To Toll or Not To Toll

Various public facilities have important uses aside from revenue generation of the government. Like the tollgates, these facilities serve for the conduct of checkpoints, safety for the commuting public and substantially generate government revenues. On the contrary, tollgates are also criticized as the bottlenecks of traffic as vehicles lined up at the maximum or minimum performance of the tollkeepers. In the State of Connecticut, the Federal state and local governments plans reinstalling tolls on its highways. Several perceptions insinuate that causes of road accidents were due the absence of tollgates.It could be for the reasons that tollgates would slow down the speed of approaching vehicles as tollkeepers manning the traffic congestion from entry and exit lanes. This position paper will discuss and examine several points of considerations relating the reinstallation of tollgates in the State of Connecticut. Discussions It has been earlier reported in the 1980s that the removal of toll booths in the State of Connecticut have subsequently attributed to several road accidents that accounted about seven people who crashed and died at the Stratford tolls.In brief, Connecticut had more than 100 private turnpikes which were built from the period 1790 to 1850. The popularization of automobiles in the mid-20th century resulted to renew toll-backed financing to finance highways. In the 1990s to early 2000, technology plays a vital aspect in toll innovations through the introduction of electronic toll collection machines. Based on the May 10th 2009 news item ‘Toll proposals to be discussed at Thursday hearing’ by Martin B.Cassidy from the electronic publication of The Advocate, the Chairman of the Transportation Strategy Board Kevin Kelleher stated that â€Å"all the tolling concepts would use an EZ-Pass system†, referring to the system that would collect or tabulate fees from cars traveling at a speed of 55 miles per hour and up (1). Corey Sipe (2 006) in his article at Associated Content electronic publishing has discussed the analysis of James J. Fazzalaro of the office of Legislative research which cited that one-way gateway toll fees at $1. 00 could generate $58 million in revenues (1).Meanwhile, the web site of BethelRepublicans. Org (2009) has published ‘Opposed to Tolls on I-84 in Danbury’, implying that toll should not only be implemented to generate revenues but also to promote efficiency. Further, it reported that Connecticut Republican Senator Michael McLachlan pointed out on the issue of traffic congestion during a forum held at Western Connecticut State University on March 26th 2009. As cited from the article of BethelRepublicans. Org (2009), it quoted Senator McLachlan who said that â€Å"drivers are trying to avoid the I-84 tolls by rerouting in community areas† (2).In which case, rerouting in the residential community areas congest the traffic of small roads in Danbury and residents could b e prone to accidents. It may be acknowledged that Senator McLachlan has raised a considerable point not only on the issue of traffic situation but as well the public safety, in which could pave the way in the implementation of the tolling system. Despite the concern of Senator McLachlan, it was also pointed out that travel time, gas consumption and toll fees could be an added expense to reconsider (2).Indeed, many motorists tend to shorten their travel time and avoid the additional expenses for gas and toll fees. Moreover as previously covered in the article of Martin B. Cassidy (2009), the implementation of congestion pricing addresses the issue of efficiency. According to Cassidy (2009), the South Western Regional Planning Agency Executive Director Floyd Lapp commented that the state should use congestion pricing (1). It can be explained that â€Å"congestion pricing† is the process of charging distinctly separate toll rates on â€Å"peak or off-peak† travel time sch edules.Also, the toll rates can be implemented in two ways, namely â€Å"static pricing† is attained in periodic intervals on a monthly or quarterly basis with published toll rates adjustments, while â€Å"dynamic pricing† can be implemented by using â€Å"electronic traffic sensor system† to monitor the volume of traffic and automatically adjust the toll rates. Early this year, the Associated Press in its electronic news has published ‘Report Pending on Highway Tolls in Connecticut’ with reference to the $1 Million research contract which was engaged by Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board (CTSB) with Cambridge Systematics, Inc.(CSI). The Associated Press has implied the result of the research-study could be the turning point to realize the seemingly idyllic yet pending developments on the tolling project implementation. However, the Associated Press quoted that â€Å"it is still doubtful whether the CTSB would be supportive of CSI’s f indings and propositions† (1). On the following month after the comments of Associated Press, the year 2009 report of the Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (CSI) was then submitted to Connecticut Transportation Strategy Board (CTSB).The report which entitled: ‘Connecticut Electronic Tolling and Congestion Pricing Study’ was an independent technical study that formulated the strategic and feasible options in the implementation of the toll project. To generally describe the report, it contained variable conceptual framework on how the toll project can be effectively implemented and efficiently perform for public good, together with financial indicators that indicates the cost benefits of the state.Overall, the report has extensively presented the financial viabilities that comprised the operational components. As cited, the CSI report has highlighted the following findings (2): †¢ The New Toll Express Lanes require construction of new lanes and tolling, such as expre ss lanes: A-1: Interstate 95 (Branford to Rhode Island State Line), and A-2: Interstate 84 (Waterbury to New York State Line);†¢ Conceptually, every users pay toll in spite of the occupancy levels and types of vehicles; †¢ Neither access strip would produce traffic congestion, estimating from 6. 2 to 13. 8 percents decline of vehicles for every hour of delay, which shall be implemented at â€Å"I-95 and I-84† toll projects within one year period exclusive of new lanes. CSI (2009) has further presented the estimated revenue generation within a 30-year target, as shown in the illustration below:

Brave New World Diction Essay

Chapter 3, pages 34-35 Brave New World Diction â€Å"Main Day-shift off duty†¦.. ’I shall make a point of going,’ said Henry Foster. † In chapter 3 of Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, many things are revealed about hot the society in this novel functions. It shows more about the work that the people do and how the society functions. Huxley uses repetition and descriptive diction to provide a deeper look into the society that is shown in this passage. In one paragraph, one specific word helps to clarify the meaning of the repetition of the word â€Å"whisk†.While talking about history, the Controller states that â€Å"History is bunk† to the students. In context, bunk is taken to mean nonsense, or unimportant. It serves the authors purpose by revealing more about the society in this passage. History is irrelevant to the alphas. The word â€Å"bunk† further helps to explain the diction in the next paragraph of this passage. Th e word â€Å"whisk† is repeated twelve times in one paragraph. It is used to describe how easily history is wiped away and forgotten. It even shows that music and feelings such as passion are gone.The repetition of the word â€Å"whisk† is fundamental in illustrating how insignificant the past is to this society. The authors use of descriptive diction gives further insight about this society. The author uses words and phrases such as â€Å"tactual†, â€Å"Embryo Store†, and â€Å"Psychology Bureau† among many others. This is significant because it illustrates how technologically advanced the society in this passage is. This passage reveals that society has completely disregarded history and advanced in the scientific field.The author uses the word â€Å"forbidden† to describe poetry books and religious books such as the Bible. This further develops the society as a society where feelings evoked by poetry and religious faith are frowned upon. As this passage demonstrates, history and literature have been removed from this society. History and literature are subjects that connect people, and tie them together, but without them, this passage shows that this society is very advanced in the field of science. This society is clearly appalled by life led by their ancestors.They have effectively gotten rid of history, and any feeling that helps them make lasting connections to other people. Through the use of descriptive diction, the authors purpose of providing insight into this society is fully accomplished. The diction in this passage illustrates how dynamic the society in this novel is. This society revolves around science, and wants nothing to do with the past. This passage provides very important insight into how this society functions, and the structure of the society. The author successfully achieves his purpose through the use of repetition and expressive diction.

Queen Elizabeth I Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Queen Elizabeth I - Research Paper Example But not many people really know that much about her, regardless of how recognizable she might be. However, Queen Elizabeth I was much more than a just a leader and inspiration, as well as, patron of the fine arts. She was, also, in many ways, a woman well ahead of her time. She defied, both, the expectations of her â€Å"weaker† genders’ ability to lead and the societal and biological conventions expected of her gender. History King Henry VIII is remembered as the British King who grew quite round and had a rather large number of wives; several of whom he had executed. Henry’s first wife, a devout Catholic, gave him his eldest child, Mary. He had this marriage annulled, which ended, both, his married relationship but, also, the relationship of England with the Catholic Church. His second marriage, to Anne Boleyn, produced his second daughter, Elizabeth, born on September 7, 1533. Anne Boleyn, sadly, was beheaded on her husband’s order for the crime of adul tery, when Elizabeth was only two years old. In a solely political move, Henry had both of his daughters legally eliminated from consideration as his heirs; he did this, most likely, to make room for a male heir. It was Henry’s wife, Jane Seymour, who finally produced him his only male heir, Edward, in 1537. Edward would take the throne with his father’s death in 1547, however, he ruled for only 6 years before his own young life ended in 1553. Edward had named, his cousin, Lady Jane Grey, to be his heir. Mary, whose legitimacy to take the throne had been reinstated, disagreed with her half brother’s choice. She, ultimately, took the throne, from Lady Jane Gray, within nine days of her taking power. Mary became Queen; her primary agenda became to stamp out the Protestantism, which her father had promoted during his reign, and reinstate Catholicism as the national religion of England. (Wilde) Until this point, Elizabeth’s life was rather typical of any Prot estant child of English nobility. She received a good education; she excelled in the areas of music and languages. When Mary took the throne, Elizabeth has supported her half-sister’s decision. However, Protestant plots against Mary, encouraging the placement of Elizabeth on the throne, resulted in Elizabeth being, technically, arrested. She was released quickly, having had no involvement in any such plots. However, It has been thought that Mary remained suspicious of Elizabeth until her death in 1558.(Wilde) Elizabeth’s life changed rapidly as she became Queen Elizabeth I, sovereign of England and Ireland; the beginning of what would be a, nearly, 45 year rule.(Prichard 618) Discussion Thrust into the crown, Elizabeth immediately inherited all of Mary’s problems as she took the throne. The two most paramount concerns were the religious division of England and the current war with France. In one of her first actions as Queen was to put an end to the religious tu rmoil; during her time as Queen, Mary, had burned Protestant churches and executed 300 Protestants as heretics. Elizabeth quickly passed the â€Å"Act of Supremacy,† which reestablished the Church of England and the â€Å"Act of Uniformity,† which established the formatting of a universal prayer book.(Wilde) She ended the war with France and imprisoned, her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, for conspiracy against her and attempts upon her life. Mary, Queen of Scotland, also, had a blood connection to the throne and supporters that

Facebook privacy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Facebook privacy - Research Paper Example nd, the majority of young Americans, who constitute the largest proportion of the users of Facebook and other social networking sites, worry less about their privacy. In February 2011, DHS announced that they planned to roll out a program that would make it possible for them to censor media content, including data relating to social media(Wagner 390). The program would gather personal data of the users of Facebook and other social networking sites and relay that information to all levels of government, foreign government and private companies. In part, the data would be gathered by undercover agents who would disguise as ordinary social media users while, in the real sense, they were on these sites to spy on genuine users. The agency also indicated that it would store personal data for a period not exceeding five years. This program sounded so sinister that one wonders why the DHS had to announce it. Nonetheless, under the program, the government has continued to collect the personal information of the users of Facebook. This program and the policy underpinning it are a serious infringement on the civil liberties, especially the right to privacy, the Constitution grants to every American. The government must abandon them and seek alternative ways of achieving their ways. The journey toward a federal policy on the freedom of Internet kicked off to a slow start in early 2010(Wagner 398). Then, in early 2011, the Egyptian revolt, to which Twitter and Facebook added fuel, injected some impetus into the process. The development in Egypt made the federal government see the urgent need for a policy that would help security agencies circumvent barriers to combating cyber crime, while at the same time making it difficult for dictatorial regimes to employ the same technology to suppress divergent views. The process of enacting the policy was slowed down by heated debates over which projects the policy needed to prioritize. Moreover, questions were raised over the rather

Executive report describing how information technology impacts the Essay

Executive report describing how information technology impacts the Real Estate Industry - Essay Example Online purchasing for instance has reduced the number of agents, retail stores and warehouses needed - these very services were thriving a couple of decades ago. On the other hand, access to the most unusual information, the most uncommon places, the rarest of books and even personal web logs are now just a click away. Hence, the value of a product, service or piece of information has undergone an overhaul since the onset of the Information Technology revolution. Added, these values even after changes are not static but yet in the process of stabilizing, allowing for large potential differences between current value and future value. Traditionally, real estate value has been known to depend upon criteria such as size, location, amenities, and even climatic environments, and now, information technology is an added consideration. Cyberspace technology enables interested clients to browse through properties of their choice using various search options such as zip code, size, amenities and budget. It is also possible to take a virtual tour of the property, its interiors and its neighborhood.

Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity - Essay Example In my essay, I am going to do a comparison and contrast essay which is based on evangelical and pentecostal Christianity and how these are mainly focused in a specific region. In dealing with evangelical and pentecostal Christianity, it is important to examine their similarities especially where they come together in their ideologies. They come together especially in their universality of their teachings and the timelessness ( Wolffe, 2002). They tend to agree with each other in their teachings and philosophies which are inherently tied to each other and are especially predominant when they are dealing with conflict or tension situations where they actually see eye to eye. It is also important to take into account that because we are dealing with these religions, I am using the Wolffe's perspective on a lot of these issues. He suggests that it is predominantly in the developing world that Evangelism and Pentecostal Christianity have their strongest foothold with particular emphasis being placed on Latin America (2002). In examining the criteria for their comparison, it is noteworthy to mention that Pentecostal religion and Evangelism have similarities in that they are especially geared towards migrants and people from a similar ethnic background-a sort of common background that brings about ethnic groups with similar ideologies together (Wolffe, 2002). Another obvious identifying feature of Pentecostal and Evangelicals is that they both believe that the Bible is divinely inspired and believe that the Holy Spirit is involved in the evangelical process. Here we see this to be true especially in the Western world with the rise of evangelicals who speak under the authority of the Holy Spirit and therefore have the ability to prophesy and speak in tongues (Wolffe, 2002). Evangelical and Pentecostal Christianity have been a trend of the late centuries and are actually a breakaway from Protestanism which split from Catholicism in the 16th century. But it was not until the 18th century, that we see visibly the Evangelical movement that rose from the Protestant reformation (Wolffe,2002). Since they are ethnically geared so to speak towards people from similar ethnic backgrounds, they formed the backbone for a lot of the revivals of the movement in regions such as Northern Ireland where "it gained from being an important focus for Protestant identity in the face of ongoing struggles over the constitutional status of the province (Wolffe, 2002, p.20)." There was in Ireland, considerable turmoil and conflict between the Catholics and the Protestants and due to their common interests and struggles, the Evangelicals formed a common bond to come together. Whereas by contrast where Pentecostal and Evangelical Christianity differed, was in "its teachings of the need for Christians to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, as a second intense spiritual experience subsequent to conversion. Pentecostalism was particularly successful among the black and Hispanic communities in the USA, and from the 1950s onwards gained significant ground in the UK as a result of West Indian immigration (Wolffe, 2002,p.21)." Again we see the trend where the minorities form the backbone for the rise of the Evangelical and Pentecostal movement in the Americas and the United Kingdom. Although our focus in this essay, will be the rise in these two movements, I will focus more on the developments in the United kingdom, the USA, and Latin America. The former two countries are more industrialized but the last Latin America is more on the less advantageous side economically speaking. In the United Kingdom, for instance, we see statistically speaking an increase in numbers among the Pentecostal and Evangelical Christians. This is denoted by the rising numbers who are church attendants. The famous evangelist Billy Graham from the United States on making his visit to the United Kingdom drew very large audiences (Wolffe, 2002). In the early

Employment law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employment law - Essay Example This could also be held to be unreasonable behavior. A general rule has been set out in the case of General Billposting Co Ltd v Atkinson1 it was held that there may be instances where an employer has behaved so badly towards an employee that the employee can treat his employment contract as if it is at an end. When this is the case, the employer may not be able to impose any post termination restrictive covenant on the employee, because the contract has been ended as a result of the employer’s own fault, hence he will not have the right to demand that the employee adhere to any conditions post employment. Thus, on this basis, Ali has grounds to contest the sudden change in the contract that has been made by Balmoral. It must also be noted that there may have been certain terms implied in Ali’s original contract, such as the duty of an employee not to work for competitors, even during off duty hours, as also stated in the cases of Hivac Ltd v Park Royal Scientific Instruments Ltd2and Provident Financial Group plc v Hayward.3 Ali’s original contract with Balmoral would have already included the implicit restriction on working for competitors, therefore the grounds for Balmoral instituting a new contract may itself be subject to dispute. In general, once an employment contract has been entered into with an employee, an employer may not change the terms without first obtaining the consent of the employee.4 Unless the original contract Ali had with Balmoral allows the flexibility of changing contractual terms, Balmoral will be required to follow the correct procedure and offer the terms to Ali, who is at liberty to accept or reject them. Balmoral’s dismissal of Ali on the grounds of refusal to accept new terms may give rise to grounds for a breach of contract. Even assuming that the new contract was deemed necessary after the recent incidences of poaching staff, it will be difficult for