Quotes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Quotes - Essay Example However, there is still a life which goes on behind bars and a continuation of life which should be supported. While a prisoner is certainly placed under boundaries of law, s/he does not stop being a human being and it must be noted that s/he has the same right to be treated humanely and with as much importance as those who are not with him/her in prison. The treatments and the rights are controlled by those who are supposed to manage prisons and things such as college degree earning program for prisoners can improve conditions for many prisoners. Instead of simply waiting for their time in prison to pass, they can be educated and taught to enhance their abilities and as a ‘captive’ audience, they would be receptive to the education which is given to them. Simply put, with the program, the prison system can put out educated college graduates while without the program the prison system is only putting out ex-convicts. All true stories become unbelievable as soon as we are told that they are true story or the events which are told to us are based on a true story. While we accept them as the truth, the element of disbelief and wonder is not taken away and we have to keep reminding ourselves that the story itself is true. We can certainly find examples of such stories in the media and even in anecdotes that we tell each other. For example, a baby that survives a burning building, a child who is able to beat grandmasters at chess, a person fighting against unbelievable odds, social stigma as well as other barriers that have been placed in his/her part and becoming successful in their endeavors. Most recently, we saw true events unfold in front of us as jetliners were used by terrorist as weapons against America. However, I feel that the most unbelievable true stories are the ones which take place everyday around us but are simply not reported. For example, a young high school student that does not take

The historical and institutional factors Essay Example for Free

The historical and institutional factors Essay The historical and institutional factors that contributed to the differences between the current German party system and the one that existed under the Weimar Republic One of the first major ways in which the current German party differs from that of the Weimar republic concerns the way in which democracy was formed. Whilst the current system was created through a constitution that received the respect and support of all the political parties concerned, the Weimar Republic was formed as a direct result of Germany’s defeat during the second world war. Although the Weimar Republic attempted to create a democratic Germany the economic downturn caused by the repercussions of the First World War entailed that it was difficult for political developments to take hold. The Germany politicians were forced to accept of the Versailles Treaty in 1911 and the inclusion of the ‘War Guilt Clause’ led to compulsory reparations to be paid to the alies. The agreement to this treaty caused a major split between the political parties and the extreme right were able to utiilise this to create an unstable political system. A further difference between the two political entities can be observed in the economic backdrop to their position. Not only did the Versaille Treaty have a crippling effect on the German economy, they were heavily dependent on foreign investment, loans and economic prosperity from the United States. In this vulnerable position the Weimar Republic’s existence was reliant on outside investment, which came crashing to a halt during the Wall Street crash of 1929. Post Wall Street Germany was a country that suffered from mass unemployment, homelessness and hunger and was crippled economically and, by 1933, the economy stood on the brink of collapse, with an economy which should, realistically, have long since declared itself bankrupt (Frei 163). The current German party however, is operational in very different circumstances. Their economy is one of the most advanced market economies and they are largely export led (World Bank, 2007). The people of Germany have a faith in their political system that wasn’t in evidence during the time of the Weimar. Another difference between the two political entities concerns the attitudes and beliefs of the people they governed. During the times of the Weimar, the far right was extremely prominent and had great power through the support they received from the wealthy constitutents (Childers 46). Through such power they were able to instugate violences and coups. Today people more readily accept regime and acknowledge its legitimacy. Extreme right wing politics have been legislated against and radical right wing parties are banned from power. It wasn’t just economic conditions which caused the Weimar Republic to be weak. The Republic also suffered from structural weaknesses. One example of this concerned Article 48 of the constitution which conferred dictatorial powers upon the President during an emergency and did not require collaboration and agreement with the Reichstag ministers. Furthermore, the constitution installed a system of proportional representation which resulted in the multiplication of small splinter parties.This meant that a stable minority in the Reichstag was impossible and there were frequent changes in government. Works Cited: Childers, Thomas. The Nazi Voter: The Social Foundations of Fascism in Germany, 1919-1933, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1983 Total GDP 2007 World Bank. Retrieved on September 17, 2008 from http://siteresources. worldbank. org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GDP. pdf Frei, Norbert. National Socialist Rule in Germany. Translated by Joel Golb . New York Columbia University Press , 2002

Prison: Impact And Effects

Prison: Impact And Effects Jump to:  Theories of New Punitiveness | The Effect of Prison on the Family | The Effect of Prison on the Community  |  Conclusion Currently, the impact and effects of imprisonment, which is a means of social control, are increasingly becoming various and noticeable. This essay will first focus on the concept and the different models of social control. Then social functions, official aims of imprisonment and an example of a prison population crisis will be respectively examined in relation to sociological theories, new punitiveness and political economy, which are three main influences on imprisonment. Finally, the negative impact of imprisonment on both families and communities will be shown. Imprisonment as a concept of social control has a long history. In nineteenth century, social control paid more attention to both connecting sociology to political philosophy and settling the controversial discussions of macro-sociology (Janowitz, 1975, cited in Cohen and Scull, 1983). Social control, at that time, solved a great number of complicated issues, but the purely coercive controls were not widely used (Cohen and Scull, 1983). During the twentieth century, the social control, even sociology was to be a point of view and method for investigating the processes by which individuals are inducted to and induced to co-operate in some sort of permanent corporate existence we call society (Park and Burgess, 1924, cited in Cohen and Scull, 1983, p5). Indeed, the alteration of the process that inducted the individual into society had great benefits on social control. Additionally, at present, the concept of social control is basically defined as: any structure, process, relationship, or act that contributes to the social order (Liska, A.E, 1992, p3). Currently, there are three regulatory models of social control. The first model is custodial institution, which is established on the theories of social order and punishment and the police and prisons are the representative organizations of this model. In addition, community care, such as welfare agencies and halfway house, are also important methods of social control. In particularly, the custodial institution and community care create formal methods because of the rules, law and rehabilitation, they base on. The third model, which is informal, is called self and mutual help, such as social pressure and peer group. Less formal face to face controls are considered in this model (David and Stasz, 1990). Overall, social control uses the ways of punishment, prevention and rehabilitation in order to solve deviant, threatening and disorder behaviours. In particular, imprisonment is one of the highly used means of social control in form of punishment. There are three factors that strongly influence the development of imprisonment. Firstly, some theories of punishment as control have emerged. In Gramscis theory, the most important things for capitalist society in the revolutionary struggle are the superstructure of ideology, law and politics. Hegemony, which means that one class is convinced to accept other classes moral, political and cultural values, is his central idea. Additionally, Althusser improved the work of Gramsi. He introduced a penal system in the Repressive State Apparatus (RSA), which includes the police, the courts and the prison. However, he claimed that the functions of RSA are not only to coerce, but there are also ideological functions, such as to reproduce personal values. Distinguished from RSA, Althusser established Ideological State Apparatuses (ISA). He put some overlooked parts of the state in this mechanis m, such as educational system, the media and political parties (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). What is more, Foucalt, who created the phrase carceral archipelago to show western liberal democracies closely in touch with forms of oppression, argued in Discipline and Punish (1977) that: the emergence of the prison does not make a more humanitarian form of punishment, instead it represents an attempt to punish more efficiently and extensively to create a disciplined society (cited in Carrabine et al, 2009, p362). Furthermore, the English historian E.P.Thompson indicated that law, as well as penalty, can be found at every bloody level. However, if the law is unjust, the classs hegemony will benefit nothing from that. (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). Those sociological theories, particularly Foucaults great confinement that: institution of various kinds came to be adopted as the solution to a wide range of social problems (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p194), shows that imprisonment has its social functions. Mathiesen, a Norwegian penologist, suggests that there are five social functions which demonstrate that imprisonment is still the dominant way of punishment. He calls the first function the expurgatory function. Many of people in prisons are homeless, abused and suffering from mental illness as Cavadino and Dignan (2007) researched and therefore regarded as unproductive and disruptive. They are routinely being put into prisons so as to prevent society from various damages. The second function is called the power-draining function. Apart from preventing prisoners from being involved in the normal society, the prisoners are also: denied the opportunity to exercise responsibility (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p195). Minimal practical contributions is the function that is considered when the prisons were designed. Thirdly, prisoners easily isolate themselves from society, because of the shame of having been imprisoned. This is called, by Mathiesen, symbolic function. It shows the effect that those prisoners are a smaller risk to society after being released. The fourth function, related to the third one, is called the diverting function. Mathiesen (cited in Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p195) claims in his book that: socially dangerous acts are increasingly being committed by individuals and classes with power in society. However, the fact is that the heavy-handed of prisons are highly used to the lower working class offenders. Hereby social attention is diverted from more serious social harm committed by the groups in power. For instance, acts of pollution and eco-systems destruction. Finally, Mathiesen identifies the fifth social function as the action function. Because it is the most serious means of social cont rol, prisons play a vital role in reducing the publics fear of crime. However, Cavadino and Dignan (2007, p196) argue that the imprisonment functions that Mathiesen suggests are not that efficient: there is also a heavy price to be paid, not only in terms of resources and human suffering, but also in managing the increasing tensions that are associated with the steady enduring penal crisis. Theories of New Punitiveness Secondly, in recent decades, new punitiveness, which means a general rise in the severity of punishment, has become a notable penal trend around the world. Essentially, the aim of new punitiveness is to make offenders suffer. At present, the imprisonment rate, which is a measure of harshness of punishment, has increased in nearly three fourths of countries all over the world. Undoubtedly, the United States has led this new trend, because the prison population and imprisonment rates in this country are the highest in the world and where numbers of prisoners have quintupled since the early 1970s (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, P84). Meanwhile, this punitiveness is connected with populist punitiveness whose policies and slogans, for instance, zero tolerance, three strikes and prison works are a far-reaching influence on policy-making, particularly penal policies. Definitely, it represents this penal trend: new punitiveness. (Garland, 2007) New punitiveness is connected with the official aims of using imprisonment that results in increasing use of prisons. Deterrence and retribution to offenders were the primary aims of imprisonment in the nineteenth century. However, during this period, the prisoners were still possible to return back to society and those ideas were treated as official policy. Additionally, although in the 1970s, the rehabilitation ideal collapsed, rehabilitation was reintroduced and became an important aim in penal practices in the late 1990s, especially in the UK Criminal Justice System. The current aims of rehabilitation are not only reforming prisoners characters, but more importantly to prevent them from reoffending (HCHAC, 2004). At present, the UK Prison Service states as its official aims: to reduce the risk of reoffending, hold prisoners securely and provide safety (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). However, practically, all of the three aims are lamentable. Considering the first aim, Shepherd and W hitings (2006) figures indicate that imprisonment is unsuccessful in preventing reoffending: two-thirds of all prisoners are reconvicted within two years of being released, and for young men aged 18-20, the figure is 74.8% (cited in Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p193). Reoffending is worse than a decade ago, when according to the Home Office just 70% of offenders under 21 were reconvicted for a crime (Home Office, 1999). Secondly, to hold prisoners securely, does not only mean to prevent their safety, but also to keep them from escaping. Although, currently, the Prison Service and governments are paying more attention to lessen the rates of absconding, the escapes from prisons have become periodic (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007). Therefore, it is hard for the Prison Service to achieve the third aim that is to provide safety. Prisoners escapes will increase anxiety and fear within general public. Cavadino and Dignan (2007, p193) claim that: there is   a very long way to go before it can claim to be providing safe, well-ordered establishments in which prisoners are treated humanly, decently and lawfully. Thirdly, the political economy, particularly the welfare system, plays a vital role in causing different imprisonment rates among various countries and it can revealingly explain the reason of the rise of new punishment. There are three key categories. Firstly, at present, Neo-liberalism, which means free-market capitalism, exists in the US, Britain and Australia. The welfare state, under this ethos that individualism is more important than communitarianism, is minimalist. Cavadino and Dignan (2007, P86) argues that: the economic system creates much material inequality, which results in the social exclusion of many people and communities. Secondly, the welfare benefits in conservative corporatist countries whose collectivism is more important, such as Germany, are more generous than Neo-liberal countries. The citizens in those countries get better protection against unusual market forces and products. However, it is still not equality and it is shown in Cavadino and Dignans (2007, P8 6) book: their welfare states enshrine and perpetuate traditional class, status and economic division between different groups of citizens who are entitled to different levels of welfare benefits. Thirdly, the more equal and generous welfare states are social democratic countries, such as Sweden. Although they share conservative corporatisms communitarian approach, their systems are the most egalitarian ones among those three kinds of countries. Walnsleys (2005) research on imprisonment rates which shows that the rates in all neo-liberal countries are the highest, while the lowest rates are in social democratic countries, definitely confirms this theory. Undoubtedly, the United States is a typical example which shows the rise of the new punitiveness as a neo-liberal country. The quote: overcrowded conditions in our prisons have become a national crisis (cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p22) informs that this crisis has extended to almost all federals states and locals communities. Maguire and Pastore (1994) suggested that during 1968 to 1978, the prisoners in federal state prisons increased by over 1000000, from 187914 to 294396. Although many concerns have been took to the crisis, between 1980 to 1990, the number of state and federal inmates had more than doubled to over 7000000, and in 1994 this population surpassed the one million mark (Office of Criminal Justice Service, 1995, p72). There are three factors that contribute to the dramatic increase in prisoner population. Firstly, the increase of inmate population reflects the high rates of crimes (Lynch, 1995). However, in return, the crime rates are not equal to the increment in prison population. According to FBI data the crime rates did not increase sharply in the last few decades. Blumstein (1995, cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p30) concluded that: it is very unlikely that the growth in prison population was a consequence of a growing crime rate. Secondly, the US has a long-drawn campaign to get tough with crime. Whatever the elected official is, the politics, from mandatory minimum prison sentences, to restrictions on parole release, to three strikes and you are out law, are aimed at putting more offenders in prison and for a lengthier stay (Skolnick, 1994, cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p30). Thirdly, in the 1980s, the war on drugs, which aimed to punish drug offences by using criminal law, contributed to the increase of prison populations. Only 10% of the prison populations were occupied by drug offenders, while this figure had doubled in 1989. Blumstein (1995) conducted a study, which pointed out that: 44% of this increase in prison p opulations between 1986 and 1991 could be attributed to the boom in the number of offenders imprisoned for drug offences (cited in Matthews and Francis, 1996, p31). Furthermore, there are some other solutions that the US has implemented. For instance, creating capacity, which means to build more prisons to house all prisoners; and intermediate punishment, which aims to get tough in the community as a punishment. However, Matthews and Francis (1996) argued the barriers as follows: theories of reducing the crowding crisis remain mainly academic exercises with little prospect of substantively affecting the extent of the crisis, ideas on reducing prison crowding are judged too dangerous because their endorsement would expose elected officials to charges of being soft on crime. (p31-32)   The Effect of Prison on the Family Obviously, imprisonment has lots of bad effects on families. Firstly, those families, whose member is in prison, will lose respect in the community. Clear (2009, p128) cites an experience of a participant in his book: neighborhood residents not only look at the specific offender but also the entire family, and if one has offended, all of a sudden they are not the most respected, even from the church. Secondly, parental imprisonment results in financial problems, especially if the man of the family is in prison. Those families lose a productive member, thus they lose income, because the partners imprisonment will probably influence the employment of the woman, and the ability of a male support the family is higher than the females (Clear, 2009). Thirdly, the most significant influence is on children. Actually, the effects of imprisonment on children start at the arrest of their parent. They are shocked, fearful and confused when witnessing their parents being arrested. As Van Nijantte n (1998) points out: the way the father was removed in handcuffs or with a bag over his head, are sensations the child will never forget (p82). Parental imprisonment has a psychological influence on children. A majority of researches have found that children, whose parents are in prison, are more likely to show the depression, hyperactivity, clinging behaviour, sleep problems, truancy and poor school grades. (Murray, 2005). While, other studies revealed that those children have a higher risk of showing bad behaviour or experience imprisonment (Johnston, 1995). Farrington et al (1996, cited in Codd, 2008. p73) also support this idea that: children who are brought up by parents, who are offenders, particularly if they are imprisonment, have been argued to be more likely to go on to offend. However, parental imprisonment still has benefits for some children. Eddy and Reid (2003), suggest that the quality of positive parenting will rise, because their parents may take more time out on t he street and send them to a caregiver or local care organisations, which will results in less significant problems for those children. The Effect of Prison on the Community Similarly, imprisonment has several effects on the communities. First of all, stigma sometimes will transfer from families to communities. Although some residents say that they do not mind and even celebrate it when the prisoners come back to the community, the stigma, especially if more serious crimes are committed in the community, will inevitably influence the whole community. For example, residents may be reluctant to be out on the street at night in their areas or to take part in activities (Clear, 2009). Secondly, the economic situation of the community is seriously affected by the imprisonment, because of the stigma. There is a fact that residents are concerned more about living surroundings. If there are a number of people with criminal records in the community it can lead to lower property values. Meanwhile, the businesses in such places noted that fewer customers enter their premises. Clear (2009) discusses those two ideas: the areas bad reputation means that large corporat ions do not locate their business in these neighbourhood; and housing prices are diminished because, when residents flee, they sell their houses for whatever they can get, often at a reduced price. This reflects the value of the community (p135). Thirdly, prisoners are always full of hope when returning back to their community. However, they soon feel low self-worth and self-esteem, because the communities stigmatise them. Consequently, they will do nothing to contribute to the communities and feel thats just the way I am, which may very likely lead them to reoffend. As a participants responses in Clears research show (2009, p138): if you treat me more like a human being, I will act more like human being, if you treat me more like an animal, Im going to act more like an animal. Last but not least, even if residents show a welcome to prisoners, those people from prisons actually increase the fear of crime in communities. Another participant in the same study says he is worried about his son when he is working, because of having a former prisoner as a next door neighbour. Other residents express the same fears. They are cited in Clears (2009, p142) book: one resident said that if someone with a criminal records moved in next door to her home, she might do a background check. Another said he was going to watch him'. Overall, those accumulated impacts on the community can be fierce. Conclusion In conclusion, imprisonment plays a vital role as a means of social control. Although in some countries, such as the US, the overcrowded prisons have become a pressing problem that needs to be addressed urgently, because of its valuable social functions and coincidence with official aims, imprisonment is widely used around the world. However, the negative effects on families, especially on children who are economically and mentally greatly affected and suffer when their parents are imprisoned; and communities whose economies and social anxiousness are seriously influenced, should not be neglected. It may negate the development of imprisonment

Interview Essay - Larry Clayville -- Interview Essays

Interview Essay - Larry Clayville Larry Clayville was born in Ustick, Idaho, on June 11, 1917. Larry explained that "there was once a post office in Ustick, but there is nothing there now. That is how far out in the woods I was". Larry is a very down to earth man who has seen a lot of life. He has read the newspaper every day of his life. He is a Father, a Grandfather, and seems to be a friend to many. Larry came to California for work in 1946. He is a POW survivor, and is a member of the "Lodge," and has many friends there. He is also currently involved in a relationship. Larry's definition of happiness is, "Having plenty to eat, having a warm place to sleep, and having friends and family. That's enough to make me happy." Larry explained that when he was young, happiness was getting "enough to eat." He said, "That was the worst part of the depression, when you thought about it, there were a lot of hungry people". Other than that, his definition of happiness has not changed a lot over the years. How does Larry know when he is happy? "When you just have that good old happy feeling." He defines that as, "When everything just goes good. You get up in the morning and every thing goes right. You are not mad at any body. It's a good feeling." When Larry is unhappy, he "talks to whoever is close." However, he admits that he keeps most of it to himself. Simple things contribute to Larry's happiness. "Just the bare necessities of life keep me happy." The activity that keeps Larry happy is "Living." He explains, "I am happy that I am alive when I wake up in the morning. Oh hey, if I am alive one more day, I have a chance." About the only thing that makes Larry unhappy any more is illness. "There's nothing that will ta... ...u don't like, but hey, if you dislike things enough, you will do something about them." When asked if he is pleased with his current interpersonal relationships, Larry said, "Yes." Larry also had some thoughts on religion. "I know that there is a higher power, and I believe in that. I came from a religious family, and I rebelled against that. But, I do believe there is something there, a Supreme Being or something like that." Larry also gave a piece of advice for achieving happiness. "If you treat people nice, they will treat you nice. Generally speaking. That is the way I have lived, somewhat of a golden rule." I think that Larry is an intelligent and understanding person, and I can tell that he is well loved by his family and friends. What I admire most is that he is a survivor, and will not let himself get down over the fact that life is not always fair. Interview Essay - Larry Clayville -- Interview Essays Interview Essay - Larry Clayville Larry Clayville was born in Ustick, Idaho, on June 11, 1917. Larry explained that "there was once a post office in Ustick, but there is nothing there now. That is how far out in the woods I was". Larry is a very down to earth man who has seen a lot of life. He has read the newspaper every day of his life. He is a Father, a Grandfather, and seems to be a friend to many. Larry came to California for work in 1946. He is a POW survivor, and is a member of the "Lodge," and has many friends there. He is also currently involved in a relationship. Larry's definition of happiness is, "Having plenty to eat, having a warm place to sleep, and having friends and family. That's enough to make me happy." Larry explained that when he was young, happiness was getting "enough to eat." He said, "That was the worst part of the depression, when you thought about it, there were a lot of hungry people". Other than that, his definition of happiness has not changed a lot over the years. How does Larry know when he is happy? "When you just have that good old happy feeling." He defines that as, "When everything just goes good. You get up in the morning and every thing goes right. You are not mad at any body. It's a good feeling." When Larry is unhappy, he "talks to whoever is close." However, he admits that he keeps most of it to himself. Simple things contribute to Larry's happiness. "Just the bare necessities of life keep me happy." The activity that keeps Larry happy is "Living." He explains, "I am happy that I am alive when I wake up in the morning. Oh hey, if I am alive one more day, I have a chance." About the only thing that makes Larry unhappy any more is illness. "There's nothing that will ta... ...u don't like, but hey, if you dislike things enough, you will do something about them." When asked if he is pleased with his current interpersonal relationships, Larry said, "Yes." Larry also had some thoughts on religion. "I know that there is a higher power, and I believe in that. I came from a religious family, and I rebelled against that. But, I do believe there is something there, a Supreme Being or something like that." Larry also gave a piece of advice for achieving happiness. "If you treat people nice, they will treat you nice. Generally speaking. That is the way I have lived, somewhat of a golden rule." I think that Larry is an intelligent and understanding person, and I can tell that he is well loved by his family and friends. What I admire most is that he is a survivor, and will not let himself get down over the fact that life is not always fair.

3 Songs and a Creed

Engineer Song Pin the castle on my collar, I’ve done my training for the team. You can call me an engineer soldier, The warrior spirit has been my dream. Essayons, whether in war or peace, We will bear our red and our white. Essayons, we serve America, And the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Essayons! Essayons! 1st Armored Division March Iron Soldiers, Old Ironsides 1st Armored Division, honor and pride Guarding Freedom, we are proud to be America’s Tank force, Steel Victory With that Iron Patch, worn on my sleeve I follow those who, fought for Liberty Always ready, for peace we strive Iron Soldiers, Old Ironsides The Army Song First to fight for the right, And to build the nation’s might And the Army goes rolling along. Proud of all we have done, Fighting ‘till the battle won, And the Army goes rolling along. Then it’s HI! HI! Hey! The Army’s on its way. Count off the cadence loud and strong! For where are we go, You will always know, That the Army Goes ROLLING ALONG. Soldiers Creed I am an American Soldier I am a warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and the live the Army values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. I am disciplined, physically, and mentally tough, Trained and proficient in my warrior task and drills. I will always maintain my arms, my equipment and my Self. I am an expert and I am a professional. I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the Enemies of the United States of America in close Combat. I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of Life. I AM AN AMERICAN SOLDIER.

Competition in Health Care Essay

Competition in health care is becoming a major issue, because health care organizations are fighting for the best doctors, patients are fighting for the best treatments, and insurance companies are raising their premiums. Competition is a serious problem due to bad choices being made by hospitals, health plans, and businesses. This paper will explore in more detail the reason why there is so much competition in health care and why health care is steadily rising. Describe the different forms of competition that take place among various types of health care organizations. The different forms of competition for health care organizations would be price, quality, service and convenience. Doctors are willing to take on patients who can pay for their treatments instead of patients that have way of paying. â€Å"Physicians may compete for patients who are able to pay for services and do not health insurance, or for patients who have their expenditures paid for by third party insurers so phy sicians compete on a non-price basis, based on location, colleagues’ referrals, and reputation.† (Rivers & Glover, 2010). Hospitals compete for the best doctors offering better equipment or highly trained employees. Hospitals compete also for patients where they offer better services and cheaper prices. Insurance companies compete to have the best premiums, benefits and access to great health care insurance. There is a lot of competition in health care, but what this really boils down to is how well patients are being taken care of and if they are satisfied with their choices of doctors, hospitals and health insurance. Evaluate the benefits and pitfalls of competition in health care and suggest alternatives if competition was not the primary driver of operations in the U. S. health care system. Some of the benefits of competition would be Patient’s bill of rights, insurance companies taking pre-existing conditions, wealthier people paying taxes on health insurance, medical devices, and Medicare. Other  benefits would be for those individuals who cannot afford health insurance to not be penalize d for not having insurance, and children being able to stay on their parent’s health insurance until age 26. The pitfalls of competition would be hospitals will have to be punished if a patient is readmitted after being discharged from their facility within a certain number of days. Some physicians will have to sell their practices to hospitals because of overhead. The quality of health care has decreased while the cost has increased. Another pitfall would be employers cutting their employees hours from full-time to part-time so they do not have to pay for their employee’s health insurance. â€Å"Health care reform takes small steps toward addressing this problem but trends toward pay performance and bundled payment could worsen this mismatch if they fail to account for the needs of underserved patients and practices serving them.† (Fiscella, 2011). An alternative if competition was not the primary driver would be hospitals and doctors seeing patients free of charge. Patients would not have to worry about paying co-pays or medical bills, because there would be more free clinic s offering medications for cancer treatments, diabetes and other conditions. Explain the elements of successful competition and the use of competitive intelligence. A successful competition would be hospitals and doctors coming together to perform care for patients. Competitive intelligence in health care is observing other health care organizations to see if they are alike and to figure out what their next move is. â€Å"Competitive intelligence or business intelligence is a tool of business leader, a competent central vision resulting from an extensive report about a competitor company that continually seeks to exploit its weak points, everything to avoid surprises competitive.† (Bucur & Pribac, 2010). In order for competition to be successful between hospitals, drug companies, and physicians they all need to provide cheaper prices, quality care, and discounts. Describe the influence competition has on the services offered by health care organizations and the choices patients have. The influence competition has on services from health care organizations is that every organization is different some offer certain services like MRI’s, CT scans, and lab work. While other organizations offer other types of services like rehabilitation, prenatal care, and HIV classes. Patients should always be a part of their treatment plans and they should know all the information about  the procedures that are being done on them. Patients should be allowed to choice what doctor or hospital they want to go with. Patients would like to have accessibility to doctors or specialists without having to go far away from their homes. Conclusion Health care competition is becoming the most talked about issue with hospitals and doctors. If hospitals and doctors worked together there would be fewer problems, because patients would not have to go too far to see their doctors, and they could go to the hospital of their choice. Every day there is something new being invented or used in the medical field which can be competition for all health care systems. There has to be better way to deal with all the competition that is going on in this field. References Bucur, O. N., & Pribac, L. I. (2010). Intelligence key Weapon Competitiveness. Annals of DAAAM & Proceedings, 1473-1474. Web.b.ebschost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu. Fiscella, K. (2011). Health Care Reform and Equity: Promise, Pitfalls, and Prescriptions. Annals of Family Medicine, 9 (1), 78-84. Doi: 10.1370/afm.1213 Rivers, A. P., & Glover, H. S. (2010). Health Care Competition, Strategic mission, and patient satisfaction: research model and propositions. NCBI. www.ncbi.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC28656781

Texas Political Culture and Immigration essayEssay Writing Service

Texas Political Culture and Immigration essayEssay Writing Service Texas Political Culture and Immigration essay Texas Political Culture and Immigration essayPolitical culture has a considerable impact on the development of the nation as well as local communities. Texas is one of the states with a distinct political culture that has a considerable impact on the worldview of the local population and policies conducted in the state. In this regard, the current paper focuses on the study of Texas political culture to understand its key principles that uncovers policies and decisions taken by policy makers. Texas has a considerable impact on the national politics of the US because it is one of the main states that opens the way for local politicians to enter federal political elite. This is why the understanding of Texas political culture will help not only to understand better policies conducted in Texas but also the national politics as well.Political CultureElazar distinguishes three types of political culture: traditionalistic, individualistic and moralistic (Foner Garraty, 2011). The moralist ic political culture holds society to be more important than an individual. The moralistic political culture tends to develop a positive view on the government and states with this type of culture view the government as a positive force that often leads to the wider government interference into economy and wider government regulations concerning economic, social and other aspects of the state life (Foner Garraty, 2011). States with the moralistic political culture stand on the ground of serving the community as their priority even at expense of individual interests.On the contrary, the traditionalistic political culture stands on traditional political and cultural values and focuses on the minimal intervention of state into economic and social life (Foner Garraty, 2011). The traditionalistic political culture limits the role of the government to the role of the actor responsible for the maintenance of the existing social order, which helps communities to maintain their traditional social systems. This political culture adheres to conservatism as the core of its political philosophy.Finally, Elazar distinguishes the individualistic political culture, which prioritizes the individual initiative and put needs and interests of individuals above those of communities as long as they match principles and norms of basic human rights (Foner Garraty, 2011). The individualistic political culture restricts the role of the government to the role of facilitator of individual initiative and does not admit the extensive government regulation of social life, economy or regulations in private matters of individuals.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As politics and society are dynamic, the political culture of certain states, regions or nations can change that contributes to the shift from traditionalistic to moralistic culture, for example, or emergence of a blend of cultures, such as traditionalistic and individualistic ones. Therefore, in some states, it is poss ible to trace the blend of different political cultures, which though are closely integrated but may change in the course of time and dynamic development of the political life and social norms, values and beliefs. For example, the political culture may change under the impact of profound demographic changes, which may occur in case of the rapid and substantial increase of the immigrant population. As a result, such demographic changes can bring changes into the political life and change the political culture of the state but such changes take normally a long time to be fully completed.Texas political culture  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditionalistic aspects of Texas political cultureOne of the distinct features of the Texas political culture is the dominance of one political party. Within the last thirty years, the Republican Party, which is associated with traditionalist policies and conservative ideology, has held control over the state’s politics. At this point, it is possible to refer to table 1, which shows the results of Presidential elections in Texas with only two wins of the Democrats in nine cases of Presidential elections.Moreover, Texans have not elected Democrats to a statewide office since 1994, while Democrats can gain support from minority groups mainly in East Texas and South Texas and from some urban voters in Beaumont, El Paso, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston (Foner Garraty, 2011). The dominant position of the Republican Party is the distinct feature of the traditionalistic political culture and Texas maintains this trend for decades. This is why it is possible to estimate that Texas has a historical inclination to the traditionalistic political culture.In fact, a distinct feature of Texas political life is the low voter turnout that is a characteristic of the traditionalistic political culture according to Elazar (Foner Garraty, 2011). Voters turnout remains stable and, more important, voters tend to have the similar political preferences and do not change them much for decades. For example, Texans prefer voting for the Republicans and they vote for them over and over again, regardless of changes in policies and situation in the state.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Individualistic aspects of Texas’ political culture  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Texas politics tends to support private business with the minimal interference of the state government and authorities into the economic life of the state (Foner Garraty, 2011). The non-interference government stance is typical for the individualistic political culture. In the case of Texas, this trend is very strong since the state government traditionally avoids direct interventions into the economic life of the state. Instead, the government focuses on the stimulation of individual business initiative and eme rgence of small businesses. Texan legislation is favorable for business initiatives and current policies create favorable conditions for starting up a business in Texas (Foner Garraty, 2011).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Texas turns out to be in the opposition to the political government and stands for the larger opportunity for exercising the principle of people sovereignty in Texas (Foner Garraty, 2011). Texans and local politicians stand on the ground of the supremacy of people sovereignty over the authority of the federal government. This is why they oppose to the increasing role of the federal government in the field of public education. Similarly, Texans have a strong opposition to current health care reform, which contradicts to their principles and beliefs.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, Texas politicians and the public maintain a strong faith in individual initiative (Foner Garraty, 2011). They put it prior to the government regul ation. Instead, they believe that the government should just facilitate the individual initiative by means of non-interference and liberalization of the legislation to let individuals to implement their initiatives successfully. Such policy and political culture is traditional for Texas and these features are features of the individualistic political culture.Texas Political Culture and Immigration essay part 2