Locked in the Cabinet

Written by the 22nd Labor Secretary of the United States Robert Reich, Locked in the Cabinet appears to be written with noble goals and intentions. That is, â€Å"to bridge the widening gap between the rich and the poor.† Robert Reich is a friend of former United States President Bill Clinton for 25 years and ended having extremely opposing views. He turned out to be a disillusioned member of Clinton’s cabinet. He pointed out the failure of Clinton’s administration to fulfill its intended aims and roles for the benefit of its constituents. The book was packaged like a journal with entries with their specific dates. The journal was dated on the four year span of the first term of Bill Clinton. The book displays a fragmentary-like form of a daily account with the specified time when the event occurred. In this book, he used a string of metaphors to present his points in a creative way, perhaps. In the book, Clinton was treated with hesitation. Reich did not deliberately stated â€Å"President Bill Clinton† in the book. He would refer to a certain â€Å"Bill† who, he said, his longtime friend. He was, perhaps, also considering their friendship while criticizing the leadership of his very own close friend. It is commendable that Reich aims for bridging the gap between the rich and poor. He stressed his being a liberal who has always been ready to fight for the rights of their constituents. For him, being liberal is giving an individual his rights. He stressed the importance of giving such because it is the main role and function of the government, anyway. As a liberal labor secretary, he advocated the rights of every worker especially their right for a wage increase. He even tried to convince company owners and manufacturers not  to use their powers against the striking workers. These workers are just airing their rights and sentiments, in the first place. Pertaining to the legitimate role and functions of the government in a private enterprise economy, he stressed out the role of the government on giving the outright benefits that a worker should have. He pushed for wage increase among the workers in the United States. He stressed the importance of some sort of â€Å"government intervention† in pushing for the rights of the workers. Even if Clinton is his longtime and close friend, it did not stop him in voicing out his criticisms towards Clinton’s unsatisfactory leadership through his book. He said that Clinton’s administration did not know what should be prioritized and seemed to forget what the purpose of his coming to Washington. He related that Clinton had the leadership but did not have the enough courage to take effect what is best for the people. But then, his disappointment over Clinton’s policies and administration has always been overshadowed by his affection towards his longtime friend. He views contemporary American policies as a â€Å"disaster† which does not actually respond to the actual needs of their constituents. He bluntly criticized everything he thinks not in the right place. I totally agree with his concept of liberalism. He cares for the â€Å"liberation† of every individual’s rights. He put forth the importance of giving everyone of what is due to him. As a statesman, it just right for him to have the heart for the oppressed and not for the oppressor. He has showed concern for the advantage of the people. It is just that he was â€Å"locked in the cabinet.† He implied that limitations of being a member of a cabinet. It might appear that cabinet members have all the power to take effect pro-people policies and actions, but then, they are subjected to the bureaucracy’s approval. He used many underlying themes in his book. This somewhat gave a twist on the sharp opinions that he wants to present. He admitted that he is indeed a frustrated secretary who wished that everyone would hear his and the society’s plight. Reich’s book is really informative. It is amazing how he is able to present such controversial revelations given that Clinton is his very close friend. He presented his point bravely leaving no missed point behind. I guess he just showed an objective setting of the situation of Clinton’s administration and the United States government system in general, particularly to the labor sector. With no doubt, he showed, through his book, his deep concern for people. On the other hand, the book, behind its impressing underlying themes, also received criticisms, perhaps from those who were behind the administration of Clinton. They claimed that Reich’s work was just like a fictional work and even claimed that it is a mere propaganda. They added that Reich’s claim were not realistic at all. Well, I guess, they just have to see the bigger picture. I believe that Reich has noble goals and aims as he presented his points in the book. Undeniably, Reich’s book deserves a commendation. He did his work well as the labor secretary fighting for the workers’ rights. People in the government should get a copy of his book immediately. Reference: Reich, R. (1997). Locked in the Cabinet (1st ed.). Norwalk, CT: Easton Press.                     

Critical Essay of a Newspaper Article Essay Example

Critical Essay of a Newspaper Article Essay Example Critical Essay of a Newspaper Article Essay Critical Essay of a Newspaper Article Essay In the article „We did it! † published on 2nd January 2010 in The Economist, the author presents women’s current situation on the labor market and the changes it has experienced over the past years. He states that female empowerment is â€Å"the biggest social change of our times†. However, he points out that there is still no equality between men and women. The latter still obtain lower wages for the same work, there still exists the problem of the glass ceiling and the question of having children still remains problematic for many employers. Even though some countries have introduced certain improvements to make the life of working mothers easier, these solutions are yet very imperfect and far too few. The author concludes that currently women keep advancing, as they have before. For the title, the author chooses a phrase that may be confusing at first – â€Å"We did it! † – but its meaning becomes clear when we see the picture that illustrates the text. It’s the image of Rosie the Riveter, who during the Second World War was representing women who worked in factories. Apart from the well-aimed title and illustration, the author selects data that supports well the thesis of the article and presents it in a clear, well-organized way. The conclusion, however, is slightly imprecise; the last sentence of the article is just a description of the current situation and does not seem to conclude the text in a logical way. The style used is not very complicated, yet precise and accurate. The language is adequate to the profile of the newspaper the text appeared in, it is The Economist, which is addressed to the general reader. On the whole, the text is aptly written and coherent.

23 Uplifting Things to Do on Thanksgiving Day You Must Try This Year

23 Uplifting Things to Do on Thanksgiving Day You Must Try This Year Thanksgiving is one of the most bright and cheerful holidays of the year, a day to spend with your family and friends and get together for a tasty meal and peaceful evening. Here are some things to do on the Thanksgiving day to make it memorable and fun. Celebrating With Your Family For many families, Thanksgiving weekend is a chance to enjoy rare meetings and festive mood. 1. Cook a dinner. Cooking a dinner with your family is a touchy and precious moment for you and your family to remember. Its also a great way to show your gratitude and lend a helping hand to the hostess. 2. Watch Thanksgiving Day Parade. Parades are held in many cities and watching them on TV or in real life makes this day really special and festive. 3. Play sports. There are multiple health benefits of spending time with your relatives outdoors. Sports activities are useful in particular considering a full course dinner ahead. Tennis, basketball or frisbee are great activities for big families. 4. Watch an old movie. Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to sit altogether by the TV. Your family may choose a movie to watch annually and make it a good family tradition. 5. Look through family photos. Make this holiday a little bit nostalgic: your elder family members will enjoy that. Some of your family members could even start asking you awkward questions about your life in college. 6. Decorate the table. Dont forget about fancy napkins and candles! Beautiful decorations will set up the mood for tasty dinner. 7. Take a trip to the countryside. Living in a big city might be stressful so spending a weekend in the countryside is a relaxing and healing way to celebrate. 8. Make a wish by breaking wishbone. While carving a turkey take out a wishbone and let it dry. After the dinner, two family members pull at it and the winner makes a wish. 9. Participate in Turkey trot race. Burn up some calories before the big dinner and also raise some money for low-income families. Celebrating With Your Friends Friendsgiving Being away from home doesnt mean that Thanksgiving is canceled. Make it into Friendsgiving which tends to gain popularity through last years. Even with poor cooking skills, you can still throw an amazing party and even set up a new tradition among your friends. 1. Play video and board games. Entertainment is an important part of the holiday. So dont forget to prepare the list of games you and your friends will enjoy. Apples to Apples, Jenga, Clue are not taking too much time to play as Monopoly so are a better choice for a fun evening. 2. Watch annual football game. If you and your friends enjoy sports, its a good idea to watch a sports channel together and cheer for your favorite team. 3. Watch the best episodes of favorite sitcoms. Share the episodes you enjoy the most with your friends. Holiday-themed episodes will fit the most. 4. Set up a picnic. If the weather is fine and you dont want to stay inside, go ahead and pack for a picnic in the nearest park or wood. Fresh air and the beauty of fall weather are great for active games and sincere conversations. 5. Ride bikes in a park. Fast and active ride in a park can easily burn off calories you’ve consumed this holiday weekend and also set up a good mood for the rest of the day. 6. Pajamas party. Its more untraditional way to celebrate Thanksgiving but definitely a fun one. Cozy pajamas, chilling music and tasty snacks among holiday lights will create a relaxed holiday mood. Sounds nice, doesnt it? However, there are even more party ideas for students to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. 7. Play football. Team active sports are great before big festive meals. Football is a traditional game for this holiday and it is fun to watch for those, who choose not to participate. Celebrating on Your Own Dont be depressed if you are celebrating this day without guests. Make it a real holiday for yourself and do what makes you happy. 1. Take a good nap. Thanksgiving weekend is a wonderful time to shake off stress from studying and working the whole year. So take a time to relax and get a good rest. 2. Take popcorn and watch a favorite movie. Is it Scream or Batman? Grab a big bowl of popcorn and turn on your favorite movie or sitcom. 3. Take a long walk or ride. Sometimes you really need to fresh up your thoughts and walking in the fresh air is a way to do it. And its a great cardio exercise. 4. Prepare for Black Friday. If you are about to go shopping on a Black Friday, make a list of things to buy and shops to visit the next day. This will help you to concentrate on things you really need and not to be distracted on sales. 5. Volunteer. Your local churches or homeless shelters may need some help, especially at this time of the year. You can help with cooking and serving a meal or donate redundant clothes to charity. By the way, did you know how many benefits you get from volunteering? 6. Make a thankful list. This is more than just a good tradition but the way to concentrate on aspects of the past and stay positive for the future. So go ahead and make a list of things that have brought you happiness this year and what you are thankful for. 7. Watch Thanksgiving documentary. There are plenty of amazing historical movies about pilgrims and origin of Thanksgiving Day which you will find interesting. Enjoy your Thanksgiving and don’t forget to give your thanks!

Privacy as a Basic Individual Right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Privacy as a Basic Individual Right - Essay Example However, privacy runs through out the constitution in the 27 amendments. Regardless of the purpose of the act or legislation, it has an effect on the privacy of an individual. (Yero, 2006). Most scholars of the law interpret the ninth amendment to mean that certain rights of the individual though not exclusively described in the bill of rights need to be protected. The privacy right, therefore, extends to anonymity, security and bodily integrity. Dignity and respect are the fundamental principles that define the need for privacy. To argue my point, I will look at a controversial aspect of human beings that is life and death. The controversy of life and death in regard to invasion or restriction to privacy can be seen in the following situations; prisoners on death row, euthanasia, abortion and termination of medical treatment. Euthanasia: this is the intentional inducement of death at the request of the victim (person dying). Persons seek euthanasia because they need to be relieved f rom dire pain or want a dignified exit from the world if they are for instance in a gross, non reversible state. In past cases, the courts gave rulings in support of rule utilitarian utterly disregarding act utilitarian. However, the interference of human rights activities in the situation has led to considerations on the matter (McDougall, 2008). Case study: Britain, 1992, Dr Cox faced prosecution for allegedly performing Euthanasia. The patient, Mrs. Boyes, aside from being terminally ill was in excruciating pain. To end her suffering, she requested her doctor to end her life. During court proceedings, the argument on whether or not the patient had the right to request death and the doctor’s jurisdiction on the matter took centre stage. The prosecution argued that the patient was in pain, making delusional and, therefore, prone to make life threatening decisions. In response to this claim, the family said the patient was sane hence her decision to choose death instead of li ving in pain. From the above case, the question of personal liberties springs up. Do individuals have the personal liberty to take their own life at will? Are there exceptional circumstances where the law allows an individual to die? The patient wanted to die with dignity, she also expected her doctor to respect her decision to die and finally, to maintain her bodily integrity. Closer home; there is the Quinlan vs. Missouri State case. In 1975, Ann Quinlan went into a coma that reduced her to a vegetative state. Her parents legally took up the role of making decisions for her. Ann’s parents were Catholics (privacy of beliefs, 1st Amendment) (Yero, 2006) in which case they believed in the sanctity of life but not in living by support of artificial means. In view of this, they decided that Ann should not be on life support machines. The state challenged the parents stand, but the courts ruled in favor of Ann’s parents, therefore, respecting their religious stand. Contrad ictions: Jurisdictions impinge upon an individual’s right to privacy on the matter of life and death. The American law describes mercy killings as criminal homicide despite personal liberties. So where is the contradiction? The state of Oregon for instance passed the assisted suicide and Death with Dignity Act making euthanasia a personal liberty. In Texas, the Advance Directives Act Section 166.046 affords medical and health care facilities the right to terminate life-sustaining treatment in cases where continued treatment is futile. Therefore, in

Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 63

Reflection - Essay Example in it, this section aims at exploring the issues that I found confronting and/or surprising, the extent to which I was persuaded and why, and the new things I learned from Session 21 that I have not thought about before. One of the things that I found quite challenging is the extent to which many stakeholders are ignored by their own systems of administration as they allow corporations to take over natural resources, which, as I understand now, cannot have a price tag on them. This is based on the fact that we ignore the damage that we inflict upon them today, but hardly do we even examine the damage that we do to the future of these resources and coming human generations. The ignorance demonstrated by both governments, which have been put in the corporations, and the corporations, which look to make nothing but profits, is quite confronting. For instance, dumping animal remains in rivers and never minding to clean them up and evicting families from fertile land, where they survive, just to make a dam for water meant for sale is quite disheartening (Merin Para 4, 5). What surprised me, however, is how we all think that we are not affected because we are so far away from Bolivia, Lesotho, China, and many other affected areas, little do we know of the globally extensive impacts that continue to haunt us today. The perceptions developed in the movie are extremely captivating and greatly convincing for anyone that cares about other people, as opposed to those who are only driven by self-interest, and anyone who cares about natural resources, especially water. Even those who are driven by self-interest should now, after reflecting on this session of even watching the film, be persuaded. One of the reasons I did not take much efforts to persuade me is the fact that I am personally affected by the continued privatization of water resources, which should never have a price on them. I have considered with the amount of money I spend on water every day and decided that the

Operations management (see assignment requirements) Essay

Operations management (see assignment requirements) - Essay Example 2. The Range of Technologies in the Modern Retail Industry An efficient supply chain involves better inventory management and reducing the time from the procurement to the final delivery. For these purposes both supply chain strategies and supply chain technologies are integrated into supply chain management to result in an efficient network of logistics. These technologies include transportation, management and communication technologies which work hand in hand to lead to an evolution of the supply chain. Information technology and decision support system are some of the common technologies being used in today's supply chain management. IT is implemented in the supply chain for strategic planning, virtual enterprise and knowledge management. Another reason why IT is frequently used is the E-Commerce factor of businesses these days(Ngai, 2004).These technologies ensure that a sophisticated analysis of the abundant available data is made possible and the results are used to obtain a c ompetitive edge in the market(Simchi-Levi, 2003). Business redesigning and the implementation of technology in business are often considered to be complimentary with each other. Therefore the integration of technology is bound to change the face of retailing operations. IT is a design tool used for knowledge and business management to produce tangible results such as time reduction, cost reduction and an improvement in the output quality. (Michael Lewis, p. 103) These innovations in Information Technology include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Electronic data Interchange (EDI), Pints of sales (POS) and other Data Mining (DM) technologies. These have radically changed the way retailers do their business and brought about efficiency by reducing labour costs, improving inventory accuracy, reducing lead time and increasing the rate of order fill. Points of sales (POS) POS has been in use since the 1980's and it facilitates the sale of products by entry and access of products in stores. POS allows for automatic and dynamic updates of inventory and sales data when sales occur. Thus this system is frequently used for store transactions, refunds, cash authorizations, exchanging issues and inventory tracking. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) RFID is a generic name for technologies which use radio waves to identify and track objects. It identifies the items by reading a tag and a considerable amount of information is transmitted by just reading of the tag by the reader. This technology can capture product information which can be up to 40 times more than the typical barcode technology. RFID works as an information facilitator which can directly help in developing and aiding decision making in the supply chain. The main features of RFID are real and automatic data capture, enhanced information quality and support for business transactions. Data Mining (DM) Data mining is a process of extracting knowledge from a large database to build predictive models for b usiness decision making. It is used to make strategic and tactical decisions such as sales forecasting, customer acquisition and retention. From the supply chain point of view, they can also be used to make operational decisions like supplier

How useful are sources A to C Essay Example for Free

How useful are sources A to C Essay In this essay I will assess the usefulness of sources A to C in determining the reasoning for American involvement in the Vietnamese war. Source A is reasonably useful in shoeing how the U. S government wanted the general public to view them and their reasoning for the countrys actions in Vietnam. Although source A does not state to whom the speaker (President Linden Johnson) is addressing this information. However, the mere fact that it is Johnson speaking, influences the reader to assume that it an audience of the general public that he is talking to. The time upon which he gave this speech is also very significant, as it was April 1965, one month after major bombing operation Rolling Thunder. This made the speech more significant as president Johnson was attempting to explain and justify the reasoning behind the major attacks that were taking place. In the first sentence of source A Johnson states, We fight in Vietnam because we have a promise to keep. He is about two different promises, the first being the Truman doctrine which states that America will give aid to any counties suffering from the threat of communism. This was set up to contain communism and prevent the domino theory, which was the theory that if one country were fall under the power of communism each neighbouring country would follow. Johnson again refers to the domino theory when he says The battle would be renewed one country and then another. The second promise that Johnson was referring to in his speech was an unwritten promise that he had to personally keep. And that was maintaining some of the traditional policies of previous American presidents, specifically over the war in Vietnam and the containment of communism. Also at the end of source A, Johnson quotes from the bible saying, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further This was probably used because many American citizens were very religious at this period in time; therefore people to relate to it. Also the quote links the actions of America with Christianity, which would influence people into thinking what was taking place was right and true. Source B is also reasonably useful as it shows Johnsons real opinion on Americas involvement in Vietnam. From the first line the opinions are noticeably different from that which he expressed in source A. This is probably because source B is taken from a private conversation. The first line of source b brings his true feelings into the light as he says I dont think the of the country know much about Vietnam, and I think we care a hell of a lot less. This and other statements such as I dont think its worth fighting for. And I dont think we can get out, show that in may 1964 president Johnson was clearly against the war. Yet by the time of source A (approximately one year later) Johnson had ordered a mass surgical bombing of North Vietnam, named Operation Rolling Thunder. Therefore by this point Johnson had either drastically altered his views on the war or had succumbed to the pressure of knowing how horrifically tainted the images of himself and his party would become if he ordered a mass withdrawal from Vietnam. It is safe to assume that the latter is correct, as Johnson talks about this pressure in source B saying Theyd bring a president down if he ran out wouldnt they? This refers back to the reaction of the public and other politicians, which most likely be accusations of indecision towards his party (Democratic) on matters such as the involvement in Vietnam and the general Containment of communism. He would quite probably be labelled a traitor or a communist for backing out of the war and not sticking to the policies of the Truman Doctrine. Near the end of source B Johnson speaks of his fear of communism as he says Of course if you start running from the communists, they might chase you into your own kitchen. This is again referring to the Domino Theory that if one country falls to communism each in turn will follow. All of this shows the predicament that Johnson was in. That if he retreated he would be accused of backing communism, but if he chose to stay it would become Just the biggest God damn mess. Although the opinions change through sources A and B, source C is entirely different. It was written by Professor Noam Chomsky, a political critic and a leading anti-war figure during Americas involvement in Vietnam. The source was taken from an interview with Chomsky in 1982. Therefore he has the benefit of hindsight that aids him to analyse and criticise the attitudes and actions of the American government during the Vietnamese war. In source C Chomsky says Every book that comes out talks about how the United States was defending South Vietnam. And that this is now the Official truth. This is saying that although it is not a written law, but it is still widely considered that America was protecting South Vietnam from the Norths aggression. Chomsky disagrees with this saying The United States did attack South Vietnam. It destroyed the farming, the peasant society. This is commenting on the use of chemical weapons such as Agent Orange and Napalm, and tactical warfare such as Blanket and Surgical bombing. All these things contributed to the mass destruction of the South Vietnamese farms and forestation. This happened in Americas desperation to locate the rebel militia the Vietcong, and stop the use of guerrilla tactics against largely unaware U. S troops. However in attempting this the U. S forces damaged much of the Vietnamese agricultural lifestyle. And on occasion, American soldiers in frustration in their inability to locate the Vietcong would burn down whole villages at the nearest suspicion that they were helping the Vietcong. Later in source C Chomsky talks of how The U. S did not want and independent Vietnam He is saying that America did not want to allow Vietnam to decide their own future, and they did not want Vietnam to slip out of their strong Capitalist grip or orbit. To conclude, I believe that source A is the most useful in showing the reasons for U. S involvement. As it show all the pressures Johnson was under. The pressure to keep promises and the pressure to contain communism and prevent the domino theory, But most of all it shows the lie that he was forced to tell the public simply because it was what they wanted to hear.