...Consumer Price Index of states that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a “market basket” of consumer goods and services. Some background into how the Consumer Price Index came about. The Consumer Price Index was initiated during World War I, when rapid increases in prices, particularly in shipbuilding centers, made an index essential for calculating cost-of-living adjustments in wages ("United states consumer," n.d.). To provide appropriate weighting patterns for the index, so that it would reflect the relative importance of goods and services purchased in 92 industrial centers in 1917-1919("United states consumer," n.d.). Periodic collections of prices were started, and, in 1919, the Bureau of Labor Statistics began publication of separate indexes for 32 cities ("United states consumer," n.d.). Regular publication of a national index, the U.S. city average began in 1921, and indexes were estimated back to 1913 using records of food prices ("United states consumer," n.d.). Because people's buying habits had changed substantially, a new study was made covering expenditures in the years 1934-1936, which provided the basis for a comprehensively revised index introduced in 1940 ("United states consumer," n.d.). During World War II, when many commodities were scarce and goods were rationed, the index weights were adjusted temporarily to reflect these shortages ("United states consumer," n.d.). In...
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...The Complex Issue of Public School Funding Ever since the beginning of the United States, the founding fathers and citizens have emphasized the importance on the education of its people, child or adult. Although education exists in this country both publicly and privately, the public school systems have become a powerful resource in many political social issues in this country. Recently, however, many debates have sprung up over issues that deal with the process of funding public education, including: Who is ultimately responsible for funding? How much funding should local, state, and federal governments contribute? How should funds be distributed? Questions such as these have been raised in the United States because of the many problems with education that are prevalent today despite funding. One of the biggest problems is inequality in education powered by property tax values. Numerous research data has shown how the unequal effects of funding from local property taxes has had on the level of education available in the same school districts. This essay will discuss if there are more fair methods to funding public schools than what is presently the norm through local property taxation and also talk about the effects that this kind of funding has on the standard of education that students receive. Each state of the United States manages its own school districts, which includes the administration of funds that pays for these school districts’ costs, with comparatively...
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...Sin Taxes for Rising Health Care Costs Shante Dennard Eng. 122 Composition II Instructor: Jessica Harnish April 1, 2013 Over the years many states have failed to adjust tax rate inflation which has resulted in a loss of billions of dollars in potential revenue. That revenue could have help funded essential health and human needs programs or reduce the deficit. Revenue from alcohol and tobacco continues to be of more importance these days as our economy tries to overcome budget deficits. A 2008 report of the Congressional Budget Office estimated that increasing and reforming federal alcohol taxes could generate more than $28 billion in new revenue over five years. Alcohol and tobacco imposes enormous cost on society an according to the latest government estimates some $185 billion per year. Alcohol and tobacco should be taxed because health care imposes an enormous cost on society. This is associated with the underage use of alcohol and tobacco, traffic crash fatalities, certain crimes and alcohol related health problems. The author (Green, R. (2011) uses a public health nursing model, the Public Health Code of Ethics (Public Health Leadership Society, 2002), the American Nurses' Association (ANA) Code of Ethics (2001), and other relevant ethical theory to weigh and balance the arguments for and against the use of sin taxes. Some say that an increase in “sin taxes” will increase health care costs, but the government will take a greater role in regulating health...
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...Should Illegal Immigrants be Deported from The United States? An English writer and novelist, called Richard Rayner, once said; “The real point is that there isn’t any immigration crisis” (Dudley 22). An abundant amount of undocumented people cross the border everyday seeking a better way of living; for Americans, this is an issue that the U.S. has to face every day. Rayner asserts that undocumented people don’t present a national crisis. When illegals come to America, they seek for a job and, by law, have to pay taxes. If the United States actually held undocumented individuals as a threat to its economy and society, this country would not have made the amount of progress it has socioeconomically. Although citizens argue that they harm America, Undocumented people have actually boosted the U.S. economy because they have done more good than harm. One reason why undocumented people shouldn’t be deported is that they contribute to a richer diversity and culture. Illegals share their customs and traditions with everyone. Most of restaurants...
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...Budget Deficit For many decades, there has been a concern for the deficit within the United States. Many politicians, authors, newscasters, and citizens have expressed their distress in order to resolve or control the issue. Keynesian economic theory states that running a budget deficit is okay, as long as the deficit is not exorbitantly large and is not carried for a long period of time. Even though many experts agree with this notion, having a deficit at all is important to the present and future economic stability of a country. For the most part, the uncontrolled increases in spending and reckless tax cuts in the past have damaged the federal budget, which the White House and Congress have allowed to occur. President Bush has put a fair amount of influence towards the federal deficit in his campaigns, State of the Union Addresses, and policies as President. According to the article titled U.S. Budget Deficit Shrinks, at the end of the fiscal year for 2006, Bush stated that he had officially cut the budget deficit in half to $247.7 billion, as promised, from the projected deficit of $521 billion. The President credited his tax cuts and business tax incentives for the better-than-expected showing in revenues, which drove the deficit to the lowest level in four years. Obviously, there are many that argue against this rationale to the fact that there was more at hand than the President’s policies. The Democrats belittled the sharp reduction in the deficit for the...
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...Alcohol consumption poses a threat for many public health harms. Impaired driving is one of the largest contributors to motor vehicle crashes (Burris, Grunwald, Anderson, &ump; Filippoli, 2011). In the United States each year roughly 13,400 people die and an additional 255,500 are injured in motor vehicle crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver according to Burris et al., 2011. In 2006, these crashes accounted for almost a third of all U.S. traffic-related deaths (Burris et al., 2011). Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance in the United States according to Pandrea, Happel, Amedee, Bagby, &ump; Nelson, 2010, and studies show that reducing alcohol consumption can lead to public health improvements such as decreased incidence of “liver cirrhosis, delirium tremens, male suicide, criminality, hospitalizations, alcohol-related disease mortality, workplace injuries, STDs, IPV, rape, robbery, and severe violence towards children” (Jernigan). Public heath deals with many other issues that cause burdens to individuals and society alike such as obesity and gun use. Over the past several months, headlines in the news have been echoing “Chocolate Milk Removed from School Lunches,” and “Senate Considers Federal Tax on Soda.” While the removal of chocolate milk from school menus has actually happened in certain school districts across the country, federal tax on sodas has only been a proposal at this point. However, both echoes resounding through the news originated from escalating...
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...2013 J. Carl Bowman Competitive Strategies and Government Policies Introduction This essay will recognize the effect of changes in the real-world competitive government policies and the environment of the automobile industries. The paper will anticipate similar events occurring in other countries in the automobile industry. Recognize sustainability of profits, pricing, and mergers; conglomerate, vertical, or familiar-horizontal. Evaluate expected government policies, regulations, current government policies, and taxes concerning externalities. Address issues of global competition as it relates to rules of management, labor demands, unions, supply, employee relations, and regulations in the automobile industry. Policies and Regulations The current and expected government policies and regulations within the automobile industry have a big focus on safety. The government is enforcing several safety regulations in the automobile industry across the United States. The government’s responsibility in the automobile industry is to make sure automobiles meet the safety standards (Basu). For example, it is a requirement that automobiles have a rear view mirror in order for a driver to see angles. Another safety regulation is the air pollution. The government is continuing to make changes in the automobile industry to help reduce the air pollution to save the environment. The government has smog laws to help reduce the air pollution caused by automobile emissions (Basu). Most people...
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...a budget is in surplus or deficit. The true importance is the health of the economy. The state of the economy needs to consider when to make a decision about whether deficits or surpluses are beneficial for the United States. Taxpayers have implemented how their money is in use when paying off deficits and how surpluses are in use to give back to the country. Debates of how taxpayers should use their money extremely important on how it affects deficits, debts, and surpluses. One debate is about how concerned an individual should be about deficits involves the future of the Social Security System and Medicare users. Unemployed individuals depend on these types of benefits and the number of users affects the accounting measures. To discuss the United States deficit, here are some examples of opinion from a University of Phoenix student. In addition, part of our discussion will illustrate the United States financial reputation on an international level. This will include an example of importer and exporter. Our team will give an example of an (importer) an Italian clothing company and for an (exporter) a domestic automotive manufacturing. Understanding accounting measures involves the health of the economy, which can be determined by the measure of the gross domestic product (GDP). When the United States is facing a deficit or debt the taxpayers can be hurt. A deficit or debt in the budget can cause an increase in taxes that will result in the worker bringing home less...
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...immigrants in the United States currently account for 13.3%, of the entire population (21). There have been arguments made on how this population affects America in an economical negative way. In this, standpoints can be taken such as tax returns, health care benefits, and the employment incomes for undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants enter the U.S. in hopes of becoming citizens. Many undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars for taxes, medical care, and employment taxes. If immigrants were to be allowed to be granted citizenship, then there would be less amounts of taxes that must be paid to all the citizens who are employed and have medical care. An immigration reform would prove to be beneficial to the...
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...will also harm them. For instance, if there less government control than there will be less regulation on the small business. People starting their own small business won’t have worry about the law of governments, resulting into more small business which in turn will create more jobs in the community. However, less government control can also cause other problem like safety of the employees and consumers. Since, there will be less government control small business owners will not care about the quality of products they sell or services they provide. For example, a fast food store owner can use cheap materials to make profit but it will harm the consumer’s health. Second, the State right is a primary concern at this time of election. Different states want their own laws and rights. For example, states like Texas are strictly against...
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...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 claimed that this section did not clearly state when the dependents...
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...charters. Secondly, was the church covenants, and Thirdly the influence of english precedent, these developed a habit of drawing up constitutional documents for purpose of placing limitations on the king or the government.(Hutchinsons,2) The general court later wrote a new constitution to replace the Royal Charters. The general Court agreed to a convention, Which purpose was only to write a constitution. After the writing of the constitution a Convention was then set up to allow the people of Massachussetts to overlook this set up a two part process, Framing and ratification by the people that the writers of Constitution followed. The preamble was revised up until the last days of the convention. Instead of listing the people of the states individually, The final wording encripted the American people as "WE." This showed us as American people Excersising their soverign power, as we proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. "To institute a new Government" better designed to protect their essential rights and interests. Article I. Section I. " All legislative...
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...quantified into numerical results. The following paper discusses several macroeconomic scenarios that we commonly see in society. First, the simply act of purchasing groceries can have many underlying economic concepts. Next, the paper will examine how massive employee layoffs can create a ripple effect in the economy. Lastly, an explanation of the impact of decreased taxes will be explained in detail. Together, these concepts will highlight the fundamental importance of macroeconomic principles in society. Purchasing Groceries The purchasing groceries is influenced by many other components in the global economic systems. The foods we find at the grocery store were largely farmed and produced vast distances from the grocery store itself. For instance, avocados are more likely farmed in Mexico, bananas in Brazil, processed foods in China, coconut water in Thailand, wine in France, and so on. Every country has a comparative advantage when it comes to international trade, thus making it more efficient to source grocery products from all around the world. If we attempted to produce all these goods in the United States it would be far less efficient and prices and supply would be adversely affected. Consumers create demand for these products and the countries with the highest comparative advantage are able to succeed in the free global market. Adding an additional layer of complexity to purchasing groceries is regulations imposed by governments in these countries. Governments...
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...companies planning to go international. The basis of selecting a suitable location for a new factory is great importance towards the success and survival of company in the long run. Selecting of a good location for the factory enables employers to spend less money but still increase profitability for the company. The cost of manufacturing a product can be reduced through a proper factory location selection by considering such factors as minimum wage, employment insurance, government pension plan and other taxes which will be discussed later in this report. Location that offers lower cost always attracts more companies and investors. And in this report, Bloomington will be more attractive to company since it offers lower minimum wage and employment insurance, pension contribution and other taxes. After calculating the total cost to open new plant in Bloomington and Toronto, the supply chain analyst’s final decision will be made based on those costs. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 BACKGROUND 2 DISCUSSION 2 Minimum Wage 2 Government Pension Plan 3 Other factors 3 CONCLUSION 4 Works Cited 5 INTRODUCTION As a supply chain analyst, it is very important to consider some factors which might impact positively or negatively in location of a new factory. By analyzing such factors as minimum wage paid, employment insurance, government pension plan and other taxes, the report will be helpful for the employer during the decision making process. In this report, Bloomington...
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...The United States federal deficit is continually contracting or expanding depending on how expenses paid match up to incoming revenues. A government policy which implements either expansionary or contractionary policies greatly influences the size of the deficit as well as any surpluses gained. Because deficits and surpluses are such an integral part of our economy, the way they affect almost every sector of our lives can be far reaching and long lasting. In this paper we will evaluate some general side effects of having either a surplus or a deficit and how they affect specific areas of our lives. Taxpayers If the economy is in a recession, taxpayers have a budget with minimal amount of money to spend on goods or services. The tax rates change because of the number of employed individuals working in a year. If the economy is going through an inflation period, the government has options for those extra funds. One option, if the government has run budget deficits in the past, is to use surplus funds to retire the debt accumulated from those deficits, as Mankiw discusses in his book (Hall, 2012.) Another option is for some of the money to be given back to the taxpayers for boosting the economy with purchases of merchandise for households. A third option for the government would be to direct the surplus funds toward other spending, such as improved infrastructure, new domestic programs or additional defense spending (Hall, 2012.) Future Social Security and Medicare Users Taxpayer...
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