Laid-Back Parenting Essay Example for Free

Laid-Back Parenting Essay Erin Zammett Ruddy wrote the article â€Å"The New Laid-Back Parenting† where she identifies whether a parent can exercise laid-back parenting efficiently in a hover-parenting culture and not take it to the extent of neglect. Practicing laid-back parenting has its challenges where it is tempting for the parent to snap back into an overly involved mode. Some people who do not practice the laid-back parenting method may frown upon it. The author presents an interesting perspective on how the use of a less hovering approach to parenting allows a child to be independent, confident and resourceful individuals in the future. â€Å"The New Laid-Back Parenting† article demonstrates that over-involved parenting can have a negative influence, later on in a child’s life. Hence, the child is not able to handle certain situations on their own without the help of their parents trying to do everything for them. Subsequently, the child is completely dependent on their parents for decision making and other issues. This is in contrast to the laid-back parenting approach where it encourages a child to think and do things independently, to a certain extent. The article explains how a parent can live a balanced lifestyle which involves being a parent, spouse and enjoying leisure at the same time. Also, the article gives an illustration of when the use of laid-back parenting has gone too far by the parent. Given these points, the author seems in favor of laid-back parenting as being the most fit, when raising a child. Early on in the article, the author provides quotes from historian Pamela Haag Ph.D. Haag states, that parenting, Its something you do intensively, rather than a status you have† (Ruddy, 2013). This source is reputable  because it is coming from someone who has their PhD in cultural history, who most likely spends years studying the role of a parent in various cultures. This statement relates to the author’s topic and serves as a support to the argument which makes it relevant and consistent with the article. Another fact that the author mentions is, â€Å"Indeed, a new study at the University of Mary Washington found that over-involved parenting, which can extend well into young adulthood, may even be damaging long-term†(Ruddy,2013). The source that the author uses is credible due to the fact that the study was done at the Washington University. However, if the author had included a few more Universities that have conducted the same study and arrived at a simil ar conclusion that hovering parenting results in negative effects on a child’s life, it would create more proof for the article. Moreover, the author provides the evidence that over-involved parenting is least effective when raising a child. Overall, the author’s use of facts re-enforces and supports the article stance on laid-back parenting. An opinion is clearly stated, when the author explains that â€Å"‘Parent’ is a verb rather than a noun today(Ruddy,2013) This opinion enforces the idea and function of what parenting is by emphasizing and comparing the role of parenting in the author’s point of view. The explanation gives support that parenting is a responsibility. Also, â€Å"Less parenting means more ‘you’ time† is an outlook the author uses to convey a balance life of being a parent. Still, it seems as if the author uses laid-back parenting as a convenient way to do other things, other than being a parent. Thus, the author appears to be somewhat selfish in her thoughts. Nevertheless, the opinion is supported by how less hovering results in more time to do other activities in her life. Also, the points of view provided by parents who practice laid-back parenting functions as an opinion and provide support for the article. However, this seems bias because the author did not include the views of parents who do not practice laid-back parenting. In all, the author expresses her view points and how beneficial it is to promote less over-involved parenting. In conclusion, the author relates her idea of parenting and lean towards laid-back parenting as being the most effective method when raising a child.  The author believes that this type of parenting will have a positive impact on children as they progress into adulthood. A Less hovering parenting style results into sheer benefits for both the parent and child. As a result parents have more time to incorporate other activities in their lives while the child is learning to face life challenges independently and efficiently. Reference RUDDY, E. (2013). THE NEW LAID-BACK PARENTING. Parenting School Years, 27(6), 47-48

The importance of the role played by the educated elite in the process

africa came under the direct jurisdiction of Europe after the initial carving out of the continent referred to as the 'Scramble for Africa'. This partition was fulfilled at the Conference of Berlin 1884-85 resulting in the political mapping of the continent. Thus, Africa facilitated the extension of the European hegemonic powers overseas. This colonization rendered the African continent the play-toy of wealthy European imperialists who raked the profits from the resource-rich territories. The period between 1880 and 1919 saw an upsurge of African resistance to colonial rule this was the period of African nationalism. The Africans were now exasperated with their economic and social situation. Thus discontent and protest was bound to surface. During colonialism generally there was the raising of a small group usually through education and a diffusion of European culture. For the French and the British the style of education was different, the French was one of making French men in Afr ica while the British was more indirect. However it was this group that benefited from education whether French or British were to play a key role in the decolonisation process. Crowder states that the First World War raised the hopes of this emergent class all over Africa that they would be given positions of significance and respect from the colonizers; however these hopes were never realised. The traditional elites were also disgruntled with colonisation as many of them lost their positions and respect not only from the colonizers but also from their people. Moreover, where they retained their positions many of them became puppets of the colonisers. The loss of real power, respect and social standing became a source of discontent among many of them. Neither set of elites were satisfied with colonial rule. An international congress which was convened under the auspices of the comintern at Brussels on February 1927 resulted in the formation of the league against imperialism and for national independence; this provided further impetus for the decolonisation schemes. The congress was attended by 180 delegates from Western Europe, north central and South America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. The congress brought together socialists like the independent labour party, the radical leaders in colonial territories and representatives from Africa including Messali Hadj, Abd al-Kadir f... ... In some parts of Africa, European control ended by the early 1970's however a visible and dramatic legacy of colonial rule remained in the form of white colonial elites. due to the apartheid restrictions attempts were made to form political organizations there was the south African native national congress under the leadership of Clements Kadalie, there was also the industrial and commercial workers union whose membership grew to two hundred thousand despite the whites despite attempt to hold on to power. And although they did not receive full sovereignty until later the significance of the political groups played a significant role. Thus, in the former British colonies of Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa, the small white minority held onto power over the disenfranchised and repressed black African populations well into the 1980's. It was only with the ending of white rule in Rhodesia in 1980, and the final crumbling of the racist policies of apartheid in S. Africa in 1990 t hat decolonization finally reached all parts of this continent. Nevertheless although their struggle was long it was still through the educated elite with mass support that final independence was achieved.

Reflective Learning

Induction Module 1. In your answer, identify the main lines of argument and differences in points of view between the commentators and the author. Justify your own point of view regarding the importance of reflection to individual and organisational performance. DiChiara (2002) states that there are a multitude of companies that seek to create an environment where learning and creativity can flourish, but in practice fall short due to a lack of understanding of what is truly required to facilitate reflective learning. DiChiara concerns his comments around the means in which the organisation can engage groups to nurture and develop communities where reflective practice takes place. In contrast, Raelin (2002) concentrates on the reflective skills (Raelin's five principal skills) that can be used by individuals in a group setting to encourage reflective practice. The main focus of DiChiara is around the importance of a ‘safe space' to provide the environment conducive to reflection and the development of communities of practice. Indeed, this is identified as the essential building block necessary, which indicates that the responsibility of learning is mainly placed on the organisation and not on the skill of the individual as Raelin suggests. McArthur (2002) uses his commentary to highlight the point that reflective practice does not necessarily require additional time, as reflection can be done during the event, coined as reflection-in-action by Schon (1983). Based on this train of thought, McArthur introduces two related points at which he disagrees or questions the conclusions of Raelin. Firstly, Raelin sets out guidelines regarding observing judgements where he states reactive thoughts should be examined to allow a ‘more even-handed way of being', inferring that the reactive observation will ultimately be wrong. McArthur offers an alternative solution where the judgement may actually be correct and it is the method in which the judgement is communicated that is important. Secondly, McArthur questions if the core skills, particularly of testing and probing, are indeed only applicable in group or individual situations as Raelin suggests. McArthur points out that there are three parts to our thoughts; the reactive and reflective which are internal voices and the collective which is an external voice. Skilled reflective practitioners must be able being able to distinctly separate these thoughts to arrive at the most appropriate response. McArthur argues that it is only through applying all of the core skills that this response can be found, regardless of the type of interaction involved. The obvious difference between Schein (2002) and Raelin is the focus on group or individual reflection. Schein focuses on private reflection and discusses how this can be realistically achieved. The central tenet of his commentary is that we can find time to reflect on events within our day and perhaps more importantly, this time would not be identifiable as ‘slack' or wasted time within a disapproving or unsympathetic organisational culture. It could be interpreted that the purpose of this commentary is to trigger individual reflection and that this may in turn provide some of the skill and openness required for group reflection to occur. If so, this is linked to the conclusion McArthur makes regarding the lack of skill, not time, being the primary reason for not reflecting. I believe there are a few distinct benefits of reflective practice for both the individual and the organisation. Raelin states that reflection offers the opportunity to examine actions of the past, thoughts of the present and decisions of the future and allows all three to be linked. The individual and organisation can use this to allow decisions to be made with a deeper understanding and more confidence that the situation is fairly assessed with the best interest at heart. Reflection turns experiences in to knowledge and allows skills to be developed to apply this knowledge in other situations with an entirely different context. In my opinion, the importance of reflection to individual performance is based around knowing oneself. By reflecting, the individual is able to develop a more candid assessment of themselves; how they think, what drives them and how they present their thoughts to others. By doing this, insights are gained in to internal assumptions and motivations and this allows better understanding of the true issues hindering performance. This is a powerful tool for targeting real areas for performance improvement, and by continuing to reflect as the individual takes strides to change will also provides a means of measuring improvement. Based on personal experience, Argyris (1991) accurately describes the importance of reflection to the organisation. That is, without some level of reflective practice there is a real danger of externalising issues and a blame culture being adopted even within organisations with motivated and committed individuals. The inability to reflect, for whatever reason, results in the true root cause of issues to be missed, which means the same mistakes will be made again and again. All too often we will overlook issues and accept the superficial. In my opinion, ultimately the true value of reflection to organisational performance resides in the ability to ask and find answers to the difficult questions that we otherwise miss or ignore. References Argyris, C. , 1991, â€Å"Teaching Smart People How to Learn†, Harvard Business Review, May-June, Pages 99-109. Cameron, S. (2001), â€Å"The MBA Handbook: Study skills for Postgraduate Management Study†, Pearson Education Ltd, Harlow. DiChiara, P. , Commentary on Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Kolb, D. A. , Rubin I. M. and McIntyre, J. M. , 1974, â€Å"Organizational Psychology: An Experiential Approach†, En glewood Cliffs, NJ, Prentice Hall. McArthur, P. W. , Commentary on Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. , Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Orton, S. , (2003), The Higher Education Academy, Social Policy and Social Work. Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Schein, E. H. , Commentary on Raelin, J. , 2002, â€Å"†I don't have time to think! † Versus the art of reflective practice†, Reflections, Fall, Vol. 4, Issue 1, Pages 66-79. Schon, D. A. , 1983, â€Å"The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action†, New York, Basic Books.

No Income Tax States - a Success or a Failure - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2720 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/03/18 Category Analytics Essay Level High school Tags: Failure Essay Did you like this example? In recent years, much debate has been stirred regarding states with no income tax and whether the benefits outweigh the income tax system already in place. The American Legislative Exchange Council reported that, as of 2018, states with no income tax have outperformed those that have it. This can be seen primarily in job creation and population growth. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "No Income Tax States a Success or a Failure" essay for you Create order Michael Mazerov of The Center of Budget and Policy Priorities explained that in his research he has found no compelling evidence that states without income tax are outperforming those with a tax. He correlates that a major contributor might instead have to do with family reasons and job opportunities within specific fields. With many contradicting viewpoints on the subject of states with no income tax, this paper will try to explain why something that sounds so beneficial can subtlety relocate these taxes in to other state taxes. Benjamin Franklin once stated that in this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. In American history, taxes have always been a point of frustration for many. A major pre-Revolutionary war quote no taxation without representation expresses the angst of the colonists attitude toward unfair taxes. From the time the Constitution was enacted till 1840 there would be no state income tax applied. Starting in 1840 many states, mostly southern, would begin to apply state income taxes, some taxing all income and others only taxing partial income. These taxes were brought on by Jacksonian Democracy and the Panic of 1837. During the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, the country would see a rise in income taxes in many states in both the United States of America and the Confederate States of America. Many states would continue to add and abolish these taxes until the Great Depression struck in 1929. During this time, a third of the states would have enacted a state income tax. After World War II ended, states would continue to slowly add state income taxes with South Dakota and West Virginia being the only two states to have it abolished. Recently, several states have contemplated getting rid of state income taxes due to the recent recession in the late 2000s. Currently there are nine states with no income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyo ming, South Dakota and New Hampshire. One major question that many have about no income tax states is: how do these states get enough money to run their governments without collecting an income tax? The answer is different and slightly confusing for each state. Many states look at the revenue that can be brought in with taxes and whether each tax is viable enough to support applying it. Wyoming is a great example. With its population being just over half a million, an income tax would make a very unlikely option to supply enough money to run a state government. Instead of a state income tax, Wyoming relies heavily on severance taxes and mineral royalty taxes due to its abundance of natural resources within the state.With a small population and a lot of open land, the state of Wyoming does not have to concentrate its government resources on highways and hospitals making not having state income taxes a more viable option for the people of the state. Another great example is Nevada with its major money-making contributions coming from sales taxes and gaming taxes. With it being a major tourist destination because of the many casinos and gambling opportunities, Nevadas lawmakers know that having a state income tax would not be as viable an opti on. Also, without a state income tax, many who may want to be in the gambling industry or who are fans of gambling would be more likely to relocate to a state with no income tax and little restriction on making money from gambling. These two examples show that no two states are alike. Each state has a different population, different resources and different sources of income. It is up to each individual state to know what type of revenue it best generates and apply the proper taxes associated with those revenues. There are two specifics exceptions to the typical states with no income tax which will now be presented. The first example is Florida. Having the advantage of fair year-round weather, it has had a major influx of retirees flocking to the state. One major reason for this influx is that Florida is not taking out any state tax on retirement income. For many retirees and elderly residents, this is important to ensure that their later years of life will be spent on more than just paying taxes. Floridas Constitution prohibits the collection of any sort of state income tax and, with that being said, residents can rest assured that there will be no change to this in the near future. On the other hand, one thing that is a positive about living in Florida amid its beautiful weather can also become a negative: homeowners insurance. Due to the constant threa t of hurricanes in Florida, it has the highest home insurance cost in the country. This high home insurance expense is a major reason why Floridas state government can afford to not have a state income tax. Even with the expensive cost of home insurance, people like professional golfer Tiger Woods still find it profitable to live in Florida. In the year 2010, fellow professional golfer Phil Mickelson expressed his dissatisfaction with Californias state income tax. He stated that the state of California took out 60% of his income in taxes. Golfer Tiger Woods showed rare sympathy explaining that this is the reason he moved from California to Florida when he turned professional. To get a better understanding of his complaints, one should look at taxes enforced in Mickelsons home of Rancho Santa Fe, California and Woods home in Palm Beach, Florida. As of 2017, not only does Mikelson pay a 13.3% income tax as opposed to Tigers 0% income tax, but he also pays more in sales and property taxes. Though looked at as an elitist, Mickelson does have a point when it comes to some of the advantages of moving to a no income tax state. What he should consider is paying the highest homeowners insurance rate in the country on what I imagine will be a fairly large and expensive mansion might equal what he will not have to pay in state income taxes. Other no income tax states have to use other means of persuasion to lure people to move to their states. One that might have the hardest time is the cold, harsh climate of the state of Alaska . With it having typically extreme cold weather, Alaska had to be creative about ways to get people to populate its state. A major revenue source for Alaska is its oil pipelines making it possible for its state government to not depend on a state income tax. Due to the success of their oil pipelines, a Permanent Dividend Fund makes it possible for Alaskan citizens to earn a check from the state for around 700 to 1,000 dollars depending on the price of oil for that specific year. These factors alone make Alaska one of the most no income tax friendly states to live in within the United States. With the success of Alaskas oil pipelines, the state has attracted many workers. It has also seen a slight influx from the retirement community. With the ability to not have their retirement income and social security touched they also have the ability, depending on their age, to have state municipal taxes taken off for the first 150,000 dollars of the assessed value of their home. Even with all of these positives, Alaska still finds it difficult to get people to move to its tax friendly state. For retirees, the constant cold and limited access to medical care makes it a risky endeavor to move there. Also, Alaska puts a high tax on vehicle rentals at ten percent and recreational vehicles at three percent. Local levied taxes are applied between 1 and 7 percent on raw fish, hotel and motel stays, severance, liquor and tobacco, gambling, tire and fuel transfers. With all of these additional taxes, it is apparent that even with the advantages of no income taxes, one will always find those taxes reproportioned in other taxes that are essential to cover a states daily living expenses. Along with Alaskas climate, all of these extra taxes imposed will more than likely affect the residents on a daily basis. Like Wyoming, South Dakota has a similar sprawling landscape. Also, like all the other states with no income tax, it funnels what would be collected from those to other taxes. South Dakota primarily relies on a high sales tax revenue. As of 2010, its general sales tax accounts for 56.9 percent of the states revenue.To add to the high sales tax, residents of South Dakota can also plan on paying higher property taxes that are slightly above the national average. Another state that relies heavily on high sales and property taxes is Tennessee. It also leads the country with the highest combined sales and local tax rate. Tennessees sales tax alone i s the highest in the country at seven percent. When combined with the local sales tax, it can rise to 9.45 percent. To put this into perspective, 9.45 percent is more than double the combined rate in the super touristy state of Hawaii. What many forget when thinking about a states sales tax is that anytime you go out to eat, the sales tax is added to your food order. This taxation makes it even harder for the general population because many who have the lowest income are the ones who suffer the most due to the fact that food is an essential to being able to survive. If people who make less have to spend more on essentials that means that they are in danger of not being able to eat what the average person needs to survive. Another tricky thing with a no income tax state like Tennessee is that the cities along the state borders have companies that employ many residents from Georgia. This leads to a whole new set of problems for individuals who live in a no tax state and must compete for jobs. Chattanooga, Tennessee is a city that borders Georgia. With it being so close, many Georgia residents work in Chattanooga. What many people dont realize about working in a no tax state is that you still have to pay an income tax for your state. When you or your company do not take out that tax, you are left with a hefty payment at the end of the year depending on how much you have made within that year. Another complication could be with owning a home in more than one state. This could leave someone paying income taxes for both states which for most would be hard financially. Many get around this by listing the state with the lowest income rate as your primary place of residence. These rules can be a little different for individuals who are in the military. Serving in the military, you may live in many states and countries within any given year. This can also mean living on a military base for a duration of the year. This can obviously be very confusing, so the government makes those who are in the military pay taxes to the state they lived in when they first enlisted. For some, this can be a great benefit due to some states not taxing military pay. Many studies have shown that no income tax states are growing at a faster rate than states with an income tax. From 2008 to 2013, Texas gained one million jobs while California last jobs. () The Bureau of Labor Statistics survey on employment found that the exact number was 1.8 million for Texas with California losing five thousand jobs. () Over that same period, it was found that New York lost over two hundred thousand jobs while Florida gained twenty-nine thousand. () Other experts disregard these numbers by stating that it is simply a coincidence because of the climate, cheaper housing and higher wages for some residents. () It is also important to point out that one of the most successful places in any state is Silicon Valley. Not only is it thriv ing but it is a huge contributor to Californias economy at the moment. This is happening while low tax states like Alaska are currently doing poorly. It is obvious that this job growth would be a huge incentive for states to continue to work on getting more and more businesses to their states with tax advantages. Not only have some states started working on trying to get little to no taxes for businesses but they also know that if businesses are brought in then more people will flock to your state for work. When this happens, you have more qualified workers to choose from that makes communities more economically viable and thriving. A perfect example of this is can be seen in the city of St. Elmo, Tennessee. Fifteen years ago, this was a community that was showing the effects of aging along with the houses and community. After businesses started coming to the area, you saw a rise in young professionals buying houses and fixing them up. After a short time, this led to an initiative to utilize the obvious touristy downtown. Now the area of St. Elmo is ver y prominent and growing at a rapid rate. As far as the economy is concerned, sometimes it can be like playing the lottery. Depending on the economic state of the entire country, political parties that are currently in control or wars that may be currently active around the world, it is always hard to tell what might happen to a states specific economy. States that usually thrive, like Alaska, can see oil prices plunge across the country causing a huge deficit in their state budget. Recently Alaska had a $3.8 billion state budget deficit that made them reconsider their state income tax and sales tax. This should always be in the back of ones mind when considering moving to a state that may look like a homerun but might eventually turn into a strikeout as the economy fluctuates. Nevada is another state that could see a major change in economic value due to sports betting now being allowed in many other states recently. A state that prided itself on being the only state where one could bet on sports and have casinos now has to compete with new states that might have more tourist value. Unless Nevada can up their tourism and offer more than these other states, it may soon see itself considering a state income tax or some other tax to make up for what may be lost by this recent turn of events. In conclusion, no income tax states do have some benefits compared to those states with income taxes. The problem is that many of these benefits are hiding the real taxes that are made higher due to cutting out income taxes. For many states such as Wyoming and Nevada that have other ways of funding their state governments, it makes more sense. However, in states like Tennessee it seems like a sneaky way to put taxes where they do not need to be. Tennessee is a touristy state with Nashville and Gatlinburg, but to have its sales tax almost double that of Hawaii is hard to fathom. A group of individuals who benefit the most from having no state income taxes are retirees and some military professionals who were living in a no income tax state when they enlisted. People who seem to benefit the least are those with lower incomes. In states like Tennessee where the sales tax is so high, many who need every cent to count will find their grocery bills rising with every piece of food taxed. As history has taught us, taxes will be something that will always be a part of our lives in America to make our state and local governments run. What people need to be aware of when moving to a state specifically for tax purpses is to really research whether no income tax states are really a benefit and not just a way to reproportion taxes elsewhere.