Abstract
This paper discusses the concept of a commonwealth and how it differs from the regular state-federal government structure. The paper specifically focuses on the commonwealth status of Puerto Rico and how it functions within the United States. The paper describes the history of the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and discusses the problems that it causes for Puerto Ricans, as well as possible solutions.

From the Paper
"It also makes sense for Puerto Ricans to question the idea of statehood. Americans have proven historically resistant to non-assimilation, which means that statehood will probably result in the eventual loss of the Puerto Rican cultural identity, even if Puerto Rico was entitled to keep Spanish as its official language upon attaining statehood. Statehood is unlikely to provide an immediate fix for Puerto Rico's economic woes; though it is poorer than the poorest state in the United States, a comparison of the wealth of different states makes it clear that statehood does not confer wealth. In fact, Puerto Ricans are already entitled to significant government benefits aimed at alleviating their financial woes, which would mean that statehood probably would not benefit individual Puerto Ricans financially. However, Puerto Rico does not get the same type of money for infrastructure as states do, and statehood would help improve its infrastructure to that of a major world power, rather than a third-world nation. Statehood would give Puerto Rico a voice in the federal government, both by providing representatives in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and by giving Puerto Ricans an actual voice in U.S. presidential elections. However, it is naive to assume that such a voice would have a dramatic impact. Puerto Rico would still have a diverse set of cultural traditions and real needs, compared to the existing 50 states, and it would probably be decades before any Puerto Rican representatives could exercise any type of substantial power in any branch of the Federal government."

Tags:federal, state, government, power, responsibility

Abstract
Cultures evolve over time in response to changes in environment and social conditions. The paper shows how this fact is brought home in "A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony", where John Demos ostensibly sets out to reconstruct the typical life of an average Pilgrim household in the seventeenth century. However, since Demos uses a social history rather than a narrative framework, he succeeds in effectively establishing the manner in which the Pilgrim families adapted to their new environment. The paper shows that Demos achieves this through a process of analysis and interpretation of everyday life, using method and theory from the social sciences. This approach allows Demos to infer that the opportunities for geographical and social mobility offered by the new environment led to changes in the family system and ideals that the Pilgrims brought with them from the Old World.

From the Paper
"Demos's focus on cultural changes wrought by a new environment succeeds in highlighting the evolved status of women as well. Noting a trend towards an expansion of the rights of married women to hold property, in family decision making, and even in certain types of business activity such as the management of inns and taverns, Demos points out a growing equality of the sexes in Plymouth, as compared to many parts of Europe where a wife was still quite literally at the mercy of her husband. Although Demos sets out to showcase how everyday family life in Plymouth reflected cultural change from the Old World habitat, his analysis is objective enough to acknowledge areas where there was little or no change."

Tags:colony, General, Court, artifacts

Abstract
This five-page undergraduate paper examines the most important differences between Locke's commonwealth and Rousseau's republic. These differences are mainly accounted for in the philosophers' differing views of the state of nature.

From the Paper
"Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 B.C.) addressed the role and function of law in the commonwealth in his dialogue, On the Commonwealth. He literally gave voice to some leading figures of his day, as he, in the voice of Scipio, offered views on the relationship of natural law (true law) and justice, to the community of mutually-bound citizens known as a commonwealth.


In the dialogue, other characters serve as sounding boards, or even voices of dissent; for example, Philus, based on a stoic Greek philosopher named Carneades, contradicts Scipio's (Cicero's) views on the nature of justice.


Cicero regarded the commonwealth as an expression of a larger philosophical ideal than that of the Greek city-state, a model that had served the political and philosophical visions of Aristotle and Plato. In the period following Aristotle's death in 323 B.C., a new ideal of social structure was needed to encompass a universal community as broad as humanity itself. Because the Romans were in the business of empire building, the city-state..."

Abstract
This essay illustrates, explores and expands on some of the issues raised and analyzed by John Wanna (2007) in his paper which documented a round table discussion focusing on the issues and challenges of federalism. The paper defines federalism and briefly acknowledges how the changing functions and integrations of federalism have resulted in "hyper-interactions" in the policy area of education. The paper uses a case study on school education and the Australian curriculum to inform the discussion on federalism

Outline:
Education: The Constitutional Responsibility of the States and a Significant Political and National Issue for the Commonwealth.
What is Federalism?
The Constitution, Residual Powers and Education.
Vertical Fiscal Imbalance (VFI) and Fiscal Dominance
Specific Purpose Payments (SPP's) and Tied Grants
Jurisdiction and Constitutional Responsibility
Cooperative Commonwealth-State Relations

From the Paper
"Federalism has been defined as "the duality of sovereignty between the Commonwealth and the six state governments" (Pape, 2005, p. 1). Page outlines that at a fundamental level, federalism encompasses a number of principles, one of which is the diffusion of power (2007, p. 6). Galligan (cited in Page, 2007, p. 6) argues that this "fragmentation of power and sovereignty geographically amongst the states and politically between the national and sub-national levels of governance creates limits to the power of each government" allowing the various interests of the people to be served at different levels of government. Wanna states that the existence of multiple governments adds to the overall accountability of a system and he concludes that sovereign governments are the best critics of other governments making them more accountable for their decisions (Wanna, 2007, p. 276). This is one of the reasons why federalism is considered an effective form of government."

Tags:Australia, constitution, federalism, education

Abstract
This paper examines the decisions of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in death penalty cases since the 1990s. The paper further examines and determines what kind of state these decisions left the law in, as well as whether the Privy Council effectively abolished the death penalty in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

From the Paper
"In the Caribbean states that make up the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) organization voted to replace the right of appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) in England as final court of appeal with a newly established Caribbean Court of Justice or CCJ. According to Amnesty International's web site the decision follows years of attacks on JCP Crulings designed to safeguard the legal rights of prisoners sentenced to death. The Death Penalty Worldwide Developments in The Privy Council..."

Tags:death penalty, Caribbean, Privy Council, JCPC, case, CARICOM, Pratt and Morgan v. Attorney General, Jamaica

Abstract
The City of Manchester Stadium is a modern wonder, with an eclectic design, column-free structure, and innovative safety features. It was constructed in 2002 specifically for the Commonwealth Games and to be the permanent home of the Manchester Football Club. Since its inception, it has been successful in presenting concerts and other sporting events, and is one of the most cost effective buildings of its kind.

From the Paper
Student's Name Name of Instructor Name of Course March 14, 2008 The City of Manchester Stadium Introduction The City of Manchester Stadium is a modern wonder, with an eclectic design, column-free structure, and innovative safety features. It was constructed in 2002 specifically for the Commonwealth Games and to be the permanent home of the Manchester Football Club. Since its inception, it

Tags:building, manchester, england

Abstract
This paper examines the futility of seeking court orders for shared parenting as a parent's right as opposed to seeking more child-focused options, particularly when family law disputes are so often embedded in feelings of personal loss over the failure of intimate relationships.

From the Paper
"Chief Justice Nicholson calls the Family Law a blunt instrument for dealing with the fallout of intimate relationships (Nicholson 2002: 1). In making this contention, he astutely echoes many commentators, who note that custody battles are frequently more about resolving past hurts than determining what is in the best interests of a child (see, for example, Smith). In fact, Charlesworth asks if it is realistic to expect legal provisions to ease existing social and psychological tensions. (Charlesworth et al 2000: 135). Nonetheless, in making any Family Court order, a judge or registrar takes on two unenviable tasks: balancing the emotional distress that accompanies breakdowns and making a court order, which has the potential to be breached every single time contact occurs (Jackson, 2000 at 14)."

Tags:australia, custody, joint, shared

From the Paper
"Puerto Rico has been classified as one of the world's most beautiful islands. Its sandy, white beaches entertain thousands of tourists each year. It is commonly known as the "Hawaii of the East Coast." Statehood arguably should be a simple issue, but it is not (Gallup, 1). In a recent episode of "The West Wing," a character playing an advisor to the President of the United States said "Outside of a couple of baseball players and Ricky Martin, most of the American people know nothing about Puerto Rico, nor do they care." His assistant replied, "That may be true, but they're going to have to face up to the question of what to do with Puerto Rico sooner or later." This paper addresses the question of what to do with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico..."

Tags:latin, america

Abstract
A review of two articles discussing Canada's monarchy rule and the opinion that it should not be eliminated.

Tags:canadian, monarchy