A Lower Sales Tax is Not Necessary for NJ

The current seven percent sales tax in New Jersey is a fair and non-regressive tax. The sales tax rate should not be lowered at all because it is a fair tax. According to Samantha Mactus, author of the article, N.J. Gas Tax Hike Deal: Christie Demanded a Sales Tax Cut, but Will You Notice It?, Marcus said that on the first of January in 2016 the sales tax will be lowered from seven percent to six point  eight seven five percent. This is an unnecessary reduction in the tax because this is a non-regressive tax. According to the New Jersey Sales Tax Guide, grocery items are exempt, prescription medication is exempt, luxury items are taxed, clothing is exempt, and there are ways to  avoid paying this tax. A regressive tax is a tax that disproportionately taxes people with a lower income more than those with a higher income. While one may say that people with lower incomes may feel that they pay more of their income towards this tax, they can choose to not pay this tax all together. If a tax can be made optional for some people, then they have the choice not to pay for it. Since essential items are not taxed, then this is not a regressive tax on the poor. If someone with a low income chooses to buy a McDonald’s milkshake, then they choose to pay the tax. People with lower incomes have to buy grocery items which are not taxed. If any tax should be lowered, it should be a tax that helps those with lower incomes because they are in need of a tax cut. Lowering a luxury tax on items that some people with lower incomes may not be able to afford does not help those with lower incomes.

In New Jersey groceries are not subject to the sales tax. The tax rate on grocery items is zero. All people need to buy groceries because they are essential to survive. While people obviously choose when to buy groceries, people have to eat to live. Those who do not make a lot of money or use EBT cards do not have to pay a tax on their grocery items. The  people with low incomes have to really budget their money and paying a tax on groceries is not something they have to do in New Jersey. Some States do have regressive sales taxes that tax grocery items. According to the article, State by State:Are Grocery Items Taxable, some examples of States that tax groceries are Kansas, Alabama, and Mississippi. It would be regressive to tax groceries because everyone needs to buy groceries and those with lower incomes would pay a higher percentage of their income towards the sales tax on groceries. Since New Jersey does not tax groceries people with lower incomes do not have to pay a higher percentage of their income on the sales tax towards groceries.  While prepared meal from restaurants are taxed, raw items are not. Some examples of exempt items are: milk, water,  juices with at least fifty percent juice, eggs, bread, raw or frozen vegetables, canned food, deli meat, and cheese. There are many other kinds of tax free food sold in stores, but by not taxing these essential items, there is no extra tax burden to buy essential items. People will do not have to pay any extra tax to buy their weekly groceries.

Everybody needs to have clothing. Clothing is clearly something that is essential for everyone to have and to wear. The winters in New Jersey can get very cold, so people have to especially buy heavy winter coats. These winter coats fall under the clothing category of the sales tax law, so they are exempt. People can buy tax free clothing in New Jersey. It is important to note that some winter coats can be expensive so this tax exempt item saves people money. This is clearly an example of a non regressive sales tax because  an essential item is not taxed. Clothing is something that everybody has to wear and lowering the sales tax will not make clothing cheaper since it does not tax clothing at all. 

While one may believe that sugary drinks or cigarettes are essential to some them, nobody can say that prescription drugs are not essential. At some point in their life, everybody has needed to buy a prescription medication. Another example of a tax exempt essential item is prescription medication. There is no tax on prescription medication because these medications can be life saving to people. Prescription drugs can be life saving in some situations, making the case that they are essential. It would be horrible if someone could not afford their medication because they had to pay a tax on it. If essential medications were taxed, then yes it would be regressive because those people with low incomes would have to pay even more for their medication. Since this is not the case in New Jersey, the tax is not regressive because people do not have pay sales tax on their prescription medication.  The tax would be regressive if prescription medication was taxed because people with low incomes would have to pay a higher percentage of their income and people with a higher  income would pay a lower percentage of their income on prescription medication if it was taxed. This is not the case in New Jersey since prescription medication is exempt from the sales tax.

The sales tax does apply to luxury items and non essential items that people buy out of luxury or convenience. Prepared meals at restaurants and fast food restaurants always charge the sales tax. Cigarettes and alcohol are clearly non essential items.  One can live their life without buying either, so if someone can not afford cigarettes or alcohol due to taxes, then they will just have to do without them.  Some other taxable items that are non-essential are: balloons, soda,cigars, dog food, and Halloween masks. These are all examples of taxed items that are non-essential to survive. The same cannot be said about grocery items or prescription medication. If someone chooses to go to a restaurant then they are choosing to pay that tax. This is clearly acceptable because people choose to go out to eat, but people have to buy grocery items. People with low incomes choose to pay this tax when they go out to eat, but they do not have to pay this tax if they only buy groceries, which are tax free. The fact that people have the option, regardless of their income, to avoid paying the tax makes it non regressive. 

The sales tax can also be avoided if people take certain measures. One example of how a person can avoid paying the sales tax is to make their own sandwiches instead of buying them prepared or made to order at deli’s. In New Jersey deli meat, bread, and vegetables are tax free. If someone went to a deli and ordered a ham and cheese sandwich, that sandwich would be taxed. A way one can avoid paying for the tax would be to buy a loaf of bread,ham, and cheese from the deli and then make the sandwich at home. Another example of a way one can avoid paying the sales tax would be buy home insurance to cover costs for labor if damages occur. Labor is taxed in New Jersey,  according to a letter written by the Division of Taxation-S&U Tax: Home Improvements. So if someone needs repairs due to damages the cost of labor is taxed. If someone has home insurance then the insurance company pays for the cost of labor and one can avoid the sales tax. A third way for someone to avoid paying the sales tax at a restaurant or convenience store would be to for somebody to buy coffee beans and brew their own coffee instead of going to a convenience store to buy already brewed coffee, which is taxed. The fact that this tax can be avoided means that people who may not be able to afford to pay the tax can avoid paying the tax altogether.

The sales tax does apply to luxury items that are non essential. Some taxable items are: cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and prepared meals. On a chart posted by the New Jersey Department of Taxation, there is a list of the minimum price cigarettes can be sold at. On top of the minimum price, cigarettes are subject to the sales tax. Since cigarettes are not an essential item it is not a regressive to have a high tax on cigarettes. Though nicotine gum is tax exempt to try to help people quit smoking. There is a clear difference in taxing luxury items and taxing essential items. People can choose not to pay this tax at all because in a way it is an optional tax.

Let’s say someone makes three hundred dollars a week and they need to pay for groceries, rent, insurance, and clothing. None of the items they need to survive are taxed at all. Buying only bare minimum essentials means that one does not spend their money going out to eat, buying fast food, buy alcohol or tobacco, or anything that is not essential to stay alive. A person with a low income can buy everything they need to stay alive without paying the sales tax. A tax on anything for the working poor adds up quickly and can cause people to go into debt to afford thing they need to survive. People do not have to pay this tax on items they require just to get by and live.

The current sales tax rate of seven percent is currently acceptable and a fair tax. What makes the tax fair is that it is a convenience and luxury tax that people pay. This is not a  regressive tax at all because there are exemptions and ways to avoid paying the tax. The sales tax does not disproportionately tax a higher percentage of someone’s income, unless that person chooses to pay the tax out of their own convenience. I believe that this tax should not be lowered because it is a fair tax that brings in a lot of revenue to the State of New Jersey. Lowering this tax will not be a tax cut on the working poor. Tax cuts are meant to help people keep more of the money that they earn. There are likely other ways to cut taxes that would be a better solution for those with low incomes, instead of cutting a tax on luxury items. In brief, out of all the taxes the government imposes, the sales tax is one that is not a regressive tax and should be left at it’s current rate.

Works Cited

“New Jersey Sales Tax Guide.” (n.d.): Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

“Sales Tax By State: Are Grocery Items Taxable?” TaxJar Sales Tax Blog. N.p., 30 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

NEW JERSEY DIVISION OF TAXATION MINIMUM LEGAL PRICES ON CIGARETTES AS OF AUGUST 2, 2016  (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.

“NJ Division of Taxation-S&U Tax: Home Improvements” NJ Division of Taxation – S & U Tax: Home Improvements. N.p., 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. b. 13 Nov. 2016.

Samantha Marcus. “N.J. Gas Tax Hike Deal: Christie Demanded a Sales Tax Cut, but Will You Notice It?” NJ.com. N.p., 29 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Blue Lives Matter

Officer Darren Wilson was proud to pin the badge of the Ferguson Police Department to his dress blues, but since he discharged his Sig P229 pistol on August 9, 2014, the badge reminds him that he mortally wounded a teenager in the line of duty. A nationwide study conducted from 2008-2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that nearly 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who, because of the stigma of appearing weak, have yet to come forward with their symptoms. But when police officers decide to confront their physiological troubles, Kulbarsh found that the men in blue are being deprived of a stable support system to help guide them in the right direction. For years, we have ignored the calls for help from the guardians of our safety who have pledged to protect our nation.

Police whose lives are often at risk may fear for their safety even from suspects whose guns are unloaded or who brandish what looks like a weapon. The fact that they were not in mortal danger in no way diminishes their reasonable fear. Are police officer’s wrong to shoot “an unarmed suspect” or are they within their rights to neutralize a suspect whose intention was to harm? On the night of August 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department was on patrol when he received a call about a robbery and physical dispute between an 18 year old male and a Ferguson Market clerk. A nationwide study conducted in 2013 by USA.com found that the average crime rate in Ferguson, Missouri, is 2,6885.38, which trumps the Missouri crime rate of 1,858.24 and the national average crime rate of 1,669.05. Officer Wilson spotted Michael Brown walking down the street wearing a hoodie, a red hat and yellow socks that matched the offenders description. Michael Brown’s hands were in his pockets, which perhaps gave the illusion (from a police officer’s perspective) that he could be holstering a weapon. The high crime rate alone was enough to justify officer Wilson’s feelings of uneasiness. Officer Wilson had to acknowledge that there was already a physical altercation with the Ferguson Market Clerk, so his defensiveness is valid. When officer Darren Wilson confronted Brown, Brown reached through the window of the police car, disrespecting the barrier that separates Brown from officer Wilson. Darren Wilson pleads that Michael Brown reached for his hosteled weapon forcing him to fire through Brown’s hand, which signifies the heightened severity of the situation. Because Brown’s physical gesture posed a direct threat to the safety of Darren Wilson, officer Wilson got out of his car to pursue Brown and shot him six times. While six shots seems inexcusable, we can relate to his heightened sense of perceived danger. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown because Brown appeared to have an apparent intent to cause harm. The fact that he may not have a weapon in no way diminishes officer Wilson’s fear for his life. One of the central questions in the case of Michael Brown that was argued is whether officer Darren Wilson’s response to a situation that calls for instantaneous reactions could hold him accountable. The decision made by officer Wilson reflects an officer’s moral instinct to protect the public at any time and place that the peace is threatened.

As we learn from Chris Mooney in “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men,” we are not “born with racial prejudices. We may never even have been taught them. Rather, prejudice draws on many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad. In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as dangerous. The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.” A study conducted by Lewis Loflin, a former U.S. Army and military officer , in 2012 found that of the total 2,029 arrests made in Ferguson, Missouri, 558 were white/hispanic and 1,471 were black. It is entirely possible that officer Wilson reacted to many cues in addition to the race of Michael Brown. It has been argued that the six shots to Michael Brown’s body was both excessive and unnecessary. Perhaps police officers learn to be suspicious of individuals that the general public do not fear. Officer Wilson could have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing him to react faster or with more force than we would.

Police officers lives are often threatened. They have an obligation to respect the rights of suspects. They also have a (sometimes conflicting) right to defend themselves against mortal danger. Under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, American law enforcement personnel is partially protected from investigation and prosecution arising from conduct during official performance of their duties, and provides them with privileges based on due process additional to those normally provided to other citizens. But police officers are not fully protected. This leaves them vulnerable to due process for a natural instinct. The stress from a shooting is sometimes overwhelming as an officer may feel betrayed by the department he/she serves. In addition, an officer faces administrative and legal proceeding which could result in termination, criminal charges or even being sued. Michael Brown posed a threat to officer Wilson by neglecting to respect the barrier that separates the inside of the car from the outside of the car, while attempting to retrieve officer Wilson’s gun. As we learned from Sunil Dutta, an advocate for police safety and 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, in “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury,” people should  “not challenge law enforcement — save that for lodging a complaint later. Do what the officer tells you to and it will end safely for both of you.” We need to acknowledge that police officers are well trained to recognize threats and are also experts at defusing them or avoiding confrontations that might turn deadly or dangerous. If people simply cooperated with police officers, there would be fewer arrests and less violence as a result.

A study conducted by Police One showing the reaction time of a police officer when faced with different scenarios. The test subjects were 24 male volunteers recruited from an active-shooter training class at a regional SWAT conference. Each officer, equipped with a Glock training pistol, was to progress through 10 rooms in an abandoned school where an officer was to confront a suspect with a similar pistol at a distance of 10 feet. According to prior instruction, one-fifth of the suspects followed the officer’s order to surrender peacefully, whereas the rest, designated as attackers, were told to try to shoot the officer at any time they chose. Analysis showed that the suspects on average were able to fire in just 0.38 second after initial movement of their gun. Officers fired back in an average of 0.39 second after the suspect’s movement began. The officer and suspect effectively shot at similar times. Why should an officer be held responsible for a natural instinct? These numbers validate police officer’s rights to react in the way they do to certain situations. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown’s hand out of pure response to the altercation. While the next six shots seems inexcusable, we can understand officer Wilson’s perceived sense of danger and excessive reaction to a potential violent situation. Effectively, it is either kill or be killed.

Police officers, as a highly scrutinized group, should not be held responsible for a potential threat to their well-being and others around them. The burden we place on police officers, to protect the safety of everyone they encounter, is incompatible with their human instinct to protect themselves from danger. When we scrutinize their actions without considering how often they place themselves in danger on our behalf, we impose an unjust burden on them. The threats they recognize, that we might not, are mitigating circumstances.

On May 30, 1991, John Balcerzak, a police officer of the Milwaukee Police Department, discovered Konerak Sinthasomphone, a 14-year-old, wandering the street naked and bleeding from his rectum. Jeffery Dahmer, an unknown serial killer at the time, told police that Sinthasomphone was his 19-year-old boyfriend, and that they had an argument while drinking. Dahmer acted embarrassed about the situation and insisted that the child return home with him. Officer Balcerzak willingly handed over the child and escorted them back to Dahmer’s apartment, while neglecting to take the child’s wounds into consideration. When they arrived back at the apartment, Dahmer showed the officers two polaroid photos that he had taken of Konerak in his underwear. Once officer Balcerzak saw proof that they were lovers, he told Dahmer to take good care of him. Later that night, Dahmer killed and dismembered Sinthasomphone, keeping his skull as a souvenir. Not only did Officer Balcerzak witness the suffering of a child, he let the criminal walk away. Police officers lives are constantly threatened, but to watch a victim visibly suffer and then watch the criminal get off must have been psychologically unbearable. Officer Balcerzak did not receive the necessary counseling for the guilt he must have felt from handing over a boy to his torturer and executioner. Employee Assistance Programs have been developed to defuse high levels of stress in law enforcement. But the truth is, police officers whose lives are under constant stress do not receive the necessary assistance to help them cope with their physiological complications. A study conducted in 2002 by David Klinger, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Senior Fellow at the Police Foundation in Washington, DC., surveyed 80 police officers who’ve dealt with 10 or more murder cases throughout their careers. Of the 80 police officers surveyed, 48% still experience trouble sleeping and an outstanding 83% have recurrent thoughts or feelings. An unhealthy mindset as a police officer has an adverse effect on behavior, emotion and performance.  The lack of counseling in law enforcement has directly impeded efficiency levels in law enforcement.

The pressures of law enforcement have led to high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide. A study conducted by Badge of Life in 2016 found that there are about 17 suicides per 100,000 officers who graduate from the academy compared to a mere 7.5 per 100,000 suicides among 4-year college students whose lives are impacted by astronomical college tuitions and societal pressures to acquire a degree. Support and therapy could help mitigate the mental health damage caused by this type of trauma. Police officers deserve all the help we can give them to regain their original selves. Officers are constantly exposed to dangerous situations by virtue of their job, but the system to help police officers cope with their stress is woefully inadequate. It is inexcusable how many lives have been damaged and/or taken from the lack of support for people who sacrifice their lives on a day-to-day basis to keep us safe.

The common problem lies in the lack of trust that police officers have in their Employee Assistance Programs. Police officers do not feel a personal connection with their therapists; they would rather talk to someone in their line of duty. The attitude seems to be related to past experience and concern about not being understood by a superior when stress-related behaviors develop. Gary Allmers, a detective in the Bergen County Prosecutors Office, said, “There is a lack of understanding in these programs to help officers cope with their problems. We do not want to sit down and talk to a therapist who cannot relate to our situation. We need to talk to someone, perhaps a retired officer, about the common stressors in law enforcement. There is good intention, but we need someone who has been in our shoes before. I feel alone most of the time, which scares me quite frankly.” To a civilian, it may seem that officers would be more comfortable confessing their anxieties and second-guessing to a civilian, not another uniform. How can bruised officers receive counseling from other officers who were indoctrinated into the same “suck it up” culture? But the truth is, police officers become less macho when they retire. Employee Assistance Programs should consist of retired officers who have dealt with similar problems in their line of duty. Police officers, the guardians of our safety, should never feel alone. We need to meet police officers half way and stop supplying them with mediocre support systems. If one cop is saying a therapist is not enough, imagine the officer’s who have yet to come forward about their symptoms.

Employee Assistance Programs in law enforcement are also not mandatory. Police officers are given the option to seek help. But the truth is, the largest barrier to effective treatments and support systems is the culture that exists among police officers. There is an imposed willpower in law enforcement that requires officers to restrain from their emotions and feelings of pain. Police officers commonly face internal stressors, such as administrative stress, that include long hours, lack of support, overtime, no room for advancement, and family complications. External stressors are correlated with outside factors such as the attitude of the general public, daily exposure to trauma, negativity, and uneasiness when dealing with challenging and dangerous situations. Yet, police officers are expected to make that emotional switch and focus on another case, regardless of what they may be experiencing at the time. In a predominantly male culture emphasizing toughness and a shrug-it-off, suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to keep their feelings to themselves and resort to unhealthy methods of coping, which result in negative outcomes (such as alcohol abuse, risk-taking behaviors, etc.).  Police officers, who do not come forward because of the stigma of appearing weak, are putting themselves at risk for serious physiological complications. These programs are seemingly noneffective if they are not mandated in police departments.

Cops that suppress their natural instincts during conflict and “deal with the consequences” later only makes sense that there’s a benefit to the suppression in the first place. Law enforcement is both physically and mentally demanding, but sloppy emotions like empathy, understanding, sharing in, and caring about someone’s emotions can get in the way of effective emergency policing. In 2014, officer Joe Winters, a deputy in the King County Sheriff’s Office, was called in response to a woman’s behavior, which residents deemed disruptive, in a city park in western Washington. When he arrived, officer Winters noticed a woman, who appeared to be homeless, laying on a bench shivering in thirty degree weather. The woman claimed that she purchased the bench and refused to leave. Officer Winters did not give into her false claims, but felt an underlying sense of compassion for the woman. Instead of forcibly removing her from the park, he gave her a blanket and sat with her for hours. Officer Winters inability to restrain from his emotions prevented him from performing his duty. Therefore, cops, unlike officer Winters, are rewarded for being able to distance themselves from their feelings.

Police officers are also more at risk for alcohol abuse than the general public, as a result of their stress levels. When police officer’s actually accumulate astronomical amounts of pressure in their field of duty, alcohol seems like a reasonable solution to their problems. The most remote cause for alcohol abuse in law enforcement lies in alcohol’s ability to alter levels of neurotransmitters in the brain that take officers away from their line of duty and into a mindless bliss. Why not drink alcohol as a temporary relief to help cope with a murder case? Vicki Lindsay, a professor of Criminology and Penology at the University of Southern Mississippi, conducted a study of police officer’s in urban communities and found that of the 375 officers surveyed, 11% of male officers and 16% of female officers reported alcohol use levels deemed “at-risk” by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism as opposed to a mere 4.7% alcohol use, ages 18-64, in educational services. Alcohol provides an outlet for police officers because they refuse to seek treatment for their anxieties or symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Problems that develop (such as alcohol dependency) are usually the result of a police officer’s, because of the stigma of appearing weak, reluctance to seek help. Mike Violette, an executive director of the Colorado State Lodge Fraternal Order of Police, emphasized that it was “difficult enough to have officer’s come forward who have this problem. There is an ‘I can handle it’ attitude that cops have.” A way to minimize the help police officers are offered, they quickly and completely indulge in a night of binge drinking that allow for them to drown the nagging memories months of talk therapy only dull.

Unhealthy coping mechanisms pave the way for additional stressors such as murderous hours, rank stagnation and managerial apathy. Lethargy is dangerous in law enforcement because it eats away at the productivity, ethics and effectiveness of an officer. Police officers become no longer willing to uphold the duties entrusted to them when they took the oath. Mark Bond, professor of Criminal Justice at American Military University, said,” What many officers might not be aware of is the long-term effects of chronic fatigue and the relationship between stress and fatigue. Not getting enough rest and not eating properly in order to fuel the body can increase the effects of fatigue. Being fatigued on-duty causes many issues, such as poor decision making and other cognitive task difficulties.” The lack of counseling in law enforcement directly impacts a police officer’s performance and effectiveness in their field of duty. Police officers need and deserve our help to regain their mental health.

Law enforcement needs to eliminate the stigma surrounding the culture of law enforcement regarding the harsh judgment of police officers who seek professional help for mental health concerns. The problem is completely internal to the department. It is critical that officers learn healthy coping strategies to minimize stress on a regular basis, rather than attempt to mask stress with alcohol or other unhealthy behaviors. We cannot limit our efforts to educate the protectors of our well-being. We must provide contemporaneous trauma support.

Works Cited

Aamodt, Michael G., and Nicole A. Stalnaker. “Police Officer Suicide: Frequency and officer profiles.” PoliceOne. 20 June 2006. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

Allmers, Gary. “Employee Assistance Programs.” Personal interview. 11 Nov. 2016.

Bond, Mark. “The Impact of Stress and Fatigue on Law Enforcement Officers and Ways to Control It.” In Public Safety. American Military University, 01 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Cassell, Paul. “Officer Wilson under Missouri law.” The Washington Post. 26 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

Gustafson, Timi. “Keeping Your Emotions Bottled Up Could Kill You.” Huffpost Living. 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Klinger, David. “Police Responses to Officer-Involved Shootings.” National Institute of Justice. National Institute of Justice, 1 Feb. 2002. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Levs, Josh. “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury.” CNN. Josh Levs. 20 Aug 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

Lewinski, Bill. “New reaction-time study.” Police one. 26 May. 2011. 28 Oct. 2016.

McGhee, Tom. “Police Officers Struggle with PTSD.” The Denver Post. 18 Jun. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Mooney, Chris. “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men.” Mother Jones. 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.

Willman, Elizabeth A. “Alcohol Use Among Law Enforcement.” The Journal of Law Enforcement. 2.3 (2008) 1-4. Print.

“Ferguson, MO Crime Rate.” USA.com. 1 Jan. 2016. 9 Nov. 2016.

Sports Injuries

Everyone knows that sports are dangerous but that doesn’t stop them from playing them. The thrill of the sport is worth the potential risk for injury. Contact sports need to be regulated stricter and become all around safer to keep our favorite athletes safe no matter how young or old. No sport is worth affecting your health for the rest of your life.

Sprains and strains in ankles, shoulders, and knees are the most common injuries in sports. When athletes get injured it is extremely difficult for them to sit out and rest until they get healthy enough to play. For this reason, it is common for athletes to play while injured which makes the injury much worse, potentially season or even career ending. The Washington Post explains to us the different types of sports injuries, classified into two categories. The first category is traumatic injuries. These injuries are sustained by sudden changes in movement, and sudden high levels of stress on the body throughout impact. An example of this would be getting hit in a football game where a perfectly healthy body part get abruptly abused and causes an injury. The other category of an injury is an overuse injury. This sounds pretty self explanatory. It is sustained over a long or short period of time due to continuous use of body parts without enough time for recovery. For some reason, people are much more attracted to the dangerous sports such as hockey and football. It must be the thrill of the risk of injury that keeps people hooked and coming back for more. Football has the highest risk of injury with hockey following closely behind. The top five most strenuous sports are: starting at number five is lacrosse, then rugby, followed by hockey, after that comes football and the most strenuous sport of them all is MMA wrestling.

A lot of time and money is invested to creating the safest sporting equipment possible. The pads are made to work when they fit properly. Athletes should be taught how to choose the correctly sized equipment. If they are using pads too big or too small, the pads will be covering the wrong areas which can result in serious injury. When worn the correct way, the pads will absorb majority of the physical blow and leave you unharmed. Players wearing the wrong sized equipment should be banned and regulated closer.

The rate of career ending injuries is on the rise so finally the heads of different leagues are putting stricter penalties for vicious hits that are known to cause harm to an individual. For example in hockey, the leading cause of concussions is due to a hit from behind into the boards.

The USA Hockey Rulebook clearly states that a major penalty plus a game misconduct penalty, or match penalty, must be called in the following instances:

(1)    In every instance where a player forcefully checks an opponent who is standing along the boards (back toward the middle of the ice).

(2)    In every instance where a player is thrust head first into the boards or goal frame.

(3)    In every instance where injury results from a check from behind, regardless of whether or not board contact is made.

A match penalty must be assessed in all instances when a player clearly checks an opponent from behind with excessive force while the opponent is in a vulnerable position. Checking from behind is senseless and extremely dangerous. On-Ice Officials must be sensitive to all checks from behind that occur within the “danger zone,” which is the area approximately ten feet out from the boards. Players who are checked from behind in this area and who then crash into the boards may be at high risk of receiving a serious and possibly life altering injury.

A very interesting article written by the Virginia pilot explains a case of a recent hockey player from South Jersey named Anthony Calabrese. He is a Gloucester Catholic High school alumni playing for the Norfolk Admirals of Virginia in the ECHL professional league. From behind, Murovich, a veteran with the Atlanta Gladiators, pushes Calabrese in the lower back with a stick. Calabrese buckles backward, then forward, falls and almost explodes headfirst into the boards. Murovich was initially fined and suspended indefinitely by the ECHL for boarding. O n Thursday, that was elevated to a 12-game suspension for careless and reckless play resulting in an injury to an opponent. Calabrese will suffer from a broken vertebrae were C7 (cervical), at the base of the neck, and T1 (thoracic), at the top of the back. A broken neck and broken back. Luckily he will make a full recovery. The rehabilitation will be lengthy but in reality Anthony is lucky to be alive. Hockey is a dangerous sport and sometimes people do not realize how dangerous is actually is. Anthony was just playing the sport he loves, just like he has for his entire life. Because of one little hit, his life will be changed forever. This story explains exactly why these new rules need to be in place to help prevent these types of incidents in the future.

Similar rules have been put into place in football as well. The helmet to helmet, often referred to as targeting, hits are often life altering so the NFL had to do something about this epidemic. A large fine is given to the guilty player as well as a game misconduct. This is just one of many rule changes the NFL has passed in 2016. A few other new rules posted on NFL.com are:

• Make all chop blocks illegal.
• Expand the horse collar rule
• A player who is penalized twice in one game for certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct fouls will be disqualified.
• Eliminate the five-yard penalty for when an eligible receiver illegally touches a forward pass after being out of bounds and re-establishing himself inbounds. The owners voted to make it a loss of down.

These rules are all imposed to help lower the injury rate to these athletes and make the sport all around safer without losing the interest from the audience.

The Washington Post elaborates on the crisis claiming that, more than 40 percent of retired National Football League players had signs of traumatic brain injury based on sensitive MRI scans called diffusion tensor imaging, according to a press release from the AAN. The researchers studied 165 deceased people who had played the sport in high school, college or professionally, and found evidence of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in 131 of them.

Out of all of the players affected by the constant blows to the head, I found one case to be very interesting. It is an older player who had recently passed away. During his time playing in the NFL, the medical technology was not as advanced as it is today. Therefore, much of the brain trauma from this era went undetected.

An article from ESPN explains to us how Lew Carpenter never had any concussions — or at least none that his family knew about back in the 1950s and ’60s, when he played for the Lions, Browns and Packers and there wasn’t as much concern over them as there is now. Still, when he began having trouble late in his life finding the right word, keeping things organized, remembering why he was going to the doctor or controlling his temper, relatives grew concerned. After he died last year at the age of 78, they agreed to donate his brain to researchers studying a degenerative disease increasingly found in football players and other athletes who have absorbed repeated blows to the head. This week the results came in: Carpenter had an advanced form of Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy.

A major cause of concussions is because players are not using safe protective equipment. In this day and age the technology in sports equipment is state of the art. While the training is getting more advanced, players are getting bigger and stronger. Therefore, the equipment technology is getting more advanced as well.  The problem with it is that it is bulky and ugly. Players don’t want to wear big bulky helmets due to the fact that they are not the best looking . Players like to use their older style helmets that they think have good style and that they are used to. This old technology in helmets is outdated and plays a huge role in concussion numbers. Another similar example of this is shoulder pads. Athletes like the smaller lighter style pads so they are more agile. The downfall of this is when they do make contact with a 200 pound opponent it causes serious shoulder trauma. The number two most common injury in contact sports are acromioclavicular (AC) joint separations. This could easily be prevented with the proper use of protective equipment. Athletes are just too stubborn to adapt to the new style. An AC joint separation or AC joint sprain is an injury to the ligament that holds the acromioclavicular joint together at the top of the shoulder. It is usually caused by fall or blow onto an outstretched arm. The Sports Injury Clinic explains to us that AC joint sprains range from very mild to a severe injury. Early treatment and support through taping is important to avoid long term problems or shoulder deformity. Symptoms of this type of injury include pain right at the end of the collar bone on the top of the shoulder. The pain may be widespread throughout the shoulder initially but later on more localized to a bony point on the top of the shoulder. Pain will be worse when trying to move the arm overhead and there is often swelling and depending on the extent of the injury a deformity may be seen in the form of an obvious lump on top of the shoulder joint. Acromioclavicular joint separations are graded one to six with grade one being mild with only minor ligament damage and no separation of the bones while grade 6 is a severe injury with complete ruptures of the ligaments and visible deformity. In most cases this is treated solely by resting the shoulder for six to eight weeks. “Sudden Onset” explains the injury in depth. The problem is that players would rather fight through the pain of the injury and continue to play. This causes big problems later down the road. There should be more strict regulations on the return time of known injured players. It should be left to a higher authority to clear them, allowing the Injured player to return playing full contact. If the injury does not heal correctly, a serious surgery is required to fix the damaged ligaments. Similar to the ACL tear, there is an extreme physical therapy treatment required to rehabilitate the shoulder.

Along with the concussion issue, I can also relate to the AC joint separation dilemma. In my years of ice hockey, I have suffered from two AC joint separations in both of my shoulders. This constant beating on my abused shoulders is what ultimately ended my hockey career. All of my coaches and scouts had big plans for me after collegiate hockey but unfortunately due to the neglect to my injured body parts, my career came to an abrupt ending. All of my dreams went down the tubes. I cannot stress enough how important it is to take care of your injuries in the proper manner and not rush right back into the game. Doctors get paid a high salary to figure out what the necessary precautions are for your injury, you should listen to them before you lose your chance at the game you love.

A concussion is when the head receives a blow causing the brain to shake inside of the skull and strike the inside of the skull. In a sense, it creates a contusion on the brain affecting some cognitive abilities.

Symptoms of a grade 1 concussion include being dazed and an inability to follow directions or think clearly, states Brain Injury Association of America. With a grade 2 concussion, the individual experiences similar symptoms that last longer and may also suffer amnesia. With a grade 3 concussion, the person losses consciousness and experiences more serious symptoms such as a noticeable change in brain function, behavior and cognition.In addition to the cognitive symptoms, concussions may also cause a person to feel nauseous, dizzy or tired, notes WebMD. People with concussions may experience blurred vision, difficulty balancing and sensitivity to light. Changes in sleeping patterns or mood may also occur.

Most people fully recover from a mild concussion with rest, according to WebMD. Even if symptoms disappear quickly after a mild concussion, the brain is still healing and is more prone to injury. Repeated concussions may cause permanent damage and inhibit a person’s ability to learn, speak or move.

Playing competitive ice hockey for the past 15 years has given me a broad insight to the damage that is associated with concussions. I personally have had 6 concussions. Some mild, and some severe. After a few concussions you really start to notice the long term side affects. standing up too quickly makes you black out, exerting too much energy too quickly without warming up makes you dizzy, and concentrating for long periods of time gives you migraines. I can personally say that concussions have a huge impact on your everyday life if not treated properly. I was young and dumb and did not use the proper healing procedure. I refused to sit out for the required time period because all I wanted to do was play. I had all of my coaches and teammates pushing me to get back on the ice. I gave in before I was cleared and now I am suffering the consequences. I should have listed to the doctors and trainers but I was naive and just wanted to play. Now a few pointless hockey games are going to affect me for the rest of my life.

Next on the list of popular sports injuries are ligament strains and tears. Each sport has different common injuries. For example, in baseball a common injury is called Tommy John syndrome. The Tommy John surgery repairs an injured elbow ligament. It’s most commonly done on college and pro athletes, especially baseball pitchers. It’s sometimes done on younger players as well. WebMd explains to us how the surgery is named after former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tommy John. In 1974, he underwent the first surgery of this type.Tommy John surgery is also called UCL reconstruction. UCL is short for ulnar collateral ligament.During Tommy John surgery, a surgeon replaces the injured UCL with a tendon taken from somewhere else in the patient’s body.

Now in more physical contact sports other injuries to ligaments are more common. ACL and MCL tears are very common in sports such as football and soccer. Both ligaments are located in the leg and the injuries frequently occur simultaneously. A Medical Collateral Ligament (MCL) injury can cause knee pain and instability, forcing you to take time off from your usual activities. While resting the knee will help prevent further damage, rest alone won’t speed up the healing process. If you want to heal your MCL as quickly as possible, you need to relieve the pain and stimulate blood flow in the soft tissue deep beneath the skin as stated by King Brand. Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears are usually much more serious than a MCL injury and almost always requires surgery. If it is in fact a tear and not just a strain, surgery is required if you ever want to properly walk again let alone play again. The surgery is the first step but the rehabilitation is the most important part. It is very long, tedious and honestly painful. You have to try and get all of your flexibility back because your tendon is going to be extremely tight after the surgery. You need to re-teach yourself how to walk all over again.

works cited:

HodgesCorrespondent, Jim. “Admirals’ Calabrese Glad to Be Alive after Vicious Hit Broke His Neck, Spine.” Virginian-Pilot. N.p., 06 Dec. 2016. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

“Evidence of CTE Found in Lew Carpenter’s Brain.” ESPN.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016.

National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2016.

“Tommy John Surgery (UCL Reconstruction) and Recovery.” WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. 

“What Is a Mild Concussion?” Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. 

“2016 Rules Changes and Points of Emphasis.” 2016 Rules Changes and Points of Emphasis | NFL Football Operations. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Casebook.” USA Hockey Officiating Rulebook Mobile Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. 

“forty Percent of Former NFL Players Suffer from Brain Injuries, New Study Shows.” The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.