United States Expansion Essays - United States,

United States Expansion Throughout the first half of the 1800s or 19th century there were many factors influencing United States expansion. From the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the Gadsden Purchase in 1853 the United States had tripled in size since its original thirteen colonies and only paid forty-five million dollars in doing so. The idea of Manifest Destiny spread quickly throughout the country and soon thousands were moving westward in search of a new way of life. The idea of Manifest Destiny was for the U.S. to occupy the entire continent. The only problem was that the land it was expanding on to didnt belong to the U.S. One such factor that influenced the expansion of the U.S. was the occupation of nearby territories by foreign countries. The largest territory and first one to be bought by the U.S. was the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In order for the United States to expand successfully into the west they needed control of the Mississippi River, which at the time was owned by France. The port at New Orleans was extremely important to the navigation of the Mississippi and provided a good market for trade. While this purchase was very successful, others did not go as well. Prior to the Mexican Cession of 1848 the United States and Mexico were having boundary disputes over where the Texas boarder existed. President Polk reacted by sending troops into Mexico to protect the Texas boundary lines. A year and a half later Mexico surrendered and Texas was granted the Rio Grande border line in the Treaty of Guadalupe. Because of the different nations or countries that owned land on the continent, the U.S. was forced to purchase or fight for the land it wanted. This caused the newly acquired territories to have a more diverse group of people, which affected the social development of the nation as a whole. Another huge factor that played a role in expansion was that of available resources. As the people began to move westward they would settle in areas with vast amounts of natural resources such as lakes or streams, where they could gather food. Lakes were very important to travel because they provided drinking water for the people and attracted wild animals to the area, which could be hunted for food. Also if an area were to dry or rocky it wouldnt be settled. People looked for the best places to live, places they could profit from the most. During the gold rush everyone traveled to the western coast in hopes of becoming rich for the very same reason. This factor affected the economical and social development of the U.S. because certain areas or regions would produce specific products. Different types of people would also live in the separate areas depending on wealth or trade that the family specified in. The third and maybe the greatest factor affecting the migration across the land was geography. Mountains, rivers, lakes, plains, and in some cases canyons were among the biggest impediments for people moving out west. At first people began to settle beyond the Appalachian Mountains and slowly moved westward towards the Mississippi River. Here they had to cross with their belongings safely without sinking them or getting them wet. Next they had to cross the Great Plains that stretched on for miles and miles without food or water. Depending on the time of year it was the weather conditions varied sometimes making it impossible to travel because of snow or heavy fog. Finally, the Rocky Mountains stood in their path. Being the only obstacle left between them and the Pacific Ocean, the Rocky Mountains were the most difficult to pass. Travelers would be lost or stranded in the mountains with no food for weeks, sometimes turning to cannibalism. Many people died from disease and starvation d uring their difficult trip west proving it to be virtually impossible to reach the other side of the continent. These natural barriers slowed the progress of expansion across America and isolated groups of people traveling, causing them to settle where they were. Because of this, small towns or villages formed along the routes west. The geography also contributed to the social development of America as the barriers isolated

Ethical Implications of Adverse Conditioning Essay Example

Ethical Implications of Adverse Conditioning Essay Example Ethical Implications of Adverse Conditioning Paper Ethical Implications of Adverse Conditioning Paper Ethical Implications of Aversive Conditioning It is not usual for psychologists to give prominence to ethical issues and Skinner is no exception. However, in writing about the application of behavioral analysis to significant issues in human behavior. Skinner stresses three issues which have general ethical implications. The use of positive reinforcement, the minimization of punishment contingencies and the specification of objectives (Skinner 1953, 1971). Aversive Conditioning is the use of unpleasant stimuli to induce behavior. It means, for example, causing pain to the subject each time he or she shows a behavior that is o be eradicated (Castro 2004). This distinction may also be applied to lower level learning, such as occurred with PavloVs dogs or pigeons in the Skinner box. A dog that salivates when hearing a bell is demonstrating a declarative knowledge, he knows that after the bell comes the food. A pigeon pressing a lever to get food is effectively applying procedural knowledge, it learned how to obtain food. The most important experimental result from the laboratory study of learning is that, for all kinds of learning, the process is more efficient when learning is accomplished in epeated sessions of short duration than in few sessions of long duration. Aversive procedures are used most commonly in the areas of developmental disabilities and to deal with disorders of sexual arousal such as pedophilia and exhibitionism (Repp Singh 1990). In the American Journal of Mental Retardation, the following guidelines for the use of aversive procedures are as follows: Aversive procedures should be used only if the scientific literature supports their use for a specified condition. Aversive procedures should only be used when the targeted behaviors re clearly of danger to the client or others, and there is well documented evidence that non-aversive interventions by competent practitioners have been tried and failed. Aversive procedures should only be used within a broad program of intervention and management. In addition to the use of aversive procedures for reducing challenging behavior, there must be concomitant intervention programs to promote the adaptive skill levels of clients. In all instances where aversive procedures are used, informed consent must have been given by the client or a legal guardian of the client prior to commencement of their use. Developmentally and culturally appropriate explanation of the aversive procedure and its objectives must be provided to clients. Psychologists using aversive procedures must always be familiar with and comply with any legislative requirements regarding the use of aversive procedures. Psychologists who use aversive procedures should have an advanced level of training in the use of behavioral therapies. In all instances where aversive procedures are used with developmentally and intellectually disadvantaged populations and children, a broadly based group should monitor the use of such rocedures. This group should include specialists in the use of aversive procedures, and people who safeguard the rights of the client. In the case of non-intellectually disadvantaged consenting adult clients, it is advisable that the treating psychologist using aversive procedures seek advice and/or supervision from colleagues (American Journal of Mental Retardation 1990). As you can see buy these guidelines the clients are well InTormea ana are taken care 0T In every extreme. Altnougn all provlslon 0T psychological services raises ethical issues, regardless of its theoretical nderpinnings, behavior modification has always received considerable scrutiny. That scrutiny has often been complicated by the existence of a negative image of behavior modification, bases on a number of popular and long held misconceptions. These include the view that behavior modifiers seek to impose control over human behavior that behavioral analysis is a type of mechanic psychology, and that aversive and punitive methods are routinely part of behavior modification. All these misconceptions should be corrected as a preliminary to considering the actual ethical basis of behavioral modification. Skinner took the view that positive einforcement should be preferred because punishment was undesirable and ineffective. In conclusion Aversive procedures are used in combination with other behavioral and cognitive strategies, and have been found to be useful in the management of impulse control problems. Aversive procedures are not in any way intended to cause harm to the individual. Thus it is beneficial for these individuals to seek help with the use of aversive conditioning so as to help the positive outcome of treatment. It will help with a better outlook on the individuals life. American Journal of Mental Retardation 1990, 95, Special Issue. Castro, Hector. Aversive Conditioning and Negative Reinforcement. The Science of Mind. 2004 Guidelines for the Use of Aversive Procedures. The Australian Psychological Society Limited. ABN 23 000 543 788 Leslie, Julian C. Ethical Implications of Behavior Modification, Historical and Current Issues. The Psychological Record, 1997 47 637-648 Repp, A. and Singh, N. Perspectives on the use of nonaversive and aversive interventions for persons with developmental disabilities. P Eds. NY USA Skinner, B. F. Science and Human Behavior. Macmillan. 1953 NY Skinner, B. F. Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Bantam. 1971 NY

Mgmt 4440 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Mgmt 4440 - Essay Example performance management lies in the fact that it helps distinguish between employees who are active and those who are actually working and motivates the former to be more like the latter, thus improving the overall performance in the organization. Also, when a customer is rewarded adequately for good work (whether monetarily or through promotions), they are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs, thus increasing the company’s retention rate. Also, it helps align the organization’s activities and the efforts of the employees with the goals of the organization. Employees are more engaged in their work. They look to take on more challenging assignments and enjoy working at their workplace, motivated to achieve the best that they can. This also results in timely and high quality work by the organization in turn. From the employee’s perspective, he / she has greater motivation to work in that organization. An employee who performs well has motivation to continue doing so and an employee who is slacking off is motivated to perform better when they see a coworker being rewarded. Performance management also drives employees to become responsible for their individual performances and drives a better employee experience in the organization. It makes employees strive for greater success and makes them more conscientious of their work. The statement ‘Business is behavior’ refers to the need for organizations to adopt a behavioral approach to management systems. This is due to the huge gap between an organization’s technical competence and the performance of their employees due to a poor understanding of social skills (Rana 2). Simply put, unless an organization succeeds in promoting positive work behavior and decreasing instances of negative work behavior among employees, it will never be able to actualize its potential no matter how well it boosts its other capabilities. Its success in business is limited by the least progressive factor which is often

Ethical Dilemma Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Dilemma Capstone - Essay Example ry, which states that what happens in a state is its own affair as long as it takes place within the limits of the international law then the US had no right to interfere whatsoever (Burge 9). However, there are instances where human rights violations are so severe that the use of force from outside is the only way to halt such scenarios. Therefore, the concept of non-interference must occasionally be overlooked by the international states to protect the targeted population. Nonetheless, this right or duty of humanitarian intervention sometimes acts against the consent of a state or its leaders for purposes that are claimed to be humanitarian, but some action does have hidden motives (Abbott, 8). For instance, the US was giving financial aid and military advice to French in Indochina. This was, however, primarily because America was concerned with keeping the Indochinese resources in a friendly way for the benefit of itself and its allies (Burge, 9). The American society was getting concerned with the financial aid that the U.S government was spending on French war. The U.S official reaction to this was; if they allowed communists to take over in countries in the Southern Asia, then America would face serious repercussions that would affect the political and economy of the U.S. Consequently, communism would spread to other parts of the world, thereby affecting the stability of the European region (Smith, 1). Although the U.S provided French with money, weapons and supplies they did not participate in the actual fighting. Later on when Viet Minh launched a major attack, France implored the U.S for direct military support but did not get any. Without the support of the allies the French forces stood little chance against an enemy with superior weapons, but on the other hand, they actually supported the Vietnam with their military. Thus, U.S would only participate in intervention when they stood to gain something. As Americans continued to aver support and

Organisation investigation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Organisation investigation - Essay Example A social service is defined as any activity performed by a private or public institution whose objective is to aid disadvantage, distress or vulnerable persons or groups (Britannica, 2007). Social work has different elements involve in its realization depending on the age group the service is attending. A simple age group classification is to divide humans into three groups: minors (under age of 18), adults and elderly (above the age of 60). The elderly is a group with lots of social issues especially those associated with health since the body of humans once they reach advanced usage associated with older age starts to breakdown and deteriorate across all bodily systems. The mind is one of the systems that does not work as sharp as in the past. In the United Kingdom the legal framework for social services does not recognize the mental health issues associated with providing social services to the elderly. The mental health act of 2006 was a great improvement for the social service providers operating in the United Kingdom. The new health bill emphasizes improvements in areas such as patient autonomy, non-discrimination and protection of diversity, respect for caters, child welfare, definition of what constitute mental disorder, reciprocity, therapeutic services and criteria for detention among other improvements (Rcpsych, 2007). The community and health act of 1990 is another important piece of legislation for social services providers in the United Kingdom set up by the NHS. The act came to create guidelines and foster the creation of private health institution since the government was not doing a good job in this area and still has not able to create a public system to supply enough services to cover the demand for social services in the UK (Powell, 2001). The act created internal changes within social place agencies such as the one I work for by forcing

The 2012 Us Presidential Election Politics Essay

The 2012 Us Presidential Election Politics Essay With the 2012 United States presidential elections over, President Obama won a second term in office defeating Republican rival Governor Romney. The President won 332 electoral votes while the Governor won 206 (Huffington Post). This paper will look at why the election results occurred as they did. The key discussion will revolve on subjective grounds that take on a candidate centric approach as to why the votes fell as they did based on the candidates demeanours and their ability to appeal to voters through integrity, sincerity and leadership skills (Pika and Maltese 150). This election was very centrally focused on repairing the economy. In August 2012, a Gallup poll showed that Obama was receiving a 60% disapproval rating regarding the economy. Similar polls were conducted by other outlets that showed similar results (LoGiurato). With this disapproval, Governor Romney felt that running on an anti-Obamas economy platform would win him votes. His strategy included criticizing Obamas handling of the economy and making himself appear as the better candidate for the handling of a fragmenting economy after Obama had four years to prove that he could mend it after the large deficit left by the Bush Administration (Gabriel). However, voters were incredibly suspicious of Romney. Despite his plea for votes based on a fragmenting economy, there were other factors that made him appear untrustworthy and unrelatable in the eyes of American voters, specifically the middle class and minority groups. This includes: shifting positions, constant gaffes that made voters question Romneys sincerity and a new and unprecedented GOP extremism that reflected poorly on the Governor (Weisberg). These factors all weighed against Romney and made Obama appear as the safer choice despite economy disapproval. In Americas past, incumbent presidents lost the election because of poor economic performance (Carter, Bush Sr.) (Abramson et al. 177). Although people were looking for economic and jo b change (Jones), they did not feel that Romney was a trusted and reliable candidate. American voters felt safer with Obama as the president. Before discussing why Romney lost the 2012 election, it is also relevant to discuss factors as to why Obama won a second term in the 2012 election. In 2008, Obama won 365 electoral votes (Mayhew 200). Although the votes were less for the 2012 election, his victory then managed to carry on to another successful term, with similar demographics voting for the president again. These demographics include: African Americans, Hispanics, women and youth (Abramson 118). These are also the same groups that were least likely to vote for Governor Romney which will be discussed later on. These groups may not have entirely approved of Obamas record but did not feel that Romney was a better choice. The President won over 90% of the black vote in both the 2008 (ibid.) and 2012 election. History shows that most African Americans vote Democratic in elections however Romney appeared particularly unpopular amongst this group, more so than former Republican candidates like John McCain and George W. Bush. This may be due to the recent accusations of racism seen in the GOP. These accusations may be based on possibly racist statements that Republicans made throughout the election (Rosenberg). Such accusations are based on incidents like Republicans implying that the President was born in Kenya, Romneys Welfare Ad that appeared to attack poor black people and the proposal of voter ID laws that would require voters to show ID with an address on it, like a drivers licence. The Brennan Centre for Justice noted that African Americans have drivers licenses at half the rate of whites. This would make it easy to suppress African Americans from voting, likely for Obama (ibid). In fact, after the election was over, former and current Florida GOP leaders admitted that the voter ID laws were meant to suppress black voters from voting for the Democrats (Palm Beach Post). Obama also captured about 70% of the Hispanic vote, nationwide. Two key issues that were important to Hispanics appeared to be the economy and immigration. Many did not approve of Obamas record on either but felt he was the safer choice. With regards to immigration, Obama deported a record number of illegal immigrants during his term (Preston). However, he also implemented DACA and vowed to continue to support the DREAM Act, both acts would provide amnesty for young illegal immigrants in school or in the military. The impreMedia and Latino Decisions polls showed that 60% of Hispanic-Obama supporters knew an illegal immigrant and felt Obama was the better choice for their road to legality (Foley). Romney appeared to be severely conservative towards the issue of illegal immigration during the Primaries. His statement regarding self deportation for illegal immigrants is something that tarnished his attempted image as an immigrant-friendly candidate along with vowing to veto the DREAM Ac t (ibid.). Although he tried to move away from the self deportation statement once he secured the nomination, it was not forgotten by both voters and the President (ex. Obama referenced this during the second presidential debate when a question was raised about illegal immigration reform) (Boroff and Planas). Hispanics cite this as a reason for why they did not vote for the Governor. Another group that Obama overwhelmingly won over were women. Obama was extremely popular amongst this group, as he was seen as the pro-woman candidate. Romney was seen as being out of touch with women which made women back Obama even more. Romneys was anti-abortion, vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade and planned to cut insurance coverage to contraception (Brokes). Obama also spent time discussing equal pay for women and signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009 (White House Blog), an Act that Romneys running mate Paul Ryan rejected which may have also contributed to the lost womens vote. Governor Romney tried to appear as the pro-woman candidate during the second presidential debate by sharing an anecdote about the lack of women working in his cabinet in Massachusetts (despite that the question was regarding equal pay for women) and stating that he would not deny access to contraceptives for women (ABC News). These statements did not help the Governor gain much momentum as many pro- women groups, like We Are Woman and Planned Parenthood (WAW) were already latched onto re-electing Obama. The last demographic to add momentum to Obamas presidential victory were youth. This was a key demographic in helping Obama win his first term and it helped again. Obamas celebrity status may have helped with this group particularly because Obama was endorsed by many liberal Hollywood icons that youth may be familiar with and may be swayed by their opinion such as singers and actors. Obamas appearance in pop culture, like magazines and talk shows, made him popular amongst youth who saw him as a charismatic, young and cool Democrat who promised change and fresh ideas post-Bush (Pika and Maltese 189). Obamas ability to communicate and relate with youth garnered him votes in both elections and this ability to entice an audience, like a room full of college students, was seen as Obamas biggest asset (ibid). Romneys commitment to creating more jobs is what may have gained him some popularity amongst youth who would be looking for jobs when they finish school but it was not enough to pull ahead of Obamas own promise of job creation, to keep student loan interest rates low and his ability to captivate an audience with the same factors as he did in 2008 (ABC News). It is also important to cite Obamas achievements during his term for why he won a second term in the office. Some of Obamas biggest achievements include the following: signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, bailing out the auto industry, sending out the order to kill Bin Laden, ended the war in Iraq, passing health care reform and passing the Stimulus (Glastris et al.). While many people felt Obama was merely the better choice over Romney, Obamas achievements are also credited for reasons he won a second term in office. Romneys lost Presidential bid can be partially blamed on his inconsistencies and flip flops. When Romney was running for the Republican candidacy during the Primaries, he had to claim to be severely Conservative despite being a moderate governor in Massachusetts (Fahrenthold). This ability to appear severely Conservative won him the GOP nomination amongst a growing right wing extremism within the GOP (will be discussed later) but did not make him popular amongst the general voting population. Romney attempted to redefine himself as a moderate in order to please the general audience. However, in front of the GOP he would revert back to being very right wing on social and economic policies. Despite his attempts to move to the centre, especially during the debates, Obama and social media made this extremely difficult. Obama ran many ads that challenged Romneys flip flopping (ex. Romnesia speech) and a growing usage of social media made it difficult for people to forget Romneys changing positions. What would have otherwise been yesterdays news usually became a viral topic on the internet for weeks. Such flip flops that may have hurt Romneys image thus costing him the election include the following: including abortion legislation in his agenda (vowed to repeal Roe v. Wade and de-fund Planned Parenthood) but stated in a key swing state, Iowa, that theres no legislation with regards to abortion that Im familiar with that would become part of my agenda. He also changed positions on health care (from the time he was Governor to his run for president) (NY Times), and changed positions on immigration reform, support for gun control laws and his secretive tax plans from when he was running for the Republican nomination to when he was running for the President in order to appear more moderate (Westen). However, because people did not forget his statements, mostly due to the easy ability to circulate and find information on the internet, Romney appeared to be extremely insin cere in his statements. These inconsistencies made it difficult for Americans to understand who Romney truly was thus he was seen as highly untrustworthy and Americans feared of what he would actually do if he got into office (NY Times). Similar to the reasoning above regarding Romneys loss, his campaign was full of gaffes that weakened his image as a potential president and made it difficult for Americans to relate to him and imagine him as a sincere and relatable president (ibid). Citizens saw Romney as a rich business man who was mostly concerned about the wealthiest 1% of the population and who did not seem interested in the rest of the population. Political strategist James Carville explains that Romneys gaffes were most damaging to him because they confirmed who people thought he was (Dickinson) He goes on to explain that this is the worst thing that can happen to a politician, to confirm negative popular beliefs about that politician thus hurting their image (ibid.). One gaffe that confirmed peoples potentially negative beliefs about Romney was the 47% comment made in front of private donors. Romney essentially ruled out 47% of the voting population as potential voters and appeared apathetic towards their need s because he claimed that they were dependent on government and their services, something Romney did not support (ibid.). He felt that they would vote for Obama because he was seen as the president who supported dependency, according to Romney, thus did not feel he had to cater to them (Rosenberg). This comment, like his flip flops, went viral on the internet thus making it difficult for people to forget the statement. Like Carville explained, it confirmed peoples belief that Romney was unrelatable and apathetic towards the middle class (Dickinson) therefore gaining more momentum for Obama, a candidate that people saw as more sincere and relatable than Romney. Obamas ability to charm and captivate an audience helped him win the presidency again. Romneys apathy and insincere behaviour towards the middle class, and especially minority groups, who found it particularly difficult to relate to him, lost him votes that likely went towards the President, the candidate who appeared more rel atable to the average American. Another reason that may explain Romneys inability to win the Presidency is that he was never truly the popular choice for the Republican nomination. Before election night, Westen stated that if Romney did lose the election, it would be because Romney was not very appealing to the base (Westen). Romney did not appear to be popular amongst Republicans. He ran for Republican nominee in 2008 and lost. In this election, his name was not mentioned early in the race as a popular choice for president the way other names were mentioned, like Mitch Daniels and Chris Christie. According to CBS, 58% of Republicans wanted more choices. This essentially means that 58% of Republicans likely were not satisfied with Governor Romney as the Republican nominee but wanted Obama out of office regardless of who the other option was (Montopoli). This dislike for Romney may be due to his moderate positions as a Governor. However, because of the GOPs extremism, Romney had to change positions and appear to be more conservative than he actually was in the past. James Carville explains that if Romney had run as a moderate, he would not have made it past the primaries (Dickinson). This conservatism may have gained him some popularity amongst very rightist Republicans however this popularity likely shrunk when he began to move to the centre. Romneys strategy to adapt to whatever the voters wanted him to be made him unfavourable amongst the GOP and amongst the general voting population. The GOP saw that he became a moderate and the general population saw what he was during the primaries and questioned his sincerity on his positions. The last and possibly most critical reason that Romney lost the Presidency against incumbent Obama was because of the new and growing extremism of the Republican Party and a general distaste for Republicans altogether. Political Scientist Renford Reese called this election one that was winnable for the Republicans. The economy was in bad shape and the unemployment rate is at 8%. Many who voted for Obama in 2008 were disappointed in his performance over the past 4 years in office. However, because of this growing conservative extremism of the party that got the best of Romney, he lost the election (Reese). The party is seen to be losing touch with the middle class. It continues to appear to cater to the wealthiest of the population and appears uninterested in minority groups. The primaries essentially consisted of a negative anti-Obama sentiment and discussions of being against various social issues in a context that seems outdated. This includes anti-gay, anti-womens rights, anti-imm igration, anti-minority, anti-welfare, anti-health care reform, anti-global warming, anti-unions, and anti-education (Reese). This growing extremism of the GOP makes their voting population very narrow and makes them appear unelectable. In order to win the base, Romney had to have been in agreement with most of these named positions whether it was sincere or not (Dickinson). The candidates who did not take on such extreme positions, like Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul, did not stand a chance in winning the Republican nomination. Romney was not certain of his nomination early on, so his severe conservatism had to be dragged out long enough to ensure it which hurt his strategy of smoothly moving to the centre. Once he began to do it, it was too late as Obama had already latched onto his extreme statements and used them against Romney in ads and debates (Weisberg). Further hurting his transition to the middle were various Republicans who constantly made statements that made the GOP appear d istasteful. This includes Missouris Todd Akin and Indianas Richard Mourdock whose statements on legitimate rape and pregnancy from rape being Gods will continued to make the GOP appear anti-womens rights (ibid.). Both men lost their seats, reflecting what voters thought about their obscure statements. Moreover, Arizonas immigration laws that appeared to endorse racial profiling and the proposed voting laws that would suppress African American voters also reflected poorly on the GOP, making them appear racist (Reese). There will always be Americans who vote Democrat and Americans who always vote Republican. However, it is the swing voters who matter most. If the GOP hopes to win the 2016 election they must reassess their party and produce candidates who can relate to the general population and who do not take on such extreme (and often religious) positions. James Carville, who served as Bill Clintons political strategist at the time of his Presidential bid, notes that the Democrats w ere losing the popular vote for 20 years. Clinton came along and ran as a centrist presidential candidate and won (Dickinson). This is what the Republicans need to do. They must step away from this growing extremism towards religion and social positions and take on moderate positions that can appeal to an ever growing diverse nation where white-males are no longer the only Americans they feel they need to appeal to (Reese). Only then may they have a chance at winning in 2016. People were looking for change after Obama with a fragmenting economy, but they did not feel safe with Romney (Jones). Governor Romney may have had a chance at winning the Presidency had he initially ran as a moderate however he would have had no shot at winning the primaries. The growing disconnects between the GOP and the voting population is increasing and it was responsible for Romney losing the election. Romney had to appear severely conservative (Fahrenthold) in order to win the nomination but attempted to appear moderate after that in order to win over the general population. However, Obama made this difficult for him when he and his staff latched onto obscure statements made by the governor, such as the 47% comment and his support for self deportation (Dickinson) and used them against him in debates and ads thus reminding the voters of what Romney was like during the primaries, someone unrelatable to the average American. On top of that, Obama used the same popularity and hyp e he received from the 2008 election to win over similar demographics in this election. This includes African Americans, Hispanics, women and youth (Abramson 118). These are the same groups that did not vote for Romney. They essentially all felt disconnected with Romney and were afraid of what his presidency would bring. They felt safer with Obama. Romneys constant flip flopping and gaffes made him look uninterested and distrusted to the population (NY Times). He did not come off as a sincere candidate rather he came off as a politician who would say anything to please voters. Now that Romney had led two unsuccessful presidential bids, the GOP must reorganize themselves and use the strategy that Clinton used to win the presidency as a Democrat: start and stay in the centre (Dickinson). Obama won a second term because of his charisma and his successes in his first term but most importantly because voters felt safer with him as President as opposed to a nominee who said anything to pl ease the population and who came off as distrusted and unable to connect with the average American. Citations Abramson, Paul, John Aldrich and David Rohde. Change and Continuity in the 2008 and 2010 Elections. Washington, DC: CQ, 2012. Boroff, David, and Rogue Planas. Romney Says He Favors self-deportation' New York Daily News. 24 Jan. 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. . Brockes, Emma. Why Obama Won the Womens Vote. The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 07 Nov. 2012. . Dickinson, Tim. How President Obama Won a Second Term. Rolling Stone. 23 Nov. 2012. . EDITORIAL; The Moderate Mitt Myth. The New York Times. 13 Oct. 2012. . Election Results. The Huffington Post. 19 Nov. 2012. . Fahrenthold, David A. Mitt Romney Reframes Himself as a severely Conservative Governor. Washington Post. 17 Feb. 2012. . Foley, Elise. Latino Voters In Election 2012 Help Sweep Obama To Reelection. The Huffington Post. 07 Nov. 2012. . Former Florida GOP Leaders Say Voter Suppression Was Reason They Pushed New Election Law. The Palm Beach Post. 25 Nov. 2012. . Gabriel, Trip. Romney Blasts Obama as a Failure on the Economy. The New York Times. The New York Times, 01 July 2011. . Glastris, Paul. Obamas Top 50 Accomplishments. The Washington Monthly. Mar.-Apr. 2012. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php?page=1>. Jones, Jeffrey. Economy Is Paramount Issue to U.S. Voters. Economy Is Paramount Issue to U.S. Voters. 29 Feb. 2012. . LoGiurato, Brett. Obamas Approval Ratings On Economic Issues Are Miserable. Business Insider. 16 Aug. 2012. . Montopoli, Brian. Poll: 58% of Republicans Want More Presidential Choices. CBS News. 9 Jan. 2012. . Pika, Joseph, and John Maltese. The Politics of the Presidency. Washington, DC: CQ, 2012. Preston, Julia. Record Number of Foreigners Were Deported in 2011, Officials Say. New York Times. 7 Sept. 2012. . Reese, Renford. Opinion: GOP Extremism Killed Romneys Chances. Daily News. 7 Nov. 2012. . Rosenberg, Paul. The Racist Nature of the Republican Partys Most Effective Lies. Al Jazeera. 6 Sept. 2012. . Second Presidential Debate Full Transcript. ABC News. 17 Oct. 2012. . Slack, Megan. From the Archives: President Obama Signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. From the Archives: President Obama Signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. 30 Jan. 2012. . We Are Woman. We Are Woman. . Weisberg, Jacob. Why Romney Lost. The Financial Times. N.p., 7 Nov. 2012. . Westen, Drew. Americas Leftward Tilt? The New York Times. N.p., 3 Nov. 2012. .

Police Brutality - Racism, Racial Profiling, Prejudice :: racism, prejudice, racial profiling

Over the years, this country has witnessed many cases of police brutality. It has become a controversial topic among communities that have seen police brutality take place in front of their homes. Officers are faced with many threatening situations everyday forcing them to make split second decisions and to expect the worst and hope for the best. Police officers are given the power to take any citizens rights away and even their lives. With that kind of power comes responsibility, that’s one major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is when to use force or when to use lethal force. The use of excessive force may or not be a large predicament but should be viewed by both the police and the community. Police brutality is hypocrisy; as the police are meant to protect society from harm, not cause further damage and stress. Police should be trained properly so they do not resort to violence and abuse of power. Many cases of police brutality and not sanctioned and are undertaken by a group of police as a form of "mob mentality". Police are placed on a pedestal of authority and respect by the rest of society. To maintain this image, rules and codes of ethics within the police force should be maintained at all possible times. If police are using brutality to resolve issues, it doesn't set much of an example of dispute resolution between individuals. Over the past decade police abuse remains one of the most serious human rights violation in the United States. Police officers are trusted and expected to respect society as a whole and enforce the law. There is a time a place for aggressive force if needed, apprehending a suspect, however the environment and situation might influence the mo ment thus resulting in the brutal and barbaric behavior from the cop. The important thing to do is to understand the circumstances when excessive force can be used and times where the use of force has to be abstained. Police officers follow a strict guideline in how to handle encounters from escalating into something much more serious. The use of excessive force, in this case police brutality brings liabilities that cannot be taken lightly with the department and the community. Usually the high crime rates tend to revolve around low-income minority areas and officers tend to assume that minorities living in the areas are guilty. Police brutality that does exist is most likely result of emotional exhaustion.