US Electoral Process Essay Example for Free

US Electoral Process Essay One may be surprised to realize that in the elections of 1876, 1888 and 2000, the candidates who won the nationwide popular vote went on to lose the United States Presidential vote. This may cause one to doubt whether the electoral process is indeed democratic. ‘Democracy’ was derived from the Greek word ‘demos’ defined basically as the government in which the supreme power is vested in the people or simply as President Abraham Lincoln defined it; the government of the people, by the people, for the people. Therefore, if popular candidates are forced by the system to be the losers, the electoral process of the United States undermines democracy. Mayors, Senators and members of the House of Representatives are voted in directly by the people; but the problem arises in the presidential elections where the people vote for the ‘elector’ who has pledged to represent a certain candidate. Each state chooses a number of representatives that are referred to as the Electoral College; the number being stated in the constitution and determined by the population of each state. A good example is California that has 55 electoral votes while Utah has only five. In many States, if one wins the popular vote, he or she is assigned all the delegates even though he has worn by only one vote. This is ridiculous! However, few states allocate delegates to presidential candidates proportional to the popular vote that they get. This means that a presidential candidate can win in many of the smaller States but get less votes than the winning candidate in the States with more delegates. Therefore, in the overall count he or she will lose. This explains why Al Gore lost to President George Walker Bush though the former had won the popular vote in the year 2000. When a Gallup poll was conducted later, 83% of those interviewed said that they never accepted Bush as the legitimate president. The other short fall with the process is that while the President and the Vice President rule for four years, Congressmen serve for two years and Senators for six. This means that much money and time is lost in the election period. The President and the Vice President, just like the other leaders should be voted in directly by the people . The candidate who gets the majority votes becomes the President with his or her running mate becoming the Vice president. The terms of service for all the political leaders should expire after the same duration. This would mean that elections are held on the same day, saving much money used for the purchase ballot materials and the hiring of election officers every time the elections are held. Time used in voting will also be saved, as people will vote for all leaders at the same time.

International Monetary Fund :: essays research papers

-International Monetary Fund-Addressing Fundamental Economic Goals On an International Level   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The International Monetary Fund is an important function that makes world trade less strenuous. The International Monetary Fund, or IMF as it is called, provides support and supervision to nations in all stages of economic progress. International trade is a key element to enable nations, large and small, to strengthen their economic positions. Larger nations need the international market to export their goods and services, and smaller nations also need this world scale market to import products so they are able to produce more efficiently. In order to achieve these goals, one major component must be in place. The ability to value other nation's currency. Throughout the years, many different ways have been used to do this, mostly ending in failure. There is no perfect way to accurately measure the true value of another country's currency. The International Monetary Fund is an effort to see each country's economic position, offer suggestions, and provide the fundame ntal economic security that is essential to a thriving (world) economy. Many of the domestic economic goals are reiterated by the INF on an international level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand the current INF we will investigate the events leading up to its existence. Between 1879 and 1934 major nations used a method of international exchange known as the Gold Standard. The Gold Standard was simply a fixed-rate system. The rate was fixed to gold. In order for this system to function properly three things had to happen. First, each nation had to define its currency to gold (this definition then could not change). Second, each nation must than maintain a fixed relationship to its supply of money and its amount of actual gold. Third, the on-hand gold must be allowed to be exchanged freely between any nations throughout the world. With all of those policies successfully in place, the exchange rates of the participating countries would then be fixed to gold, therefore to each other. To successfully maintain this relationship some adjustments had to be made from time to time. For example, two countries A and B are doing international business to gether and A buys more of B's products than B buys of A's. Now B doesn't have enough of A's currency to pay for the excess products purchased. B now has what's called a balance of payment deficit. In order to correct for this deficit the following must occur; Actual gold must now be transferred to A from B.

In the Lake of the Woods: Hypothesis Chapters

This chapter briefly states about the disappearance of Kathy, and what she could have been thinking of when In her â€Å"dermatome† phase. It also briefly outlines possible roads she could have taken, let it be with another man or simply Just fed up of her own life with John. This hypothesis demonstrates how profoundly hurt she was by politics and Johns selfish ways. Hypothesis Chapter 2: In this chapter the truth about John in Vietnam has come out, and Kathy is wondering what is with all of these secrets? And she really is starting to reevaluate their marriage o see if it could work. UT as she keeps thinking she starts to realize that they together for all the wrong reasons. This chapter also indicates the severity of their marriage as In a sense John blackmails Kathy Into not bringing up past events, which then seems to the reader as a way of him standing over her and having power over her. The point of the hypothesis chapter Is to Illustrate key reasons for Kitty's disappea rance and to see how inauthentic their marriage was. Hypothesis Chapter 3: This chapter describes the possibility that Kathy took a boat ride to clear her mind, ND during that ride, hit a sandbar and drowned.This is a key chapter as it hypothesis Kathy taking mental notes of what she felt needed to change, indicating she was ready to reform her relationship with John. Hypothesis Chapter 4: Chapter 18 suggests that Kathy disappearance Is one of human error. By miscalculating her trajectory, Kathy has lost hope of returning In the correct direction. It Is In this chapter that we discover more about Kathy sense of self- reliance as well as her affair with Harmon, her dentist, and the deep-seated guilt she till feels.Hypothesis Chapter 5: Lost within the wilderness, Kathy travels on a boat away from the burning cottage. It is alluded to that she has set â€Å"the fire† alight and left to simply escape the life she has with John. Furthermore, inside the â€Å"glittery' â€Å"lux ury and bliss† of a casino, this chapter conveys Kathy prior experiences with Tony and her innermost feelings at that particular moment In time. It adds to our understanding of John and Kathy relationship, and the depth of Tony's character and attitude. Hypothesis Chapter 6:By illustrating Kitty's personal conflicts, O'Brien explores her potential suicide. This values and â€Å"withheld intimacies†. Within her â€Å"decayed marriage† â€Å"the idea of happiness† is Kathy ultimate desire, as her suicide is expressed to be â€Å"a dark calm† from â€Å"the waning of energy'. Hypothesis Chapter 7: In chapter 27 it is hypothesized that John burnt Kathy with boiling water and then took her out on the boat on the lake and dumped her body in the lake. John then decides to â€Å"Join her for a while† as he feels â€Å"an underwater rush in his ears. He sakes up in bed and reaches â€Å"out for Kathy' but she â€Å"wasn't there. † Hypothesis Chapter 8: In this chapter, it questions all the hypothesis and states that no one â€Å"will ever know. † When John is mentioned, he switches out from John to Sorcerer and then back again. John does not know his true identity and he never did. Paragraph: O'Brien illustrates the inauthentic relationship of John and Kathy through his need for â€Å"absolute, unconditional love†. Their lack of communication led to the couple's mistrust towards each other because â€Å"they never communicated, never made love†.This was due to the fact John â€Å"was a dreamer† and constantly withdrawn from emotional situations. We see actions like these taken by John being attributed to this persona which demonstrates how separated John truly is from his physical presence in the world. His experiences with gliding and the â€Å"sorcerer† identity stay with him just like the mirror and the magic from his childhood and continue to shape his experiences with the world. Just like John's mirrors, Kathy disappearances prove to be her way of escaping the controlling ways of John, as Kathy â€Å"†¦ Get[s] this creepy leaning, like [his] always there†.O'Brien does this as a way of displaying John's uncanny need for affection. When John feels able enough to tell Kathy of his plans for the future, Kathy tells him that his plans feel calculated and manipulative, John is â€Å"assailed by the sudden fear of losing her, of bungling thing. † John still views his relationship as things to be rigged rather than nurtured. This is how he attempts to retain power and control of the situation. Riddled with doubts and insecurities on the outside, strangled with shame and secrets on the inside, John was incapable of expressing himself to others.O'Brien purposely added the scene where Kathy has an abortion as a metaphor for John denying Kathy needs throughout the course of the relationship. This is seen in parallel with John's desire to be something more than he already is; a better lover and a more courageous man. When the illusion is shattered and he has lost everything, including his wife, John actually begins to find some clarity. He realizes that inventing a new self was impossible, that he â€Å"never should have given the bucking show in the first place. †

Bribery and Cheating at the Ancient Olympics