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Andrew Rothans

Stone: Chapter 14 Rights - 21 views

started by Andrew Rothans on 01 Dec 11
  • Andrew Rothans
    #1 Andrew Rothans on 01 Dec 11
     
    1. Do you believe that you have rights? Do you also believe that in America today everyone has the same rights and their rights are respected equally and they are not different due to things such as race, class, gender, or physical capacity?
    2. Do you think that employers should have the right to turn down work to a mentally handicapped person due to their incapacity to do certain things? There is now federal legislation prohibiting employers from discriminating against people on the basis of handicap. Do you believe people with disabilities have a legal right to work?
  • Jacqueline Ramsay
    #3 Jacqueline Ramsay on 02 Dec 11
     
    I believe that everyone should be given an opportunity in some field of work, even if that means working a lower paid manual job. I definitely believe that handicapped individuals have a legal right to work just like anyone else, but the reality is that different handicaps do exactly as the word implies; they keep people from fully functioning in one way or another. And technically, everyone has a handicap in their own way and we all must accomodate for our own strengths and weaknesses. Unfortunately, for some, those handicaps have a greater impact on their everyday life.
    While it sounds great for handicapped people to have the same and equal opportunities at job positions as people who are not handicapped, realistically the chances are slim. Some jobs require dangerous or very physical procedures and others require personal and patient customer service; some people are incapable of these tasks. So the people who are most qualified for the job should be given the position. I think everyone has a place in society and for most its a matter of finding that place. For example, my best friend's dad has been in a wheelchair since his early twenties. Since he had kids, he has worked as a part-time teacher, soccer coach for many years, and is passionate about art and music. People who may have a physical restriction for some jobs can still find so many other outlets to make money and pursue their passions, especially with today's reliance on technology.
  • Gaby Ramirez Castorena
    #4 Gaby Ramirez Castorena on 02 Dec 11
     
    I believe that I do have rights, but I also believe that they have the potential to not be respected equally. In my own personal perspective, race does play a huge role in how people respect you and your rights. My family and I speak Spanish and English, and once I was at a store with my mom and we were speaking Spanish, and a lady turns around and calls us out for it, saying that we are in the United States and shouldn't/can't speak Spanish. Forget about the racism involved, there was the simple lack of respect for the right I have to speak in whatever language I would like since I'm not doing anything particularly wrong. Various other cases based on race have also occured which I have witnessed- so as far as race goes, I think it goes hand in hand with the disrespect for a person's rights. On another note, I don't believe that the handicapped should be turned down from a job simply because they are not fully capacitated. If they can get their assigned task done, then they should be able to keep their job or have a chance at a job. Likewise, there exist training coaches if they are needed.
  • Bethany Petersen
    #5 Bethany Petersen on 02 Dec 11
     
    I believe that I do have rights as a US citizen. However, I don't think that every US citizen is treated equally in respect to civil liberties. There are many factors that can lead to a distortion of rights, such as race, social status, and gender. However I think the biggest and most obvious issue is that of gay marriage. In discrimination due to race and gender, one may simply have to deal with a profiling issue, or, as Gaby mentioned, rude people who do not agree with your lifestyle. With the issue of gay marriage, there is a blatant, constitutional disregard for the civil rights of certain citizens in our society. Therefore I can't help but to think that there is no way that we are equal under the law and have the same rights.
    I hate to bring up a touchy subject, but this was the best example I could think of.
  • Eric Arbuckle
    #6 Eric Arbuckle on 02 Dec 11
     
    Recently I applied to LA County Sheriff's Department, I could not help but notice on the employment page they had a link to Women In Law Enforcement Seminars: http://www.lasdhq.org/recruitment/WOMEN-IN-LAW-ENFORCEMENT-INFORMATION-SEMINAR-2.html - here they explain their female deputy sheriff hiring goal of 20.11%. EVERYONE has a right to work in Law Enforcement, people of all races, nationalities, and genders; however, by setting a percentage goal, LASD has lowered the standards for women to be hired and has made it more difficult for males to be hired. They have set similar goals in regards to minorities. I have served my country on two combat deployments to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, should my chances and "rights" to a job be hindered because a goal percentage? I feel women have just as much as a right to law enforcement than men, and I know women that are very qualified and would be outstanding cops, but in setting this goal, they take rights away from men by setting the bar even hire, but lowering the bar for women. I feel there should be more of a balance and everyone should have equal rights and opportunities to the same job.
    On the bases of handicapped individuals, special programs and jobs should be set aside by companies to allow for more opportunities for the disabled to work and stay active. In agreement, I could not have said it better than Jacqueline in regards to handicapped.
  • Lauren Frenkel
    #7 Lauren Frenkel on 02 Dec 11
     
    I do believe that today in America people are legally offered the same rights. However, many are limited to resources and do not have the same kind of access to opportunity. This is just the nature of American society; everything is placed on the individual, you can go onto say it is an individual's for not reaching the level off success they want to be at, but limitations are a reality. Many I feel want to stay blind to the fact that today still race, gender, and physical capacity are important determinants in the work force. However it is a reality everyone reaches a glass ceiling at some point in their career. However I do not feel that affirmative action reservations are the solution to this problem. Like Eric said, these reserved positions limit those who are more qualified. Special interests in job reservation always has a backlash and that is those who are eligible are limited from opportunity. When it comes to handicapped individuals certain jobs need to be created so that they still can contribute in the work force and have opportunities. If a handicapped individual can fully function and be successful in a certain occupation then there is no reason for their discrimination.
  • Kiera Murphy
    #8 Kiera Murphy on 02 Dec 11
     
    In class awhile back I touched base on the idea that everyone should be given the opportunity to reach their own success in society. Jobs need to be created that can fit the criteria for any level of mental capacity and education level (Like Jacqueline stated). If there isn't availability for people to make a living for themselves regardless of their abilities we can't sit there and say too bad, so sad. If we have programs such as welfare in place, thats great because it creates a safety net for people who can't get a job in hard times like these. However we also need to give people the opportunity to achieve their own success with finding a new job! No jobs equals no opportunity for people to escape the recession. Job creation is a must to rebuild our nation and escape the recession!
  • Taylor Rofinot
    #9 Taylor Rofinot on 03 Dec 11
     
    i believe that we do have rights but that they are not equal. like I said in class although we have our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness not everyone has the full extent of those rights for instance the gay couples who want to get married which would further their happiness but because of our government's they can't and thus the government is infringing upon our inalienable rights.
    I think that as long as the handicapped person can perform the tasks that the job requires then the employer should not discriminate just because the person has a handicap. But the employer should have the right to not hire them if they feel that they couldn't do the job properly and end up hindering other workers.

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