Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism

Introduction Born in the fifth century BCE, Siddhartha Gautama is the core founder of the Buddhist ideology. He came from a privileged family that offered him a providential upbringing.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The world’s view of Buddhists attaches some paramount importance to his birth, as he is viewed as the figure that brought the truth that the religion upholds. Siddhartha Gautama was a Hindu who led a faction that did not conform to the Hindu’s teachings. Therefore, it is apparent that Hinduism originated from the Hindu’s religion though it began as a reform movement from within Hinduism. Based on the words of Kinnard (2011), it is apparent, â€Å"Buddhism did not emerge from a religious vacuum† (p. 1). Vedas, which were oral texts that began in 1500 BC, are attributed to the early Buddhism. Gautama was a king who lived an exemplary life. However, when he was walking, he encountered people suffering from illness, old age, death issues, and hermits. This experience triggered his instincts. He decided to relinquish his pleasurable life to find the truth about the agony that people went through. The knowledge is summarized in the four noble truths, which include life means suffering, the cessation of suffering is attainable, the origin of suffering is attachment, and the path to the cessation of suffering. Noble truths of Buddha The first noble truth presents life as a form of enduring pain. According to Buddha, the life led by people is full of suffering and problems (Herbrechtsmeier, 1993, p. 16) because the world that they inhabit and human nature are not perfect enough to provide comfort to human beings.Advertising Looking for term paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More During their existence, people go through a lot of agony. They endure a physical suffering that is subjected to their bodies (Kinnard, 2011, p. 4). Some of the sufferings that people encounter include injuries, sickness, pain, tiredness, and old age. People also encounter and endure emotional/psychological pains such as frustrations, sadness, disappointment, depression, and loneliness among many others (Kinnard, 2011, p. 1). These sufferings are experienced in different measures or degrees among different people. However, despite the sufferings, they also experience some occasions of happiness, easiness, and comfort. Nonetheless, in its totality, life remains imperfect because the world is subjected to more frustrations. The experiences made Buddha find out the truth about life. This therefore marked the journey of his quest to find the truth, hence â€Å"†¦the beginning of a six-year quest for awakening (Herbrechtsmeier, 1993, p. 15). As long as one can wish to try to keep his/her life happy and comfortable, he/she cannot maintain the status for the entire period of his/her lifetime. Therefore, the world is characterized by endless sufferings that individuals have to encounter. During his venture, he found a solution to these sufferings. He managed to identify the causes of why people suffer. His title changed to Buddha after he managed to succeed in finding the causes and solutions to the sufferings. In India, the religion was a door to prosperity in life especially when an individual performed his/her actions well. In fact, in the Vedas, â€Å"emphasis is on sacrificial action, work, and the correct performance of that action† (Kinnard, 2011, p. 4).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The encounters and experiences that Buddha went through changed his life entirely. His father, Shuddhodhana, managed to keep him off from such scenes- scenes o f people dying, old ages, and in sickness until his old age. The second noble of truth is ‘the origin of suffering is attachment’. Suffering originates from people’s ignorance and their dear attachment or desire on the transient things that are amidst their lives (Kinnard, 2011, p. 56). These things are not only physical or materials things that people perceive and admire to have but also ideas that they have about acquiring any general things about life. People’s ignorance is manifested by their lack of understanding that their mind is attached to these transient /impermanent materials. The reasons why people suffer is due to their clinging and craving. The suffering is brought by their passion, desire, pursuit for wealth, prestige, ardor, and the quest to become rich and be famous and popular. Kinnard (2011, p.9) refers all these as the â€Å"hustle and bustle of the world.† Therefore, people will do everything to ensure that they achieve the thin gs that they desire. They fail to understand that their attachment to these things is transient. Therefore, it is inevitable that they must lose them in a bid to usher in suffering. Individuals will acquire these materials. However, they will again â€Å"fail to manage them properly† (Kinnard, 2011, p. 68). Losing them incepts or is the beginning of more problems, as people will begin to develop complications such as high blood pressures due to stress that occurs after the loss of what they desire. The notion of ‘self’ is also â€Å"one of the objects of attachment that is a delusion because an individual cannot abide by him/herself† (Herbrechtsmeier, 1993, p. 15). Self is only an imagined entity. In the nature of human beings, the universe will ever consume them.Advertising Looking for term paper on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The third noble truth is that cessation of suffering is attainable. This implies that, as human beings, people have the capacity to avoid suffering in their life through causing nirodha. Nirodha is a terminology that means the process of unmasking conceptual attachments and sensual cravings (Kinnard, 2011, p. 65). Therefore, if human beings attain dispassion, they can eliminate the sufferings they go through. This noble truth provides a solution to the problems and sufferings that people encounter when living on earth. It is therefore possible to remove or eradicate suffering. The only way through is human activity, which entails the removal all causes of sufferings (Kinnard, 2011, p. 79). State of nivora i.e. freedom for troubles, worries, complexes, fabrications, and ideas needs to be managed by or attained by human beings’ own initiative of perfecting their dispassion. Therefore, people’s sufferings are something that they can avoid and or manage if they have the po wer and will not to do that. It remains a decision made by an individual. For instance, many people crave to lead certain kinds of life. Such imaginations increase suffering and agony to their life (Kinnard, 2011, p. 70). The secret however of overcoming such sufferings and agony in life is to avoid behaviors such as the desire to lead a comfortable life without hustles and earthly desires. The fourth noble of truth is the path to the cessation of suffering. It is the journey leading to the end of suffering. It stands out as a method or a way that helps an individual to seek improvement (Kinnard, 2011, p. 83). This fourth noble truth is at the middle of hedoism and asceticism, which lead to the end of the rebirth cycle. The truth manifests itself in many cases. As an individual makes progress gradually over time, the individual’s habits of delusions, craving, and ignorance begin to vanish until the person is able to lead a more comfortable life. In fact, in the six years of a wakening, Buddha exercised speculation and used time with leaders of the abstainers. During his stay, he was able to understand and master their systems, but was not convinced that he had found the answers that he was seeking on the source of human suffering. The experiences brought suffering to Buddha who became emaciated because of the puzzles of life (Herbrechtsmeier, 1993, p. 2). As he reveals, once they come to the world, people have no otherwise but to go through the sufferings until they die and depart from this world. The religion comprised of many gods that were believed to be divine. People offered sacrifices to these personified forces of nature with the hope of shunning the many calamities they were encountering. They therefore did praise worshiping besides offering sacrifices to the forces. In return, they got booms from these gods in terms of increased production, protection, healthy sons, and a long life. This is evidenced in the quotation â€Å"in return, humans rec eived booms from the gods-abundant crops, healthy sons, protection, and long lives† (Kinnard, 2011, p. 3). How the Four Noble Truths Apply in my Life Based on the expositions made in the paper about the four noble truths, it is apparent that they mean a lot, not only to me but also to any other person. Initially, I got worried whenever I faced any form of suffering. However, the four noble truths make it clear to me that, since the sufferings are inevitable and temporary, I should try to live as happily as possible without worrying about the future. I need not to worry because I am not rich. All I need is just enough to take me through today. The future will take care of itself. Suffering is a way of hardening one off in preparation for great things to come. Secondly, they have helped me to know the true nature of reality that life and sufferings go hand in hand. As such, I have developed the sense of appreciating life as it is without questioning. I have been able to apprecia te that sufferings connect all of us. Thus, instead of conflicting with others, I now have the best of reasons to wish them well in their lives. Therefore, the four noble truths are a way of nurturing one’s peace of mind. Every one needs to emulate the teachings. Conclusion In conclusion, Buddhism is a religious doctrine that can be attributed to Buddha. Like any other religion, Buddhism has its doctrines upon which its followers base their ideologies. These are otherwise referred to as ‘truths’ that form the basis of any religion. The ancient belief and understanding of the Buddha religion amongst people in the ancient time was not based on truth. Buddha is viewed as an individual who brought enlightenment in the Buddhism doctrine. He found out the truth about life and human sufferings. The four noble of truths are enlightenment to the people and believers of the Buddhism faith. For instance, as revealed in the paper, human beings live and encounter sufferings. These sufferings are mandatory and cannot be avoided. However, human beings cause some of the sufferings due to their cravings and desires. The paper has gone further to confirm that, despite the suffering that people cause to themselves, they too stand a decent chance of eliminating them. Reference List Herbrechtsmeier, W. (1993). Buddhism and the Definition of Religion: one More Time. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 32(2), 1-20. Kinnard, J. (2011). The Emergence of Buddhism: Classical Traditions in Contemporary  Perspective. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. This term paper on Siddhartha Gautama and Buddhism was written and submitted by user Cailyn Lee to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to Write a Press Release

How to Write a Press Release How to Write a Press Release If your business has news to share, you can do so via a press release. But what exactly goes into a good press release? And how can you write one? Check out our tips below to find out. 1. Pick an Eye-Catching Headline Press releases are designed to get your business in the news, so treat them like a news story. And one thing that every good news story has is an eye-catching headline. Ideally, this will let the people you contact know exactly what your press release is about and why it is important. Try to keep your headline punchy, too. If you need more space to give extra detail, you can add a subheading after the main one. 2. Think About Your Goals The content of your press release will depend on what you want to achieve. Are you promoting an event? Letting customers or clients know about a change in your business? Think about: How your news affects your business and those involved What you want readers to take away from your press release How you want people to act upon this information If you can focus on these details, your press releases will be more effective. Make sure, too, to mention all the key players involved (e.g., staff, stakeholders, clients, and customers). 3. Make It Quotable Journalists love it when you make their lives easier. So if you want to get coverage from your press release, try to include the following: Soundbites from key players such as the company owner or CEO Statistics related to your news (e.g., number of sales, revenue increases) Any images you want used alongside your news Journalists can then use these when writing up the press release as news. 4. Pick the Perfect Time The timing of your press release is almost as important as its content. But the best time for a press release will depend on what you are writing about: When it is about something that has just happened, release it as soon as possible afterwards. If possible, write a draft version in advance. If it is about an upcoming event, send it 3-5 days before you need coverage. You may also want to include an embargo date for publication. In addition, it is usually best to send press releases first thing in the morning (e.g., 9am) when journalists will be checking their emails. On a similar note, the best days to send press releases are usually Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (never send one on Friday before the weekend). Summary: How to Write a Press Release When writing press releases, keep the following tips in mind: Write an eye-catching headline to grab the reader’s attention Think about your goals and tailor its content accordingly Provide statistics and quotes from key players for journalists to use Think about the best date and time to send out your press release And don’t forget to get your business documents proofread! Click here to see our example press release.

Children Act 1989 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Children Act 1989 - Essay Example The Act emphasizes that, where possible, children should participate in decision-making about their future well being. Subject only to the child's understanding, such participation requires that a child is provided with relevant information and is consulted at every stage in the process of decision-making. It is the general duty of every Local Authority to: Safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need and So far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children's needs and design it to help prevent abuse and neglect. The keynote to achieving this aim is careful joint planning and agreement in the provision of services within the family home, assisting and enhancing the parental authority. As per the Children Act relative to the Department of constitutional affairs, since the act and the strategies impact directly upon young people in their own right particularly in areas such as helping the vulnerable and increasing confidence in justice. They also influence the future habits of young people in areas such as proportionate dispute resolution and democratic engagement. As with other stakeholders the DCA benefits from gaining the views of young people on policy in these areas. In view of this, Learning to Listen states that in all government departments: A visible commitment is made to involving children and young people, underpinned by appropriate resources to build a capacity to implement policies of participation. And that The contributions of Children and young people, proportionate to their age and maturity, are taken seriously and acted upon, and feedback from children and young people confirm this.' Giving children and young people an active say in policies ensures that they genuinely meet their needs After all it is the child who will have to live with the outcome of the procedure. The Children Act 1989 states that children's wishes and feelings should be incorporated into the decision-making concerning them. Legally based intervention Children's act 1989 is fully equipped with the legal laws and norms that strengthen the cause of Child welfare. These legal intervention are mostly carried out in assistance of Local authority Duty to Investigate -

Interpersonal Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interpersonal Communication - Assignment Example The script illustrated that there are various ways to understand what people are thinking or feeling at the moment through the interpersonal mode of communication. The components that will be studied in this paper that relates to the script are 1) verbal 2) vocal 3) nonverbal and 4) visual mode of communication 3. Collectivist – collectivist or group think in interpersonal communication where individual members of a group identify with the perspective, opinion, world view and emotional disposition of the dominant member of the group. 5. High-context – the cultural ecosystem of which an individual operates. Language of high context interpersonal communication needs to be interpreted according to the cultural environment or context of the individual. There are several interpersonal communication elements used in the script beginning from the child and the parents to the employees of the store. These interpersonal communication elements in the script fall into the category of culture are; A. High context – context is the lens of how people see and understand the world around them. In messages, it is their filter or vocabulary in understanding people. Interpersonal communication are often high context communication or involving a great deal of understanding about the feelings, thoughts and intent of the sender. It requires a great deal of communication agility on both the sender and receiver to be able to send comprehensible interpersonal messages (on the part of the sender) and to understand such coded messages on the part of the receiver. In the script, the misunderstanding between the parent and the child in the opening of the script was very obvious with how they argue with the music because of differing context of both parties which they are trying to impose on the other. Both party, the child and the parent has different contexts of what is a good music which caused disagreement. For the parents, their idea of a good music is classical

An Inspector Calls Tell About The Class System Essay Example for Free

An Inspector Calls Tell About The Class System Essay An inspector calls is set in the early 20th century, back when things were different. The class system was very important. There were three classes working class, the middle class and the upper class. The working class was for the poorest people who did manual labouring work. The middle class was for people such as doctors and teachers. The upper class was for really rich people or people who were important in society such as lords and dukes. In the early 20th century women did not get much respect at all. Only women in the working class worked because women could not get any better jobs than a factory worker or some kind of maid or servant work. This essay from www. coursework. info An inspector calls shows us about the class system in many ways. The first thing we see is that Mr Birling is trying to get a knight hood so he can move from the upper middle to the upper class. He doesnt really want anyone finding out about Eva Smith because he thinks it will damage his reputation and ruin his chances of getting the knighthood. Mr Birling owns a business and is rich he also has respect from other people in the town so he would not want a girl like Eva Smith who has no real importance to him, to come and ruin his chances. You could this factory was quite big and employed many people because he says weve several hundred young women there and they keep changing. This shows us that there was probably many other women all in the same situation as Eva Smith. Money will get you respect and a reputation. Money is also a factor in the class system. The more money you had the higher class you were in. In 1912 when An Inspector Calls was set the suffragette movement was at its most violent and bitter so it was obvious that there was a time for a change on the way that women were treated around this time. The suffragettes were mainly upper and middle class women because if a lower class woman was to campaign they wouldnt get any respect where as the higher you get in the class system the more respect women got. coaf afr seafafw oraf afk inaf foaf af: Eva Smith didnt get any respect at all. She was raped by Eric and the only person she loved who was Gerald who had a girl friend and just left her. Even if Eric or Gerald would have wanted to marry her and love her they couldnt because of the difference in classes between them both. Lower class people were not allowed to mix with upper class people and we are shown this in the way Eric and Gerald said they couldnt marry her just because she wasnt in the same class as her. Another thing that shows us how the class system was in the early 20th century is that when Sheila went in to the shop she had the power to get Eva Smith the sack just because she was jealous of her. The only reason that Eva got the sack from this job was that Sheila thought Eva was smiling at her. The shop owner said a customer complained about her so she had to go. Upper class people had power over the lower classes this was partly because of the money they had. cofe fer sefefew orfe fek infe fofe fe.

Richard Rodriguez :: essays research papers

Close Reading "It mattered that education was changing me. It never ceased to matter. My brother and sisters would giggle at our mother’s mispronounced words. They’d correct her gently. My mother laughed girlishly one night, trying not to pronounce sheep as ship. From a distance I listened sullenly. From that distance, pretending not to notice on another occasion, I saw my father looking at the title pages of my library books. That was the scene on my mind when I walked home with a fourth-grade companion and heard him say that his parents read to him every night. (A strange sounding book-Winnie the Pooh.) Immediately, I wanted to know, what is it like?" My companion, however, thought I wanted to know about the plot of the book. Another day, my mother surprised me by asking for a "nice" book to read. "Something not too hard you think I might like." Carefully I chose one, Willa Cather’s My ‘Antonia. But when, several weeks later, I happene d to see it next to her bed unread except for the first few pages, I was furious and suddenly wanted to cry. I grabbed up the book and took it back to my room and placed it in its place, alphabetically on my shelf." (p.626-627) As seen in this paragraph of Richard Rodriguez’s autobiographical essay "Achievement of Desire", he looks back on his childhood remembering his family, friends, and himself. Although, he can only recall feeling anger and sadness at the fact that his parents were poorly educated. His feelings are first seen when he listens sullenly to his mother try and pronounce the word sheep correctly. It seems like he is angered at the not only his mother for not speaking correct English but also his siblings for not correcting her harshly. He adds beforehand that his brother and sister would giggle at her for pronouncing words wrong and that they would "correct her gently." Also Rodriguez feels emptiness, and sadness when his friend informs him that his parents read "Winnie the Pooh" to him every night and young Richard wants to know what it is like (being read to). What made him feel this emptiness or sadness was when his friend mistook his question and told him the plot of the book instead. "My companion, however, thought I wanted to know about the plot of the book." He wants to know what it is like to have educated parents that can read to him but that is not possible. Richard Rodriguez :: essays research papers Close Reading "It mattered that education was changing me. It never ceased to matter. My brother and sisters would giggle at our mother’s mispronounced words. They’d correct her gently. My mother laughed girlishly one night, trying not to pronounce sheep as ship. From a distance I listened sullenly. From that distance, pretending not to notice on another occasion, I saw my father looking at the title pages of my library books. That was the scene on my mind when I walked home with a fourth-grade companion and heard him say that his parents read to him every night. (A strange sounding book-Winnie the Pooh.) Immediately, I wanted to know, what is it like?" My companion, however, thought I wanted to know about the plot of the book. Another day, my mother surprised me by asking for a "nice" book to read. "Something not too hard you think I might like." Carefully I chose one, Willa Cather’s My ‘Antonia. But when, several weeks later, I happene d to see it next to her bed unread except for the first few pages, I was furious and suddenly wanted to cry. I grabbed up the book and took it back to my room and placed it in its place, alphabetically on my shelf." (p.626-627) As seen in this paragraph of Richard Rodriguez’s autobiographical essay "Achievement of Desire", he looks back on his childhood remembering his family, friends, and himself. Although, he can only recall feeling anger and sadness at the fact that his parents were poorly educated. His feelings are first seen when he listens sullenly to his mother try and pronounce the word sheep correctly. It seems like he is angered at the not only his mother for not speaking correct English but also his siblings for not correcting her harshly. He adds beforehand that his brother and sister would giggle at her for pronouncing words wrong and that they would "correct her gently." Also Rodriguez feels emptiness, and sadness when his friend informs him that his parents read "Winnie the Pooh" to him every night and young Richard wants to know what it is like (being read to). What made him feel this emptiness or sadness was when his friend mistook his question and told him the plot of the book instead. "My companion, however, thought I wanted to know about the plot of the book." He wants to know what it is like to have educated parents that can read to him but that is not possible.

New Jersey Legislature

The New Jersey Legislature is the branch of government seated in New Jersey State House at the capital in Trenton.   The legislature is bicameral, meaning that it consists of two houses.   These houses are called the General Assembly and the New Jersey Senate. The New Jersey State Legislature and Governor has been running under a cloud of suspicion, corruption, graft and a Treasury that had spent the first half of this decade in debt. These problems seemed to have alleviated a little since New Jersey’s new governor, Jon Corzine, took office in January of 2006. He has not been the complete reason for the turnaround but his common knowledge ideas concerning fiscal responsibility and personal sacrifice has led by example and the idea that ineffective government and the New Jersey State Legislature linked, is starting to fade. The study of my state legislature reveals some important questions that need to be addressed and answered: First, should the size of the legislature be increased or decreased? Second, Should the legislatures’ pay be raised and should the job be on a full time or part time basis? And lastly, should there be term limits and does the legislature meet too often or too little? These questions raise many opinions as the citizens of New Jersey are ready for their government to again work for them and their needs. The General Assembly is the lowest house of the legislature.   It contains eighty members and its requirements to be among its body: one must be at least twenty one years of age, have resides in the state for at least two years and must live in the district that it the member represents.   The state of New Jersey is made up of forty districts. The members of the New Jersey Legislature are chosen by forty electoral districts, each district electing one member to the Senate and two members of the Assembly. Districts are redefined after each census.   New Jersey’s current district map is based upon the 2000 census. Even though New Jersey is a small state, it ranks 10th in population in the country and is one of the most highly population density in the country.   The high concentration of districts is a good idea and is advantageous towards the attempt in a democracy, that all of its citizens’ voices may be heard. The â€Å"upper house† which is what the Senate is referred to, is made up of forty members and the qualifications for its members is that each must be thirty years of age, must live in the state for at least four years as well as reside in the district that he/she is wanting to represent. Elections for the state of New Jersey are unique in the fact that they are held on odd-numbered years whereas the majority of the states in the Union hold their elections on even numbered years. â€Å"New Jersey is also unique in the fact that Senators serve four year terms except during the first two years of the decade. This â€Å"2-4-4† cycle was put into place so that the senate can reflect the changes that the census has displayed if there was a significant change in the population density of one district over another.† ( Wikipedia)   The General Assembly is headed by the speaker, whereas the Senate is headed by the President. Each house is led by a majority and minority leaders, assistant leaders as well as what is referred to as whips. â€Å"The Legislature is empowered to make new law, subject to the Governor of New Jersey’s power to veto a bill.   However, the veto may be overridden by the Legislature if there is a two-thirds majority in favor of overriding in each house.† (Wikipedia) This is typical in most of the state’s constitutions as well as in the Federal Constitution.   The Governor can veto a bill but if the legislature comes back with a 2/3 majority vote, then the Governor’s veto is made null and void. This is an essential aspect of a democracy: That the final word in a decision, is left up not to a single individual, but to the people as a whole. The Governor’s decisions can be overridden only by the majority will of the people. This aspect of New Jersey’s Constitution should never be changes and if so, it would serve as an impediment to the democratic system here in New Jersey that we all enjoy and respect. However, one instance where this democratic ideal was not followed was in the 2006 shutdown of the New Jersey Legislature.   Even though the shutdown was finally decided upon by Governor Corzine, it speaks to a larger ineptitude regarding the state legislature and its ability to continue working for its citizens. It was the first shutdown in the history of the state and it occurred when the Legislature and the Governor failed to agree on a state budget by the deadline set forth in the state Constitution. It began on July 1, 2006 and lasted until the 8th of July. All government services were not revived until July 10th. The background into this most recent failing by the state legislature helps to realize that the job of a member in the state legislature should be full time, there should definitely be term limits and the pay should remain constant as long as thousands of government workers were told that they were non essential and told to stay home for a week without pay. The shutdown was over different opinions concerning the state’s budget and the unchecked spending by Corzine’s predecessor despite the large debt that the state was suffering through. As a way to set an example, Governor Corzine, bypassed the $175,000 annual budget and took only a ceremonial $1 salary. The rest of the members should take note of this and should follow the Governor’s example. The New Jersey Constitution states under Article VIII that a state’s expenses for the year be provided for â€Å"in a single budget act.† (Star Ledger) The constitution also specifics a provision stating preventive measures against going into debt.   A start to New Jersey’s troubles was ignoring this sound advice. Governor Corzine, in an attempt to pass his budget, came into conflict with fellow Democrats within the General Assembly. The main point of contention was the Assembly’s refusal to increase the state tax from 6% to 7% in order to fill the budget gap. Corzine stated that there was no other way in coming up with the money as the state’s constitution forbade other forms of revenue raising. Months before the shutdown, Corzine states that he would not accept a budget that did not include a tax increase and he stood firm in this conviction and the General Assembly did the same which eventually resulted in the shutdown. When the budget failed to pass, the shutdown occurred. This resulted in 45,000 workers being told that they were non essential and would have to stay home for an indefinite period of time. Some of these institutions included the casinos, the Motor Vehicle Commission and inspection stations as well as the New Jersey Department of Education to name a few. Other shutdowns would include, state beaches, public parks, historic sites and horse racing. New Jersey did have enough sense however to keep prison, state police offices, hospitals and child welfare programs running. A sense of urgency prevailed across our state and an emergency July 4th session of the State Legislature was called.† (state.nj.us) â€Å"On July 6, 2006, Democratic factions within the General Assembly reached a   Ã‚  Ã‚  compromise budget. That tentative budget proposed an increase in the state sales tax from 6% to 7%, which is estimated to generate an additional $1.1 billion in revenue. The plan also included a requirement to use half of that for direct relief toward New Jersey's property tax — highest of all states. The plan also called for the same dedicated purpose for all of the money raised by this sales tax increase in subsequent years. The new budget law includes a provision for a constitutional amendment which must, like all such amendments in the state, be approved in an Election Day referendum, to be held on November 7, 2006.† New Jersey voters approved this measure by a 2-1 margin statewide. ( wikipedia) On July 8Th, both houses of the legislature passed the proposed budget. At 6 a.m. that day, Corzine signed executive order ? 19] to restore government services. The fact that 1% of the sales tax was so bitterly fought over was in the forefront of the minds of the members of the legislature. Most of them were up for reelection much sooner than the governor.   Many of New Jersey citizens blamed the state legislature more than the governor and 71% of people polled said that they would not vote for their district representatives if they had voted for the sales tax rate hike. â€Å"New Jersey voters clearly blame the state legislature for the budget crisis, and say the property-tax relief that the legislature insisted on in the compromise is more politics than real reform. Of those polled, 23% indicated that they will not vote for those representatives who voted for the sales-tax hike in the future. The state legislature's next election will be in November 2007, but Corzine does not face another election until 2009.† (Star Ledger) From the above mentioned description about the most recent shutdown of New Jersey’s state legislature, it is plain to see that the elected officials from my state are not doing what are the supposed to be doing.   I think that the blame needs to be shared.   The governor did gain points with me by bypassing the salary of the governor in order to help alleviate the financial problems of the state. I realize that he is already a millionaire but there are many governors and even members of the House and Senate of this country who have millions of dollars, yet such ideas of fiscal responsibility and self sacrifice to the smallest degree is not even considered. The governor did fight to raise the sales tax against the state legislature, who many of them fought against this occurring.   But it was not the governor who created the mess in the first place but rather inherited it after his predecessor James McGreevy was forced to step down. I had always thought that the members of my state legislature were already out of touch with its constituents.   One already has to me a person of financial means if they wish to even be able to afford to run. Many members of the state legislature are not there for the salary.   They have alternate sources of income in different types of investments. Also, the campaign promises of the majority of the members of the State Legislature are saturated with promises of wanting to make a genuine difference in their home state.   Let us put those promises to the test and put a cap on their current salaries. This is especially necessary when the state’s treasury is in as much trouble as it is and hard working people have to be told that they are non essential and lose out on a week’s worth of pay because its state legislatures do not know how to balance a budget until it is too late.   Personal and state revenue was lost on many different levels due to the shutdown. And to say that because this was the first shutdown in our state’s history, it somehow is going to be the last is naive. It is naive as long as our state legislatures feel that ignoring a problem is the same as fixing it. As long as each state legislature does not treat this job as one of their top priorities in their life and that this is most certainly a full time job that demands their time, attention and respect for the members that he/she represents. A member of the state legislature should recognize these things and if he/she does not, then it is up to an informed public to exercise their precious right to vote and to make a change with that vote.   As far as term limits are concerned, I would like each member of the state legislature realize that his job is not safe and is depended upon a stellar work record. However, do term limits limit the free speech of the representative’s constituents? If a public figure is doing a job well done, then they should be rewarded with another two or four year term.   This is definitely the case in The United States Congress. For that diamond in the ruff that has all of the above mentioned qualities and is in the State Legislature, I would not be against term limits except for the number of terms for a governor. That number should be set at three since a prolonged appointment to the highly responsible job of governor can only breed apathy. And a state legislature that does not seem to be in touch with their job responsibilities, can breed a much more dangerous apathy; that of its citizens! WORKS CITED http://www.statelocalgov.net/state-nj.htm www.wikipedia.com www.njleg.state.nj.us/ CNN’s Larry King Live www.state.nj.us