Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Senate filibuster Essay

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the Senate filibuster rule. Be certain to include the changes voted by the Senate in 1975 and 2013 - Essay Example Therefore, some Senators could take advantage of this rule and make long speeches that delayed some serious debates. The 1975 ruling also required a three-fifth vote rather than two-thirds votes that were required by previous legislation (Watts, 6-13). With the tendency of American politics to have divided views, it will be very hard for any party to get 60 votes that can end a debate. For this reason, debates will not be ended easily using filibuster tactics since the 60 votes is almost unachievable on matters that are not very demanding. The cloture rule of 1975 and other amendments later gave the minority party powerful tools to block actions. One Senator could take advantage of the filibusters to kill very important bills with long speeches. The delaying tactics can be utilized by the opposition party in its attempts to destroy the bills proposed by the ruling party. On the other hand, filibusters can be utilized by the ruling party to kill any attempts by the opposition party to make legislations. As much as filibuster has been criticized, the idea of unlimited debates in the Senate is not very bad. The debates give the minority party power to make contributions to the Senate. However, the minority party could only benefit from the cloture rule if it had at least 41 seats. It must be commanding significant portion of the country to have such number of seats. The filibusters can force the government to be considerate of its actions by reducing radical actions taken by the government. The filibusters are also important because Senators are sensible and know when and how to use the filibusters. For instance, budget bills cannot be compromised by filibusters. The Senate does not use delaying tactics when passing legislation regarding budget. Contrary to this, filibusters may be used to eliminate non-budgetary items that might be attached to the budgetary bills (Wawro and Eric, 12). Procedural filibusters are advantageous to the Senate since

Case analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Case analysis - Assignment Example Further, the company introduced e-books which most people found convenient and were environmental friendly than print books. Therefore, the company opted to receive and reuse unwanted books, which they thought was still an appealing option for green consumer. The firm gave the community and the school a nonprofit equity stake, which offered them with high financial value in case the firm was sold or merged. In turn, this would ensure that such nonprofit partners understand that future stock alternatives were going to rely on their performance as a company in ensuring literacy level is on the raise. It is evident that as the company expanded, it had to rethink about its donation percentage since the current donation practice disadvantaged it. Therefore, the management was forced to amend the original fifteen percent of all sales because when the company expanded nationally, the average sale of university and college books started dwindling, which meant that, they were operating under a loss. The company continued to perform dismally but changes in oil and gas prices positively affected the company in the sense that the fifteen percent donation increased the firm’s gross margin. Initially, the company had thought of giving half of its profit margins to nonprofit partners such as the community and the school. However, they realized that this concept was a big problem to external investors. If they could give half of the company’s profit margins, it meant creation of lower valuation for the firm because investors would claim fifty percent of what they might have received otherwise. In turn, this would lead to inability to raise funds thus straining themselves. Better World Books donated over $ 8 million to international literacy programs via the sale of its books. Since the company sold over 10,000 copies of books on daily basis, it attained a profit margin

The McCarthy Essay Example for Free

The McCarthy Essay The McCarthy Trails and the Salem witch trials have always drawn comparisons to each other in many ways. People were punished unfairly and without any real form of proof. As we continue throughout history, events similar to the McCarthy and Salem Witch Trials have sprung up occasionally in current events. The methods of persecution in these events have varied from the minor to the extreme. Due to these unfair practices, many victims had their livelihoods destroyed and some were even killed due to another person’s word over theirs. In both of these situations, the accusers were hungry for power and would do anything possible to achieve this power. In any case, reputations were ruined, lives were lost, or families were decimated. The methods of persecution for criminals have varied greatly throughout the ages. Incarceration, torture, and death are common methods that have been used as punishments for crimes. During the McCarthy and Salem Witch Trials, people were punished in many ways. During the Salem Witch Trials, the accused were first placed in jail to await a hearing. In all, over 150 people were arrested and placed in jail. Even more were accused but were never pursued by the proper authorities. If found guilty of witchcraft, the victims were sentenced to death by hanging. Between June and September of 1692 nineteen of the accused were hanged. On September 19th, 1962 one man was pressed to death when he failed to plead guilty or not guilty. At least four deaths occurred from the accused dying while incarcerated. The punishments during the McCarthy trials while less severe, still had a devastating impact on the persons involved. People accused of being communist had their names added to a blacklist created by Hollywood. The only way to be removed was to meet before the House of Un-American Activities Committee and prove your innocence. If a person that was called before the House of Un-American Activities Committee refused to name other people involved in these communist groups then you would be added to the blacklist. Over 320 people were placed on the list which stopped them from working in the entertainment industry. The United States government then decided to use the Alien Registration Act to place over forty-six people in jail. Senator Joseph McCarthy then accused 205 people in the State Department of being communists. Investigations were launched and many thousands lost their jobs after admitting to being members of the communist party. Senator McCarthy ruined the lives of many, all to increase his own power and self-image. It is amazing that an event like the Salem Witch Trials was allowed to repeat itself with the McCarthy trials. The Salem Witch Trials, McCarthyism, and even recent events all draw similarities to each other. Events where people have been wrongly prosecuted have happened throughout history. The similarities begin with a culture that is in a state of panic. The Salem Witch Trials were the result of a very strong effort to find witches brought on by panic about strange events. The same was true for McCarthy in the Senate. He was on a mission to find communists, and an already panicked public was very willing to believe him. Both were based on incorrect facts and gained momentum due to their leaders instilling public hysteria. Both trials ended when the accusations proved to be false and unsubstantiated. In my current event, a victim had Secret Service agents show up at her house because she supposedly had anti-American posters in her home. The poster that the agents were referring to was one with President Bush holding a rope, with the words: We Hang on Your Every Word. George Bush, Wanted: 152 Dead. It refers to the number who was put to death in Texas while Bush was the governor. The woman had her information taken down and her name added to some type of list. Many of these types of situations have been springing up around the country. Terrorism in recent years is the main cause of this; just like witch hysteria and communism of the past. Acts like the Patriot Act inflict on certain rights of Americans. Warrantless wiretapping has become a serious issue in recent years, with groups such as the ACLU attacking such policies. Overall, these events do draw many similarities to each other and their effects will never be forgotten. The Salem Witch Trials, McCarthyism, and recent events also have much dissimilarity between them. During McCarthyism, the punishments for being accused were much less severe. You could get blacklisted under McCarthyism, but you received a fair trial and no one was ever killed during these events. The worst scenario was either a job loss or a tarnished reputation. The Salem Witch trials involved superstition that went beyond the Christian religion. People were mainly accused by a group of girls that pointed the finger to many innocent women. If they admitted to being a witch then they were sparred from death. Today, rights granted by the constitution are being stressed by the government with the hope of keeping American people safe. You may be investigated, but no harm has since come because of these new policies. As time continues, we will see how future events transpire and how similar they are to the past. The McCarthy Trails and the Salem witch trials have had a great affect on our history. Victims were unfairly reprimanded during these events. The methods of persecution ranged from death to defamation of character. Power hungry individuals led the hysteria, sacrificing others to build up their power. What we do know is that these types of events continue to arise, even in today’s world. Whether we have learned from these events will remain to be seen.

New Labours Policy for Childcare

New Labours Policy for Childcare Title: New Labours policies in relation to children and families maintain a focus upon control of family life rather than supporting families. Critically evaluate the statement with reference to at least two policy areas Introduction: The social policies of any government are aimed at welfare and protection of individuals and promote economic and social development with the aim of establishing a welfare state (Ellison and Pierson, 1998). Effective social policy also helps individuals to lead a fulfilling life and in turn promotes the growth and change of economies. Bad social policy retards the growth of a country and its individuals and leaves people in poverty or social exclusion. In this essay we discuss the labour government’s social policies with regard to families and children. We will discuss a few major policy areas in children’s issues and family welfare and will critically evaluate whether these new labour government social policies are aimed at supporting or controlling family life. Social Policies – Family and Childcare After Labour’s advent to power in 1997, there have been substantial increases in spending on family care aimed at helping families with formal childcare, early education and work life balance (Brewer et al, 2005). The three major reforms in this area are To increase the generosity of and entitlement to paid (and unpaid) maternity, paternity and  adoption leave To entitle all 3- and 4-year-olds to free part-time nursery education for 12.5 hours per week,33 weeks of the year; To increase the subsidies available to working parents for spending on formal childcare. We give labour’s policies on family and childcare as laid down in its manifesto for helping families. The key features are given as follows: Source: Brewer et al. 2005 Labour’s policies The main policies are in three areas of family life namely, maternity leave and pay, childcare element of the WTC and free nursery education. Maternity pay Increase paid maternity leave from six months to nine months in 2007 ( £329m) Enable the transfer of some paid maternity leave to the father (uncosted) Has set a goal of increasing paid maternity leave from nine months to 12 months by 2010 ( £195m) Childcare element of the WTC Increase the proportion of formal childcare costs that can be claimed from 70% to 80% in 2006 ( £130m) Free nursery Education Free nursery education for 3- and 4-year-olds for 12.5 hours a week, 38 weeks a year from 2007 ( £200m f) and 15 hours a week, 38 weeks a year by 2010 ( £300m) The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) analyses that labour’s policies of increasing paid maternity leave from 9 months to 12 months will cost a minimum of  £195 million per year, There are also possibilities of behavioural changes, which may increase above-inflation earnings growth and if this happens, the costs of the reforms will also increase considerably. The IFS further suggests that all main parties are committed to increasing the proportion of formal childcare costs that can be claimed under the childcare element working tax credit from 70% to 80% in 2006 at a cost of  £130 million per year. Labour is committed to increasing free nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds to 12.5 hours per week and 38 weeks per year by 2007 and this will cost  £200 million per year and if this is increased to 15 hours per week , 38 weeks per year by 2010, this will cost the government  £300 million per year (IFS report, 2005; also see Brewer et al, 2005). The Labour government’s focus on family and childcare policies has been on three areas: work–life balance child care and nursery education; the affordability of childcare. Since coming to power, Labour’s emphasis on family issues have focused greatly on increased maternity paid leave. The trend has been to increase the right to time off for new mothers and pregnant women and to compensate them during this period. The legislations brought into place for implementation of these policies included the Employment Relation Act (1999) in the first term of Labour’s power and the Employment Act (2002) in the second term which increased length of ordinary maternity leave and relaxed employments conditions related to additional maternity leave. Statutory maternity allowance and pay levels were also increased. Issues related to household expenditure and child care and the influence of parental poverty affecting children have been major concerns for the government. The government has put reducing child poverty as its focus in improving child welfare policies since 1999 and reduction of child poverty is an important aspect of the domestic policy agenda that has led to increases in children’s benefits and tax credits for families with children. According to Goodman et al(2005), although these increases in tax credits and benefits for families help the government to meet proximate policy aims and help reduce income based measures of child poverty, by 2004-05 and by 2010-11 it will be questioned whether and how much these financial transfers and benefits have affected measures of well being , especially improved conditions of children despite increase in income. A new measure of child poverty as identified by the Government is material deprivation. Studies have indicated the relationship between family income and material deprivation in children and have highlighted how poverty and deprivation influence both parent and child health (see Daniel and Ivatts, 1998). However, Blow et al (2005) attempted an analysis of the child benefit system or the CB which is a transfer payment depending on the number of children in the household. The study indicated that Child Benefits do seem to have considerable impact on household expenditure patterns although the cash received as child benefit has been found to be spent not on child assignable goods but disproportionately on alcohol. This obviously is a shocking piece of information but the government’s new policies of relating family income with material deprivation or poverty of children needs to be analysed beyond just how the benefit system is used. Government’s policies towards childcare are aimed at reducing material deprivation due to family economic condition (Berridge, 1999). Information on material deprivation is however often collected as an alternative basis for measuring poverty, and poverty measures based on this type of information are often referred to as â€Å"consensual† poverty measures (Goodman et al, 2005). Material deprivation is however a vague term as the absence of certain items of consumption in the household is usually described as material deprivation of children. However, governmental definition of deprivation may not be tenable as the presence o certain consumable in the household can be matter of choice or preference. Goodman et al (2005) correctly points out that low family incomes may be a reason for material deprivation, yet the other possible reasons have to be considered. The government policies of providing increased support on the basis of the number of children in household can also be flawed. Health levels have been found to vary according to changes in income levels although Goodman concludes that if properly studied, material deprivation can indicate long term measure of family income. Goodman and associates suggest that ‘there is still a lot to do in terms of developing a methodology for analysis of material deprivation which would be consistent with economic theory and guided by stricter ‘scientific’ rules’ (p.11). Government policies of promoting family welfare and childcare, providing benefits in proportion to the number of children in the household, using family income levels as a measure of material deprivation and making provisions for increased paid maternity leave and increased nursery care have been criticised as more controlling measures to regulate family life rather than providing support. Hills and Stewart (2005) have criticised New Labour policies as although helpful in reducing child poverty is completely ineffective in promoting economic equality in society. New Labour has taken poverty issues, especially in children very seriously and aims to halve this problem by 10 years and abolish it in another generation. Yet Hills and Stewart point out, despite these moves, Britain continues to remain an unequal society. A study by LSE suggests that child poverty has been reduced considerably through tax and benefits reforms (also see Berridge, 1999). Yet, although low income families with many children seem to have benefited from the policy, poverty levels among childless adults have reached record levels since Labour’s policies in 1997. Yet a one sided approach is not the only criticism against Labour’s policies. As claimed by analysts, controlling rather than supporting, by providing benefits to only a category of people seems to justify the increased resist ance of Labour’s policies regarding family issues and child welfare. In fact, Giullari and Shaw (2005) emphasise that as far as social policy on families and children are concerned, teenage pregnancy has been the subject of attention in recent social policy. Whether teenage parents should get supported housing and other kinds of support from the government and the family has been a controversial and problematic issue. The authors suggest in their paper that New labour’s construction of teenage parents’ housing needs as an issue to be considered is in isolation from support. The paper focuses on family support and suggests that New Labour’s supported housing strategy ignores its fragile and individualised nature and also tends to disregard teenage parents need for independent housing and capacity for autonomous living. New Labour seems to show more control of the teenage parents who are perceived to be at risk of welfare dependency rather than a genuine concern for support. The paper argues that if New Labour is to show genuine sup port to teenage parents, then providing independent housing to these parents should be a primary strategy. Conclusion New Labour’s policies seem to have concentrated on abolishing child poverty, maintaining family as a unit, providing increased maternity paid leave, and implementation of legislation that seem to support governmental decision on family issues. The families with more children are given many benefits and financial support whereas the childless adults seem to have been neglected and show record levels of poverty or loss in income with no government help after Labour came to power. Abolishing child poverty by focussing on income levels of family that apparently seems to determine material deprivation again seems to be a flawed policy biased in judgement. This is because material deprivation of children, an issue taken seriously by the government may be a question of personal choice and preferences and some children who are provided with certain consumables may not need certain others. This policy thus seems to be flawed as the government may not be the right institution to decide material deprivation in children and stress the separation of children into deprived or non-deprived categories based on assessment of family income levels. Finally we have discussed the direct control of government in issues of teenage parents to prevent them from taking benefits from the government which suggest that arguments against government control in social policy initiatives with regard to child and family issues may just be valid. Bibliography Allan G Crow G (2001),  Families, Households and Society.  Basingstoke.  Palgrave Berridge D. 1999,  Child Welfare in England: Problems, Promises and Prospects,  International Journal of Social Welfare,  Volume 8,Number 4, October 1999, pp. 288-296(9) Blackwell Publishing Laura Blow, Alissa Goodman, Greg Kaplan, Ian Walker and Frank Windmeijer, 2005,  How important is income in determining childrens outcomes? A methodology review of econometric approaches,  Mimeos , IFS publication. August. Laura Blow, Ian Walker and Yu Zhu, 2005,  Who benefits from Child Benefit?,  Mimeos, IFS publication Mike Brewer, Claire Crawford and Lorraine Dearden, 2005,  Helping families: childcare, early education and the work-life balance Election Briefing Notes, IFS publication Daniel P and Ivatts J (1998),  Children and Social Policy,  Macmillan Fox Harding, L (1997),  Perspectives in Child Care,  Longman 2nd ed. Ellison N. Pierson C. (1998),  Developments in British Social Policy.  MacMillan. Garatt D, Roche J Tucker S (1997),  Changing Experiences of Youth.  London. Sage Giullari , S and Shaw, M (2005),  Supporting or controlling? New Labour’s housing strategy for teenage parents,  Critical Social Policy, Vol. 25, No. 3, 402-417 Alissa Goodman and Michal Myck, 2005,  Parental income and child outcomes: what can we learn from material deprivation?  Mimeos, IFS publication John Hills and Kitty Stewart,  A More Equal Society? New Labour, Poverty, Inequality and Exclusion,  The Policy Press, 2005 Muncie, H, Wetherall, M, Langan M, Dallos, R Cochrane, A (1997),  Understanding the Family,  Open University Press Carol Smart Equal shares: rights for fathers or recognition for children? Critical Social Policy, Nov 2004; 24: 484 503. Websites: www.childpoverty.org Institute for Fiscal Studies website. www.ifs.org http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications.php www.childrights.org.uk www.sosig.ac.uk http://www.labour.org.uk/familiesandchildren04 New Labour report LSE http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/newsAndEvents/archives/2005/John_Hills_NewLabourReport.html

Teachers as Mentors in Critical Pedagogy :: Teaching Learning Essays

Teachers as Mentors in Critical Pedagogy The young world history teacher stood stern and erect before her students. Around the side of her arm she wore a black cloth. "My name is Ms. Aping. When you are responding to me, you will direct me standing up as Ms. Aping, ma’am. You are not to speak unless I request for you to do so. I will teach you what you need to know, and I expect you to learn it well†¦questions are quite unnecessary. If you fail to abide by my rules you will spend a great deal of your lunchtime with me. Understand?"†¦ An awkward silence followed, then voices raised, "Yes, Ms. Aping, ma’am." My voice was among the reluctant echoes in response to this teacher who was clearly exerting the same right and power of a dictator. I later discovered that my teacher was only executing a realistic performance. The scenario, however, proved quite disturbing as well as revealing. Why was it that not a single student stood up to disagree with the teacher? I doubt any of them felt that her extreme an d absurd regulations were right or even permitted, but not one person had the courage to go up and question her style of teaching and authority. Our educational system, while wanting to educate and strengthen its youths’ minds, has horribly done the opposite through an almost misguided perception of how teachers are supposed to teach. For the majority of our academic learning careers, we have been exposed, to some extent, to the "banking" concept of education described by Paolo Freire. At the youngest age, when we were perhaps considered the most unknowledgeable, we were fed a vast amount of information by our teachers, and were expected to receive and memorize this knowledge and accept it as true. As young elementary school kids, we were taught that Christopher Columbus was the first human being to discover America, only to find out later, that information was not true. These half-true facts, taught to children, are quite acceptable though. It is simple for a child to learn and memorize that Columbus first sailed the ocean blue and founded America for the rest of the world. On the other hand, much energy is needed and confusion may arise for them to acquire and comprehend the immigration of Native American Indians into America, much before the arrival of Columbus, and the possible voyage of early Vikings from northern Europe to the southern coast of present day Canada.

Gulf War :: essays research papers

Controversial Issues: Justifying the Persian Gulf War On January 16, 1991 the Gulf War had officially started, and for good reason. In August of 1990, Saddam Hussein sent armies to Kuwait, to take it over. When the United States had unwittingly given Saddam help when fighting against the Iranians, we had also given him a military that was one of the world’s largest and most lethal. And so, when Saddam did not comply with the ultimatum that the U.S. had given him, Congress voted for the use of force.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oil was the major reason that Saddam wished to take over Kuwait. In 1962, Kuwait was finally recognized as an independent country, the U.S. wanted it back that way. August 3, 1991, just one day after the invasion, the U.N. Security Council demanded the immediate and unconditional withdraw of Iraq’s troops. Later, the Council proclaimed an economic restraint against Iraq. Saddam still would not yield.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The major concern about Saddam was his weapons that he had the power to start a biological warfare. Ironically, it was the U.S. that had supported him with these weapons, helping him build his massive military. The idea of a biological war brings great anxiety to most people, so it was, of course, up to the U.N to stop it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, people still remembered Vietnam and didn’t like the idea of it happening all over again. When Saddam would no relent, the Council took action by sending him an ultimatum: leave Kuwait by January 15, 1991, or U.N. forces would use all necessary means to drive out Iraq. Of course it held no sway over Saddam, so the next day, the U.N. sent over its forces and in three days had liberated Kuwait, though Saddam was not dislodged from power, and is still there to this day.

Evidence-Based Practice & Applied Nursing Research Essay

Type of Sources / Appropriateness of Sources / Classification of Sources American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians article regarding acute otitis media is a filtered resource. It is an appropriate source for nursing practice because; it establishes clinical guidelines to diagnose and manage AOM. It also establishes guidelines when to treat the signs and symptoms of AOM, watchful waiting, or to treat with an antibiotic. This article is classified as an evidence based guideline because, it reviews multiple research literatures in a systemic manner and provides recommendations of practice. Block’s Causative Pathogens article is an unfiltered resource. It is an appropriate source for nursing practice because it provides the clinician with the most recent and up to date research on the topic. The article is primary research evidence because; its researchers acquired the data first hand. Kelly’s article regarding Current pediatric diagnosis and treatment is a general information resource. This article is not appropriate for clinician use because it only provides basic general background. It does not guide the clinician in diagnosing and treatment. McCracken’s article in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal is an unfiltered resource. It is an appropriate for nursing practice because it supports established guidelines and shows what will happen with continued antibiotic use. This is an evidence summary article because it lists all of the important information and the evidence supporting it. The last source of evidence is interviews with parents. This type of source is considered a general information resource. It is appropriate because, the interviews give firsthand experience of onset and signs and symptoms of AOM. This source of classifications is none of the listed. â€Å"Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common infection for which antibacterial agents are prescribed for children in the United States. As such, the diagnosis and management of AOM has a significant impact on the health of children, cost of providing care, and overall use of antibacterial agents (AAFP, 2004).  Watchful waiting can have many benefits for the children and the provider if used properly. Diagnosing AOM can be tricky. The signs and symptoms can also be related to other illnesses such as an upper respiratory virus. Throwing antibiotics at any illness use to be the course of action. However, now that there is evidence that bacteria have become resistant to some antibiotics, clinicians are testing out other means of treating illnesses. If the child presenting with symptoms of AOM has no underlying conditions and has means to follow up with the doctor if the symptoms progress, watchful waiting is an appropriate app roach for treating the child. According to the research, placebo controlled trials have shown that children have responded well without antibacterial intervention. Giving the opportunity for the illness to resolve without antibacterial intervention not only benefits the child but, the caregivers and the clinician. It benefits the child by not being exposed to antibiotics that are not needed, therefore creating a potential resistance to that antibiotic. It benefits the caregiver by not spending money on a medication their child does not need. Last, it benefits the clinician by preventing resistance to an antibiotic that may be useful in the near future. Watchful waiting is only appropriate if the patient meets the guidelines of uncomplicated AOM, assurance of a follow up if necessary, and access to antibiotics if symptoms progress or worsen. The findings in the AAFP article can be applied in many ways to improve nursing practice in a healthcare setting. The article provides evidence based guidelines on how to properly diagnose AOM and the typical signs and symptoms. It establishes the three criteria the patient must exhibit for a certain diagnosis of AOM. If the patient does not meet the certain criteria, it guides the clinician to continue to assess the patient for another illness, such as an upper respiratory virus. Proper diagnosis will improve clinician treatment and care of the patient. The article also includes a descriptive chart on how to assess and manage pain associated with AOM. It lists for the clinician the recommended medications, remedies, and agents for the clinician to utilize to manage pain. It also lists the effectiveness and the side effects. This will help improve nursing care by implementing the proper medication and or remedies to the patient with the highest effectiveness and the least amount of side effects. The article also very clearly identifies when watchful waiting is  not appropriate and what antibiotics should be prescribed and the usual dosage. This information is helpful to nursing practice by helping the clinician distinguish what patient is suitable for watchful waiting or antibiotic therapy. Another way the article improves nursing practice is, that the article provides information on how to prevent AOM and reoccurrence. This information can be used to help educate patient’s caregivers on ways to prevent AOM and reoccurrence. Ethical issues always arise when it comes to healthcare, especially when it comes to children. When conducting an evidence based research, there is a high likelihood of exposing the child to potential danger, illness, and adverse reactions. The first ethical issue is; is it even right to subject a child to research if there is a high likelihood of helping other children. That is something for the children’s parents to decide. However, it is the responsibility of the researchers to fully explain the process, potential side effects, potential danger, and any other concerns to the parents. It also the responsibility of researchers to determine if the parents have the capability to comprehend the information and the risk of the research. Not doing so would be unethical and could tarnish the results of the research. Another major ethical dilemma that comes with involving children in research is that the children do not have the capability of making that decision themselves. Research should be a voluntary thing and not left up to someone else to decide. However, when it comes to children that is not an option. The ethical problem is should the child be subjected to potential harm because of the parents’ willingness to allow it. The needs to be guidelines established prior to the start of the research that regulate the risks that the child might be subjected to. The risk should be very minimal with a very high benefit. Involving children in any type of evidence based research can be very tricky and has the potential of bringing up multiple ethical issues. It is the researcher’s responsibility to ensure the child is protected, not exposed to unneeded harm, and the caregivers are knowledgeable of the risk factors and are competent enough to make an informed decision. Besides ethical issues, there are other issues that need to be taken into consideration when research involves children. Vulnerable populations, such as low income families, families with different cultural backgrounds, and families with insufficient education can be at risk when it  comes to research involving children. For an example, low income families may not have the opportunity to participate in evidence based research because they might not fit certain criteria. In the AAFP research, in order for the child to be a candidate of the watchful waiting, they had to have means of a follow up appointment. For low income families, coming to the doctor multiple time may not be option. Financially they may not be able to afford, parents may not be able to get time off from work, or have means of transportation for a follow up appointment. These circumstances may subject the child to unneeded antibiotic treatment simply because the patient is unable to follow up with the doctor. Also, families with a cultural difference may not fully understand the benefits or risks of allowing their child to participate in this research. Without informed consent, the results of the research are tarnished and run the risk of jeopardizing the study. Informed consent when it comes to research involving children is extremely important for validity of a project and prevents any ethical problems. Any research involving children can be extremely tricky and should be held to the highest ethical standards and involve minimal risk to children. References American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians. (2004.) Clinical practice guideline: Diagnosis and management of acute otitis media. Retrieved from http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;113/5/1451 Block, S. L. (1997). Causative pathogens, antibiotic resistance and therapeutic considerations in acute otitis media. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 16, 449–456. Kelley, P. E., Friedman, N., Johnson, C. (2007). Ear, nose, and throat. In W. W. Hay, M. J. Levin, J. M. Sondheimer, & R. R. Deterding (Eds.), Current pediatric diagnosis and treatment (18th ed., pp. 459–492). New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill. McCracken, G. H. (1998). Treatment of acute otitis media in an era of increasing microbial resistance. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 17, 576–579.