Low Voter Turnout in the United States Essay Example for Free

Low Voter Turnout in the United States Essay Throughout American history, there has been a steady decline in voter turnout. Not only has this been humiliating for the United States, low voter turnout has been and always will be a threat to American Democracy. The concept of democracy is dependent on citizens actively participating in elections and voting to select representatives for public office. The government cannot be representative of the people, unless the people elect its representatives. Voter turnout is a major indicator of how citizens view their electoral system, and whether or not they believe that the system is working. There are numerous factors that impede voter turnout, including: citizens political attitudes, demographic factors, and the structure of the electoral system. The established registration process is one of the main causes of low voter turnout in the United States. Unlike many democracies, the United States places the burden of registration on the individual (Vanishing Voter, 7). There are no penalties for citizens that do not register or vote in American elections. Some propose that requiring citizens to vote and imposing penalties on those who fail to do so will increase voter turnout. The dilemma with this proposal is that it is fundamentally undemocratic. Citizens of democratic societies are promised the right to vote. In guaranteeing the right to vote, citizens are guaranteed the right not to vote as well. There are better solutions to the problem of low voter turnout in the United States than enacting compulsory voting laws. America has not established a national system of automatic registration; procedures for voter registration differ from state to state. A universal system of voter registration would make it much more simple for people to vote. The problem with this solution is that automatically registering people to vote does not imply that they will actually go out and vote. Six states have enacted a good solution, same day registration, which has been proven to increase voter turnout anywhere from 10 to 17 percent (Donovan, 182). Same day voter registration allows qualified citizens to register to vote on the day that elections are held. Because many states do not allow same day registration, many Americans do not take the time and effort to register in the first place; same day registration helps to solve this  problem. The registration process and electoral system also creates a problem of convenience. Not only is the registration process inconvenient, Election Day itself is problematic. Election day is held on a Tuesday, impeding the majority of the population from voting due to work-related duties and responsibilities. The solution for this problem is to make Election Day a national holiday. If citizens did not have the responsibility to be at work, they would be much more likely to find time and take the effort to go out and vote. Other solutions have been offered, including: extending the voting period, enacting absentee ballot systems, and voting by mail. While all of these other solutions have made it easier, cheaper and more convenient for citizens to vote, the costs do not fully outweigh the benefits. In any kind of early voting solution, the biggest concern is that early voters vote without knowing all of the significant information needed to make a well-informed vote. Many occurrences and revelations come at the end of the campaigns and can no longer influence voters that have already voted and cannot change their selection. A voters political attitude is the biggest indicator of whether or not he or she will vote. Interest in the election, concern over outcome, feelings of civic pride, and political efficacy [all] affect how people vote (Wayne, 83). Throughout American history, there has been a decline in partisan identification. Party allegiance is a stimulus for voting. Since citizens are not as loyal to partisanship as they were in the past, they have less incentive to actually go out and vote in elections. As a group, independents are 12 percent less likely to vote than are strong partisans (Wayne, 83). Along with the decline in party identification, interest in political campaigns has been declining steadily overtime as well. In todays society, politics is forced to compete with so many other things in the media or at home for peoples attention. Media audiences are more interested in human-interest and celebrity stories than they are in politics. Because of this, election coverage in the media has greatly declined. The medias coverage of the election is dominated by the use of  negative advertising and attack journalism. The frequent use of negative advertising in the media has played a role in Americas declining voter turnout. These negative advertisements repel potential voters; causing them to lose interest in the political campaign. Along with negative advertising, the lack of competition between candidates has also decreased political interests and led to low voter turnout. Low political efficacy has greatly reduced voter turnout in the United States. Voter efficacy is the belief that ones vote counts and that voters can change the way government works or public officials behave (Wayne, 83). There are many factors affecting voter efficacy, including education and income. Income plays a major role in voter turnout. With the expansion of poverty in the United States, the gap between the rich and the poor is steadily growing. Citizens of lower income typically have lower voter efficacy. They are also less concerned with the outcome of the election than citizens of higher income levels, therefore, many of these people simply choose not to vote because they feel that they will not be affected by the outcome of the election. Income, education, and likelihood to vote are all positively correlated; more educated citizens have higher income levels and are much more likely to vote. Education is the greatest influence on voting behavior. It provides people with the skills for processing and evaluating information; for perceiving differences among the parties, candidates, and issues; and for relating these differences to personal values and behavior (Wayne, 83). The more educated a citizen is, the more interested they are in the election and the more concerned they are with the outcome. Educated citizens also have a great sense of civic pride and higher voter efficacy. All of these factors combined lead to a much higher likelihood of a person to actually turnout and vote. To increase political education, some propose conducting citizen education campaigns. The goal of these campaigns is to educate the people on the benefits and responsibility involved with voting. The main problem with this solution is that it is easier said than done. It is very hard to persuade  nonvoters to take the time and make the effort to educate themselves on the reasons why they should vote. A better way to increase education and voter turnout is to encourage grassroots campaigns. These get-out-the-vote campaigns help motivate interest in elections with nonvoters and can influence them to vote, increasing voter turnout. Neither conducting citizen education campaigns nor encouraging grassroots campaigns can promise an increase in voter turnout, but both can help influencing citizens to vote and possibly lead to higher voter turnout in the United States. Low voter turnout is a big problem in the United States. According to Wayne, Low turnout suggests that people may be alienated, lack faith in the candidate and parties, think that the government is and will remain unresponsive to their needs and interests, and believe that they cannot achieve change through the electoral process (Wayne, 85). The voter turnout problem is very hard to solve because low voter turnout itself leads to less voting. The numerous factors that impede voter turnout include: citizens political attitudes, demographic factors, and the structure of the electoral system. Some of the impediments are structural, but the most influential impediments are caused by other factors, such as the media, political campaigns, and the American citizens. Overall, the benefits of increasing voter turnout greatly outweigh the costs of doing so. While some proposed solutions may work better than others, it is most important to change voters attitudes about politics and make it more convenient for Americans to both register and vote. Higher voter turnout will reverse the relentless cycle of low voter turnout and help lead to a more representative democracy. Bibliography 1. The Road to the White House 2008. 8th edition. Stephen J. Wayne. 20082. Reforming the Republic: Democratic Institutions for the New America. Todd Donowan and Shaun Bowler. 2004

Elian Gonzalez :: essays research papers

At this point, it probably doesn't make much difference if or when Elian Gonzalez is finally extricated from the clutches of his Miami relatives. The damage has already been done. In 10 or 15 years, Elian's much-discussed psychic injuries will or will not have manifested themselves in some regrettable way, but we'll just have to wait and see. And when we get the news of his inevitable breakdown, we'll sit around and tsk-tsk, trying to remember specifics of the half-year melodrama that brought Elian so relentlessly into our homes and water-cooler conversations. Chances are we won't be able to remember exactly what the arguments were for keeping Elian here or for sending him home. Instead, we'll remember media-crafted images, because that's what this whole case has been about. There's no legal or emotional logic; there's only the mind-numbing parade of made-for-television snapshots: The self-righteous Miami Cuban-American community, chanting and mugging for the cameras; the indignant lawyers; the self-serving talking heads and the political posturing. If we're really lucky and concentrate hard, we'll remember the bemused expression of the little boy himself. Who do we have to thank for this montage of manipulation? The media, of course (yours truly included). What began as a human catastrophe (refugees drown at sea, motherless boy picked up by kindly fishermen) has been turned into something far less redeeming than a circus. When this fifth-rate soap opera began, there was talk of various positive, if peripheral, consequences. Could this little boy's plight push the U.S. government into a more reasonable relationship with Cuba? Would there be a heartwarming and speedy reunion between Elian and his father? Might the members of the American media be able to act like adults and take this for what it is: an intensely private family tragedy of a little boy lost? In retrospect, we should have known things would be bad. Elian's damp arrival on our shores interrupted a couple of spectacularly slow months in the nation's newsrooms — there was nothing to hold us back, so we stampeded down to Miami with our microphones amped and our camera lights blazing. Six months later, according to the media mavens at Newswatch.org, Elian has become the most covered media object since O. J. Simpson, surpassing JFK Jr. and even Diana in network stories. Various networks and CNN have cut a deal with the Miami relatives allowing cameras into the house, should INS officials or federal marshals finally make a move to retrieve Elian.

Wajdan

It will took some time and need some sacrifice from the public in the shape of tax paying. The observation of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is right that the economy of previous year was running itself. His enthusiasm to put the agenda of PMLN programme of his party as Laptops, Ashiana and other housing schemes, Nandipur Power Project, M-4, 8 and 9, Karachi Circular Railway, Prime Minister's Youth Training Programme, Prime Minister's Youth Skills Development Programme, Small Business Loans Scheme, Fee Reimbursement Scheme for Less Developed Areas, Prime Minister's Micro FinanceScheme, continued provision of funds for parliamentarians under a favoured name and the Ramazan Package. With all this, the development budget goes up by as much as 50 per cent. A big issue of Budget the not increasing the salaries of Government employees also resolved. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar today announced a 10% increase in the salaries of government employees. The newly formed government had earlier decided against increasing the salaries of government servants for the first time in nearly three decades.Now, The federal government's decision affects up to 650,000 federal employees and more than two million provincial government mployees. The finance minister said that the new government has taken tough decisions because the aim is to move in the right direction from the very beginning. He said the government needs to ensure that GDP grows enough to support the swelling population. The Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the government will save Rs40 billion because of the cuts in expenditure and austerity measures taken in the latest budget.The PML- N government announced it will not keep more than 40 ministries in order to curb expenses. Dar, in his speech, also announced that all discretionary funds previously vailable to federal and state ministers will be abolished. Moreover, the PML-N government has also decided to abolish the Peoples Works Programme-II – the head used for the premier's discretionary spending. According to Dar, however, Peoples Works Programme-I, which allots discretionary funds to all members of Parliament, has been retained.The cuts in current expenditure still leave a revenue deficit of 1. 2 per cent of GDP. With the addition of the proposed Jump in the development budget, the PML-N government will be the first in the history of the country to start with a working fiscal eficit of 6. 3 per cent, financed by costly domestic borrowing. It is likely to end up with a much higher deficit, given the piecemeal nature of the tax measures announced.Reliance on withholding taxes has been increased and specific and discretionary measures have been proposed rather than reforming the tax regime. In our tax culture, reducing the corporate tax rate and increasing the maximum rate for non-corporate businesses may not encourage corporatisation, but it will certainly closing at another record high, driven by blue chip stocks. Investors welcomed the ew budget where the government announced a cut in corporate taxes by a percentage point and pledged resolution of the circular debt issue in 60 days.The suspense over the timing of a government request for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout finally ended when Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said a new package will be negotiated but on Pakistan's terms. Pakistan does not need to rush to the International Monetary Fund. The issue is to convert the present net outflow of resources into a net inflow. In parallel with austerity imposed on the current budget, nothing except the higher taxation of luxury ehicles has been announced on the import side.Privatisation and access to international capital market have also been mentioned. I think concerted effort can end circular debt in the short term. The main thing is underlying causes to see a permanent end of this deficit. Reforms announced to improve the performance of the mismanaged public enterprises, especially railways, require politic al will for implementation. Much more needs to be done than granting autonomy and placing the right man or woman on the right Job. If these steps will taken sincerely this nation will get finally releife in some years.

Tantrism Essay - 1455 Words

There are many religions that share various common beliefs and philosophies. On the contrary, there are other religions that are on the opposite side of the spectrum, all with their own distinct beliefs aside from the majority. As religion is considered a controversial topic, Tantrism is among one of the most eccentric religions. It is considered an interesting religion due to the fact that sexual experiences play large roles in the process of redemption for its followers. A simple definition for the Tantric religion would be the fundamental belief that Tantra is a cult of ecstasy, focused on a vision of cosmic sexuality (Rawson, 7). Even though the religion is based on sexuality, Tantrism is a practice involving many different†¦show more content†¦As the practitioner of Tantra unites with the cosmic energy through their sexuality, they also learn to direct and control this energy in order to put it to use in other rituals and practices within the religion. The energy, once aroused, is harnessed to rituals, meditation and yoga, turned back up within the human energy-mechanism, and used to propel the consciousness toward blissful enlightenment (Rawson, 30). To transcend this world and unite with the cosmos is a step to achieve enlightenment. Thus, sex is a logical solution in achieving this goal of self-enlightenment. Since these sexual experiences propose a different goal aside from reproducing, the rituals are also different. Unlike informal sex or even the close tied bonds of marital sex experienced in everyday life, Tantric followers take these sexual experiences much more serious. The male penis and female vagina are worshiped as deities; the god Shiva and goddess Shakti are often associated with these sexual organs, respectively. Thus, before sexual intercourse, rituals and flowers are often offered to these sexual organs. Also, many positions are practiced as it enhances the act of love (Rawson, 34). 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