The Arguments For Compulsory Voting Politics Essay

The Arguments For Compulsory Voting Politics Essay Using the definition of democracy as tied to the concepts of liberty, equality, legitimacy, and active citizenship, this paper analyzes whether or not compulsory voting is consistent with the fundamental principles of democracy. The argument for liberty would suggest that compulsory voting is principally undemocratic because the freedom of choice must necessarily include the freedom not to choose (Lever 2009, 3). Because democracy highly values individual freedom, as de Tocqueville suggests, the act of forcing individuals to vote with corresponding sanction for non-compliance is clearly a violation of liberty. While the libertarian argument does not discount the benefits of compulsory voting per se, such as higher turnout rates (Lijphart, 1997, 10), these perceived advantages cannot justify government encroachment on individual liberties. A government that values democracy values individual freedom and cannot compel its citizens to vote when it is not in the latters best interest to do so. The concept of voluntariness and the emphasis on individual freedom is a staple of American democracy (de Tocqueville 2003). Because voting is a political right, it must be left to the individual to choose to exercise or n ot to exercise. It eventually boils down to providing that option for the individual to voluntarily choose, free from government interference. From the standpoint of civil liberties, the right not to vote is a form of speech that is protected under the First Amendment (Matsler 2003, 960). This has an accompanying right not to speak as well. Remaining silent when doing so is for your best interest is a statement by itself. Likewise, the choice not to vote is a form of political statement that is enshrined under the First Amendment and needs protection. Forcing an individual to vote would be likened to the state violating that individuals right to the First Amendment. Because the government is compelling the individual to be subject to an array of choices they face at the polling station, the government may be silencing the more informative political statement they intend to make by staying away from the polls and choosing not to participate (Evler 2009, 32). Compulsory voting then, not only violates a major civil liberty (the right to free speech and freedom of expression), the state also endangers its own representativeness because it fails to respect the rights of electors to choose not to participate. From the philosophical standpoint, the issue of whether or not voting should be compelled among individuals is contrary to the aims of liberty, which according to Mill (1999, 34) prioritizes self-interest first, and self-government, second. Political participation goes hand in hand with these principles. The first relates to the power of the individual in a democratic society to unseat bad leaders. The second relates to the power of the individual to use his or her capacities toward collective responsibilities and upholding the public good. These interests all point to the citizen as having a moral duty to go out and participate in the electoral exercise. Nonetheless, moral and ethical considerations also necessitate the view that respecting the decision to abstain from electoral exercise is in keeping with democratic rights. Drawing from Mill, individuals in a democratic society have the right to protect themselves from all things that demean, neglect, and intrude upon them. Because people cannot completely look after themselves, liberty entails the freedom of individuals to pursue self-protection in a democracy. They are also entitled to choose the extent of their political participation in forming, joining and leaving political parties, expressing their opinions on political issues, voicing out their sentiments against policies that are detrimental to their interest, and refusing to disclose their political identities or political beliefs. Democratic rights are founded upon the respect for peoples capacity to make reasoned judgment. This goes against forcing people to exercise their rights or maximize their opportunities and liberties as citizens. We cannot generalize that people who do not exercise the right to vote are as the accusation goes, lazy, apathetic, or disinterested; rather informed judgmen ts of people would make them conclude that voting will not lead to the pursuit of their self-interests. Intelligent people can argue that by not voting, they are pursuing their own self-interest by making a statement that none of the candidates deserve to be in elective position. Because persons are rational and work toward their individual self-interest, compulsory voting cannot be justified because if voting is in their self-interest, there would be no need to force them to go out and vote. They would decide that voting would be good for them and they would cast their ballot of their own volition. Compulsory voting does not necessarily uphold fairness or equality. The case for compulsory voting is also argued on the issue of fairness and equality. Like Platos disdain for apathetic citizens, proponents of compulsory voting stress that because all benefit from being citizens of a democratic society, every citizen has an obligation to participate in the electoral process. By equality, is meant that no one should become a free rider in a democracy free riders meaning those that benefit off society without participating in elections. Supporters of compulsory voting suggest that it is a moral and political duty to vote and that in the interest of fairness, all should vote because all experience the consequences of electoral outcomes. Other strong arguments for compulsory voting include the fact, that voting on election day is much easier than other positive obligations of citizens such as paying taxes, doing jury duty, or performing military service. However, this argument must paint two groups. On the one hand, there are voters who are selflessly giving their time and effort to cast their ballot and contribute to the public good while on the other hand, there are non-voters who are selfishly abandoning their political duties but directly benefit from societys benefits as the first group that cast their ballots. The point that Mill makes is that in a democracy, everyone, whether consciously or unconsciously, is acting in what they judge to be their own self-interest. Voters go out and vote because it is in their self-interest to vote for their preferred candidates and see them in office. Non-voters cannot be generalized to be selfish; it can only be fairly assumed that abstaining from the electoral process is judged by them to be in their best interest. Democratic principles value the individuals rational judgment and capacity to make choices; hence, forcing a person to contradict his or her own rational choice is undemocratic. The problem with asserting that it is unfair that citizens vote while others do not is that dilutes the dynamism in a democracy. Compulsory voting also does not guarantee equality in terms of encouraging equal participation from various gender or educational groups. While this is asserted by proponents of compulsory voting, there is no empirical evidence to back this up. Studies however suggest that while compulsory voting has been observed to stimulate high voter turnout in some countries, it has not been observed to promote equal participation in those countries. A study (Quintelier, Hooghe, and Marien 2008) indicates that specific categories of potential voters refrain from voting, leading to the electoral dominance of more privileged groups within the population. The authors studied 36 countries that participated in the 2004 International Social Survey Programme. They found that while compulsory voting is associated with higher turnout rates, it has not led to a significant growth in electoral participation among gender or educational groups. 3. Compulsory voting cannot guarantee political legitimacy. Perhaps the strongest argument for implementing compulsory voting in countries is that higher voter turnouts strengthen the political legitimacy of a government. Non-voting is seen to override legitimacy and make electoral outcomes vulnerable to coups or resistance. When you probe deeper into this argument, non-voting can be construed not as apathy but as contentment with all the running candidates so that whoever wins the electoral contest, is worthy of the non-voters support. When citizens do not vote, this does not necessarily mean that they view any political outcome as illegitimate. Still, supporters of compulsory voting are weary of low voter turnout because it undermines representativeness and political legitimacy. Lijphart said that A political system with the universal right to vote but with only a tiny fraction of citizens exercising this right should be regarded as a democracy in merely a hollow sense of the term (1997, 11).   Proper democratic representation is strongly associated with the notion of free elections. By proper is usually meant that the outcome of the electoral contest was based on the sentiments of a majority of the population. Those that support this argument automatically assume that just because the elections were participated by majority of the population, that governments can assume perpetual legitimacy. This is a misled notion. Legitimacy is conferred not only through elections, but by the subsequent acts, policies, and decisions made by the governments leaders that pursue the general welfare of its population. Essentially, the vote s cast in an election are only a first step toward a governments claim to legitimacy. The more substantial claim is to be derived from the manner in which it leads and represents the collective interests of its citizens. If legitimacy means that government was voted by a majority, then not all legitimate governments are democratic and not all democracies are legitimate. There are governments considered to be legitimate but have passed undemocratic policies, engaged in rampant corruption, or were simply incompetent. Democratic politics is not simply a numbers game. The more substantive view of democratic politics is that it is competitive and cooperative at the same time. Judging political legitimacy based on voter turnout makes a poor analogy. Moreover, on the claims of representativeness, data show that compulsory voting is not a policy to be universalized. Figures from IDEA Show that while there are some countries that have shown impressive turnouts as a result of compulsory voting, the overall picture of voter turnout debunks the claim that countries enforcing compulsion have the highest voter turnouts. Since 1945, besides Italy, only 4 countries with compulsory voting made it to the top 50 countries arranged in terms of voter turnout: Belgium (84.9 per cent), Netherlands (84.8), Australia (84.4) and Greece (80.3). Forty five out of the 50 countries demonstrating a high voter turnout used voluntary voting. Other countries with compulsory voting have the lowest voter turnout in the world such as Egypt which only has a 24.6 percent voter turnout, the second lowest in the world (IDEA 2010). Compulsory voting cannot be equated to active citizenship. Equating a high voter turnout to active citizenship is too simplistic. The Australian experience indicated that while voter turnout was high, the incidence of invalid ballots also increased (Australian Electoral Commission 2006, 4). The phenomenon of donkey voting is a natural consequences of compelling citizens to vote against their own volition. Compulsory voting formalizes the participation of underinformed or uninformed voters who participate in a politically significant process. Opponents of compulsory voting suggest that having uninformed voters cast their ballots is worse than having informed citizens abstain from the vote. The more substantive definition of citizenship is how much informed citizens are about their society and the ways they contribute into the democratic process. Their contribution should not be measured exclusively on voting alone. For instance, in the U.S., where voter turnout is relatively lower than in Australia, the strength of public opinion in the U.S. is higher and laws have been modified, passed, or rejected in deference to public opinion (Mastrel 2003, 960). It could be safe to say that political outcomes are worse if the citizenry is uninformed than if the citizenry does not wish to vote (Evler, 2009, 32). Conclusion There is no question that the electoral process is an important part of democratic society. There is also no question that voting is a moral duty of every citizen in a democracy. The question is whether or not a person can be compelled to vote against his own judgment in the interest of democracy. The discussion revealed the many advantages of compulsory voting as experienced in countries like Australia, Belgium, and Italy and how this has contributed to higher voter turnouts. Nonetheless, the reading of democracy must not be reduced to the level of electoral participation alone. Voting, however important it may be is only one form of political participation, and as experience shows, not a very conclusive one. Elected governments have been toppled down, leaders have been removed, or refused reelection despite claims to legitimacy because of democratic elections. Electoral participation is valuable because it enables citizens to choose from among candidates who are considered the best to lead the country. Democratic societies respect individual freedom, including the freedom not to vote. Voting is a rational choice that a citizen decides to exercise when it is in his or her best interest to do so. Compelling him or her to exercise such is undemocratic. The higher turnout rates in countries with compulsory voting may not be necessarily good. Experience has shown that countries with compulsory voting also have high invalid or protest votes. Democracy cannot be enhanced when citizens go out and vote just because they have to and in order to avoid sanctions. Only when citizens freely decide to participate in the electoral process can their votes be authentic and truly reflective of their preference. Democratic government is a complex system that values not only electoral participation but providing avenues for people to express their choice, equality, freedom, and reasoned judgment.

Rawshans Bakery (RB) Essay

1.Executive Summary 1.1Introduction Rawshans Bakery(RB) is a start-up coffee and bakery retail establishment located in Azimpur Dhaka. RB expects to catch the interest of a regular loyal customer base with its broad variety of coffee and pastry products. The company plans to build a strong market position in the town, due to the partners’ industry experience and mild competitive climate in the area. 2.Description Of Business RB is incorporated in the City of Dhaka. It is equally owned and managed by its two partners. 2.1Products and Services RB offers a broad range of coffee and espresso products, all from high quality Columbian grown imported coffee beans. RB caters to all of its customers by providing each customer coffee and espresso products made to suit the customer, down to the smallest detail. The bakery provides freshly prepared bakery and pastry products at all times during business operations. Six to eight moderate batches of bakery and pastry products are prepared during the day to assure fresh baked goods are always available. 2.2Mission RB aims to offer high quality coffee, espresso, and pastry products at a competitive price to meet the demand of the middle- to upper middle-income local market area residents. 2.3Keys to Success Keys to success for RB will include: 1. Providing the highest quality product with personal customer service. 2. Competitive pricing. 3.Production Plan RB offers a broad range of coffee and espresso products, all from high quality Columbian grown imported coffee beans. RB caters to all of its customers by providing each customer coffee and espresso products made to suit the customer, down to the smallest detail. The bakery provides freshly prepared bakery and pastry products at all times during business operations. Six to eight moderate batches of bakery and pastry products are prepared during the day to assure fresh baked goods are always available. 4.Marketing Plan RB’s focus is on meeting the demand of a regular local resident customer base, as well as a significant level of tourist traffic from nearby highways. 4.1 Market Segmentation RB focuses on the middle- and upper middle-income markets. These market segments consume the majority of coffee and espresso products. Local Residents RB wants to establish a large regular customer base. This will establish a healthy, consistent revenue base to ensure stability of the business. 4.2 Market Analysis The chart and table below outline the total market potential of the above described customer segments. 4.3 Target Market Segment Strategy The dominant target market for RB is a regular stream of local residents. Personal and expedient customer service at a competitive price is key to maintaining the local market share of this target market. 4.4 Market Needs Because Dhaka has a cool climate for 3 months out of the year, hot coffee products are very much in demand. During the remaining warmer 9 months of the year, iced coffee products are in significantly high demand, along with a slower but consistent demand for hot coffee products. Much of the day’s activity occurs in the morning hours before ten a.m., with a relatively steady flow for the remainder of the day. 4.5 Service Business Analysis The retail coffee industry in the Dhaka has recently experienced some growth. The hot climate in Dhaka stimulates consumption of cold beverages throughout the year. Coffee drinkers in Dhaka are finicky about the quality of beverages offered at the numerous coffee bars across the area. Despite low competition in the immediate area, RB will position itself as a place where customers can enjoy a cup of delicious coffee with a fresh pastry in a relaxing environment. 4.6 Competition and Buying Patterns Competition in the local area is somewhat sparse and does not provide nearly the level of product quality and customer service as RB. Local customers are looking for a high quality product in a relaxing atmosphere. They desire a  unique, classy experience. Leading competitors purchase and roast high quality, whole-bean coffees and, along with Italian-style espresso beverages, cold-blended beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, coffee-related accessories and equipment, and a line of premium teas, sell these items primarily through company-operated retail stores. In addition to sales through company-operated retail stores, leading competitors sell coffee and tea products through other channels of distribution (specialty operations). Larger chains vary their product mix depending upon the size of each store and its location. Larger stores carry a broad selection of whole bean coffees in various sizes and types of packaging, as well as an assortment of coffee- and espresso-making equipment and accessories such as coffee grinders, coffee makers, espresso machines, coffee filters, storage containers, travel tumblers and mugs. Smaller stores and kiosks typically sell a full line of coffee beverages, a more limited selection of whole-bean coffees, and a few accessories such as travel tumblers and logo mugs. 5.Technology plan Technologically we will make fresh coffee and coffee-related products conveniently available via mail order and online. Additionally, mail order catalogs offering coffees, certain food items, and select coffee-making equipment and accessories, have been made available by a few larger competitors. We will offer customers Websites offering online store that will allow them to browse for and purchase coffee, gifts, and other items via the Internet have become more commonplace as well. 6.Financial Plan RB expects to raise 50,000 of its own capital, and to borrow 50,000 guaranteed by the Bank Asia as a ten-year loan. This provides the bulk of the current financing required. 6.1 Break-even Analysis RB’s Break-even Analysis is based on the average of the first-year figures for total sales by units, and by operating expenses. These are presented as per-unit revenue, per-unit cost, and fixed costs. These conservative assumptions make for a more accurate estimate of real risk. RB should break  even by the fourth month of its operation as it steadily increases its sales. 9.Operations Plan This shop has two owners.they are brothers and sisters.One is Shuddho Fuad Sadi and other one is Afroza Hoque Eite.Shuddho Fuad Sadi has extensive experience in sales, marketing, and management, and was vice president of marketing with both Sajib and Sejan Foods. Afroza Hoque Eite brings experience in the area of finance and administration, including a stint as chief financial officer with both Swiss Bakery and the national coffee store chain, Hotcups. The company intends to hire two full-time pastry bakers and six part-time baristas to handle customer service and day to day operations. 10.Summary There are no coffe shop in Azimpur.So it will be a great achivement if it is established here.The budget of this shop is only one lakh and it will make a huge profit.This business should establish in Azimpr.

Administering Desktop Clients

Course number CIS 293, Administering Desktop Clients, emphasizes Windows client administration tasks in a network-based environment. Topics discussed include installation and configuration of desktop clients, user management, resource management and security.These topics are the subject of a number of Microsoft Certified exams I have taken, all of which have training and experience requirements attached. I believe that my training and experience as a Microsoft Certified Professional, including the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer endorsements, is an exceptional demonstration of my competence in the topics covered in CIS 293.The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certification, which I achieved in 2005, included two exams, as well as credit for previous exams I had taken. The first, Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000 (Exam number 70-292), included mos t of the topics included in CIS 293.The second exam, Planning, Implementing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment (Exam number 70-296), also covered the content of CIS 293. Previous knowledge of administering desktop clients was included in the tests and training taken to achieve my MCP and MCSE certifications.In addition to the exams required for the MCSA certification, I was also required to have live experience administering Windows 2000 or 2003 in a medium to large scale networked environment.The first exam for my MCSA certification, Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment, was an updated exam available because I had previously achieved the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification on Windows 2000.In order to be eligible for the exam, I was required to have experience administering client and network operations in a medium to large-scale computing environment of 250 or more users, including responsibility for network servi ces, messaging, email and print services, proxy servers, firewall, Internet and intranet connectivity, and client computer management, as well as remote user connectivity.This exam covered areas such as administering user, computers and group accounts in a Windows 2003 Active Directory-based environment, using the Group Management Console to enforce group policies, resource and security management, Terminal Services, and Software Update Services.User management training for the exam included learning how to create and modify user accounts, singly and in groups; change passwords; and use Active Directory to manage users. Additionally, the exam covered use of the Group Management Console, a Group Policy tool that allows for easy management of user groups.Resource management training included discussion of NTFS file permissions and ways to change the owner of a file or directory; it also included such tasks as creating and using security templates and using security templates to config ure NTFS file permissions and using the Security Configuration and Analysis utility to audit and correct current security settings.Terminal Services configuration and control was also included in the MCSA certification exams. The training included such tasks as using Remote Desktop Client to troubleshoot user problems and using Software Update Services to keep all clients on a network up to date and functioning properly.The exam Planning, Implementing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment covered a number of areas included in CIS 293. A substantial portion of this exam consisted of learning to plan, implement and troubleshoot User and Group policies.It also included such client administration duties as Active Directory planning, execution and maintenance, and design of an authentication strategy including such possibilities as a SmartCard reader. Security monitoring, certificates and public key infrastructure design were also discussed.My certification as a Microsoft Cer tified System Administrator indicates experience in administering desktop clients that is both broad and deep, encompassing all aspects of system administration, including those listed in the course description as well as many more.I have training and experience configuring and using desktop clients, remote troubleshooting using Remote Desktop Client as well as using other Terminal Services tools, using Active Directory and other methods to create and modify users and user groups, using the Group Management Console to create and maintain groups, administering resources and designing and implementing security policies and many other client-based administration tasks as well.On the strength of my multiple Microsoft Certifications, as well as the training, experience and knowledge required to gain these certifications, I believe that I should receive credit for the course CIS 293: Administering Desktop Clients.

The Western Philosophical Tradition By Friedrich Nietzsche

Would you approach a visually impaired person and suggest they aren’t correctly viewing the world? In other words, who has the authority to say the grass is not orange and the sky is not pink? The Western Philosophical tradition was a practitioner of dogmatism, it assumed their beliefs to be true and everyone else’s to be false. The Western philosophical tradition placed itself on a pedestal, believing they were the sole center of things; it is arrogant and it did not work in efforts of benefiting the common good. The Western Philosophical Tradition deemed themselves with the authority to say the grass is in fact green and the sky was in fact blue. However, Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, challenges the Western Philosophical Tradition and their imperialistic ways. Nietzsche proposes the Western philosophical Tradition to be arrogant. He says humans are â€Å"remote† emphasizing the lack of importance humans claim they have. Nietzsche situates the sco pe and significance of the human intellect on a cosmological scale. He says humans put themselves at the center of things and deem their views to be just and true, however, to a dog, these views would be false; Dogs would not see green grass or a blue sky because they see colors on a different spectrum than humans. Nietzsche believes not one view on the world is the correct view, and those who think otherwise are blinded by a â€Å"fog of arrogance†. He is challenging the Western Philosophical Tradition’s intellect and saysShow MoreRelatedShakespeares King Lear vs. Tuesdays with Morrie1495 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Existentialism was in part a reaction to modernism, but its roots can be traced to ancient philosophical traditions ranging from Zoroastrianism and Judaism, Buddhism and Platonism (Flynn). The essence of existentialism is authenticity of experience, asking the philosopher to undergo deep introspection. 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