Proposition 19 in California

The vote on Proposition 19 in California raises certain issues with regard to best methods of decision making. The referendum in California was on whether to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Referendums are direct votes in which an electorate accepts or rejects a proposal.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Proposition 19 in California specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A state wide referendum was a good way of reaching a decision on the legalization and regulation of marijuana. This is based on the characteristics of populist democracy. According to Lukacs the populist democracy refers to an ideology that is meant to represent the desires of common people or citizens (4). Populist democracy pits the interest of the people versus the elites. In the Proposition 19, it was through the referendum that the desires of the people could be known. Although the political representatives are meant to advocate the desires of the people they also have their personal opinions. After all their research and familiarization of a case they case they reach decisions. Lukacs states that these decisions do not always represent the desires of their electorate (11). As was the case in Proposition 19 Jerry Brown, the Democratic candidate for governor was opposed to the acceptance of the proposal according to Slater (2010). Even President Barrack Obama was against the proposition despite the federal government allocating the right to legalize marijuana use if the state voted for the proposition. Those who are considered elite in society do not therefore represent the desires of the people as well as the people can. By individual votes people can express their desires in an expansive way. Another reason why a referendum is a good method to use is that it allows people to actively participate in changing their political and social systems which according to Lukacs populist democracy aims at (46). Sound decisions c an only be made when people are involved in processes of change. If people need to vote they will be more likely to get educated about the issues of concern. In the Proposition 19 people tried to inform others as could be seen by the flocking of those who are involved in the marijuana . On the other hand those who were opposed to the proposition organized rallies so that they could educate people about the other side of the issue. The more people are informed the more authentic their decisions are and the better for the state.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Through referendum a more positive and democratic participation is gained. When people have to vote the real issues are at hand compared to party stand and ideas. The referendum eliminates the chances of party interference. According to Slater (2010) people can voice their own desires even when they differ from those of their pol itical parties or associations. Thus, according to Lukacs, a genuine desire about the issues at hand is ensured (72). This in most cases results in decisions that can withstand time. In Proposition 19 the referendum was quite a good way to get people to choose for themselves. Every holder of a ballot had a chance to influence the vote and be a part of accepting or declining the proposition. That is the height of democracy. There are still reasons as to why the representative democracy could have been used with elected representatives making the decision. According to Urbinati one of the reasons that would make this method valid is that through it members of the public are still well represented since they elect their representatives (35; 140). As it is the representatives are already trusted to make decisions for the state affairs. Proposition 19 was just such an affair. Since people undergo a rigorous process to elect those they feel can adequately represent their desires, it is no t necessary to spend a lot of money to get people to take their power back again. It would have been better to save money and have the elected members represent the people. Closely related to this point is that the use of elected representatives also avoids instability to political processes as cited by Urbinati (163). Using representatives allows people to express their desires and yet stability is attained because people know that it is the decision of their elected members that will be taken at the end of the process. When people are engaged in direct democracy as in the case of using referendum they are more opt to engage in activities and agendas that maximize exposure of their desires in the hope of earning the most awareness and support. This can lead to more political events and demonstration. In the case of Proposition 19 people used many forums to reach to the people including social networks. Another reason according to Urbinati as to why elected members would be used is in order to protect people from exploitation and swaying by people who stand to benefit or who present themselves as authorities of the issue at hand (102).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Proposition 19 in California specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the case of Proposition 19 there are several people who tried to influence the people based on what they felt. According to Slater (2010) however, some of these people are already in the marijuana business and therefore stand to gain from acceptance of Proposition 19. People can often be swayed and make the wrong decision based on current emotions. Rationality can be overthrown especially when popular members of the public make their personal stand known. In today’s age when even movie stars are worship and have huge followings, it is not unlikely to find that there are people who do not make their decisions but rather depend on the opinion of others they look up to or admire. In that case genuine democracy is not achieved. Using the referendum has been noted in some cases to lead to fascism. Even when referendums are conducted and civic education takes place, it is not always to educate people about the entire issue. In the case of Proposition 19 many voters still had to make a decision based on the personal information they had acquired. As stated by Urbinati just because everyone has a vote does not mean that they will keep themselves informed (52). They may end up voting blindly when they are ill informed and thus negatively contribute to the decision. Elected representatives are however in a position to get as much information about issues as possible and thus make more informed and dependable decisions for the majority of people whom they represent. It is clear that both democracies have their strengths and weaknesses. However in the case of Proposition 19 the populist democracy was appropriate for a decision on marijuana use. It gave the people an opportunity to make their own decision on a new issue that has the potential to change history. It is quite appropriate that the vote lay with the electorate. Works Cited Lukacs, John. Democracy and Populism: Fear and hatred. New York: Yale University Press, 2005. Print. Slater, Joanna. California Considers a Truce in The War on Pot. CBC News, 2010. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Urbinati, Nadia. Representative Democracy: Principles and Genealogy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Print. This essay on Proposition 19 in California was written and submitted by user Andre H. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sample Essay About Myself For Online Dating

Sample Essay About Myself For Online DatingI am going to share with you the steps that I used when I was writing a sample essay about myself for online dating. This type of essay is required when you want to attract more people to your profile.First of all, I would want to state that in this day and age, it is essential to be original and also to be fun. With that being said, I would like to recommend that you take up photography as your hobby. As a result, I would then recommend that you consider taking a photo of yourself with a meaningful caption that people would be able to relate to.Next, once you have decided on the type of essay that you want to write, you should also consider what type of personality you have. You should consider your likes and dislikes. This will help you to create a sample essay about myself for online dating.You should also think about the current interests that you have. Take photos of these as well. This will help you add more interest to your essay.The next step is to identify a topic for your sample essay about myself for online dating. In my case, I choose the fact that I am a very romantic person. This is what makes me so attractive.In addition, I chose this type of essay because I wanted something that was not too serious, and also I wanted something that was not too personal stuff. Therefore, I decided to put this type of essay on my profile.In this way, I got to attract people who are looking for someone like me. In order to attract people, you need to come across as unique and different. Your photos should also be different from other profiles on the site.By now, you should have learned a little bit about how to write a sample essay about myself for online dating. It is not as hard as it seems, especially if you have a unique perspective of life. Lastly, you should know that this type of essay does not have to be a do-it-yourself project.

Death Penalty Essays (429 words) - Penology, Criminology, Crime

Death Penalty Essays (429 words) - Penology, Criminology, Crime Death Penalty The Death Penalty Capital punishment is the legal infliction of the death penalty on persons convicted of a crime. Today, in modern law, the death penalty is corporal punishment in its most severe form. It is irrevocable: it ends the existence of those punished, instead of temporarily imprisoning them. Although capital punishment is not intended to inflict physical pain, execution is the only corporal punishment still applied to adults. The usual alternative to the death penalty is life-long imprisonment. For the past decades capital punishment has been one of the most hotly contested political issues in America. This debate is a complicated one. Capital punishment is not merely-or even primarily-a legal question. It is a practical, philosophical, social, political, and moral question as well. I don't have any problems with the death penalty only if all avenues have been investigated and nothing is questionable. I believe in the concept of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth because there are always consequences to the things you do and murder should not an exception. The notion of deterrence has been at the very center of the practical debate over the question of capital punishment. The fear of death deters people from committing crimes. I believe that the death penalty has a deterrent value because it removes the criminals from society so they will never be able to committing anymore crimes. Also future criminals must understand the consequences of committing a crime. Abolitionists have long argued that deterrence is little more than an assumption, that most murders cannot be rationally deterred by any penalty, including death. They are crimes of passion, committed in moments of intense rage, frustration, hatred, or fear, when the killers aren't thinking clearly of the personal consequences of what they do. I respect their beliefs, but I still believe in its deterrence value. I believe the serial murderers that continuously kill should be put to death so that no more lives will be lost. I believe in capital punishment because I know of a person who was killed in a drive-by shooting. He was a good student and had plenty of potential. The juveniles who took his life are currently in juvenile hall. What saddens me the most is that these violent teenagers have a potential of freedom when they turn eighteen. I believe these criminals should have been executed because there is a chance that they will commit a murder again. If the death penalty was applied to them, it guarantees that they will never murder again.

How to Boost Engagement on Your Facebook Page

How to Boost Engagement on Your Facebook Page If you already have a Facebook profile, you may be wondering why you would even need a Facebook author page. Heres my answer: Facebook profiles are for people. They are a venue to connect with friends and acquaintances to share information about your lives. A Facebook profile can’t be used to market businesses or products, such as your books and workshops. On a Facebook author page, you can market your books, promote your readings and workshops, and notify fans about your discounted prices and Goodreads giveaways. In short, this is where you can communicate meaningful content that your fans will want to know as well as promote books and other products and services you may offer. In addition, a Facebook page will help you to build your brand, engage with your readers, and improve your search engine results, which in turn will boost sales of your books and attendance at your workshops. Here are some of my favorite tips for increasing shares and Likes on my page. 1. Focus on producing quality content, writing short posts (80 to 190 characters), and always including images that are colorful, unique, and compelling. 2. Respond quickly to your fans’ comments, promote their publishing successes, and just enjoy the experience. 3. Balance the mundane with the meaningful. Cute kitten pictures are mundane while posts with links to solid content are meaningful status updates. I balance my page 4. Gear your messages towards your audience. If your audience loves YA books, don’t post information about literary fiction. Keep to the topics they care about. 5. Use stellar images. Facebook users love them. 6. Post videos. They are popular on Facebook. 7. Experiment with your posts, study your Insights – Facebook’s free analytical feature – and learn what works best for your audience. What works best on your Facebook page?

Nature, perception, reflection and conservation Essay

Nature, perception, reflection and conservation - Essay Example Similarly, Susan Sontag has used imagery throughout his writing to describe the war and its effect. However, the themes of these writers differ as one focuses on nature and the other talks of photography. In his ‘Windstorm in the forest’, John Muir tries to a great extent to personify the nature and the things of nature that are nonhuman. The nonhuman characters such as wind and trees in the forest have been gives both human and superhuman characters. This allows the writer to express his view of beauty and strength of the forest. The whole essay has not mentioned God but a supernatural power is seen to control all these events. The author describes this as nature. The nature in this essay is therefore, given a supernatural power to be in control of the forest. Comparison of nature with human acts is applied by the author. The use of metaphors is used where the wind is allowed by the author in his writing to go to every tree and finger the flowers and the leaves. The storms and their effects are also personified as gardeners. The forest is worked upon and therefore, seen as the patient. Trees in this essay have full human character such as arms, they talk, and swing. Thi s form of writing makes the essay lively and flowing. Susan Sontag focuses on how war photography expresses the effect of military violence. Her description of the photographs of Civil War in New York creates a lot of imagery in her essay. There is a good explanation of how the cameras and videos transform sensibility and vision. She argues that the camera man allows the photos viewer to see only what he or she wants them to see. Casual snapshot expresses a metaphysical aggression against people. Instead of photographs to provide knowledge, they provide what she referred to a semblance of knowledge. Those people who have never experienced war have the wrong knowledge about it from the war photographers (Berry 76). The aim of Sontag in her essay is to give statement

Assignment 3-2 P Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3-2 P - Assignment Example I decided to go to Qatar, which is my hometown, during the summer to spend my whole vacation there and to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan as well. The problem is, my wife thinks that it is a waste to spend thousands of dollars for tickets just to go there. However, for me, it is worth every penny that I will spend to go to Qatar. My plan was to go to Qatar in the summer. This will be the first time that I will spend Ramadan with my family after my marriage. I thought that it would be an excellent chance for my kids to know more about Ramadan, how it is celebrated, and what people in Qatar do during Ramadan. Another thing that I thought of was our grandparents. I really wanted to spend it with my family especially since it wasn’t a sure fact that our grandparents will be around to celebrate the next Ramadan. My wife is right in saying that spending much money to buy tickets to go to Qatar and celebrate Ramadan with my family is not necessary. She says that every dollar we spend on the tickets is a dollar less on what we have saved for our kids’ education and our future house. She is right in pointing out that spending all that money will definitely alter our plans of enrolling our sons in a private school. My wife is correct, when she said that there are different ways of teaching our kids about Ramadan, such as bringing them to the Masjeds we have in Columbus and by teaching them concepts about Ramadan at home. Both of us are right. I am right in saying that I want to celebrate this special month of the year with my family and relatives in my hometown, Qatar. I am right because I want to teach and show my kids how people celebrate and act on this holy month of the year and to show them how people wait and prepare for it every year. However, my wife is also right in stating that we don’t need to spend extravagantly on tickets just to celebrate Ramadan with our

Culture and Gender Differences in Communication

Culture and Gender Differences in Communication CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION While studying culture and communication, it is found that gender is an important factor that makes a difference in communication. Using evidences and examples from local and international, highlight and explain those differences. In a wider context, the use of signs and symbols has different meaning in verbal and non-verbal communication. Using examples explain and illustrate the most popular signs and symbols used in communication worldwide and discuss the key differences in their meaning. ‘For men and women, communication can be a very long drive, using different roads most probably to get to the same place.’ Having said that, it would be appropriate to first give a definition of the word communication followed by what gender is all about. Therefore, communication is known as a two-way process involving individuals trying to seek mutual understanding. Initially, it does not involve only the process of exchanging informations, ideas and feelings but also helps to develop and share meaning. It generally connects people or places in society. Communication is an essential key function for the management of individual, be it in the society, in an organisation or at home. Intriguingly, nothing can operate effectively if communication does not prevail as it should. As planned, we have to give a definition of the word gender which is an important factor that creates a gap between males and females. Gender refers to the attitudes, feelings and behaviour that a giv en culture associates with one’s biological sex. We also find it important to delineate culture which is the behaviour and belief of people depending on their particular social, ethnic or age group. Men and women are somehow being introduced to their particular gender roles at a very tender age. For example: â€Å"Little girls talk more indirectly; little boys talk directly. Little girls talk more with words; little boys use more actions.† Also, the differences can clearly be seen among teenagers in college and further at the workplace whereby women have the tendency to ask loads of questions before even starting the work as compared to men who are more prone to simply roll up their sleeves and get on with the work and assume that ladies are somehow worthless. As a matter of fact, these differences reflect in the: Style Content Structure Unique combination of influences on cognitive behavior According to researches, it can be said that men and women communicate differently by adopting distinct speech skills in regards to the situation they are facing, the purposes and the roles they play in society or at work. All these are consequently derived from gender differences emerged from both social and professional settings. Furthermore, gender can also be redefined as a paramount factor affecting communication within an organisation. In point of fact, gender differences are in one way or the other revealed during conflict or even serve as a cataclysm for conflicts while communicating. Generally speaking, women are famous to ‘read between the lines’ while men communicate to build up status. It is unfortunate that most of the times, girls use words to express their feelings, associate themselves emotionally or build rapport whereas men often contribute facts and figures as in a report. In regards to contents, men are more interested in talking about sports, money a nd business while ladies are always busy debating about feelings, relationships and people. Structure-wise, men are precise by directly coming to the point. Unlike women who are more detailed, regretful and animated, men are mostly not descriptive. Surprisingly, gender differences being a threat to the society and installing misunderstanding at work can however be beneficial in a certain way to both environments. The importance of communication maybe noticed in everyday life, for instance, a little connection can have a large impact and influence in one’s life. We all share the same ideas that males grow up learning some essential elements considered as being the center of masculinity such as being successful, aggressive, sexual and self-reliant. Certainly most men individually see life as a competition, therefore it can be put forward that the way they communicate becomes more of a brawl where they have to win. On the other side of the coin, females are taught that appearance is important, showing sensitivity and care is a must and they should anywise expect negative treatment from others. It is believed that ‘through communication with others, we come to understand how society defines masculinity and feminity.â⠂¬â„¢ Let us see how we can proceed accordingly. Most women are conditioned by culture to maintain harmonious relationships with others. That condition is revealed in softened demands, constrained statement and generally more tentative or lack confidence speech. Both men and women differ in the way they manage people and give orders. Many well-known studies have featured the fact that women have the tendency to soften their demands and statements, as compared to men who tend to be more direct. Women for example, use tag lines, phrases like ‘don’t you think’ preceding the presentation of an idea, ‘if you don’t mind’ following a demand or ‘this may be a crazy idea, but’ followed by a suggestion, trying to make their opinions and ideas be accepted and understood by others. As it has been mentioned above, in most cases women tend to ask more questions as compared to men. Indeed, asking, questions have different meanings when it comes to gender differences. Men ask questions for only one reason; to gather information. For women, asking questions have purposes to gather information, but as it can be noticed, women inquest when they already know the answer. The reason behind this is that they want to seek interest in what the other person has to say in order to cultivate the relationship. Moreover, be it in Mauritius or elsewhere, we normally observe that men are more likely to lean towards setting and acquiring goals contrary to women who show more passion for acceptance. Most men are known to act independently which means that they hardly seek advice or help from others while women chose to be in mutual understanding rather than showing unnecessary pride in most situations whereby they take decisions based on their colleagues. In most countries, men tend to expose their respect to their peers in the way the latter communicate opposed to women who show empathy through their actions. Also, women are well-known for their effective listening skills as compared to men. In addition to what has been said above, studies have proven that in Japan, men and women are expected to use different words to make reference to same points as compared to most other countries including Mauritius whereby both genders are supposed to use the same words to deliver a piece of information. Amazingly, it has been noticed that in the Chinese culture, the pitch and pronunciation that men and women use can differ. Men can take longer to express themselves as compared to women overall, of course depending on the topic raised. Similarly to the rest of the world, Chinese men converse more about politics and economy rather than family and education which are dedicated mainly for women. Unlike most Mauritian women, Chinese ones barely engaged themselves in conversation involving love and marriage. We also came to the conclusion that Chinese, Japanese and Indian women are not expected or rather allowed to talk about sensitive topic with strangers, contrary to Americans and Europ eans whether male or female who surely can interact with whoever they want. In Japan, men and women have different ways of communicating. Women in Japan speak more politely as compared to men. The Japanese language features elements that make women’s speech sound polite and feminine. In the meanwhile, men’s speech sound less polite and masculine. The language difference between genders reinforces Japanese social norms. Where women are the subordinates of men. In England modern society, it would therefore appear that women are equal with men. However the harsh reality tells us that women are not provided with an equal opportunity even for discussion, due to the fact that the two sexes respectively command different communication styles. In other words, the language women use is different from the one that men use. For further information, we made some researches and decided to interview a few people in the sole aim to gather unbiased data regarding the main differences that exist between the communication that flows between local men and women. Surely, we were delighted to know that most women in Mauritius are not keen to get themselves involved in conversations with strangers. Adversely, the majority of the local men will not hesitate to start conversing with someone they come across. Men hereby find it easier and comfortable to interact with others opposed to women and we strongly believe that this is due to on the way they have been brought up and develop their personality. In point of fact, this can help in building new relationships. More onwards, we also understood that Mauritian men pay more attention to football and other sport games and women mostly to fashion and make up. There is also another interesting point that we would definitely like to add is that amongst the working class people in Mauritius, women have the tendency to communicate more about the price of food and children and men are happier talking about politics or which cars are available in the market. Also, alike to most countries, women in Mauritius are always engaged in trend of GOSSIPING contradictory to men who most of the time try to escape from it. For a fact, it can be observed that while travelling, we can see many key differences in gender communication around the globe. In terms of couples, we can see that Asian people find it normal to communicate at higher pitch as compared to Americans and Europeans who usually opt to talk at a lower pitch. Typically speaking, most local people whether men or women, they both communicate at high pitch depending on the regions from which they belong and circumstances. Assuredly, gender communication difference is a worldwide issue. Communication between men and women differ in many ways, affecting their speech and outcomes. Nonetheless there are many other differences that can be highlighted in the way men and women communicate but we do believe that the above examples would help you have an idea of people interact with each other on a day to day basis. Without a doubt, gender differences help to resolve conflicts and strengthen healthy relationships. Now we shall give you an insight of the gender differences of both local and international people: GENDER DIFFERENCES MEN (LOCAL INTERNATIONAL) WOMEN (LOCAL INTERNATIONAL) Conversation Report talking (12 500 words/day) Rapport talking (25 500 words/day) Problem-Solving Are problem solvers Desire to understand problems Changing Subjects Tend to focus on the details of fact May mix personal and business talk Requests Tend to seek the respect of their peers Care for the approval of peers Equality Relate to others as rivals Relate to others as equals Managing ups downs Freely offer advice and analysis Tend to ask for help, advice and directions Body Language Desires space Desire closeness, togetherness and affinity Feedback Choose or resolve by force, persuasion or majority rule More concerned with feelings It has been discussed before that woman is more expressive than men. Research has shown that women are more focused on social-emotional interactions with others. Men and women tend to cope with stress and difficulties differently. Gray, 1992 stated that men cope with stress by drawing themselves from the conversation while women cope by reaching out and talking about the cause of the stress. Gray coined the phrase, ‘Men go to their caves and women talk.’ This is why; women in average speak about 25,500 words in a day and men in average speak about 12,500 words a day. Thusly it can be added that both gender should keenly comprehend each other in purpose to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.