Drunk Driving Essays - Driving Under The Influence, Alcohol Law

How much longer will we be forced to endure the pain and atrocities due to the carelessness of drunk driving? Drunk driving has been a problem in the United States since the introduction of automobiles; however, it did not become an important social issue until the 1980s. At that time the political atmosphere defined crime in terms of personal choice and individual responsibility. Drunk driving was defined as a problem located within individuals. Drunk driving is illegal in every state. It is not only illegal, but unsafe to operate an automobile if you are under the influence of alcohol. When a person drinks, the alcohol is absorbed into the blood stream and various tests have been designed to measure the level of alcohol in a persons blood. In most states, if a person has a blood alcohol level greater than .10%, that person is presumed to be too intoxicated to safely operate an automobile. Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered the nations most frequently committed vio lent crime, and in the 1980s the public supported a wider range of non-criminal countermeasures, as well as stricter legal measures, to govern DUIs. This movement against drunk driving was well reflected in the legislative arena. Between 1981 and 1987 some 934 new laws dealing with drunk driving were passed by state legislatures. Legal measures focus on deterring drunken drivers by providing stricter laws and punishment. Non-criminal countermeasures are concerned with reform and education and include treatment programs and educating citizens about the dangers of impaired driving. To prevent drunk driving, a combination of stricter laws with harsh punishments and non-criminal countermeasures must be implemented. Legal measures are said to protect citizens through deterrence. Deterrence is defined as discouraging a particular behavior. There are two types of deterrence: individual or specific deterrence, and general deterrence. Individual or specific deterrence seeks to deter the offe nder from re-offending. General deterrence seeks to deter the public from criminal behavior through the punishment of offenders. Deterrence is based on the perceived certainty, severity, and celerity of detection and sanction (Vingilis 645). People who support legal measures are calling for harsher laws and tougher punishments. Some of the proposed measures are: 1. Anyone convicted of drunk driving will be required to pay large fines (starting at $5,000 for a first offense). 2. Anyone convicted of drunk driving will be required to spend at least some time in jail or prison. 3. All convicted drivers will be required to have yellow license plates on their cars so that other people will know who they are and what they have done. 4. Anyone convicted will automatically lose their drivers license for one year. 5. Surprise roadblocks will be set up and police will stop all drivers and test them for drunk driving. 6. All convicted drivers who are alcoholics will be required to have psycholo gical treatment. 7. An ignition interlock system will be installed in convicted drivers vehicles. 8. The possible seizure and sale of a repeat offenders vehicle, and 9. Lowering the blood alcohol level from .10% to .08%, since a person can still be drunk at .08%. The goal of legal deterrence is to make the offense a less appealing choice. Brandon Applegate refers to this as dominant paradigm (177). A major problem the legal side faces is that policies are often subverted by implementation problems. Another problem is that shortly after the announcement of an increase in apprehension and conviction, offenses decline; however, reductions are not sustained and the rates of offending behavior soon return to the original level. Present day penalties for first-time violators are $250 to $400 in fines, twelve to forty-eight hours of required participation in an alcohol program, zero to thirty days in jail, six months to one year loss of driving privileges, and insurance surcharges. Two-tim e violators receive harsher penalties such as $500 to $1,000 in fines, thirty days of community service, forty-eight hours to ninety days in jail (the court may require ninety of those days to be community service work), ten year loss of driving privileges, and insurance surcharges. There are other penalties also: sixty-day penalties for driving in a reckless manner and exceeding the maximum speed limit by thirty miles

Expert Interview with Rita Friedman on Revitalizing Your Career

Expert Interview with Rita Friedman on Revitalizing Your Career If you’re at a dead end in your career, Rita Friedman can help. As a job coach and career expert, she helps job hunters find the career right for them at Philly Career Coach. She spoke with us about finding a job and keeping it. What form does career coaching take?Career coaching can take a range of forms, and career coaches use varied techniques, but it’s basically a worker / job seeker and a coach working together to develop career plans. Typical topics can include trying to figure out which jobs to target, how to navigate job boards, what to say (and not say) on a resume, interview prep, salary negotiation, managing the transition to a new role, establishing career milestones and strategizing for longer term growth.Why are career coaches more important than ever in the current job market?The job market has become increasingly complex – sometimes a job seeker doesn’t even know how to look for good information or opportunities; sometimes there’s ju st so much to sift through†¦. But even an experienced person can use an objective third party to create a sense of accountability and provide support.How have changes in the economy affected job seekers? What do you find people are looking for in a job?The recession really shook things up in a lot of ways. Of course, a lot of people lost their jobs; others who survived layoffs often had to assume additional responsibilities – that instability created a lot of fear, and I think it also decreased employee loyalty. But it also showed people there are other ways to work, including holding multiple positions concurrently or taking on some freelance work. I see more people looking for work they find meaningful, maybe in part because if the idea of stability is shattered, people feel they might as well go after what they really want to be doing anyway. I also see job seekers evaluating potential employers’ stability and shying away from companies they think are likely to restructure.What can job boards do to better find the job seekers they need?Job boards have gotten more sophisticated recently, and a lot of them have gotten pretty good at organizing information so job seekers can sort through a high volume of postings. Niche boards hold a certain appeal and can create a loyal base. In terms of functionality, it absolutely has to work across all platforms – a lot of people want to apply from their phones or iPads. Transparency is always a big turn-on for job seekers who like knowing who posted a job, how long it’s been listed, how many people are in the running and if a job posting appears because it’s sponsored. Providing links to actually relevant info – not just filler content – and serving as a knowledge bank can attract and keep visitors. And a good job board is easy on the eyes – sleek and instantly navigable. And each job board should have its own flavor – it’s not enough just to look good; there has to be some reason why it stands out.How can employers write postings to attract the applicants they’re looking for?Be specific. If something is really non-negotiable, make that clear in the posting. If there’s a definite salary attached to the role, including it in the job posting can help filter out the wrong candidates. Including mention of any special perks – such as the ability to work remotely, flexible hours, a generous vacation policy – can make even a boring job sound exciting. Be sure to include keywords so that job seekers can find the listing from searching beyond job titles. Do show some personality or company culture, but don’t write a flashy or sassy job posting if it’s not in line with the actual work environment.How are careers changing? What will employment be like in the future?One of the biggest changes we’ve seen in the employment landscape is a broader range of ages in any given workplace – from college students completing mandatory internships to workers retiring later in life, or even coming out of retirement to return to the workforce. And with people working for so long, we’re going to continue to see people who switch careers multiple times during their professional lives. There’s also a move towards portfolio careers, where an employee is likely to have a couple of part-time jobs instead of one full-time position. Finally, employees want flexibility more than ever, and even though most people still want to be part of a great team, autonomy seems to be especially valued by workers right now. People want to use web-based technologies to work on their own terms – and companies are starting to realize they actually get more out of their people as a result.

Abraham Lincoln Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Abraham Lincoln - Essay Example . . ."1 In the following paper I would like to discuss Abraham Lincolns policies during the civil war. The discussion will be structured in the way that will shape Presidents motives in actual conducting the war and mostly pointed into defining whether the reasons were to abolish slavery or receive economic benefit. Faced with heavy Union losses and the destructive nature of the war, Abraham Lincoln, an antislavery proponent, gradually adopted slave emancipation as the most prudent means of ending the conflict between North and South, bringing an end to the war, and thus paving the way to a reunited nation. Lincolns role in the destruction of the institution of slavery during the Civil War and afterward is widely accpeted to be the reason of Civil War as the institution of slavery, so instrumental in dividing the nation, provided Linocoln with an effective tool for ending the conflict. Slowly, at a pace too deliberate for most blacks and many Republicans, Linocoln gradually approached emancipation through the Confiscation Acts, compensation plans, and the Emancipation Proclamation (Abbott, 1968). None of these plans provided for immediate or full emancipation. Even the much-touted Emancipation Proclamation excluded slaves in all the border states and in Confederate areas controlled by the Union as of January 1, 1863, offering freedom only to those slaves living in Confederate strongholds--the very areas in which Linocoln could not enforce his proclamation. At best, the Emancipation Proclamation opened the door to freedom, but it left millions still enslaved. Even when war seemed inescapable, Lincoln remained the premier politician and chief adherent to the Constitution regarding the slavery issue; but observers thousands of miles away lacked his keen understanding of these domestic political and legal realities and began to ponder the