Assignment #4:
I believe that our environment needs to be preserved. We have valuable resources in this country, and they definitely need to be saved and recognized. If we don't have the foresight to save them now, it may be too late.
People always say that you never know what you have, until it's gone. I don't want this to be the case. I want Americans to recognize the importance of preserving our national lands and reaping the benefits of conservation. Not everyone has the same ideas I do, I realize that, but this is definitely a good idea.
Imagine, if the population continues to increase as it has in the next 50 years, there won't be any natural lands left. They will all be overrun by people and towns. At least now we have a definite way of protecting something. A piece of this land will remain. I believe that by preserving this land, we are preserving a piece of life as we know it.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
5th Boom and Bust Journal
Assignment #6:
We read a Newsweek article that talked about government involvement and tried to focus on answering the question of what is a good size for government? This article was really interesting. We discussed how our current government is getting very involved in our everyday lives. I don't really know how I feel about this.
On the one side, I can see the benefit of the government stepping in in this time of need. On the other hand, if our government just continuously played a moderate role in our lives, we might not have this problem.
In class, Ms. Schmidt mentioned how the wall that was set up by the government between Wall Street and bankers had been broken down in the early 1990's, and has been receding ever since. The barrier was set up around the time of the Great Depression. If we wouldn't have lessened the standards in the 90's, would we be facing the economic crisis we are facing today?
This is just one small reason for the problems we are facing today. We certainly can't blame all of our problems on the government. Our spending habits, and our idea that it's cool to live outside of our means, has really led to this recession. We need to take responsibility for our actions, and not leave it up to the government.
We read a Newsweek article that talked about government involvement and tried to focus on answering the question of what is a good size for government? This article was really interesting. We discussed how our current government is getting very involved in our everyday lives. I don't really know how I feel about this.
On the one side, I can see the benefit of the government stepping in in this time of need. On the other hand, if our government just continuously played a moderate role in our lives, we might not have this problem.
In class, Ms. Schmidt mentioned how the wall that was set up by the government between Wall Street and bankers had been broken down in the early 1990's, and has been receding ever since. The barrier was set up around the time of the Great Depression. If we wouldn't have lessened the standards in the 90's, would we be facing the economic crisis we are facing today?
This is just one small reason for the problems we are facing today. We certainly can't blame all of our problems on the government. Our spending habits, and our idea that it's cool to live outside of our means, has really led to this recession. We need to take responsibility for our actions, and not leave it up to the government.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
4th Boom and Bust Journal
Assignment #3:
Naivety is a particularly annoying habit of mine. Without prior knowledge of strikes and labor unions, I would placidly agree to this speech given by the owner. Now, however, it would make me furious.
I don't particularly like people having more power than me. I don't like feeling used and vulnerable. If I were in this situation, I would feel vulnerable and very used. These people are only telling me this so that I won't fight for better working conditions. If they keep on telling me things like this I will get really infuriated.
I think that working together with your coworkers to make a better work environment, is a good thing. You have to work for some things in life. If you want to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, without getting payed well, then don't fight. Listen to your boss, or listen to yourself.
Naivety is a particularly annoying habit of mine. Without prior knowledge of strikes and labor unions, I would placidly agree to this speech given by the owner. Now, however, it would make me furious.
I don't particularly like people having more power than me. I don't like feeling used and vulnerable. If I were in this situation, I would feel vulnerable and very used. These people are only telling me this so that I won't fight for better working conditions. If they keep on telling me things like this I will get really infuriated.
I think that working together with your coworkers to make a better work environment, is a good thing. You have to work for some things in life. If you want to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, without getting payed well, then don't fight. Listen to your boss, or listen to yourself.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
3rd Boom and Bust Journal
Assignment #2:
A typical day as a Mexican working in a sweatshop would be awful. I would wake up early, and eat a very small breakfast, that probably wouldn't even satisfy me. I would then walk to the sweatshop, which is potentially miles away from my home, in the scorching sun, and start my day.
I imagine it would be in a large, industrial like building with very few windows and poor ventilation. The air would be stuffy and very warm because of the machinery. Due to the walk and the now warm air, my forehead would be slightly perspiring.
I would take my place at a station and start my day. The hours would be arduous and dull. My back would ache from the hard concrete floor and my head would hurt from the heat and the heat from the strain of the machinery. I would be exhausted by lunchtime.
A short reprieve would be offered around noon, and eventually a short siesta. These two things would help to break up the day and make things go more quickly. The siesta would seem far too short.
At the end of a long, exhausting day, I would trek home. I would have earned a dollar or two, and could probably not even feel the weight of it in my pocket. I imagine going home and having to look into the eyes of your family and tell them that you worked hard all day, and still could not afford to feed them.
It would be a really depressing life. The difficulties that these workers are facing everyday is very disheartening. We talked about in class how this is necessary for a country to grow, but there has to be another way to handle it than this.
A typical day as a Mexican working in a sweatshop would be awful. I would wake up early, and eat a very small breakfast, that probably wouldn't even satisfy me. I would then walk to the sweatshop, which is potentially miles away from my home, in the scorching sun, and start my day.
I imagine it would be in a large, industrial like building with very few windows and poor ventilation. The air would be stuffy and very warm because of the machinery. Due to the walk and the now warm air, my forehead would be slightly perspiring.
I would take my place at a station and start my day. The hours would be arduous and dull. My back would ache from the hard concrete floor and my head would hurt from the heat and the heat from the strain of the machinery. I would be exhausted by lunchtime.
A short reprieve would be offered around noon, and eventually a short siesta. These two things would help to break up the day and make things go more quickly. The siesta would seem far too short.
At the end of a long, exhausting day, I would trek home. I would have earned a dollar or two, and could probably not even feel the weight of it in my pocket. I imagine going home and having to look into the eyes of your family and tell them that you worked hard all day, and still could not afford to feed them.
It would be a really depressing life. The difficulties that these workers are facing everyday is very disheartening. We talked about in class how this is necessary for a country to grow, but there has to be another way to handle it than this.
2nd Boom and Bust Journal
Assignment #1: The assembly line.
Before Ford revolutionized industries across America, people could not make things cheaply. The goods were normally made piece by piece, by workers who had to work on every piece of one job. I think that the assembly line really changed things. It helped factories to mass-produce everyday things, and make them much more cheaply.
The benefits of the assembly line can still be seen today. Without the assembly line, the cost of almost everything you buy would greatly increase. The assembly line helps to regulate cost and produce lots of the same thing. I would have to pay a lot more for everyday items without the assembly line.
It has also opened up jobs, and that is important in today's economy. Assembly lines help people to specialize in one particular area. All of these are reasons as to why the assembly line was important, and how it has affected my life.
Before Ford revolutionized industries across America, people could not make things cheaply. The goods were normally made piece by piece, by workers who had to work on every piece of one job. I think that the assembly line really changed things. It helped factories to mass-produce everyday things, and make them much more cheaply.
The benefits of the assembly line can still be seen today. Without the assembly line, the cost of almost everything you buy would greatly increase. The assembly line helps to regulate cost and produce lots of the same thing. I would have to pay a lot more for everyday items without the assembly line.
It has also opened up jobs, and that is important in today's economy. Assembly lines help people to specialize in one particular area. All of these are reasons as to why the assembly line was important, and how it has affected my life.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
1st Boom and Bust Journal
Assignment Journal #5:
Food is an essential part of everyone's life. Food is especially essential to me. I don't eat that much, but I do eat a lot of good stuff. I know it may seem silly, but I really do believe that I would have the most difficult time not eating enough food, and not eating enough healthy food.
During the Depression it was really difficult to get enough money to buy healthy food. Right now, we are experiencing similar problems because the cost of food is so high, especially for produce. The nutrients obtained from eating fruits and vegetables weren't gotten during this time.
I think that the type of food you eat really does effect your day to day life. You will have more energy, a better attitude, and lots of other benefits of from eating healthy. The Great Depression was already a very hard time for people, and this would make it a lot harder for me and I would miss it a lot.
Food is an essential part of everyone's life. Food is especially essential to me. I don't eat that much, but I do eat a lot of good stuff. I know it may seem silly, but I really do believe that I would have the most difficult time not eating enough food, and not eating enough healthy food.
During the Depression it was really difficult to get enough money to buy healthy food. Right now, we are experiencing similar problems because the cost of food is so high, especially for produce. The nutrients obtained from eating fruits and vegetables weren't gotten during this time.
I think that the type of food you eat really does effect your day to day life. You will have more energy, a better attitude, and lots of other benefits of from eating healthy. The Great Depression was already a very hard time for people, and this would make it a lot harder for me and I would miss it a lot.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
8th Equality Journal
I have always had qualms about the death penalty being used in the United States. I am a Christian, and I read the Bible and believe in what it says. One of the things that the Bible says is that every sin is the same. This is such a hard concept for me to grasp, and I've always struggling with understanding it. In my eyes, a child molester and a pickpocket aren't exactly comparable. But I do think about this idea when I'm looking at crimes that go on around me everyday.
The problem with the death penalty is it's one man deciding another man's fate. They're pretty much saying that the person convicted isn't fit, or equal to live. I can't believe that in our society we allow this type of judgement! Who is the government to tell someone that what they did was so awful that they're taking their life away. I think its a really tough issue facing present America.
We are all equal in the eyes of the government and I really don't think that one person's life is less valuable just because they did some atrocious act once in their life. I do believe that people can change. No matter their past holds.
The problem with the death penalty is it's one man deciding another man's fate. They're pretty much saying that the person convicted isn't fit, or equal to live. I can't believe that in our society we allow this type of judgement! Who is the government to tell someone that what they did was so awful that they're taking their life away. I think its a really tough issue facing present America.
We are all equal in the eyes of the government and I really don't think that one person's life is less valuable just because they did some atrocious act once in their life. I do believe that people can change. No matter their past holds.
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