The Electoral College Essays (2003 words) - Voting Systems

The Electoral College When the Constitutional Convention gathered in 1784 they had the difficult task of determining how our government should be assembled and what systems we should use to elect them. They quickly decided congress should have the powers to pass laws and the people should elect these people to ensure they are following the will of the people. But who should elect the president? Congress was the initial choice of most of the framers, but then they realized they first dilemma; by having congress elect the president, he would be loyal only to congress and not the people. The second and most logically thought was to have the people elect the president. However, this too was a problem in the eyes of most of the framers. They felt that people were prone to being rash and emotional and therefore could not be trusted to make a wise decision. So then congress settled on the final choice, which was to be a compromise between the smaller and larger states, which would ensure that the president would be fairly and wisely selected and that smaller states would have the same power as larger states. This system is called the Electoral College. In the Electoral College, each state is granted one vote for every representative and one for every senator, thus ensuring that each state would be equally represented when electing the president. However, the same question arises every four years, are the ideals that were used to create the Electoral College system over 200 years ago still applicable today or have that outlived their intended purposes? In order to answer that we must first explore the purposes for setting up the Electoral College and then determine how relevant it is to today. The first purpose for setting up the Electoral College was to ensure that congress did not have too much power. When the system of government was finally decided on, our founding fathers understood the importance of the balance of power within the three branches of the government. They called this system checks and balances. This system was set up to ensure that the government would remain loyal to the people and loyal to their states (Hamilton). In The Federalist Papers, No. 68, Alexander Hamilton discusses the importance of having the president elected by the Electoral College. He said that in order to ensure that we do not end up with the same problems that America had with the monarch of England, it was important that the balance of power was spread throughout the government and that no one portion have too much power. Another reason Alexander Hamilton gave for not having congress elect the president was that the founders wanted to reassure states that they had not given up all their power to a federal government. In order to ratify the constitution, the framers knew that it would have to be approved in each of the thirteen states. They also knew that these states would be skeptical of a powerful central government that would have the ability to take away all their rights. So, they would have to make sure that each of these states was comfortable with the amount of power given to each branch of the central government. This point is also clearly evident today. During the election this year, the Republican Party ran on a platform that included the premise of a smaller government. This platform was in line with an MSNBC poll that was taken in July 2000, which asked this question, Do you think it is important to limit the size of the federal government? Over 72 percent of the 4,143 people surveyed said they believed that it is important to limit the size of the government. So even in the age of government programs which help support the citizens of this nation, people still understand the importance of keeping our government small. The second purpose for the Electoral College was to give smaller states the same rights and powers as the larger states. There are two primary reasons why the smaller states have the same, if not more, power than the larger states when it comes to electing the president. The first is, a presidential candidate must

Analysing Sunnis And Shiites Split Religion Essay Essays

Analysing Sunnis And Shiites Split Religion Essay Essays Analysing Sunnis And Shiites Split Religion Essay Paper Analysing Sunnis And Shiites Split Religion Essay Paper The difference between Sunni and Shia religious orders of Islam are non to the mammoth proportions as most Western literature assume. It is true that there are minor fluctuations in the manner they take their several spiritual caputs and attribute significance to the history of the household of Muhammad s, nevertheless, cultural and political differences hold the most dissentious power over the spiritual forces. It is hence important to observe that both religious orders believe and put accent in the Five Pillars of Islam, believe in and read same Holy Quran, and moreover see each other Muslims. The five pillars that form the nucleus of their religious holiness are Testimony of religion ( Kalima ) , Prayer ( Salat ) , Almsgiving ( Zakat ) , Fasting ( Sawm ) , Pilgrimage ( Hajj ) ( Huda, 2010 ) . The split between the Sunnis and Shia can be traced back to the decease of the Prophet Muhammad, and the quandary of the replacement of Muhammad as the leader of the Muslim state. Prophet Muhammad died in the eventide of June 8, 632 A.D. ( the twelfth of Rabi al-Away ) at the age of 63. There after, the Sunni Muslims were in understanding with the base taken by most of the Prophet s comrades that the new caput should be chosen from among those deemed competent of the occupation. This is the place that was adopted and implemented. The Prophet Muhammad s close familiarity and counsellor, Abu Bark, accordingly became the first Caliph of the Islamic state. It is deserving observing that the word Sunni is an Arabic word significance one who follows the traditions of the Prophet. Contrary to the Sunni belief over the sequence, some Muslims hold the thought that leading should hold been from the Prophet s ain household, handed over to those specifically appointed by him, or amid Imams chosen by God Himself. These were the Shia Muslims. They believed that after the decease of Prophet Muhammad, leading ought to hold been passed on straight to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Since those historical old ages, Shia Muslims have non acknowledged the power and authorization of elective leaders. The Shia Muslims alternatively opted to acknowledge and obey the Imams they believed were chosen by the Prophet Muhammad or by God Himself. The word Shia is an Arabic word for a group or supportive party of people. It is short signifier of Shia-t-Ali, or the Party of Ali. Shias are besides referred to as followings of Ahl-al-Bayt or Peoples of the Household ( of the Prophet ) ( Huda ) . Majority of the Muslims are the Sunni Muslims at 85 % of all the Muslims allover the universe. A touchable figure of Shia Muslims are found in Iraq and Iran, with some big minority communities in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain etc. Having looked at the brief history of the split of the two religious orders and the grounds behind the split, it is cardinal hence, to look at the differences in spiritual belief s, leading, texts, and any other that may be. From the historical differences in political leading, some religious life facets were accordingly changed and since diverge between the two groups. However, as note hitherto, the Shia and Sunni Muslims clasp in common the cardinal articles of Islamic belief and are brethren in the Islam religion. As a affair of fact, seldom or neer at all will a Muslim identify themselves as Shia or Sunni Muslim but instead as Muslim ( Austine Cline ) . Shia Muslims believe that the Imam is of course impeccant since his authorization comes straight from God. From this, the Shia Muslims revere and adore the Imams as saints and strive to execute pilgrims journeies for Godhead intercession to their shrines and graves. Countering this is the Sunni Muslim belief that there is no foundation in Islam for a familial advantaged class or rank of spiritual leaders. They hence have no topographic point for the pilgrims journey to the saint s shrines. Sunni Muslims argue that control of the community is non familial or a birthright, but a trust that must be earned and hence can be given or taken away by the people themselves. Another difference comes in the holiness of spiritual texts. Shia Muslims have some bitterness to some of the coevalss of the Prophet Muhammad. This sprouts from their bases and workss in the historical old ages of strife about leading among the Muslim nations. It is said that Abu Bakr, Umar, Aisha, etc ( Sunnis ) narrated much about the Prophet Muhammad s life and religious brushs, pattern and journey. The Shia Muslims reject these Hadith do non take them as a footing for their spiritual patterns. This consequently informs divergency in spiritual pattern between the Sunnis and Shias. The differences concern facets of spiritual life: supplication, fasting, pilgrims journey, and so on and so forth. For case Shiites can distill the five day-to-day supplications into 3 or 4 yet Sunnis do nt, Shiites might pay their alms ( Zakat ) straight to the hapless, yet Sunnis wage to the province. Shiites besides promotes a probationary matrimony ( muttah ) for work forces going far from place whi le Sunnis do nt impute to this ( Sunnis vs. Shiites ) . The Shias place their brow onto apiece of natural stuff while praying ( clay tablet, dirt or sand from Karbala ( where Imam Hussain was martyred ) , instead than onto a supplication mat. The Sunnis nevertheless recommend that one should non bow down on a natural surface. Shias hold their custodies at their sides while praying while Sunnis on the other side their arms-right over left- and clasp their custodies, though either is acceptable. Religious Shia adult females black like the male spiritual leaders. Conventional Sunni adult females cover around the margin of the face with the hijab but merely to below their mentum such that the mentum can demo in portion while the Shia adult females will cover the margin of the face and the mentum wholly. Shias more frequently than non deduce their name from the name or rubrics of saints. They frequently draw their line of descent from to Ali and Fatimah. The three Sects of Shiites Although, through history there were several subdivisions of Shia Muslims, presently merely three are prevailing. The Ashariyyah, deeply called the Twelvers, the Ismaili and the Zaidi. Ashariyyah or Twelvers as the disciples are called believe in the 12 divinely ordained leaders, known as the Twelve Imams. These were the replacements of Prophet Muhammad and were religious and political leaders. On mean 85 % of Shia are Twelvers. Ismaili is the 2nd largest religious order of the Shia Islam after the Twelvers. They derive their name from their credence of Ismail ibn Jafar as the divinely-appointed religious replacement to Jafar as-sadiq, they differ from the Twelvers, who accept Musa al-Kizim, the younger brother of Ismail, as the proper Imam. Zaidi are followings of the Zaidi fiqh and they identify with the first four of the Twelve Imams but they accept Zayd ibn Ali as their Fifth Imam, in topographic point of his brother Muhammad al-Baqir. After Zayd ibn Ali, the Zaidi acknowledge other posterities of Hasan ibn Ali or Husayn ibn Ali to be Imams. Among the well known Zaidi Imams are Yahya ibn Zayd, Muhammad al Nafs az-Zakiyah and Ibrahim ibn Abdullah.

Roots of the post Second World War environmental movements Essay

Roots of the post Second World War environmental movements - Essay Example The Second World War was described as a ‘watershed’ that developed into environmental activism that spawned quickly during the 1960s.The Second World War was a time of difficulty for many people around the world,it was also realized that the world was a small space that needed to be protected from the constant destruction by man towards the environment. After the war, the 50s was a fast-paced moving world littered with images of the perfect life, the perfect housewife in advertisements. These images were to accommodate a growing push towards a more materialistic life as more and more inventions were being made and used. Among a lot of the products available during the 1950s were items that were actually hazardous to the environment like the hairspray from the musical ‘Hairspray’ for example that encouraged the use of hairspray in modern hairstyles as well as the release of dangerous chemicals such as CFC (Chlorofluorocarbon) and vinyl chloride which was a known carcinogen. It was also during the 1950s and the 1960s as more and more industrial accidents occurred that affected the environment that caused a revived concern about how we treated our ecology. The modern livelihood of man was farfetched from the roots that they have begun as hunters and gatherers who are more ecologically aware and attentive to the adverse effects of man and their exploitation and manipulation of their environment (Sahlins 1971) but as industrialization began to boom even more quickly the way man lived prior to the Second World War was a far cry from contemporary man. ... garments and transient objects. Aside from the growth of industrialization man continued to try and change their environment to bend to their own will. For example, if during Victorian times a garden was simply a garden and ways to control pesticides from invading gardens were by utilizing simple home remedies such as using vinegar. With the growth of industrialization and as many more people became wealthy enough to own a garden albeit with lesser time due to work quicker pesticides were used as a solution to pest problems in home gardens and in industrial farms. In 1960, a naturalist by the name of Rachel Carson began to publish a series of writings that were concerned with the adverse effects of the use of chemicals in the control of natural environments (Nash 1990:192-194). For example, she argued that the use of DDT which was only to get rid of weeds and pesticides affected the surroundings of the weeds themselves therefore also pointlessly poisoning the earth for no apparent reason in gardens except to make them look good and for industrial farms the ability of evolution would only create and cause even more stronger pesticides who will be resistant to the effects of the DDT and therefore needing even stronger more dangerous chemicals. Although cries such as Carson on the effects of chemicals were heard but not fully heeded it was also a backlash against government policies which tended to support industrial growth rather than protect the environment for the 'benefit' of the people. The politics of pollution during the 50s and 60s was a climate that favoured a 'little bit' of pollution and some money to be made over the unalterable effects on the earth's nature. For example, in the 1950s to the early 1960s the United