Working in College

I found an article online about how in today’s world, parents expect their children to work during college to alleviate some of the financial burden that is college tuition. I firmly believe that people should work during school. I personally work 35 hours per week between two jobs. While that is not for everyone, it helps if one of the jobs is on campus. Studies have shown that more students are becoming part time workers to help pay for their bills during college. I know that college can be very expensive and very stressful, especially if you have a job during that time. I believe that having a job and being a full time student allows me to be a better multi-tasker. I think that students should have jobs during college. I have had a job since my junior year in high school. Also, having a job gives you extra money to save for after college. With that said, it also gives you an appreciation for money and the fact that you have to work hard for it. From my personal experience, I feel that I work hard to earn my money. There are a few people I know that do not work, but their parents pay for everything for them. They have no respect for money, and probably never will. While having a job during college is not for everyone, I recommend it to help you now, and in the furture.

"Dont Tase Me Bro!"

The political cartoon about the college student being Tased because he was being removed from the auditorium where Senator John Kerry was speaking is a favorite of mine. The student, Andrew Meyer, wanted to be heard. He went up to the microphone to ask a question after the questioning had ended. The University of Florida Campus Police proceeded to stop him and escort him out of the auditorium because he became unruly. He would not comply, so they Tased him. This argument is not very strong. The political cartoonist Brian Farrington drew it after the incident. I think it proves a very good point, but it does not have a strong argument. If you speak out against someone with a Taser, you’re going to get Tased. This political cartoon is funny, and also says that there is not any freedom of speech on a college campus. It makes a bad argument because the cartoon depicts Meyers being Tased and there is a sign reading “Warning: colleges are free speech free zones.” I like this political cartoon for its creativity. While it may or may not be correct, I believe there is freedom of speech on a college campus, just at the right place and the right time. If you demand to be heard, people will not want to listen. He was demanding to speak and became unruly, so he was detained.  He is not making much of an argument by saying there is no freedom of speech on college campuses. The only thing he has is the sign that warns others.

"Is Health Care a Right?"

The article “Is Health Care a Right?” creates a very good argument. The author Maggie Mahar talks about whether or not health care is a “right” or if it is a responsibility. She explains how it is mostly the poor population that has the majority of problems with health care. She also says how most of the things that the poor die from are curable ailments. She uses examples from the libertarian point of view on the situation. They ask why they have the “right” to demand health care. The way she describes the need for health care as a demand is intriguing. I say intriguing because this has been a very heated debate within the past few years. Health care for one person or a family is a responsibility, and should not have to be provided by the already ailing federal and state governments. She also says that the people who cannot afford health care should not be upset or angry with those who can because they have worked hard for it. Mahar is making a great argument with all of what she is saying. She uses a blog from a doctor who says that health care is not a right. She uses very good support from others who also believe in what she does. She touches on the counterarguments too. I think she creates a very valid argument. She uses support and listens to the counterarguments to get a better grasp of what it is that she is trying to say

School Comic Strip

In this text response blog, I chose do it on the comic about the jovial principal or teacher figure and the disappointed parents. This comic is about how many schools spend much of their money on new equipment or stadiums while their students slack on school work and are not taught well and end up receiving bad grades. I believe that this happens in many schools. Some schools have the money to build all of these new stadiums and purchase the expensive exercise equipment. I think just this drawing alone makes a great argument. The teacher is happily telling the parents that the school has so many great features such as an Olympic size swimming pool, new stadiums for sports, and new work out equipment. The parents then proceed to as the teacher why their child is failing in school. The teacher cannot respond and has a puzzled look on his face and. I find this funny and true. Many schools spend their money on only somewhat important things that do not have anything to do with the academic part of the schooling. I like this comic because it explains how some schools do not focus enough on academic scores. I believe that this comic strip makes a very valid point in that many schools focus too much on sports and do not help some students that really need the help. From my experience, I remember how some teachers and classes helped the students that were in sports to keep their good grades so they could stay in sports, but did not offer the same incentives to other average students.

Jury System

The jury system is a random collection of citizens assigned to a case, criminal or civil, that decide whether to bring someone to trial on criminal charges, or to decide the verdict of a trial. “The modern jury system developed in England in the Middle Ages to safeguard against the abuse of power by the government by incorporating ordinary citizens into the justice system” (ProQuest). For some time, the jury system has been under debate. Some view it as “imprecise” as determining someone’s guilt while others view it as an important part of the justice system. I tend to agree that they current jury system is an important part of the justice system. History can prove that time and time again, those with the right amount of money can have “a judge in their back pocket” or can get away with murder. The use of the current jury system is a great example of having peers determine ones innocence or guilt. The reason we have juries is so we can have a more justified judicial system, instead of one that can be paid off to look the other way. Although the opposing view says that a group of citizens that are in the jury are unintelligent and cannot be relied on to determine the outcome of a court case. To safeguard this, professionals in the field of practicing law ask citizens certain questions. These questions somehow pertain to the case itself. They could range anywhere from speeding tickets and being convicted of a felony all the way up to knowing the defendant, prosecutor, judge, or attorneys. This helps from the jury being fraudulent and biased toward the outcome of the court case.

"On Facebook, Biggest Threat to Your Private Data May Be You"

The article “On Facebook, Biggest Threat to Your Private Data May Be You” provides an already know perspective on social media sites. Although many are oblivious or seem not to care that everything they put on the internet is there forever and cannot be deleted, most people are well aware of the dangers of social media sites. As a user, it is best not to put up things that would be common sense. The article is well written, but its topic is well known and by now is just regurgitated information. The author, Jacquielynn Floyd, does make a good point that most the way most people upload things to the internet. She refers to stream-of-consciousness. She goes on to say that this is how people “…broadcast what they wore today, how they feel, what time they need to be at the dentist…” (Floyd 285). She goes on to say that when you are friends with someone like this on a social media site, that you are left to sift through this information and see what is pertinent to you. Although this article is the same as most of the others on social media sites and the dangers of using them incorrectly, I think it was well written, but with few, if any, new ideas to add to the dangers of social media. This article did not provide much information for my, but it did give me a phrase for how people share their lives with others. Some people do not know the dangers of social media and what effect it can have on the various stages of your life.

“Business ethics are the rules of conduct concerning practices and behaviors that are acceptable and unacceptable in business” (ProQuest). Business ethics are very important because they are meant to hold a certain level of conduct in the workplace. They are instilled to create a safer, more efficient work place. I think that business ethics are a very crucial part of today’s business world. If they were not in place and enforced, many companies would be inefficient on a severe level. Businesses also cannot be called ethical if they are practicing with other unethical businesses. The chain of supply has to ethical for one business in the chain of supply to be ethical. Examples of suppliers not being ethical would involve child labor, sweatshop production, violation of basic rights for workers, and/or health standards. That is only one area of business. There is also advertising, pricing, contracts, and personal selling. Without business ethics, businesses could price how they wanted or have cheap labor. A classic example of an unethical business was Enron. In this case, accountants “cooked the books” to add more assets than they really had in the books, making their revenue ridiculously high. Also, they sold energy to the public. They ended up having high prices and created rolling blackouts for the west coast by turning off electricity and saving it, while consumers still paid for bad service and no electricity. Before they declared for bankruptcy in the fall of 2000, Enron had revenue of about $101 billion. The case with Enron did not scare off bad business practices though. Business ethics need to be more harshly enforced.