May 30 2012

Is it fair?

When I think of an old person, I think of my uncle. I think old people are
• Wise
• Experienced
• Understanding
• Hard of hearing
• Malnourished
• Wrinkly
• Annoying
• Dependent
I think 70 years is reasonably old. Most individuals at this age lose their permanent teeth, bowel and bladder control, muscle strength, sight, hearing, they tend to get shorter, hair loss, and loss of skin elasticity. The skin becomes wrinkled.
A lot of times they will require assistance with activities of daily living. They are unable to read probably due to loss of sight, they are unable to use the bathroom as they would normally do, they are unable to lift due to muscle weakness, their libido is low and therefore may not enjoy sexual activities, some co ordination is lost and cannot drive vehicles as well, they are not able to walk or stand for quite an amount of time, they cannot socialize as well due to hearing loss, sight, and they cannot probably feed themselves.
For this reason I presume a good age to retire would be 70. Of course other individuals would still be strong at this age but most other people are beginning to get weaker and weaker around this time. They are no longer incompetent and should therefore not be allowed to work. I feel like forced retirement should be implemented to protect both the individual and the employer from law suits in case of injury.
A no mandatory retirement law would only allow more and more old folks to be out in the work places probably doing a sloppy job, besides meaning that they would be taking jobs that the younger individuals would be doing. Also having a cut off age sets some rules and laws to follow in case of applying for social security and other welfare programs. Yet on the other hand if the retirement age was raised, most old people would be forced to stay at work beyond their ability. This will increase chances of injuries at work and companies scoring low and producing even lower as opposed to a more competent worker. If the age was lowered it would mean that the government would have to pay social security to people that are still capable of working and contributing to the economy.

What should the government do about lowering, raising,no mandatory retirement age, or a mandatory retirement age?

May 30 2012

History repeats itself

When people lost their jobs when the GM factories were moved to Mexico, many people were angry at Roger Smith. Those affected were really worried but the rich folks made comments such as,” people don’t want to work; they like to take the easy way out.” The way I saw it on the video, the citizens wanted their jobs back and were ready to work, but their jobs had just been taken away from them. It was not just easy to get up in the morning and do something. What had just happened was tragic. Over 30,000 people had been laid off. GM just like any other large employer, could affect many families say those firms closed down. At the same time the employers being capitalists they didn’t see a problem with it. As a representative said, “GM has no intention to put anybody out of work.” They did what they had to do. In other words everybody had to watch after themselves.
Right after the lay off, many families lost their homes. People got evicted and the streets got infested by rats. But I noticed as others were getting evicted and wondering where they would sleep, others enjoyed playing golf and worried about winning a crown for Miss America yet they were aware of the current problem affecting Flint. At the same time, other people took their time out to try to cheer up the citizens during the difficult times. Churches encouraged people to look at the brighter side of life and be happy.
As time went by crime rates started going up. The jail population increased. There were a number of homicides reported. Something else happened. The government started welfare programs to help those families in need. Individuals received social security. Some of the help was just never enough to take care of the families and only came along monthly. People decided to go out and make money. One lady started rearing rabbits and selling them out as grocery.
Some families were forced to move out of Flint and go to southern states such as Texas where better jobs were expected. Those that remained in Flint ended up taking jobs that paid as half as what they made while employed by GM. All along while the journalists searched and looked for Roger to interview him, he was nowhere to be found and when he was finally approached, he showed no remorse for the people. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer.

What can people do to end or decrease this state of poverty from reoccurring?

May 29 2012

Tax Reforms

Raising taxes has come to affect both individuals and business owners. A lot of people are not enjoying the money they have worked hard to earn due to the high taxes being charged. Businesses are making less revenue and are at a loss.
Tax payment is a voluntary act but really is a law. Nobody wants to ignore a law therefore moat people end up paying their taxes. Middle and lower –income taxpayers are over assessed. President Obama’s tax reforms reduced taxes from 35%-28% but really 23% is recommended to ease its complexity and burdensome. Taxes are unacceptably high for entrepreneurs and small business owners. As a result this becomes burdensome. Some entrepreneurs might resolve in some other private activities.
According to NTU in 2009, the following were the percentages of taxes paid by;
• Top 1% paid 36.73
• Top 5% paid 58.66
• Top 50% paid 97.75

What’s your take on raising taxes?

May 29 2012

Gender Inequality

Generally I consider myself as the breadwinner. I take pride in providing for my family. I therefore invest my time in college so I could be able to make more money in the future. When I decided I wanted to become a nurse, friends and family thought it was ridiculous because it was considered a women’ profession. But in my opinion it had nothing to do with it. Nursing was just another career that I was interested in. although statistics show that a higher percentage of nurses are females.
I support gender equality and therefore don’t think anybody should be refused to work in an area that is considered women’s or men’s only studies. If somebody has the qualifications of a certain job I believe they should have the right to do it. Although men are considered to do better in studies such as math, physics, and chemistry and women in languages, my standing is still that everybody should get a shot.
I feel like if I were a woman, life would have been harder. First of all the fact that women bear children, already puts them at a risk of poverty because they have to miss work for a several months to nurse the baby. The world as it is male oriented I would have to work twice as hard to get the same recognition. Although the world is going through changes it remains that a lot of households are being run by the women. In other words, the men go out to work or to further his education while the female has to stay home with the children and take care of the house chores. Prostitution, working at Hooters, strippers, and hip hop video girls and so on; all these industries that might rather pay well have reduced women to sex objects.
What’s your take on gender inequality?

May 29 2012

Child Labor

I see child labor in other forms other than children working in cotton farms in Africa; For instance child super stars who are introduced into the entertainment world at very young ages. Another good example is one television show, pageant mom. The parents of these young 8 year olds push them way beyond their ability. By raising voices and making this known, could be a step towards stopping child labor. If consumers could stop entertaining these shows and movies then child labor could be on it’s to being reduced.
In nations that rely on the input of each member of the family to survive seems to be no other way out. If all the working elder makes in a day of work is $1.00 then I would imagine it best for the government to enact laws to support. Children should be allowed to be children. It should be up to the government to act on this issue. But in developing countries where the economy is pretty bad and the government is run by corrupted leaders, this problem only seems to persist.
Unfortunately I must agree that child labor might be a fact of life especially in emerging nations. I think this goes away as the nation becomes more economically stable. A war raged country for instance recruits little boys in the army. A war zone should never be a child’s playground. But most of these nations lack laws that govern them or corruption is so persistent that this goes unnoticed. Most families would have over 7 children altogether relying, relying on one person’s income is close to impossible and therefore children get introduced to the workforce pretty early.

Apr 8 2012

Willpower

Sometimes the will to go on
Is not enough to carry me through
Although  I know I need to be strong
Weakness seems the next best thing
And just as the will runs out
Like water out of a well
The beautiful petals of life
Begin to wither and fall off
What is life without the will?
What is life if joy is not in the midst?
Surely what is life in the absence of
Character?
So I gather my tools as a handyman
And begin to build  within me
The greatest person I can ever be
That can withstand  the different weathers as they come
Sad and joyful alike, wealth and poverty to stand
And even in life or death to be strong
Because the power that we hold
Is greater than we can grasp
If we believe

Apr 7 2012

Yesterday, today, and forever.

Sometimes I wonder if life is just an illusion. Not to get me wrong, but I appreciate life and the people in it.
The seasons come and go and the previous sight is erased from us. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow can only be hoped for and now is the time left to make a difference.
I should imagine the moment I shut my eyes the current world becomes non-existent. Riches and riches of memories lay in the back of our heads and hopes for the future.
The journey of life has never ceased to amaze me. When you travel down the road of memory, you discover so much about yourself that has contributed to the person that you are.
Every tiny piece of your past builds up to the who you are now.
This is basically a call to build your today around those you want to see in your past. Your present and your future depends on you.

To making each moment count…

Mar 22 2012

Don’t drink and drive

The slogan might be so common that we overlook it.

Next time before you go out drinking make sure you have a designated driver or some change for a cab.

The other option would be stay home and get chocolate wasted.

It just makes it easier for you and I; safer roads and no tickets.

As much as not drinking and driving could save lives, it could also save you a lot of money.

The cost of drinking and driving is so expensive.

Here is a little breakdown of what it could cost you:

If you were ever pulled over with a BAC of over .08 you are looking at one week jail time.

This could be different in each state but the bail costs anywhere from $1500 and above.

Then you are looking at court fees that would range from $650 and above, again this is variable.

As if that’s not enough, you get hit with probation fines ranging from $300.

The list goes on. The court orders a drug evaluation test that costs anywhere from $100 and upwards. Then you need to pray and hope that you are seen as an outpatient and not in patient depending on the results.

You will be required to take classes over a long period depending on your results. This would be like an  AAA class that ranges between $2500-$5000.

While you are still making all these payments, your driving privileges are being suspended anywhere from 6 months to a year.

You could get a work permit that allows you to drive to and from work.

That will cost you an extra $240.

Before the DMV can issue a work permit you have to show proof for an SR-22 document that is available from your insurance company.

Your insurance company will then charge an extra fee on top of your insurance. This could be anywhere from $50 monthly until your driving privileges are given back.

Depending on the level of your BAC you might be required to install an inter lock which costs between $1000-$2500.

You could get a court appointed defender or you could pay for one depending on your income.

They charge by the hour. You might be looking at anywhere from $3000 upwards.

When all has been said and done, you will be required to pay to reinstate your license at the end of your suspension which is only a mere $40.

Now next time before you drink and drive, do the above math and see if you can afford it.

Mar 22 2012

Love, Peace, and FREEDOM

Reblogged from Move Toward Freedom:

Our life is in our own hands! Isn’t this amazing?

Our life is in our own hands!

All we have to do, is take responsibility!

We are so used nowadays to look somewhere else for help, for love, for mistakes that were made, for pleasure, for pain, for a reason why life just doesn’t seem to go the way we would like it to be, for support, for money, for happiness, for God, for the truth, for peace, for freedom.

Read more… 126 more words