It Is A Common Belief That The Decline Of Fatherhood Is One Of The Mos

It is a common belief that "the decline of fatherhood is one of the most basic, unexpected, and extraordinary social trends of our time" (Tischler, 2001, p.19). However, the opposing view of this standpoint is that there is no decline in fatherhood. There are very few people saying that they doubt the fundamental importance of mothers, yet there are those that believe that the importance of a father figure is diminishing (Tischler, 2001). There are even those who see the father position in a family to be easily replaceable with another figure such as a stepfather, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or any other person (Tischler, 2001). My view on the topic of whether or not a father is needed in a family, and yes I mean the birth father, not a replacement, is based upon my own upbringing. Since I am a male and am in the position of being a potential father, it only makes sense that I see the position of the father as an instrumental one pertaining to the upbringing of a child. I am constantly surrounded by those who are in a family where either their parents are divorced and remarried, or those who live in single-parent household. I am biased on the issue of why a father figure is necessary due to the fact that I was raised, and am still being raised in a household where my parents remain married. I couldn't possibly imagine being raised in a family that is "broken" because I've never experienced that situation. Therefore I find it a necessary that there be a father present in the lives of their children. Research Methods After deciding on the topic of fatherhood and why it is important, I gathered the necessary information pertaining to my topic out of the book: Marriage and the Family Issues by H.L. Tischler. After reading through the article written by David Popenoe entitled "A World Without Fathers" I was informed on the stance of why it is imperative to have a father in the house while a child is growing up. Then I was informed of the ideas and concepts that support the view that finds the father figure unnecessary by reading the article "Deconstructing the Essential Father" written by Louise B. Silverstein and Carl F. Auerbach. At the end of the chapter in the book there were related websites where I could find more information. I visited these sites, however I found them to be of little use in developing, and portraying my stance on this issue. They each seemed to be commercialized and I didn't find any information that fit my position in this argument. From there I went to the search engine (i xquick.com) and searched for more information. I found the website (fatherhood.about.com) to be a very good site with which to research. Located at this address on the world wide web were different articles from newspapers and other publications containing information on fatherhood, fatherlessness, single fathers, and more. Under each of the previous mentioned topics, there were links to articles written with many different viewpoints, some pro, some con on the issues. The most convincing data, other then the two opposing viewpoints offered in Marriage and the Family Issues, came from one of these articles entitled, "Contributions of Dads Cover Many Fronts" written by Dr. Wade Horn. This article taken from the Washington Times gave the three different views on understanding why a son needs a father. Its answer to this dilemma is for the father to be around to do those "fatherly" duties such as; A father needs to be a breadwinner and support the son monetarily. A father must be a "second pair of hands," ultimately coming down to two is better then one. A father needs to sustain that unique combination of the mother-father relationship where the father takes care of the machismo acts and the mother offers the typical sensitive side (Dr. Wade Horn, 1999). Another article that offered a great deal of information not only for my side of the argument, but for both, was the article entitled "Effects of Fatherlessness." This study of data collected by way of population surveys includes such data as: "Children from a fatherless home are 5 times

The U.S. Midterm Elections and Their Importance

The U.S. Midterm Elections and Their Importance The U.S. midterm elections give Americans the opportunity to rearrange the political makeup of the U.S. Congress in both the Senate and the House of Representatives  every two years. Examples of Midterm Election Impact Falling right in the middle of the four-year term of the President of the United States, the midterm elections are often viewed as an opportunity to express satisfaction or frustration with the presidents performance. In practice, it is not uncommon for the minority political party (the party not controlling the White House) to gain seats in Congress during the midterm election. In each midterm election, one-third of the 100 Senators (who serve six-year terms), and all 435 Members of the House of Representatives (who serve for two years) are up for reelection. Election of Representatives Since becoming federal law in 1911, the number of members in the U.S. House of Representatives has remained at 435. All 435 representatives are up for reelection in each mid-term congressional election. The number of representatives from each state is determined by the states population as reported in the decennial U.S. Census. Through a process called apportionment, each state is divided into a number of congressional districts. One representative is elected from each congressional district. While all registered voters in a state may vote for senators, only the registered voters residing in the congressional district that the candidate will represent may vote for representatives. As required by Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, to be elected as a U.S. Representative a person must be at least 25 years of age when sworn in, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must be a resident of the state from which he or she is elected. Election of Senators There is a total of 100 U.S. Senators, two representing each of the 50 states. In the midterm election, approximately one-third of the senators (who serve for six years) is up for reelection. Because their six-year terms are staggered, both senators from a given state are never up for reelection at the same time. Prior to 1913 and the ratification of the 17th Amendment, U.S. Senators were selected by their state legislatures, rather than by a direct vote of the people they would represent. The Founding Fathers felt that since the senators represented an entire state, they should be elected by a vote of the state legislature. Today, two senators are elected to represent each state and all registered voters in the state may vote for senators. Election winners are determined by the plurality rule. This means the candidate who gets the most votes wins the election. For example, in an election with three candidates, one candidate may receive only 38 percent of the vote, another 32 percent, and the third 30 percent. Although no candidate has received more than 50 percent of the votes, the candidate with 38 percent wins because he or she won the most, or a plurality of, votes. In order to run for the Senate, Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution requires that a person be at least 30 years old by the time he or she takes the oath of office, be a citizen of the United States for at least nine years, and be a resident of the state from which he or she is elected. In Federalist No. 62, James Madison justified these more stringent qualifications for senators by arguing that the senatorial trust called for a greater extent of information and stability of character. About the Primary Elections In most states, primary elections are held to determine which congressional candidates will be on the final mid-term election ballot in November. If a partys candidate is unopposed, there may not be a primary election for that office. Third-party candidates are chosen by their partys rules, while independent candidates may nominate themselves. Independent candidates and those representing minor parties must meet various state requirements to be placed on the general election ballot. For example, they may be required to present a petition bearing the signatures of a certain number of registered voters.

Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example In the modern business scenario, sustaining customer relation is more important that the old and often unsustainable "sell-it-forget-it" attitude. To build consumer loyalty and brand appreciation, marketing managers are increasingly turning to consumer psychology to create products and ad campaigns that are more compelling to the human psyche and easily retained in the human mind. In business, everything has a life cycle. Products, services, ad campaigns etc. have a vibrant period of activity after which it loses its sheen and becomes a liability on the company that promotes it. Even concepts have a life period after which they lose their relevance. This applies to ad campaigns as well. Ad campaigns have to be devised, modified, upgraded and dispersed at the right time and with optimum intensity in order to be of any value. Ad campaigns have to be devised keeping the consumer in mind. This means that each ad campaign will have an intended audience as its focus. Depending on the focus, ad campaigns will have to change its tone and tenor to attract the attention of the audience. A textbook definition of consumer behaviour is "The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society." 1 Not every ad is suitable for all age groups. Ads that are targeted at the young must be suited to their style and concepts. In addition, a very important point that campaigners have to adhere to is that ads must also satisfy peer pressure and not only the demands of the individual. Many young customers are easily swayed by peer pressure while older folks are more practical while considering the services that they plan to buy. Hence, while ads with a practical message often work well with older people, younger consumers