Mexican Politics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Mexican Politics - Research Paper Example This country’s 2006 election was chaotic and led to months of disputing the outcomes of the elections, where riots were held all over the capital streets. There have been some deep-seated political problems that Mexico has been trying to shed off, although at a much slower pace due to its entrenched customs (Carruthers, 1996). The politics of this country are influenced by so many factors and the war against narcotics that was started by PAN government led by Filipe Calderon in 2006 when it took over leadership of the government. The narcotics war has led to serious concerns over the future of Mexican political stability and has put bear many unanswered questions. The militarization of the narcotics war has led to some political pundits arguing that Mexico could soon be classified under failed states. This label seems very disturbing and paints the country as being on the verge of collapse, which might not be the case. However, there are numerous challenges that the political platform of Mexico faces when issues of social order and political stability are considered. The political future of this Mexican state is of importance to its Northern counterparts (Manaut, 2004). A factor that has always posed challenges to those who get into analyzing the politics of Mexico is the fact that Mexican society is complex in nature and its massive geographic size, as well as demographic figures, is quite phenomenal. It has over 32 states with an estimated 112 million people and has a metropolitan area that hosts over 21 million inhabitants (Merrill & Miro, 1996). This country has over 62 indigenous languages, although Spanish is the most dominant of them all. 60% of Mexicans are Mestizos, 30 % are Amerindians, while 10% are groups of European, Asian, and others. It has a federal form of government, a system that makes it possible for it to accommodate this demographic diversity and size. Mexican politics is quite an interesting field of study (Hal, 2010).   Analysis Mexico is a country that has very sharp definitions of regionalism and these regional variations have had a serious impact on the political landscape of this country. Many observers argue that this regionalism is to blame for the civil conflicts witnessed in the past and currently being seen, and also gives this as the best explanation for Mexico fitting well in the states where an assertion of authority by the central government is necessary. This was most evident during the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas in 1990. There was also the need to suppress Yucatan during the Caste War of the 19th century. As is the case with many federal governments, Mexican states that are away from the capital city have expressed issues with the service given by the federal government and feel they have not been well served. This has led to the central government’s ineffectiveness to administer these marginalized states and some basic facilities such as schools have failed, leading to high levels of discontent (Harvey, 1994). An interesting twist to the politics of Mexico is the claim of democratic governance since independence.  Ã‚  

Kurt Vonneguts Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions Essay

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions Who would have ever thought the way a radioactive particle decays would relate to whether or not we have bad attitudes towards life? Who would have ever suspected that the structure of space-time would be so closely linked to whether or not we would marry rich wives? And who indeed would have ever expected that the properties of light might affect whether or not we go on homicidal rampages? Perhaps Kurt Vonnegut did. Could it be possible that a writer known more for his pictures of assholes than his knowledge of advanced physics actually centered some of the deepest concepts in his works on the philosophical implications of general relativity and quantum mechanics? Two of his greatest novels, Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions, both seem to hint at the relationship between modern physics and an idea philosophers call determinism. Vonnegut readers might well scratch their heads and flip through their copies of these books, searching the stories of the fragmented life of a war veteran and the deranged antics of a mad car salesman for a chapter on the Schrà ¶dinger wave equation they may have skipped. I freely admit that their search will be in vain, and that no truly concrete proof exists that Vonnegut based the ideas in these books on the latest discoveries of science. But I also contend that the parallels between Vonnegut’s work and advanced physics are a little too perfect to be a series of very lucky accidents. From this perspective, it seems likely that Vonnegut used ideas based on physics to support the idea of determinism in Slaughterhouse-Five and destroy it in Breakfast of Champions. But perhaps before arguing about the ways Von... ...e and what he saw made him more optimistic. Or maybe it was all due to copious consumption of the â€Å"little pill[s]† he takes to â€Å"cheer up† (Vonnegut, Breakfast of†¦ 4). Even Vonnegut might not know for certain. All that can be said with confidence is that Vonnegut’s idea of truth evolved between Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions, just like the theories and concepts of physics do even now. In the end, so too must all human knowledge die and be reborn. As Vonnegut might say (Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse†¦ 34), â€Å"So it goes.† Works Cited Rachels, James. Problems from Philosophy. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2005. Vonnegut, Kurt. Breakfast of Champions. New York: Dell Publishing, 1973. Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: Dell Publishing, 1969. Zukav, Gary. Dancing Wu-Li Masters. New York: William Morrow and Company, inc., 1979.

Pluralist democracy Essay

Pluralist democracy works with numerous organised groups who all have some political power in the decision-making setting. It assumes that it’s ‘neutral’ government who listens to, and acts on the outcomes of these competing interests. Thus the large number and operation of pressure groups is considered to be a vital element in the promotion of pluralist democracy. There are considerations that pressure groups strengthen pluralist democracy. An argument for this encompasses that the existence of varied numerous pressure groups support the theory of pluralism. The modern political culture in the UK can be referred to as being one of pluralism in nature. This means that we expect a wide range of groups, interests, beliefs and ideologies to flourish together, all competing for attention and influence. The UK is a fundamentally free society, tolerant of different cultures, ideas and demands. As long as a group does not break the law, threaten the security of the state or incite others to commit crime or adopt racist ideas, it will be tolerated and protected from discrimination. Thus, pressure groups are able to operate in an extremely free and tolerant environment. In short, they are a key element in a pluralist society. Another argument that suggests pressure groups strengthen pluralist democracy is that pressure groups are a channel of representation between the people and the government, keeping government in touch with public opinion. Whether we take an active part or not, pressure groups represent our interests to those who govern. In virtually all our activities there is probably a group that is seeking to secure favourable legislation or decisions and to avoid unfavourable ones. As motorists, hospital patients, students, environmentalists, workers, and so on, we can be sure there is a group that is fighting our corner. In some cases we may be active members and so know exactly what issues are being addressed. In other cases we are not active but are nevertheless being passively represented. Even the smallest minorities are likely to enjoy such benefits; so pressure groups have important representation functions to perform. Additionally, the government openly accept the existence of pressure groups and involve them in decision making. They are a key part in the governing process. Their involvement at all stages of the policy and decision-making process helps to inform government itself and ensures that the interests and views of sections of the pubic are taken into account. In this sense, they can improve the quality of policy making. Governments also take into account the claims of pressure groups when making decisions. Pressure group activity in itself serves to enhance pluralist democracy by providing information and education to the public. It is clear that groups offer a considerable amount of information to the people. They are, by definition, independent of government (if they were not, we could not describe them as pressure groups), so we are receiving important messages from which we can make sound judgements. Of course, we cannot always rely upon the information being totally accurate, but if we combine all the various sources of information available to us we are able to form some kind of reasonable judgement. So, pressure groups certainly help to inform and educate us, which enhances a pluralist democracy. Pressure groups can be considered to widen the access to power and decision making for the mass of the citizens. The conventional view of pressure groups is that they help to spread power more widely. This would be seen by most commentators as an enhancement of democracy. Governments and parties tend to concentrate power in the hands of leaderships. Pressure groups, meanwhile, can empower their wider memberships. They represent the full range of the population and allow many voices to be heard. As long as they have any influence, they give the politically active part of the population access to decision makers, either directly or indirectly. We see this particularly effectively when considering mass-membership groups such as Age UK or unions representing public service workers. However, there are arguments that pressure groups weaken pluralist democracy. Pressure group activity can be viewed as elitist from several perspectives. When we look at the wealthy, strategically important groups we can see evidence of elitism. Some pressure groups may, in fact, concentrate power in the hands of a few. Governments favour certain groups who share their views or are at the time ‘electorally’ beneficial to their cause. The banking lobby can be seen as a prominent example, as can the various producer groups representing major industries. Producer groups, in particular, tend to represent their shareholders and management rather than their workers (a view that might be contested on the grounds that what is good for the industry is also good for its employees). When such elite are ‘insider’ groups, they might form powerful elite in combination with government. Ministers who are more influenced by group leaderships than by wider memberships could be accused of further elitism. This can be related to outsider or insider status. Some groups because of their economic power have more influence than others and this causes a disruption of the pluralist democratic position. Some groups can afford advertising to get their message across and thus they ‘buy’ their power. Related to their position in society is the issue of wealth. Clearly some groups have access to considerably more funds than others. All those sectional interests that represent employers and business in general inevitably have far more finance available to them than charities, which have to rely on hand-outs from the public or scarce lottery funding. The banking community is a similar example. In particular, wealthy groups, including individual companies, have adopted the practice of giving donations to political parties. Clearly they are hoping for a sympathetic attitude if their chosen party wins power. Perhaps more seriously, in 2006-07 it was alleged that a number of individuals had donated to political parties in return for the granting of peerages. The so-called ‘cash for peerages’ scandal did much to undermine faith in British democracy and further highlighted the issue of undue influence by those who command great wealth. In conclusion, pressure groups do strengthen pluralist democracy through its pluralism, representative function in keeping the government additionally in-touch with public views, role of educating the public on issues and empowering them with informed decisions after pressure group observation, and their acknowledgement and influence on some government decision-making. It is more that fixed elitism holds pressure groups back from pure pluralist democracy.

Wind Power And The Glebe Mountain Wind Farm Case Essay

For this last case study, we focus on the topic of wind power, the details of the Catamount Energy and the Glebe Mountain Wind Farm Case, and the importance of wind power around the world. It was very interesting learning about the history of the wind power and how it made an impact in the world. To start it off, it is important to understand the significance of wind power and how it plays in important role in this case study. The earliest appearance of wind power was traced back to 2000 BC in ancient Babylon. It was used to grind grain and pump water. Over the next thousand years, windmills began to spread to the Islamic world, China, and India. The usage of windmills traveled to the western world during the medieval times and slowly began to adapt for use of irrigation canals. During the 19th century, the steam based railway system had made its introduction to the world, while using windmills to pump water into train engines. In Europe, windmills were the primary energy source duri ng the 19th century until the steam engine came through. Then during the early and mid 1950s, that s when government efforts to extend this windmill power grid to every American household ended the market for these machines. In record, the first largest windmill usage to generate electricity was built in Cleveland, Ohio in 1888 by a man named Charles F. Brush. The Brush windmill was successful and for over twenty years it is being operated. A Dane, Pou La court designed the first wind machine