GUN CONTROL Essays - Gun Politics In The United States, Gun Control

GUN CONTROL BY I do not believe any one of us would want just anyone to be able to buy any kind of weapon they want. What I do believe is the issue at hand is not gun control but crime. That is what our main focus as a nation should be. Let's stop treating the symptoms and start treating the decease. In a recent article of Gun Control: An Issue for the Nineties. David Newton, of New Jersey reviles. "In 1994, 18,954 Americans were murdered. Of that number, 11,832 or 62 percent were killed by guns. On the average, one man, woman, or child is killed or wounded by a gun every 2.5 minutes in the United States" (Newton 7). Many Americans are disgusted by these statistics. "They look for ways to reduce deaths and injuries from guns" (7). But people differ about the best methods for solving this problem. Some people, like James Brady, want to make it difficult or impossible for ordinary citizens to own guns (7). But is disarming law abiding citizens the answer to a safer America? Others, including myself, want to punish criminals more severely. The issue of gun control has been debated in this country for many years. However, in recent years this issue has become a topic of significant interest. One event that sparked this increase in interest was the assassination attempt on former President Ronald Reagan. Thirteen years ago a man named John Hinckley Jr. pulled a handgun outside the Washington Hilton Hotel and shot President Reagan and his press secretary, James S. Brady, as well as two officers (Brady 18). Was Hinckley a mad man? Would it have been possible for him to commit this crime if the Brady law had been in place at the time? In May, 1994 the House of Representatives' passed a law by a thin margin to ban assault weapons. (Witkin 31) "But as a crime control measure, the legislation doesn't amount to much. Many of the guns banned are used by criminals; assault weapons represent no more than 1 percent of the firearms in circulation nationwide but account for about 8 percent of the guns traced to crime by the Treasure Department's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms".(31) I see the passage of this law as a significant first step in an attempt by the government to disarm Americans. "The NRA asserted the measure was ridiculously arbitrary-that the banned guns were really no different from other semiautomatic weapons not covered by the ban. 'The guns won't fire faster, aren't any more powerful, won't make bigger holes and are not the choice of criminals." (31). But laws controlling ownership of firearms will not control crime. The answer to this problem is tougher laws to punish crime. I am in favor of tougher laws to put away criminals who commit crimes with guns. I use to think there was some truth to the old adage "crime doesn't pay" Today, I'm not sure. A criminal can commit most any crime and be guaranteed he will not serve a full jail sentence. "For supporters of the Brady law, John Hinckley's attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981 is the paradigmatic case" (49). Sarah Brady, chairwoman of Handgun Control Inc., has repeatedly insinuated that a waiting period would have stopped Hinckley from shooting Reagan and her husband, Jim, "Had a waiting period been in effect seven years ago," she told USA Today in 1988, "John Hinckley would not have had the opportunity to buy the gun he used" (49). But gun-control scholar David B. Kopel, director of research at the Independence Instituted, has shown there is very little support for this claim. "Hinckley had never been convicted of a felony, and he had no public record of mental illness" (49). "When he bought the .22-caliber revolver from a Dallas gun dealer, he presented a Texas driver's license, and it appears that he was indeed a resident of the state, as required by federal law. Since he committed his crime months after he purchased the gun, a "cooling-off" period would not have helped" (49). Finally, had Hinckley been unable to purchase the .22, he could have easily used one of the handguns he already owned. "These

Irving Independent School District V. Amber Tatro Essay Example

Irving Independent School District V. Amber Tatro Essay Example Irving Independent School District V. Amber Tatro Paper Irving Independent School District V. Amber Tatro Paper Running Head: Irving Independent School District v. Amber Tatro Irving Independent School District v. Amber Tatro Warner University A child with disabilities is a major focus in today’s education. Achieving my Bachelors in Special Education, I need to be aware of the need to ensure appropriate education for all children with disabilities. â€Å"The education of children with disabilities is a top national priority. Our nation’s special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), sets high standards for their achievement and guides how special help and services are made available in schools to address their individual needs (National Dissemination)†. This is my biggest challenge. I feel with the right tools and help with administration; my job will guarantee a bright future for my students with disabilities. I came across a case, Irving Independent School District v. Amber Tatro. The findings of this case gave me some insight on the statues and limitations that I as an educator have to abide by. But it also gave me hope that we the educators have the right to make such access meaningful to handicapped children. Amber Tatro was born with spina bifida. â€Å"As a result, she suffers from orthopedic and speech impairments and a neurogenic bladder, which prevents her from emptying her bladder voluntarily. Consequently, she must be catheterized (CIC), a procedure involving the insertion of a catheter into the urethra to drain the bladder, has been prescribed. The procedure is a simple one that may be performed in a few minutes by a layperson with less than an hour’s training (Irving)†. If CIC is not performed every three to four hours, it could cause injury of the kidneys. In 1979, Amber Tatro was provided special education with an individualized education program under the requirements of the Education of the Handicapped Act. This provided Amber with special services while attending early childhood development classes. Amber’s individualized education program however, did not provide administrative remedies to secure CIC. â€Å"In October 1979 respondents brought the present action in District Court against petitioner, the State Board of Education, and others. They sought an injunction ordering petitioner to provide Amber with CIC and sought damages and attorney’s fees (Eric)†. The court’s found CIC to be a â€Å"related service† allowing Amber to have a special education. The Court of Appeals affirmed and accepted the District Court’s conclusion that state law permitted be required schools to hire trained personnel to help with the needs of handicapped children. This entitles an education for those children with special medical needs. â€Å"A service that enables a handicapped child to remain at school during the day is an important means of providing the child with the meaningful access to education that Congress envisioned (Eric). † â€Å"The Petitioner’s view: First, to be entitled to related services, a child must be handicapped so as to require special education. In the absence of a handicap that requires special education, the need for what otherwise might qualify as a related service does not create an obligation under the Act. Second, only those services necessary to aid a handicapped child to benefit from special education must be provided, regardless how easily a school nurse or layperson could furnish them. Third, the regulations state that school nursing services must be provided only if they can be performed by a nurse of other qualified person, not if they must be performed by a physician (Eric). The resulting decision on this case was that yes, school’s are required to provide special medical needs for children with disabilities. What does this mean for education? It gives education and faculty the obligation to provide services that relate to both the health and educational needs of handicapped students (Eric). † It allows them to correct undesirable behaviors by giving them support for a search when one is appropriate . It shows to the students and parents what could happen if you violate the rules of the school. It also encourages the students to leave certain nuisances that are not going to encourage their education at home. As for me as a professional, this case has given me some enlightment on what the rights of the students are. Irving Independent School District v Amber Tatro has opened up my eyes to the freedom children with disabilities have. No child will be left without an appropriate education. ERIC Education Resources Information Center. ERIC – World’s Largest Digital Library of Education Literature. Web. 19 May 2011.

Performance Measurement Within a Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performance Measurement Within a Project - Essay Example On the other hand, economic value refers to the financial side of performance measurement in relation to costs and outcomes in a project, but focusing on the financial side. In relation to this, it is crucial to compare and contrast the performance measurement and discuss their significance in any given project. Similarities The balanced score card varies from means of implementation in one business scenario to the other. In this case, it is similar to many other models of performance measurement due to the need to adapt the different techniques to suit the different business scenarios. None of the measurement methods can be applied as a wholesome without looking into the finer details of what each technique entails. For example, in the balanced score card technique, the implementation requires to focus on some key aspects such as financial outcomes, operational and marketing, as well as developmental inputs. By modifying the technique, it can successfully be implemented in any busin ess environment. On the other hand, economic value approach is modified to meet the definite needs of a business in relation to shareholder value. In the case of these two techniques, none can be employed singly without having to look at the needs of an organization. As a result, the two have to be adapted procedurally and according to the goals of the organization in order to come up with the desired results. In addition, business modeling as performance measuring technique requires tuning to fit the creation of the goals of the organization in question. This is concerning goal setting antics, which is associated with the quality of innovation. As a result, business modeling works hand in hand with the existing conditions to come up with new or modify existing goals. All the three methods of performance measurement prove the need for integration in any given business before the expected results can be delivered; following the different needs of any given organization. In addition, another similarity of the all the three measurement techniques is in the little impact that the three methods have on the performance of the stock market and accounting (Ittner et al, 2003). This is in spite of the level of satisfaction that different users of all the three techniques register. This means that all the three methods only work towards efficiency in the organization rather than visible result on the image of the organization in relation to stakeholders and accounts. In addition, using any one of the given methods on a short-term basis does not present any accurate results on accounting. This means that, for best results, all the three techniques should be used continually in order to achieve the desired result. Differences However, in spite of all these, there are differences between the different methods of performance measurement. This is as seen in the case of the balanced score card, in which organizations using this technique tend to emphasize on the non-financial outcome than those that use other methods. On the other hand, the business model and economic value techniques tend to place emphasis on two aspects of measurement, which are non-financial value drivers and measure. In spite of this difference, there is a similarity between all the three methods in that they place significantly within satisfaction range than other methods used. In addition, the balanced score card technique places the use of strategic cause-effect relations. In this case, it implies that business modeling and economic value