...in order to be a dependent one needs to be a citizen or a national of the United States of America or a resident of the United States or of a country contiguous to the United States (Canada or Mexico). Recently, there has been a court case that challenged the IRS’ definition of dependent with regards to the child tax credit. The case was Leah M. Carlebach and Uriel Fried, petitioners v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, respondent. The Petitioners and their children live in Israel and were filing American tax returns. In 2007, the petitioners filed tax returns for 2004, 2005, and 2006 where they listed their children as dependents. The issue at hand is that the children didn’t receive American citizenship until 2007 and the parents claimed a dependency deduction for their children from 2004 through 2006, before they received their American citizenship. The respondent (the IRS) claimed that as long as the children weren’t citizens of the United States during that tax year, then they can’t be claimed as dependents to qualify for the child tax credit. The IRS assessed approximately $39,308 in owed taxes and additional penalties because of the improper tax deductions. The IRC code in question is IRC Sec. 152 (b)(3)(a) which is the source for the citizenship test for dependents. It says that the dependent must be a citizen of the United States or a resident of the United States or a resident in a country contiguous to the United States (Mexico or Canada). The Petitioners...
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...right to vote violates the United States Constitution. She constantly makes a deductive argument in that she connects the word people to women. Within the Constitution it states “We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” She draws attention to the word people and illustrates that women, although still people,...
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...Many arguments, however, state that terrorists void all of their rights after committing their crime, thus negating the usage of Miranda Rights. Unfortunately, these arguments disregard the whole concept of the Constitution, that all citizens are granted the same rights and liberties until thoroughly proven guilty in a court of law. The Constitution and its Amendments grant the citizens of the United States the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney, which both should be read to criminal suspects following Miranda v. Arizona. This being said, the majority of criminals are, in fact, read these warnings, but some American terror suspects are not. Therefore, serial killers, rapists, and thieves are read these warnings, but American terror suspects are not. No matter the crime or its severity, an American citizen is entitled to these Miranda Warnings. Ultimately, an American citizen holds certain freedoms and liberties that must be protected and enforced rather than stripped to perhaps obtain information about the attacks, whose existence is...
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...statement is not true when it comes to the United States’ presidential election, even though Americans perceive it to be. The United States of America has a president that gets elected every four years. Every American citizen that is at the age of 18 or older has the choice to vote for the president. There is a common saying that goes along the lines of, “Everyone’s vote counts.” Americans like to think that if they vote, then their vote will make a difference in the election. But in actuality, one vote...
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...Critical Argument Analysis Essay ENG/215 1/26/2015 Jennifer Rainville | Immigration Control Introduction Illegal immigration is a big problem in the United States. If you ask around where you live you will get so many different views and arguments. Realistically immigration has resulted in the laws having more illegal immigrants live and work here in the United States. I have read three different articles on the pros and cons of illegal immigration. Immigration is becoming a normal thing in the United States and it shouldn’t be. Summary In the article “Let Us Give Thanks to Our Immigrants” by Rupert Murdoch, he shows some evidence to support his agreeing with illegal immigration. He shows support on how they have contributed to the education in America. Whereas in the articles “The Winners in Immigration: Public Prisons,” by Aubrey Pringle, and “Republican Views on Immigration,” by RepublicanViews.org shows support on why immigration is not good for the United States. Murdoch shows that many of the high paying jobs in the United States are held by immigrants or children of immigrants. Whereas Pringle and RepublicanViews.org shows that our government is suffering because of all the illegal immigrants in our country. Argument Murdoch is pro-immigration. He has provided evidence to show why he supports immigration. He also was an immigrant himself and all his family was from Scotland. He does state though that these days it’s hard to talk about the benefits...
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...The United States having universal healthcare Michelle Garbarino Eng 122 James Meetze February. 25, 2013 Should the United States have Universal Healthcare? The question of Universal Healthcare in the United States has valid and non valid arguments with supporters on both sides of the issue. Millions of Americans do not have affordable health care insurance. The main question is who is responsible to provide this? Is it feasible for government to pay for the lack of health care by taxpayer’s dollars? Should you be responsible for yourselves or should you be compensated by the government? Unemployment is at record high making health insurance less attainable or affordable than ever. In most cases, additional restrictions or taxes will be placed on goods and services to pay for the Universal Health Care plan. By addressing each side of the argument and discussing the benefits, risks, and effects of Universal Health Care in the United States a fair conclusion can be made. The Arguments for Universal Healthcare in the United States, Rising health care cost has made it difficult to maintain adequate health care and eventually has driven many Americans into bankruptcy (Frosch, Dan, 2005). More than 62% of the individuals who filed bankruptcy filed because of medical expenses and 78% who filed had medical insurance. The high cost of medical expenses today often drives many families into bankruptcy because they cannot afford the high expense of medical costs," (Himmelstein...
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...Personhood…………………………………………………………………………………..1 Overview of Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee decision………………………………………2 Background of the parties who filed the suit and reasons for doing so……………………………………4 Arguments in favor of the decision………………………………………………………………………………………….5 Arguments against the decision……………………………………………………………………………………………..X Current events related to the decision…………………………………………………………………………………….X Future outlook on the decision…………………………………………………………………………………………………X Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Imagine a world without corporation, without structure, and without the complexity of the working world today. Some may even think of these corporations and businesses as individuals with the same rights that you and I have as human beings. Those with this frame of mind would not be too far from the truth. Our economic structure and business establishment has grown in such a way over past centuries that we depend on these conglomerates as a foundation of economic stability. In turn, they seek from us the same rights as businesses that we as individuals are granted as citizens of this great country. In the following pages, we will explore this concept further in understanding what Corporate Personhood is and discovering the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee, including the parties involved, reasons for the case, arguments for and against the case, how this historic event relates...
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...divided cannot stand Abraham Lincoln, who was a president in the United States, insisted on the saying “a house divided cannot stand.” Based on the issue of slavery, that was a sign of lack of unity among the Americans when it had gone to the extent that it was seen as a reasonable thing to enslave others. Citizens were given the right to decide to enslave the less fortunate and no third party that would question the act. According to Lincoln, the nation was having half slaves and half free people. The nation at large will have to have been united and work in one direction. For those who were against the slavery to push forward to make sure they attain their goal of making the nation slavery free. The government will have a difficult time handling the disunited state of the citizens; they have to come to an agreement for the country to stand (DiLorenzo, 2009). Thesis statement: it is an inductive argument based on Abraham Lincoln speech on” the house divided cannot stand.” It is inductive because the evidence is presented first, and then a conclusion is drawn from them. There was an argument on whether to let those who were enslaved to be free or the slavery persist in the territory. Congress tried to eliminate slavery among the people but after few days it was rekindled, and all territories were freely practicing slavery. It was declared that no subject of the constitution of the United States had the mandate or the power to exclude slavery from the territories...
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...Paper BCOM/275 May 7, 2013 Gun Control Gun control is a hot topic in the United States with primarily two sides of the conversation advocating for either more control of guns or more freedom of guns. The current laws on gun control or gun rights are disagreed upon by these individuals essentially based on the interpretation of such gun control laws. Firearms and the effects of gun rights has many cases that call for the strictest form of gun control. Some of these instances involve elementary school shootings, shootings at theaters, and even shootings on military installations by military members. The 2nd Amendment in the constitution has long been the proof of rights for citizens to bear arms to defend themselves from tyranny. Gun rights supporters say firearms should be unrestricted as it allows for self-defense in the case of another individual holding a weapon. Gun control supporters state that less regulation on gun control does not allow the government to provide its role of security because of it. The statistics for gun ownership in America are interesting to look at. For example, in the United States the average gun ownership per 100 people is 88.8, the highest of all other countries. Both sides of the argument have valid points, however it is important to dive deeper into each argument to analyze the logic and statistics involved in each argument. Major Gun Control Arguments Every day there are a countless instances that show that the best deterrent of crime...
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...The United States Supreme court ruled the Constitution’s Bill of Rights restricted only the powers of the federal and subsequently not those of the states in the case of Barron v. Baltimore in 1833. The petitioner, John Barron, was seeking a ruling against the city of Baltimore. Barron claimed the city had violated his Fifth Amendment rights. “The Fifth Amendment provides that the government may not take private property without just compensation”. Barron alleged that his wharf was too shallow for most boats to dock because of a road construction project. The city had dumped sand and other solid materials into the wharf impeding the water depth. After the first law suit, the state court found the city had deprived Barron of his rights to private property and awarded him $4,500 in damages. This compensation was to be paid by the city. Subsequently, an appellate court reversed the award, Barron appealed to the USSC, to which the case was reviewed in 1833. The opinion of the court was written by Chief Justen John Marshall. The decision upheld that the Bill of Rights delegated no power to the states and was only an application of the Federal Government. At that time, the Constitution was, seemingly, created only to apply to the Federal Government and not for individual states. Some states had drafted their own constitutions; however, Maryland had no law which mirrored the Fifth Amendment. The Supreme Court thus lacked jurisdiction (or power) to hear Barron's case and dismissed it...
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...surveillance of non-United States persons while they are located outside the US. It...
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...Dr. White English 1301 October 26, 2012 The Bee’s Knees are Crippled “The busy bee has no time for sorrow” – William Blake Pollen production has been a growing industry in America since 1865. Not only do bees provide honey for local and national citizens, but the pollen found in most male bees has been proven to help in curing and preventing diseases that have struck those who suffer from seasonal allergies, and the pollen has been most recently used as a vitamin to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Until recently, there has been no debate regarding the extraction of bee pollen for medical purposes. However, changes in Federal Drug Administration (FDA) regulations now threaten the experimental use of bee pollen. In his documentary entitled: Won’t You Please Help Us with the Bees? Jon Stewart argues for the continued extraction and production of bee pollen for medical purposes. Stewart uses many rhetorical strategies in his argumentative film. Stewart details the debate as this: local farmers and beekeepers have, historically, held all rights as owners of the pollen and honey produced by bees. Therefore, farmers and beekeepers who own the bees reserve all rights (and risks) that accompany managing bees and their pollen. However, in 2006, the FDA enacted the Please the Bees Act, which enabled corporations and contractors to “seize the bees” if any potential outbreak of bees threatened the safety of residents who lived near bees. Also, since the pollen has not been inherently...
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...In today’s world we face a big problem. The ongoing problem is what are we going to do about illegal immigrants. According to Oxford English Dictionary, immigration is “the action of immigrating; entrance into a country for the purpose of settling there” (OED). Immigration is a very hot topic in the United States today. There have been many debates and discussions about the issue in regards to if immigration is beneficial to our country or if it’s not. There are millions of illegal immigrants in the country today. Many people think that these immigrants area big problem for our economy and other factors of the government. In reality these people have been doing the opposite. Immigration is all over the country and you have more than likely encountered some before. Immigration is a very important topic for a reason. The United States has been running well because of it but then again these immigrants are stealing many Americans jobs to an extent. There are many positive benefits that come from immigration. These include an increase in demand, more investment, increased operation, and more jobs being taken (Nadadur 1041). These all affect the economy of the United States in a positive way. Demand for jobs is increased because of the incoming flow of people that are looking for jobs. They come to America with the intent of getting a good job and being able to support their family. These jobs might not always be the best jobs but they still get to do more than they could at homeland...
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...The Mexican-American War was fought between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, There has been a considerable amount of discussion and disagreement surrounding the war, which has made it a controversial topic. While some argue that the war was unjustified, others maintain that it was necessary and even justified for a variety of reasons. One argument in favor of the war is that it was fought in pursuit of the United States' manifest destiny. This was the belief that it was the country's God-given mission to expand its territory and spread its way of life throughout the continent. From this perspective, the annexation of Texas and the subsequent conflict with Mexico were natural and necessary steps in the fulfillment of this destiny....
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...Homosexuality is everywhere. You can see it in books, on television, in the media; it is rapidly becoming a social norm. Given this trend of greater acceptance of gay marriage, the issue of whether to legalize same-sex marriage naturally arises. Massachusetts has led the way by legalizing gay marriage. Responding to this example, some states have taken steps towards accepting gay marriage while others are considering laws and constitutional amendments banning gay marriage within state borders. President George Bush has recently proposed a ban on gay marriage in the U.S. Constitution (Hulse). If Americans carefully examine the situation, however, they should all be able to understand the importance of making same-sex marriage legal in the United States. Those opposing same-sex marriage claim that by allowing this act, marriages everywhere will lose their honor and validity (Kurtz). Marriages between a man and a woman would lose their special importance, these opponents argue, if the definition of marriage is expanded to include same-sex couples as well. The test of time has proven this fear pointless. For several years, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands have allowed gay marriage without any signs of damage to heterosexual couples. Social life in these countries continues unchanged, and no dramatic increases have appeared in the divorce rate (Dilanian). One cannot argue that the so-called traditional marriages in Europe between a man and a woman have been made less valuable...
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