Tax Dollars Should Fund Religious Schools Essay - 640 Words

Tax Dollars Should Fund Religious Schools The issue of whether or not to use tax dollars to provide private schools with vouchers has been controversial for many years now. Many people feel that it is our governments obligation to provide private institutions with the proper funds, while others believe that if private schools inherit our tax dollars then it is violation of our constitution as it promotes a particular religion. I think it is our governments responsibility to provide each and every school with tax dollars, regardless of its orientation. Many reasons, especially popularity and success rates provide substantial evidence that private schools should be funded by government vouchers. The main concern of those who†¦show more content†¦In addition there is no evidence supporting that it is unconstitutional to involve the state with religion or that anyone was coerced into practicing religion. The Supreme Court ruled in Everson vs. Board of Education that the taxes that would be spent would be for a public purpose; that being educating children. That is the purpose of our government to provide education to our children. In the Supreme Court case Mitchell vs. Helms the court ruled that taxpayers money can be used to provide certain materials for religious schools. So obviously it is not unconstitutional to fund private schools if they already decided to give materials to these schools. Therefore there is no evidence supporting the fact that the publics taxes should not go to private schools. Our job as a community and a society is to provide children with education. It should not matter what school these students choose to attend, we should still provide them with the opportunity to learn. As stated in USA Today, 47% of school-age students would use private schools if they had the right resources. Students should be able to decide where they want to get their education. The more a student likes their environment, the more apt they are to learning. We should not deprive them of learning in any form. By not funding these schools we are in fact then depriving the students. According to the Wall Street Journal, voucher students are more likely to stay in school, learn more,Show MoreRelatedEssay on No Tax Dollars for Religious Education661 Words   |  3 PagesNo Tax Dollars for Religious Education Tax dollars are your money at work.   Do you want your money to go to fund private religious schools?   Tax dollars should not fund religious education because it is a violation of the separation of church and state clause of the first amendment to the constitution. 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And yet our government has been continuously denying us one very important freedom that all in America should have, the freedom of school choice. You would think that more people would be concerned with this infringement upon humanRead MoreThe Government Is Subsidizing What Robert Reich Has A `` Plutocratic Bias ``934 Words   |  4 Pagescharitable sector at a steep cost to the national treasury. This is in large part because the charitable tax deduction, which serves as the charitable sector’s primary financing mechanism, creates tax incentive structures for d onors that are steeply regressive. In 2012, tax subsidies to the charitable sector cost the government more than $50 billion in lost tax revenue. 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The y left their homes, families, and lives behind to seek freedom from religious constraintsRead MoreThe Democratic National Party vs. the Republican National Party1131 Words   |  5 PagesOn the issue of tax relief, the Republicans called for more tax breaks than did the Democratic party. The Democrats called for â€Å"a research and development tax credit; a low income housing tax credit; [and] a long term capital gains proposal for new businesses and business expansions†(â€Å"First Presidential Debate, 1992†). The Republican party went much further. In the first presidential debate on October 11, 1992, Bush called for a capital gains cut, and investment allowance, and a tax break for first-time

A movie Review about Do the Right Thing Free Essays

The film Do the Right Thing was a story of the neighborhood of Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, New York. In this mostly African-American neighborhood, everything seemed to be peaceful at the beginning of the hottest day of the year. The Italian-Americans that owned Sal’s Famous Pizzeria opened the restaurant, Mookie, the African-American delivery boy for Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, reported for work, and the rest of the neighborhood went about their daily business. We will write a custom essay sample on A movie Review about Do the Right Thing or any similar topic only for you Order Now Toward the middle of the day, Buggin Out, one of Mookie’s friends, tried to get a boycott of Sal’s pizzeria organized because there were no pictures of African-Americans on Sal’s â€Å"Wall of Fame.† No one wanted to be a part of it, because they all loved Sal’s Famous Pizzeria. By the time night fell and the pizzeria was about to close for the night, Buggin Out got Radio Raheem to join in the boycott. After a fight started when Sal busted Radio Raheem’s boom box, the entire neighborhood got involved. When the police showed up, Mookie’s friend was arrested, and, as the police were trying to subdue Radio Raheem, they accidentally strangled him to death. The police put Radio Raheem’s body in the back of the police car and left.   This act of violence made the neighborhood react violently toward Sal, who had nothing to do with how the police treated Radio Raheem. Mookie was the first to throw a trash can through a window of the pizzeria. After that, people from the neighborhood stormed the restaurant, stealing the money, breaking everything inside before finally setting the pizzeria ablaze. Sal’s Famous Pizzeria was gone. The heat outside was a metaphor for the tensions that arose in the neighborhood.   As the weather got hotter, the tension mounted. As people became agitated because of the heat, they also became agitated because of the underlying racial conflicts that seemed to infiltrate the neighborhood.   When the heat rose to its hottest point, the tension boiled over, resulting in the death of Radio Raheem and the riot at Sal’s Famous Pizzeria. For example, at about the mid-point of the day, Da Mayor is confronted by a group of neighborhood teenagers.   The teenagers ask Da Mayor why he gets to be the â€Å"mayor† and that he walks up and down the block like he owns it.   They resort to calling him a fossil and a bum.   Da Mayor replies that until they know how it feels not to be able to feed their families, they do not know him, or anything at all.   From this scene, the tension got worse as the day got longer, resulting in the riot. The heat was palpable; it was an entity that slowed the characters down and each were forced to overcome it.   This entity was akin to a demon.   It interfered with each person’s conscience and forced each individual to make rash decisions. In essence, the heat made the characters act out in the violent way that they did.   If it were not for the extreme heat, perhaps the decisions would have been different, and the riot could have been avoided. Several people â€Å"do the right thing† throughout the film.   For example, Da Mayor does the right thing when he pushed the little boy out of the way of a speeding car, saving his life. Mookie does the right thing when he escorts Buggin Out out of Sal’s Famous Pizzeria when he started to get belligerent. Sal does the right thing when, even though Mookie started the riot, he pays Mookie what he owes him for his work the previous night. However, in the events leading up to and during the riot, no one does the right thing.   Sal broke the boom box, which resulted in him being attacked and Mookie threw the trash can through a window of the pizzeria, which resulted in a riot. In view of the bigger picture, Sal’s pizzeria still burned down, Mookie is still out of a job, and the entire neighborhood is a little worse for wear. Just because a couple of people did the right thing throughout the day does not mean that everything should be forgiven.   The tension, like the heat, infected everyone like a sickness. People were already belligerent from the heat, and the accumulation of the day’s events added fuel to the fire. The riot turned into a race war.   In the end, no one won. There was still a loss felt, for both Radio Raheem, who died at the hands of the police, and for a long-time member of the neighborhood, Sal’s pizzeria. How to cite A movie Review about Do the Right Thing, Papers

England and Northern Ireland History free essay sample

Catherine Ann Taylor Comparative Politics spring 2013 The Relationship between the English and Northern Irish in the Context of In the Name of the Father The intertwined and complex history of England and Ireland dates back to the 12th century, when English barons seized Irish lands. This continued until the 1300s, at which point most of the land in Ireland was owned by English. Loyalty to England weakened when the Englishmen began identifying more in Ireland. In 1534, Henry VIII took control of Ireland. When he became king of Ireland in 1541, he created new laws that increased English control over Ireland (Northern Ireland Timeline). Queen Elizabeth I attempted to assert English authority over Ireland by outlawing Catholic services, which only made Catholics protest more strongly against British rule (Northern Ireland Timeline). Conflict between England and Northern Ireland can be traced back to the 1600s, when the English squelched a number of rebellions by the Irish. (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen) A large portion of Ireland, especially Northern Ireland, was then colonized by Scottish and English Protestants (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen). In 1649, Oliver Cromwell led an army to Ireland to stop Irish revolts against British rule. Cromwell, who was in favor of Protestantism, established several anti-Catholic laws that stripped them of many political rights. In 1688, the British invited William of Orange to be king of England and Scotland, causing King James II of England to flee to Ireland. Williams army defeated that of James in the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 (Northern Ireland Timeline). During the 1800s the northern and southern Ireland grew further apart due to economic differences. The standard of living in the north elevated with the rise of industry and manufacturing . The south had unequal distribution of land and resources, as Anglican Protestants owned the ajority of the land. This resulted in a lower standard of living for the large Catholic population (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen). Northern Ireland did not gain political separation from the rest of Ireland until the early portion of the 20th century, when the issue of home rule divided Protestants and Catholics into two conflicting camps. The majority of Irish Catholics wanted complete independence from Britain, but Irish Protestants did not, as they feared that their interests would be realized in a country with a Catholic majority rule (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen). In the early twentieth entury there was a long period of guerilla warfare between the nationalist Irish Republican Army (IRA) and British military forces (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen). In 1920, Britain passed the Government of Ireland Act, which divided Ireland into two separate political entities that each possessed some qualities of self-government. Dorney) One entity with twenty-six counties was known as the Irish Free State, and was somewhat independent. The other entity remained part of the United Kingdom. the United Kingdom and Republicanists, who wanted Ireland to have complete independence (Northern Ireland Timeline). There was also a divide along religious lines, with Ulster Protestants accepting the legislation, while Southern Catholics rej ected it, wanting complete independence as one, unified Ireland. The Irish Free State became an independent republic in 1949 (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen). In 1921, British and Irish forces arranged a treaty that would allow a considerable amount of independence to the 26 Irish counties that were then the Irish Free State. The problem with the treaty was that dissolved the Republic declared in 1918 and pledged Irish parliament members to pledge their allegiance to Britain. In addition, it the separation of Northern and Southern Ireland, which was previously established with the 1920 Government of Ireland Act (Dorney). Most violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants had come to a halt after the 1921 Agreement until the 1960s, when bloody riots broke out in Londonderry in 1968, and again in Londonderry and Belfast in 1969. Even with British troops brought in to restore and maintain order, the clashes worsened as the IRA and Protestant paramilitary groups carried out bombings and other acts of terrorism. This continuing conflict went on nto the 1990s, and became known as the Troubles. Even with the action taken to resolve to the conflict in the 1970s and 80s, terrorist violence was still a problem in the early 1990s, as British troops remained in full force. Over 3,000 people died as a result of the strife in Northern Ireland. (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen). These bombings occurred at the zenith of the Northern Ireland Troubles, when an average of almost one person a day was being killed. There was a disturbing implication of anti-lrish bias in the British Judicial system in bringing these ca ses of violence to justice in British courts. This bias was felt in Irish communities and the legal system there, and it eroded British civil liberties and the concept of British fair play. The integrity of British institutions took a toll. There was a ripple effect into British life of other aspects of Irish violence (Bell, 768-769). An enduring and unpleasant pattern began in the seventies involving IRA bombings and terrorist scares in Britain. Three different sets of suspects were arrested, tried and convicted in such a way that signified to many people that British Justice was adapting to work intensely against Irish favor. Bew and Gillespie). This makes sense, as there was extreme pressure on the police to find the IRA bombers who had brought their terrorism from Ireland to mainland Britain (Bell, 768-769). One of the most vivid displays of violence in the Irish psyche was the bombing of a Guildford pub in 1974 by the IRA. Ptes Jean Slater, Ann Hamilton, John Hunter and William Forsyth and another civilian were killed (and many more were injured) by a bomb that exploded in the Horse and Groom pub. Later that night, a similar bomb exploded in a Woolwich pub. Two were killed there as well (Imbornoni, Brunner, and Rowen). Weeks afterward, Gerry Conlon, Patrick Armstrong, Paul Hill and Carole Richardson, who would soon be known as the Guildford Four, were arrested and later sentenced to life in prison. Paul Hill and Patrick Armstrong were also saddled with the blame of the Woolwich bombing (Harding). Gerry Conlons father, Giuseppe Conlon, and members of the their family, who became known as the Maguire Seven, were later brought into the situation (Harding). The Maguire family was convicted of the Guildford bombings in 1976 (Bew and Gillespie). They were When Mrs. Maguire and her husband were sentenced to 14 years for handling xplosives, she was carried out of court kicking and screaming: l am innocent. My sons, my sons. The boys were also Jailed. Her brother-in-law, Giuseppe Conlon, had travelled to England to assist in the legal defense of his son Gerry, but was arrested in a local pub with Mrs. Maguires husband Patrick, her brother and a friend (Harding). Giuseppe Conlon was given 12 years. Relatives had to look after the Maguires two other children until Mrs. Maguires release in 1985 after serving her jail time (Harding). On October 17, 1989, it was announced that corruption proceedings would be taken against law enforcement officers who dealt with the onviction of the Guildford Four. Three of the Guildford Four- Gerard Conlon, Carole Richardson and Patrick Armstrong- were released on October 19 after fourteen years of Jail time. Paul Hill was kept in custody, because he was alleged to be involved in another, unresolved case. The court of appeal decided that the 1975 convictions were based on confessions that were made up by the police (Bew and Gillespie). The 1993 movie In the Name of the Father is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, with a focus on Jerry and Giuseppe Conlon the father and son pair for which the movie is named. The movie opens with Jerry accidentally starting a riot between British forces and Irish citizens along with the IRA. Giuseppe decides to send his son Jerry to England so that he can avoid the Troubles. Jerry meets his friend Paul Hill on the boat to London, and Hill takes them to live in a squatters house with several hippies. When they decide to leave several weeks later, Jerry robs a prostitute (IMDB). The bombing of the Guildford pub goes on that same night. Jerry decides to go back to Belfast. One of the hippies tells the police that Paul and Jerry are troublemakers, and several weeks later both are arrested. The British government tortures them and two other Irish people into confessing to the bombing. When they go to court, they protest that they are innocent despite signing their confession, and the evidence against them is flimsy. They go to Jail anyway, and Jerry and Giuseppe share a Jail cell. When Jerry meets Joe McAndrews in Jail, he has confessed to the bombings that Jerry is in Jail for, but the British government still wont release him (In the Name of the Father). Gareth Peirce becomes the Conlons attorney, with the hopes of proving their innocence. Giuseppe dies in prison, and Jerry continues to campaign for their vindication. Peirce seizes a special opportunity to look at their files, and finds information labeled not to be shown to the defense. She builds her case with this her newfound evidence (In the Name of the Father). When the four are brought back to court in London, the Judge reviews the evidence she presents and finds every member of the Guildford Four innocent. The Judge does not charge any of the guilty British law enforcement officers in the matter, and he does not declare Giuseppe innocent posthumously. The movie ends with Jerry vowing to clear his fathers name (IMDB). When the Guildford case collapsed, there was doubt by about the accusations gainst the Maguire family, who had been pegged as helping the wrongly accused Guildford Four construct the bombs that they, of course, had never constructed. Sir John May was appointed to inquire into the situation surrounding the Maguire family (Bew and Gillespie). not depicted in In the Name of the Father, were lumped together in history in that all of these groups had been arrested, questioned and beaten or tortured into giving confessions, according to those involved, for acts of terrorism on England that they did not commit. All of the cases were carried out with flimsy, unsustainable evidence nd circumstances. Even after the IRA indicated that the groups were innocent, not all legal parties were convinced (Bell, 768-769). When the Guildford Four case was declared unsound and the men were released, Gerry Conlons Proved Innocent: The Story of Gerry Conlon of the Guildford Four and Paul Hills Stolen Years, Before and After Guildford were published. These books put the British prison system and the West Midlands Police, who had tortured the Guildford Four, under a harsh and critical public light (Bell, 768-769). Douglas Hurd, the home secretary, said that had in the Guildford case there had been a serious iscarriage of Justice, which has resulted in wrongful imprisonment. He felt regret and deep concern (Harding). The Troubles in Ireland went on for another twenty years before dying down in the early 1990s, before flaring up again in 1996. When peace talks with the British government began again in 1997, a ceasefire went into place. The Good Friday Agreement was reached in 1998, which included provisions to make Ireland a country without the consent of Northern Ireland, and ensured all Irish basic civil a nd human rights. It also included provisions bring down the number of security forces in Northern Ireland and to begin having an unarmed police force.