The Legacy Of Farmworker Movement - 1130 Words

The Legacy of Farmworker Movement Farmworker Movement was seen as a drive that came to aid workers whose rights remained unheard overtime. The working conditions have improved although there are some problems which persist to date. Cesar Chavez legacy made significant impacts on workers through an establishment of unions and enactment of laws. Over the years citizens, government and corporations have been sensitized to play crucial roles in ensuring the plight of workers are well addressed. The living and working conditions of farm workers have continually improved over the time. This is out of the emergence of workers unions that takes care and interest of farmworkers. In the past, while workers had no unions, wages was very low, long†¦show more content†¦The challenges faced by earlier farmworkers have continued to persist up to date. In addressing their grievances through the unions, they have to seek government helping hand which poses obstacles and delays in implementation of the new laws. Rural poverty is one major challenge that persisted all along. The income levels to the workers living in the rural areas are very low as compared to urban areas. The administrative practices in recruitment processes have also failed to cease despite many workers union. For the continued search and scarcity of employment opportunities, there is a continuous influx of immigrants in search of work. Proper rules and works ethics continue to be a major challenge in working e nvironment to the workers (Conlon 98). Chavez primary objectives in the 1960s were to fight for the rights of the workers. This was regarding treatment and their wages. In regards, he formed National Farmworkers Association (NFWA) which was a driving force to fight for the workers’ rights. He arranged for strikes in the large farms to put forward the wishes of the workers such as being allowed to have unions and engage in collective bargaining powers. The boycotts and strikes were nonviolence. He was agitating for dignity, justice and respect to workers. As a result of his efforts large growers entered into negotiations, signed contracts, higher wages and were given union representations. Other notable benefits are health insurance plans and even

Universal Healthcare The Pros and Cons Free Essays

Universal Healthcare: The Pros and Cons On March 23, 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed by President Obama, raising the question for many of whether this new law was going to be more helpful or hurtful. With universal healthcare, healthcare coverage would be increased tremendously, costs would be reduced, Jobs would be created, and consumers would be protected. Conversely, it will also raise taxes and wait times, lead to a smaller number of doctors, and infringe on some employers’ 1st amendment rights. We will write a custom essay sample on Universal Healthcare: The Pros and Cons or any similar topic only for you Order Now Presenting both arguments for and against the Patient Protection nd Affordable Care Act allows one to draw a conclusion on whether the new program will benefit or hinder the citizens of the United States. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, will extend coverage to virtually every US citizen. It is estimated that approximately 45 million Americans are uninsured, and 45,000 of those citizens are dying each year simply because they do not have health care (Ireland). Once this new act takes effect, 32 of those 45 million citizens will receive coverage. Citizens whose ages range from 19 to 25 will be able to stay on their parent’s insurance plans when normally they would have been forced ff the plan. Young adults who are not on their parent’s insurance plans and who normally wouldn’t be able to afford coverage will now be able to pay for their own health insurance. Currently, patients with pre-existing conditions can be denied coverage. However, with the PPACA, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage or stop coverage when a member becomes ill. Women will also be granted additional coverage, such as receive access to women’s health services, and these new benefits are also required to have no out of pocket fees. Also, the availability of contraception, such as abortion, will be expanded (â€Å"The Patient Protection†). The cost of health care will be greatly reduced by the PPACA, and this will have a chain reaction on big businesses and employees. With almost 95 percent of citizens paying for health insurance, costs for health care will decrease (Poe). Once the cost for health care declines, it will cost less for big businesses to hire employees. It is estimated that 4 million Jobs will be created over the next 10 years. The PPACA also affects the economy in another way; it will reduce the national deficit. Contrary to popular belief, the passing of this law will reduce the national debt by 210 billion ollars within the next decade. If it were repealed, the national debt would be raised by $230 billion (Poe). The PPACA also offers various other benefits to citizens. Catherine Poe states that once the law is passed, there will be † no more Freddie the Freeloaders allowed†; if a citizen can afford health insurance and does not purchase it, he or she will pay a fee of one percent of his or her household income. This fee will increase to 2. 5 percent by 2017. This will prevent citizens from not paying for health insurance and Just continuing to live off of the tax dollars of other citizens who do pay for their health nsurance. Also, the PPACA will protect consumers from the overcharging by health insurance providers. It will torce the providers to spend 80 percent ot their income on rebates or expenses, such as health and marketing expenses (â€Å"Obamacare†). While the PPACA will benefit citizens greatly, it also has its negative side effects. As previously discussed, the PPACA will lower healthcare costs and the national debt, but it will also hurt the economy as well. The cost of drugs is expected to rise due to pharmaceutical companies paying an additional 84. 8 billion dollars over the next decade (â€Å"The Patient Protection†). Taxes will also be raised in order to cover the additional costs brought on by the new program. The additional taxes will be charged to individuals making over $200,000 and couples making over $250,000. Additionally, families will only be able to deduct medical costs that surpass 10 percent of their annual income, compared to the 7. 5 percent that is currently allowed. It was stated earlier in this paper that big businesses would benefit from this law; however, the exact opposite is true for small businesses. Businesses will be forced to provide healthcare for their employees or pay a fine, something they may not be able to fford. This may result in employees’ hours being cut or even the termination of the employee (â€Å"Obamacare†). The PPACA will also have a direct negative impact on the medical field as a whole. By 2025 there is expected to be a shortage of nearly 52,000 physicians. This, coupled with the number of office visits increasing over 100 million times, will put incredible strain on the healthcare system (â€Å"The Patient Protection†). This will cause wait times for medical treatment to be greatly increased. Patients will be more likely to go to the emergency room for minor treatments, such as coughs due to colds, thus causing atients with real emergencies to wait even longer. Also, there will be no competition for patients. This competition is what encourages health care workers to excel in their specialties and to become better. This may even cause fewer people to choose to pursue a career in the medical profession (Ireland). One of the more controversial arguments against universal healthcare is the effect it will have on known religious-based businesses. As stated earlier, with the PPACA businesses will be required to provide health insurance for their employees that would include contraceptive services for women. The result is that religious based businesses, such as Hobby Lobby, which is owned by evangelical Christians, will be forced to essentially pay for their employees to receive contraceptives, something that goes against their religion. If a business decides to follow its religious beliefs and not provide the health insurance it will be issued a fine, thus hurting the business for practicing their religion. This has led the government to define what religion is and what qualifies a business as a religious employer. This aspect of the PPACA goes against the 1st amendment protection of the freedom of religion, herefore making it unconstitutional (â€Å"A Case†). Weighing both sides of the universal healthcare argument, it can be concluded that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is truly more hurtful than it is helpful. It will cost citizens greatly, through increased tax dollars and being forced to pay for their healthcare. Small businesses contribute immensely to the countrys economy, and they will be hurt significantly by this program. Also, the effects it will have on the healthcare system are immeasurable. There is already a considerable shortage of doctors, and this will only increase remarkably once the PPACA takes tect Lack ot competition within the medical protession is something that cannot be overlooked either. How to cite Universal Healthcare: The Pros and Cons, Papers

Randolph Bourne1886 1918 Essay Example For Students

Randolph Bourne1886 1918 Essay John Dos Passos wrote, that if ever a man had a ghost it was Bourne: A tiny twisted unscared ghost in a black cloak hopping along the grimy old brick and brownstone streets still left in downtown New York, crying out in a shrill soundless giggle: War is the health of the state. Dos Passos, 1919 (N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace Co., 1932), pp. 105-106. When World War I erupted it came as a surprise to the overwhelming majority of American intellectuals. Its barbarity stuck them as anachronistic and they tended to view the conflict as a temporary sidetrack in the march of civilization, an expression of residual animal instincts. The dawn of the Enlightenment and the tremendous progress made in the Nineteenth Century made war seem quite uncharacteristic (in their view) of humanitys evolving nature. Of course, they saw themselves as important and instrumental in defining and fine tuning that nature. On the leading edge of political and social brilliance, ivy-league educated, born to lead and with the silver spoon in the mouth to prove it, they were socialists. And when President Woodrow Wilson (who had been re-elected as a peace candidate, under the slogan, He kept us out of war) opted to throw the full weight of the countrys resources into the European conflict, they rallied to his support. Randolph Bourne, who was to die in the flu epidemic shortly after the Armistice, cried out alone against the betrayal of the values of civilization by his fellow writers. He and his magazine paid a heavy price and, of course, he did not live to see the backlash following the war. The damage had been done; the stage was set for the idiocy of the conditions at Versailles, the ascendency of Adolph Hitler, the unimaginable horrors of National Socialism, and the destruction of the cities of Europe within the next thirty years. Bournes articles appeared in a magazine, The Seven Arts. One of his essays, The War and the Intellectuals, appears here. I hope that this may prompt a new generations student to pursue further research into the brief life and ideas of a man who, as Dos Passos wrote, does indeed have a ghost.