Reaction paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction paper - Essay Example He himself admits that Zyklon B had been used for delousing and as claimed, 95% of the gas had been to address infectation problems leaving only 5% to kill people. The real question redounds to the verity of the extermination of over 4 million Jews in the Holocaust as proliferated in hundreds of books. The revisionist view definitely stimulates critical thinking and appreciation of the facts as presented. If indeed Cole is correct in saying that there had been no extermination and that we had all been victims of Soviet deception and of exaggerated number and facts then the truth continues to be beyond our grasp. I guess much like everyone else, we had been emotionally invested in the gruesome stories of the holocaust which makes for a riveting story. But a good story and the truth are two different things. The search for the truth is perhaps among the most difficult endeavor to take. History can dependent and subjective. Cole’s allegation that Rudolf Franz Ferdinand Hoess had been tortured to admit to the killings through gas chambers and his subsequent execution in Auschwitz after the Nuremberg Trial is but a farce which had fooled everybody. If this were true, then the concept of justice as we know it must be reconsidered.

Donald Trump :: essays research papers

Donald Trump, one of the great New York City business tycoons, has written several biographies that explain in detail his dealings in the business world and his personal life throughout his career. The book that I have read is titled Trump: The Art of the Comeback. In this biography Donald tells about the time in the eighties and early nineties that he was struggling financially because of the economy and the hardships that he went through to make a comeback. Each chapter tells a story about his return to the top and how he did it. This book is his account of how he engineered one of the most remarkable business comebacks in history. He has accumulated a net worth of well over three billion dollars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the things that has helped Donald Trump throughout these times was his ability to make wise decisions based on his experience. I realized when reading this book that he was very talented in the area of decision making. He knew exactly when to buy or sell his assets to maximize his profits. Trump starts of by listing his top ten comeback tips. Some seem ridiculous, but apparently they work. He suggests things such as playing golf, being paranoid, going with your gut instinct, and always having a prenuptial agreement. The first chapter explains briefly his rise to the top and the rest of the book tells how he survived the low period and eventually regained his status. One of the main reasons for Donald’s downfall was the plummeting value of his vast real estate assets. He claims that his investments in Atlantic City are what eventually saved him from really going under between 1989 and 1992. Trump then bought Mar-a-lago, a gigantic mansion in Palm Beach and restored it. He vacations there and has had dozens of celebrities vacation there also. Donald Trump then acquired 40 Wall Street in 1995. The deal that he was able to make on this property was unbelievable. He paid the Kinson family one million dollars for a building that they had already previously paid for and had also sunk tens of millions into. He truly stole this property from them. The difficulty that the Kinson family was having was dealing with the German family that owned the ground lease. As soon as the Kinson family signed the papers he was on the phone working out a new 200-year ground lease with the Hinnebergs.

Mapp V. Ohio

CRJU 310 Judge Oberholzer April 12, 2009 Mapp v. Ohio * Mapp v. Ohio * 367 U. S. 643 * (1961) * Character of Action Mrs. Mapp was found guilty and sentenced to prison 1-7 years. Mrs. Mapp and her attorney took the case to the Supreme Court in Ohio. * Facts: Three police officers went to Dollree Mapp’s house asking permission to enter into her house, because they believed that she was hiding a fugitive in her home. When she did not allow the police officers into her home, the police officers left and came back three hours later with a search warrant. When Ms. Mapp asked the police officer if she could see the warrant, he held up a piece of paper that was believed to be a fake warrant. The police officer handcuffed Ms. Mapp for â€Å"resisting arrest†. As the police officers looked around her house, they did not find any fugitive but they did find pornographic material in a suitcase that was by Mrs. Mapp’s bed. Mrs. Mapp told the police officers that the pornographic material was not hers but that it belonged to another individual that she had loaned the suitcase too. Mrs. Mapp was arrested, found guilty and sentenced for having pornographic material. * Issues: A. Was the issuance of the warrant by the police officer invalid in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments? YES. B. In the absence of a warrant, may a search and seizure take place in a person’s home without their consent? NO. C. Is evidence obtained, without a warrant, from voluntary submission of a third party inadmissible in a court of law in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments? NO. * Decision: The Court held that the exclusionary rule, which prevents unconstitutionally btained evidence from being introduced at trial, applies to states as well as to the federal government. * Majority Opinion: (by Justice Clark) Issue (A) — Yes. Reasons: i. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that a â€Å"neutral and detached magistrate† must issue a warrant. ii. Justice Clark declared, â€Å"The exclusionary rule should also apply to states, saying that states are not permitted to use evidence gained by illegal means to convict a person. With a 6-3 vote of approval, Mapp's case was overturned and the law was forever changed†. Issue (B) — No. Reasons: i. Justice Clark declared, â€Å"We hold that all evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the Constitution [is] inadmissible in a state court†¦ Were it otherwise†¦ the assurance against unreasonable†¦ searches and seizures would be [meaningless]†. Mrs. Mapp at the time of her arrest was not issue a warrant just a piece of paper. The police officers still searched her house without her consent. 09. Concerning Opinion: by (Justice Black) Justice Black shares the doubt that â€Å"The Fourth Amendment alone can be used to prevent illegally obtained evidence from being used in state courts because it is not explicitly stated. Justice Black also believes the command that no unreasonable searches or seizures be allowed is too little to infer such a large decision. With these differences aside Justice Black feels that along with previous court decisions that the â€Å"Fourth Amendment's ban against unreasonable searches and seizures is considered together with the Fifth Amendment's ban against compelled self-incrimination, a constitutional basis emerges which not only justifies, but actually requires the exclusionary rule. Concurring/Dissenting Opinion: (by Justice Clark, whom the Chief Justice joins) These two justices, Clark and Brennan came to an agreement with Mrs. Mapp that her rights as a citizen of the United States were violated. Both Justices used the Fourth Amendment and that is evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, which protects against â€Å"unreasonable searches and seizures†, may not be used in criminal prosecutions in state courts, as well as federal courts. Concurri ng/Dissenting Opinion: (by Chief Black) Justice Black found that the case was a combination of the Fourth and Fifth Amendment and not with the Fourteenth Amendment. Justice Black turned out to be the swing vote. Even though, he joined the Court’s opinion he did it for his own reasons. For the reason, Justice Black wrote a separate opinion that was not joined by any other justice. Concurring/Dissenting Opinion: (by Justice Stewart) Justice Stewart wrote the majority opinion in Elkins. Yet, he refused to join the Court’s opinion. He did vote with the majority to reverse Mrs. Mapp’s conviction. 10. Comment: Mapp v. Ohio is an important case that made history. For the reason it has to do the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment. All evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the Federal Constitution is inadmissible in a criminal trial in a state court. Wolf v. Colorado, 338 U. S. 25, overruled insofar as it holds to the contrary. Pp. 367 U. S. 643-660. (A) A warrant must be issued by a â€Å"neutral and detached magistrate† who is not involved in either the investigation or prosecution of the suspect upon whom such a warrant is issued (Harvard Law Review, Vol. 5(3), 1971, pp. 239-250). (B) At the trial, no search warrant was produced by the prosecution, nor was the failure to produce one explained or accounted for. At best, â€Å"There is, in the record, considerable doubt as to whether there ever was any warrant for the search of defendant's home. † 170 Ohio St. at 430, 166 N. E. 2d at 389. The Ohio Supreme Court believed a â€Å"reasonable argument† coul d be made that the conviction should be reversed â€Å"because the methods' employed to obtain the [evidence] . . . here such as to `offend â€Å"a sense of justice,†Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃ¢â‚¬  but the court found determinative the fact that the evidence had not been taken â€Å"from defendant's person by the use of brutal or offensive physical force against defendant. † 170 Ohio St. at 431, 166 N. E. 2d at 389-390. Mrs. Mapp took a stand against the police officers because she felt she was doing nothing wrong. The police officers assumed that Mrs. Mapp was involved in hiding a fugitive as well as in hiding some illegal betting equipment. When the police officers got to Mrs. Mapp’s house they asked to go in she said â€Å"no†. Three hours later the police officers came back with a piece of paper (not a search warrant) when Mrs. Mapp asked to see the warrant she had to struggle to get it. The judges overturned the conviction because the police officers had violated the fourth Amendment. 11. Principle of the Case: A warrant issued by any public official, other than â€Å"neutral and detached magistrate† is invalid in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. A person’s home cannot be searched without their consent or without a search warrant.

Biography of Voltaire, French Enlightenment Writer

Born Franà §ois-Marie Arouet, Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1778) was a writer and philosopher of the French Enlightenment period. He was an incredibly prolific writer, advocating for civil freedoms and criticizing major institutions such as the Catholic Church. Fast Facts: Voltaire Full Name: Franà §ois-Marie ArouetOccupation: Writer, poet, and philosopherBorn: November 21, 1694 in Paris, FranceDied: May 30, 1778 in Paris, FranceParents: Franà §ois Arouet and Marie Marguerite DaumardKey Accomplishments: Voltaire published significant criticism of the French monarchy. His commentary on religious tolerance, historiographies, and civil liberties became a key component of Enlightenment thinking. Early Life Voltaire was the fifth child and fourth son of Franà §ois Arouet and his wife Marie Marguerite Daumard. The Arouet family had already lost two sons, Armand-Franà §ois and Robert, in infancy, and Voltaire (then Franà §ois-Marie) was nine years younger than his surviving brother, Armand, and seven years younger than his sole sister, Marguerite-Catherine. Franà §ois Arouet was a lawyer and a treasury official; their family was part of the French nobility, but at the lowest possible rank. Later in life, Voltaire claimed to be the illegitimate son of a higher-ranked nobleman by the name of Guà ©rin de Rochebrune. His early education came from the Jesuits at the Collà ¨ge Louis-le-Grand. From the age of ten until seventeen, Voltaire received classical instruction in Latin, rhetoric, and theology. Once he left school, he decided he wanted to become a writer, much to the dismay of his father, who wanted Voltaire to follow him into the law. Voltaire also continued learning outside the confines of formal education. He developed his writing talents and also became multilingual, attaining fluency in English, Italian, and Spanish in addition to his native French. First Career and Early Romance After leaving school, Voltaire moved to Paris. He pretended to be working as an assistant to a notary, theoretically as a stepping stone into the legal profession. In reality, though, he was actually spending most of his time writing poetry. After a time, his father found out the truth and sent him away from Paris to study law in Caen, Normandy. Di Nicolas de Largillià ¨re - Scan by User:Manfred Heyde, Pubblico dominio, Collegamento Even this did not deter Voltaire from continuing to write. He merely switched over from poetry to writing studies on history and essays. During this period, the witty style of writing and speaking that made Voltaire so popular first appeared in his work, and it endeared him to many of the higher-ranking nobles he spent time around. In 1713, with his father’s assistance, Voltaire began working at the Hague in the Netherlands as a secretary to the French ambassador, the marquis de Chà ¢teauneuf. While there, Voltaire had his earliest known romantic entanglement, falling in love with a Huguenot refugee, Catherine Olympe Dunoyer. Unfortunately, their connection was considered unsuitable and caused something of a scandal, so the marquis forced Voltaire to break it off and return to France. By this point, his political and legal career had all but been given up. Playwright and Government Critic Upon returning to Paris, Voltaire launched his writing career. Since his favorite topics were critiques of the government and satires of political figures, he landed in hot water pretty quickly. One early satire, which accused the Duke of Orleans of incest, even landed him in prison in the Bastille for nearly a year. Upon his release, however, his debut play (a take on the Oedipus myth) was produced, and it was a critical and commercial success. The Duke whom he had previously offended even presented him with a medal in recognition of the achievement. It was around this time that Franà §ois-Marie Arouet began going by the pseudonym Voltaire, under which he would publish most of his works. To this day, there’s much debate as to how he came up with the name. It may have its roots as an anagram or pun on his family name or several different nicknames. Voltaire reportedly adopted the name in 1718, after being released from the Bastille. After his release, he also struck up a new romance with a young widow, Marie-Marguerite de Rupelmonde. Unfortunately, Voltaire’s next works did not have nearly the same success as his first. His play Artà ©mire flopped so badly that even the text itself only survives in a few fragments, and when he tried to publish an epic poem about King Henry IV (the first Bourbon dynasty monarch), he couldn’t find a publisher in France. Instead, he and Rupelmonde journeyed to the Netherlands, where he secured a publisher in The Hague. Eventually, Voltaire convinced a French publisher to publish the poem, La Henriade, secretly. The poem was a success, as was his next play, which was performed at the wedding of Louis XV. Chateau de Cirey where Voltaire lived.  ©MDT52 In 1726, Voltaire became involved in a quarrel with a young nobleman who reportedly insulted Voltaire’s change of name. Voltaire challenged him to a duel, but the nobleman instead had Voltaire beaten, then arrested without a trial. He was, however, able to negotiate with authorities to be exiled to England rather than imprisoned at the Bastille again. English Exile As it turns out, Voltaire’s exile to England would change his entire outlook. He moved in the same circles as some of the leading figures of English society, thought, and culture, including Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, and more. In particular, he became fascinated by the government of England in comparison with France: England was a constitutional monarchy, whereas France still lived under an absolute monarchy. The country also had greater freedoms of speech and religion, which would become a key component of Voltaire’s criticisms and writings. Voltaire was able to return to France after a little more than two years, though still banned from the court at Versailles. Thanks to participation in a plan to literally purchase the French lottery, along with an inheritance from his father, he quickly became incredibly rich. In the early 1730s, he began publishing work that showed his clear English influences. His play Zaà ¯re was dedicated to his English friend Everard Fawkener and included praise of English culture and freedoms. He also published a collection of essays that praised British politics, attitudes towards religion and science, and arts and literature, called the  Letters Concerning the English Nation, in 1733 in London. The next year, it was published in French, landing Voltaire in hot water again. Because he did not get the approval of the official royal censor before publishing, and because the essays praised British religious freedom and human rights, the book was banned and Voltaire had to quickly flee from Par is. In 1733, Voltaire also met the most significant romantic partner of his life: Émilie, the Marquise du Chà ¢telet, a mathematician who was married to the Marquis du Chà ¢telet. Despite being 12 years younger than Voltaire (and married, and a mother), Émilie was very much an intellectual peer to Voltaire. They amassed a shared collection of over 20,000 books and spent time studying and performing experiments together, many of which were inspired by Voltaire’s admiration of Sir Isaac Newton. After the Letters scandal, Voltaire fled to the estate belonging to her husband. Voltaire paid to renovate the building, and her husband did not raise any fuss about the affair, which would continue for 16 years. Somewhat abashed by his multiple conflicts with the government, Voltaire began keeping a lower profile, although he continued his writing, now focused on history and science. The Marquise du Chà ¢telet contributed considerably alongside him, producing a definitive French translation of Newton’s Principia and writing reviews of Voltaire’s Newton-based work. Together, they were instrumental in introducing Newton’s work in France. They also developed some critical views on religion, with Voltaire publishing several texts that sharply criticized the establishment of state religions, religious intolerance, and even organized religion as a whole. Similarly, he railed against the style of histories and biographies of the past, suggesting they were filled with falsehoods and supernatural explanations and needed a fresh, more scientific and evidence-based approach to research. Connections in Prussia Frederick the Great, while he was still just the crown prince of Prussia, began a correspondence with Voltaire around 1736, but they did not meet in person until 1740. Despite their friendship, Voltaire still went to Frederick’s court in 1743 as a French spy to report back on Frederick’s intentions and capabilities with regards to the ongoing War of Austrian Succession. By the mid-1740s, Voltaire’s romance with the Marquise du Chà ¢telet had begun to wind down. He grew tired of spending nearly all his time at her estate, and both found new companionship. In Voltaire’s case, it was even more scandalous than their affair had been: he was attracted to, and later lived with, his own niece, Marie Louise Mignot. In 1749, the Marquise died in childbirth, and Voltaire moved to Prussia the following year. Circa 1751, Voltaire travelled to Prussia in 1750, on the invitation of Friedrich II and was a permanent resident of court for two years. Hulton Archive / Getty Images During the 1750s, Voltaire’s relationships in Prussia began to deteriorate. He was accused of theft and forgery relating to some bond investments, then had a feud with the president of the Berlin Academy of Sciences that ended with Voltaire writing a satire that angered Frederick the Great and resulted in the temporary destruction of their friendship. They would, however, reconcile in the 1760s. Geneva, Paris, and Final Years Forbidden by King Louis XV to return to Paris, Voltaire instead arrived in Geneva in 1755. He continued publishing, with major philosophical writings such as Candide, or Optimism, a satire of Leibnizs philosophy of optimistic determinism which would become Voltaire’s most famous work. Candide by VOLTAIRE, Francois-Marie Arouet - French philosopher, playwright and novelist. Title-page of Candide or Optimism. Culture Club / Getty Images Starting in 1762, Voltaire took up the causes of unjustly persecuted people, particularly those who were victims of religious persecution. Among his most notable causes was the case of Jean Calas, a Huguenot who was convicted of murdering his son for wanting to convert to Catholicism and tortured to death; his property was confiscated and his daughters forced into Catholic convents. Voltaire, along with others, strongly doubted his guilt and suspected a case of religious persecution. The conviction was overturned in 1765. Voltaire’s last year was still full of activity. In early 1778, he was initiated into Freemasonry, and historians dispute as to whether he did so at the urging of Benjamin Franklin or not. He also returned to Paris for the first time in a quarter century to see his latest play, Irene, open. He fell ill on the journey and believed himself to be on death’s doorstep, but recovered. Two months later, however, he became ill again and died on May 30, 1778. Accounts of his deathbed vary wildly, depending on the sources and their own opinions of Voltaire. His famous deathbed quote—in which a priest asked him to renounce Satan and he replied â€Å"Now is not the time for making new enemies!†Ã¢â‚¬â€is likely apocryphal and actually traced to a 19th-century joke that was attributed to Voltaire in the 20th century. Voltaire was formally denied a Christian burial because of his criticism of the Church, but his friends and family managed to secretly arrange a burial at the abbey of Scellià ¨res in Champagne. He left behind a complicated legacy. For instance, while he argued for religious tolerance, he also was one of the origins of Enlightenment-era anti-Semitism. He endorsed anti-slavery and anti-monarchical views, but disdained the idea of democracy as well. In the end, Voltaire’s texts became a key component of Enlightenment thinking, which has allowed his philosophy and writing to endure for centuries. Sources Pearson, Roger. Voltaire Almighty: A Life in Pursuit of Freedom. Bloomsbury, 2005.Pomeau, Renà © Henry. â€Å"Voltaire: French Philosopher and Author.† Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Voltaire.â€Å"Voltaire.† Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/voltaire/

The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams Essay - 623 Words

Theodore Roosevelt claims that â€Å"probably the greatest harm done by vast wealth is the harm that we of moderate means do ourselves when we let the vices of envy and hatred enter deep into our own natures.† The former President of the United States emphasizes that greed is an obstacle to the good working of modern societies. The novels, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quià ±onez portray that the greatest harm is made up of vast wealth. In the Great Gatsby, the protagonist, Jay Gatsby has made his wealth and gained his made-up sense of celebrity through bootlegging. In Bodega Dreams, the main character, Willie Bodega also sells illegal drugs. The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams are similar because both Gatsby†¦show more content†¦Veras mother did not want him to marry her daughter because she thinks he has no goals or future so Vera found someone else. However, Bodega claims that Vera does not love her husband, saying to Chino, à ¢â‚¬Å"Bcause Vera needs to tell him-he lit a cigarette-that she never loved him† (Quià ±onez 168). In the same way, Gatsby wants Daisy to tell that she never loves her husband, Tom. Even though both Daisy and Vera decide to marry the wealthier one to get a better future, both protagonists still hope to win their love back and believe they never love their husband. Eventually, both protagonists are murdered in cold blood. To illustrate this fact, at the end of Bodega Dreams, most of the characters are killed by someone or disappear. Vera and Edwin Nazario, Bodega’s associate, plan to kill Bodega and Vidal, Vera’s husband. In this case, Nazario has played everyone and poor Bodega gets killed for loving someone and trying to fix up his Latin neighborhood. The reader would notice Bodega’s death from Chino saying, â€Å"I wasnt thinking about anything else but Bodega. Bodega was dead† (Quià ±onez 195). Likewise, Gatsby gets shot by George, the husband of Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle Wilson is Daisy’s husband’s mistress who Daisy ran over by accident. Even though Gatsby takes the blame to protect Daisy, he is finally killed by someone at the end of the story. Accordingly, both Gatsby and Bodega feel a sense of emptiness of life without theirShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby And Bodega Dreams : The Love That Killed Bodega And Gatsby973 Words   |  4 PagesAmend 10/2/2017 ENG 307 Dangerous Dreams Indeed: The Love That Killed Bodega and Gatsby Not all American dreams end tragically, but in some cases it does. This idea could be broken down by the stories of The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams. Whether Jay Gatsby tries to reinvent himself or Willie Bodega tries to reinvent Spanish Harlem, The Great Gatsby and Bodega Dreams run parallel towards a common outcome. Bodega and Gatsby s ambition to live their American Dream is thwarted by love, which led themRead MoreErnesto Quinonez s The Conversation Through Storytelling Essay2033 Words   |  9 Pages(Welcome to Puerto Rico 2016) The techniques used by the author in this novel are stoic writing, drama, suspense, inspirational, love story, and fiction. My favorite part of the book exposes two street friends that grew up together with two different dreams. Chino s aspiration was to improve himself while Sapo had no drive or ambition to the possibilities that surrounded him. When thinking of his irrational actions towards the teacher, Mr. Blessington realized that he would not be anything more than

Analysis Of A Time For Choosing By Ronald Reagan - 1327 Words

Ronald Reagan Declaring for President in 1964 Just over two years before Ronald Reagan competed in his first statewide or national office, the former actor gave a speech in support of a doomed presidential candidate, Senator Barry Goldwater. This speech had little effect on 1964 presidential election. However, the â€Å"A Time for Choosing† speech established Ronald Reagan as the future of the conservative movement, and outlined his view of what America should be. â€Å"A Time for Choosing† fastened Reagan’s conservatism in the minds of both Republicans and Americans. This speech propelled Reagan to win the California governor’s race in 1967 and a sweeping victory in the 1980 presidential election. The â€Å"A Time for Choosing† speech declared†¦show more content†¦But great as our tax burden is, it has not kept pace with public spending. For decades we have piled deficit upon deficit, mortgaging our future and our children’s future for the temporary convenience of the pre sent† (Reagan). The nearly identical economic assertions that Reagan makes in both speeches perfectly demonstrates the correlation between â€Å"A Time for Choosing† and the â€Å"First Inaugural Address† and supports the idea that Regan’s speech in 1964 was basically an explanation of his presidential platform. The president also spent a majority of both speeches talking about his view of government, specifically the relationship between the individual citizen and government and the responsibility of centralized government’s. In his â€Å"First Inaugural Address† President Reagan declared, â€Å"Our Government has no power except that granted it by the people. It is time to check and reverse the growth of government which shows signs of having grown beyond the consent of the governed† (Reagan). 17 years prior in â€Å"A Time for Choosing† Ronald Reagan said essentially the same thing, â€Å"And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except that sovereign people is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man’s relation to man† (Reagan). Here, Reagan is affirming and thenShow MoreRelatedPolitical Discourse And Political Politics1359 Words   |  6 Pageswere starting to replace debates over issues as the main political discourse and A Time for Choosing takes full advantage of those sentiments. At the beginning of his speech, Reagan mentions his past as a liberal democrat. According to his own auto-biography, An American Life, Reagan aligned with the left until his relationship with conservative actress, Nancy Davis. 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The Ttc Private, Public, or Private-Public Partnership Free Essays

In July 2012, the TTC was evaluated and given a disappointing grade by TTCriders Group based on its performance at five aspects. These five aspects are about fares, transit expansion, accessibility, service frequency, and environmental impact (â€Å"TTC gets†, 2012). Unlike any other major city in North America, the TTC fares covered 70% of its operating cost, which was the highest fare box ratio within the 11 major North American cities (See Appendix 1). We will write a custom essay sample on The Ttc: Private, Public, or Private-Public Partnership? or any similar topic only for you Order Now After derailed for 16 months, transit expansion plan finally came back on track, still with concerns about certainty of funds. Due to budget constraints, the target timeline of making all new and existing subway accessible has been pushed back several times from 2020 to 2024, then to 2025. The TTC ridership increased by 12. 5% in 2011 while service levels only rose by 8. 4%, resulting in insufficient service to connect our neighborhoods. As for the environmental impact, the TTC collected no data for this purpose (â€Å"The state,† 2012). All these issues are mainly accounted for prolonged budget deficits, which the TTC has been struggling for many years. HISTORY OF THE TTC The Toronto Transportation Committee (TTC) is a public transport service agency established in 1954, the third largest transit system in North America that operates streetcar, transit bus, and rapid transit service (subway and RT) in Toronto. The TTC consists of four repaid transit service lines with 69 stations, 149 bus routes and 11 streetcar lines, making 243 connections among them. In 2011, the ridership went up to 500. 2 million, which exceeded all historical records. The TTC service covers the Greater Toronto Area benefited 4. 5 million people. Particularly, the TTC provides Wheel-Trans service that is responsible for door-door accessible transit service for physically disabled people, 2. 7 million trips made through this service in 2011 (â€Å"2011 TTC,† 2011). Toronto Private Transportation Companies 1849-1921 The Williams Omnibus Bus Line was the first private-owned transportation company in Toronto, which carried passengers in stagecoaches drawn by horses erving a limited area along Young street in 1849. With the population growth, Williams Omni Bus Line was heavily loaded. The city then gave the first transit franchise for a street railway to Alexander Easton’s Toronto Street Railway (TSR) in 1861. After the franchise expired in 1891, the city passed on the right to a new company, the Toronto Railway Company (TRC), under James Ross and William Mackenzie. The TRC made the first electric car ran on August 15, 1892 to meet the fra nchise requirement. The city limits had extended greatly by 1912. The city attempted many times to force TRC enlarge its serve area, and failed. In order to build several routes and better serve the greater area, the city created its own street railway operation, the Toronto Civic Railways (TCR). By 1921 when TRC’s franchise expired, the city created the Toronto Transportation Commission combined with the TCR (Filey, 1996). Toronto Transportation Commission 1921- 1954 Toronto Transportation Commission went through boom times and down times from 1921 to 1954. Streetcars and railways served progressively in the extended Toronto area. There were many remarkable milestones during this period such as: 575 new â€Å"Peter Witt† street cars entered service in 1921; first gasoline-electric hybrid bus entered service in 1926; in 1927, TTC expanded its lines of service with Island ferry, hydro-electric railway, and other intercity bus service; TTC overcome the stock crash in 1929 and made improvements; 745 PPC streetcars, which are also called â€Å"red rocket†, entered service in 1938; The great moment came on Sep. 8, 1949, that the city of Toronto was symbolized with its opening ceremony of â€Å" Canada’s First Subway†; in 1954 Toronto Transportation Commission was renamed as Toronto Transit Committee (â€Å"A cavalcade,† 1954). TORONTO TRANSIT COMMITTEE AND ITS BUDGET ISSUES Financial Situation at Beginning From the early 1950s, Toronto Transit Committee had been operated by the supervision of Metropolitan To ronto, which was under the auspices of Province of Ontario who united Toronto with other 12 suburbs. Since the opening of its first subway in 1954, TTC had planned to expand its subway due to increasing needs of the largely adjacent Metro area. This plan was facing obstacles because of the quadrupled bus service and the pressure from Metro Toronto to set up unprofitable service to the suburbs. The development of the TTC went forward because of the subsidy of Metro Toronto as well as the Province of Ontario, making the entire capital budget came from taxpayers. In the 1970s and the 1980s, the Toronto Transit Commission was seen worldwide as a ‘transportation showcase’. From 1979 until 1990, it won awards after awards for safety and design (â€Å"A BRIEF,† 2012). From 1972, the TTC’s operating profit was greatly affected by the request from the City’s political pressure, which was to eliminate the fare zone system to prevent the suburban paying an additional fare. By the late of 1980s, the subsidies from Metro Toronto and the Province was up to a quarter of the taxpayers’ money, which was 32% of the TTC total revenue, however, the subsidy level within the North American cities was still the lowest (â€Å"A BRIEF,† 2012). Budget Cuts from the Province By the late 1990s, budgets shortage became a major issue for the TTC. Previously the TTC’s subsidies were split in halves provided by the Province and the City. On Feb. 18, 1996, the newly elected government of Mike Harris ended the province subsidy for the TTC. In 1998, provincial government put an end to the federal system of Metro Toronto and let Toronto become a unified City. The result was a significant cutback in transit services. The City of Toronto’s subsidy of the TTC was roughly $150 million, and the TTC had a continental high farebox recovery of 82%. With passengers paying far more for far worse service, the TTC’s ridership had dropped to roughly 360 million (â€Å"A HISTORY,† 2012) (See Appendix 2). From that point on, the TTC has been always struggling among its fare box recovery, city subsidy, and possible subsidy from the province of Ontario. The TTC would sacrifice its frequent service and routes to save its operation cost. The TTC also have many employees working overtime to compromise the labor cost, saying that this way can be more cost efficient than hiring more employees. Nevertheless, the TTC was renowned because of its sunshine list that has more and more employees every year earning more than $100,000 annually. Other Problems Along with struggles for its budget subsidies, the TTC also had been dragged off by other problems such as service cuts, fare hikes, and union strikes. In February 2012, The TTC reduced its frequency service on more than 35 routes in order to meet its targeted operating budget (â€Å"TTC bus,† 2012). In November 2009, the TTC board discussed a fare increases proposal that would generate $62 million (â€Å"TTC fare,† 2009). This fare hike was implemented on January 3, 2010 (Litwinenko, 2009) (See Appendix 3). The bargaining between the TTC and its union had been on and off for decades. In March 2011, at the request of Mayor Rob Ford, the Ontario government agreed to ban transit strikes in Toronto and would pass a bill to set the TTC as an essential service. In a long-run, critics argued that this would cost taxpayers more because TTC contract disputes could cause bigger raise to settle in the arbitration (â€Å"Liberals close,† 2011). OPTIONS FOR THE TTC Given the facts that the TTC consistently facing budget shortage, frequent service reduction and routes cut, and union issues, the discussion of finding solutions for the TTC has been ongoing for a long time. Some people think that privatizing the TTC would make the TTC operating efficiently and profitably in the hands of private company. Others argue that private sector emerging in a public transit could be a better option, giving the reason that private sector infuse profitable drives and boost skills in a public transit system. Many others defend that the TTC should stay public in order to serve better for the public rather than only chasing profit as what happened in private companies. Each of them gives insights of this transportation crisis. Privatizing the TTC The voices of privatizing the TTC is not sound nowadays comparing to 1990s. Corcoran (1990) stated blankly â€Å"mass transit and mass losses go hand in hand†. He doubted the reason of government so heavily involved in public transportation and the seemingly inherent unprofitable operations. Despite the fact that government rejected the proposal by five developers for investment to build the subway extension, a public transit system proved its ability in managing this mass system, which was badly managed, underfinanced, poorly planned, and heavily subsidized. Private-Public Partnership With regards to privatizing the TTC, many people generally meant to privatize parts of the TTC because they still want the TTC remain the function to serve and benefit the public. Which parts should be privatized could be a complex process of evaluation. City councilor Karen Stintz thought â€Å"adding some private-sector appointees could boost skills on the TTC board without reducing its accountability to the public. Private-sector members could contribute project management, financial and customer service skills† (Kalinowski, 2010). Staying Public Staying public remains its power in many people’s thoughts towards the TTC. These people think public transit should benefit the public in its full strength. Serving the TTC riders at its very best could be conflict sometimes with gaining profit through the operation. Knowing and still offering some money-losing services to benefit its needed riders differentiate the public system from the private or so-called private-public partnership system. â€Å"Keep TTC public†, the message was given through a coalition, the public transit alliance with the members from the Toronto Environmental Alliance, the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 113, and community activists. They held a $500,000 ad campaign for â€Å"Keep TTC public† to claim that private or private-public partnership can be a disastrous experiment for Torontonians, and the TTC should stay public (Yuen, 2010). The video of â€Å"Keep TTC public† presented compelling reasons against transit privatization, compared with other cities’ transit system that were in either private or private-public partnership. The examples used were London, Melbourne, Auckland, and Vancouver. In 2003, a Private-Public Partnership was introduced in London transit system. This partnership ended in 2009 because the 30 years contacted of ? 7 billion was used up in 7. 5 years, and even overspent more than ? 1 billion. Private companies ran Auckland transport by using the zone system. Due to the tickets difference, riding the similar distance as from Scarborough to Etobicoke would cost $16. 5 in Auckland. When Melbourne government decided to privatize its transit system, its original objective w as to reduce the city’s subsidy and increase the quality of service by using the private company. By 1999 when the privatization became effect, the subsidy to the transit system doubled the previous level when it was in public. Till 2010, comparing between Melbourne and Toronto, the subsidy to Melbourne transit system was 4 times than the subsidy for the TTC, while the ridership of Melbourne transit system was just 1/3 of the TTC. Vancouver Canada line was another example for PPP (Private-Public Partnership) which drown money from the bus fares to subsidize this rapid transit line. This video logically presented the historical cases from different angles to demonstrate the disability of the private system to public transit, giving an inevitable statement that the private company operates for the profit rather than the benefit to the ublic (â€Å"Keep TTC,† 2010). CONCLUSION In December 2011 the 2012 Budget Committee meeting, the TTC presented its less services on many routes because of the subsidy budget cut (Munro, 2011). It is a definite scheme that the TTC will still be facing various problems due to its political context, budget structure, service range, and union issue, simply put as its complex ity. Looking back its history and steps of its developments, the TTC managed to meet the service requirement and survived in public for today’s economy. However, the debate of whichever is the best solution for the TTC will still be ongoing. There is no simple answer for this question, but only hopes that people wish the TTC carry on its responsibility in better serving the people in Toronto. REFERENCES: A brief history of transit in Toronto. (2012). Transit Toronto. Retrieved from: http://transit. toronto. on. ca/spare/0012. shtml A calvalcade of progress. (1954). TTC. ca. Retrieved from: http://www. ttc. ca/About_the_TTC/History/cavalcade_of_progress. jsp A history on fares on the TTC. (2012). Transit Toronto. Retrieved from: http://transit. toronto. on. ca/spare/0021. shtml Corcoran. T, (1990). Privatizing the TTC would relieve strain on subway service. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. library. yorku. ca/business/docview/385631727/1383962EB1D56AD7336/2? accountid=15182 Filey. M, (1996). The TTC story. Toronto, Ontario: Dundurn Press. Retrieved from: http://www. ttc. ca/About_the_TTC/History/The_first_75_years. jsp Kalinowski. T, (2010). TTC board could could be public, private mix: Non-elected members, bring new skills: Stintz. Toronto Star. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. ibrary. yorku. ca/docview/812554793? accountid=15182 KeepTTCPublicToronto, (2010, September 17). Keep TTC public. Video retrieved from: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=xAmnmehAy3w Liberals close debate on bill declaring TTC essential service. (2011). The Canadian Press. Retrieved from: http://www. cp24. com/liberals-close-debate-on-bill-declaring-ttc-essential-service-1. 614350 Litwinenko. J, (2009). TTC fare hike approved. Blog to. Retrieved from: http://www. blogto. com/city/2009/11/ttc_fare_hike_approved/ TTC bus service cut back. (2012). Toronto Star. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. library. yorku. ca/business/docview/921300938/138368A888C7C5B89BC/2? accountid=15182 Munro. S, (2011). Can the TTC survive budget 2012?. Torontoist. Retieved from: http://torontoist. com/2011/12/can-the-ttc-survive-budget-2012/ TTC fare hike is unavoidable. (2009). Toronto Start. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. library. yorku. ca/business/docview/439627577/1383691789B38A6B670/8? accountid=15182 2011 TTC operating Statistics. (2011). TTC. ca. Retrieved from: http://www. TTC. ca TTC gets failing grade from TTCriders group. (2012). City News Toronto. Retrieved from: http://www. citytv. com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/215620–ttc-gets-failing-grade-from-ttcriders-group The state of public transit in Toronto. (TTCriders, 2012). Retrieved from: http://www. ttcriders. ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-State-of-Public-Transit-in-Toronto-July-2012. pdf Yuen. J, (2010). Keep TTC public-coalition. Toronto Sun. Retrieved from: http://www. torontosun. com/news/torontoandgta/2010/09/20/15415186. html APPENDIX 1 REVENUE/COST RATIOS – CANADA TTC Montreal Ottawa Vancouver 70% (2011) 56% (2009) 43% (2009) 48% (2009) REVENUE/COST RATIOS – U. S. TTC? Atlanta Chicago Los Angeles New York Philadelphia Boston Washington 70% 29% 40% 29% 54% 38% 42% 45% (2011) (2009) (2009) (2009) (2009) (2009) (2009) (2009) Source: City of Toronto Toronto Transit Commission 2011-2020 Capital Plan, http://www. toronto. ca/budget2011/pdf/presentation11_ttc. pdf APPENDIX 2 TORONTO STATISTICS FOR 1921-2004 APPENDIX 3 How to cite The Ttc: Private, Public, or Private-Public Partnership?, Essay examples