Presidential Election 2000 Essays - Hubert Humphrey, Elections

Presidential Election 2000 As generations pass, and times change, the people of the United States change as well. What may have been a major issue in the 1980 election might not even concern voters in 2000. Economic issues are continually changing with the times. Each election develops its own "personality." Despite agreeing on some issues, the four major [now just two] candidates in the upcoming 2000 presidential election hold different opinions on three major economic issues: tax reform, health care, and free trade/immigration. One of the most important issues of the 2000 presidential election is tax reform. This topic, possibly more than any other issue in the election, reflects the greatest disparity among candidates of the same party. Among the Democrats, Bill Bradley and Al Gore have contrasting ideas concerning tax reform. Perhaps the most educated candidate on this issue, Bradley is a former member of the Senate Finance Committee and one of the major contributors to the 1986 overhaul of the tax code. Bradley's position, made known in numerous debates, is that he is strongly against large tax cuts. The former senator believes that while the economy is doing well, the government should utilize tax revenues to improve schools, protect social security, and pass a national healthcare program instead of concentrating on tax reduction. Bradley recently told New York Times writer James Dao that he would veto the recently approved 792 billion dollar tax cut in "a nanosecond". The only specific tax cuts Bradley has proposed are tax breaks for health insurance payments. Concerning the budget surplus, Bradley seeks to direct most of the money to reducing child poverty as well as making health care more affordable for low-income families.1 Vice President Gore has established a position on tax reform different from that of Senator Bradley. The two candidates do share similar beliefs regarding the 792 billion dollar tax cut that Gore refers to as a "risky tax scheme." Gore has stated that, if elected president, he would implement a 200 to 300 billion dollar tax cut over the next 10 years. Gore seeks to allocate this money to reach specific goals such as expanded tax incentives, and education and retirement savings programs. Gore refers to his cut as"relatively modest," and claims his figures are more realistic than those of Republican George W. Bush. Gore however, claims that he would not hesitate to implement larger cuts in a economic slowdown but rules out tax increases in good economic times.2 Republican candidate George W. Bush presents a position on tax reform clearly different than that of either of the two democratic candidates. Much like that of the "typical Republican," Bush is calling for large tax cuts if he is elected to office. As Bush has often stated, "It's the people's money, not the governments." He has called for a 1.3 trillion dollar tax cut over the next ten years, a figure close to 4 times that of Vice President Gore. The centerpiece of Bush's tax cut is a gradual reduction in marginal tax rates, meaning everyone will be affected by his proposals. On this issue, Bush states, "if you're going to have a tax cut, everyone ought to have a tax cut."3 Offering a tax reform perspective somewhat different than that of Gore, Bradley and Bush, Republican candidate John McCain wants to implement a "flat tax," a reform that would replace the current progressive marginal rates with a single ?flat' tax. McCain claims that, in this way, the government will not be promising tax cuts from surpluses the economy might not produce in the future. In sum, McCain believes taxes should be flatter, lower, and more simple. He believes that a vast majority of Americans pay too much of their income on taxes. McCain believes his tax "pitch" is modest enough in size that it leaves funds left over from surplus tax revenues to deal with other needs of the economy. He claims this "balanced approach" is the key to tax reform in the 21st century.4 Another pivotal issue in the upcoming election is health care. Bill Bradley's health care plan calls for the replacement of Medicaid with 150 dollar vouchers per month. However, Bradley still sees problems with insufficient funding for AIDS/HIV patients. In addition to this change, Bradley feels strongly about not punishing the disabled for working. Under the current system, once disabled people begin working, they lose their federal health benefits. Bradley wants to make sure that, under his new plan, disabled people can work and still receive their needed health care.5 Unlike his fellow Democratic candidate,

Masterdon Carpet Mills Essays

Masterdon Carpet Mills Essays Masterdon Carpet Mills Essay Masterdon Carpet Mills Essay Subject: Possibility of establishing private distribution centers or wholesale operation Overview Cardon Carpet Mills, Inc is a privately held manufacturer of a full line of medium to high price carpet primarily for the residential segment. Cardon has been around for over 30 years and have great long term relationships with its wholesalers. But, Cardon is lagging behind with the industries sales growth. The current wholesaler’s sales force only uses 40% of their sales call time towards Cardon products. If they eliminate the wholesaler by going with their own direct distribution center, Cardon Carpet Mills can reserve the wholesale markup and other expenditures for themselves. The opportunity of forward vertical integration by newly established distribution practices, in the long run, is a viable and attractive option proven in the following qualitative and quantitative analysis. Recommendation 1. Establish private direct distribution centers focusing on residential business to eliminate wholesalers and maximize profits. Rationale Through a 25% wholesale markup, there is currently $13. 5 million spent at the wholesale level. The margin of $13. 5 million paid out to wholesalers could be preserved by Cardon Carpet Mills, Inc. to support the change in the distribution channel using internal capital. This satisfies conditions set out by Robert Meadows, President of Cardon Carpet Mills, Inc. and company policy to finance programs from internal funds except for capital expansion (Appendix). If Cardon Carpet Mills, Inc. aintains the same retail production presently on hand through the wholesale channel currently used, $2,240,000 should be spent on the salaries of 32 sales representatives and an additional $320,000 should be spent on the salaries of 4 overseeing managers if each sales manager manages eight individual sales representatives (Appendix). The total spent on sales administration, which is 40% of the salaries of the total sales force and management costs per year, total $1,024,000. The cost to carr y inventory and accounts receivable total 10% each of sales. With the current preferred inventory turnover of 4 times per year, inventory carrying costs would total $1,350,000 and accounts receivable carrying cost would be $1,662,561 (Appendix). Transportation expenses equal 4% of sales and total $2,700,000. The total estimated cost of Cardon Carpet Mills, Inc. transition to direct distribution would be considerably less expensive, with $14,196,561 spent in the distribution to retail accounts, than maintaining the current wholesale distribution. Advantages of direct distribution include: 1. Allow the services provided to buyers through a sales force that is tailored to their needs. 2. Relocation of distribution centers closer to Dallas Fort-Worth and Atlanta metropolitan areas will allow for better service those areas. 3. Already involved in direct distribution, but currently only in contract sales. Those contract sales 28% of current company sales. Disadvantages of direct distribution include: 1. Threat of mass exodus of wholesalers after opening of first company warehouse. 2. Increase of fixed costs. 3. Implementation of marketing strategies, promotion, and advertising typically done by wholesaler’s sales force. Going direct will improve the satisfaction of retailers by allowing the company to avoid additional markups associated with wholesalers and discount the price to retailers. The company is also able to provide better service through an efficient sales force that is exclusive to Cardon Carpets. This new distribution system will also benefit the 1200 members of buying groups that demand lower prices. The initial difficulties of change maybe challenging due to the time constraints involved in implementing a direct distribution system. However, the long run benefits of direct distribution will surpass its current disadvantages. Next Steps Search for suitable locations for the distribution centers at the seven metropolitan areas Hire and train knowledgeable personnel for each center. First, the four managers would be hired and trained by our current regional sales coordinators. Thereafter, managers would be responsible for hiring and training their sales force. Try to end relationships with wholesalers on good terms. It is imperative to inform the retailers of the change in distribution system. This can be done through a letter that highlights their benefits from this change (price reduction, better service, etc). This will be most effective at the time of opening our distribution operations.

The Social Injustice Shell Gas is Putting on the Nigerian Delta Research Paper

The Social Injustice Shell Gas is Putting on the Nigerian Delta - Research Paper Example The typical day of the Nigerian Shell employee is filled with inhaling the dangerous gas fumes from the daily extraction of the natural gas emissions. Likewise, some of the gas pipes often break from the pressure coming from the earth’s exiting gases (Rosenau 9). Consequently, some leaks occur from cracks in the weakened gas pipes. Some of the people are happy with the current situation. Some place more importance on earning money from the Shell jobs over their health. The Shell Company jobs help reduce the poverty level in the Nigerian Delta. Priority should be placed on emphasizing how many people must die for our oil intake in (Paden 47). Mass genocide, through oil spill poisoning, that is being implemented by the government and the Shell Corporation on the Nigerian people should be stopped. Nigeria’s culture, ecosystem, and sustainability before shell. Before Shell Company’s intrusion, the Nigerian Delta was a densely populated enjoying daily breath of fresh unpolluted air. The people lived on fishing and other maritime jobs. The ecosystem before the intrusion of Shell Company was in a better balance. Human rights violation was absent before the entry of Shell Company into the lives of the Nigerian Delta people. The government was less corrupt prior to the entry of the Shell pipelines when compared to the government corruption after the entry of Shell Company . The skies were bluer then. The people can swim in the water. In addition, fishing was a thriving business endeavor. In terms of economics, the people can now work for Shell as one of its pipe maintenance engineers. The job entails ensuring that there are no leaks. Leak prevention is a vital job of the Shell employees. The lives of the people living in the community are at the hands of the employees of Shell Company (Nigeria 66).

To what extent was the CIA and the US Government involved in the 1973 Research Paper

To what extent was the CIA and the US Government involved in the 1973 Coup with Chile. Need sources from the American perspectiv - Research Paper Example A strategy was taken after the 4th September 1970 elections to prevent Allende from taking over office. The strategy involved the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) influencing a congressional run off vote as a constitutional requirement since Allende’s victory was not on absolute majority. According to Mirza (270), the intention of the operation was to make the Chileans aware of dangers of the Marxist regime which was to come with Allende’s reign. Allende was a member of the Socialist Party of Chile and he was the Popular Unity between the coalition of communists, socialists, radicals and the Christian democrats. A Marxist, Allende’s program was to nationalize most of the banks and private industries. He also programmed massive land expropriation as well as collectivization. His opposers included Radomiro Tomic of the Christian Democratic Party and Jorge Alessandri. Allende received 36% of the vote winning over Alessadri (34%) and Tomic (27%). Allende won the maj ority but had votes that were less than the popular vote which did not meet the requirements set out in the constitution. The controversy behind Allende’s victory was that he was against the United States’ national interest over Chile. In spite of pressure from the United States, supporters of Allende together with Christian democrats voted for Allende. ... The CIA took various actions, for instance, it made overtures to foreign governments against Salvador’s presidency. According to Hastedt (80), the CIA also circulated propaganda for local media placement which aimed at mobilizing support to raise public opposition against Allende. The CIA contacted a lay man who had connections with church leaders to influence them against Allende. Chilean military officers improved their connections with station officers. Eduardo Frei of the Christian Democratic Party was encouraged to use his influence and encourage officers to form a new government before Allende was elected by the congress as the president. Frei was reluctant to take this action. Between 5th and 20th October, 1970, the station mobilized more contacts with the key Chilean military officers convincing them to engage in a coup .An attachee of the US embassy’s army was put under CIA station as the operational controller. He also relayed vital information to the military . Four of the CIA officers in non-official cover were instructed to meet with the Chilean officers who participated in plotting the coup. This was the track 11 plan which involved a military coup although it failed. The truck one plan involved political action which was aimed at discouraging the congress from electing Allende as the president. Track two failed as a result of the assassination of the army commander, Schneider. He was a strong supporter of the constitution of Chile and a defender of a military coup against Allende. As noted by Schmitz (101), the CIA and the United States government had agreed that absence of Schneider would prove a better position to plan the coup. One of the coup plotters, Robert Viaux, who was a retired

Families and house holds Essay Example for Free

Families and house holds Essay Families and Households (In this essay I will examine and assess the view that, in todays society, the family is losing Its functions. ) Modern family sociology mainly developed In the middle of the 20th century, in a period of stability (for countries like the USA or even Switzerland) or of social reconstruction after the Second world war (as for most other European countries). This development took place under the aegis of the then dominating functionalist paradigm (Parsons Bales 1955, Goode 1963). Its basic model was that of the nuclear family, a couple of two adult partners living together with their hildren and forming an irreducible group securing fundamental tasks for social and hence societal Integrauon, especially through socialization, a group that functioned In a relatively autonomous way, with little intimate contacts beyond its borders, which made It particularly attuned to the flexibility required by the Industrial society. The internal structure of this family model was mainly organized around two ascribed criteria, sex and age. The role attribution according to the sex of the adult partners internal tasks for the wife, external tasks for the husband was said to correspond to expressive vs. Instrumental orientations typical of sexual Identities and was interpreted to be a highly functional way of performing all the necessary contributions to family and societal functioning. The welfare state and other social institutions played a pivotal role as a substitute family; many functions the family used to perform (see my video on Parsons Fit Thesis) have now been taken over by our welfare state (anyone else hear Charles Murray groan? ). Remember pre- industrialization? The family performed many educational caring roles! For example, single parents can perform the economic role through benefit payments nd primary socialization of children can be performed by pre-school / nursery. So on the one hand, from a functionalist and New Right point of view; the family Is losing its functions because of their primary concern / focus with the nuclear family. However the evaluation Is that the family Isnt necessarily losing its functions because in whatever format the family is found, with external support the key functions Durkheim and parsons Stress. are still performable. Certain functionalist such as Parsons and Dennis say that in our now modern society some functions erformed by the family have been shifted to specialized Institutions that look after certain vital roles. This would include such things as education, as this used to performed by the family who educated their children for the working world. They also claim that now the family has two basic functions left, these are the socialization of children and the stabilization of adult personalities. Changes in the family; Decline In marriage and growth In cohabitation, Remarriage and growth of reconstituted families More births outside marriage, Rising divorce rates, Ageing population. However some other sociologists such as Fletcher and Shorter claim that It Is the opposites and that the family actually sued to ignore such things as the education of their children and the recreational activities were not done. They say that now due to the introduction of the welfare system the family now cares about their Childs health and keeps a closer eye on It. The family still Is responsible for partly diagnosing 1 OF3 introduction of the social service department the family must further care for their child so they are not taken away. There are many different sociologists who look in he families place in todays society and assess the level of function to family has today. From Murdock to parsons, feminist and warm bath theory there is many different views and opinions on this statement. One of the more famous sociologists who looked at the family is G. P. Murdock; he compared over 250 societies and claimed that the nuclear family was universal, that some form of the nuclear family existed in every known society and that it performed four functions essential to the continued existence of those societies. The four functions are Reproduction (where society equires new members to ensure its survival), Sexual (this function serves both society and the individual. Unregulated sexual behavior has the potential to be socially disruptive. However marital sex creates a powerful emotional between a couple), Educational (culture needs to be transmitted to the next generation), Economic (where adult family members show their commitment to the care, protection and maintenance of their dependents by becoming productive workers and being an income). While Murdocks ideas are a great idea and would make a good society to live in they re also dated seeing as he wrote this in 1949, things have changed a lot since then and the family has moved on, one thing that would have changed for sure since he wrote this is the fact that women can now be the breadwinners in the family it is no longer Just the men that go out to work to help the economy. So according to Murdock then family would be losing its functions because it is not fitting directly into his four main functions. As industrialization grew kinship-based society broke-up which had a direct impact on family structures. Out went the classic extended family and in came the isolated nuclear family as a productive unit. The term isolated comes from functionalist Talcott Parsons who identified the families in modern industrial society as being isolated because its not connected to wider kinship relations. Obviously there are kinship relationships between members of a family but the difference for Parsons is these relationships are built on choice rather than obligation (members of pre-industrial had to cooperate in order for the family unit to survive a relationship built on obligation rather than choice. These pre-industrial family obligations consisted of health-care; education; policing; moral teaching; mployment etc. ) In contrast Parsons identified how in modern industrial times, the family was no longer obliged to carry out these family functions. Instead state institutions such as firms; schools; hospitals; GPs; police and churches took over these obligations. Parsons said this shift from family to state responsibility was a natural outcome of social evolution rather than demise. The isolated nuclear family had evolved from the classic extended family due to a reduction of the functions of the family particularly with the family ceasing to be an economic unit of production. Functionalists argue this change in function of the family comes from the needs of the economic system. Industrialization introduced specialized division of labor. These specialisms mean certain skills are called for in different geographical regions at different times. These social changes meant the isolated nuclear families being freed requirements of modern industrial society. This changing function of the family was evident in the expansion of the railways in the 19th century. The 1851 Census was the first to include detailed classifications of the population by age which provides a enchmark to track the impact of the railways on families, people and places throughout England and Wales. The shift to the postmodern family Unlike Giddens, Beck and Beck-Gernsheim, and David Morgan, the American sociologist Judith Stacey believes that contemporary societies such as the USA have developed the postmodern family (Stacey, 1996). She associates changes in the family with a movement away from a single dominant family type. And with greater variety in family relationships. Postmodern families in Silicon Valley Staceys claim that the postmodern family is characteristic of the USA is based upon er own research into family life in Silicon Valley conducted during the mid-1980s. Silicon Valley in California is the global headquarters of the electronics industry and the worlds vanguard post-industrial region (Stacey, 1996). Usually trends in family life in the USA take on an exaggerated form in Silicon Valley. For example, divorce rates in this area have risen faster than in other areas of the country. Trends there are generally indicative of future trends elsewhere. Most sociologists have tended to argue that higher-class and middle-class families lead the way in new family trends and that working-class families then follow later see, for example, Willmott and Youngs idea of the symmetrical family). Staceys research suggests that the reverse might be true with the rise of the postmodern family.

Cisco Systems Essay -- essays research papers

Case Study: The Internet and the New Information Technology Infrastructure 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Describe the competitive business environment in which GM is operating General Motors, while they are the largest automobile maker, are currently going through a decline in sales. Their competition is extremely stiff. With competitors such as Ford, Chrysler, and other Japanese vehicles that have lower production costs and include better styling issues and quality in mind, this makes for a difficult struggle for GM. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  GM remains a far-flung vertically integrated corporation †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Makes 70% of their own parts While GM makes their own parts, other companies, such as Daimer-Chrylser purchases their parts from other vendors with whom they can haggle over their prices. With such advances in the automobile industry, this brought about a race for companies surrounding GM to produce more vehicles quicker and allowed for faster sales. While some may say that GM still builds quality cars, they are by no means keeping up with the competition in production areas. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Describe the relationship between GM’s organization and its information technology infrastructure. What management, organization, and technology factors influenced this relationship? GM’s organization found that its system as a whole was falling behind in technology. Their design group could not relate with other sectors of the company, as each division of the company was on their own software and hardware database. No one particular system communicated with another. In the early 80’s GM tried to integrate their system by using EDS (Electronic Data Systems) and they were able to streamline their computers together. Their current CIO Ralph Szygenda has managed to bring the company to its feet once again by bringing in several new changes. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Replaced many systems with standardized software for all computers which in turn was networked to other systems †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Created programs that would correlate with one another and enabled data sharing †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Consolidated legacy systems and databases Management realized that without sharing the data and having a system that could run smoothly they would soon fall to their knees. When they began reali... ...e problem is quickly finding the car that the customer wants, which is a strategy better known as Locate-to-Order. To reach this goal, GM must create a regional inventory of the vehicle pool that will be shown on the Internet so that regardless of the vehicles’ location, potential buyers can find â€Å"their† vehicle. There is one flaw in the system that manufacturers and dealers must deal with in the business. They must realize that customers will require varying styles, colors and other options and they (the company) must be ready at the drop of a hat to have the product readied. The inventory must be stocked and ready to be sold. Internet technology could be the catalyst for GM to reconstruct its entire value chain, transforming itself into a customer-focused business that provides many different electronic services to consumers, as well as cars. â€Å"Built-to-order† has been around the auto industry for a long time, but only for very expensive cars, and it required a waiting period of two to three months before delivery. This system would greatly reduce finished vehicle inventory costs as well as generate other production cost savings, potentially saving GM $20 billion per year.

Memento Film Analysis Paper Essay

Memento (2001), a film that was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, has captivated the attention of movie and puzzle enthusiasts everywhere. Some may call it a Drama or Mystery, or even a Thriller or a Neo-Noir film, whatever the case is, this film fits most, if not all, of these categories. Memento is a film about a man, Leonard Shelby who lives his life with Anterograde Amnesia which leaves him incapable of making new memories. He spends the time in this film putting pieces of a puzzle together that will hopefully lead him to find the man who raped and killed his wife. Christopher Nolan takes us through a crazy journey that involves twists and turns, Fear and Anxiety and even a feeling of Paranoia that leaves us questioning who we should really trust in the film. This psychological mystery allows us to see the film as neo-noir because of the flawed protagonist which is reflected in the main character, Leonard. With the disability our main character and narrator has, it might give some viewers a feeling of uneasiness and may even not trust him entirely which gives the feeling of paranoia in not knowing who in the film is telling us the truth and who is lying to us. The story is told in a confusing way, if one were to not pay attention for a short period of time, it may be certain that you will be lost in the film. One has to truly pay up most attention in order to fully process everything that is going on, one viewing may not even be enough, a second viewing may help us catch things that were previously missed or even hidden in plain sight, but the film keeps us with the anxiety of wanting to know what happens next which allows this film to catch our attention even after one viewing. Memento is a film that can fall under many genres of film, I will however, be focusing on the genres of Drama, Mystery and Thriller. The film includes many different elements which allow the film to fall under these three main genres. A drama is often described as a film â€Å"that relies on the emotional and relational development of realistic characters. † Most of the emotional development could be seen through the characters of Leonard and Natalie, who seem to develop an intimate relationship. This is in a way hinted to us during a scene where we see Leonard waking up in bed next to Natalie. Drama is also seen when â€Å"dramatic themes play a huge role in the plot. See more: how to write an analysis paper on an article examples † Leonard is often questioning what the truth is and what isn’t, thanks to his rare case of amnesia he is often seen to be in conflict with himself and those around him. The purpose of a drama is to tell an honest story of human struggles; the struggles that Leonard goes through could be the same that one may go through when faced with the rare case of amnesia. The Mystery genre seems to be thrown at us with the many examples that we are given throughout the entire film. A mystery usually â€Å"centers on a person of authority, usually a detective that is trying to solve a mysterious crime. † The crime that is trying to be solved is the murder of Leonard’s wife, the murder is shrouded with mystery not only because of Leonard’s inability to remember, but also because of the very limited clues that we’re given. This genre could also tie into other genres such as Crime Fiction, Revenge, and Crime Thriller. The biggest element that the mystery genre has is the feeling of â€Å"whodunit†. This â€Å"whodunit† is usually described as the story that gives the identity of the murderer at the end. Memento also fits under the genre of Thriller which usually revolves around the anticipation and suspense in a film. They do this in their genres in order to keep the audience wanting more or for that edge of their seat excitement. Christopher Nolan does an excellent job with this genre; the way the film was presented helps this genre so much more. With the story being told to us backwards we want to know why things are happening, often times other films have us wondering what will happen next, but this film has us thinking, what happened before the event that we just saw. With the many genres presented, it’s no surprise that Memento would have an element of  confusion to it. The story itself may be confusing, but I rather want to talk about the characters within the film. Leonard Shelby suffers from a rare case of Anterograde Amnesia, according to the science section of the website HowStuffWorks. com anterograde amnesia means you have difficulty of making new memories and absorbing new information. Leonard Shelby being our main narrator throughout the film, we seem to trust and believe everything he tells us, this is due to the fact that we are so used to watching films that tell us that the narrator is a reliable subject. Leonard Shelby having this handicap makes us feel some sort of sympathy for him which makes believe he is reliable, but having a condition where you cannot remember how a conversation began once it has ended, leaves us wondering how can we believe this man if he can’t even remember how he got to the point in which he is now. We watch the film thinking of who is lying to us, who is telling us the truth, what’s going to happen, towards the end we seem to build a trust with our main narrator because we’ve seen the struggle he’s gone through and the situations  he’s had to face in order to find the murder who killed his wife. To our surprise, once we get reach the ending of the film, which in reality is the beginning, we see that Leonard has been lying to us the entire time. Character development in a film is crucial because it allows us to see who we can categorize to be the â€Å"good guy† or the â€Å"bad guy†, the non-linear narrative presented to us in Memento allowed Christopher Nolan to play with the way he presented his characters and make us believe the people who were truly lying to us.