presence - definition and examples of rhetorical presence

presence - definition and examples of rhetorical presence Definition: In rhetoric and argumentation, the choice to emphasize certain facts and ideas over others in order to secure the attention of an audience. The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation arguments speaker Through presence, we establish the real, Louise Karon says in Presence in The New Rhetoric. This effect is primarily evoked through techniques of style, delivery, and disposition (Philosophy and Rhetoric, 1976). See also: Audience Analysis and Implied Audience Examples and Illustrations Ekphrasis and Enargia New Rhetoric(s)ProsopopoeiaPersuasion Examples and Observations: Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca write that presence is an essential factor in argumentation and one that is far too much neglected in rationalistic conceptions of reasoning. The presence of a fact or an idea is almost a sensory experience rather than a purely rational one; presence, they write, acts directly on our sensibility.Thus, in argumentation a rhetor seeks to bring his or her audience to the point of seeing the relevant facts, or experiencing the truthfulness of an idea. . . . Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca share Gorgias and the humanists intrigue with rhetorics power to direct thought, particularly rhetoric in the control of a skilled rhetorician. But their confidence in argumentation as a rational foundation of discourse is decidedly stronger than was Gorgias.(James A. Herrick, The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction, 3rd ed. Allyn and Bacon, 2005) Two Aspects of PresenceFor Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca (1969), achieving presence is a rule that guides the process of selection; we choose words, phrases, figurative images, and other discursive strategies to either (a) make something absent present to our audience or (b) increase the presence of something that has already been brought to the audiences attention. An example of the latter sense would be the way in which an orator, in a patriotic Fourth of July oration during the 19th century, would try to increase the presence of the spirit of the founding fathers.These two aspects of presence are not mutually exclusive; in fact, they frequently overlap. An advocate might begin by trying to make something present to an audience and then work to increase the presence of that item (whatever that might be). As Murphy (1994) noted, the idea of presence is a conceptual metaphor; when presence is achieved, what initially was absent almost seems to be in the room with the audience.(James Jasinski, Sourcebook on Rhetoric. Sage, 2001) Presence and Figurative LanguageThe very choice of giving presence to some elements instead of others implies their importance and pertinence to the discussion and acts directly on our sensibility, as illustrated by a Chinese parable: A king sees an ox on its way to sacrifice. He is moved to pity for it and orders that a sheep be used in its place. He confesses he did so because he could see the ox but not the sheep.Perelman and Olbrechts. Rhetorical Citizenship and Public Deliberation, ed. by Christian Kock and Lisa S. Villadsen. Penn State Press, 2012) Presence in Jesse Jacksons 1988 Convention Speech*Tonight in Atlanta, for the first time in this century, we convene in the South; a state where Governors once stood in school house doors; where Julian Bond was denied a seal in the State Legislature because of his conscientious objection to the Vietnam War; a city that, through its five Black Universities, has graduated more black students than any city in the world. Atlanta, now a modern intersection of the new South.Common ground! Thats the challenge of our party tonight. Left wing. Right wing.Progress will not come through boundless liberalism nor static conservatism, but at the critical mass of mutual survivalnot at boundless liberalism nor static conservatism, but at the critical mass of mutual survival. It takes two wings to fly. Whether youre a hawk or a dove, youre just a bird living in the same environment, in the same world.The Bible teaches that when lions and lambs lie down together, none will be afraid and there will be peace in the valley. It sounds impossible. Lions eat lambs. Lambs sensibly flee from lions. Yet even lions and lambs will find common ground. Why? Because neither lions nor lambs can survive nuclear war. If lions and lambs can find common ground, surely we can as wellas civilized people.The only time that we win is when we come together. In 1960, John Kennedy, the late John Kennedy, beat Richard Nixon by only 112,000 votesless than one vote per precinct. He won by the margin of our hope. He brought us together. He reached out. He had the courage to defy his advisers and inquire about Dr. Kings jailing in Albany, Georgia. We won by the margin of our hope, inspired by courageous leadership.In 1964, Lyndon Johnson brought wings togetherthe thesis, the antithesis, and the creative synthesisand together we won.In 1976, Jimmy Carter unified us again, and we won. When do we not come together, we never win.In 1968, the vision and despair in July led to our defeat in November. In 1980, ranc or in the spring and the summer led to Reagan in the fall.When we divide, we cannot win. We must find common ground as the basis for survival and development and change and growth.Today when we debated, differed, deliberated, agreed to agree, agree to disagree, when we had the good judgment to argue a case and then not self-destruct, George Bush was just a little further away from the White House and a little closer to private life.Tonight I salute Governor Michael Dukakis. He has run a well-managed and a dignified campaign. No matter how tired or how tried, he always resisted the temptation to stoop to demagoguery. . . .(Reverend Jesse Jackson, speech at the Democratic National Convention, July 19, 1988)* In the presidential election of November 1988, incumbent Vice President George H.W. Bush (Republican) handily defeated Governor Michael Dukakis (Democrat). The Effects of Presence and the Suppression of Presence[Charles] Kauffman and [Donn] Parson [in Metaphor and Presence in Argument, 1990] make the . . . important point . . . that the suppression of presence can have a persuasive effect. They show that metaphors with and without energeia can be used systematically, on the one hand, to alarm, and on the other, to dampen, public anxieties. For example, using metaphors with energeia, President Reagan speaks of antique Titan missiles that leave the United States naked to attack; he depicts the Soviet Union as an Evil Empire led by monsters. On the other hand, using metaphors without energeia, General Gordon Fornell creates an antipresence designed to sidestep public anxiety in the interest of further weapons procurement. The current Soviet ICBM force of 1,398 missiles, of which over 800 are SS-17, SS-18, and SS-19 ICBMs, represents a dangerous countermilitary asymmetry which must be corrected in the near term (99-100; emphasis mine). The systematic use of such colorless metaphors increases adherence by dampening what might otherwise be legitimate anxieties.(Alan G. Gross and Ray D. Dearin, Chaim Perelman. SUNY Press, 2003)

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 44

English - Essay Example The current political system discourages all people from participating, especially Arab Americans. The system has become unsustainable and there is need to reform American foreign policy. There is need to develop a foreign policy that seeks to establish peace rather than perpetuate war, especially in the Arab world. Practically, all Americans are included in the American Dream. Exclusion from the dream is a voluntary process where the discontented, particularly some minority groups, can excuse themselves from the Dream. American expects a lot from individual people who pursue the American Dream. In their hard work to succeed, individuals usually contribute to the success of the nation through their contribution to the overall economic welfare of the nation. American art exposes a melancholy tension in the Dream. The work culture that was once characteristic of America is waning as the country strives for new innovations aimed at propelling it a step further as the world’s greatest nation. The features of the American Dream that emphasize wealth, fame and power affect the polity and global image of America by casting an image of a greedy country, that focuses more on its interest and would do all to achieve what benefits it at the expense of other

Places of Worship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Places of Worship - Essay Example Christians have worship place known as church in which the Christians come and obey their lord. Church is the scared place for the Christians where Christians come and pray in order to get internal satisfaction and inspiration. Churches are built in the shape of a Cross on which Christians believe that Jesus Christ was given punishments and then he died. There are different parts of a church for example the aisle and stairs are designed to give the shape of the stairs towards the heavens. The heavens are given the shape of the junction. Churches are present in every corner of the world. There is a need to inculcate the importance of churches because of the fact that Christianity is the fastest growing religion in the world. Cathedrals are some important types of churches. The role of pastors or bishops is really interesting and of colossal importance in church. The bishop is the one who leads theprayers, conducts all theceremonies and prayers in a church. No official activity can take place without the presence of the pastor or bishop. Many Christians visit the churches often in their routine; some of them visit the churches on Sunday because there arespecial prayers on Sundays. The marriage ceremonies of the Christians also take place in churches because Christians think that if they consummate their marriages in churches, it will bringpeace, pleasure and harmony in their lives. The Masjids Worship place for the Muslims is known as Mosque or Masjid. Muslims are supposed to come in the mosque five times a day for prayers. The prayer timings are set according to the movement of sun. There are three prayers in the day timings and two prayers after that among which, one is on the sunset and the other one is at night known as â€Å"Isha Prayer†. ... During the player, the Muslims stand from shoulder to shoulder in order to inculcate and depict the unity among them. The worship place is packed with people on Friday prayers. Friday prayers are specially obligated on Muslims and during the Friday prayers, all kinds of business activities are forbidden. Worship place of Muslims known as masjid has also a separate place for ablution in which the Muslims clean themselves from water by washing their hands, face, mouth, toes and hair because purification is the first and foremost pre-requisite of the prayer of the Muslims. Muslims are also directed to stand and face one direction known as â€Å"Kaabah†. The Kaabah is the place situated in Saudi Arabia and Muslims are supposed to face its direction in order to give a depiction of unity and oneness. Eid prayer is also one of the most important prayers in the Muslims worship place. Eid days are scheduled two time in a year in which Muslims from all over the world celebrate these eve nts with great enthusiasm and zeal. The masjid is also situated in many main places of the Muslims communities. The masjid is a sacred place for the Muslims and even non also come from different places to see the historical mosques around the world for example Turkey has some of the best and historical mosques where many people come and visit to see the glimpse of the historical places. The Mandirs The sacred worshipping place for the Hindus is known as Tempe or â€Å"Mandir† which is a word of Sanskrit language and it means â€Å"gladdening†. Like other worshipping places, there is always a need for the leading personality to be present in the worship place to complete the official prayers and

Economy of China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economy of China - Research Paper Example Contextually, with respect to commercial activities, national limitations are lessening in terms of legitimate administrations where independent federations are performing as the principal power over their respective regions (Kojima, 2002, pp. 1-2). A similar notion can also be held true in the context of China’s relation with major global powers, including the US, UK, and other countries. On political and economic grounds, serious economic conflicts have transpired in recent times between China and other economies, especially those concerning the US in numerous aspects. Besides, the Chinese economy is also facing problems which are likely to have the profound impact on the world economy (Xuetong, 2010, pp. 267-269). Considering these aspects, this essay will review the world politics on international business causing conflicts, majorly between China and US along with other nations. Therefore, the prime focus of the essay will be on the economic problems witnessed by China concerning its relations in the global arena. Stating precisely, the objective of the essay is to evaluate the economic issues currently witnessed by China in the international context from different perspectives. In the global political history, two most apparent changes in power have been identified in the recent occurrences; one being the rise of European economy after ‘Industrial Revolution’ and the other being the rise of the American economy in the post-Civil War era (Zhou, 2008, pp.171). These power moves have resulted in international conflicts with the motive to acquire more authority in the global trade systems. It was during this era that weakening nations became more probable to lose the governing position in the international business system, thereby increasing the gap in relation to international power distribution.  Ã‚  

US Immigration Policy and Reforms Analysis

US Immigration Policy and Reforms Analysis The topic of illegal immigration has been an issue for debate with lawmakers, the President, member of congress and America as a whole for the past several years. In very general terms, illegal immigrants are people, primarily from Mexico and Central America who illegally cross over the border into the United States. These men and women of all ages are not fleeing their homeland because of repression, harsh dictatorships, genocide, civil wars or religious persecution; however, they are crossing over the American border primarily for economic reasons. These individuals are coming to the United States in seek of a better lifestyle. They want to make more money to help support their families both here in America and back in their home country. They are fleeing oppression, chronic unemployment, poverty, and little or no opportunities in their homelands. As unfortunate it is, the law stands between their desire to live and work in the United States. Strict policy is needed to prevent these immigrants from coming into the United States illegally. Otherwise the consequence will be massive illegal settlements in this U.S. Since the early 1800s, immigration has been both a crucial component of Americas growth and a periodic source of conflict. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt said, â€Å"we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin.† He went on to say, â€Å"This is predicated on the person becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isnt an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag! We have room for but one sole loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people,† (Little, 2006). Its been seen over the past decade that the national debate over illegal immigration has grown. This displays a widespread belief that previous immigration control laws have failed and are continuing to. For example, despite a 1986 federal law that created penalties for employers who hire undocumented workers or illegal immigrants knowingly, businesses continued to do so. President George W. Bushs new strategy had taken form. Instead of his earlier emphasis on finding a way for U.S. businesses to continue employing illegal immigrants on a temporary basis, he now spoke of preventing such undocumented workers or illegal immigrants from ever entering the United States to begin with. â€Å"Weve got a comprehensive strategy that says were going to enforce this border. Were going to prevent people from coming here in the first place,† (Furlong and Kraft 2007, 121). President Bushs new strategy came as Congress prepared to consider legislation that addressed border security and immigration. Unfortunately because the Presidents standing in public opinion polls was so low and conservatives in his own party wanted a different approach, he had few choices but to change his policys direction. Democrats have accused the President of delaying action on immigration reform for far too long. Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts said, â€Å"It is time for President Bush to resist those on the right who rely on fear tactics to prevent our broken system from being fixed†. â€Å"True immigration reform† would have to be more comprehensive and more realistic than the Presidents proposals, he added, â€Å"strengthening our security while bringing an underground economy above ground,† (Furlong and Kraft 2007, 121). In 2005 the number of illegal immigrants in the United States rose dramatically to well over ten million people and was growing rapidly, at an estimate of a half a million people each year. According to Fred Elbel of the Department of Homeland Security, as of November 10, 2007 there was an estimated 34,094,840 illegal aliens in the United States. Since January 1, 2007, 3,134,840 illegal aliens have made their way over the border and into the United States, (Elbel, 2007). The western and southern part of America has seen the biggest influx of immigrants. Among a vast spectrum of other concerns, policy makers focus on the high cost to the states that are providing education and medical care for undocumented workers and their families. Some worry that a high rate of illegal immigrants suggests that the United States borders are without the needed security that is essential to prevent entry from potential terrorists. However, some, particularly business owners, are inclined to minimize the problem. They believe that the health of the U.S. economy is dependent on immigrant workers and they argue that the economy would suffer without the contribution of illegal immigrants. Some disagree and argue that the economic benefits from illegal immigrants working in America only helps their home economy. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that ten percent of restaurant workers in the U.S., twenty-five percent of domestic help in private households, and nearly sixty percent of agricultural workers are in the country illegally. Also statistics show that fifty-six percent of illegal immigrants in the United States come north primarily from Mexico to supply thousands of U.S. employers and farmers with low-skilled workers. A completely hypothetical way of viewing illegal immigration is to think of the United States like a homeowner who went for a long walk and left their garage door open. Inside the garage is a new car, a wallet, a cellular phone, and a suitcase full of money. Another man, destitute of money and with little or no hope of positive opportunity, walks past the garage and notices that its door is open and unattended. He has a family who needs food and he himself has been unemployed for several months. He decides to enter the garage. No one noticed him enter. He found the new car, the wallet, the cellular phone and the suitcase full of money. Without hesitation, he takes the wallet and the suitcase and quickly disappears and enjoys what he took without permission. To make himself feel better, he tells himself that he only went into the garage and took what he did because he needed to feed his family and because he was down on his luck. He did not hurt anyone in the process and he figures that the homeowner can always file a claim with his insurance company to get back what was taken. When the homeowner returns from his walk, he notices that he has been robbed and files a report with the local police department. The police in turn tell him that there is nothing they can do since there were no witnesses. The police suggest that the homeowner lock up his garage the next time he goes for a long walk to prevent another illegal entry and robbery. Some would argue that the man who left his garage door open is at fault, others would say it was the intruder who stole the property, and some would say its both their faults. Was the one man a thief for entering the garage without permission and the homeowner careless for leaving the garage door open and unattended? Traditional law states that the intruder is a thief and common sense says that the homeowner was careless in failing to protect his assets from potential intruders. Did the homeowner deserve to be robbed because he left his garage door open? Some would say yes because he was careless. On the other hand the robber who walked away with the homeowners valuables committed a crime. If he was caught, tried and convicted, he could face fines and possibly some time in jail. Some people would look at from the perspective that the robber did what he did to feed his family and pay for his basic necessities. He only stole to help his family survive. He views it as something honorable because he provided for his family. In this hypothetical scenario, the fact that the homeowner left his garage door open and easily accessible to thieves does not give them permission for someone to trespass into his property and steal his valuables solely because they were just there. Regardless of the thiefs reasoning for taking someone elses private property, stealing is stealing no matter how it is rationalized. Similarly, illegal immigration may solve financial challenges faced by the growing millions of illegal aliens who are in the United States to work and improve their lives. Yet, no matter how a person looks at it, illegal entry is still just that, â€Å"illegal.† Jobs are taken from those who are rightfully entitles to them. It is not legal, moral, or ethically right to enter the country illegally and benefit from opportunities that were primarily designed for legal residents and citizens. The reasons why millions of people enter the United States illegally does not make it correct to break the law and disregard the sovereignty of the United States. Breaking the law is not justifiable because illegal immigrants want to take advantage of jobs, provide for their family, escape poverty, receive medical care, public education, and much more. As harsh as it is, illegal immigrants are not entitled to the freedom which were primarily designed for those who are in the country by birthright or legal residency status. The belief that it is socially acceptable to break the law as long as a persons reasoning is with good intentions is flawed. A person cannot take advantage of someones benefits because they need to. Immigrating to America legally, whether or not it is easy, is praiseworthy. Breaking they law and crossing the border illegally is not. The punishment should fit the crime. A person should not leave their garage door open if they value what they own and would-be intruders should learn that just because they garage door is open, it does not give them the right to walk in and take what they need. It is seen very often that desperate people do not care much about right and wrong or the law for that matter. Desperation often causes people to rationalize and justify all types of illegal activities. Illegal entry into the United States to work has been allowed to become a complex issue but this is not an unsolvable problem. The United States would be off to a good start if the government imposed hefty fines on employers who knowingly and unknowingly hire illegal immigrants or undocumented workers for labor. The loophole in the current law conveniently allows employers to look the other way and claim that they are not able to verify the authenticity of documents that their workers provide. Millions of people steal social security numbers from American citizens and get away with it. They in turn enjoy many of the same things honest people work for. While illegal immigrants only make up about five percent of the United States work force, they are quickly being noticed in non-traditional areas immigrant to settle. Areas like these are in the midwest and the south. Undocumented workers and illegal immigrants are willing to work for very low wages by American standards. This has caused political turmoil in these new areas where immigration had little or no presence before. â€Å"Immigration is now a national phenomenon is a way that was less true a decade ago,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 341). Mark Krikorian, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Immigration Studies said, â€Å"In places like Georgia and Alabama, which had little experience with immigration before, people are experiencing it firsthand.† The beginning of any policy study involves a description of the problem. Obviously the problem is illegal immigration and unfortunately only a select few legislators are taking measures to fix the problem. The former Mayor of New York City and presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani, has a firm stance of illegal immigration. He stated that â€Å"real immigration reform must put security first because border security and homeland security are inseparable in the Terrorists War on Us. The first responsibility of the federal government is to protect our citizens by controlling Americas borders, while ending illegal immigration and identifying every non-citizen in our nation. We must restore integrity, accountability, and the rule of law to our immigration system to regain the faith of the American people,† (Giuliani, 2007). The Governor of New Mexico and also Presidential candidate, Bill Richardson, has similar feelings about immigration reform as Giuliani. â€Å"As a Hispanic-American, and Governor of a border state, I know that our nation can no longer afford to ignore the issue of illegal immigration. Undocumented immigrants have broken the law to enter our country, but they are here – and most of them work hard, pay taxes, support families, and contribute to the communities they live in. Entire sectors of our economy rely on these laborers -construction, restaurants, and agricultural, for example. We cant just ignore this issue any longer. Splitting up families, building walls, and making impractical proclamations is not the answer. America needs to solve the problem, not tear itself apart over it,† (Richardson, 2007). He believes in recognizing the reality of the immigration problem and addressing it head-on. He has a plan to solve it by taking four realistic steps. First, secure the border. Second, increase legal immigration. Third, prevent employers from hiring illegal workers. Lastly, provide a path to legislation for most of the eleven million illegal immigrants already here. Representative F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., of Wisconsin, created the Real ID bill. This requires proof of citizenship or legal status in the United States in order to get a drivers license. This bill was signed into law in May 2005 and will take effect in May 2008. â€Å"We will never have homeland security if we dont have border security,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 341). Sensenbrenners reform means blocking states from issuing drivers licenses to illegal immigrants, imposing new restrictions on asylum seekers, and finishing a border fence near San Diego, California. The debate of immigration has divided the Republican Party. The Republican controlled House of Representatives passed H.R. 4437 in December 2005. This is a measure that contained procedures for securing the borders, harsher penalties for people assisting illegal migration into the United States and provisions for deporting illegal aliens that are already here, (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 343). The proposed legislation does not provide for a guest worker program or any form of amnesty for illegal workers. â€Å"The borders are out of control,† says T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union representing ten thousand border officers. He said that the patrol catches no more than a third of illegal aliens crossing the border. â€Å"We have a situation where business is controlling our immigration policy rather than sound decisions that take into account all the factors, including homeland security,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 344). The government has almost stopped enforcing sanctions approved in 1986 on employers who hire illegal immigrants. According to Mary Dougherty, an immigration statistician at the Department of Homeland Security, in 2003 the agency levied only $9,300.00 in fines against employers. Time also reported in 2004 that the number of fines imposed on employers dropped ninety-nine percent during the 1990s from 1,063 in 1992 to 13 in 2002, (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 345). While there are many ideas and strongly differing views on what to do about illegal immigration, the government must recognize that any program that rewards illegal aliens who have broken the laws of the United States with citizenship is undeserved and unwarranted amnesty. Illegal immigration must be treated much like a broken water pipe. When a water pipe breaks, the very first thing that must be done is have the water shut off and then the mess is cleaned up. This is common sense that most in the government seem to be missing. This requires two different set of actions. First, slowing down and eventually preventing all illegal border-crossings and then making it harder for existing illegal immigrants to live in the US while simultaneously encouraging many to go home as well as deporting others. Doctors at The Heritage Foundation are quoted as saying, Immigration reform should be a matter of national priority. To be successful, reforms must include a comprehensive package of measures to reduce illegal entry into the United States as well as to reduce the current population of unlawfully present persons. The cornerstone of any such initiative must be a fair and practical program for repatriating foreign persons who are illegally present in the United States, (Carafano, Meese III, Spalding, 2005). For the sake of national security, the rule of law, and responsible immigration policy, Congress and the President must move towards reducing the number of people who are illegally in the United States. Immigration reform must not encourage this problem. In particular, any new initiative must not grant permission, as a matter of policy, for illegal immigrants to remain legally in the country. Such a program would undermine the credibility of efforts not only to control Americas borders, but also to advance reasonable legal immigration reform. A better alternative would be for policymakers to create a comprehensive solution that brings better national security. Part of this solution should be a realistic and reasonable program to assist illegal immigrants in returning to their homelands before applying for legal reentry to the United States. What the United States needs is a comprehensive strategy that reverses decades of ignoring, indeed encouraging, the disregard of requirements for legally entering and lawfully residing in this country. A better strategy would be to get the cooperation of federal, state, and local governments and non-governmental organizations to all work together. Laws need to be enforced within the United States, including identity theft,, prosecuting benefits fraud, tax evasion, and immigration violations. Also, America should work with other nations to enforce laws, to educate their citizens, and to develop more desirable legal alternatives for undocumented workers. The government must help other nations to adopt sound governance and economic policies that will promote growth in their economies and negate the need for citizens to take low-paying jobs in the United States. It has been made very clear that America does not want to anger other countries with border security and that most people cannot tell the difference between illegal invasion to work and legal immigration. It should then be up to the individual states to develop internal methods to prevent abuse of tax-based resources. States should not provide any form of preferential treatment towards individuals who break federal laws, even if they work and pay taxes. This may be justifiable in their minds but the fact remains that they are still in the country illegally. The government needs to also help the private sector by teaching employers how to identify legal workers quickly and easily at a reasonable cost and in a manner that respects individuals rights and privacy but at the same time identify the illegal ones through a national identification system, similar to the one crated by Sensenbrenners, The Real ID Act. The government should also implement a central document verification agency to pre-screen all employment applications and issue approval forms and identification photos to prospective employees. While at the current rate the government will never have an efficient wall to block out illegal immigrants. It is up to the individual states to create internal security measures to prevent budgetary and financial abuses caused by the growing illegal population. President Bush and a bipartisan group of ten senators announced an agreement on May 17, 2007, on a comprehensive, compromise plan to tighten border security and address the future of Americas twelve million illegal immigrants. â€Å"The agreement reached today is one that will help enforce our borders,† Bush said. â€Å"But equally importantly, it will treat people with respect. This is a bill where people who live in our country will be treated without amnesty, but without animosity.† Senator Kennedy said, â€Å"The plan isnt perfect, but only a bipartisan bill will become law,† (Greenblatt, Katel, Marshall 2007, 357). The agreement would grant temporary legal status to almost all illegal immigrants, giving then the right to apply for residence visas and citizenship through a lengthy process. Illegal immigrants would have to wait for eight years before applying for permanent resident status, pay fines of up to $5,000.00 and, heads of households would be forced to leave the country and reenter legally. Are these signs of positive actions to be taken toward illegal immigrants? Over the next few years will America see a reduction in the number of illegal immigrants and an increase in the applications for legal immigrants? American surely hopes so. Only time will tell what actions will truly be taken by the American government in response to the increasing number of illegal immigrants crossing its borders. Bibliography Carafano, James Jay, Edwin Meese III and Matthew Spalding. 2005. â€Å"Alternatives to Amnesty: Proposals for Fair and Effective Immigration Reform.† The Heritage Foundation. http://www.heritage.org/Research/LegalIssues/bg18588.cfm. (10 November 2007). Elbel, Fred. 2007. â€Å"How many illegal aliens are in the U.S.? Refernce..† The American Resistance. http://the americanresistance.com/ref/illegal_alien_numbers.html. ( 10 November 2007). Furlong, Scott R. and Michael E. Kraft. 2007.Public Policy: Politics, Analysis and Alternatives. New Jersey. Pearson Prentice Hall. Giuliani, Rudy. 2007. â€Å"12 Commitments To The American People.† JoinRudy2008. http://joinrudy2008.com/getinvolved/emailland.html (10 November 2007). Greenblatt, Alan, Peter Katel and Patrick Marshal. 2007. Issues For Debate: In American Public Policy. 8th Ed.. Washington D.C.. Congressional quarterly Inc.. Little, Dick. 2006. â€Å"Illegal immigrant problem growing.† Paradise Post.com. http://paradisepost.com/columns/ci_468119.html. (10 November 2007). Richardson, Bill. 2007. â€Å"Realistic Immigration Reform.† Richardson for President. http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/content/immigrationreform.html. (10 November 2007).

Crack :: essays research papers

Cocaine Base (Crack Cocaine) As mentioned above, powder cocaine cannot be smoked unless chemically altered using the dangerous freebasing technique. Late summer of 1985, New York City drug dealers put an end to the need for freebasing powder cocaine. These same drug entrepreneurs would revolutionize the sale of cocaine and bring terror to the streets of America. The exact inventor of crack cocaine is unknown, but the lasting effects of their discovery is well documented. The benefits of cocaine base (crack) for the drug dealers have only been surpassed by the problems it has created for society in general. In many ways crack is the perfect drug. As we will see, crack cocaine was a stroke of marketing genius. Powder cocaine is messy and hard to handle, crack however is a hard [Image] rock-like substance easy to handle and conceal. Powder cocaine has to be inhaled or injected. Inhaling cocaine creates a variety of sinus and nasal problems. Inhaling also takes longer for the drug to take affect. Injecting powder cocaine to get a better and faster high became very unpopular with advent of the A.I.D.S. crisis. Powder cocaine is frequently cut or mixed with a variety of substances in order to raise profit mar- gins of drug dealers. This has made purchasing powder cocaine more hazardous for the drug abuser as they cannot be sure of the content of the drug they are buying. Finally, freebasing was thought too dangerous a prospect for most cocaine users. Crack cocaine overcame all these detractors to cocaine usage. Crack cocaine is easily manufactured from powder cocaine without dangerous solvents, using common household ingredients. Crack is smokeable, creating an intense and immediate high. There is no need for needles, nor is there the damage to nasal and sinus passages associated with "snorting" cocaine. Crack is nearly pure cocaine. Dosages of crack are smaller, meaning there is no need for diluting the cocaine with various substances. Because of the smaller dosages, crack is more profitable for the dealer. The smaller dosage units also mean it is cheaper for the user to purchase a small amount and get high. The cheaper price per unit also makes it available to broader

Karl Marx Classless Society Essay

This essay discusses the concept of a classless society according to Karl Marx. The first part aims at defining a class within the context of social class. It also defines the term classlessness. The second part focuses on the possibility of attaining and sustaining a classless society in this century. The first part of the essay starts by discussing what a class is. It then goes on to briefly discuss how classes came about, outlines the different classes and what or whom they constitute and finally briefly describes the concept of classlessness. The second part of the essays begins by discussing the concept of a classless society as defined by Karl Marx. This is followed by an assessment as to whether or not a classless society is attainable and sustainable in this century. Class The term class has several different definitions. It can be defined as the segment of a population that have similar social standings in society or a similar social status. That is, a group of people in society sharing broadly similar types and levels of resources, who possess similar styles of living and, some common perception of their collective condition. Alternatively, Marxists are not concerned with the ideas of individual workers about their position in society. They hold that a person’s class is not determined by the amount of wealth that he has, but by how he acquires it, as determined by his relation to labour and to the means of production. As defined by Lenin Vladimir I. â€Å"Classes are large groups of people differing from each other by the place they occupy in a historically determined system of social production, by their relation (in most cases fixed and formulated by law) to the means of production, by their role in the social organisation of labour, and, consequently, by the dimensions of the share of social wealth of which they dispose and their mode of acquiring it† (1965, p421). Class Struggle According to Marxist theory, there once existed a classless society which encompassed tribal society and primitive communism because everyone was poor and carried out the same type of work. Classes emerged only at a certain stage in the development of productive forces and the division of labour. This occurred when the transition to an agricultural society created the existence of surplus of production, which was more than enough to satisfy an individual’s needs at a particular time. It is this surplus production that brought about the development of classes in society, because the surplus could be used by the higher class. That is, the ruling class which did not participate in production. Types of Class â€Å"There are three great social groups, whose members†¦ live on wages, profit and ground rent respectively†. Karl Marx: 1971, p. 886). These three social groups or classes are: †¢the proletariat or working class, †¢the bourgeoisie or capitalist class, †¢the landlord class The Landlord Class Marxist-Leninists define the landlord class as that class which owns land and derives its income from ground rent on that land. Marx considered them a marginal class, progressively losing their importance with the development of capitalist society. Thus, in a developed capitalist society, there are still three basic social classes, but these are now the bourgeoisie; the petty bourgeoisie; and the proletariat: â€Å"Every capitalist country†¦ s basically divided into three main forces: the bourgeoisie, the petty bourgeoisie and the proletariat†. (Vladimir I. Lenin; 1964, p. 202). The Bourgeoisie These are the owners of capital. It is this capital that they use to buy and exploit labour power and then use the surplus value from employment of this labour power to accumulate or expand their capital. Marxist-Leninists define the bourgeoisie or capitalist class as â€Å"†¦ the class of modern capitalists, owners of the means of social production and employers of wage labour†. (Friedrich Engels: Note to: Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels: 1943; p. 04). Classlessness The term classlessness can be used to describe several different social situations occurring in society. Amongst these include; i. Societies in which classes have never developed. These being societies in which all people are considered equal, carry out similar economic roles and have never created a division of labour. ii. Societies where classes have been deliberately or voluntarily abolished such as is the case for the Israeli kibbutzes. Class analysis explains how modern capitalist society works and accounts for many of the other issues raised by the other approaches. But class analysis has been criticized as economically too deterministic and not able to explain changes in modern societies where people from different strata show mobility as they benefit from the dynamic organization of the capitalist economy. Another critique of class analysis is that, because of the focus on the production, it tends to ignore the fact that social stratification in society occurs along various planes and not just economic organization as. Others have identified stratification on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity as key to understanding most societies. From the above, a classless society can be explained as one where there is no private ownership and control/rights over property. That is, a society where the basis of class division in property has been eliminated through public ownership of the means of production. By implication, all value including surplus value created by labour is consumed collectively by the community. In accordance with the above analysis of Marx’s theory on class and classless society, and the occurrences of this century, it can be concluded that a classless society is not likely to be attained, nor sustained. This is because time and history have invalidated many of Karl Marx’s assumptions and predictions. For instance, capitalist ownership and control of production have been separated. Joint stock companies forming most of the industrial sector are now almost entirely operated by non-capital-owning managers. There is also the case of people in a society not only being employees of a company, but also owning capital, that is, shares in the company they work for. In such a situation, it is not expected that a revolution against the capitalist can take place as the worker is the capitalist. It would not be logical for a person to overthrow himself. Workers are divided and subdivided into different skill groups. They have not grown homogenous. Thus, it is quite difficult for the proletariat to start a revolution as each worker or skill group has different goals and values. That is, workers are not united and not all may be willing to participate in the overthrow of the capitalist. In addition, class stability has been undermined by the development of a large middle class and considerable social mobility. Instead of increasing extremes of wealth and poverty, there has been a social leveling. And finally, bourgeois political power has progressively weakened with growth in worker oriented legislation and of labor-oriented parties, and with a narrowing of the rights and privileges of capital ownership. Most important, the severest manifestation of conflict between workers and capitalist (the strike) has been institutionalized through collective bargaining legislation and the legalization of strikes. Furthermore, some of Marx’s predictions have not come to pass: Growth of capitalism. While Marx expected capitalism to expand and he understood the adaptability of capitalism to new conditions, he appears to have expected capitalism to eventually collapse. Today, capitalism has adapted and has created new means of expanding itself – through development of new technologies, new forms of organization, colonialism and imperialism, and new markets. Technology reducing profits. Marx predicted that as industry becomes more mechanised, using more constant capital and less variable capital, the rate of profit would fall. This is not the case in the current era as the increase and improvement in technology, has in turn brought about an increase in the quality and thus the value of goods and services. Thus, increasing profit. Increasing poverty of the working class. Marx expected the working class to become increasingly impoverished. Though there are tendencies in this direction and employers attempt to reduce wages, workers have been able to increase their wages, usually above subsistence levels in certain periods. Workers have done this through trade unions and through pressuring the state to improve working and living conditions.