Budgets at the Federal, State, Local and Agency Levels Term Paper

Budgets at the Federal, State, Local and Agency Levels - Term Paper Example All of them collect revenue, usually through the form of taxes and make necessary expenditures for the operation of the various departments that comprise their role as provider to the people. With the exception of salaries and other operational expenses, their primary responsibilities are to provide services, programs and funding to various segments of the population. Federal, state, local and agency levels all have their own various programs, offices and duties that contribute to the intricate workings of the national economy as a whole. They are though each inherently individual decision-making bodies. Thornhill summarizes the most important features of a public budget as follows: †¢ The budget, after its approval by the legislative authority, is enforceable. †¢ The results of most of the objectives to be realized by the budget are not quantifiable. †¢ The budget brings together a variety of considerations. †¢ As the objectives of action taken by public institut ion differ widely from those of private organizations, the processes for determining the content of a public budget are therefore unique. †¢ Authorities do not always adapt their expenditure to fit their available revenue. (check citation from original Thornbill, 1984) . Budgets at the Federal, State, Local and Agency Levels Faced with the past decade of national deficits, the recession, and other difficult situations, the United States government has had to set forth a plan to reduce debt, cut spending and increase revenues. In the news as of late because of our enormous debt and the need to raise the debt ceiling or face negative ramifications by defaulting on our loans from the World Bank. Paying higher interest rates and a reduced credit rating that would cost the US a substantial amount in interest would also have increased our debt rather than alleviate it. The government therefore has had to arrive at a budget for the coming year that would substantially cut spending to stave off further economic decline. In efforts to balance the budget, President Obama has focused on reducing military spending by reducing the number of troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, minimal cuts in other government programs and increasing revenue with more uniform tax rates for all citizens coupled with fewer loop holes for corporations and other businesses. The nations budget is characterized by largely proportionate amounts set forth for areas of prime importance. Defense at roughly 30% , Health care at 21.5% , Social Security, 20%, Income Security at 14% and although considerably lower at 8.5% for education and job training. Other areas such as NASA and scientific discovery, Natural Resources, Immigration and Immigration Law Enforcement are all set at nearly 1- 2% and comprise the remaining 15%. In the political climate of today it is essential to spend on matters of defense and the US as leaders in promoting democracy and assisting our neighbors in need has come to the forefront since the beginning of the century. Social Security, Healthcare and Income Security, in total amount to roughly 55% is a huge sum of the budget assigned to taking care of the nation’s people. President Obama firmly believes that the road to recovery is in educating the nation’s youth and enhanced job training, so that we can advance with the times and better prepare ourselves to grow as leaders in the highly competitive world. He specifically points to areas of medicine, technology and science. 8.5% for education and job training. President Obama also hopes to increase our Gross Domestic Product with an increase in exports and foreign investments. By creating a greater demand globally and enhancing foreign trade relations. In

The Curious Atmosphere of Macbeth :: Free Essay Writer

The Curious Atmosphere of Macbeth       The Bard of Avon created a complex atmosphere in his writing of the tragedy Macbeth. Let's give detailed consideration to this aspect of the drama in this paper.    In Fools of Time: Studies in Shakespearean Tragedy, Northrop Frye shows how the atmosphere is altered for the better at the end of the play:    This theme is at its clearest where we are most in sympathy with the nemesis. Thus at the end of Macbeth, after the proclamation "the time is free," and of promises to make reparations of Macbeth's tyranny "Which would be planted newly with the time," there will be a renewal not only of time but of the whole rhythm of nature symbolized by the word "measure," which includes both the music of the spheres and the dispensing of human justice [. . .]. (94-95)    In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson explains why the atmosphere is so important in Macbeth:    Macbeth is a play in which the poetic atmosphere is very important; so important, indeed, that some recent commentators give the impression that this atmosphere, as created by the imagery of the play, is its determining quality. For those who pay most attention to these powerful atmospheric suggestions, this is doubtless true. Mr. Kenneth Muir, in his introduction to the play - which does not, by the way, interpret it simply from this point of view - aptly describes the cumulative effect of the imagery: "The contrast between light and darkness is part of a general antithesis between good and evil, devils and angels, evil and grace, hell and heaven . . . and the disease images of IV, iii and in the last act clearly reflect both the evil which is a disease, and Macbeth himself who is the disease from which his country suffers."(67-68)    L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" mentions equivocation, unreality and unnaturalness in the play - contributors to an atmosphere that may not be very realistic:    The equivocal nature of temptation, the commerce with phantoms consequent upon false choice, the resulting sense of unreality ("nothing is, but what is not"), which has yet such power to "smother" vital function, the unnaturalness of evil ("against the use of nature"), and the relation between disintegration in the individual ("my single state of man") and disorder in the larger social organism - all these are major themes of the play which are mirrored in the speech under consideration.

Brazil Macroeconomics Essay

The country of choice is Brazil for the following reasons: it is a booming economy, which provides some stark contrast with the stagnation and ever-mentioned phrase ‘double-dip recession’ which now commonly used in the West. Macroeconomics is concerned with the study of aggregate economy, which embodies all nationally relevant economic indicators. The common indicators are the unemployment rate, the rate of inflation, the GDP per capita, economic growth, the economic cycle, and the labor force. Since 2003, Brazil’s economy has been growing steadily. It has been improving its macroeconomic stability despite a small crisis in 2008 which saw its growth rate decline to 2.6%. In 2010 it grew by 7.6% amid renewed confidence from foreign investors. Part of the reason for this is the high interest rates which make it attractive to foreign investors. Note also that this was its highest growth in 25 years, whilst people especially given that many economies were struggling a t the same time. Furthermore, the continuing flows of investment into the manufacturing sector have provided greater backbone to the economy. Note that a commonly cited reason for the economic struggle of the UK for example is its everlasting trading deficit. It does not export enough, it does not manufacture enough. With natural resources such as tin, clay, uranium, platinum, petroleum, cocoa, gold, wood, and hydroelectric power (and much more), Brazil is generally recognized as one of the naturally richest countries on Earth in terms of quantity and probably the richest in terms of variety of resources. The subject being treated here is not a comparative analysis between Brazil, an emerging economy and the declining economies of the West. Comparative analysis will only be used briefly in order to further confirm the great performance of this economy since 2003. In the arena of macroeconomics, it is essential to look at things from a national and international standpoint and therefore the performance of one economy is not only relative to its past performance but also relative to other economies in the world. In the past decade Brazil’s Government has combined fiscal policy has been used at times to stave off excessive inflation and encourage consumption. The reason why this has worked out is that in the long-run, the country has consistently been creating jobs both in the manufacturing and the services sectors, which in unison with fiscal policy have helped keep a lid on inflation in the past ten years. This point of success will be analyzed inn depth given that this country was previously known to have huge inflationary problems prior to the last decade. http://www.bbc.co.uk http://www.indexmundi.com/brazil/economy_profile.html http://www.thomaswhite.com/explore-the-world/brazil.aspx

The Group to Which We Belong to Provides Us with Our Identity

All individuals at times in life can find themselves in association with different groups, whether the group being of common interests, same spoken language, same ethnicity or same shared values. Family is the first group to which majority of people ever belong, the culture and values our family instill in us determine our characteristics initially and as we mature through time, other factors such as our peers, circle of friends and work colleagues also contribute to deciding our characters. Groups shape our identity significantly and the fact that we belong to a certain group sometimes defines who we are, although our own identity may need to be compromised in order for us to belong. Our sense of self is usually shaped and influenced by†¦show more content†¦My new experiences in Australia have led my identity to develop in a different direction although many aspects of my old sense of self maintain as they have been instilled in me by the community I am part of ever since my birth. Even though the groups we are associated with inevitably determine our sense of self, when we journey through life, our interaction with different people as well as the learning and embracing of the admirable qualities of others can also modify our identity, as our individuality can become refined and grow stronger. Becky from Whats Eating Gilbert Grape helps Gilbert recognise respectful aspects of his grossly overweight mother and he no longer sees her as a burden and bad role model in the family. With Beckys help, Gilbert is able to gain a much wider understanding of the world beyond him and he eventually makes the decision to burn down the house in orderShow MoreRelatedA Sense of Belonging Comes from Having Connections with People and Places859 Words   |  4 Pagescontext. The choice of where to belong and who to belong with changes peoples sense of belonging as time passes. 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Actually, we aspire to be them. Women everywhere are trying to get their own white complexion. Whenever you see the word â€Å"imported†, we instantly think that it is better than what our own country has. GrantedRead MoreEquality and Diversity Essay1577 Words   |  7 Pageson. We all are different, there is no the same person in the world, so we should respect each other’s differences and cooperate. 2. Describe the community you live in. Highlight some of the variations you may observe in terms of: Interests Beliefs Ages Lifestyles Personal, social and cultural identities. We live in mixed community. All people are different. On our street lives three black families, few retired couples, some of our neighbours have dogs and cats. Our closest