Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Apush Constitution Essay Example for Free

Apush Constitution Essay The Federalists, on the other hand, maintained as broad constructionists who argue that government should do whatever that is not forbidden on the Constitution. However, throughout the course of 1801 to 1817, both parties failed to stay consistent with their original principles and adopted whichever interpretation of the Constitution that serves them best. Politically, the War of 1812, also known as â€Å"Mr. Madison’s war† with Britain, stirred the most controversy in Federalist and Republicans. Madison supported the war because of the seemingly auspicious terms he can get out of the war. War of 1812 promised several things: more land for settlement, completely elimination of Britain’s presences in America and Canada, and most importantly, it promised to restore unity in U. S. Federalists, now acting as strict constructions, demands word by word justification of declaring war on Britain. For example, Daniel Webster argued that â€Å"†¦Where is it written in the Constitution, in what article or section is it contained, that you may take children from their parents, and parents from their children, and compel them to fight the battles of any war in which the folly or the wickedness of the government may engage it? † Many Federalists felt declaring war with the country of their origin is unfaithful to the Canon Laws which they obey in churches. Furthermore, they view France as America’s real enemy since it seized more cargo from American merchants than Britain. Economically, both Jefferson and Madison shift their constructionist policies and contradict with their former ideologies about the interpretation of Constitution. For example, prior to Jefferson’s presidency, he firmly addressed his belief that the power of government comes from what is given from the Constitution in lines â€Å"I believe [we] shall obtain†¦a majority in the legislature of the United States, attached to the preservation of the federal Constitution, according o its obvious principles and those rights unquestionably remaining with them;† (Doc A). However, he contradicted his belief in strict constructionism with Louisiana Purchase, since Constitution didn’t grant him the power to make such purchases. Many Federalists now shifted their stances to strict constructionist who demands justification of whether such expenditure is constitutional or not. Jefferson, acting as loose constructionist now, supports the purchase because it opens lands for settlement and strengthens his popularity in South and West. The loose constructionism of the Jeffersonian Republicans is also shown in the Embargo Act of 1807 and Non-intercourse Act. Both acts restricted American ships from engaging foreign trade between the years of 1807 to 1812 especially to England and France. To Federalists in New England, who profited from supplying Britain and French during Napoleonic war, the two acts placed by Jefferson is an abuse of power by the Federal government. They felt the constitution did not provide government the power to place embargo, and believe that the government is dragging the nation’s economy back (Doc C). Jefferson once again loosely interprets and Constitution and validates these acts by claiming these acts as protection of American interests and avoid warfare. The Protective Tariff of 1816, which designs to benefit domestic economy, further accentuates the Jeffersonian Republicans’ shift from strict constructionism. Several strict constructionists in Democratic Republican Party pointed out that â€Å"†¦ the present government renounces the true republican principle†¦ its principle now is old Federalism†¦it would be unjust, to aggravate the burdens of the people for the purpose of favoring manufactures†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Many Democratic Republicans felt the imposition of tariffs on citizens overrides the original republican belief that the government shall have no power to interdict actions that Constitution didn’t specify (Doc. B) and therefore, the strict constructionists in the Republican Party felt cheated by Jefferson and Madison. In general and Jeffersonian Republicans and Federalists are more than willing to compromise their originals principles for national and sometimes self-serving interests whenever they feel necessary. Jefferson, later in 1816, addresses that â€Å"†¦the laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightens, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also and keep pace with the times. † (Doc. G)

Monday, January 20, 2020

The Life And Times Of James Joyce :: essays research papers

Life and Times of James Joyce James Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, whose psychological views opened up a whole New World to twentieth century writers. He is still known as one of the most influential writers not only in Ireland, but all throughout Ireland. Joyce was born in Dublin on February 2, 1882, into the care of his mother and father, both poverty-stricken. He attended only Jesuit-run schools, first the boarding school, Clongowes, then the day school, Belvedere, and finally the Royal University, which was better known as the University College (Litz 8). While he attended Belvedere he enjoyed writing essays, and won several awards for his phenomenal test scores. Even as a young man, Joyce was destined to be well known and famous for the rest of his life. But by the end of his university years he had rejected Catholicism in favor of literature (Litz 8). His love for writing just had to come first before anything else. After his years in the university he began experimenting with prostitutes and alcohol, and spent large amounts of money, which he claimed was to study medicine, but instead wasted it on sick pleasures in Paris. He returned shortly from Paris when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. (Litz 15). After his mother died, family life became even tougher for Joyce, he began to drink heavily. He made a little money reviewing books, teaching school, and singing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In February of 1904 he started writing a long fiction autobiography called Stephen Hero, which he could never find the time to finish or even begin again (Litz 8). In June 1904 he met Nora Barnacle, a chambermaid whose down-to-earth attitude welcomed him more so than any of the girls he met at the university did. They ran off to Europe together in October 1904. James and Nora ended up in Trieste and Pola, Austria, where they spoke Italian, and were desperately poor, so poverty-stricken that his brother, brother Stanislaus ended up paying a lot of their bills (Litz 8).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1909 and 1912, James visited Ireland, first trying to arrange publication of Dubliners. Between 1914 and 1920, Joyce's fortunes gradually improved as his writing gained attention and the wealthier readers began to turn their heads in his direction. But his big break which is an irony is when the banning of Ulysses (published 1922) occurred, and turned Joyce into a household name (Chace 25).

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Enron-The Smartest Guys in the Room paper Essay

Answer the following questions based on the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005). 1. (a) Describe the ownership structure at Enron. (b) How did the ownership structure contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) When Enron became a publicly traded company, the employees and executives had more incentive to manipulate earnings and financials. With the shift in structure, there were more external stakeholders to satisfy, which caused the company to focus on short-term results, rather than long-term interests. The company went as far as to trade all sorts of things, including weather and broadband, in order to gain support from investors. Enron got a lot of that support. Investment banks put about $25 million each into the company. With high stakes and image on the line, Enron manipulated earnings to drive stock prices up through mark-to-market accounting to please its stakeholders. 2.(a) Describe the following three leaders: Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow. (b) How did EACH leader contribute to the scandal? (20 points) Ken Lay was a very ambitious man. He was the son of a poor Baptist preacher. Because of Lay’s humble roots, Lay worked several jobs as a kid. He always dreamed about being a businessman one day and making huge wealth for himself. Lay believed he could have a better life with more wealth. He also believed in government deregulation. Lay had a PhD in economics. He aggressively pushed for deregulation of energy markets in Washington. His goal was to liberate businessmen from government’s hold. He took advantage of government letting energy prices float with the market, and started Enron Corporation through a few mergers. Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron, was said to be â€Å"incandescently brilliant† by many at Enron. In reality, he was a risky, danger-seeking gambler. Skilling had a Darwinian view and strongly beli eved in the idea of â€Å"survival of the fittest†. He implemented a group called the Performance Review Committee. The committee was involved in the â€Å"rank and yank† system, in which the bottom 15 percent of the company got fired each year. This ultimately led to numerous unethical actions and turning a blind eye to fraud because of employees’ determination for job  security. Skilling was a former nerd, and went on to change himself. He was very admired at Enron. When he got Lasik surgery, everyone else did too. Skilling was responsible for making energy into a tradable entity and for his advocacy of mark-to-market accounting, which was the main tool for Enron’s earnings manipulation. Fastow was a very greedy man. He served as CFO of Enron. He was responsible for running numerous companies that partnered with Enron. He mainly worked to cover up the financial fantasy land that Lay and Skilling had created. He was hired before age 30 by Skilling to join Enron. He always idolized Skilling and wanted to please him. He ended up hiding about $30 billion in debt through his companies. In addition, he skimmed off many of the deals he made, using Enron stocks as collateral. Fastow did not have a strong moral compass, and would play to the greed of the investment banks. He would offer investment banks accounts for their silence. One analyst, John Olsen, star ted to question the firm, and weeks later, was fired by the investment bank because Fastow paid off the bank with big Enron accounts. 3.(a) Describe the organizational culture at Enron. (b) How did the organizational culture contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) The culture at Enron was very cut-throat and filled with greed. Money drove the company and its employees. In fact, even the elevators had displays of the stock prices. The company was overtaken by hubris as well. Everyone was on the bandwagon—the accounting firm, investors, executives, and employees. The entire company thought it was changing the world. Everyone was blinded by arrogance, greed, and money. Enron was always portrayed as a super power in the market. It was said that is someone wanted to be part of the market, they had to go through Enron. In addition, many employees, including Skilling, were former nerds and had something to prove. There was a very macho culture at Enron. Skilling would organize dangerous, macho trips for employees and big clients. The stories from these adventures became legend. One man almost died from a flipp ed Jeep. Stories like that were legendary in the office. The culture ultimately led Enron to scandal because of the ideas it had put into people’s heads—that money drove everything and cash was king. 4.(a) Describe the performance management/reward system at Enron. (b) How did the performance   management/reward system contribute to the Enron scandal? (20 points) The reward systems were big. The executives and employees were all fans of the â€Å"pump and dump† system in which the employees drove the stock prices up, and would them sell the stocks off. The company was consumed by stock prices, as stocks were a large part of the compensation structure at Enron. Even the elevators had stock prices posted, so people could be reminded daily that there was more money to be made. The cash bonuses were extravagant too. In fact, a 25-year-old made a $5 million bonus. Executives were given multi million dollar bonuses. In addition, to prevent anyone from raising any flags, Enron played on the greed of the outside accounting firm, Arthur Anderson, as well as law firms. In fact, in 2001, Arthur Anderson got $1 million a week to keep things quiet and go along with everything. The la w firm was paid off handsomely as well. Analysts at investment banks would never really look into things because of greed as well. Because of all the bonuses, outsiders turned a blind eye, as did employees, which ultimately gave way to the scandal that ensued. 5.(a) Describe the regulatory/oversight weaknesses for Enron. (b) How did the regulatory/oversight weaknesses contribute to the Enron scandal? (15 points) Enron sought to take advantage of the low level of government regulation and the hyper capitalism created by the reigning consumer culture of the time. The company was run by a group of intelligent individuals who recognized they could take advantage of the government failure of low regulation. Early on while working for Enron, Lay founded many friends within Congress, including the friendship of George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The government helped in pork barrel legislation for the company, granting it even more power. In addition, Bush senior helped secure millions of subsidies for Enron and helped promote Ken Lay as ambassador of deregulation at large. In addition, even energy-specific regulators turned a blind eye. Pat Wood, chair of FERC, was recommended by Lay as chair, and would work with Enron in lack of government in tervention. Even the power plants in California were working with Enron at one point. Enron could call someone at a power plant and cause rolling blackouts in parts of California,  driving energy prices up. With support from the government and very low regulation and intervention, Enron had a clean path to scandal. 6.Describe three (3) specific ways, which are directly related to the above factors, that Enron-like scandals could be prevented in the future. (15 points) 1. Publically-traded companies should have a strong board of directors that oversees the company and does not have investment in the company. Greed drove Enron to do what it did, but a board of directors who has no stake in the company would be more objective and ethical in decision-making for the company. 2. There should be less compensation tied to stock performance, as that was a large incentive for fraud at Enron. People’s earnings were tied too closely to stock. 3. Analysts should be help more responsible for their actions. The investment banks they worked for got sued, but who’s to say the analysts who turned a blind eye ever got punished? They made the banks lots of money, so they probably kept their jobs and got a slap on the wrist. More consequence in the public eye would deter these actions in the future.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

University of Illinois at Chicago Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

The University of Illinois at Chicago is a public research university with an acceptance rate of 76%. UIC is the largest university in the Chicago area by enrollment. The school has 16 colleges and offers 86 undergraduate degree programs. Considering applying to UIC? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, University of Illinois at Chicago had an acceptance rate of 76%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 76 students were admitted, making UICs admissions process somewhat competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 21,106 Percent Admitted 76% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 26% SAT Scores and Requirements University of Illinois at Chicago requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 76% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 510 610 Math 510 610 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of UICs admitted students fall within the top 35% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to University of Illinois at Chicago scored between 510 and 610, while 25% scored below 510 and 25% scored above 610. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 510 and 610, while 25% scored below 510 and 25% scored above 610. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1220 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at University of Illinois at Chicago. Note that these scores vary for the different schools and colleges at UIC. The School of Engineering is the most selective with the middle 50% of students scoring between 1250 and 1430 on the SAT. Requirements UIC does not require the optional SAT writing exam or SAT Subject tests. Note that University of Illinois at Chicago does not provide information about their superscore policy. ACT Scores and Requirements UIC requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 41% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 21 27 Math 20 27 Composite 21 27 This admissions data tells us that most of University of Illinois at Chicagos admitted students fall within the top 42% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to UIC received a composite ACT score between 21 and 27, while 25% scored above 27 and 25% scored below 21. Note that some programs at UIC are more selective. The College of Engineering is particularly selective with the middle 50% of students scoring between 26 and 31 on the ACT. Requirements The University of Illinois at  Chicago  does not require the optional ACT essay, and scores on the essay will not be used for admission purposes. UIC does not provide information about their superscore policy. GPA In 2018, the average high school GPA of University of Illinois at Chicagos incoming freshmen class was 3.35. This data suggests that most successful applicants to University of Illinois at Chicago have primarily B grades. Note that students accepted to the College of Engineering tend to have GPAs between 3.5 and 3.9, the equivalent of an A/B average. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph University of Illinois at Chicago Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to University of Illinois at Chicago. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in  with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances University of Illinois at Chicago, which accepts over three-quarters of applicants, has somewhat selective admissions. If your SAT/ACT scores and GPA fall within the schools average ranges, you have a strong chance of being accepted. Keep in mind, however, that UIC has  a holistic admissions process that involves other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A  strong application essay and glowing optional letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities  and a rigorous course schedule, Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores and grades are outside of UICs average range. ï » ¿In the scattergram above, the blue and green represent accepted students, and most had a high school average of B or higher, an ACT composite score of 19 or higher, and a combined SAT score (ERWM) of above about 1000. Higher numbers increase your chances at UIC significantly. If You Like UIC, You May Also Like These Schools University of ChicagoIllinois State UniversityUniversity of Wisconsin - MadisonMichigan State UniversityNorthwestern UniversityLoyola University ChicagoMarquette University All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and University of Illinois at Chicago Undergraduate Admissions Office.