Friday, May 23, 2008

Persuasive Essay Final Draft

Do you believe that the death penalty should be used in situations as a punishment for wrong doing? The United States is one of seventy-eight countries in the world that use the death penalty as a sentence for crime. There have been complications regarding the penalty that cause a lot of unnecessary pain to the inmates. The death penalty should not be allowed for three reasons: that it costs too much, inhumane ways of killing, and it is not helping to lower the murder rates. The death penalty should not be allowed to be used in the United States.
The overall cost of execution is way too high. According to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, a death penalty case ranges from one million to three million dollars per case. Although, life in prison averages around five hundred thousand dollars each. The government shouldn’t be paying that much for someone to die who did something really bad. They should have to suffer in prison every day, and reflect on how they hurt someone. The government especially cannot afford anymore executions because of the current slump they are in now. The overall cost of executing someone is way too high, which is why the death penalty should not be allowed.
The death penalty is a very inhumane way of killing someone. There have been many reports saying how things could go terribly wrong during the execution. Some victims have caught on fire, had violent spasms, heavy bleeding for their face, and even choking which prolong death. That is not even the disturbing part of why the death penalty is wrong. Thirty-eight out of fifty states allow the death penalty, which does not include Minnesota. They use five different forms of execution that is legal: lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas, firing squad, and hanging. Although, lethal injection is the most common of the execution types. The death penalty should not be allowed for the inhumane ways of execution.
Does the death penalty even work to prevent fewer murders in the United States? According to the Death Penalty Information Center, states that perform the death penalty have higher murder rates than states that don’t perform the death penalty. With this known information, why wouldn’t states get rid of the death penalty? Although, every execution results in about eighteen fewer murders, that isn’t enough fewer deaths for the cost of the penalty. It should be completely destroying all possibilities of murder, not just eighteen. The death penalty should be banned in the United States because it does not help that much to eliminate possible murders.Although many Americans think that the death penalty is helping America become a much safer place, it really isn’t. The murder rate is not going down like it should be by using the penalty. Plus, the cost of execution is way too high for our current government slump. Some may say that executing people gives them a taste of their own medicine for doing something horrible to someone else, but it really doesn’t. For all these reasons and many more, the death penalty should be banned in the United States of America.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Death Penalty

Do you believe that the death penalty should be used in situations as a punishment for wrong doing? The United States is one of seventy-eight countries in the world that use the death penalty as a sentence for crime. There have been complications regarding the penalty that cause a lot of unnecessary pain to the inmates. The death penalty should not be allowed for three reasons, and they are that it costs to much, inhumane ways of killing, and it is not helping lower the murder rates. The death penalty should not be allowed to be used in the United States.
The overall cost of execution is way to high. According to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, a death penalty case ranges from one million to three million dollars per case. Although, life in prison averages around five hundred thousand dollars each. The government shouldn’t be paying that much for someone to die who did something really bad. They should have to suffer in prison every day, and reflect on how they hurt someone. The government especially cannot afford anymore executions because of the current slump they are in now. The overall cost of executing someone is way to high, which is why the death penalty should not be allowed.
The death penalty is a very inhumane way of killing someone. There has been many reports saying how things could go terribly wrong during the execution. Some victims have caught on fire, had violent spasms, heavy bleeding for their face, and even choking which prolong death. That is not even the disturbing part of why the death penalty is wrong. Thirty-eight out of fifty states allow the death penalty, which does not include Minnesota. They use five different forms of execution that is legal: lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas, firing squad, and hanging. Although, lethal injection is the most common of the execution types. The death penalty should not be allowed for the inhumane ways of execution.
Does the death penalty even work to prevent fewer murders in the United States? According to the Death Penalty Information Center, states that perform the death penalty have higher murder rates than states that don’t perform the death penalty. With this known information, why wouldn’t states get rid of the death penalty? Although, every execution results in about eighteen fewer murders, that isn’t enough fewer deaths for the cost of the penalty. It should be completely destroying all possibilities of murder, not just eighteen. The death penalty should be banned in the United States because it does not help that much to eliminate possible murders.
Although many Americans think that the death penalty is helping America become a much safer place, it really isn’t. The murder rate is not going down like it should by using the penalty. Plus, the cost of execution is way to high for our current government slump. Some may say that executing people gives them a taste of their own medicine for doing something horrible to someone else, but it really doesn’t. For all these reasons and many more, the death penalty should be banned in the United States of America.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Persuasive Essay Bibliography

Friedman, Lauri S., ed. The Death Penalty. San Diego: Greenhaven P, 2006.

"Executing Executions." Editorial. Tulsa World 21 Apr. 2008, sec. A: 11.

Kaplan, David A. "Life and Death Decisions." Editorial. Newsweek 16 June 1997: 28.

Thesis: The Death Penalty should be banned in the United States of America.

Friday, May 9, 2008

Cause and Effect Essay on Gas Prices

Everyday when you turn on the television to watch the news, what is one of the main topics that you come across? More than likely, it is something about oil prices going up again. It never eases anyone’s concerns about when you hear that oil prices are now up to over $100 a barrel. But what exactly causes oil prices to go up, meaning less money in our pockets? Gas prices are one of the biggest problems facing Americans today.
In today’s economy, everything is going up in price drastically, especially oil prices. It makes life a lot more difficult having to pay about $4 a gallon for gasoline. A lot of people are turning to alternate ways of transportation in hopes that the cost of gasoline will take a dramatic fall, which more than likely it won’t. The reason why gas companies have to raise the price of oil is because of war funding, natural weather disasters, and having countries in Asia need more oil for their growing economy.
Today, a lot of car manufactures are advertising higher gas mileage for new vehicles in hopes that shoppers will appreciate the small amount of cash coming out of their back pocket. Besides higher gas mileage, they are also selling hybrid cars that are not only a lot cheaper when it comes to filling up, but also very safe for our environment, which is also a big issue today. Some companies are becoming so desperate to get attention from future car buyers; they are offering to pay for their gas for up to a year!
We don’t have that big of an effect on oil prices today, but we can find alternative ways to get around. Gas prices are not going to go down in the near future, so we need to find a way to get over it! We can either chose to complain about it, or get over it by finding another way of transportation. One can buy a hybrid car, take the bus, ride their bike, or even walk to their preferred destination! Gas prices are one of the biggest problems facing Americans today.

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Critcal Thinking

“The human mind, without discipline and rigor, is prone to shoddy thinking. It is frequently impulsive, preferring to go with its first response to a situation or problem rather than probing into the complexions of issues”. Everyone uses critical thinking in today’s world, even though our brain would chose not to think. Linda Elder explains a lot about the right way to think in a situation. Critical thinking is a way of thinking for a significant event.
In Linda Elder’s Looking to the Future With a Critical Eye: A Message for High School Graduates, she discusses and explains the best for teenagers to make decisions in life, along with the most important questions to ask ourselves in certain situations. Using this specific information, we can learn to advance things in a better manner than before. Elder also suggests that we begin with a clear, precise question so we can gather accurate and relevant information. Critical thinking is long process that your mind needs to develop in order to make decisions much easier than before.
One of the examples she uses in the article was about purchasing a car, I am going to use an example of what you want to make for supper. The first question you are going to ask yourself is; what kind of food do I have in the house right now? The second question would probably be; how long do I want to wait before I eat? The third question would be; do I have everything necessary to make that meal? Lastly, the final question you would ask yourself is; does that meal actually sound good to me or not? You can apply these types of questions to any given situation that you may encounter in your life. Even though what you are going to make for supper may not sound important, but critical think is a way of thinking for a significant event.
Looking To The Future With a Critical Eye: A Message for High School Graduates explains how everyone can incorporate critical thinking into their everyday lives by just asking themselves the right questions for a certain topic. Critical thinking is especially important when you think about how every option you make has an opportunity you can either accept or reject. Becoming a critical think is a very long process, but it is well worth it in the end when you can make very good decisions. Critical thinking is a way of thinking for a significant event.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

On Thinking

“The manifestation of the wind of thought is not knowledge; it is the ability to tell right from wrong, beautiful from ugly. And this, at the rare moments when the stakes are on the table, may indeed prevent catastrophes, at least for the self.” That quote by Hannah Arendt describes how everyone has the ability to tell right from wrong at moments that may prevent terrible things from happening to themselves. Thinking is a way for us to have the ability to do right from wrong.
Thinking is an amazing tool in our lives that we can choose to use to our own advantage. I believe that we don't always use it though, you can see in our world today how many things go wrong in just one day from people not thinking to themselves about possible consiquences. But, if everyone would just spend some time everyday thinking about their actions, the world wouldn't be that much of a terrible place anymore. Thinking helps us achieve our goals and plans by thinking of some possible things that might get in our way.
In the quote at the beginning, Hannah Arendt says "The manifestation of the wind thought is not knowledge." But, what exactly does that mean, and how does it apply to me and thinking? The wind is symbolized as a source of relaxation, and when you are relaxed, you have an easier time thinking about different things and situations. This quote by Hannah Arendt pretty much applies to everyone, but the other quotes she has written may apply to them just as well. Knowledge is the ability to tell right from wrong, beautiful from ugly.
Everyone around the world has the ability to think. Although, everyone just chooses to think in a different way, as told by Hannah Arendt. Knowledge and thinking are used in the same way when it applies to how you think. Thinking is a way for us to have the ability to do right from wrong.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Work Cited

Work Cited
Hoff noted that “It is useless to you only because you want to make it into something else and do not it in its proper way” (p. 170)
Ludwig (2004) noted that “The normal action is probation for the first offense, suspension or expulsion after that” (p. 34)
Ludwig (2004) noted that “Still it’s impossible to catch all the cheaters” (p. 34)
Hoff, Benjamin The Crooked Tree. Seeing Metaphors, 170
Ludwig, D., Mark. (2004) Look out for more Blairs. Developing Minds, 34
Gibbs, Nancy. (2003) Reading Between the Lies: A young reporter who stole and made up stories forces the New York Times to take stock. Time, 1