Freedom of Religion in the Bill of Rights Research Paper

Freedom of Religion in the Bill of Rights - Research Paper Example Moreover, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prevents the government from making laws that establish any religion as the state religion. This clause ensures the secular nature of the US Constitution. The First Amendment to the US Constitution deals with religious freedom. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances...Amendment 1 (The United States Constitution, 2009). The First Amendment also provides the right of Freedom of expression. These rights cannot be interfered with by the government. Freedom of expression includes the rights of Freedom of speech, press, and assembly. It also includes the freedom to petition the government for a redressal of a grievance. The Supreme Court and the lower courts have interpreted the definition of the freedoms provided by the First Amendment to the Constitution, through their case law. These freedoms and rights apply to all the people who live in the US, and not just its citizens (Citizen Rights). The Establishment Clause precludes the government from enacting legislation that accords any religion the status of the state religion. It also prohibits the government from treating any religion with greater preference than the other religions. This clause has been interpreted by the courts to engender separation of Church and State. The Free Exercise Clause restricts the government from interfering with any individual’s religious practices. All the same, civil and federal laws are permitted to restrict religious acts and ceremonies, wherever warranted (Citizen Rights).

Self-storage began in America Essay Example for Free

Self-storage began in America Essay The Shurgard concept of self-storage began in America in 1970 when cofounder of the company Chuck Barbo identified a gap in the market for both homeowners and businesses with a requirement for extra space. He came up with the notion of mini-warehouses for people with excess belongings and businesses with long forgotten records or documents. Twenty years later Shurgard began to expand into Europe and in 1995 the first European store opened in Brussels. Four years later the first UK store opened in South London and earlier this year the company was bought for $5bn by Public Storage, the world’s largest owner and operator of self-storage facilities. The challenge The growth and success of Shurgard in Europe meant that increasing demands and expectations were being placed on the company’s operations middle managers who were wrestling with a growing number of stores, an ever-larger geographic area of responsibility, increased numbers of employees, decentralisation of country and panEuropean support centres, greater autonomy and reorganisation of roles. Terry Whitney, European Learning and Development Manager of Shurgard SelfStorage Centers, said: â€Å"The business of self-storage was very different in Europe than it was in the US and there were different points of maturity in the market so there were many challenges to face. Most of our attention was focussed on buying property and building new facilities. Suddenly we realised we had a management team that was bright and hard working but had suffered from a lack of development focus.† â€Å"The best result of our partnership with SHL is that the district managers are now motivated because they know what is expected of them, how they will be held accountable and have focused training and development in place. Importantly, they also know what success looks like.† Terry Whitney, Shurgard shl.com Case Study | Shurgard Typical of many fast growing companies, Shurgard realised that it had no consistency of job titles, roles or responsibilities and no standardised job descriptions or job competencies for its staff. In addition there was no formal evaluation, training or development and no succession planning. What Shurgard wanted to create was a consistent layer of district managers across Europe. Some people already had this title but their job seemed little different to a market manager, operations manager or area manager. â€Å"We were promoting great operations people from store managers to more senior job titles with responsibility for profit and loss accounts for specific districts. We also wanted them to lead, inspire and motivate and the more senior roles had a completely different set of skills requirements which we had not measured or trained for,† said Whitney. District managers were identified as the operations critical layer with which to start work. Shurgard felt that if these people could not understand and accurately report on key occupancy and rates figures for stores, then shareholders would not have the confidence to invest money for expansion and more storage sites. The solution This client places people development high on its list of organizational priorities. With an agreed name for the role, the company needed to align the title with expectations and competencies that could be used across Europe and which would accommodate future growth of new stores. The people had to more effectively lead and manage an ever larger number of store personnel at a time of reduced centralised support. They were also required to operate at a higher managerial level than had previously been demanded. Faced with this challenge, Shurgard partnered with SHL – global experts in workplace assessment – to conduct a performance assessment of the mid-management team in Europe. The programme was designed to: †¢ Establish a benchmark of current managerial talents †¢ Undertake a gap analysis to determine the strengths and limitation of the management team against the new job competencies †¢ Recommend how the current managerial team could achieve the new expectations for the district manager role †¢ Assess the leadership potential of the current team †¢ Identify the ideal profile of a district manager for use in future recruitment. Supporting more than 10,000 customers every year Organisations that understand and maximize their people’s potential achieve outstanding results. SHL gives you the insights to make better decisions about your people. We call this People Intelligence, Business Results. â€Å"With SHL’s Universal competency Framework cards, we were able to define the critical behaviours required for the district managers role†, comments Whitney â€Å"This competency model was the hub around which SHL was able to design an appropriate development centre programme.† Individuals were invited to a one-day assessment at an SHL diagnostic development centre in order to see how they fitted the need and behavioural competencies of the district manager role. The assessment included exercises aligned to specific competencies, psychometric tests in local languages, management scenario role-play and numerical, verbal and abstract reasoning tests. Each attendee received feedback from a senior SHL assessor who took them through their results and talked about their development needs. The Results As a result of the assessment, Shurgard found that its mid-management team had a wide spectrum of skills and abilities but also specific patterns of managerial strengths and weaknesses. Recognising these areas enabled the company to target the appropriate training and development to address specific competencies and behaviours. â€Å"Shurgard really learned the critical importance of aligning the district manager job description, job competencies, hiring profile, training activities and performance management processes to create improved motivation and performance,† said Whitney. He added that using the competencies created by SHL also changed the recruitment and promotion process. New recruits are now given competency-based interviews focused on certain experiences whilst promotions are no longer based on length of service and performance alone but on potential against the required competencies. â€Å"For me it’s the competencies – everything ties back to them,† said Whitney. And he adds: â€Å"The best result of our partnership with SHL is that the district managers are now motivated because they know what is expected of them, how they will be held accountable and have focused training and development in place. Importantly, they also know what success looks like.† Case Study | Shurgard Shurgard’s need to focus on developing its managers was being hampered by a lack of consistency in job titles, roles, responsibilities and competencies for its staff. SHL worked with the firm to assess its midmanagement team in Europe and identify the ideal profile for district managers. Shurgard is now able to target management development and recruit more effectively for improved motivation and performance 25 million assessments every year. Organisations that understand and maximize their people’s potential achieve outstanding results. SHL gives you the insights to make better decisions about your people. We call this People Intelligence, Business Results.

Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Essay Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is a novel that focuses on the life of Philip Pirrip and his expectations. Throughout the book these expectations change and as they do, the reader comes to realise the key theme of how a characters upbringing and environment can dehumanise them. This essay will examine this key theme and how it demonstrates and helps the reader understand Pips growth as a character.  Initially, Pip is a very compassionate and sensitive character. We see this right from the start as the first scene describes him at his families grave crying. The reason for this behaviour at this stage of the book is Pips sister and guardian Mrs Joe Gargery. She concluded by throwing me- I often served her as a connubial missile-  This quote shows that Pip feels in most ways inadequate to his sister and that this domination is the reason for his sensitive and compassionate appearance at this stage of the book.  However, when Pip receives his expectations from Mr Jaggers, and he moves into lodging with Herbert, this domination is no longer valid. As Pip falls deeper and deeper into debt with his flippant spending, he moves further away from Joe and his old home. This gap becomes more apparent after Mrs Joes funeral, when Pip has an awkward conversation with his used to be good friend Biddy. In this conversation Pip presents himself as much more of a selfish and uncompassionate young man: Biddy, said I in a virtuously self-asserting manner, I must request to know what you mean by this?  This quote demonstrates Pips growth as a character as it shows the speed at which he has changed into more arrogant and self-righteous Pip since his childhood. It helps the reader understand the theme of how a characters upbringing and environment can dehumanise them, by showing that in his new, wider-boundary environment, Pip has become somewhat dehumanised. This dehumanisation is demonstrated in this conversation, as Pips manner is made to seem selfish and arrogant to underline the gap between Pips humanised place of upbringing and his somewhat dehumanised state in London. After Mrs Joes death, Pip seems more compassionate and thoughtful. This is because his visit back to his place of birth has helped him realise the change that he has undergone while he has been away by showing him the emotional distance he has put between himself and his family, and the consequences these distances have had on his relationships with his friends and family back home. This compassionate change is reinforced when he sets up Herberts job in a bid to see his friend more financially stable. I did really cry in good earnest when I went to bed, to think that my expectations had done some good to somebody.  This quote shows that Pip has realised the main theme of how a characters environment and upbringing can dehumanise them, by acting in this compassionate and thoughtful way. Also by referring to Herbert as somebody at the end of this quote, Pip shows the reader that he does not believe that his expectations have done himself that much good. In conclusion, Pip reacted throughout the novel towards his environment and upbringing in both negative and in the end positive ways. At the beginning of the novel, he seemed a very modest and sensitive young boy. However when he receives his expectations this marks the beginning of the changes and dehumanisation that he undergoes whilst he is in London. Thankfully though, after his experience at Mrs Joes funeral Pip realises these changes that he has undergone and endeavours to be more compassionate and thoughtful. This shows the reader that Pip has almost completed a full circle of growth, in terms of his behaviour in relation to his upbringing and environment, and this was reinforced by the main theme of how a characters upbringing and environment can dehumanise them.

Relationship between hypothesized behavior Essay Example for Free

Relationship between hypothesized behavior Essay The aim of the paper was to determine the relationship between hypothesized behavior resulting from a personality test and actual information behavior from a group-based assignment. Traditionally, information seeking behavior is subsumed under a single monolithic theoretical framework. The study seeks to address the empirical categorization of such behavior. About three voluntary groups of ten library and information science students were observed during a project assignment. The NEO-PI-R test was employed to describe and define personality traits of participants. The independent variables are gender and test results. The dependent variable is the so-called ‘differential information-seeking behavior’ (between the populations). The findings are as follows: 1) some personality traits are related to actual information-seeking behavior, 2) gender is not a good determinant of good behavior, and 3) personality traits are also related to the overall context of group activities. 2) Research Design. You want to know more about the social interaction of preschoolers in the playground. Suppose the number of preschoolers (assuming) is 30 and above, then we can conduct a statistical test. The independent variable is ‘time spent playing with other preschoolers’- X- (assuming that we expand the playing time of the children). The dependent variable is ‘personal acceptability’ – Y (the degree in which a child receives positively other children). If we observe that an increase in X is accompanied by an increase in Y, then we can assume that the two are correlated. In short, as the amount of time spent playing with other preschoolers is increased, the degree of personal acceptability increases. 3) A correlation value of 0. 89 means that there exists a very strong positive linear relationship between the two variables. In short, the amount of time (in hours) spent in studying is positively related to exam scores. A student who spends more time studying will likely to receive high exam scores. 4) The researchers subjected ‘Albert’ to intense psychological conditions without his consent. The researchers were also indifferent to the consequences of the experiment (which turned out bad for the child). These two instances merit as ethical faults in the study. 5) Neurotransmitters are chemicals which allow the transmission of signals from one neuron to the next across synapses. Neurotransmitters, in a sense, activate receptors of the nervous system. Hormones are also signal chemicals but with different purpose. They are chemicals that transport signal from one cell to another, altering body metabolism (which neurotransmitters cannot do).

The articles of confederation and the constitution Essay Example for Free

The articles of confederation and the constitution Essay Abstract The simple difference between the Articles of Confederation and US Constitution is that the articles were not strong enough to hold our young nation together. The articles operated the US as separate states. Under the articles, it was very difficult to pass laws since the requirement of 9 out of the 13 states approval was needed for ratification. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. The need for a stronger Federal government soon became apparent and eventually led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The members of the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention convened in response to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and the need for a strong centralized government. After four months of secret debate and many compromises, the proposed Constitution was submitted to the states for approval. Although the vote was close in some states, the Constitution was eventually ratified and the new Federal government came into existence in 1789. Articles of Confederation and Constitution There were many differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. At the end of the American Revolution the free states needed some sort of control that would generate to a unified country. Issues arose such as: How should power be divided between local and national governments? How should laws be made, and by whom? Who should be authorized to govern those laws? How could the government be designed to protect the unalienable individual rights? Their first attempt at solving this issue was the Articles of Confederation, which was a failure for the most part, but not completely. After the failure of the articles, the state delegates tried to revise the articles, but instead, constructed the Constitution. There were so many changes made and very little remained the same. The Articles of Confederation were approved by Congress on November 15, 1777  and ratified by the states on March 1, 1781. It was a modest attempt by a new country to unite itself and form a national government. The Articles set up a Confederation that gave most of the power to the states. Many problems arose and so a new Constitution was written in 1787 in Independence Hall. The new Constitution called for a much more unified government with a lot more power. One of the key differences between the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation is in the way that they set up the Legislature. The thirteen states formed a Confederation referred to as the league of friendship in order to find a solution for common problems such as foreign affairs. The Articles of Confederation was the nations first Constitution. The articles created a loose Confederation of independent states that gave limited powers to the central government. Under the Articles each state could send between 2 and 7 delegates to Congress. In the Constitution each state was allowed 2 members in the Senate and 1 representative per 30,000 people (this number has now increased greatly) in the House of Representatives. The states with bigger populations wanted representation to be based solely off of population. The states with smaller populations wanted there to be a fixed number of representatives per state, each state would have one vote in the house of Congress, no matter the size of the population. Under the articles, there wasnt a strong independent executive, it established as a unicameral legislature, which it refers to as a Congress. The Constitution on the other hand establishes a bicameral legislature with an upper house, the Senate, and a lower house, the House of Representatives. In the articles, There wasnt any judicial branch but Congress had the authority to arbitrate disputes between states. Congress was responsible for conducting foreign affairs, declaring war or peace, maintaining an army and navy and a variety of other lesser functions. But the articles denied Congress the power to collect taxes, regulate interstate commerce and enforce laws. Because of this, the central government had to request donations from the states to finance its operations and raise armed forces.  The states attempted to limit the power of the national government because they feared that it would become a monarchy. In an effort to limit the power of the national government, Congress created one without enough power to govern effectively, which led to serious national and international problems. George Washington called for a convention in late May 1787; in order speak about the nations political and economical problems and revise the Articles. Delegates from eleven out of the thirteen states attended this convention. They decided on a government consisting of three branches: legislative (Congress), executive (the President), and judicial (Supreme Court). These branches were under the checks-and-balances in order to maintain balance in powers and to prevent tyranny in the country. The Great Compromise solved the issue that arose between the delegates that believed the separation of powers into three different branches would ensure that the United States would not become another monarchy. The Great Compromise resolved the representation issue by forming the two houses that we have today by using the idea of a two-house legislature in order to satisfy both sides. It proposed a legislature in which each state would be represented by two senators (Senate) and another legislature that would be distributed based on the state population (House of Representatives). Voting in Congress was different in the Articles and the Constitution. Under the Articles of Confederation, each state received 1 vote regardless of how many representatives it had. While in contrast to the constitution where in one house, the Senate, every state is represented equally regardless of population. In the lower house, the House of Representatives each state receives one representative for a set number of people. This meant that people could now be represented on a more personal level through the House of Representatives. This satisfied all of the states and helped resolve one of the greatest conflicts while writing the Constitution. Also, in the Three-Fifths clause, delegates agreed that each slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person when determining the population and thus the number of representatives in the House of each state. One of the main weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation was its  incapability to regulate trade and levy taxes. The states controlled all of their cash flows. Sometimes, the states were in debt because of tariff wars that they would engage in with one another. Because of these debts, the states refused to give the national government the money it needed. Hence, the government could not pay off the debts it had gained during the revolution, including paying soldiers who had fought in the war and citizens who had provided supplies to the cause. Congress could not pass needed measures because they lacked the nine-state majority required to become laws and couldnt amend articles because unanimous consent of the all states was required. The states largely ignored Congress, which was powerless to enforce cooperation, and it was therefore unable to carry out its duties. The national government could not force the states to adhere to the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1783 ending the American Revolution. Foreign countries saw lack of unity in states. Because of the lack of income the national government collected, the new nation was unable to defend its borders from British and Spanish abuse because it could not pay for an army when the states would not contribute the necessary funds. The country would not get rich as a whole because states controlled all interstate commerce. States coined their own money and regulated its supply, so values of currency varied from state to state. Under the Constitution, Congress had the right to levy taxes and regulate commerce. The delegates b_elieved that a strong central government was a threat to American liberties and rights. Usually they were states rights advocates, backcountry farmers, poor farmers, the ill-educated and illiterate, debtors, and paper-money advocates; the low-income classes of society_ had an easier time outlining presidential powers. Although some delegates had extreme opinions-Alexander Hamilton proposed a legitimate monarchy headed by an American king-most agreed that a new executive or president was needed to give the country the strong leadership that it had lacked under the Articles. The primary aim of the Constitution was to create a strong elected government that was responsive to the will of the people, although there is some controversy over this. Many of the Founding Fathers believed that the new  government needed to be insulated from the will of the people; hence the design of such features as the Electoral College or the election of Senators by the state legislatures. The concept of self-government did not originate with the Americans; indeed, a measure of self-government existed in the United Kingdom at the time. But the degree to which the Constitution committed the United States to rule by the people was unique, even revolutionary, in comparison with other governments around the world. In addition to dividing the executive departments into four, the Judiciary Act of 1789 was created. The Judiciary Act of 1789 is a law that created the Supreme Court, thirteen district courts and three circuit courts. This act gave the Supreme Court the right to review state laws and state court decisions to determine whether an act or law is constitutional or not. Laws, acts, civil liberties were protected by the act as well. The delegates wanted to build a government for the people. On the opposing side, there were the Federalists. Federalists were supporters of the Constitution that desired a strong central government. Federalists felt that the Articles of Confederation were weak and ineffective. They felt that National government would protect the rights of the people. Over two hundred suggestions were submitted to Congress in order to protect American citizen rights, but only 10 were chosen. These 10 suggestions became the first ten amendments, known as our Bill Of Rights. The Articles of Confederation are a major part of the USs roots. Some of the ideas and theories from the Articles were strong and did try to better the US but they werent applied the strong enough. Ideas such as the Bill of Rights derived from the Articles. When I think back to how great the Constitution has worked it truly amazes me. It has lasted for over two centuries and continues to help our government function today. The US was able to build upon the mistakes of the Confederations first government. Living by the phrase united we stand and divided we fall the US has been able to build a strong government for its people, making changes as time goes by. References Comparing the Articles and the Constitution The U.S. Constitution Online USConstitution.net. _Comparing the Articles and the Constitution The U.S. Constitution Online USConstitution.net_. Web. 22 Sept. 2014. Feldmeth, Greg D. Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution. _Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution_. 31 Mar. 1998. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. Journals of the Continental Congress THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION, WITH AMENDMENTS :: :: :: APRILOCTOBER, 1777. _Journals of the Continental Congress THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION, WITH AMENDMENTS :: :: :: APRILOCTOBER, 1777_. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. S. Doc. 108-17 Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis, and Interpretation 2002 Edition. _S. Doc. 108-17 Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis, and Interpretation 2002 Edition_. 28 Jan. 2002. Web. 23 Sept. 2014. Welcome to OurDocuments.gov. _Welcome to OurDocuments.gov_. National Archives Education Staff. The Constitution: Evolution of a Government. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2001. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

Personal Plan To Get Out Of Debt English Language Essay

Personal Plan To Get Out Of Debt English Language Essay Summary: Based on the concepts of awareness, anticipation and action, my get out-of-debt plan is aimed at individuals who face financial difficulties and seem to be accumulating more debt instead of taking control of their finances. As a financial adviser, I highly value financial independence. Particularly, after the recent credit crisis that hit the economy forcing many firms out of business and millions of households into poverty, I consider financial freedom as a means to future success. Personally, I carry a debt of $7,500 in credit cards, a student loan of $2,000 and a car loan of $1,500. I pay monthly installments of $1,300 for this $11,000, and according to my amortization table I will be able to completely pay off my debt after 15 years. To get an idea of how an amortization table should look like, click here. The three As of My Get Out-Of Debt Plan To improve my financial situation within 2011, I have crafted a get out-of-debt plan that is aimed at individuals who face financial difficulties and seem to be accumulating more debt instead of taking control of their finances. If you are getting deeper into debt, have a look at my suggestions below. Maybe they can help you get your finances back on track again. My get out-of-debt plan is based on three concepts: awareness, anticipation and action. In the context of personal finance, these concepts are highly valued because they can offer guidance and financial stability in the long run. Awareness Some people complain about how they cannot get out of debt although they dont know how much their debt is. It is impossible to take control of your financial situation if you are not aware of it. List all your debt including credit cards, car loans, student loans, personal loans, and medical bills and sum them up including decimals for accuracy. Keep in mind that when adding many numbers decimals can generate a completely new figure, which will then be used in another arithmetic operation and produce an entirely wrong figure. At the end of the day, the picture you will have for your financial situation will be mistaken. Therefore, it is critical that your debt figures are 100% accurate. Other important steps in this stage include: Creating a debt allocation table After you have listed and summed up all your sources of debt create a debt allocation table to see how your debt is allocated in different sources, where you owe more and what the interest rate for each debt is. Your table can have three columns named Debt, Amount Owed and Interest Rate. In column Debt include each source of debt you have. If you have three credit cards, include each credit card in a separate line because your cumulative credit card debt may be $20,000, but each credit card has different interest rate and different terms of payment. In column Amount Owed include the correspondent amount in each source of debt. In column Interest Rate include the correspondent interest rate to each source of debt. To get an idea of how your debt allocation table should look like when completed, click here. With a grand total of $32,100 you need to 1) religiously stick to your monthly payments; 2) try to make more than the minimum credit card payments. I will explain more in the Action section. Creating a budget To create a successful budget you need to analyze your financial situation honestly and realistically. Figure out how much you earn on an annual basis and make sure to include all sources of income. It is critical to know exactly how much money you make because this is the money you can afford to spend. Then, include all sources of expenses in order to know how much money you spend on fixed expenses including rent or mortgage, gas, utilities, and insurance and adjust your variable expenses accordingly by spending less on groceries, entertainment or personal care. Make sure that your budget is realistic, accurate and flexible. By keeping a realistic budget you can cover your expenses, but most importantly, save money on a regular basis. Besides, an accurate budget gives you the freedom to enjoy your life without being deprived because you know you can really afford these purchases without putting your financial future at stake. Finally, a flexible budget enables you to make well-informed decisions about your finances. Anticipation Being able to anticipate sudden expenses allows you to stay within your budget. To achieve that, you have to be able to save as much money as possible. This might require some drastic changes in your lifestyle, but it will certainly help you become financially independent. Some important steps in this stage include: Controlling household spending If you dont control your household spending, not only you accumulate more debt, but you ultimately hurt the economy that cannot burden such high levels of consumer spending. You can control your grocery shopping by planning your meals, making a grocery list and stick to it, buy in bulk, keep food in your freezer, stock up non-perishable items, and use coupons. Besides, you can lower your energy bill by controlling your thermostat, using energy efficient appliances and bulbs and installing insulation. You can also use the envelope system to manage your cash. Identify your spending categories including groceries, gas, utilities, insurance etc., create an envelope for each category and allocate the proper weekly or monthly amount of cash to each. Once your balance is zero and the envelope is empty, you cannot spend anymore. Soon, you will spend only when you have to, cutting back on unnecessary spending. Set up an emergency fund By setting up an emergency fund you achieve two things at once: 1) you avoid borrowing from your IRA or liquidating your 401k, meaning you ultimately avoid taxation and 10 percent penalty and 2) you avoid borrowing from your already overcharged credit cards. It is tempting and possibly convenient to charge your credit card for a financial emergency, but the truth of the matter is that the infinite spiral of credit card charging accumulates more debt. Set three to six months worth of your living expenses aside in an emergency fund to cover up for a sudden job loss or a huge medical bill. Also, make sure to keep your emergency fund in a money market account (MMA), a regular interest-paying checking account or a certificate of deposit (CD). All these options allow you to withdraw money, with or without penalty, and are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Action It took me quite sometime to take action on managing my debt mostly because I didnt exactly know what to do. Although my debt is not as high as in the example used in the debt allocation table, still I need 15 years to pay off my debt, which is a lot of time. Here are some suggestions to pay off your debt faster: Rather than paying off the low interest rate car loan first, it is wiser to pay off the credit card debt that has a higher interest rate. To do that, you have to make more than the minimum credit card payments. If the minimum payment is $80 then make an effort to pay at least $90. You probably wont notice the extra $10 but it will go directly onto your principal and reduce your debt even faster. If you have three credit cards, it would be $30 extra payment, but the difference you will see in your total balance will be worth the effort. If you cannot do it at once for all your credit cards, start by paying off the smallest bill. The extra money that you will have from the paid off credit card can be used towards paying off the next smallest credit card bill. By paying more money than the minimum installments, you will lower your principal (original amount borrowed) at a faster rate. Consequently, the total annual amount paid interest will be reduced at a faster rate. You can also quit using your credit cards and start using cash. By using cash for your transactions 1) you can control your finances because you know at any given time how much money you spend and how much money you have left in your wallet; 2) you dont incur any hidden fees or over-the-limit charges, no billing mistakes or overcharges on your bank account; and 3) you can get discount for paying in cash. On the contrary, credit card debt builds up exponentially and interest rates can head up really quickly. Moreover, by charging smalls amounts of money to your credit card you add to your credit card bill and you lose track of your spending. My Get Out-Of Debt Plan May Not Work For Your Situation Each situation is unique and even if you carry the same amount of debt, it doesnt mean that my get out-of-debt plan will certainly work for your case. However, I firmly believe that it can work as a guide to walk you through some vital steps that you need to take in order to understand exactly where you are today and most importantly, where you want to be in a few years from now. Regardless if you follow my suggestions, or if you choose to follow some other solution, be disciplined. This is perhaps the most important step you need to take. By focusing on your financial independence you are more likely to achieve it. Without discipline, even the best financial plan will fail because every little amount of money you will be saving it will be spent towards non-essential purchases. Every day we make decisions about money. And these decisions have a smaller or a greater impact on the quality of our lives. Being financially independent means different things to different people. To me, it means security, and the strength to take a step closer to my lifetime dreams. The steps to financial freedom may not give me immediate happiness, but they give me choice. Sources: http://getoutofdebt.org/1712/a-12-step-plan-to-get-out-of-debt-fast http://www.allbusiness.com/personal-finance/credit-cards-credit-card-debt/2442-1.html http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/money-market-accounts.htm http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/checkingaccount.asp http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/certificateofdeposit.asp http://www.fdic.gov/ More from this contributor How to Choose a Debt Relief Program How to Survive a Bankruptcy Filing What to Do when You Cant Pay Your Taxes

Developing a Moral Community with Limited Resources

Developing a Moral Community with Limited Resources Dwayne Potenteau During one of my experiences in hospital I was assigned to a nurse in Telemetry. The nurse (we will call her Susan) had been on shift for about an hour and was already working at a torrid pace. In addition to the clients she had to monitor which were 8 in total, the Rn was also assigned 6 patients to care for. Most of the clients were from ICU or had been assigned to her due to the overflow from the emergency department. One patient in particular (Mrs. Smith) had multiple symptoms starting with hepatic encephalitis with ascites and varices, diabetes, and had been admitted due to atrial fibrillation which had been downgraded to a controlled rate of atrial fibrillation when the nurse came on. The time needed to care for this complex client had to be somehow scheduled into the nurses’ duties to care for the clients on telemetry in conjunction with the other 5 clients. The new order for Mrs Smith had also been changed and a new large dose of 22 units of rapid and 42 units of NPH i nsulin had been modified by the physician. The nurse questioned the order and stated her concerns over the dosage but was told to administer and monitor the client. The dosage along with the limited amount of time to monitor the client posed a larger concern for developing hypoglycemia. The nurse then called in her manager stating the issues of providing care with limited time and nursing complex patients. The manager stated that the nurse just has to deal with it as there was no help available at this time. Reflecting on the experience I felt stressed and a little overwhelmed at the idea of being responsible for so many patients with little time, resources and support. I responded to the situation by providing some relational practice as this was a community experience and I could not actually do much but shadow the nurse. The nurse did not have the time or adequate support in staff to care for the clients other than their immediate urgent needs. The biggest ethical issue I had was determining how could a nurse fulfill their nursing duty to provide safe, compassionate competent care with limited resources. The rising costs of health care have increased the number of clients the nurses must care for and are under stress to keep costs down. As a future nurse, this means taking on a larger workload. When resources are low nurses face the problem of fulfilling the ethical responsibility of prioritizing care while trying to maintain a high professional standard of client centered care for all patients(Canadian Nurses Association[CNA], 2008). The other ethical concern is where do we go to express our concerns when issues such as limited resources prevent us from performing our ethical duties? The last is the amount and quality of care we give when our nursing values are compromised by limited resources. Rationing Care The aforementioned issue revolves around the allocation of resources also known as rationing of care. In nursing, rationing of care can be defined as the withdrawal of necessary components due to the lack of resources (Carryer, 2014; Tonnessen, Nortvedt, Forde, 2011).The reasons for rationing of resources for health care can be linked to 3 main levels. Societal where funding for health care is provided from the government, Institutional, where health authorities and agencies determine which programs receive funding, and individual where professionals determine how to treat individual clients (CNA, 2000). Nurses face the scarcity of resources on a daily basis. This type of infrastructure pressures have forced nurses to make ethical decisions such as distributive justice(Tonnessin et al. 2011). Tonnessin et al. (2011) states that distributive justice is the allocation of resources to those who need it most. The In order to decipher who receives care nurses often need to make these deci sions quickly and effectively. To make these decisions, nurses often call upon their own prioritize their clinical judgements. The hastened assessments and interventions increase the chance of reduced patient care outcomes (Papastravou, Andreou, Vryonides, 2014). The imbalance between time to care for the client and the stresses of limited resources leads to moral distress in deciding what is best for the client as the individual or community as client. Susan had shown that she was torn between serving all her clients and attending to the most critical. Corporate Influence Allocation Utilitarianism is defined as the benefit of the whole outweighs the benefits of the individual. By maximizing time allotted for in caring for the client, the nurse performs only the most necessary procedures. This process deviates from the individualistic care that is required in nursing. Reduction in time allocated for patients, reduced beds, and lengths of stay all lead to reduced care and capacity for choice in a client’s health (CNA, 2000). Part of the reason for the stresses can be linked to the health care system that determines allocation of resources. According to the CNA, corporate values and resulting policy are determine resource allocation through the ideology of economics and scarcity (CNA, 2000). The ideology revolves around the notion that economics and unattainable resources contribute to and justify limited resources for nurses(CNA, 2000). Urban (2014) furthers the corporate culture of scarcity by noting that nurses have come to accept the idea of reduced time , staff, and resources as part of their normal working environment. The fact that nurses had to work with inadequate resources while still being fiscally responsible and giving safe effective care had to has lead many nurses to a state of moral/ethical distress. Moral/Ethical Distress The concept of moral/ethical distress is changing. Even the Code of Ethics which is the governing body for assisting nurses in their decision making has modified over the years. According to the CNA the word â€Å"expectation† had been removed in the 2008 definition of ethical/moral distress (CNA, 2002). Although the definition encompasses what nurses feel when working with limited resources the removal of the word shows an acceptance of the changing culture. The actual definition for ethical/moral distress has changed so has the duty to â€Å"assist persons to achieve their optimum level of health in situations of normal health, illness, injury, or in the process of dying† (CNA, 1997, p.8). The removal of this component of nursing duty clearly shows the effects of limited resources. In particular the omission of the word â€Å"optimal† has been removed from the standards, and only found in the definition of global health (CNA, 2008). The removal of the word opti mal contradicts the actualization of limited beds for patients and bedside care. The contradiction can heighten the difference in how nurses have been educated in providing care and the care they actually give. The discrepancy in giving care due to limited resources leads directly to moral distress. The leading element of moral distress is the lack of time spent with the patient (CNA, 2000). Limited time leads to reduced care, opposing ethical values of how a patient ought to be treated. Moral Community for Nurses Moral Community is defined as a community where values are understood and used to guide ethical actions of the community (CNA, 2008). Although the actual issue of limited resources may not be directly addresses at the nursing level within a hospital, setting up a moral community in the department is a good first step. Nurses have knowledge in direct patient care and the education to determine what role and working environment they want to participate in. In order to address moral distress due to limited resources nurses need to work with their fellow nurses, managers, and policy makers to make these changes. Examples are nurses communicating on ethical issues through their unit and ethical committees in the hospital. Park notes that nurses tend to deal with ethical issues using their own beliefs and values rather than using ethical committees. In addition Kalish (2009) notes that repercussions on speaking about on ethical issues may deter nurses from participating in ethical discussi on or committees. To have the courage to face the stresses of the current nursing environment nurses must embrace moral courage. Moral courage is the ability of a nurse to remain loyal to their moral belief or principle when faced with fear or threats (CNA, 2008). The role of moral courage and ways to address ethical concerns, and moral ethical dilemmas can also be found in nursing associations such as ARNBC (Association of Registered Nurses of BC), and CRNBC (College of Registered Nurses of BC). Since 2005 CRNBC had moved from an association towards a regulatory body and in doing so, had left gaps in how nurses can communicate ethical issues such as limited resources. One of the resources that has been available since 2013 is ARNBC. ARNBC’s mandate to provide communication and act as a voice for the nurses of BC, and also work towards sustainable practices and support structures for nurses (ARNBC, 2015). Since 2005, nurses had no real place to communicate ethical issues such as limited resources and although they had the union, no real avenue to tackle the policy issues or to influence change in their community. In order to improve working conditions ARNBC can support nurses through inter collaboration, and supporting professional prac tice and advancement of the profession. Through these avenues, nurses now have a way to address their ethical concerns not solely focused on limited resources. Another avenue to address limited resources is through CRNBC. Through crnbc nurses can address the limited resources by defining the issue, communication, documentation, and intercollaboration. Defining the issue in the case with susan, claritfication on allocation of 6 patients which is more than the standard amount of patients. Nurses should communicate their problems with their managers and coordinators. Conclusion When providing patient care, observation to what is present and what is influencing nursing practice is crucial to improving overall care. 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