Martha Graham Essay Example for Free

Martha Graham Essay Yes, I would do that. I had found my fate. †(Hari 70) Daoud Hari is a man that travels in and out of Darfur many, many times putting himself at risk. He was willing to risk his own life while many others think only of themselves. Bravery is not something many people are born with. Some people may obtain it and some do not. Martha Graham is one of the people that did obtain bravery, and it was a very strong bravery that is very rare to find. â€Å"Martha Graham’s dancing and choreography exposed the depths of human emotion through movements that were sharp, angular, jagged, and direct. (â€Å"Martha Graham Dancer’s Journal†) Martha Graham experimented with many different movements and many different ways so her dancing was very different from the dance movement people were most comfortable with. Many people criticized her and told her that her work was too out of the ordinary. â€Å"If Graham ever gave birth,† one critic equipped, â€Å"it would be to a cube. † (â€Å"The Dancer†) No matter what critics said, she kept going. Martha Graham was an innovative and focused individual. Her love of dance was so intense she refused to leave the stage when critic’s said she was too old. That’s the type of bravery people need, the bravery to keep doing something that one believes in when the majority is against them. Daoud Hari’s bravery is similar to Martha Graham’s. Daoud Hari had to learn to accept what might happen to him if he kept returning to Darfur. Sometimes it is difficult to accept the fate, but Daoud Hari was willing to accept the possibility of death if it meant he could change the way people viewed Darfur. â€Å"No single group held the territory. There was no one to call for permission to come through. This is when it is most dangerous to travel. † (Hari 122) Daoud Hari always had to get where he needed to be. No matter what the circumstances were at the time, he provided as much information as possible to the reporters traveling with him to get the word out about Darfur. Armed with his ability to speak Zaghawa, Arabic, and English he was able to translate for the news and aid organizations. Even though the government of Sudan had outlawed journalists to the region, Daoud Hari risked the possibility of capture and even death. This is complete bravery- to accept something that could happen any moment of any day at any time. Heroes need to have trust in themselves. Martha Graham always had trust in herself no matter what she did. Most of her works she created were based on a historical or emotional feeling. â€Å"There are always ancestral footsteps behind me, pushing me, when I am creating a new dance, and gestures are flowing through me. Whether good or bad, they are ancestral. † (Yaari) The dances with a historic background behind them were called the Greek cycle. These dances were the ones that officially made her famous. The movements in them were so empowering people were shocked after experiencing them. The reason people liked them was because they related so much to how harsh history had been to society in the past and how it might be in the future. Serious issues such as the Great Depression and the Spanish Civil War were brought to the stage along with the dark emotions experienced by all. If she had never followed her brain, heart, or spirit then none of these dances would have come alive. Trusting in herself was a key factor in the making of many of her works. Martha Graham, much like Daoud Hari, had to find a way to believe in herself and take dance to the next level whether based on her gut feeling or her spirit regardless of what people thought of her. Daoud Hari always followed his gut. Whenever he saw people in pain, he would trust his gut and try and help the people in need no matter who they were or what they believed in. â€Å"The commander ordered a soldier to go get him some food, but I said that he must not eat our kind of food, that someone must go into town and get him an American-style sandwich that a white man could eat, and a coke or Pepsi. There was an argument about the cost of this, but I assured the commander that our food would kill this man, and I truly believed that he was not strong enough for anything but his own food. (Hari 160) Daoud Hari is one of the few in the world that could actually tell a guard to go get another prisoner food because the prisoner looked like he was about to die. Trusting his gut that the guard would do it is about 99% of the battle that he had to face. It was not getting the prisoners food; it was standing up to the guard and saying that he will die if he does not have an American- style meal. Martha Graham and Daoud H ari are both heroes in their own way. They both have confidence, bravery, and trust in themselves, which are the necessary traits that a hero needs to be a true hero. In the world there are people who see bad things being done to people and do not do anything about it and there are people who do something about the bad things being done. This is essential because Daoud Hari and Martha Graham both helped the people that needed to be helped. Martha Graham helped dancers develop a new style that they might like better than ballet, providing a wider spectrum to choose from. Daoud Hari helped numerous news reporters get into Darfur and get back out safely with what they wanted and what they needed to know about what is happening in Darfur.

General Motors Asian Alliances :: Market Global Essays

General Motors' Asian Alliances General Motors, an American-based automotive manufacturer with a large global presence, has long held a large share of the worldwide automotive market. Despite its market position and reputation for quality, the company has recently begun to struggle with new competitors in the Asian Pacific region, which has pushed their needs to develop new manufacturing technologies, as well as to better control costs and quality in its American manufacturing facilities. Beginning in the 1970s, several nations of the Asian Pacific region, most notably Japan and South Korea, emerged as economic powerhouses. As their manufacturing bases matured, they entered the automotive industry and began to present new challenges as well as new opportunities for General Motors. GM would need to find a successful formula for doing business in this region, as well as develop and adopt innovations that would help it improve its manufacturing operations elsewhere. In this Case Study, we will examine the facts, the problems, identify the core problems in how General Motors has managed its business alliances in with Asian partner companies, and offer our recommendations how General Motors can best master the challenges of doing business in the East and fully benefit from its joint ventures. I. THE FACTS Toyota and NUMMI: In Japan, Toyota was the heavyweight of the automotive industry, controlling over fifty percent of the entire Japanese auto market, and eight percent of the total world market, making it the world’s third largest automotive manufacturer, behind only Ford and General Motors. Toyota presided over a tight confederation of companies, known as a keiretsu where a major manufacturer, such as Toyota, presides over a â€Å"pyramid† with the primary manufacturer on top, and several tiers of suppliers below. Unlike General Motors, who held seventy percent vertical integration with its global network of partnerships, alliances, and joint ventures, Toyota only had thirty percent vertical integration in its affiliations, but still managed to have many long-lasting and stable partnerships with its suppliers. Keiretsus were vast and closely-allied corporate partnerships which evolved from the pre-World War II zaibatsus, giant industrial conglomerates that dominated the nation’s pre-war economy and politics, but were broken up during by the post-war United States-run Occupation authority. These networks were bound by complex and long-lasting arrangements, often minority equity ownership by the company at the top of the keiretsu.

Peter Tosh: a Pioneer of Reggae and Trailblazing Rastafarian

Peter Tosh: A Pioneer of Reggae and Trailblazing Rastafarian Peter Tosh was not only an incredible Reggae musician, but an incredible person as well. He had a history of doing his part to help those in need of help, fighting for those who were unable to fight for themselves. Tosh, a pioneer of the Rastafari movement, would lead the people of Jamaica through his selfless actions and his music. Peter Tosh, born Winston Hubert McIntosh, was born in Westmoreland, Jamaica on October 9, 1944 to parents, Alvera Coke and James McIntosh. Tosh’s father would have nothing to do with his upbringing or even acknowledge that Tosh was his son.In fact, they would not even meet until Tosh was ten years old. His mother, unable to care for Tosh herself, asked her sister to raise him, which she did in Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica. Due to the feeling of rejection that this placed inside of him, Tosh grew up extremely self-reliant and independent, which would help him later on in his fight for his peopl e. During the time of his upbringing, life in Jamaica was extremely difficult. Jobs were scarce and money even more so. The majority of families were struggling to make ends meet, scrounging for money and building supply scraps to keep roofs over their heads.Jamaica’s government was extremely corrupt and the wealthier, land-owning class was taking advantage of those less fortunate. Tosh recognized this and would later become a modern day Robin Hood, using his presence in the public eye to his advantage by speaking on behalf of his fellow Jamaicans to raise awareness on the issue. Tosh began playing music at a very young age, keeping him away from gang life. He had no formal training of any instrument, aside from six months of piano lessons when he was in fifth grade. Music was his passion and he excelled in it.Tosh moved to Trenchtown with his uncle after his aunt grew very ill and nearly died. It was here that Tosh would develop his musical talents and go on to form the most influential band in reggae history. Trenchtown, named because of the many trenches that ran through it carrying sewage waste away from Kingston, was filled with music. While walking through town one day, Tosh came across a guitarist by the name of Joe Higgs, among others, singing and playing in the street. During the jam session, he met a couple who were looking for other vocalists to join a group. The couple was impressed by Tosh’s guitar playing and his baritone voice. Johnson) The couple, Bob Marley and Bunny Livingston, and Tosh, who taught Bob Marley how to play guitar, would hold jam sessions in Higgs’ backyard. These sessions became more and more serious and would eventually lead to the forming of the influential ska-style band called the Wailing Wailers in 1964. The Wailers went on to record twelve albums including One Love, When the Well Runs Dry, and Simmer Down and released groundbreaking singles including ‘Stir it Up’, ‘Get Up, Stand Upà ¢â‚¬â„¢, and ‘Trenchtown Rock’. (http://reggaediscography. blogspot. com/2009/10/peter-tosh-discography. html) By 1966, the band began to fall apart.Marley had moved from Jamaica to the United States to pursue a solo career and Tosh was arrested and served a short stint in jail. By 1972, the Wailers would slowly diminish until they finally broke up. It would be absurd to speak of Peter Tosh and not mention the Rastafari movement, which he had begun to get heavily involved in by this time. The movement was founded in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica in the 1920’s and 1930’s by a man by the name of Marcus Garvey. (www. religionfacts. com) Garvey taught that Africans are the true Israelis and that Ethiopia, referred to as Zion, is the real holy land.He further proclaimed that Africans were exiled to Jamaica and other parts of the world outside of Africa (the America’s and Europe are referred to as Babylon) as a form of divine punishment. (ww. religionfac ts. com) In the 1930’s, peaceful communities had begun popping up in Kingston and Rastafarians began to adopt their own culture to include a distinctive dialect and hair style, and developed their own style of art and music. It was their music that would help spread the ideology of the Rastafari movement across the globe. The music of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh would become messengers of Jah (God) spreading the word throughout the world.After the Wailers went their separate ways, Tosh focused on a solo career. His first album, Legalize It, went public in 1976. The name of the album, as well as the title track, refers to his stance on the legalization of marijuana. Tosh believed that smoking marijuana was a path to enlightenment. It was a way for the working class of Jamaica to get relief from the stresses of life. He further believed that the government made marijuana illegal as a way of oppressing Jamaicans and keeping them in order. Tosh only wrote songs after he had smoked marijuana because he felt he could see clearly. (www. thetalkingdrum. com)By the time of the One Love Peace Concert of 1978, Jamaica was in the midst of a political civil war. The concert was held in an effort to set aside the differences of Jamaicans and promote peace, love, and harmony. Tosh took this concert, at which Bob Marley and the Wailers were headlining, as an opportunity to speak to the audience. Tosh bluntly put the government down, accusing them of using Jamaica and the people that lived there for their resources with little regard as to what would happen to them. He spoke his mind, as always, without caring who would hear. He spoke for the rights of his brothers and sisters of Jamaica.That concert was the first time that a person held in such high regards amongst the public had spoken out against the Jamaican government. It was at this moment that Peter Tosh became a heroic figure and a public rights leader. The high regard in which he was held by his peers would turn out to be a blessing and a curse. Four months after the One Love Peace Concert and his lecture against the Jamaican government, Tosh was brutally attacked by up to ten police officers and nearly died. This was the first of many attacks, both verbal and physical, but this is where Tosh wanted to be.He wanted to be the center of attention, not for his own ego but to be in a position to speak on behalf of his people. It was a way for him to voice their concerns and demand corrective action. The One Love Peace Concert not only boosted Tosh in the political eye, but would end up boosting his American musical career as well. Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones, was in the audience at the concert and would go on to sign Tosh under the Rolling Stones’ record label. Tosh would go on to release two albums under the label, Bush Doctor and Mystic Man. The short life of this relationship ended when Tosh felt he was not being promoted properly. www. talkingdrum. com) Two years after releasi ng Wanted Dread or Alive, Tosh had hit the pinnacle of his career in 1983, which was the time of his European tour promoting Mama Africa. These two albums would go on to become known as Tosh’s best work. (www. talkingdrum. com) While on this tour, Tosh appeared on stage with his signature M-16 [military assault rifle] guitar. The guitar was significant in the fact that it was a symbol for Tosh’s music being his weapon against the corrupt politicians and evils in the world. (www. talkingdrum. com) His concerts were more than just music. They were spiritually enlightening and informative.It was not uncommon for Tosh to set aside some time during a show to talk to the audience about his views on the evils of the world. Despite the public being supportive of Tosh and his cause, he was murdered by three assailants on September 11, 1987. Record has it that three men, one of whom Tosh knew and tried to help find work after a term in jail, had approached him at his home demand ing money. When Tosh replied that he had none, he was shot three times. The assailant that Tosh knew turned himself in to the authorities, while the other two were never found. The story of the robbery, however, remains under scrutiny.According to reports, nothing from Tosh’s home was missing. The three men who went there to rob him took nothing. Many speculate that it was a hit to forever silence Tosh and his outspoken ways. From the moment he was born, it seems Peter Tosh was destined to live the life he did. He was a man with many admirable qualities, most importantly the courage to speak up for those who were not in a position to do it themselves in effort to better the lives of his fellow Jamaicans. He was a pioneer for the Rastafari movement and a prominent figure in the development of Reggae music, forming it into the shape it holds today.  

Abortion The Impact of Federalism and the Separation of...

Otto von Bismarck once said, â€Å"Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.† The arduous process that a bill undergoes in order to become a law may seem grueling and pointless; however, the processes high caliber of difficulty allows for the extreme prestige and exclusivity of bills that are passed. Because the process is so exhausting, and filibusters, subsequently requiring a super-majority vote to pass a bill, have always been such a threat in Congress, historically, bills that attempt to reform sensitive issues have not fared well in the legislative branch. However, when Congress does pass controversial laws, it then also faces the task of effectively enforcing them. But, when the process is carried out to†¦show more content†¦Pro-life advocates also may argue that using tax payer money to fund something that they and so many others are so opposed to is wrong, that young women are not ready to make such a decision, and, finally, that abort ions may even cause mental and emotional harm. However, these opinions are not accepted by abortion activists. Pro-choice groups, for example, support a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion. They believe that a fetus is incapable of life during the first trimester when many abortions take place, so, in their opinion’s, it is not murder. They use statistics such as the fact that 88% of women who have abortions get them in their first trimester (Lowen, n.d.), only 8% of women who get abortions do not regularly use contraceptives (Lowen, n.d.), and that there is less than a .5% chance of serious complications occurring during or because of an abortion procedure (Lowen, n.d.). They argue that often times a woman is too scared to speak up or does not know that she even is pregnant after a rape, so abortion may be her last resort. They advocate a woman’s rights to her own body, and use the fact that tax dollars are also used to fund wars, and people oppose those as well, to rebut the argument that tax payer’s money should not be spent on supporting such a sensitive issue. And, tax dollars are necessary in order to make abortion procedures affordable for women who otherwiseShow MoreRelatedFederalism Vs. Judicial Review899 Words   |  4 PagesWhen one thinks of individual rights, federalism is not one of the first thoughts that come to mind. In fact federalism played a huge role in the start of individual rights. Along with federalism, judicial review was one of the initial startups of individual rights with Supreme Court cases that will be later mentioned. Federalism and judicial review paved the way for the start up and stability of individual rights. Before the analysis of how federalism and judicial review plays a part in individualRead MoreThe First Reading By Sarah Helene Duggin973 Words   |  4 Pagesthe separation of powers, taxing and spending power and Commerce Power. Finally, the author demonstrate that the opponent is these two reforms seems to be the business sector which see the reform as a threat for the economy. Nonetheless, the author claimed that the best way to ensure political accountability to the ACA is to allow the political process to take its course in congress and believe that constitutional question relative to federalism over individual power and limit of federal power shouldn’tRead MoreCurrents Events Journal On The Supreme Court Essay1846 Words   |  8 Pagesit is likely that all three would be filled by liberal justices, making the court split six to three in favor of liberals. This liberal Supreme Court could make many changes related to prison conditions, the death penalty, campaign finan cing, and abortion. First, the court would potentially eliminate the use of extended periods of solitary confinement on the grounds that this is in conflict with the Eighth Amendment. Likewise, the court would possibly get rid of the death penalty on the basis thatRead MoreLibertarian Ideology Aims For A Balance Of Social And Economic Policy Essay2116 Words   |  9 Pagesover the daily lives of people. Individuals should have maximum personal liberty to self-govern their own lives. Examples of libertarian policy include: non-interventionism when dealing with other nations, indifference about same sex marriage and abortion because government should not interfere in the lives of private citizens, and being anti-tax as they believe individuals should pay for services privately rather than the government collecting taxes and distributing those funds. 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At the group level, it makes sense for groups to form and do the things they do. However, at the individual level, there are powerful incentivesRead MoreThe Political Ideals Of Pierre Trudeau2989 Words   |  12 Pagesadvocators of personalism (Ricci, 2009). Trudeau was strongly devoted to a strain of individualism based on the Catholic principle of personalism and was committed to human rights. He condemned the character of nationalism and argued in favour of federalism as the ultimate form of organization. The strength of Trudeau’s personality and his determination to transform Canada lead him to defend a ‘rational messianism† founded on the idea that Canada had the moral responsibility to defeat Quebec nationalismRead MoreIss 225 John Molloy Final Exam Study Guide Fall Semester 20128139 Words   |  33 Pages`ISS 225: POWER, AUTHORITY EXCHANGE Study Guide, Final Exam, Fall 2012 Unit IV: Courts and Civil Liberties Professor Molloy The final exam will be given in the regular classroom 109 South Kedzie Hall Section 001 will take its final on Monday, Dec. 10 from 7:45-9:45 a.m. Section 002 will take its test on Monday, Dec. 10 from 12:45 - 2:45 p.m. The classroom is not large enough to accommodate two large sections, so you must take the exam when it is scheduled by the university

Drug Use And Overdose Related Deaths Essay - 2463 Words

Describe and define the problem Heroin use and overdose related deaths have increased considerably in the United States in recent years (Jones, Logan, Gladden, Bohm, 2015). The results of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health [NSDUH] (2014), showed in the year 2013, approximately 517,000 Americans abused heroin, which was almost a 150 percent increase since 2007 (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014). According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse [NIDA] (2014), in the year 2011, 4.2 million people who were twelve years of age or older said they used heroin at least once in their lifetime. Furthermore, data from NSDUH showed approximately 460 people, twelve years of age or older, used heroin each day in 2013 (Lipari and Hughes, 2015). An even more frightening statistic is death rates doubled for people who were twelve years of age or older as a result of heroin overdose in the years 2010 through 2012 (Hedegaard, Chen, and Warner, 2015). Th e rise of heroin use in the United States can be mostly attributed to more young adults between the ages of 18-25 using the drug. Data from NSDUH revealed heroin initiation rates by young adults during the years 2002 through 2011 was nearly two to seven times higher than the initiation rates in people were between the ages of 12-17, as well as older adults who were between the ages of 26-49 (Muhuri, Gfroerer, Davies, 2013). Additionally, in 2013, young adults had the highest rates ofShow MoreRelatedThe Rising Death Of Opioid Users970 Words   |  4 PagesThe Rising Death of Opioid Users Objective Misuse, abuse, and diversion of prescription drugs is a large and growing public health problems that have resulted in an overdose epidemic.( Hirsch) Drug overdose is an important, yet an inadequately understood, public health problem. 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Short term effects of heroin use include slowed cardiac system functions and breathing, intense itching, dry mouth, drowsiness and convulsions- especially in a case of an overdose. Long term effects include both mental and physical impairments, the mental issues include emotiona l instability and diminished libido. Other physical effects include impairedRead MoreIs Addiction A Powerful Force?1548 Words   |  7 Pagesrisk. While opioid addiction has commonly been viewed as an urban issue, in recent years increasing attention has been paid to the foothold it has gained in rural America (U.S. DHHS, 2012). As rates of drug addiction rise throughout the Midwest and Ohio, rates of hospitalization and drug poisoning deaths also increase. While extant data does not elucidate a causal relationship between these variables, strong correlations are evident. 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As rates of drug addiction rise throughout the Midwest and Ohio, rates of hospitalization and drug poisoning deaths also increase. While extant data does not elucidate a causal relationship between these variables, strong correlations are evident. Furthermore, the lack of information about this issue highlights the

The Futile Goal of Nicholas Branch in Don DeLillos Libra...

The vast amount of evidence associated with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, an event that occurred more than fifty years ago, is still being collected and examined by an array of scientists, professional historians, and conspiracy theorists. Periodically, with continuous developments and improvements in technology, new information is being discovered that either relates to an existing theory about the assassination or inspires additional assumptions about the identity and location of another supposed shooter. According to author Don DeLillo, the immense quantity of the information pertaining to the heinous crime committed in Dallas on November 22nd of 1963 will never lead to or reveal a comprehensive and conclusive†¦show more content†¦He feels as if he must make meaning out of all the material in his possession and so, because he does not know how to accomplish this, he remains perpetually immobile in his attempt to uncover and write the true history of th e assassination. Branch’s objective to investigate all the facts about the assassination places him in a chaotic situation. It is impossible for him to account for every detail, fact, and occurrence linked to Kennedy’s assassination because there is already too much information for him to examine and much that has yet to be discovered. Christopher M. Mott, in his essay â€Å"Libra and the Subject of History†, comments on Branch’s need for absolute closure and the chaotic results that arise: The novel implies that the version of the world that informs our government’s practices and dominates our episteme intends to account for every detail of existence. It employs a totalizing discourse, a discourse of rational examination and explanation. Libra clearly indicates that this penchant for total explanation leads, in fact, to total chaos. We simply cannot account for every detail, every nuance. (143) Branch’s desire to piece together the factual events of the assassination has led to his abandonment of life. He will forever be confined to his, as DeLillo describes, â€Å"room of theories† (57) since he must study everything about the event. However, the CIA is constantly supplying him

Gentrification free essay sample

The criminalization of marijuana began with the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. Since the criminalization of the plant cannabis sativa, many attempts have been made to appeal the criminalization of it and legalize the Schedule I drug. With the upcoming elections of 2010 only a month and a half away, the heated debate of legalization vs. criminalization is taking rise as the proposition moves its way to the ballot. Whether we should legalize marijuana depends on the impact it will have on criminal activity, the benefit of legal taxed sales, and the medical value of marijuana. Marijuana is not legal, yet millions of taxpayer’s dollars are being allocated to the cleanup of illegal cultivation farms in state and national parks; and there are several. Marijuana farms are prospering with help from propane tanks, coils of irrigation, and chemicals for fertilization. Unfortunately, it is costly to cleanup these sites and takes years to rehabilitate the ones damaged with chemical-eroding effects (Roosevelt). With the hopes of legalization comes the burden of devastation for these parks and the cost to keep the wrong plant and criminals out of the right kind of garden. Perhaps why crime is associated with medical marijuana is where the marijuana can be bought. Marijuana dispensaries are legal operating stores that sell marijuana to patients with medical marijuana cards. These dispensaries increase demand for police as they can disrupt nearby businesses, lower property values, and increase illegal drug use. Chris Gallagher is chief of the Los Banos Police Department. He said robberies and violent crimes occurred regularly at dispensaries in Humboldt County, a notable landmark in the pot-smoking world, and that dispensaries had proven to be extremely disruptive (Reilly). If dispensaries only attract robberies and violent crime then an easy solution would be to increase surveillance and patrol of dispensary areas to decrease these occurring crimes. Many do debate that the legalization of marijuana will indefinitely lead to increasing criminal activity. However, the belief that marijuana allows people to become aggressive, irrational, and insane and in turn impairs one’s judgment to the point of criminal activity is absurd. Marijuana does not cause crime. According to a published article in Atlantic Monthly, a study was conducted by two researches, one from the RAND Corporation and the other from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, testing the belief that marijuana consumption leads to criminal-like behavior. The study concluded marijuana may not make users more likely to break the law, but it probably makes them more likely to get caught (Reefer). The study proved that marijuana users were likely to be apprehended by police, but that marijuana users were not more likely to commit crimes than non-users. The Drug Policy Alliance Network is one of the nations leading organizations committing to ending the war on drugs and providing new drug policies based on science, compassion, health, and human rights. According to their website drugpolicy.org, the belief that marijuana causes crime and induces one with aggression and violence is a myth. â€Å"The vast majority of marijuana users do not commit crimes other than the crime of possessing marijuana. Among marijuana users who do commit crimes, marijuana plays no causal role. Almost all human and animal studies show that marijuana decreases rather than increases aggression† (DPAN). Since most marijuana related arrests are for possession, the legalization of it will cancel out the possession charges and mathematically reduce the amount of criminal activity. Deficit, bankruptcy, and inflation are terms we Americans now incorporate into our daily lives. Our national debt increases exponentially with each year and still no solution or compromise is being ascertained. Many promote the taxation of marijuana to increase federal revenue. However, according to a comment made by Joel W. Hay, professor of Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California, â€Å"It is a fallacy that pot legalization will provide badly needed state and federal revenue through taxation of decriminalized marijuana †¦[and that] economic costs will increase by amounts far greater than any possible revenue gains† (Dubner). Repudiating this statement, is the common knowledge that taxing a large-profit-generating crop does provide money; and since money is scarce in our recovering country, implementing extra money does not seem so worthless. Certain states such as California, are currently experiencing a huge deficit with little alternatives for increasing revenue. It is without ambiguity that marijuana has become the biggest cash crop in the United States, bringing in more annually than corn and wheat combined (Heffter). Blatantly, taxing the nation’s number one crop is one of the best ways to decrease our state and national deficit. According to an article published in the Contra Costa Times, advocates said legalization and regulation could bring as much as $1.4 billion for the state of California. (Richman). With California’s budget deficit exceeding $24 billion, allocating $1.4 billion does not seem tumultuous. An article from the Economist states that on top of that there would be lots of cannabis-driven tourism (Puff). Illegal suppliers, smugglers, and dealers are illegal proprietors reaping huge profits that sustain and establish their businesses; profits our nation can obtain if legalized and regul ated. What truly impedes the legalization of marijuana, and why it was even decriminalized in Proposition 215, is the medical value of marijuana for disease stricken and terminally ill patients. It is clear that no one has ever died of THC poisoning, so the concept of dying or going belligerently insane like â€Å"Reefer Madness† is a fallacy (Cloud). According to an article published in New York Times, Marijuana reduces pressure on the eyeball by 25% for glaucoma patients, reduces painful spasms for patients with multiple sclerosis and trauma, and reduces pain for postoperative patients (Cloud). This claim is also supported by NORML the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the organization states marijuana provides symptomatic relief for a number of medical conditions, including nausea and vomiting, stimulating appetite, promoting weight gain, and diminishing intraocular pressure from glaucoma. Patients and physicians have also reported that smoked marijuana pr ovides relief from migraine headaches, depression, seizures, insomnia and chronic pain, among other conditions (NORML). Cannabis Sativa is not a plant that has no medical benefit for the ill and terminal. Marijuana is a pain reliever that is grown naturally and prospers without the expensive use of marketing tactics, manufacturing, processing, and packaging. Yet, strong opposition claims it has no benefit. The Drug Enforcement Administration states marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the U.S. Due to the high abuse it is a Schedule I drug, meaning, there is a high potential for abuse and no medical benefit. Awkwardly, PCP, Ecstasy, Heroin, and LSD are in the same Schedule I category. The DEA also states that marijuana consumption is not healthy as it highly alters one’s judgment and damages the lungs if smoked, the most common way of consumption. The DEA stands by this defense because of the 2001 case United States v. Oakland Cannabis Club. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled marijuana has no medical value stating, â€Å"In the case of the controlled Substance Act, the statute reflects a determination that marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception outside the confines of a government-approached project† (Supreme Court of the United States, Syllabus: United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative ET AL). The evidence against this rul ing is compelling, but the DEA will not accept research-supporting marijuana as a pain reliever. Cannabis Sativa has caused quite the commotion since its prohibition began over half a century ago. Many still argue that it is a factor in increasing criminal activity, that it damages the body, and will create even more problems and financial ruin if legalization is applied. Yet, marijuana is unlike other drugs; it is not chemically processed and manufactured, presenting itself in a conveniently sized box with an FDA approved label on the front. It is a plant that has been growing wildly and naturally for thousands of years. It is a resource that does not increase crime, a plant that can provide much needed money; it is an alternative that can relieve the pain of millions across the world. â€Å"Pot,† â€Å"Weed,† â€Å"Mary Jane,† marijuana, Cannabis Sativa, whatever it may be called, is merely a plant that if legalized would provide relief for the one’s whom need a release. It is our right and of good belief to explore, any means that can remedy our a voidable sufferings.