The American Dream Essay Example for Free

The American Dream Essay The 2007 LA Times editorials—â€Å"American Values and the Next President†, collectively—provide a detailed sketch of where the United States is now with respect to the values that underline the creation of an American people. A â€Å"more perfect union† entails leaving customs and allegiance of the past behind while forging together many people from different lands of origin, culture and faith guided by multiracial tolerance and integration. It also calls for abandoning all forms of social and political hypocrisies as the Union strives for perfection even if it remains an ideal. In â€Å"Life,† the definition of human life becomes an important contemporary issue not only because of the persisting debates on abortion and capital punishment but also because of the developments in human genetic modification. The results of the national elections will certainly influence the debates over the issues on human life as far as the individual’s constitutional right to life is concerned. â€Å"Liberty† highlights the excesses of the Bush administration which put the liberties of Americans at risk for the sake of fighting terrorism. It suggests that the next president should not treat the liberties of the people as â€Å"collateral damage† for the government’s efforts to stop terrorist threats to homeland security. â€Å"Justice† points out that the executive branch should also try to continue to uphold the principle of equal justice before the law instead of solely relying on the judiciary. The next American president should see to it that the Department of Justice and the federal courts play an activist role in thwarting discrimination. The editorial emphasizes that Democratic presidential candidates are fit to fulfill that role than their Republican counterparts. Despite the notable progress in practicing the value of Justice throughout the years, more remains to be done, which is why the next president has huge shoes to fill. In â€Å"Pursuit of Happiness,† vital issues with respect to government regulation in what is supposed to be the free enterprise system are scrutinized, namely: federal budget, tax code, workforce, value of the dollar, and social security. The next president faces the task of creating strategies through government policies that regulate the economy, depart from the style of the Bush administration and promote the individual pursuit to earn properties. â€Å"Powers of the Earth† tackles environmental issues that, despite not being a major part during the Constitution’s framing, require the attention of Congress and the Presidency. The editorial, with the exception of a few Republicans, states that the positions and responses of Democrats are clearer and better than most Republicans on environmental issues. On the other hand, â€Å"Domestic Tranquility† ties together the issues of poverty, infrastructure and peace. The editorial opines that sustaining America’s pride requires the next president to restore and create new infrastructures while advancing and guarding free trade for the benefit of the economy and of the poor, thereby achieving domestic peace. â€Å"The Common Defense† draws the line between acting positively out of ambition, idealism and creativity—exceptionalism—and acting negatively by exempting one’s self from common rules—exemptionalism. The article suggests that the next president should practice self-restraint and wisdom when defending America from threats coming from terrorist networks without compromising alliances and diplomacy. Lastly, â€Å"The General Welfare† asserts that issues surrounding healthcare, education and immigration are linked, shaping the nation’s ability to promote general welfare. Thus, it is imperative for the next president to carefully address such issues because a sick and uneducated America dealing with illegal immigration problems can hardly ever be a productive America. The series of editorials rekindles the call for the restoration and promotion of American values that once created the nation. With the national elections, hope and the prospects of a more perfect union remain alive. Personally, hopes of reliving the American Dream do not only resurge during national elections. Although the presidential elections provide insight on the immense possibilities that lay before this country, the times when America faces struggles of epic proportions also offer a glimpse of what the American Dream should be. In times of natural calamities, the American Dream is to mount a collective effort to rebuild while setting aside social and political differences. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, for instance, teaches the lesson of unity and cooperation while giving people a glance of how the suspension of personal, social and political disparities can truly make America rise back to its feet. In times when alarms to national security land upon the country, the American Dream is to seize upon the golden opportunity of making America more secure from external threats without risking diplomacy through unrestrained and unwarranted persecution of those who are enemies only by nature of baseless suspicion coupled with heated emotions. The sizeable damage of the 9/11 attacks indeed calls for the perpetrators to be brought before justice. Yet, at the same time, it does not solicit the wild abandon for more cruelty and injustice towards people on foreign shores whose only â€Å"sin† is to have been born to a different race or religion. Indeed, the fact that America is a multicultural land only demands no more and no less than tolerance and the careful handling of both domestic and international relations. The American Dream is summed up, thus: e pluribus unum—literally, out of many, one. Out of many, there is only one hope for peace and unity. Out of many, there is only one hope for security. And in such multitude, there simply is no room for bigotry guised in the forms of religious, racial or political persecutions. At the least, the collective effort to rebuild especially during massive disasters and the efforts to attain unity amidst diversity during threats to national security enshrine part if not all of the American values discussed in the series of editorials. At best, they capture part of the essence of a more perfect union. Clearly, life and liberty can hardly continue to prosper if America is unable to rebuild when stumbling upon a roadblock in whatever form. Life becomes difficult when the nation stumbles; no one becomes free to pursue her or his own happiness. Justice can also hardly be served to the average citizen if the American government itself is unable to practice and project justice towards other sovereign countries. Threats to national security raised the bar on the crackdown for illegal immigrants seen as potential state enemies. While the aim is noble, ensuring America’s safety does not have to mean creating policies that basically discriminate based on race or religion. To discriminate in whatever form or degree further adds to the inequalities already present. Moreover, more focus on campaigns against terrorism—meaning, war—on foreign shores only drains America’s precious resources which could have been used to address issues that are far more threatening, global warming being chief of them. Regardless of religion and race, a united America in the clamor for peace and environmental protection can go as far as national resources can permit, perhaps even beyond. The classic saying you only know what you have until it is gone best summarizes the connection between the American values discussed in the LA Times editorials and my personal version of the American Dream. Facing times of seemingly insurmountable national disasters, natural or man-made, we realize the need to enact the values that once helped create America. National elections also remind Americans that there is nothing to lose and everything to gain when electing the candidate who represents and is committed to enact the American values that made this nation great. Word Count: 1,249 References A More Perfect Union. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-union10dec10,0,6837580. story Domestic Tranquility. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-domestic26dec26,0,7243568. story Justice. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-justice14dec14,0,3982825. story Liberty. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-liberty14dec14,0,5822438. story Life. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-life12dec12,0,4564448. story Pursuit of Happiness. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-happiness18dec18,0,4854426. story The Common Defense. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-defense27dec27,0,2489279. story The General Welfare. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-welfare28dec28,0,710619. story The Powers of the Earth. (2007). Retrieved April 8, 2009, from http://www. latimes. com/news/opinion/la-ed-earth20dec20,0,7174443. story

Why Music is Important Essay -- essays papers

Why Music is Important Music education is important for several different reasons. Music is a very valuable resource for students and teachers alike. Research has shown that musical study improves a child's early cognitive development, basic math and reading abilities, SAT scores, ability to work in teams, as well as spatial reasoning skills (VH1, 2003, para4). Music helps students to achieve in areas of intelligence. â€Å"Feis, Revecz, the Pannenborgs, Miller, and others are unanimous in finding that musicality and high intelligence go together† (Mursell & Glenn, 1931, p. 20). Studies have shown that preschool children taught with music and songs have an average 10 to 20 points over those without, and by the age of 15 have higher reading and math skills. Another study showed that students that had taken a music appreciation class scored 46 points higher on the math portion of the SAT, and students who had music performance experiences scored 39 points higher than students without any music e xperience (Harvey, 1997, para13). Music impacts most other areas of learning. â€Å"The area holding the greatest prospects for transfer from music appears to be language arts.† (Hoffer, 1983, p. 46) It has been said that music helps concentration during reading. Music is an affective memory aide, because of its use of rhythm, rhyme and melody. Music for young children helps them to learn language because of the rhythms and patterns involved in learning the songs. The involvement of music in education can help to develop oral language skills, listening skills, and an increased vocabulary. Music can help the comprehension of language and basic facts (Dobbs, 1990, 341, 342). Students involved with music education have also been show... ... 10, 2004 from http://www.vh1.com/partners/save_the_music/ This is the website for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, which is dedicated to restoring music programs in schools and raising awareness of the importance of music in education. AMC- American Music Conference. (2004). Music advocacy, supporting research, education and playing music. Retrieved November 19, 2004 from http://www.amc-music.com/ MENC- The National Association for Music Education (1991). Growing up complete: the imperative for music education: The report of the national commission on music education. Retrieved November 20, 2004 from http://www.menc.org/publication/ articles/academic/growing.htm Goldwyn-Kingon, Jacqueline. (2004, November 7). Beautiful Music. The New York Times. Shollenberger, Kyle. (2004, November 28). A Richer Life Trough Music. Philadelphia Inquirer.

Women and Full-Time Employment

Phoenix Material Issue Analysis After reading the selected critical issue, use the following questions to analyze the issue. The word count for individual questions may vary but your responses should total 1,200- to 1,400-words for the entire worksheet. .1 What are some of the strengths associated with the Pro side of the Issue? What are some of the weaknesses? During the Pro side of the issue of women opting out, one of the strong points of the argument was that women were choosing to opt out of working once hey began having families.Although we live in a time where men and women both are the bread winners on the homes, the women are still the ones who feel as If they have to stop working and stay at home all of the time to take care of the children. If the husband is the one making all the money for the household, the wife will decide to â€Å"choose† to quit their jobs because they feel as if thing are being taken care of on the financial front and they are needed at home t o take care of the children. A weak point Is that If a woman wants to make the choice to continue working, they should array a man who is considerably younger or considerably older than they are.An older man is said to have been working longer and will have the financial means necessary to keep up with a household. Women who do have kids will be able to choose to quit their Job because there is no need for extra wages to be coming In. If they decide to keep working they can then choose a part time job where they can be at home with the kids during the day while the father is at work, and work during the night while the kids are at home sleeping and under the care of the father.What are some of the strengths associated with the Con side of the issue? What are some of the weaknesses? In the debate on the Con side, a strength of the argument made Is that women are not opting out, they do not have choices or options. They are torn between being a nurturing mother, or having a strong car eer. In a lot of these career paths, the debate is to whether or not they are family friendly, or very flexible. The women feel the need to be at home taking care of the child and making money to support the family.One of the weak points to this side of the argument Is that a woman may not have the desire to be with the child at the earlier stages of the child's life. For some women, that desire or the nature to be with the child comes at a later time, when they feel the child is beginning to really develop. Also, a point was made that there is a case of absent husbands, which Just means that the woman who shares the Job burden with the husband never gets to spend quality time with him.Whenever she is home with the child, he is at work and when she is going to work, then he is Just coming in from his Job. The only solution that loud possibly be made in order to spend time together is to get a schedule where the parents are both working at the same times and maybe hire a babysitter o r a nanny to lad In caring for the child while the parents are away at work. This way, both of the parents are free to work and will still have time when they come home to wind 1 OFF . 3 Based on the statements presented in this critical issue, which author do you agree with?Provide supporting evidence. I am a little on the fence as to which side to agree with because while I feel that women do choose to stop working or angered to part time working when their children are born, I still think that it is possible that a lot of women do not get to work in a career where they can have both a family and a good strong career. In a lot of today's careers, a person needs to be flexible and needs to be able to give their Job 100 percent which Just cannot be done if there is a family that needs a parent.In some situations, a man will stay home while the woman goes to work, and there is gender equality, but a lot of the time this is not to be the case. Although women had to fight to have the c hoice to work, there re a lot of men who still think the woman's â€Å"place† is at home taking care of the kids and doing the housework. Some men may tell the women that it is their choice to work, but it really is not much of a choice when there are no other options as far as taking care of the children.I agree that not a lot of Jobs offer flexible schedules for those who have families, and when a person has to adjust their schedules frequently, people may see it as giving them favors. The first argument stated that we are going back in time instead of progressing, which I do not really agree with, so I agree more tit the second statement that was presented. Today is no longer Just a â€Å"man's world†, and women are wanting to be standing as equal. .4 Explore two other roles that can be acquired during early and middle adulthood, such as through parenthood, romantic relationships, and career.How have these roles changed through the past generations? One of the roles that has changed in the past generations is the one of being a caregiver. Seeing how more women are making it in the career fields, there are some men out there who are taking care of the home while the woman goes off to work and takes care of finances. It was said to be the woman's role to stay home and take care of the home as well as the children, but times have certainly changed. In some cases, both parents are working while the children either have babysitters, or they go into a day care facility.Getting and staying married is another role that has changed through the years. In the past, even though the couple are no longer happy, they would stay married. In this case, it is no longer the same once the couple are not hashing out their differences. They are quick to leave once there is no more emotion left to try to patch things up in the relationship. 5 What psychological adjustments are made during early and middle adulthood to adapt to aging and changes in life style? How do es this affect development?For a woman, there are different psychological adjustments when it comes to adapting to age and changes in one person's lifestyle. A woman will have to go through many bodily changes that they may not be ready for, especially if someone has not explained to them what to expect and what is going to happen. Men go through their own bodily changes, but the psychology of it all for boys and girls are different. As need to do something â€Å"meaningful† or even sometimes a bit reckless. Not all people go through the same stages, and sometimes people will go through these stages at different times in their lives.When people are growing up, they have to mentally prepare themselves for what they will be going through. Instead of being afraid and running away from the change, a person needs to prepare and welcome the change because it will be the beginning of a new period in their lives as they continue to grow and develop. While there are some things that a person will go through as they are developing, there will be things that a person goes through that can occur at any period of time.

My Career At Loyola University Chicago - 1418 Words

After a long eight months, I can now look back and say that I completed my first year of college. It is safe to say that during that time, life was not the same as it was in high school. Many adjustments, such as sacrifices and prioritizing had to be made. However, I think that those adjustments had made me a more accountable student, but more ultimately a better rounded human being. As I am about to enter my second year at Loyola, I am ready to tackle whatever challenges I may face. I personally feel that I am still a planet’s distance away from figuring out who I really am, but I think that as long as I can keep being the best person I can be, I can accomplish what I want to do during my post-collegiate career. In this essay, I will talk about my undergraduate career at Loyola University Chicago, emphasizing my field of study, college experience, and my career goals including the route I plan to take to get there. My current major at Loyola-Chicago is Health Systems Manageme nt otherwise known as H.S.M. which as it implies, revolves around the health-care industry. I was originally an Economics major with the Liberal Arts and Sciences school. At the time, I thought that Economics was the major for me because I really enjoyed the topic when I was in high school, and I was also into business. I did well in both semesters; however, I was also interested in learning about the health-care business. I did not know that Loyola had a major focusing on health-care until I talkedShow MoreRelatedPsychology And Pursue A Career928 Words   |  4 PagesA few years ago, my future and my goals were clear: I would graduate in 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and pursue a career in therapeutic counseling. However, my plans were altered after I was exposed to the research side of psychology. 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