moral Problems. Cengage Learning.

Language and Mind Essay Example for Free

Language and Mind Essay 1. Which of the following statements about parameters is FALSE? a. They specify the limits on possible differences between languages b. They do not belong to Universal Grammar # c. Their values must be â€Å"set† on the basis of experience 2. From the viewpoint of the principles-and-parameters theory, the process of language acquisition consists of: a. Setting the choice for each parameter that fits the language that is being acquired # b. Storing words and sentences in memory c. Learning the order in which words occur in sentences 3. If some property X is true for all languages, we can conclude that: a. X may be a property that all and only languages have (i.e. a language-unique universal) # b. X must be a general property of all cognitive systems c. X is determined by the universal human articulatory apparatus 4. The fact that young infants do not forget about objects that they have seen after these objects have been taken away is called: a. object shift b. habituation c. object permanence # 5. Consider the following two question sentences: i. When did the boy say he fell out of the tree? ii. When did the boy say how he fell out of the tree? The first question is ambiguous because: a. It is not clearly formulated b. It has two different underlying deep structures # c. It has one sentence embedded in another sentence 6. The statement: perception is ahead of production means that: a. Children can articulate words before they can recognize and understand them b. Children can recognize and understand words and sentences that they cannot yet properly produce themselves# c. Children’s visual abilities are better than their auditory abilities 7. The special way in which parents speak to young infants is called a. Telegraphic speech b. Motherese or parentese# c. Recursion 8. The ‘Critical Period’ that is relevant for first and second language acquisition a. That is correct # b. That is incorrect because it is only relevant for first language acquisition c. That is incorrect because it is only relevant for second language acquisition 9. Genie’s success in acquiring English turned out to be very limited. The greatest problem she had was: a. Learning words b. Understanding what people said to her c. Forming utterances with syntactic structure # 10. Genies case provides important support for: a. The critical period hypothesis # b. The role of ‘motherese’ in language acquisition c. The Poverty of stimulus argument for innateness 11. Imagine the following scenario: Some Japanese people come to Mexico to do business. None of them speaks Spanish, and none of their Mexican partners speaks Japanese. There is no other language that these two groups have in common. Therefore, they have to develop a kind of ‘auxiliary communication system’ that can fit this special circumstance. This system is most likely to be a: a. creole b. pidgin # c. English 12. According to Derek Bickerton a creole language is created by: a. adults who are forced to communicate with each other over a long period of time without having a shared language b. people who need to have a secret language c. children whose linguistic input consists of a pidgin spoken in their community # 13. The fact that children are apparently capable of producing a creole language which has grammatical properties that are not present in the pidgin input can be used as evidence for: a. The view that children have innate knowledge of language structure # b. The view that pidgin languages have hidden grammatical structure c. The view that children are born with blank slate minds 14. For a universal to count as an argument for the IH, which of the following three conditions is NOT necessary: a. The universal must be true of languages only b. We cannot explain the universal in any other way c. The universals must be about the syntax of language# 15. Which of the following is NOT a property of creole languages? a. Creole languages have a very simplified grammar # b. Creole languages have been acquired as first languages c. Creole languages have a fully developed grammar 16. Which of the following statements is FALSE? a. Sign languages differ from spoken languages in being based on visual signals rather than on sound b. Sign languages have emerged spontaneously (i.e. they are not man-made or artificial) just like spoken languages c. Sign languages are fundamentally different from spoken languages in that all signs are necessarily iconic # 17. The existence of sign languages, being fully equivalent in all relevant respects to spoken languages, supports the innateness hypothesis because: a. Both types of languages are processed in totally different brain regions b. Both types of languages depend on the innate principles of the auditory or visual system c. Even though the perceptual modality (audition versus vision) is so different from the spoken language modality, the same kind of grammatical structures are present in both types of languages # 18. The stages that children, who acquire a sign language, go through (after they start babbling) are: a. The same as the stages we see in the acquisition of spoken languages # b. Different in that deaf children skip the two word stage c. Different in that deaf children never get to the point that they form full sentences 19. In the case of Nicaraguan Sign Language, the youngest children changed the unstructured signing of their older peers into a structured language. This is analogous to: a. changing a pidgin into a creole # b. changing a creole into a pidgin c. changing a spoken language into a sign language 20. A simplified form of human communication used by people with no common language is a(n): a. Pidgin language # b. Creole language c. Artificial language 21. Which of the following statements is TRUE? a. All pidgin languages have the same grammar b. All pidgin languages have very simple grammars # c. All pidgin languages have fully developed grammars 22. Which of the following statements is TRUE a. Children can acquire only one languages at the same time b. There are no fixed stages in the acquisition of sign languages c. Foreign language learning after puberty in general leads to imperfect language abilities # 23. The argument that the input that children receive is not rich enough to explain the rich knowledge that they end up with is called: a. The argument from universals b. The argument from stages c. The poverty of the stimulus argument # 24. Evidence for categorical perception in young infants comes from: a. Habituation studies # b. Diary studies c. Longitudinal studies 25. In which stage of language acquisition would children most likely produce a sentence such as â€Å"mommy want milky†? a. Holophrastic stage b. Two word-stage c. Telegraphic stage #