6 Tips to Smooth Out a Marital Rough Patch

6 Tips to Smooth Out a Marital Rough Patch More in Relationships Spouses & Partners Marital Problems LGBTQ Violence and Abuse Has your marriage hit a rough patch? You are not alone. There’s no reason to panic. Many marriages do hit troubled times at some point. You may need some ideas to help smooth this rough patch out. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are in such a situation.   Be Mindful of Your Commitment to Each Other Commitment to each other is essential to having a good marriage.  That means putting up with each other in good times and bad. But commitment should not be an excuse for people to disrespect or neglect each other.  Commitment does not mean handcuffs. Commitment in marriage is a pledge to love each other and stay supportive in good times and bad.  This promise also implies that each party will keep faithful to their vows of acting with long-term love and respect. It means the choices you make will have each others best interests in mind.   Have a Shared Vision Marriage partners are a team working toward the same vision.  It should not be about one partner acting  without  regard  for  the  feelings  or  interests  of  the other.  It isnt about obtaining some prize and abusing or neglecting it.  It isnt about one partner being domineering.  Nor is it about one spouse expecting the other will make them happy and meet all their needs. If you believe one person can meet all your needs, you are being unrealistic and are sure to be disappointed. Focus on the Big Picture When you or your spouse become agitated or irritable, and the marriage waters seem rough, it can be easy to become self-centered and decide the marriage isnt worth the effort.  Being overly negative is something you can do in almost any situation. Focusing too much on what’s wrong and what’s missing is bound to bury you and possibly ruin your relationship. Foster a Healthy Dependency Having real emotional integrity, though, means looking at the bigger picture which might include asking what need is not being met in your life or in your spouses life.  Once identified, there is something to address, work on, and seek to correct.  It’s perfectly okay to ask for your emotional needs to be met by your spouse. Be prepared to offer the same in return. You both should actively strive to depend on each other and not deny your basic human needs for emotional connectivity. At the same time, know that you can’t burden one person alone to meet all of your needs. Are You the Problem? Neither of you may be the problem.  Typical challenges of life have a way of seeping into relationships.  When one spouse is over-stressed, worn out, feeling shot down at work, feeling like a personal failure in some area, they are bound to become difficult to live with.  Its critical to separate out the actual cause of the distress.  It may have little to do with the marriage at all.  If the problem or need can be identified, then you can become creative in trying to resolve the problems together.   Neither of you is the enemy.  There’s no need to take what was said or done personally.  Try to reach out to each other with love and caring instead. If baggage from your past keeps cropping up, make an effort to work on it if it is impacting how you interact today.   Keep Tabs on Your Emotional Bank Account You should already have enough “savings” in your emotional bank account to get through a marital rough patch relatively unscathed. This means you have been actively nurturing your marriage throughout your lives together. After the rough patch is done, you may need to focus on making a few more deposits! Give your partner as much attention, affirmation, and applause as you can when you have it to give.  And when you need it for yourself, ask for it. A Word From Verywell These helpful tips should guide you through what is a relatively “normal” time in any long-term relationship such as marriage. Having the commitment to your partner is key, but the commitment should be to work through issues patiently. It also means you both make conscientious decisions together to find your way  through this period of time.

Gangs and Violence in California Essay - 3549 Words

Gangs and Violence in California This paper was done in response to an article that I came across in which a child was convicted as an adult for homicide. The homicide was supposedly gang-related; the young child that was only 14 years of age was painted as an entrenched gang member. This article made me think what contributed to this situation and how it can be eradicated from today’s society so this will never happen to any of our youth. The solutions provided in this document are a response to the growing need for schools, school districts, county offices of education, and state legislatures to address youth gangs. Children are our greatest asset in the world today: They give parents the greatest feeling in the world. Parents go†¦show more content†¦The results threaten our children at a younger age and are thwarting the virtuous influence of education/school that we try to inspire our children with. It seems that our children see the some good out of joining a gang, whether it is because of security, fear, or pure nostalgia, it is happening and needs to be stopped nationally; the only way to stop gangs is through a national perspective because of the origins of gangs and because the are engrained in today’s culture and need to be a nationwide, or at least statewide initiative. According to California law, legislators, law enforcement personnel and school officials are required to make a safe environment for all children and the community-at-large. The California Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act is the specific provision in the Penal Code that requires action by schools because â€Å"the right of every person, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, or handicap, to be secure and protected from fear, intimidation, and physical harm caused by the activities of violent groups and individuals.† Obviously, this is an ambiguous law and as problematic as it is to find out what the law stipulates, it is just as difficult toShow MoreRelatedGang Violence And The United States1470 Words   |  6 PagesGangs have been a part of American culture in the United States since the early 19th century when immigrant youth organized themselves into street gangs as a means of urban and economic survi val. Today, gang violence has reached an almost catastrophic level in the United States. Criminal street gangs have become one of the most serious crime problems in California. Gang violence accounts for one of the largest personal threats to public safety for nearly all the cities in this state. Salinas, CaliforniaRead MoreProblem Solution Essay1641 Words   |  7 PagesProblem solution essay Final Draft. GANG VIOLENCE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS There are approximately 27,900 gangs, with 774,000 members, impacting towns, cities, and communities across the United States. According to a recent bulletin released by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 23 percent of students aged 12 through 18 years reported presence of street gangs in their schools. Almost half (46%) of students in public schools reported street gang presence. In addition, 21 percentRead MoreWhy Do People Join Gangs?762 Words   |  4 Pages Gang violence is a reality that many American citizens must deal with from day to day. Webster defines gangs as an â€Å"organized group of criminals†. Why do people join gangs? probably to satisfy the need of being accepted. Being accepted gives an individual a sense of identity or belonging. Many join gangs for a source of income and to provide stability. Peer pressure is another reason why individuals join gangs, especially teens and young adults. They can easily be influenced byRead MoreThe Negative Impact of Gangs on Oklahoma1247 Words   |  5 Pages The large negative impact on Oklahoma that gangs have caused resulted in a change in our state. In all fifty of the United States, more types and groups of gangs are committing more crimes and illegal activity. Gangs have significantly impacted Oklahoma by increasing violence, homicides, and drug trafficking, and something must be done. The amount of people affiliated with gangs is rapidly increasing. Oklahoma authorities say that gangs are an urban problem. In a report in the year 2010, studiesRead MoreThe Crime Of A Gang1293 Words   |  6 PagesThe country we live in has been affected and influenced by something that we now call a â€Å"Gang†. According, to Dictionary.com a gang is defined as a group of youngsters or adolescents who associate closely, often exclusively, for social reasons, especially such a group engaging in delinquent behavior. Since the early 1900’s The United States of America has been affected by gangs. They originated from the Italian immigran ts that were closely related to the Sicilian mafia and others that were locatedRead MoreSecurity Threat Groups And Prison Gangs1665 Words   |  7 PagesSecurity threat groups and prison gangs are responsible for a lot of the crimes that occur in prison. Well-organized and highly structured prison gangs who have leaders and influences have been around decades. Gangs in prison can be described as groups whose activities pose a real threat to the safety of the institutional staff and other inmates and also to security of the correctional institution (Beth, 1991). These gangs always have strong leaders and use that leadership role to their advantageRead MoreGangs Have A Long Negative History Essay1479 Words   |  6 PagesGangs have a long negative history. Usually joining a gang is a bad thing to do. Well depending what kind of gang it is, but most of the time it’s been viewed like a violent or a rebellion act. Gangs have had an impact in society for a long time in many diffe rent places in the world, and there are a lot of types of gangs. They impact society by increasing the rates of murders, school drop outs, and drug and alcohol abuse. There are many reasons why people join gangs. Some people might join a gangRead MoreArticles about Involvement in Gang Violence and Methods of Prevention for Students1387 Words   |  6 PagesIn low income areas and large cities, gang violence is a major problem many parents hope their children will avoid. Unaffordability makes the option of relocating out of the question for the majority of families. Very few people from neighborhoods such as this are able to go to college because of the expense and lack of motivation from the students. Scholarships are the only hope for kids who grow up in environments like downtown Oakland or Berkeley, California. Scholarships can only be granted throughRead MoreA Brief Note On The Problems Of Gangs891 Words   |  4 PagesJosh Grice Mrs. Gallos English 3 Research Paper 24 November 2014 Gangs: The problems they make Gangs are a big problem in the world and it causes a lot of crime in the United States. There are a lot of different types of gangs in the world. You have the small gangs that are just made up of a group of friends and family, but then you also got the large gangs that are made up of hundreds of different kinds of people. Gang members go around committing so many crimes. They rob people in theirRead MoreThe Crips Street Gang Essay552 Words   |  3 PagesThe Crips Street Gang How has the Crips Street Gang evolved since the 1960’s? Gone are the days when battles were over community control, when loyalty meant self- determination, not self destruction. In the 1980’s crack cocaine became a major source of income for many African – American gang members in Los Angeles. Gangs were faced with intra-conflict old codes of conducts versus laissez-faire attitudes of the younger gang members. Gang violence increased as many capitalized on this

Essay on Good vs Evil in Beowulf - 1568 Words

In Beowulf, the clash between good and evil is the poems main and most significant focal point. Although the epic poem Beowulf utilizes many characteristics of Christian themes, the violence in the poem relates to paganism. By exploring the characteristics of â€Å"good vs. evil† such as Cain, Grendel and Beowulf, this paper will explore the elements of Beowulf in such a light. The Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, was originally told orally then later was written down anonymously in the Old English language. It is not known who or whom wrote this poem down. What we do know is that Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic poem of the English language; the original has suffered irreparable damage in a fire. â€Å"The poem dates back to 1000 AD†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Beowulf represents all of those values. The story starts with King Hrothgar of the Danes celebrating his region by building a bar called Heorot. He holds a feast there; the loud music and laughter makes Grendel attack the hall at night. The bloodshed and loss of warriors lasts twelve years. Word spreads of Grendel’s attack to the Geats. Beowulf decides to help them. Beowulf and his men arrive to help the Danes. They wait for Grendel to attack Heorot, when he does, Beowulf tears Grendel’s arm from the socket. Grendel runs to his lair where he dies. Grendel’s arm is nailed to the wall in Heorot. Grendel’s mother comes to the hall for revenge of her son. Beowulf goes to defeat her at her lair at the bottom of the lake where Grendel’s mother is waiting to attack. They battle but Beowulf’s sword cannot hurt her; he finds another sword near by which slices her head off. He then goes to find the dead Grendel to cut off his head as a trophy. Everyone is waiting at the surface of the lake and because it is taking such a long time that they have gave up hope. Beowulf comes up victorious and with treasures; they all celebrate. Beowulf returns to his home, fifteen years later a fire-breathing dragon is terrorizing the Geats. Beowulf being the hero that he is goes to fight the dragon. The arm that he brings runs in fear except Wiglaf. They battle the dragon; the dragon was beheaded. During the battle, Beowulf had been bitten and later dies from the poisonous venomShow MoreRelatedGood vs. Evil in Beowulf1456 Words   |  6 PagesGood vs. Evi l in Beowulf Beowulf is longest and greatest early Anglo-Saxon poem which was composed in England sometime in the eighth century AD by a literate scop. This poem was created in the oral poetic tradition. This poem is considered as an epic because it is a long narrative poem which composed in an elevated style, dealing with the glories of hero (Tolkien 24). The setting of this epic is the six century in Denmark and southern Sweden. The protagonist, Beowulf is a noble warrior representsRead MoreGood Vs Evil In Beowulf1618 Words   |  7 Pages Bertha 2 Caroline Bertha Mrs. Morris English 11 28 August 2017 Beowulf The Anglo-Saxon people seemed very spiritual. They seemed to support proper burials of the dead, as seen when Shield passed away at the beginning of the story. They tried to live by peace and only get involved in conflict when necessary. Some similarities between their culture and our culture wouldRead MoreGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf807 Words   |  3 PagesGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf In the story of Beowulf, there are many different themes found. Many people argue the main theme found in this story. This has been argued for a very long time and will go on for many more years to come. Although many themes in this story stick out and a main theme will never be accepted, one main theme is very noticeable in the story of Beowulf. The main theme found in Beowulf is good versus evil. Good versus evil is very easy to recognize. â€Å"Some peopleRead MoreTheme Of Good Vs Evil In Beowulf753 Words   |  4 Pagespoem of Beowulf, the theme is good vs. evil. But in the movie Hollywood made, everything is different. Beowulf is not honest, women are sexually powerful, and the monsters are Hrothgar and Beowulf’s sons, etc. They added many things that were definitely now in the poem. If you read the poem, then watching the movie you would be confused. You would be asking so many questions. But the current audience thinks good vs. evil is boring. Nobody likes a liar and the Hollywood version of Beowulf makes himRead MoreGood vs. Evil in Beowulf Essay931 Words   |  4 PagesIn the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk andRead MoreGood Vs. Evil In Lord Of The Flies And Beowulf944 Words   |  4 PagesPower in all the wrong places Good v. Evil, it’s way more than just a concept, it’s more of a lifelong struggle inside of you. What more could you do when evil is shown all around you? Many of us may see the struggle between good and evil in the people we come across everyday. Flawed individuals may be perceived as good but are bad in the eyes of someone else; it all comes down to how you see it. The exposure to things and memories you make help impact the good in you. In order to further evaluateRead MoreGood vs Evil in the Epic of Beowulf Essay examples498 Words   |  2 Pagespoem Beowulf, there is an obvious distinction between good and evil. The hero and his foes play roles that are commonly associated with Anglo-Saxon literature. The lines are clearly drawn and expressed in the poem. As the story moves, the reader cannot mistake the roles being played, based on the characterizations in the epic, one recognizes each character for their purpose and place. The epic is named after the hero, Beowulf, who is a man â€Å"with gleaming armor.† (line 130) Because Beowulf is â€Å"theRead MoreGood vs. Evil1659 Words   |  7 Pages Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the poem s main and most important aspect. The poet makes it clear that good and evil doesn’t exist as only opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the ability to do good or to perform acts selflessly and in help of others. Goodness is also showed throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil. Even though evil is presented by Grendel, Grendel s mother, and the dragon, who are filledRead MoreBeowulf vs Grendel Essay713 Words   |  3 Pages The roles that Beowulf and Grendel played in the story were very easily deciphered. Beowulf being pure good, and Grendel being pure evil. One of the reasons of why the book â€Å"Beowulf† is so well known is because of the fact that it is one of the first stories of good vs. evil, or light vs. dark. In modern good and evil stories, there are super heroes with super powers. They use these powers for the good of the world and to help innocent people. In most cases there is a villainRead MoreTheme Of Good And Evil In Beowulf882 Words   |  4 PagesIn the epic poem, Beowulf, perhaps the most important theme seen throughout is the portrayal of good and evil, and how this portrayal impacts the story. The epic poem is about an epic hero, Beowulf, who is completely thought of as a good character and a strong warrior. The unknown author of this poem makes Beowulf out to be, ultimately, a glorified killer of the perceived monsters. However, the poem in and of itself is an opinionated story which gives the bare amount of opposition to show that perhaps

My Personal Learning Style Free Essays

Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘’Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. We will write a custom essay sample on My Personal Learning Style or any similar topic only for you Order Now ’’ Great quote to simplify how some people learn best, by doing rather than seeing or hearing. It is important to realize that most students do not know the learning style that stands out in their personalities; under that circumstance, it could be hard for them to improve their grades. That is why I consider important knowing and understanding the characteristic of a kinesthetic learner to thereby adjust my study habits and do better in college. Whereas for some people it is easy to remember materials they have seen or heard, for me it is easy to remember things that I have experienced. Likewise, I can say that ‘’learning through doing’’ is the first characteristic that helped me to recognize myself as a kinesthetic learner. Additionally, there are three others characteristics that put me in that category. First of all, I learn best by actively exploring objects. I do not usually read instructions or manuals, ‘’Forget the manual, I will work it out’’ is a phrase I use often when I buy a new electronic device or any product that needs to be assembled. Secondly, as a kinesthetic learner I find hard to study by reading or listening. It takes me more time to remember and understand the material given in class. As a result, I quickly get tired and bored about studying and later I may become distracted by my need for activity. The final characteristic that makes a this kind of learner is that I need to be active constantly. I may feel uncomfortable if I have to sit for long periods of time, specially in classrooms where I lack of opportunities for exploration. The only exception of a class where I never become bored during high school was chemistry, due to the experiments that the professor assigned in class. It is important for me as a student to know the study habits that fit better my learning style, it not only will help me to preform better in college, but it also will make me understand and study the material given in class easily and quickly. The first adjustment I would like to make to my study habits is joining to study groups. Better understanding of the course material and the development of teamwork skills are some of the benefits I can obtain by joining to people who are willing to learn with me. Another change I would make to my study habits to fit my learning style, would be studying in short blocks. It is true that my need of exploring distracts me while I study for tests or quizzes, but taking breaks of 15 minutes as a reward after studying from 45 to 60 minutes, will help me to get rid of any possible distraction or negative feelings such as, boredom or tiredness. By carefully making the right adjustments to my study habits that, at the same time, would fit my personal learning style, I know that I would improve and do better as a student not only in tests and quizzes, but also in college. How to cite My Personal Learning Style, Essays

Reaction for marriage and family free essay sample

I think that this was very beautifully written. I can see very valid points, but I can also see many things that a lot of parents do not follow as well as they could. My parents are great parents, but there are some philosophies in this writing that I really believe I would have benefited from. My parents tend to be a little close and In my business because I am an only child and It has always been the three of us. One of the lines states that you may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like oh. I can really relate to this, in certain ways I have felt that my parents have tried to make me like them instead of letting me blossom into whom I want to be. I may not always make the choices that they want, or that they would choose, but in the same essence we are all different and we are all created to be who we want to become. We will write a custom essay sample on Reaction for marriage and family or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The choices and decisions we make may not always be good or right, but the things we go through help us to grow up and learn things that we other wise would have never came to understand. I also agree very much with the part where he was talking about tot being able to give your children your thoughts.Parents can preach to their kids and tell them their opinions all they want, but at the end of the day we are all our own individuals and we all have our own views and opinions, through the things that we have went through. Not one person on this earth goes through exactly the same pattern as anyone else, we all go through things that make us who we are, and we all have and see things differently. The beauty of that Is our thoughts are what make us, Some of the things that I do not particularly agree with are where he is saying that hillier come through you, but are not really yours. That does not really sit well with me, because I feel that children are a gift to you and that they are yours. I believe that they are also gifts from God, but they are yours until you dedicate them back to God. That Is Just my pollen though; I suppose It could be wrong. I feel that you are suppose to raise your kids and take care of them and supply for them so therefore that means that they are yours. That was really the only part that did not sit very well with me. Overall, I can relate to his philosophy of parenting.I think that this writing was beautiful. Just reading it really made me think a lot about parenting and life. It is a very deep and meaningful philosophy. It Is almost as though he Is saying that a child Is never really yours, and that you are merely there to be Like them. I do not think that to many parents actually live by this philosophy. I see a lot of parents that try to control or live through their childrens lives. Sometimes I think that parents just want to protect or they care to much which is why they control, but it does not make it right.I think that if more parents lived by the philosophy there would be a lot more mature children in the world, because they would have been learning how to make hand things to their kids and plant their own views in their kids head, they do not let experience and question life so they never really get to grow, then when they are on their own they go crazy because they never had the chance to learn. I really liked this article, it really did make me think quite a bit and think about things my parents did and things that I would like to do in the future.

Richard Iii and Looking for Richard Essays

Richard Iii and Looking for Richard Essays Richard Iii and Looking for Richard Essay Richard Iii and Looking for Richard Essay Context results in historical and topical info around a certain point in literary work. Every text promotes values import. For indiv. And groups. RIII Wanted to prove legitimacy of Queen E’s rule- ’validity of her claim to throne’ –Divine right Context: Relatively peaceful, S makes R a devil and usurper to legitimise Eliz. Claim to throne. People were aware of RIII Tudor’s overthrow of Platagenets, therefore play is dramatisation of actual events. Audience related to the values in the play-divine right, treatment and place of women, goodevil, religion. Nobles spoke in Iambic P, whilst servants spoke in rough prose, this was real, therefore made sense to the audience, everyone loved the theatre. â€Å"An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told† LFR grows from this, both demonstrate the intrinsic relationships between contexts and compositions of texts. King Richard III and Looking For Richard directly relate to historical and social contexts respectively, social drawing on historical’s challenge to the context in which it was written. Shakespeare’s play was crafted in a difficult time of political and religious adherence. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard focuses on his devilish and Machiavellian nature. Machiavelli’s The Prince teaches that an adept ruler should aim to achieve power at any cost. Richard is a Machiavel; he calls himself a devil, ‘Thus like the formal Vice, Iniquity, I moralise two meanings in one word. ’ LFR ‘While some key values are explored, many are unique t the 1990’s’ The film and it’s immediacy accessibility had replaced theatre, resulting in film. Ap’s perception was that cultural societal obstacles prevented US from coming to appreciate Shakespeare. Scholars have made S seem too difficult-actors have impression that they can’t perform as well as their Eng. Counterparts. AP’s juxtaposition of the two texts and their contexts provided political insights into both time periods, and the autocratic/democratic societies. Critical reflections of ideologies. He presented autocratic nature of Eliz. society and questions whether Shak. could be democratised. Values are materialism and economism.

Purposes and Effects of the Electoral College

Purposes and Effects of the Electoral College Since the United States Constitution was ratified, there have been five Presidential elections where the candidate who won the popular vote did not have enough Electoral College votes to be elected as President.  These elections were as follows:   1824 – John Quincy Adams defeated Andrew Jackson1876 – Rutherford B. Hayes defeated Samuel J. Tilden1888 – Benjamin Harrison defeated Grover Cleveland2000 – George W. Bush defeated Al Gore2016 – Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.It should be noted that there is a significant amount of evidence to question whether John F. Kennedy collected more popular votes than Richard M. Nixon in the 1960 election due to severe irregularities in Alabama voting results. The results of the 2016 election have brought forth a great deal of debate with respect to the continued viability of the Electoral College.  Ironically, a Senator from California (which is the largest U.S. state- and an important consideration in this debate) has filed legislation in an attempt to start the process necessary to amend the U.S. Constitution to ensure that the winner of the popular vote becomes the President-elect- but is that truly what was contemplated by the intent of the founding fathers of the United States? The Committee of Eleven and the Electoral College In 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention were extremely divided about how the President of the newly formed country should be elected, and this issue was sent to the Committee of Eleven on Postponed Matters.  This Committee of Elevens purpose was to resolve issues that could not be agreed upon by all the members.  In establishing the Electoral College, the Committee of Eleven attempted to resolve the conflict between state rights and federalism issues.   While the Electoral College provides that U.S. citizens could participate by voting, it also gave protection to the rights of the smaller and less populous states by giving each state one Elector for each of the two U.S. Senators as well as for each member of the U.S. State of Representatives.  The workings of the Electoral College also achieved a goal of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention that the U.S. Congress would not have any input in the Presidential election whatsoever. Federalism in America   In order to understand why the Electoral College was devised, it is important to acknowledge that under the U.S. Constitution, both the federal government and the individual states share very specific powers. One of the most important concepts from the Constitution is Federalism, which, in 1787, was extremely innovative. Federalism arose as a means to exclude the weaknesses and hardships of both a unitary system and a confederation James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers that the U.S. system of government is neither wholly national nor wholly federal. Federalism was the result of years of being oppressed by the British and deciding that the U.S. government would be grounded on specified rights; while at the same time the founding fathers did not want to make the same mistake that had been made under the Articles of Confederation where essentially each individual state was its’ own sovereignty and could override the laws of the Confederation. Arguably, the issue of state rights versus a strong federal government ended shortly after the America Civil War and the post-war period of Reconstruction. Since then, the U.S. political scene has been made up of two separate and ideologically distinct major partisan groups – the Democratic and Republican Parties. In addition, there are a number of third or otherwise independent parties. The Effect of the Electoral College on Voter Turnout U.S national elections have a significant history of voter apathy, which over the last several decades show that only about 55 to 60 percent of those eligible will actually vote.  An August 2016 study by the Pew Research Center  ranks the U.S. voter turnout at 31 out of 35 countries with a democratic government. Belgium had the highest rate at 87 percent, Turkey was second at 84 percent and Sweden was third at 82 percent. A strong argument can be made that U.S. voter turnout in Presidential elections stems from the fact that, due to the Electoral College, every vote does not count. In the 2016 election, Clinton had 8,167,349 votes to Trump’s 4,238,545 in California which has voted Democratic in every Presidential election since 1992. In addition, Trump had 4,683,352 votes to Clinton’s 3,868,291 in Texas which has voted Republican in every Presidential election since 1980. Further, Clinton had 4,149,500 votes to Trump’s 2,639,994 in New York which has voted Democratic in every Presidential election since 1988. California, Texas and New York are the three most populated states and have a combined 122 Electoral College votes. The statistics support the argument of many that under the present Electoral College system, a Republican presidential vote in California or New York does not matter, just as a Democratic presidential vote in Texas does not matter. These are only three examples, but the same can be stated as true in the predominantly Democratic New England states and the historically Republican Southern states. It is entirely probable that voter apathy in the United States is due to the belief held by many citizens that their vote will not have any effect on the outcome of the Presidential election. Campaign Strategies and the Electoral College When looking at the popular vote, another consideration should be campaign strategies and finances. Taking into consideration the historical vote of a particular state, a presidential candidate may decide to avoid campaigning and or advertising in that state. Instead, they will make more appearances in states that are more evenly divided and can be won to add onto the number of Electoral votes which are required to win the Presidency.   One final issue to consider when weighing the merits of the Electoral College is when does the U.S. Presidential vote become final. The popular vote occurs on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November every fourth even year that is divisible by four; then the Electors of the Electoral College meet in their home states on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December of the same year, and it isn’t until January 6th immediately following the election that the joint session of Congress counts and certifies the votes. However, this seems to be moot seeing that during the 20th Century, in eight different Presidential elections, there has been a sole elector who did not vote consistent with that Elector’s states popular vote. In other words, the results on election night reflect the final electoral college vote.   In every election where the individual who lost the popular vote was voted in, there have been calls for ending the Electoral College. Obviously, this would not affect the outcome of the 2016 election but it could have an impact on future elections, some of which might be unforeseen.