Ever since a declaration on the war on drugs was made a few decades ago, controversies have not been far off. Top on the list of these controversies has been the issue of drug legalization. There has been sharp criticism on this declaration and the resultant courses of action with some analysts equating it to Albert Einstein’s definition of madness; repeating the same thing over and over while expecting different results. In a nutshell, it has not produced the desired results (Bernd, 2008).
Up until the year 2000, half of the U.S. drug-control budget, about 9.2 billion dollars, was pumped directly into the various enforcement strategies while a paltry one-sixth was allocated into treatment (Alter, 2001). The time is ripe to consider legalization over prohibition, given the comparatively high cost, and the failed efficacy of the prohibition strategies that have not worked.
A change of drug policy is an idea whose time has come as seen from the various studies that are already conducted. The U.S. citizenry has added their voice to calls for policymakers to consider legalization first as an option that is extremely potent in terms of its efficacy, then preventing any further waste of many needed resources. In fact, during President Obama’s inauguration back in 2009, ending certain drugs prohibition was among the most popular ideas presented to the president through an online survey. Public opinion has grown strongly in favor of the consideration for some form of legalization (Citizen’s briefing book, 2009).
By legalizing drugs, the illegal cartels will immediately lose a significant number of customers and make the drugs cheaper. On the other hand, the correlation between crime and drugs is all too clear if we consider the inverse. The more stringent and punitive the punishment or associated the laws become, the more costly the drugs will be to acquire. With the high cost of acquisition, drug users will be more likely to engage in criminal activities so as to get money for purchasing expensive drugs. The youth are particularly easily lured into the flashy and glamorous lifestyle of drug dealers and the erroneous notion that they can make quick money (Kane, 1992).
One of the most controversial results of the prohibition strategies is the incarceration rates. The U.S. features among the top in incarceration rates. About a quarter of the world’s incarcerated population is behind bars in the U.S. and most of these offenders are incarcerated for drug-related offenses. This is proving to be costly for both the various states and, ultimately the government to sustain these growing numbers (Terance, 2005). From an economic and efficacy point of view, prohibition strategies have been wanted and the costs and burdens are usually spread unfairly to the citizenry of whom the majority are not even remotely involved in drugs in any way. Taxpayers in the U.S. fund the entire prohibition strategies’ costs including the costs of their implications (Davis, 1998).
The legalization of drugs in the U.S. is not the silver bullet in its own right to the war on drugs. Nevertheless, it would go a long way in significantly reducing the widespread and harmful effects of drug use. It will further do away with the profits and even corruption from the drug trade. In truth, this might increase drug use due to the reduction of street prices; however, this may be checked through the introduction of excise taxes on the manufacturers similar to other European nations that have successfully implemented legalization. The revenue collected from these taxes can then be used for other preventive, educative, and treatment initiatives (Becker, 2001).
Proponents and stakeholders of prohibition, however, insist that they have made significant progress and that these should not be abandoned in favor of the legalization rants that are becoming too popular. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) which falls under the U.S. Department of Justice released a summary report challenging the calls for drug legalization through the presentation of facts about the progress on the war against drugs. These facts include the progress since the 1970s (just about the time the war on drugs was declared) until recent years. The DEA claims that the number of drug users has dropped by nearly 10 million in the U.S. and that cocaine use has declined by 70% in the last decade and a half alone – about 4.1 million users less (DEA, 2003).
However, before diving into the rants for legalization and controlled access to drugs through say, a regulatory scheme of whatever kind, it will also be critical that policy and lawmakers consider the potential for abuse. The value for their legitimate use also needs to be properly calculated and, this may mean evaluation of each of the drug types to avoid a blanket policy that might be counterproductive (Moore, 1990).
It seems to be a consensus that the issues that have plagued the war on drugs are based on the drug laws and policies laid down, and not the drugs themselves. Whichever way one looks at the war on drugs, the case for decriminalization or legalization of drugs seems much stronger than the case for criminalization. This is because even from a moral standpoint, it is easier and more efficacious to prevent drug use by persuading people than it would be through incarcerating them (Henderson, 1991).
References
Alter, J. (2001). The War on Addiction. Newsweek, February 12, pp. 37-43.
Becker, G. S. (2001). It’s Time to Give Up the War on Drugs. Business Week.
Bernd D. (2008). Einstein, insanity and the war on drugs. Web.
Citizen’s briefing book (2009). Seen on change.gov website. Web.
Davis, W. (1998). Consequences of Illegal Drug Control. Southwestern Journal of Economics 2(1): 165-178.
DEA (2003). Speaking Out Against Legalization. Web.
Henderson, D. R. (1991). A Humane Economist’s Case for Drug Legalization. U.C. Davis Law Review 24(3): 655-676.
Kane, J.P. (1992). The Challenge of Legalizing Drugs. America. Rpt. in Should Drugs Be Legalized? Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Health and Society. 2nd ed., Eileen L. Daniel, ed. Guilford, CT: Dushkin Publishing Group.
Moore, M.H. (1990). Drugs: Getting a Fix on the Problem and the Solution. Yale Law and Policy Review 8: 701-728.
Terance D. M. (2005). Punishment: a comparative historical perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Why Accountancy Is A Worthy Occupational Choice?
Accounting can be a fascinating job, and its scope instills both fear and amazement. It concerns working with an organization’s finances, which involves making constant calculations and reports. Despite the adoption of technologies, accountants remain in demand, as any establishment, regardless of size, requires a person overseeing the financial side. If one strives to become an accountant, they are unlikely to struggle with finding an occupation. However, it is advisable to consider the profession’s advantages and challenges before pursuing it. The potential employee should focus on why accountancy is a superior choice to other jobs, what it involves, and how it can ultimately benefit the person.
Accountancy is a great career choice due to it feeling as significant as running an organization, the market omnipresence, and profitability. First of all, accountants are the crux of any organization, as their operations drive all processes. Major decisions are impossible to implement without consulting an accountant beforehand, as they ultimately judge whether the establishment is “making a profit” (Smith, para. 3). It makes the job daunting but suitable for people who prefer when others rely on them. Another important point is that accounting has a wide range of applications, including education, entertainment, commerce, politics, and other fields. Even if someone is not interested in business, they can still be a school or a science laboratory accountant. It is also possible to be flexible and change fields, as the necessary skills will remain the same. The last but not the least point relates to arguably the most important aspect of a profession – profitability, and accountancy can be rather lucrative. Accounting.com states that “candidates who hold bachelor’s degrees in accounting earn $69,000 per year on average”, and the salary can be as high as $96,300 in New York (para. 5, para. 10). The chosen field also impacts how much an accountant will earn, so one might combine business and pleasure. Thus, accounting is a superior choice because it is a valuable position within an organization and has a wide range of potential application fields and a profitable nature.
While accountancy may be prestigious and lucrative, it also involves accepting many responsibilities, which cover various aspects of organizational activity. Accountants should perform all financial operations within the organization: “ensuring the accuracy of financial documents,” “preparing and maintaining important financial reports,” and “ensuring that taxes are paid properly and on time,” among others (Miller, 2019, para. 9). They must be accurate and meticulous, as “a single digit to a set of numbers can have a huge impact” (Shikati, 2017, para. 1). The job also requires one to offer “guidance on cost reduction, revenue enhancement, and profit maximization” (Miller, 2019, para. 9). In addition to cost optimization, accountants focus on maximizing profits and improving an organization’s revenue. It may appear challenging, especially in times of crisis, when merely keeping organizations afloat would be sufficient, but extra finances lead to improvements. Being an accountant also means having integrity, which is “ahead of their own self-interest or the interests of their supervisors and employers” (Shawver & Miller, 2019, p. 29). A person serves the public as much as the organization, so it is imperative to avoid fraud and partiality as both can damage all parties involved. Altogether, accountants have numerous responsibilities, including performing financial operations, improving an organization’s expenses and profits, and preserving its integrity.
As established, accounting is not only a prestigious position within an organization but a lucrative occupation. According to Accouting.com (2020). “The entry-level average payroll accountant salary is $40,000 per year, while professionals with 5-9 years of experience earn an average of $55,000 annually” (para. 4). The provided figures do not consider one’s education, and having a degree only increases them, the Master’s allowing one to reach as far as $91,000 per year (Accounting.com, 2020, para. 7). For 2017-2018, public colleges required “over $9,900 for in-state tuition and $25,620 for out-of-state-tuition,” while for private non-profit schools it was $34,740; the Master’s program reached $10,830 at maximum (All Business Schools, n.d., para. 27-30). As evident from the costs, it is possible to cover them while working concurrently with studies or after graduating and have a surplus. As mentioned previously, the state of operation also impacts the number, so an accountant from Washington, D.C., earns more than a person holding the same position in New Jersey (Accounting.com, 2020). Surprisingly, accountants working for the government ($68,420) will not profit as much as those in insurance ($74,690) or enterprise management ($73,180) (Accounting.com, 2020, para. 10). What also matters is one’s specialization, such as being a tax accountant or a forensic. Out of the two, the latter is more profitable, making a person earn as much as $65,760 annually (Accounting.com, 2020, para. 14). Thus, having a degree, moving to another state, and choosing the appropriate field and specialization can maximize a person’s benefit, although certain investments will be necessary.
Accountancy is a challenging job, but it would not be so prestigious and profitable otherwise. Employers value accountants for their skills and qualities and are willing to invest in them. The profession will always be relevant due to human activity being intertwined with finance, so one cannot go wrong with the choice. Its flexibility allows an accountant to maneuver among various fields and find what is both interesting and lucrative. Hopefully, more people will consider accounting as a career choice due to those advantages and low investment with great returns.
References
Accounting.com. (2020). Payroll accountant salary guide. Web.
All Business Schools. (n.d.). Accounting degrees and certification: What you’ll study in an accounting program. Web.
Miller, K. (2019). What does an accountant do? Role, responsibilities, and trends. Web.
Shawver, T. J., & Miller, W. F. (2019). Assessing the impact of GVV modules in accounting courses. In T. J. Shawver & W. F. Miller (Eds.), Giving voice to values in accounting (pp. 16-30). New York, NY: Routledge.
Shikati, C. (2017). The key qualities of a good accountant. Web.
Smith, R. (2019). What is accounting and why is it important for your business? Web.
The Boston Busing Crisis Of The Mid-1970s
My historical essay’s topic is the impact of the Irish immigrants on New York’s economy of the 1840s-1860s. A secondary source I applied in my research was the article “The economic assimilation of Irish Famine migrants to the United States” written by Collins and Zimran in 2019, published at “Explorations in Economic History.” I found the preview in Shapiro Library and then retrieved the full text by exploring Google Scholar. The article includes the dataset of the United States’ census records that reveal how the economy changed within the assimilation of the Irish immigrants in the middle of the nineteenth century (Collins & Zimran, 2019). Moreover, it highlights the main work areas where the newcomers were involved and explained why most of them were represented in urban locations like New York. The authors conclude the migrants benefited with language and religion similar to the American, yet they lacked skills necessary for many industrial jobs, therefore they remained poor and were a cheap workforce (Collins & Zimran, 2019). The datasets’ evidence describes the Irish immigrants’ assimilation patterns and includes information about their labor and life conditions.
The first event contributing to the Boston busing crisis of the mid-1970s is the Brown v. Board of Education case because it forced schools to abolish segregation at the legislative level. The second historical occasion is the Passage of Civil Rights Act because it provided a solid foundation for schools to achieve racial balance. The third contribution was the Racial Imbalance Act of 1965, as it was the actionable strategy that changed the situation with the racially imbalanced schools of Massachusetts.
After the Boston busing crisis, more than 30,000 students dropped schools, severely impacting the region’s educational rates. Moreover, white people started to resettle from the mixed-race areas to the “whites only” districts considering that is crucial for their safety. Lastly, the financial cost of the crisis was huge for Boston because of the demand for police and guards and high crimes.
The Irish immigrants’ cheap workforce status helped New York’s economy maintain growth through the nineteenth century. Moreover, the event’s consequence is related to the changes in the wages’ rates that included both the newcomers and the natives. The latter were forced to increase their skills and educational level to get a better job and demanded to improve their labor conditions.
Reference
Collins, W. J., & Zimran, A. (2019). The economic assimilation of Irish Famine migrants to the United States.Explorations in Economic History, 74, 101302. Web.