I started to conduct reasearch at this point I'm just trying to figure out the exact angle for my proposal. I am really interested in perinatal healthcare in this country. I did a few general searches in the library and I'm gonna review them this weekend and hopefully get some additional points of interest. This is gonna be due before I relize and I dont wanna fall behind. Hopefully i wont have to change my topic or anything crazy like that. Wish me luck!
Nordia
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Better late than never?
I have never experienced such a severe cause of writer's block and lack of initiative. take it from me its a dangerous combination. Whatever the reasoning being under the influence of those two forces can prove detrimental to your success !!!! But i think I overcame =+)
Nordia Matthews
Eng 102-
Professor Jolly
March 18, 2008
Seven to 20 Million:
The Misrepresentation of Today’s Immigrant
One of the most important issue politicians faced on the campaign trail this year is immigration. The republican and democratic parties are at a standstill, and seem unwilling to compromise in order to reach a humane and feasible solution to this rapidly spreading concern. In actuality, the U.S. immigration system has been flawed for a very long time, but mainly politicians and the media’s representation have driven the recent shift in the attitudes and awareness of Americans (Jacoby). In order to make the decision that is most beneficial to our economy and to our continued cultural growth, voters could definitely use an immigration refresher course. In Honest Admission by Virginia Postrel, California Governor Pete Wilson, a symbol of anti immigrant sentiment, spoke of his Irish grandmother who toiled and sacrifice so that he may live the “American Dream”. Wilson states that, “There’s a right way to come to America and a wrong way,” while failing to mention that the “right way” of his Irish grandmother has since become buried under mountains of bureaucratic red tape (Postrel 4-5).
Pete Wilson along with many other politicians play off the ignorance of voters by suggesting that today’s immigrants have the same avenues available to them as his hard working Irish grandmother but chose to willfully flout the law. In the early 1900’s any able-bodied adult not of Chinese decent could come to America by means of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, literacy was not required until 1917 (Greenblatt). In 1924 Congress passed a permanent quota act that in support of the notion “that immigration policy should shift from “an individualistic basis to one based on “racial characteristics”” (qtd. in Postrel). Rather than evaluating each immigrant to access their threat to public health, the U.S. would lump immigrants by ethnic groups. Anti-immigrant sentiments during this period were more toward the Jews, Poles, and Italians and the U.S. had no numerical cap on the number of immigrants entering from the southern border until 1965.
Unfortunately, the racist undertones of American immigration policy were by no means reserved for the Hispanic immigrants alone. As illustrated by the response to the rush of Italian and Irish immigrants in 1880, “There is a limit to our powers of assimilation, and when it is exceeded the country suffers from something like indigestion.” (Greenblatt). Throughout the early 1900’s Congress established a quota system based on national origin, in response to the nation’s concerns about the changing ethnic makeup. In 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act retained a basic quota system that favored immigrants from Northern Europe. Despite their best efforts, the number of immigrants continued to grow especially the number of illegal immigrants. In the mid 1980’s The Immigration and Reform Act was passed which granted amnesty to all undocumented residents living in the U.S. before 1982. This bill was also the first to impose fines on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers (Greenblatt).
The Unites States has a history of anti-immigrant movements that usually erupts because of an increase in immigration or some type of economic downturn, such as a recession. The resent wave of anti-immigration sentiment began after the attack on September 11, 2001 (Judis). Americans continue to fear for the over all resilience of the nation and that the open borders are a possibly gateway to terrorist and anti-immigration forces persist in using this as a reason for tighter border security. According to Judis, Arizona Minutemen have insisted that Muslims are disguising themselves as Mexicans in order to enter the U.S. illegally. In the wake of September 11, any connection to terrorism, real or imagined, was not taken lightly by the American people and the naysayer stroked the fears of porous borders and unwanted intruders entering the United States through the southern borders. Despite the fact that all immigrants involved in the terrorist attacks had entered the country legally (Editorial), legal and illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America was believed to be the underlying cause of the country’s decline, “by undermining its national identity and racial stock” (Judis).
All around the country the furor has changed from general illegal immigration, to Latino migration, legal or illegal. Advocates for aggressive immigration reform have played on the fears of the uninformed and are attempting to convert additional voters. John Judis reports on a 2003 Hamilton college survey that opponents of immigration are concentrated among white males, without high school diplomas, living in rural towns. This results from the high dropout rate of American high school men in the 1960’s (Jacoby 06). Many of these citizens are employed at the lower rungs of blue and white-collar jobs and feel most susceptible to job loss in times of economic downturns. This group also feels most threatened by the possibility of less expensive labor presented by illegal immigrants (Judis). Even in cities where the immigrant population was practically nonexistent, immigration is still a major concern. However, Tamar Jacoby reports in Foreign Affairs that masonry and drywall employers have difficulty finding enough young American employees. This leads to a shortage of unskilled workers, which is supplemented by immigrant workers. Studies have shown that the American population is not growing to meet labor demands and even if older Americans were willing to shoulder the responsibility, America would still need to look elsewhere for additional unskilled labors (Jacoby). Instead of fighting immigration like a contagious virus, policymakers should try to legalize the influx of immigrants to meet the demands of labor.
A common misconception about immigrants is that they are a complete drain in the economy and America does not benefit in any way their presence. Many people believe that because they are usually poor or unskilled, their monetary contributions will be significantly less, than that of native-born workers. Contrary to that belief, immigrant workers contributions are comparable to those of native-born workers in similar situations (Jacoby). Immigrants, even those here illegally, pay sales and property taxes that contribute to their children’s education. Many migrant workers pay federal taxes, and an estimated two-thirds of illegal immigrants have income tax withheld from their paychecks. The Social Security Administration collects over $7 billion dollars per year that is unclaimed. Many people believe that this is a result of unauthorized workers (Jacoby). Over the past decade, immigrant workers filled one third of North Carolina’s new jobs. According to Jacoby, they were responsible for $9.2 billion in consumer spending and contributed a total growth dividend of $11 billion dollars; in retrospect, the immigrants cost the state $61 million in taxes and services rendered. Immigration is more beneficial to our economy that many people believe or are willing to admit and the effects of mass deportation may be more detrimental than previously believed.
There are countless proposal that have been submitted by various levels of government all dealing with the hot topic of immigration and how to properly control the flow. Congress has tried to consider legislation that is more lenient in an attempt to mediate this tough issue but any proposal that offers aides to illegal immigrants has failed to gain any substantial support. Many states have implemented policies to combat illegal immigration within their borders; in response to what they feel has been a lack of initiative on the part of the federal government. However, this has raised the issue of the constitutionality of some policies that have been implemented. One such initiative that has civil liberties unions up in arms is ICE (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ACESS, which gives local officers the authority to enforce immigration law. One main reason for opposition to this initiative is the fact that immigration enforcement is a federal issue and individual state officer may unknowingly trample the rights of illegal immigrants. Protestors of the ICE ACESS initiative feel that it may be used to harass immigrants and leave foreign-born residents open to racial profiling (Doran). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a lawsuit against the ICE enterprise for violating civil liberties; they claim that ICE raids have resulted in the deportation of several American citizens as well as violating the rights of countless other residents (ACLU). A blatant example of the imperfection with such immigration enforcement occurred in Mesa, AZ. A police officer pulled over a Mexican citizen for illegally backing up, during the stop, the officer decided that Mr. Morales’ license was falsified and he did not have the correct proof of insurance. The officer confiscated the vehicle and arranged for a tow truck. He left Mr. Morales on the side of the road with his wife and two other female passengers without ensuring they had a ride. It was later determined that the Mexican citizen had provided the officer with current and legal identification, the officer received a written reprimand (AZ Republic). Policies such as ICE ACESS open the doorway to racial profiling which violates the rights of every Mexican American.
Legislative bodies in various states are already considering implementing bills modeled after the anti-immigrant approaches taken elsewhere. Many people are worried that this will lead to inconsistencies in the state laws and result in areas that are more lenient and immigrant friendly. Immigration is a national problem and it requires a uniform national solution that can be provided by the federal government. One thing all parties can agree on is that the system needs to be fixed, but America is a nation founded and sustained by immigrants and most citizens are still very proud of that fact. However, definite steps need to be taken to regulate the flow of immigration into the U.S. but there also has to be a plan implemented to address the immigrants already living and working in this country. Depending on which source you choose to believe the number of undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S. range from 12 million (Greenblatt) to 20 million (Kreisher), and a viable solution to this issue has to address this issue. I do not believe that everyone should be granted amnesty just because they were able to enter the U.S. but I strongly disagree that blanket deportation is the answer. In 1954, the U.S. attempted a mass deportation of over 1 million undocumented Mexican workers as the solution to overwhelming migration (Greenblatt) virtually to no avail. Immigration opponents maintain that stricter Border Patrol, and enforcing harsher laws is the only solution but despites efforts in those area, roughly the same number of immigrants manage to enter the country. America’s immigration policies require a total overhaul; the best way to regain control is to liberalize many of the policies in effect. One important area that needs to be addressed, but is the most controversial is providing an avenue to legality for the millions already living here. While many argue that this is rewarding illegal activity, it would be virtually impossible to deport all the undocumented immigrants in this country without entering a state akin to marshal law. The only practical solution is to provide these undocumented workers with a path to citizenship. California Gov. Pete Wilson is proud to admit that he is the descendant of an Irish immigrant, but if the policies under consideration today had been in place when his grandmother immigrated where would Pete Wilson be?
Nordia Matthews
Eng 102-
Professor Jolly
March 18, 2008
Seven to 20 Million:
The Misrepresentation of Today’s Immigrant
One of the most important issue politicians faced on the campaign trail this year is immigration. The republican and democratic parties are at a standstill, and seem unwilling to compromise in order to reach a humane and feasible solution to this rapidly spreading concern. In actuality, the U.S. immigration system has been flawed for a very long time, but mainly politicians and the media’s representation have driven the recent shift in the attitudes and awareness of Americans (Jacoby). In order to make the decision that is most beneficial to our economy and to our continued cultural growth, voters could definitely use an immigration refresher course. In Honest Admission by Virginia Postrel, California Governor Pete Wilson, a symbol of anti immigrant sentiment, spoke of his Irish grandmother who toiled and sacrifice so that he may live the “American Dream”. Wilson states that, “There’s a right way to come to America and a wrong way,” while failing to mention that the “right way” of his Irish grandmother has since become buried under mountains of bureaucratic red tape (Postrel 4-5).
Pete Wilson along with many other politicians play off the ignorance of voters by suggesting that today’s immigrants have the same avenues available to them as his hard working Irish grandmother but chose to willfully flout the law. In the early 1900’s any able-bodied adult not of Chinese decent could come to America by means of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, literacy was not required until 1917 (Greenblatt). In 1924 Congress passed a permanent quota act that in support of the notion “that immigration policy should shift from “an individualistic basis to one based on “racial characteristics”” (qtd. in Postrel). Rather than evaluating each immigrant to access their threat to public health, the U.S. would lump immigrants by ethnic groups. Anti-immigrant sentiments during this period were more toward the Jews, Poles, and Italians and the U.S. had no numerical cap on the number of immigrants entering from the southern border until 1965.
Unfortunately, the racist undertones of American immigration policy were by no means reserved for the Hispanic immigrants alone. As illustrated by the response to the rush of Italian and Irish immigrants in 1880, “There is a limit to our powers of assimilation, and when it is exceeded the country suffers from something like indigestion.” (Greenblatt). Throughout the early 1900’s Congress established a quota system based on national origin, in response to the nation’s concerns about the changing ethnic makeup. In 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act retained a basic quota system that favored immigrants from Northern Europe. Despite their best efforts, the number of immigrants continued to grow especially the number of illegal immigrants. In the mid 1980’s The Immigration and Reform Act was passed which granted amnesty to all undocumented residents living in the U.S. before 1982. This bill was also the first to impose fines on employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers (Greenblatt).
The Unites States has a history of anti-immigrant movements that usually erupts because of an increase in immigration or some type of economic downturn, such as a recession. The resent wave of anti-immigration sentiment began after the attack on September 11, 2001 (Judis). Americans continue to fear for the over all resilience of the nation and that the open borders are a possibly gateway to terrorist and anti-immigration forces persist in using this as a reason for tighter border security. According to Judis, Arizona Minutemen have insisted that Muslims are disguising themselves as Mexicans in order to enter the U.S. illegally. In the wake of September 11, any connection to terrorism, real or imagined, was not taken lightly by the American people and the naysayer stroked the fears of porous borders and unwanted intruders entering the United States through the southern borders. Despite the fact that all immigrants involved in the terrorist attacks had entered the country legally (Editorial), legal and illegal immigration from Mexico and Central America was believed to be the underlying cause of the country’s decline, “by undermining its national identity and racial stock” (Judis).
All around the country the furor has changed from general illegal immigration, to Latino migration, legal or illegal. Advocates for aggressive immigration reform have played on the fears of the uninformed and are attempting to convert additional voters. John Judis reports on a 2003 Hamilton college survey that opponents of immigration are concentrated among white males, without high school diplomas, living in rural towns. This results from the high dropout rate of American high school men in the 1960’s (Jacoby 06). Many of these citizens are employed at the lower rungs of blue and white-collar jobs and feel most susceptible to job loss in times of economic downturns. This group also feels most threatened by the possibility of less expensive labor presented by illegal immigrants (Judis). Even in cities where the immigrant population was practically nonexistent, immigration is still a major concern. However, Tamar Jacoby reports in Foreign Affairs that masonry and drywall employers have difficulty finding enough young American employees. This leads to a shortage of unskilled workers, which is supplemented by immigrant workers. Studies have shown that the American population is not growing to meet labor demands and even if older Americans were willing to shoulder the responsibility, America would still need to look elsewhere for additional unskilled labors (Jacoby). Instead of fighting immigration like a contagious virus, policymakers should try to legalize the influx of immigrants to meet the demands of labor.
A common misconception about immigrants is that they are a complete drain in the economy and America does not benefit in any way their presence. Many people believe that because they are usually poor or unskilled, their monetary contributions will be significantly less, than that of native-born workers. Contrary to that belief, immigrant workers contributions are comparable to those of native-born workers in similar situations (Jacoby). Immigrants, even those here illegally, pay sales and property taxes that contribute to their children’s education. Many migrant workers pay federal taxes, and an estimated two-thirds of illegal immigrants have income tax withheld from their paychecks. The Social Security Administration collects over $7 billion dollars per year that is unclaimed. Many people believe that this is a result of unauthorized workers (Jacoby). Over the past decade, immigrant workers filled one third of North Carolina’s new jobs. According to Jacoby, they were responsible for $9.2 billion in consumer spending and contributed a total growth dividend of $11 billion dollars; in retrospect, the immigrants cost the state $61 million in taxes and services rendered. Immigration is more beneficial to our economy that many people believe or are willing to admit and the effects of mass deportation may be more detrimental than previously believed.
There are countless proposal that have been submitted by various levels of government all dealing with the hot topic of immigration and how to properly control the flow. Congress has tried to consider legislation that is more lenient in an attempt to mediate this tough issue but any proposal that offers aides to illegal immigrants has failed to gain any substantial support. Many states have implemented policies to combat illegal immigration within their borders; in response to what they feel has been a lack of initiative on the part of the federal government. However, this has raised the issue of the constitutionality of some policies that have been implemented. One such initiative that has civil liberties unions up in arms is ICE (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ACESS, which gives local officers the authority to enforce immigration law. One main reason for opposition to this initiative is the fact that immigration enforcement is a federal issue and individual state officer may unknowingly trample the rights of illegal immigrants. Protestors of the ICE ACESS initiative feel that it may be used to harass immigrants and leave foreign-born residents open to racial profiling (Doran). The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a lawsuit against the ICE enterprise for violating civil liberties; they claim that ICE raids have resulted in the deportation of several American citizens as well as violating the rights of countless other residents (ACLU). A blatant example of the imperfection with such immigration enforcement occurred in Mesa, AZ. A police officer pulled over a Mexican citizen for illegally backing up, during the stop, the officer decided that Mr. Morales’ license was falsified and he did not have the correct proof of insurance. The officer confiscated the vehicle and arranged for a tow truck. He left Mr. Morales on the side of the road with his wife and two other female passengers without ensuring they had a ride. It was later determined that the Mexican citizen had provided the officer with current and legal identification, the officer received a written reprimand (AZ Republic). Policies such as ICE ACESS open the doorway to racial profiling which violates the rights of every Mexican American.
Legislative bodies in various states are already considering implementing bills modeled after the anti-immigrant approaches taken elsewhere. Many people are worried that this will lead to inconsistencies in the state laws and result in areas that are more lenient and immigrant friendly. Immigration is a national problem and it requires a uniform national solution that can be provided by the federal government. One thing all parties can agree on is that the system needs to be fixed, but America is a nation founded and sustained by immigrants and most citizens are still very proud of that fact. However, definite steps need to be taken to regulate the flow of immigration into the U.S. but there also has to be a plan implemented to address the immigrants already living and working in this country. Depending on which source you choose to believe the number of undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S. range from 12 million (Greenblatt) to 20 million (Kreisher), and a viable solution to this issue has to address this issue. I do not believe that everyone should be granted amnesty just because they were able to enter the U.S. but I strongly disagree that blanket deportation is the answer. In 1954, the U.S. attempted a mass deportation of over 1 million undocumented Mexican workers as the solution to overwhelming migration (Greenblatt) virtually to no avail. Immigration opponents maintain that stricter Border Patrol, and enforcing harsher laws is the only solution but despites efforts in those area, roughly the same number of immigrants manage to enter the country. America’s immigration policies require a total overhaul; the best way to regain control is to liberalize many of the policies in effect. One important area that needs to be addressed, but is the most controversial is providing an avenue to legality for the millions already living here. While many argue that this is rewarding illegal activity, it would be virtually impossible to deport all the undocumented immigrants in this country without entering a state akin to marshal law. The only practical solution is to provide these undocumented workers with a path to citizenship. California Gov. Pete Wilson is proud to admit that he is the descendant of an Irish immigrant, but if the policies under consideration today had been in place when his grandmother immigrated where would Pete Wilson be?
Monday, February 11, 2008
Letter to the Editor
| This is my letter and the analysis follows. I hope everything posts ok, im a little computer illiterate. ;-) February 5, 2008 You Tell Us Parenting 135 West 50th Street New York, NY 10020 RE: "My Kids Were Fat" Dear Editor, I am writing in response to the exceptional article “My Kids Were Fat” published in September 2007 issue of Parenting magazine. This article sheds light on childhood obesity, an issue shrouded in mystery that has seen a steady increase in numbers recently. Although I am not yet a parent, in my studies as a nursing student, I have become aware of the dangers children can face in latter years if they are not taught proper nutritional practices from an early age. It is essential for parents to equip their children with the tools necessary to live happy well-adjusted lives and nutrition is no exception. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity related complications kills almost as many people every year as tobacco, would you encourage your children to smoke. Thank you, Nordia Matthews Phoenix, AZ And the analysis .... Bomp, bomp, bompppppp!!!!!!! Nordia Matthews Professor Jolly Eng 102 Sec1580 February 6, 2008 Analysis When I originally received this assignment, I was a bit unsure of exactly how to proceed. I started researching various publications and opted for an article out of a parenting magazine. I reviewed several issues of the magazine and noticed that most of the letters published were from parents in response to advise provided. I also noticed that both negative and positive responses were printed and the letters were of varying length. This presented a particularly difficult situation of establishing my credential without any personal experience as a parent to validate my position. I also had many important points I wanted to elaborate on but the length constraints of the letter prevented me from doing so. Initially I wanted to let the reader know the exact article to which I was referring, in order to establish a point of reference. I felt this was also an important place to state my position on the article and used words like “exceptional” to convey the depth of my feeling. I thought that many of the articles in the magazine provided farfetched suggestions and unrealistic ideals for modern parents to follow, but the obesity article was a definite exception. I wanted to imply this difference without wasting valuable space detailing my feelings about the other articles published. Once I had selected the publication, I knew that my inability to relate as a parent would make it more difficult to convey my information and opinions without alienating the majority of the readers. However, the magazine seemed inclined to print a variety of articles so I felt that addressed the right way, my parental status may be advantageous to getting my letter printed. I had to establish my position without appearing condescending or judgmental, which would be hard to accomplish without personal stories to back it up. I chose instead to address the medical aspect of the issue and used my position as a nursing student to help provide credibility. I made a point stating that problems that can result from improper nutritional habits in hopes of awakening the protective nature of most parents. I wanted to stress the lifelong effects of proper nutrition without focusing on anything particularly alienating, I used words like “happy” and “well-adjusted” to portray the potential results of proper nutritional practices. Another point I wanted to stress the lack of awareness on this issue. I knew that diction was probably my most powerful weapon because I would not have the opportunity to provide elaborate details or supporting facts. I opted for the pathetic appeal to try to provide people with a more accurate understanding of how serious this issue has become. In closing, I compared the statistics of obesity-based deaths, a relatively unknown or disregarded condition, with the more familiar statistics of tobacco related deaths. This helped to further establish my authority on the subject as well as give parents some concrete relations. It also helped to express the severity of the issue by connecting cigarette smoking with improper nutritional habits. I found it very challenging to express my position definitively due to the extreme constraints on length. Most of the letters printed were under a hundred words and I constantly revised in an attempt to convey as much passion and information as possible in the least amount of words. I also had to ensure that the tone of the letter was not offensive to potential readers who may be facing this battle in real life, especially writing from the perspective of some one who is not a parent. I hope, after reading the letter parents will want to learn more about teaching their children healthy eating habits and ways to combat childhood obesity. |
Monday, January 28, 2008
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