Essay about George Washington Plunkitt of Tammany Hall

George Washington Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Everybody is talkin these days about Tammany men growin rich on graft, but nobody thinks of drawin the distinction between honest graft and dishonest graft. With this sentence in the first chapter Plunkitt sets the tone for his short treatise on New York City politics while Tammany Hall ran the show. George Washington Plunkitt was a senator in New York during the turn of the 19th Century to the 20th Century. He was very successful in politics, and at one time he held four offices at once and collected salaries from three of them. G. W. Plunkitt held any one (or more offices) in Tammany Hall for over forty years. He was a shady politician who took care of his constituents and his†¦show more content†¦Before civil service reform, elected officials could easily remove anti-Tammany city employees and replace them with Tammany supporters in return for their work during the campaign. This sort of spoils system encouraged young people to get involved with politics and to l ove their country. According to Plunkitt (and he gives many examples) after civil service examinations young men become anarchists or in the worst case one joins the Spanish army and actually fights against the same men he used to support and love. Not only did this spoils system encourage young people, it also helped hold the United States party system together. And that, according to Plunkitt, would all change if supporters were not rewarded with government jobs for their work. However, the Civil Service act of 1883 did more to instigate the merit system in politics than anything else. Plunkitts arguments against the civil service reforms are amusing but his generalities make his argument difficult to believe. One would assume that Plunkitts motivation for attacking civil service was because of his personal motivation not the reasons presented in his Very Plain Talks on Very Practical Politics. Plunkitt clearly was a politician for himself and his supporters, in all he care d very little about the welfare of New York City as a whole. Other than the curse of civil service, Plunkitt also instructed young men on the tactics andShow MoreRelatedThe Views of the Politician George Washington Plunkitt690 Words   |  3 PagesGeorge Washington Plunkitt was a complicated politician from New York in the 1900’s. He had his own questionable way of seeing what’s right and what’s wrong. Plunkitt’s Ideas of right a wrong sometimes seemed to be off. However, some of his ideas about things that needed to be reformed were as true then as they are now. Plunkitt seemed to be a man that knew how to get what he wanted out of people with very little effort. From the perspective of an outsider this could make him hard to trust,Read More Plunkitt of Tammany Hall Essay1541 Words   |  7 PagesPlunkitt of Tammany Hall 1. Honest Graft and Dishonest Graft- When Plunkitt was tipped off about something in the city or someone wanting to built a park or something, he sees the opportunity and he takes it. He buys up the land before they do. When they see that they are going to need the land, he sells it to them at a much higher price than what he paid for it, giving him a nice profit. That is honest graft. Several politicians are accused of stealing dollars from the state’s treasury, thisRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution1518 Words   |  7 Pagesmethods. The Progressive Reformers were a political organization that sought out to set permanent fixes to these conditions and make it possible for the immigrants to be self-sustaining. On the other hand, the political machines, more specifically Tammany Hall of Manhattan, sought to make changes by directly helping the immigrants but not without them having some benefit to their organization. Both political organizations had different responses to the plight that the lower class immigrant workers wereRead MoreThe Period Between Reconstruction And World War I1811 Words   |  8 Pagesvote. Without this participation, there is no way that society can reflect their interests and the whole system of democracy falls apart. Not everyone agreed with Hewitt’s view of intelligence and education as the key factor in government success. Tammany Hall and other political machines obtained and maintained power through what is know as the â€Å"spoils system† whereby they give positions to their supporters in return for their votes and loyalty. The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, which required

Racial Discrimination And Its Impacts On Today s Society

Racial discrimination has been a controversial topic throughout US history. The social construction of race influences access to valuable resources in society, as well as categorizes people into a certain â€Å"class† which allows for minimal movement in this so-called social stratification system. Many believe that racism arose from inequalities dating back from the 1600’s. Some believe that the only way to solve the issue is through reparation; however, others think reparation will only threaten America’s pride and nationalism. To look at the controversy surrounding reparation, we can look at the separate views held by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Kevin B Williamson. Ta-Neshi Coates explains that we should acknowledge slavery and its impacts on today’s society, while Kevin B. Williamson explains that it is not necessary to note and the cost of America’s pride is more significant than the cost of acknowledging the effects of slavery. In a speech to the City Club of Cleveland, advocate Ta- Nehisi Coates argues, â€Å"we see policy after policy after policy of plunder† in addressing race relations. He, along with other supporters of reparation, believes that if African-Americans are compensated, inequalities will not exist and blacks can start their lives over with just as much freedom and abilities as whites. Further, in his â€Å"Case for Reparations† Coates highlights multiple instances of racial discrimination throughout history that led to more of a divide among Blacks and Whites. For example,Show MoreRelatedRacial Inequality And Gender Inequality889 Words   |  4 PagesIn today s world discrimination is a racial inequality when it come to different races in the United states. Discrimination has been around for years and have created a social inequality , economic crises and have lowered individuals into a group known as the â€Å" racial minorities â€Å".Racial minorities can be classified as older people , women , immigrants and young men and women. Women from the early 1600’s to today s women have been discriminated against for years. Women have never had the sameRead MoreThe Importance Of Language For Aboriginal People1286 Words   |  6 PagesThe importance of language for Aboriginal people In 1788, when the settlers arrived in Australia, there were about 250 Indigenous languages. These distinct languages had many dialects. Today, there are about 145 languages spoken by Aboriginals, however only 18 languages remain strong in Australia. Language is a sense of identity for the Aboriginal people, is a way to communicate. Language is individual to specific tribes and unique to people and communities. Language is used to pass on cultural knowledgeRead MoreRacism : Racial Discrimination And Injustice1257 Words   |  6 Pagesas racism. For centuries, racism has been a part of society, shaping the way humans view each other, but with the aid of Young Women s Christian Association (YWCA) - Stand Against Racism, racial discrimination and injustice can be eliminated. All across the United States, African Americans are faced with racial prejudice, a negative attitude towards a group of people based on race — not on direct knowledge or experience. This kind of racial prejudice began in the 17th and 18th centuries, whenRead MoreRacial Profiling, An Unjust Act And A Big Problem1452 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to the 11 Facts about Racial Discrimination, â€Å"The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded that an African American male born in 2001 has a 32% chance of going to jail in his lifetime, while a Latino male has a 17% chance, and a white male only has a 6% chance† (11 Facts about Racial Discrimination 1). Racial profiling, or discriminating against a whole group of people based on their race, is an unjust act and a big problem in our society today. Arresting people because of how they lookRead MoreThe Stress on Americas Equality Essay1176 Words   |  5 PagesIn America’s society, equality has always been a reoccu rring issue. All the way from early slavery and the Holocaust to discrimination toward African Americans, females, and now same-sex marriages. As much as our world focuses on becoming equal, each culture deals with it’s own differences. In Michael Jackson’s song, â€Å"Black or White† compared with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song, â€Å"Same Love,† they each approach the same topic encompassing equality. Songs from completely two different generationsRead MoreRacism Essay852 Words   |  4 Pageshis or her characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain separate and apart from one another.Racism has existed throughout human history. It may be described as the hatred of one person or by one another. It is the belief that another person is less than human due to the color of skin, language, and place of birth. It has influenced our society today. Around the mid 1950’s to late 1960’s the civil rights movement hadRead MoreRacial Discrimination : Racism And Discrimination1244 Words   |  5 PagesRacial discrimination has been an ugly face lingering around for generations. It baffles me how it still exists today. It’s interesting to me because how do you know who to discriminate against. What type of individual will promote such distasteful thoughts? Why is racial discrimination still relevant? I guess the real question will be is how to overcome racial discrimination. The beginning of racial discrimination stems from when the European settlers landed in America and conquered the NativeRead MoreRacial Discrimination in Canadas Workplace1620 Words   |  7 PagesRacial discrimination in the workplace has been a persistent theme in Canada’s history as well as present-day times. The occurrence of actions and attitudes that impose a sense of one being less equal than another on the basis of one’s race in Canada’s workplace inhibits both our nation’s ability to move forward as well as strengthen unification within our country. The belief in a more egalitarian society, where one’s race and ethnic background have little to no impact on employees (or potentialRead MoreRacial Discrimination : The Blacker The Berry1638 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Racial Discrimination is dreadful. It’s a social conflict against those who are a slightly different based on appearance. It has indeed become a well-known issue, which has created problems throughout the world. This issue is so distributing that it has incredibility-impacted society, especially influenced artists to incorporate the current issue into their songs. For instance, artists like Kendrick Lamar have expressed the issue of racial discrimination. In his song â€Å"The Blacker theRead MoreAddress Racial Inequalities : Past And Present1247 Words   |  5 Pagesaddress Racial Inequalities: Past and Present Introduction It is no secret that racial inequalities exist today and have for many years now. They have existed at many levels including institutional, collective, and personal. In this paper, I plan to show how previous policies created these inequalities, and explain how we can address these issues at all levels. I will also show which policies have had an impact on minorities in contributing to greater equality. For racial inequality

Vietnam Challenges in Development Free Essays

â€Å"What are the major obstacles in your country’s development to achieve long-term and sustainable growth and in addressing such obstacles what public policies need to be put in place, particularly in relation to national technology and innovation capability? † Vietnam’s reform process named Doi Moi (Renovation) since 1986 witnessed success of market-oriented changes. Not only has Vietnam been one of the world’s fastest growing economies (averaging over 7 per cent p. a. We will write a custom essay sample on Vietnam Challenges in Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now GDP growth), it has made great strides towards eliminating poverty, achieved national food security and become a major exporter of agricultural commodities. However, the process of shifting from agricultural dominance to industrial dominance has also created number of negatives effects for the country that public policies should be put in place to address. Three main obstacles, which Vietnam has to face up with, are those issues of growth, society and environment: Firstly, the country’s economic growth primarily is factor-based and quantity-based while knowledge-based development accounts for minimal proportion. The growth made by input capitals (foreign investment, natural resources) makes the results do not deserve with investment. IMF experts make a comparison of Vietnam case with Thailand and Philippine in the past 2 decades, when two country experienced same position as Vietnam currently, 30-40% total revenue of the nation created 12% growth rate, while Vietnam’s investment up to 60% of total revenue but growth rate is only 6-7%/year. It’s the time to pay attention on economic effectiveness rather than just targets setting. Secondly, economic growth in short time has lead to series of social issues. Inequality and the gap between rich and poor, rural and urban, plains and mountainous areas has been widened not only in terms of income but also living standards and chances. The rapid growth of urban economy and industry has not been linked harmoniously with rural economy and society. While many new jobs continue to withdraw young labors from the rural, they also worsen the unbalance of rural family life, gender and age. More jobs are created but unsecured, life in industrial zone or city suburban with rental house, low-income and manual job can not secure a future. The rest of people stay with agriculture, however, the growth of and is being contracted, constraining the application of hi-technologies; farming syste agricultural production (so far mainly relying on in labor and natural resources – intensive investment) has no longer enjoyed favorable conditions. Agricultural land is scattered m is still based on habitant and qualitative; products are low competitiveness. Thirdly, environment is damaged seriously. Pollution is increasing, urban and industry waste is poured to the rural. Some natural resources are over exploited for exports purpose without planning. Fossil fuel is the main source for the economy, technology to create alternative energy is slowly applied. In addition, the happening of epidemic, climate changes is becoming complex. Long term policy to adapt with climate change is still in the beginning stage of formulation while the country have to struggle with day to day disasters. In order to addressing those obstacles, new strategic orientation should be identified; main approaches of public policy in the new period are as follows: Distribute equally the growth results. Remove all barriers and create favorable conditions for the development of resource markets in the rural (labor, land, capital and science and technology) so that the market mechanism and internal capacity of rural people can be mobilized to regulate effectively all available resources; mobilize abundant rural labor resource, urban savings, and international capital to upgrade rural infrastructure and develop rural services and crafts (including industry and non-agriculture activities in the rural); move the urban and industry to rural areas, export and take rural labors to the urban. Focus investment on education to improve the human resource capability through appropriate vocational training policy; develop health care system in the rural, especially in difficult and poor areas; stimulate economic sectors to provide services in the urban and favorable areas; gradually, narrow the gaps of service quality between the rural and the urban. Stimulate all economic sectors to participate in the development and application of science and technology to create higher quality products. The State should concentrate its investment in science and technology applied for public services in agriculture, extension, in difficult and poor areas Identify clearly necessary criteria and areas for economic-environment balance; ensure the sustainable social and environmental development; actively make harmoniously economic, social and environmental planning In conclusion, entering new development phase, Vietnam’s development course requires new policy solutions to change investment direction into knowledge-base, mobilize hidden resources, create motivation for a large number of people to achieve a long-term and sustainable growth in which national technology and innovation capability enhancement play an crucial role. How to cite Vietnam Challenges in Development, Papers