Geography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Geography - Essay Example In the video titled Oregon: A Fight for Water (which is part of Regions and Economies section of the series), all facts pertaining to the initial problem are presented. Eastern Oregon is separated from the lush and fertile Pacific coast by a mountain range. Often called simply as the Coast Range, this geographical feature is the key to many of the climatic, hydrographic and vegetation patterns of the region. The Coast Range acts as a barrier between the two sides and blocks water-bearing clouds from reaching the eastern side, which is why the Pacific coast side is lush in vegetation and abundant in water, whereas the rest of the state is semi-arid and heavily dependent on the water provided by the Umatilla River. Hence there is competition between different communities to get access to the scarce water resource that the Umatilla provides. It is as a way of finding solution to this scarcity that dams were built along its course. The water stored by the dam was diverted through irrigat ion canals to the various circular agricultural fields that dot the landscape of the riverbank. While agriculture (especially high-grade potato farming) has benefitted from this arrangement, the indigenous tribes who live further downstream are adversely affected. For Native American tribes, water holds a meaning far beyond its everyday utility. And hence, negotiating with them on practical terms is not fair on part of the State. Moreover, the Salmon that travels upstream to spawn in the upper reaches of the Umatilla is also severely affected by the raising of the dam. A similar conflict exists in the California-Nevada border, with each group making claims on the limited water resource provided by the Truckee River Basin. To supply water to the growing population in the Reno-Sparks area, dams have to be constructed. But this has disturbed the natural habitat of cui-ui fish, which is considered sacred by a

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Essay - 2

In the United States, we do not need to plan for retirement. Social Security will cover our needs when we are retired - Essay Example However, this program is under scrutiny as it is estimated that in the next decades, as more and more citizens of the Baby Boomers generation retire, the payouts would be higher than that of the benefits. The current stress on the economy along with an uncertain future about the Social Security program adds further concerns. The wide speculation is that the benefits gained out of this program would not be enough for retirement and there is a need to look at additional investment options such as IRA and 401K. Hence, relying on Social Security program would not be enough to suffice for the entire retired life. Retirement planning in the United States is essential and Social Security program is not enough to cover all the needs post retirement. The social security program came into existence in 1935 and has undergone several amendments since then to include many different social welfare clauses. This program works through the payroll taxes, where the individual pays a certain amount and the employee also adds that amount. This constitutes a fund that is released at the time of retirement along with the interest amount added to it. Hence, the goal Social Security is to work as a unique program where citizens do not have to undergo financial stress to save money for retirement. For a participant of the Social Security program, the benefits are given out in the form an annuity, which is paid for the rest of the beneficiary’s life. The benefits are also adjusted according the level of inflation in order to make sure that the benefits are not less as time passes by (Brown et al, 2009). In addition, this program also has benefits for the spouse and the dependents to support the family even in an event of death. Hence, this program aims to provide real benefits to the retiree. The social security program was designed in such a manner that it should cover all the needs for a retiree and there should be no need of an additional investment in terms of retirement plan ning. However, in the recent times, there have been apprehensions about whether social security would be enough to cover all the needs during retirement. There are some main reasons that are causing this concern among the American citizens and forcing them to consider other factors. They are the funds of the Social Security program getting exhausted, weak economy and demographic trends. One of the main concerns is how the social security program would be drained out of all its funds in the years to come. This would happen because a huge chunk of population, the Baby Boomers generation would retire in the next decade, causing a huge deficit on the funds of social security. In 2010, the total income that was earned through the tax payroll was $781.1 billion, where as the amount that was paid through the taxes were $721.5 billion. Hence, there was a total increase in assets of only $68.6 billion (Whibey, 2011). According to the estimation done by Ohlemacher, this fund would totally dra in out by the year 2037. In 2011, it is projected that social security would collect around $45 billion less in payroll taxes than what it would pay out during retirement (Ohlemacher, 2011). Therefore, according to the rate at which the Social Security funds are getting exhausted, it would be impossible to sustain this program without any legislative intervention. It