Writing Feedback / Presidential Comparison paper (sociology) [3]

prompt: write an essay giving background info for obama and mccain. Compare their stance on 8 issues.

Election '08: McCain vs. Obama
The 2008 election is one of the most significant elections in recent times. The United States is in a situation where one wrong political move could be devastating. The economy is reminding many of the conditions before The Great Depression. The Supreme Court expects to replace several of its justices. Whether the next president is John McCain or Barack Obama, he will have many critical decisions to make on key issues that will affect our country for many years to come.

John McCain was born in 1936 in Panama, but his hometown is Phoenix, Arizona. John graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. After receiving his education, he became a Captain in the Navy. He served as a Naval Captain until 1981, giving him over twenty-five years of experience. In 1982, John McCain began his political career as a member of the House of Representatives. He served on the House of Representatives until 1986 when his term ended. In 1987, John became a Senator, a position that he still holds. In 2000, he unsuccessfully ran against George Bush for the Republican Party presidential nomination. John won the Republican Party's nomination in 2008 and is now hoping to become the United States' President (Project Vote Smart).

Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961. Barack's hometown is Chicago, Illinois. His education includes Harvard Law School and Columbia University. He began his political career as a member of the Illinois State Senate. He gained popularity among his peers and constituents when he spoke at the 2004 National Democratic Convention. In 2005, he joined the United States Senate as an Illinois representative, which is the position he currently is in. Barack won the Democratic Party's presidential nomination and is now running against John McCain for the prize of the White House.

John McCain and Barack Obama have conflicting opinions on numerous issues. The two candidates have different ideas regarding the issue of free trade. Free trade is an important issue because the way trade is conducted will determine whether the American economy will recover from the recession that it is enduring.

McCain is an advocate of free trade. He believes that free trade and a free market are essential for the economy to progress. McCain has stated that he would like to make a trade agreement with any country that would be willing to enter an agreement with the United States as long as they negotiate with fairness. John believes the American workers are the hardest working and most productive workers; therefore, there should be no fear of the competing countries.

Barack Obama believes that trade needs to be regulated. He has said that he will eliminate tax breaks for companies moving overseas and create tax breaks for companies creating jobs inside the United States. These changes in the tax structure both work to regulate and restrict free trade with other countries. Barack would like to make changes to NAFTA and other trade agreements to make them more favorable to the common person.

Another huge issue is how they would handle the nation's budget. Barack Obama wants to change how finances are regulated. Barrack's budget for his plan is well over 280 billion dollars. Barack believes Bush is the cause of the great debt the country has today. He says the government must focus the spending on the middle class and cut costs in Iraq. He also states that it would be helpful to cap credit card interest under thirty percent.

McCain believes the country is best served if we cut back the regulation on finances. McCain's plan would cost two hundred and eleven billion dollars. He says we must improve the economy to keep the military strong and that we cannot pass this great financial burden onto the youth of America. John believes it would be helpful to buy up the bad mortgages to keep the citizens in their homes. John also notes the fundamentals of our economic system are solid but they are being tested.

An issue that most Americans feel passionate about is taxes. John McCain wants to give tax cuts to everyone. He compares his tactics to those of Ronald Regan; cut wasteful spending and cut taxes. To cut taxes, the country's spending must be in control. In 2003, he opposed Bush's tax cuts because spending was out of control (On The Issues). McCain would like to increase the child tax exemption to seven thousand dollars for each child. John also thinks America needs a more fair tax system, but is opposed to fair tax.

Barack Obama would like to cut taxes for ninety-five percent of the people; excluding the wealthiest five percent. Barack believes it is acceptable to impose high taxes on the top earning citizens because under Clinton they did not feel oppressed. Obama says that he does not want to give money back to people who do not need it. He also said, "I will raise CEO taxes, no doubt about it." Obama believes the tax relief to the middle class will help offset the rising costs of food and gas.

An issue that affects many Americans is gay rights. Obama sees similarities between the gay rights movement and the civil rights movement. He knows that being gay is not a choice. Obama thinks that homosexuals should be allowed to join in civil unions, giving equal benefits and rights to gay couples. However, Obama is opposed to allowing gay marriages.

John McCain has similar feelings toward the gay community. John has no problem with gay people joining the military and says he would be comfortable with a gay president. While John believes that marriage is a union for one man and one woman, he believes the issue should be left for the states to decide.

Every American hopes to retire someday, and that is why social security is such a pressing issue. John McCain knows social security is flawed, but says that it can be fixed with a bipartisan effort. He also recognizes that any fix would only be temporary because social security is not a long-term solution. John believes people need personal savings accounts with an option to invest up to twenty percent of payroll taxes into private accounts.

On the other side, Obama is opposed to all attempts to privatize social security. He believes it is too risky to have people's retirements hinge on the stock market. Obama would give working families a two thousand dollar tax credit for their savings account. He also is against reducing benefits or increasing the retirement age.

Another issue that is critical to the enhancement of the country is oil and energy. John McCain is in favor of nuclear power. He wants to build forty-five nuclear power plants by 2030 (On The Issues). John believes that global warming is a real issue and that nuclear power is the solution to it. John also is an advocate of offshore drilling and he voted no on reducing oil use by forty percent before 2025 (On The Issues).

Barack Obama has recently become a supporter of nuclear power. He would like to spend one hundred and fifty billion dollars to free the United States from oil. Obama thinks that drilling is only a temporary solution that will only push the problem onto future generations. Obama voted to ban drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He also has voted yes to reduce oil use by forty percent before 2025 (On The Issues). He believes action must be taken to retard the effects of global warming.

The security of the nation is critical to the safety of every American. Barack Obama believes the Al Qaida is stronger now than it was in 2001 when it performed devastating terrorist attacks against the United States. He believes the military must be expanded and therefore colleges need to allow recruiters on campus. Obama believes the most important strategic issue is where to send the troops and how to fund them. He also believes that no torture should ever be used.

John McCain is a veteran of war and says that he hates war. He believes it is important for the president to have military experience so he knows the great sacrifices that come with war. McCain was rated zero percent by SANE signaling a pro military voting record. John says that Bush and Clinton both missed opportunities to capture Osama Bin Laden. He does credit George Bush for not allowing any more large-scale terrorist attacks. John believes military spending is out of control and has found over three and a half million dollars of wasteful spending.

A social issue the two presidential candidates have differing opinions on is abortion. Barack Obama believes it is acceptable to abort partially born babies. He has voted no on a partial birth ban. Obama stated, "We should trust women on the decisions regarding partial birth." He also believes that it is acceptable for minors to cross state borders to have abortions. Barack was rated one hundred percent pro-choice by NARAL.

John McCain voted yes on banning partial birth abortions. John is not tolerable of abortions in general and thinks they should only be used after a rape. McCain has opposed grants funding abortion organizations. John sees adoption and foster care as choices that are more sensible for the woman.

In conclusion, many of these issues are important to the future of this country. The two presidential candidates share the same opinion on some issues, but have very different opinions on others. Regardless of who wins the upcoming election, the president will have a major influence on the future of this country.

Essays / Need help choosing topic for Sociology paper [3]

We watched a video in class called "the invisible children" which told about the project named the invisible children to help the oppressed children in Africa. We have to write a paper about it, but I have no idea what to write about. It is a very broad topic and its hard to decide what to write about. thanks in advance for any help.

Writing Feedback / Invisible Children (sociology essay) [2]

please give feedback checking for technical errors and for the content. Thanks

The Invisible Children

Oppression is an understatement when considering the treatment of the children in Uganda. For over twenty years, these children have been in fear of being kidnapped or killed. Many who were kidnapped were forced to kill their parents as an initiation and kill other children to set examples. These atrocities went almost unnoticed until recently when a group, known as the invisible children, made their story heard. With the help of their documentary, programs and national events, the invisible children have helped save the children of Uganda.

How It All Started

Joseph Kony is one of the most notorious terrorists in the world. Joseph was first associated with an organization known as The Holy Spirit Movement. The Holy Spirit Movement was a Christian-based group that wanted the government of Uganda to become a theocracy based on Christianity. The group was led by Alice Auma. The group faded out due to insufficient military backing. As The Holy Spirit Movement fell apart, Joseph Kony formed a more dangerous group called The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). In its fight to bring a "Christian" theocracy to the country of Uganda, the LRA has demonstrated many unchristian-like characteristics. For instance, the LRA has taken over 20,000 kids from their homes since 1987. Many of the kidnapped children make up the military of the LRA. The pretty, young girls who are kidnapped are made into wives of the LRA's men. The children of Uganda had to hide out at night in order to escape the wrath of the LRA.

These children, who have seen disastrous conditions, are the reason the group, The Invisible Children was started. Three young men, in search of an interesting story, went to Africa. What they found was a story larger than they had ever expected. They found the children of Uganda and were shocked by their stories. Initially they showed the video to their friends and family, but as more people saw it, more people wanted to get involved. They have now made it their duty to make sure that people are aware of what is going on in Uganda.

The Documentary: Informing America

The first step they took toward informing America about the crisis in Uganda was making their documentary public. In their video, they captured graphic images that would make the viewer feel uncomfortable. In the documentary, one of the young men said that by making people feel uncomfortable, you are making them think about the cause of their discomfort. They recorded the stories of a few young boys who were hiding from the LRA. One of the young boys told about how is brother was killed by the LRA. The graphic images and tragic stories were enough to affect the emotions of anyone. Through this video, they made America well aware of the horrific conditions in Uganda.

In order to get more people involved, Invisible Children has helped set up screenings. During these screenings, people who are interested in helping spread the word show the documentary to their peers and colleagues. A list of all the screenings taking place is kept on Invisible Children's website. As many as twenty screenings are scheduled for each day, and that number only represents the screenings reported to the group. Some students have even started clubs at school by showing the documentary and then taking action. Through showing more people their documentary, Invisible Children is able to raise more money for the children in Uganda.

Programs for the Children

One of the programs Invisible Children created is the Bracelet Campaign. The Bracelet Campaign is a program that is beneficial to both the makers of the bracelets and the children of Uganda. The people responsible for making the bracelets are poverty stricken Ugandians chosen by Invisible Children. Invisible Children uses donations to pay these people for making the bracelets and then sells them in the United States. All of the profits made in the United States go back to the children of Uganda. Each person who is involved in making the bracelets produces sixty to eighty bracelets each year. Invisible Children also gives the producers a course called Savings and Investment Training Initiative, which is designed to help them avoid going back into poverty.

Another program Invisible Children has developed to benefit the children of Uganda is Schools for Schools. Invisible Children realized the school systems in Northern Uganda did not provide a good learning environment for the children to learn in. The Schools for Schools program was developed because Invisible Children wanted to help build a foundation for the future of Uganda and schools are the place where that is done. The program functions by having international schools sign up to help raise funds. This money then goes directly to schools in North Uganda. The first time the Schools for Schools project was completed, 582 schools participated, raising over 1.6 million dollars. The next time it was done, an additional 1.5 million dollars was raised. The third round of the project began in September and is still in progress.

The Visible Child Scholarship Program is another program developed by Invisible Children to help the children of Uganda. This program aligns chosen students with a mentor whom they meet with monthly. The mentor's main task is to ensure the child is learning and staying up with their course work. The mentors are put through extensive training before they are assigned their students. Each mentor works with approximately thirty students. The program has also sent four children to Universities in Uganda to pursue a bachelor's degree. The mentors continue working with these students as well as the ones completing secondary school.

Taking a Stand as a Nation

Invisible Children's first national event was the Global Night Commute. On April 26, 2006, over 80,000 people walked to their city centers in 126 cities and slept in the streets. The purpose of this event was to call immediate attention to the night commuting that thousands of Ugandian children did on a nightly basis. The event was highly successful and was a large reason why night commuting stopped in Uganda.

Invisible Children's more recent national event, Displace Me, gathered sixty-eight thousand people in fifteen cities. In April 2007, these people left their homes for one night to make a stand for those who have left their homes indefinitely to seek a safe place away from the war. Storytelling was used to make the people involved feel as if they were part of the tragedy. This event was recognized by the government and the media. In response to the event, The US State Department named Tim Shortly the Senior Advisor on the Conflict in Africa. His first task was to help bring peace in Uganda.

A Brighter Future

The work of Invisible Children has already made a huge impact on the people of Uganda. Because of Invisible Children, kids can stay with their families and not have to worry about commuting at night. Peace talks between Uganda and the LRA have increased and many believe an end to the war is in sight. Thanks to programs such as Schools for Schools and Visible Children Scholarships, children of Uganda are finally beginning to get the education that they need. It is unimaginable that all these great things came from three young men's desire to find a story in Africa.