YEAR 2024 blog

For this, I'm going to assume we resume with option "A".

    Have we continued on our same terrible path of debt in our future of 2024? I believe that we do. I believe our economy is going to continue with this national financial debt, and as each year goes by, the debt gets worse and worse. We will be in the path of terrible destruction to our American economy, and more and more people will struggle throughout this expanding national debt. People will strive to get a good job and provide a safe, stable home for their families. However, even jobs will be harder to find if this prediction becomes true.
     Slowly but surely, more people will lose their jobs as the amount of debt increases. Politicians might say our economy is improving, but their concerns does not involve money, because they live in a financially stable place. In all reality, our economy is not improving. It is the simple fact that the debt has stopped increasing, but definitely not improving. As Americans (as sad and true as it is), we have an urge to continuously purchase items that we don't need with money we don't have. Why? Because things such as ads, commercials, etc. tell us we need that certain item to "improve" our lives. We are spoiled, but we as the people of America don't like to admit that, where as places such as India and parts of Thailand suffer from poverty, and half the time don't have money to spend. However, people who live in such conditions know how to save and how to control themselves from buying unnecessary things. If a person in poverty got $5, they would purchase food or try to make improvements of their lifestyle, where as Americans will buy the hottest clothing, phones, iPods, jewelry, etc.
     I can see myself struggling to keep my future job, let alone my home in 2024 if our economy continues to fall straight into the crapper.

     How big will the difference be between rich and poor in 2024? Or even 2030? Will the possible downfall of the economy effect the wealthy a lot or a little?

Wage Gap of Women and Minorities

Wage Gap of Women and Minorities

By Ariel Niemela

      

Many wonder why women and people of other ethnical backgrounds are paid less than Caucasian men. Even men complain about the lower income their wives receive compared to everyone else. Currently, females are paid 78% of a white males’ income. Some women just play along with it, while other women argue that it is sexist. For Blacks and Hispanics, the wage gap is more severe. I must say that I too agree with these statements and that it is truly unfair and insulting, especially in the modern world of the 21st century.

            For years, even in the National Anthem, we claim our rights and equality as the people of the United States of America. Yet, it seems very hypocritical. We still hold our traditions, but only slightly so. In other words, we are still slightly sexist and racist. Only, it is not at all politically correct, and with that said, the media doesn’t make it obvious, nor does everyone else of the nation. For example, if a white man were to be having a conversation with a black man, he would talk differently with him than if he were to be speaking to another white man. In the South, Americans are still slightly stuck in their traditional way of life, whether people of America see it or not.

It is not just the choice of major that determines how much college students will earn once they graduate. It is simply the disparities based on gender and race. Women earn less than men in nearly all ethnic groups. A report confirms a stubborn gender-wage gap more than 40 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963; which made it illegal to pay women less than men working at the same job.

            Back in the 1950’s, women were only paid 60% on average compared to men even when working year round full time. Since the 1980’s, there has been improvement for the gender wage gap, but it hasn’t disappeared. Throughout the 80’s, even though it has improved, it was a little less consistent, so all in all, it remained at 60%. In the 90’s, it increased to 72%, and in 2000, 73%. Today, women are paid 80% of every dollar a Caucasian man is paid. This not only affects the female individual (who may be widowed or single), but the woman’s family and family income as well, as she tries to provide a good living for her children by herself. The poverty rate for females (13.8%) is higher than the rate for males (11.1%); almost 37.3 million Americans were living in poverty by the year 2007. Over 7.6 million families were in poverty. Families with children had a higher percentage of 15% in poverty in 2007. Families and households headed by a single woman/mother are most likely to be in poverty than other families and households. 28.3% were in poverty and 37% of female-headed families consisting of children were in poverty in 2007, and it increased due to the economic recession that followed.

So why is a woman’s income less than a man’s? Back in the old days, women used to drop out of the labor force for extended periods of time to bear children, which has changed a great deal over time, however the disruption has lowered the earnings women receive compared to men. It is the simple fact that women can bear children that makes their income lower and less valuable. This is a definite discrimination issue nationwide. Today, legislators provide only twelve weeks of unpaid leave, if pregnant. The income also depends on what occupations and industries women go into as well, which; generally it is women who take the secretary jobs than there are of men taking secretary jobs. Historically, women have entered the labor market taking the lowest paying jobs and doing the same work they did at home; cleaning, cooking, child care, etc., which interferes with their wage potential. Women are also paid less than men for even doing the same work. Women are more likely to be in low-paying jobs, and they often work fewer hours and have fewer job skills than men. It’s a traditional believe that men are more likely to work more and harder to provide food on the table than women can. To elaborate, it is still a man’s world.

The wage gap is even worse for women of different races other than Caucasian. Black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to a white man, and Hispanic women earn 53 cents. Black men earn 75 cents and Hispanic men earn 62 cents on the dollar. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, it became illegal for employers to discriminate based on race. Obviously, even in the modern world, there’s still something wrong here.

Families headed by single mothers lived in poverty (38%) due to the lack of equal income, compared with 18.7% of families headed by single fathers in 2007. African-American single moms, or Hispanic single mothers were a lot more likely than white or Asian single mothers to live in poverty, even though --- despite their ethnic backgrounds --- all families headed by single women lived in poverty.

A study also shows that in 2007, female high school graduates earned a weekly median wage of $512, compared to a weekly median wage of $689 by male high school graduates. College educated women earn 5% less the first year out of school than their male peers. A decade later, it evolved to 12%.

Throughout the country, fair pay is the number one issue for working women today. Women and people of other races are faced with pay discrimination at work every day. People who face these issues have fewer assets, and are far more likely to live in poverty. Many researchers have discovered disparities favoring white men in all industries.

Some say racial stereotypes still factor into hiring and salary decision-making. Others say it’s because minorities are believed to be more likely than whites to become first-generation college students. These assumptions are, of course, not certain, for it is not clear why this gap still exists.

Even though the Equal Pay Act was passed, it is difficult to enforce equal pay for equal work laws when the workplace is gender-segregated.  

In conclusion, women and minorities still do not have an exact response as to why this stubborn wage gap still continues to play in the 21st century, but it is easy to see that it is obviously still based on the old tradition of America and obvious discrimination.

Work Cited

"Mind the gender pay gap - it's unfair and sexist; Are women in the workplace worth [pounds

sterling]10,060 less than men? This pay disparity is unfair, sexist and something that needs to be addressed urgently, says Anne Francke of the Chartered Management Institute." TelegraphOnline 7 Nov. 2012. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

"Money, Income, and Poverty." Women in American Society. Melissa J. Doak. 2010 ed.

Detroit: Gale, 2010. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Student Resources In

Context.    Web. 28, Nov. 2012.

"National Committee on Pay Equity: Wage Gap Widens." US Newswire 1 Oct.

1999:1008273n0021. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.

"Women in investor relations profession earn less than men, new report finds Gender pay

gap persists despite experience and seniority." PR Newswire 1 Nov. 2012.Gale

Student Resources In Context. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.

Fiscal Cliff

     If I were to explain to one of my teenage peers about what the Fiscal Cliff is and why it exists is by first explaining the beliefs of both the Democrats and Republicans. When they can't come to an agreement about spending and spending in general, the Fiscal Cliff comes in. The Fiscal Cliff is what forces both sides to come to an agreement by a certain date, which, in this case is January 1st, about taxes. The Democrats will argue that we should have higher taxes so that the money can spread more, especially from the wealthy, and can go to important lifestyle things such as the hospital and schools. The Republicans will argue that we need less taxes so that people can get a higher income and have the option or ability to spend on anything they want or need. However, if both sides do not come to an agreement by January 1st, it will automatically go to making higher taxes and decreased income.
     The ATM is a tax that is added to the regular tax pay some people do or have. It's to prevent people who earn higher incomes from whatever job or occupation they have from using certain tax benefits to magically have them pay less than everyone else or to none of a regular tax. This is what the Congress are in charge of, so until they announce something, anyone is a potential target to the ATM. The Fiscal Cliff is involved with this act too.
     The Fiscal Cliff, again, must be decided by January 1st, 2013 (I cannot believe it's already almost 2013!!!). Once decided, it will either move on to whatever request the Democrats and Republicans have come up with, or it will automatically be pressured against the people to pay high taxes. The ATM is to be thought about as well.

My Manifesto, yo!

When it comes to the government, I think that it is important to be involved with the government's country. Especially when involving the economy. It is important that they provide health care for those who are sick and/or injured. The government should provide free health care, so that everyone gets to benefit and not worry about not having enough money. I also believe that the government should be open with their country, and provide personal information so that all of the country and the world knows what the government is like and decide if they're a good leader or not.
The government should also be involved with the media. However, not be TOO involved. It's good that the U.S. has internet, television, phones, technology, etc. But I wouldn't like it if our phone calls were recorded and eve's dropped, nor would the rest of the country appreciate it. Not only that, but to track and control our internet history, and what websites we viewed recently, or to even take away our freedom of browsing all-together. The government should provide the freedom to browse (such as Google).
When it comes to the dress-code of a country, this subject can be a little touchy. Yes, I believe in having free-will and the right to dress how we want (whether religious-wise, cultural, etc.), but I don't think the government should allow nudity. In my opinion, it seems too revealing, and can come with bad consequences. However, controlling on WHAT exactly people can and can't wear seems too extreme and a little TOO involved.
As for military and the justice system, I think it's important for the military to have the items and weapons they need. For the justice system, I don't believe it's good to give a lot of money for it. I think prisons these days in America are rather too "homey". Sure, we can't STARVE our prisoners, but I find it rather ridiculous that for whatever their crime is, they get provided health care, full meals, beds, bathrooms, free-time, and even computers and television. The only difference is that they have bars around the windows.
All in all, I believe it's important to involve the government, but not involve them TOO much into the people's lives.

SUPPLY CURVE BLOG

This is about supply and supply curves.

Here is an example of a supply curve, and the changes of a supply environment:

ELASTIC VS. INELASTIC SUPPLY

CHANGE IN SUPPLY

Does supply create more demand?

Demand Wrap Up!

I did all this stuff in Photoshop at home...so....yeah...sorry if it looks really bad!

CHANGE IN DEMAND

If price were to increase, is there a limit that absolutely no one would buy the product?

Demand: Law of Demand

     I'm just gonna talk about Substituting Demand. I can relate to this particular type of demand more personally because it seems to occur more often in my life than I realize.
     I come from a family that doesn't have a lot of money, so for us, grocery shopping is kind of difficult. Many can afford all types of food, such as different kinds of cereal, muffins, Chinese food, lopster, steak, and also lots of treats such as ice cream, cookies, and cake. But for us, cake and ice cream isn't always an option for us. So, for an alternative, we can still purchase milk and cereal, but what better way to replace something as sweet as cookies for a different kind of sweet?; fruit.
     That may not be much of an "alternative" or "substitution" for something like dessert, but for us, it meets our demand for something "sweet". I'm a HUGE fruit lover, plus it's low on fat! Haha!
     Fruit meets our criteria. So it works out. :)
     Now that I know what Substitution Demand is, I now can understand why we buy so much fruit! When we learned about it in class, this fruit thing is what first came to my mind.

     But how many people purchase fruit, and how much? And do we increase the amount of purchase for fruit? And do people purchase more candy and sweets than they do for fruit? Is fruit just as much of a (healthy) demand as it is for desserts?

Inelastic vs. Elastic

Demand, Demand, Demand! Blog #5

Complimentary Demand:

     Micheal Phelps tries out for hockey!
     "I have been wanting to join a hockey team for such a long time," Phelps says. "Course I'll still swim, but I think it'd be fun to do both!"
     Micheal has inspired many of his fans and others to practice hockey and join hockey lessons. Hockey sticks, and pucks sales triple, along with padding, helmets, ice skates, and mouth pieces.

Substitute Demand:

     Teachers strike! Teachers demand a higher income.
     Parents and family members have been worried for their children's and teen's education. In exchange, parents home school and sign their children up for online classes out of stress and worry.

Elastic Demand:

     Books at Borders Book Store double, which means the sales decrease. Less and less are buying books from Borders Book Store.

Inelastic Demand:

     The price of Life-Saving medications rise up! Yet the sales continue, despite the price. Costumers and consumers are still willing to buy them, because it's still a very important use.

   

Econ Demand Schedule for Prom Dresses

PictureURL: http://stylewithanna.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/favina-5926-pink-prom-dress.jpg

Blog #3 - Market Economy

    The market economy for America seems to be a good system, but there are some disadvantages to it too. One that I feel most strongly about, in which I read in the Economics book pages 36 - 39 is health care. I feel that we should provide health care to more people, and make it more available for those who can't afford it. I feel really down when I read or hear about someone whom something bad happened to because they couldn't afford health care, which is extremely unfortunate. I feel that the government should work on making it less profitable for health care.
    However, if we did that, how would the police, firemen, street cleaners, ect. get a profit? I see how that can be important too.
    My mom's uncle owned 8 different companies throughout his life, so it never effected him badly when the market crashed. Even now when we're in the recession, he's doing fine. He's retired now, but owns like the largest house in Blackbutte (with an elevator, 5 balconies, theater, ect.) plus another expensive condo down in LA.


    Could they take more taxes out of people's paycheck for more affordable services from the government?

Blog #2 Opportunity Cost

    There has been many times in my life where opportunity costs has come up. However there was a big one that involved a vacation trip.
     We struggle with money at home, (my mother and I) and last year during my junior year, my mom wanted to go to Denmark to visit the other half of our family. My mother has met them before, although I haven't. I've seen pictures of them, and we've received letters (in Danish, of course) from them, but that's all. My mom wanted me to meet them for the first time and also vacation there since we haven't gone on a vacation since I was seven. However, since we struggle with money already and college is coming just around the corner for me, we decided against the European experience because we had to save. I would've liked to go, and see the Little Mermaid and see the place where my grandpa grew up, but unfortunately that may have to wait till we can afford it.
     Because of this decision, we now have some money to go to college and not worry about it, along with my future and my career-like classes that I can study to get a job. However, I have delayed that time to visit my own Danish family, which is rather unfortunate because if I wait till later, some of them may pass and I will not get the chance to meet them.

Scarcity, YO!!

http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/129111/2/stock-photo-129111-i-need-space.jpg


        The scarcity in my life and home is space. As a teenager, I would know when and why a teen would want or need space, and if they don't receive that, it can make them feel trapped, squished, and annoyed. I only live with one parent, but I guess it can take just one person to make someone feel that way. I'm always needing space and independence, especially since I'm going to be 18 in just a couple months!