American Politics

1264 Words3 Pages

Due to the economic strife the American public knows all too well what a recession is. It is economic hardship that has led to the loss of thousands of jobs and businesses. This economic hardship has led to many people losing their homes, cars and other valuables. Why is it that when the Obama administration talks about the recession they refer to it as “The Bank Stabilization Plan.” (Stewart) Something that has caused the total meltdown of the American Economy being referred to as “The Bank Stabilization Plan” (Stewart) seems outright ludicrous. Even if they are in the process of fixing the problem, the government insists on using modest language to confuse the public into believing that the issue is not a huge problem; Just a minor inconvenience that is in the process of being “stabilized.” In his essay “Politics and the English Language,” George Orwell says that a “mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing” (515). Politicians are always attempting to make the problems they have created seem like trivial or easily fixed when in fact they are intricate and intense, through the use of “pretentious diction” (516) and “meaningless words” (517). The quote says a lot about political writing when Orwell’s essay was written in 1946 and we are now in the year 2010 and “pretentious diction and meaningless words,” (516,517) as Orwell describes them, are still being used. Through careful analysis of recent important speeches, I have found that “pretentious diction and meaningless words” (Orwell) are still commonly used to mislead the public into believing that things are in the public’s best interest, when they clearly are ... ... middle of paper ... ...government is telling us that they are fixing it and have it under control when in fact they truly do not? They are handing out money they do not have and putting the country into trillions of dollars of dept; that is not a solution. I agree with Orwell a million percent when he states that a “mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence” (515) shapes the way that the government reports new findings and important information. Work Cited Mariner, Joanne. “Obama’s New Euphemism.” FindLaw’s Writ | Legal Commentary. 30 June June 2009. Web. 08 November 2010. Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language” Occasions for Writing: Evidence, Idea, Essay. Ed. Robert DiYanni and Pat C. Hoy II, Boston, MA 2008. 514 - 522 Stewart, Jon. “New Euphemisms- Obama Re-branding” The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 31 March 2009. Video Clip. 08 November 2010.

Comparing Obama And Roosevelt's Inaugural Address
779 Words | 2 Pages
Roosevelt’s speech says the following, “It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss through foreclosure of our small homes and our farms. It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, State, and local governments act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced. It can be helped by the unifying of relief activities which today are often scattered, uneconomical, and unequal. It can be helped by national planning for and supervision of all forms of transportation and of communications and other utilities which have a definitely public character.” He uses the phrase “it can” repeatedly to empathize the message being conveyed that he knows the solutions to the Great Depression. Barack Obama’s speech says the following, “Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.” Barack Obama uses parallelism to allow his message of previous American struggles to be delivered smoothly and efficiently. Both presidents use parallelism to promote the idea of unity in the face of
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The Perils of Obedience, by Stanley Milgram
1490 Words | 3 Pages
Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. Boston: Longman, 2011.
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Character Comparison: “The Swimmer” and “Babylon Revisited”
1033 Words | 3 Pages
of the book. Ed. Charles Bohner and Lyman Grant. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. Fitzgerald, F. Scott.
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Political Polarization in the United State
1401 Words | 3 Pages
The United States of America has engaged in the battle known as political polarization since before its foundation in 1776. From the uprising against the powerful British nation to the political issues of today, Americans continue to debate about proper ideology and attempt to choose a side that closely aligns with their personal beliefs. From decade to decade, Americans struggle to determine a proper course of action regarding the country as a whole and will often become divided on important issues. Conflicts between supporters of slavery and abolitionists, between agriculturalists and industrialists, and between industrial workers and capitalists have fueled the divide. At the Congressional level there tends to be a more prevalent display of polarization and is often the blame of Congress’ inefficiency. James Madison intentionally designed Congress to be inefficient by instating a bicameral legislation. Ambition would counter ambition and prevent majority tyranny. George Washington advised against political parties that would contribute to polarization and misrepresentation in his Farewell Address of 1796. Washington warns, “One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts.” Today, the struggle to increase power between political parties results in techniques to gain even the smallest marginal gains. To truly understand political polarization, we must examine data collected through a variety of means, the effects of rapidly changing technology, and observe what techniques are used to create such a polarized political system.
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American Politics in Transition for the United States
554 Words | 2 Pages
American Politics in Transition For the United States, as for most states in the world, the 1980’s and 1990’s were a time of change and challenge. During this period the effects of change both within the US and internationally acted as push factors in many areas of life, including economics and politics. This sudden change was primarily due to global shocks and recessions, increased foreign economic competition, the end of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union, the development of revolutionary new technologies, the achievement of post-industrial society within the US, slower rates of domestic economic growth, and the demographic changes within American society. By the Mid 1980’s important developments had occurred within interest groups, political parties. By 1990’s national debates were being held in regard to America’s future in the post-Cold War world, America’s economic competitiveness, culture, morality and the states relationship with society. Five major things must be taken under account when discussing American politics in transition. 1) the basic nature of the American political system, 2) the sources of political change since the late 1960’s, 3) the conservative renewal and the new conservative agenda, 4) the Reagan-Bush legacy in politics and public policy 5) the new political and economic constraints in the era of divided government, and 6) the public policy environment of the 1990s. At the core of American political culture I support for the values of liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, populism and laissez-faire. The nature of this society with also has glorification of the individual, and the rejection of conservative theories of organic society, hierarchy, and natural aristocracy. Being an American means accepting this liberal Democratic creed (laissez faire), while those who reject it are considered to be un-American. America’s political evolution has also been shaped by the continental scale of the American State. The influx of immigration has caused there to be an extraordinary mixture of ethnic, racial, and religious groups spread across a continent-wide expanse that contributed historically to strong religious, racial and regional cleavages. Even its econony was spread throughout the American state. The largest sector of the economy were commercial agriculture, mercantile capitalism, mining, and heavy (capital goods) industry, but these, however, were also diversified into product specific areas. Collectively, the cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic factors had a profound effect on America’s political development because they reinforced the trend towards decentralization and localism that had already been established in the political and legal domains by the American constitution.
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Democracy in America
2000 Words | 4 Pages
Throughout the course of history, mankind has been recorded to corrupt itself. Men have grown tired of simply surviving; they have had to take and conquer others. Absolute monarchies control wealth, land, and even lives of men. The conditions of the people were solely dependent on the conditions of the one who was in power in that particular place and time. History has proven that most men rule unwisely in their kingdoms. To avoid tyrannical rule, some make an attempt to set up a government in which the people ruled themselves. This form of government is called a democracy, or “rule of the people.” History has also revealed through the Greeks and the French Revolution, that a democracy that gives complete power to the people, “absolute democracy”, is nothing more than a short prelude to tyranny.
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The America Divided
1066 Words | 3 Pages
In the first article, “Hiding from Reality”, Bob Herbert talks about the reality of the state of the United States. He feels that America is in sad shape. Herbert states that from the economy, jobs, and public schools, the country is definitely in a decline. Herbert also feels that our country is in denial about how bad things really are. Unemployment rates are at their highest and that with our country going to war with no money to fund them, it is just another reason American’s are in a downward spiral. No one is sure if we can ever recover from the recession of 2009, and Herbert makes it very clear he doesn’t see an end to the suffering American’s are feeling anytime soon. Everyone from service employees, to state and local government agencies are feeling the effects of the recession. Every program and employee is feeling the cut backs. Taxes are being raised and employee’s benefits are being cut...
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Family Relationships: Sonny Blues by James Baldwin and I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen
899 Words | 2 Pages
Janet E. Gardner , Beverly Lawn , Jack Ridl , Peter Schakel. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2013. 250-276. Print.
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Blindly Obeying Authority
1789 Words | 4 Pages
The Tenth edition. Edited by Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Longman Publishers, pp. 113-117. 371-377.
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The Political Culture of The United States
939 Words | 2 Pages
The idea of political culture is found within the state’s history. The history of the state is impacted by the people settled in the region, religious backgrounds, and geography. The history of the state influences the attitudes and beliefs that people hold regarding their political system. Daniel Elazar theorized a connection between the states’ history and attitude towards government by explaining differences in government between states. Every state is different with some common ground. Elazar’s theory divides states into three types: moralistic, traditionalistic and individualistic. The state’s constitution defines the powers of government with political culture bias. Because of the state constitution, the political culture influences the power and limitations of governors, legislative, and judiciaries.
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Little Red Riding Hood by Bill Delaney
937 Words | 2 Pages
8th ed. of the book. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. 505 - 16. Print.
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Dr. King’s Argument Against Segregation
1382 Words | 3 Pages
Ed. Lynn Z. Bloom and Louise Z. Smith. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2011. 494-507. Print.
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Tragic Hero in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
1080 Words | 3 Pages
56, No. 3 (1989), pp. 543-569. The Johns Hopkins University Press. JSTOR. Web. 24 April 2014.
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Examples Of Political Culture In America
1369 Words | 3 Pages
1) What is political culture? What is the makeup of the political culture in the United States? Give two examples of how the political culture of the United States helps to unite Americans, even in disagreement.
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Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
1355 Words | 3 Pages
Shorter 8th ed. of the book. New York: Norton, 2013. Print. The.
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American Politics

Comparing Obama And Roosevelt's Inaugural Address

The Perils of Obedience, by Stanley Milgram

Character Comparison: “The Swimmer” and “Babylon Revisited”

Political Polarization in the United State