A Domestic Policy: The Public Health Care Policy (Essay Sample)

Policies and Political Science
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Policies and Political Science
Part 1
A Domestic Policy: The Public Health Care Policy
The passage of the affordable health care act into Law by the US president Barrack Obama was met by an overwhelming support as well as criticism. This law provided an opportunity for more individuals to get insured medically. Even the poor people got to be included in the insurance, thereby reducing their burden on health care costs as well as providing for better health. It also allows for the expansion of the Medicaid coverage in the public sector. However, it soon became apparent that this policy did not support a single payer for health care, leading to serious financial problems in the financial sector. Soon, health care costs became very expensive in the country leading to poor health and increased mortality among those individuals weighed down with the burden of costs.
In my position, I view this as a misplacement of priorities. There are some services that the government should not neglect by allowing other departments to carry them out. The health care is crucial to the country’s economy and social welfare. It would be better if this system were. By saying this, I mean that the health care should come as a single package being handled by the federal government alone. The insurance provided for the Medicare and Medicaid should be allocated in such a way that the cost of healthcare is. This is the only way through which the government can provide equity in the allocation and sharing of health care resources (Doonan, 2013). Again, the companies that provide insurance in the health care system should be vetted in an open manner. This will allow only those that have the citizens’ interests at heart to provide services. As has been stated above, the nation is only recognized by the wellness of its citizens. A sick nation cannot survive and be in a position to competitively compete with other nations politically, socially and economically. The health care system must be put in place so as to make the nation well. It must be affordable and efficient. It is only through this that individuals can access medical services in a quick and competent way to reduce morbidity and mortality ratios (Ho, 2013).
Terrorism as a Foreign Policy Issue
Terrorism is an issue that is currently affecting world security. Over the years, terror attack incidences have steadily increased in most countries, putting lives and property at risk. The America as a nation has made it her policy to fight terrorism in any part of the world. She does this through counterterrorism measures and intelligence gathering. Indeed, over the last few years, the United States of America has improved the surveillance services and provided measures to identify and destroy terrorist groups and cells in order to make the world a better place.
In my position, I would like to point out that the American foreign policies on terrorism have made the world a secure place. America states clearly that it does not tolerate terrorism. This has been manifested in the way it carried out operations in Iraq and Pakistan in order to capture and kill Osama Bin Laden, one of the greatest minds behind terror attacks in the last two decades. America has always used military response in combating terrorism. I have a belief that this is not the right course that a nation should take when preventing terror attacks. There are many issues that lead to the ideology of terrorism. If they are not addressed early enough, terrorism becomes manifested. One important factor is idle citizens in society (Hobsbawn, 2008). These people are often idle because they either lack employment or have not been given the opportunity to get formal education. With this comes dissatisfaction and radicalism that forces the population into retaliating through terrorism. Another factor that leads to terrorism is inequality and social injustices in the government systems. If people of all nations can come up with a solution to these problems, then terrorism will be a long forgotten case. Military operations should be the last resort to counter terror attacks.
Part 2
Town of Greece v. Galloway
The Town of Greece v Galloway case was brought forth to determine if the town violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause when it started its board meetings with a prayer. The complainants were Linda Stevens and Susan Galloway and they brought this matter to the attention of the district court.
The issue being discussed in the case bordered on freedom of religion and speech. It centered on the fact that the town’s board meetings were always started by prayer as opposed to a minute’s silence that was previously observed. The issue also revolved around the establishment clause off the first amendment (Kang and Lopez, 2013).
The claimants argued that the board’s action was a violation to the establishment clause. They stated that through the violation of this clause; the town discriminated against non-Christians and allowed for sectarian prayers. To them, the town was advancing a specific faith and imposing it on other individuals who did not profess the same faith. On the other hand, the town argued that the legislatures in the House of Commons and House of Representatives do begin their debates by offering a prayer and they were also just following the representatives’ examples. To the town, a legislative prayer does not force citizens to be streamlined to one religion. Again, the town believed that a religious liberty does not provide separation from the government and should be permissible as it does not exclude others from professing their own faith. In addition, the town believed that the prayers were practiced on coercion and people could join only if they wanted to do so (Kang and Lopez, 2013).
Many decisions have been made concerning this case. To begin with, the district court favored the town and gave a summary judgment. The claimants appealed and the second circuit reversed the district court’s judgment. After the town petitioned this ruling; the Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari. Currently, the Supreme Court is yet to give a ruling based on the constitutional issues and the separation of the church and state as these are the problems that are encountered in the case (Kang and Lopez, 2013).
I believe this issue is important as it affects both the functions of the state and the church. Currently, there are many ceremonial issues that the state and constitution practice which are based on church doctrines. An example is the swearing in into office that requires one to make an oath while carrying the bible. The ruling will, therefore, have a profound effect on how the church relates with the state. I believe that this case was not impacted by ideology but rather, selfish interests of the claimants.
Summary and Thought Questions
Freedom of Speech and Religion
There can time when the state an