- Should taxes on alcohol and tobacco be increased to help pay for rising medical costs?
Thesis statement
In this topic, we are going to analyse the reasons why alcohol and tobacco should be taxed. I am in full support of the taxation of alcohol and tobacco. I am targeting the policy makers who govern budget making and the general public as well.
Alcohol and tobacco related deaths have been on the rise with the improved levels of lifestyles in America. More people are earning more so they have more income to use and sometimes it leads to drug abuse such as alcoholism and cigarette smoking. In cases where individuals with these diseases come for medical treatment of the related diseases, they strain the available budget for the covers such as Medicaid.
The government provides subsidies to needy people using tools such as Medicare and Medicaid. Medicaid, one of the medical tools used by the U.S. government to provide medical care to its citizens (Community Catalyst, 2003) is usually so strained to accommodate over 50 million people covered by this and so it has a strain on the national budget. It is quite a good idea if alcohol and tobacco are taxed. With revenues of around $48, 939, 000 (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, n.d.), it would be a plausible idea to tax them so as to provide medical services to treat these kinds of tobacco and alcohol related diseases.
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Program Summary by Budget Activity. (n.d.). Web. Retrieved from http://www.treasury.gov/about/budget-performance/budget-in-brief/Documents/9.%20TTB%20-%20508%20Compliant%20-%20passed.pdf.
Community Catalyst. Using Tobacco Taxes to Support Medicaid: A Win-Win Scenario. American Cancer Society. Boston. (November 2003). Print
- Should minors who commit violent crimes be tried as adults?
Thesis statement
The idea is to show how to approach different cases of violent crimes committed by minors. The article is aimed at the judiciary who are tasked with trying minor offenders to approach each case with the uniqueness it deserves.
The answer
Violent crimes such as robbery with violence, murder on the first degree or rape, in many countries carry either life imprisonment or the death penalty. Before minors are tried as adults for such crimes, it is wise if the root cause for committing such crimes is established. Minors in many cases carry out acts they have been exposed to or have grown up seeing as a norm and sometimes just carry out these actions out of habit (Scott & Steinberg, 2008).
The best way to go in this cases is juvenile correction to establish the root cause and rehabilitate the minors to be better. In other cases, they have disorders that are not diagnosed early enough to correct them. However there are cases where the minors commit the offences knowingly (Menaster, 2012). Such cases should be tried as adult cases so as to serve as a lesson for those who think that being a minor serves as a guilt-free card.
References
Menaster, Michael. Psychiatric Disorders Associated With Criminal Behaviour. Medscape. 12 April, 2012. Web.
Scott, Elizabeth & Steinberg, Laurence. Adolescent Development and the Regulation of Youth Crime. Princeton University, 2008. Internet resource.
- Should U.S Government provide financial assistance?
Thesis statement
The idea is to show why the government should give assistance to some of the groups that greatly influence the growth and stability of the economy. The article is aimed at policy makers in charge of budgeting for various aspects of the economy.
The answer
The development of any country depends on the strength and willingness of the government to support its residents and organizations especially in providing financial assistance where it is needed. Students may qualify for top schools but they cannot afford the high cost of tuition. Should the government just sit back and let this great minds go to waste? No they should provide them with the necessary financial assistance to cover the expensive fees (U.S. Department of Education, 2012).
The economy of U.S. is mostly dependent on the banks’ ability to be stable. In the recent economic recession, banks were the worst hit and the government came in to pull them out of this recession. It is therefore imperative that government provide financial assistance to such institutions so that the economy of the country which is quite reliant on the banking system to avoid total collapse (Monnin & Jokipii, 2010).
References
Monnin, Pierre. & Jokipii, Terhi. The Impact of Banking Sector Stability on the Real Economy. Zurich, Swiss National Bank. (2010). Print.
U.S. Department of Education. Financial Aid for Graduate and Professional Degree Students. U.S. Department of Education. (2012). Print. Retrieved from http://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/graduate-professional-funding-info.pdf.
