Explain the low turnout in U.S. elections. :: essays research papers fc

Explain the low turnout in U.S. elections. "Miller light and bud light†¦either way you end up with a mighty weak beer!" This is how Jim Hightower (a Texan populist speaker) described the choices that the U.S. electorate had in the 2000 elections. This insinuates that there is a clear lack of distinction between the parties. Along with numerous others, this is one of the reasons why the turnout is so low in the U.S. elections. In trying to explain the low figures at the U.S. elections, analysts have called American voters apathetic to indifferent to downright lazy. I disagree that the 50% (in recent elections) of voters that fail to turnout to vote are lazy and that they have just reason not too. I will also show that the problem lies within the system itself in that the institutional arrangements, electoral and governmental, do not create an environment that is conducive to mass participation. I will address these main issues and several others that have an effect on voter participation. In doing so I will comp are America to other established democracies. Some registration laws in the past had clearly been designed to abstain certain races and types of people from registering, these restricted rather than assisted voter turnout. In the South they made provisions to stop African-Americans voting and the North implemented obstacles such as the poll tax and literacy tests. These were blatant attempts to stop people who were not of the typical voter, an educated white male landowner from casting a ballot. Typically in the South turnout historically tends to be lower than that of the North. An example of this is the contest between Kennedy and Nixon when only 40% of the south turned out to vote compared with 70% of the rest of the nation. These southern states tend to be the ones who were part of the old Confederacy. They still seem to have similar political ideologies, as in the most recent election George W. Bush took all these states in defeating Al Gore. It seems that the stigma connected to the civil war that ended over 130 years ago still seems to loom over American politics. However due to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, procedures for registration have become much more user friendly in allowing a much wider scope of American citizens to register. Because of this Act I am going to concentrate on the more recent elections and explanations for the low turnout.

Populist Party’s Premature Fall into Obscurity Essay

Towards the end of the 19th Century, agricultural discontent was growing among the nation’s farmers. In the South, cotton that was selling for roughly 30 cents per pound after the Civil War was, at times, worth under six cents in the 1890’s. Wheat from the Midwest that had sold at $1.50 per bushel after the Civil War brought in 60 cents in the 1890’s. The nation’s agricultural base was tired of getting the raw deal from politicians, and finally made their voice heard through the Populist Party. When it first stepped onto the public stage, the party was very successful. However, the success was relatively short lived. While a number of factors contributed to the demise of the Populist Party, the failed election of 1896 played an integral role in its fall due to its inability to find a strong figurehead. The Populist Party formed from Alliances that had come from farm radicalism. Many of the Alliances were statewide, and most formed in the late 1870’s. Eventually, using the success of minor farm groups who had won elections, the Populist Party formed from southern and western farmers. Although there was a large group of northerners that was sympathetic to the party, it still tended to vote Republican. The party’s first convention, held in Omaha, Nebraska, brought in a variety of groups, including the Knights of Labor. The People’s (Populist) Party was trying to attract anyone and everyone to join its cause. General James B. Weaver of Iowa was nominated for President, and his running mate was a Confederate veteran. The party’s platform was very widespread, and it bordered on socialistic. The platform included graduated income tax,  national ownership of utilities, a subtreasury, and bimetallism. To please industrial workers, the party also advocated eight hour workdays, restriction of â€Å"undesirable† immigration, and it also shunned Pinkerton detectives. The party’s main supporters were still, however, the farmers. In order to raise prices on agricultural products, it supported unlimited coinage of silver, increasing the amount of money in circulation, and also allowing the holding of agricultural products off the market in times of low prices. In the 1860’s, the amount of silver it took to make a silver dollar was actually worth more than $1, which made coining the metal unprofitable. However, with the discovery of a large number of silver deposits in 1874, it again became plausible to coin the money. However, the Coinage Act of 1873 demonetized the metal and put the U.S. on the Gold Standard. This â€Å"Crime of ’73† infuriated inflationists and silver miners, who demanded a return to bimetallism. In 1878, the Bland-Allison Act made for the purchase of $2-4 million of silver per month, at market value. The government always bought the minimum, however, and this did very little to the economy. In 1890, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act required 4.5 million ounces of silver to be bought monthly, but even this was not enough to save the plummeting value of silver. As no one was happy with the compromises, Grover Cleveland repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in 1893, which reverted the country back to a gold standard, and caused the southern and western democrats to split from the party. These issues were still present for the election of 1896. The Democratic nomination for President, William Jennings Brian, was also supported by the Populists. While they feared losing their individual identity, they had no candidate of their own that could win the election. As a matter of fact, a pure Populist nominee would ensure McKinley’s election. In an attempt to preserve the party’s identity, the Populists nominated a vice-president separate from the Democrats’. Although Brian managed to win the South, the Plains states, and the Rocky Mountains, McKinley pulled out the rest, and won with 271 electoral votes to Bryan’s 176. Brian lost in the popular votes by fewer than 600,000 votes. The lost election spelled the end of the Populist Party. In addition to the lost presidential election, the party also lost many local and state elections. The South divided again, because their support of blacks went against their white supremacy beliefs, which caused a great rift. In addition, the western farmers’ agendas were quite different from those of the southerners, which caused another split in the already wounded party. It was just a matter of time before the party faded into obscurity. The Populist Party, while short-lived, did bring a number of issues to America’s attention. The silver debates, agricultural economy, and many other arguments brought forth by the populists were still argued after their demise following the Election of 1896. Without the populists, the gold standard may have remained longer, and we may have even retained it today. The populists challenged things everyday Americans took for granted, and taught us a valuable lesson. Things can be changed, and those changes, while hard to bring about, can be for the betterment of the entire nation.

Eleanor of Aquitaines Descendants Through King John

Leadership And Influence Of Leadership - 1001 Words

LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE QUESTION Leadership is a trait that has both fascinated me, yet eluded me for most of my life. Some say great leaders are born, I however disagree. I believe the qualities of leadership are born out of someone’s experiences, passion, and ambition. My first real exposure to leadership started in 2013, when at the age of 28, I unexpectedly became the youngest manager at my former employer, a company with over 100 managers. This was an institution where seniority was most valued and I was now thrust into managing the critical section of Wireless Engineering, supervising staff who were all older and more experienced than myself. The role was at first daunting as I struggled to balance the demands of upper management†¦show more content†¦She was surprisingly appreciative and I tried my best to return the favor by creating an interesting presentation, demonstrating how engineers solved real world problems. Afterward, I was informed that it was not only the best guest lecture they ever received but that I created a wealth of excitement in her students to join working world. Steve Jobs once said, â€Å"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower†. Following these inspired words, combined with my past experience, provided me with the courage I needed to resign my job and follow my long dormant dreams studying Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh. In Edinburgh, I led two group projects, one of which involved a robotics competition where my group won first place out of 13 groups. Despite the naysayers to my chosen field, I successfully completed my study and I’m now more passionate than ever to contribute to fields pertaining to this area, particularly data science. NETWORKING QUESTION Given my wireless engineering background, I often see some parallels with the engineering and social characterization of networking. One important lesson from engineering concepts is that the more connections you have, the more resilient your network is to failure. That lesson can be most aptly applied to interpersonal networking where a wide and diverse web leads not just to opportunity, but wisdom in absorbing the life experiences of these persons. I’ve always strongly believed that a wideShow MoreRelatedLeadership And Its Influence On Leadership1496 Words   |  6 PagesART I Leadership is the ability to obtain followers. Commitment will follow your leadership as you climb up the ladder your commitment will rise as well. People do not want to be managed they want to be led. There are many principles that will represent a great leader and help an individual obtain the followers trust. 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Feminist Perspective of John Steinbeck’s The...

A Feminist Perspective of John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums John Steinbeck, in his short story The Chrysanthemums depicts the trials of a woman attempting to gain power in a mans world. Elisa Allen tries to define the boundaries of her role as a woman in such a closed society. While her environment is portrayed as a tool for social repression, it is through nature in her garden where Elisa gains and shows off her power. As the story progresses, Elisa has trouble extending this power outside of the fence that surrounds her garden. In the end, Elisa learns but does not readily accept, that she possesses a feminine power weak for the time, not the masculine one she had tried so hard to achieve through its imitation. The work†¦show more content†¦They look at a tractor and smoke, manly things, as they conclude their mans work. Just as their environment surrounds all persons, fences surround animals and men surround women. As she looks out to these men, we look at Elisa. Although she is doing the feminine work of gardening, she is dressed like a man. She wore a black hat low on her forehead to cover her hair, thick leather gloves covered her hands, and clodhopper shoes covering her small womans feet. A big corduroy apron covered the dress making her figure look blocked and heavy (396). Unconsciously, as she looks through her fence at the men talking business, she is trying to cover up her feminine qualities. She longs to be in their position and possess their characteristics. As she does her gardening, something she enjoys and excels in, Her face was lean and strong†¦ eager and mature and handsome (396). Her use of the scissors is described as over-eager and over-powerful (397). All of these characteristics are usually masculine adjectives. But in this case they describe a woman attempting or at least imagining living as a part of such a mans world. Yet Elisas power is not used for masculine activities; in fact, her power is derived from a feminine source, nature. Mother Nature, a female, controls the environment. This female power is part of matriarchal lineage since Elisaa mother also could stick anything in theShow MoreRelatedA History of Submissive Women in Literature2215 Words   |  9 Pagesbeen one that has been repressed throughout history and forced to acclimate itself to a world dominated by men. Although major improvements have been made in the strife for equality, this continues to be a man’s world. In the short stories â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† as well as in the drama â€Å"A Doll’s House,† the protagonists are all frustrated women who are unfulfilled with their subservient lives. Partly imposed upon them by their setting’s historical and societal norms, they choose

Business Strategy for Hubbards Foods Limited-myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about theBusiness Strategy for Hubbards Foods Limited. Answer: Diversification Strategy Hubbards Foods Limited is a cereal manufacturing company situated in Auckland. The company was found by Dick Hubbard, who started the family business in the Auckland city of New Zealand (Sbc.org.nz 2017). The eventual growth of the business is much commending. However, maintenance of the sustainable position in this ever growing competitive scenario, it is necessary for the company to undertake the relevant strategic decision. The diversification strategy is quite fruitful for maintaining the business sustainability. Apparently, the diversification strategy focuses on increasing customer base (Serrano, Fernndez-Olmos and Pinilla 2015). It is notified that the company is aiming at selling both the high range products to low range products. In order to ensure growth, Mr. Dick Hubbard is promoting the high quality cereals under the brand of Hubbards Foods Limited. Moreover, the company is also paying attention towards manufacturing the unique product lines specifically for the private l abels of the supermarket. Products like cornflakes and puffs are included in such private labels that are lower end in terms of price range. Mr. Dick Hubbard has also introduced the seasonal variations for the cereal products. For instance, people consume at least 10% cereals more in summer than the winter season. It is to be considered that the cereal industry has been experiencing the rapid changes in last few decades. Therefore, the company has decided to present the product variations by introducing the Mueslistyle Cereals (Sbc.org.nz 2017). The threats from the competitors are quite significant. Concentrating on such competition level, the company has been introducing the diversification process in the product line. Starting from the lower end prices to high price products are available for the customers. Such product diversification strategy is much helpful in generating the customers attention. It is needless to mention that the preference of the high quality products is the first priority. The brand does not compromise with the quality parameter even the price becomes higher sometimes. The clear focus towards the high quality product ranges is impressive to gather more customers attention. Hence, it can be implied that the implementation of the diversification strategy is quite profitable for the company to secure the competitive edge. References Sbc.org.nz, 2017. Sustainable Development Reporting Case Study Hubbard Foods [online] Available at: https://www.sbc.org.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/55587/Hubbards-SDR-Case-Study.pdf [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017]. Serrano, R., Fernndez-Olmos, M. and Pinilla, V., 2015. International diversification and performance in agri-food firms.Documento de Trabajo,1.

Case Study on Capital Gains Tax and Fringe Benefits Tax

Questions: Case study 1: Capital Gains Tax. 2: Fringe Benefits Tax. Answers: Answer to Case Study 1:- a) Calculation of Net Capital Gain/ Loss of Individual Taxpayer:- It is assumed that Dave Solomon, is an individual, whose main source of income is the salary, paid by his employer. He is not involved any kind of trading business. The assets sold by him in the current tax year can be considered, completely, as his capital assets. Moreover, he has generated any revenue from those assets earlier. Calculation of Net Capital Gain/Loss:- The net taxable capital gain or loss, generated from the sale of assets by David Solomon in the current tax year, is presented below (Law.ato.gov.au, 2016):- Name of Taxpayer : Dave Solomon Type : Individual Calculation of Net Capital Gain/Loss for the period ending on 30th June,20. Particulars Amount Amount $ $ a) Sale of Paintings : Selling Price of the Painting 125000 Less : Purchase Price of the painting 15000 Capital Gain on Sale 110000 Less : 50% Exemption on Capital Gain 55000 Taxable Capital Gain (A) 55000 55000 b) Sale of Luxury Motor Cruiser: Selling Price of the Cruiser 60000 Less : Purchase Price of the Cruiser 110000 Net Capital Loss (B) -50000 -50000 c) Sale of Shares: Selling Price of the Shares 80000 Less : Purchase Price of the Shares 70000 Less : Brokerage on Sale of Shares 750 Less : Stamp Duty on purchase of Shares 250 Taxable Capital Gain ( C) 9000 9000 Total Taxable Capital Gain (A+B+C) 14000 Less : Capital Loss of Previous Year 10000 Net Taxable Capital Gain 4000 Important Notes:- The capital gain on sale of the residential house of David Solomon is taken into consideration for ascertaining taxable capital gain, as the house was used for residential purpose by the taxpayer. According to the Australian Taxation Rule, any capital gain, generated from the sale of residential property is exempted from taxation (Woellner et al. 2012). The forfeiture of the deposits for breaching of contract by the purchaser has occurred within continuum of event. Therefore, the forfeiture of deposit is not considered as CGT event (Chan 2014). The painting, which has been sold in the current year, was purchased on not before 20th September, 1985, but on the same day. Therefore, it should be treated as a post CGT collectable asset and is allowed to have 50% exemption on the capital gain on sale of the asset (Conesa and Domnguez 2013). The luxury motor cruise is a personal asset and it has been owned by the taxpayer for more than 2 years. But, as the selling has generated capital loss, therefore, it is not allowed for 50% exemption (Faccio and Xu 2015). The shares, sold in the current year, are also purchased in the same period. The interest on loan, taken for purchasing the shares, is not considered as deductible expenses, as the taxpayer has not earned any income from the shares. The brokerage and stamp duty are incurred for acquiring and selling the asset. So, these costs are deducted from the respective capital gain (Harding 2013). The capital loss can be adjusted against capital gains only and it can be carry forwarded in future tax periods. Therefore, the capital loss of the previous year, is adjusted against the capital gain of the current year (Jacob and Jacob 2013). b) Consequences for Net Capital Gain:- The net capital gain, earned by David Solomon in the current year, will be added with the other assessable income to ascertain the net taxable assessable income of the taxpayer. The income slab for taxation purpose will be then determined on the basis of that net taxable income. c) Consequences for Net Capital Loss:- If David Solomon would generate any net capital loss, then that would be carry forwarded into next tax periods. It would be adjusted only if the taxpayer would generate any capital gain in future. Answer to Case Study 2:- a) Consequences Calculations for Fringe Benefit Tax of Periwinkle Pty. Ltd.:- Consequences for FBT:- It is assumed that Periwinkle Pty. Ltd. is a normal company and not entitled to any benefit for small business entities. The FBT consequences of Periwinkle, aroused for the benefits provided to Emma, one of the employee of the company is discussed below:- 1) It is assumed that the employee uses the car not only for office use but for non-work related purpose in frequent and regular basis. Therefore, the car benefit should be accounted for FBT as it is allowed to use for private purposes (Stilwell 2016). During the interstate travel of the employee, the car was parked at airport, not at the employers premises and the repairing of the car was annual maintenance type, not an unscheduled repairing. Therefore, the ten days, when the car was not used, also to be included in the FBT calculation (Hodgson and Pearce 2015). The statutory formula method is used for estimating the car fringe benefit. The calculation of car fringe benefit is shown in the following table:- Calculation Of Car Fringe Benefit:- Particulars Details Total Kms. Travelled during the FBT year A 10000 No. of Days in the FBT year B 366 No. of Days of Travel C 336 Annualised Kilometers (A x B/C) 10892.857 Statutory Rate as per Annualised Km. E 20.00% Cost Base F $33,000 No. of Days available for Private Use C 336 No. of days in FBT Year B 366 Taxable Value (FxExC)/B $6,059.02 2) The interest charged on the loan, given to the employee, should be treated as FBT. The Benchmark Interest Rate for such loan is 5.95% (Ato.gov.au, 2016). The company has charged the loan at an interest rate of 4.45%. As the actual rate is lower than the Benchmark Rate, the FBT should be calculated on the actual rate of interest (Pearce and Pinto 2015). The calculation for FBT on interest on loan is shown below:- Calculation of Interest on Loan for FBT:- Particulars Details Loan to Employee A $500,000 Benchmark Interest Rate B 5.95% Actual Interest Rate C 4.45% Taxable Value Interest on Loan D = (AXC) $22,250 3) The bathtub provided to the employee at a special discounted rate, is a FBT expense. The taxable value of the bathtub is estimated at 75% of the normal selling price and the FBT is calculated accordingly in the following table (Ato.gov.au, 2016):- Calculation of Special Discount for FBT:- Particulars Amount $ Market Price of the Bathtub A 2600 Special Price for the Employee B 1300 Taxable Value of the Bathtub C=A x 75% 1950 Taxable Value of Benefit C - B 650 Calculation of FBT:- The Fringe Benefit Tax for Periwinkle Pty. Ltd. is calculated in the following table according to the above-mentioned assumptions (Ato.gov.au, 2016):- Name of Taxpayer : Periwinkle Pty. Ltd. Type : Company Calculation of Fringe Benefit Tax for the period ending on 31st March,2016 GST Inclusive GST Free Particulars Amount Amount $ $ Car Benefit 6059.02 Interest on Loan 22250 Sale at Special Rate 650 Total of GST Inclusive/Free Benefits 6059.02 22900 A B Gross-up Rate 2.1463 1.9608 C D Gross-up Value 13004.47 44902.32 E = A x C F=B X D Total Taxable Fringe Benefit 57906.79 G = E + F Fringe Benefit Tax Rate 49% J Fringe Benefit Tax Liability 28374.33 K = G x J b) Alternative Consequences:- If the employer, herself, purchased the shares, instead of her husband and earn dividend from such shares, then the part interest on loan for $50000, will be considered as an deductible expenses of the employee. Therefore, the FBT of the employer will also get reduced accordingly (Eccleston 2013). Reference List:- Ato.gov.au. (2016).How to calculate your FBT | Australian Taxation Office. Ato.gov.au. (2016).Property fringe benefits | Australian Taxation Office. Chan, C., 2014. Earnouts and CGT: Fine-tuning the.Tax Specialist,18(1), p.27 Conesa, J.C. and Domnguez, B., 2013. Intangible investment and Ramsey capital taxation.Journal of Monetary Economics,60(8), pp.983-995 Eccleston, R., 2013. The Tax Reform Agenda in Australia.Australian Journal of Public Administration,72(2), pp.103-113 Faccio, M. and Xu, J., 2015. Taxes and capital structure.Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis,50(03), pp.277-300 Harding, M., 2013. Taxation of dividend, interest, and capital gain income Hodgson, H. and Pearce, P., 2015. TravelSmart or travel tax breaks: is the fringe benefits tax a barrier to active commuting in Australia? 1.eJournal of Tax Research,13(3), p.819 Jacob, M. and Jacob, M., 2013. Taxation, dividends, and share repurchases: Taking evidence global.Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis,48(04), pp.1241-1269 Law.ato.gov.au. (2016).TR 1999/19 - Income tax capital gains: treatment of forfeited deposits (As at 11 October 2000).