11. March 2010 by student.

When I was in high school, I was taught that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a savior.  After all, he was elected for four terms, “brought the US out of the recession”, and his policies were great for America.  After Obama got elected, and I woke up to see that his policies (both social and economic) made no sense. I started watching shows like Glenn Beck, Hannity, and the O’Rilley factor and I started seeing things from a new viewpoint.  Then a two months ago a conservative man named Lawrence Reed came to campus and presented his speech, “Great Myths of the Great Depression.”  From this it cemented my beliefs that if the free market was left alone it will perform much better than one with government regulation. 

                In high school I was taught that Herbert Hoover was a laissez-faire Republican, meaning that he thought markets were self correcting.  Not True.  Turns out that he was a progressive, and believed that he should run the country as a CEO might run a huge business.   He started piling up big deficits, by increasing spending by 50% starting in 1929 at the start of the recession (not yet a depression) to support massive public-works projects.  (Does that sound like today?  Bush slowly increased the deficit from a surplus at the beginning of his term, to 350 billion in the red by the end, then Obama quadrupling it to 1.8 trillion.)  He also insisted to business leaders from cutting wages when the economy started to fall.  Another disastrous, big government policy, which he signed into law, was the Agricultural Marketing Act.  This would later transform to be called “Smoot-Hawley” under FDR, which set quotas on production and paying farmers to destroy their crops in order to raise farmer’s income.  In other words, the government incentivized farmers to reduce demands and force their goods to be sold at higher price.  But logic would tell you that it would fail because the cash strapped consumers would not be able to afford this, and would cut back on the amount of food and other necessities that support other parts of the economy such as clothing, auto, appliances, etc.  Another thing that proves that Hoover was not a free market guy was that when he was competing against FDR for a second term, people spoke out saying that if you vote for Hoover, it is a vote for socialism.  FDR ran as somebody who trusted the free market to solve the problem on its own.    

                Another thing that was taught was that FDR was a hero, a savior, and pretty much just short of a god.  His policies caused us to recover from the severe downturn and prevented America from collapsing.  Once again not true.  Hoover, and FDR made the economy worse through their big government, progressive policies, which caused unemployment to spike to 25%.  One of those policies was the New Deal.  I was taught that this benefited the average citizen by giving them a job.  After all the unemployment rate did come down a little after it passed, to about 18% after a few years.  But if you look at how it was sold, people claimed that it would end the recession by putting people back to work.  Obviously it did not.  In order for the government to spend money, it needs to take it away from you, me, and corporations in the form of higher taxes.  So if it spends $800 billion, it must take over $800 billion out of the economy to pay for this because they must pay the interest rate when they borrow the money.  FDR tried countless big government ways to “benefit the economy.”  In fact, his treasure secretary, Henry Morgenthau said that after two terms of FDR being in office that,

“We have tried spending money.  We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work.  After eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started… And an enormous debt to boot!”

                It’s funny how in school, our textbooks did not mention anything of the Great Depression of 1920.  This is a depression that in some ways was worse than the Great Depression.  This downturn lasted for a year as the economy transitioned from wartime to peace time, and recovered from Woodrow Wilson’s extremely progressive policies.  In the Depression severe deflation occurred where prices dropped by 56% in one year for all goods such as housing, products, and services, the highest ever in American history.  The Gross National Product also dropped by 24%.  Compare those figures to today, where housing dropped 18% in 2009, GNP dropping less than 3% since the beginning of the recession, and unemployment reaching 10.4 percent.  This was the last economic downturn, besides when Regan came in, where no big government policies were used.  To deal with it federal spending was cut from $6.3 billion in 1920, to $5 billion in 1921, and to $4 billion in 1922.  The Federal deficit accumulated by 1920 was 24.2 billion, and was paid off by 1925.  He also cut taxes by over 50% and they stayed there until 1928.  What did this do?  Unemployment fell from 11.9% in 1921, to 6.7% in 1922, and continued falling to 1.8% in 1926, the lowest in peacetime history.  It lead to the roaring 20s where it was the most prosperous time in American history with the greatest expansion in the middle class.

                The final lie that I was taught was that World War 2 ended the depression.  Actually it was mainly because FDR died.  His successor was more of a conservative than him, and as a result ended some of his spending programs.  Only then did the economy start to recover.  Then WW2 happened, and the Government was forced to cut back even more because they accumulated such a high deficit.  Then the economy really started to take off.  If WW2 was the real culprit then when the war ended we would have went back into a recession, just like after every war, because we were in a period of transition.  However this did not happen because the government was still paying off the war, so they were forced to keep spending low. 

                So, why have progressive ideas infiltrated the textbooks when they have no track record of ever working?  They have had detrimental effects on the economy, causing the 1920 depression, the 1930-1944 depression, the recession at the beginning of Regan’s first term, and the current one.  America does not need to conform to Europe and China socialist and communist ideas.  Having a limited government is what made America the most prosperous nation in the history of the World.  If the Progressives succeed in indoctrinating us youths, then they will eventually run the country for a long time.  It seems like they are succeeding.

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10. March 2010 by student.

Depression among college students is on the rise. The combination of mounting stress, perfectionism, and lack of support is taking a toll on more and more college students. There is a lot more being demanded of students today than ever before due to the rise in number of graduates in the job market, the fear of not being able to find a job after graduation even with a degree, the state of the economy, and the pressure from family to do well.

“Today’s college students are twice as likely to become depressed and three times as likely to become suicidal than they were a decade ago (Zumer).” Many counseling center directors nationwide claim that the depressed economy has put more stress on students recently than grades have due to the fact that family’s dollars must be stretched further, this tends to put pressure on the student to do well because they are forced to graduate and get a good job so that they can pay off student loans and help to support their family.

Students also feel they must stand out among their peers because of the perception that there are very few opportunities in the workplace. Competition can be healthy, especially in an educational environment, but too much can lead to feelings of failure.

Cited- Student Depression Rates Rising. The Triangle Newspaper. Zumer, Bryna. Issue date: 1-11-08. http://media.www.thetriangle.org/media/storage/paper689/news/2008/01/11/News/Student.Depression.Rates.Rising-3149759-page3.shtml.

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9. March 2010 by student.

Spring Break. Great time to relax and unwind. Have you ever tried meditating? Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned, “thinking” mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. It has been practiced for over 5,000 years. Today for example, it is incorporated in yoga classes. I personally love to meditate and I want to share some of the benefits of meditation with you.

- Increase blood flow and slows heart rate
- Decreases high blood pressure
- Reduces anxiety
- Decreases muscle tension
- Helps with chronic diseases
- Enhances the immune system
- Reduces emtoiotnal distress
- Decreases cholesterol levelsm and lowers the risk for cardiovascular doseasse
- Decreases the aging process
- Builds self confidence
- Improved learning ability and memory
- Improved relationshions at home and work
- Purifies your character
- Increased job satisfaction
- Increases your listening skills
- Provides peace of mind and happiness
- deeper understanding of yourself
- changes your attitude towards life

You may want to check out these local web sites if your intrested:

http://www.meditationinflorida.org/

http://www.healthandharmonyonline.com/

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9. March 2010 by student.

In today’s media we keep hearing more and more about teen pregnancy.  We have the show “16 and pregnant”  talking about this issue.  When people start watching this show and reading these articles most think “why are these girls doing this to themselves? They should just have an abortion”.  People say this because you always hear the horrible statistics on how teen pregnancies lead to girls dropping out of school and not receiving higher education and my not even complete high school.  This then leads to the mother and her child going on welfare.  People also say that these teens’ children are more likely to also have a teen pregnancy, so the cycle never stops.  These are the many reasons why people just want teens to have an abortion.  However, the show “16 and pregnant” shows us that we cannot stereo type the teens that get pregnant and show us there are other options besides abortion.  There are two great examples of this with Catelynn and Farrah.

Catelynn is a high school junior from a small town in Michigan. She is so grateful to have her boyfriend Tyler of three years to be there with her through this pregnancy because they both come from unsteady households.  Catelynn’s mom can be described as short fused and unreliable and Tyler’s dad is always in and out of jail.  To make matter worse Catelynn’s mom and Tyler’s dad are now getting married and Catelynn is pregnant with Tyler’s child.  Catelynn and Tyler decide that they are not ready to have a family and decide to put the child up for adoption.  Believe it or not Catelynn and Tyler’s friends are the only people supportive of their decision.  Catelynn’s mom is not supportive of adoption, and she tells Catelynn that she’s sure to change her mind when the time comes. Tyler’s dad is even less supportive. He can’t understand handing your baby to perfect strangers. So Catelynn and Tyler decide to give the baby for adoption against their parents’ wishes.  Tyler’s mom is the only family member who supports them. She drives them to an adoption agency to explore their options. Once there, the social worker, Dawn, gives them some “parent books” to look through, to see if anyone appeals to them. She says that sometimes the kindest thing one can do is be selfless and give up the baby. They agree to think it all over.   After looking over the “parent books” they find Brandon and Teresa that seem like the perfect family for their child.  When they tell their parents about their decision their parents go mad, put the young teens fight back saying they want better for their child then the life they had and have to live.  Then the time came for the baby to be born and they followed through with give up their baby girl for adoption and giving her a better life.Farrah is a popular cheerleader at her Council Bluffs, Iowa high school. She has big dreams, and juggles cheer with her job and grades.  She unexpectedly gets pregnant and rumors start flying around her school.  She has to deal with keeping the baby’s dad - who has proven unfit to be in the picture - in the dark about her news, and it’s getting harder to do with the gossip that’s flying around her.  Finally, Farrah attempts to squash the rumors by telling the team about her “situation.” They understand, and she hopes the drama will end here. After all, she has enough to deal with without this. She’s making big life decisions as a single “expecting” mom. And though her parents feel adoption is the best choice, Farrah’s not so sure.  The rumors keep flying and Farrah decides to quit cheerleading and decides to finish school out at the local community college.  Her mom, still has mixed feelings about her teenage daughter having a baby is her only consistent source of support, and makes it very clear that she doesn’t want Farrah partying or dating at such a serious time. In a last attempt at teenage-ness, Farrah defies her mom to go on a date with a boy from her work. When he bails on her at the last minute, she decides that her young, carefree days are over.  As her due date approaches, Farrah realizes that even her family might not be there for her in the way she needs. Her mom and sister are squeamish, and in the middle of Farrah’s delivery room tour, they reveal that they might not have it in them to be with her at the birth. Then one night Farrah’s water breaks at an inconvenient moment and her mom is left to coach her through the whole process alone. After 8 hours of labor, Farrah gives birth to Sophia, and her mom even cuts the umbilical cord. Motherhood seems to suit Farrah and even though she goes a little stir-crazy sometimes, she still goes out of her way to give Sophia the best life possible with the help and support of her family.There are so many other examples of how our class, ethnicity, and social standings really impact how these teen pregnancies are each affected.  Although, in the end there are other options then abortion and it’s good to hear and now woman are showing that there other options and they are taking responsibility for their actions.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »

9. March 2010 by student.

I’ve always wondered why movie ratings are so important.  Who decides who can watch a movie and how do they qualify some for a certain movie and no one for another.  So, I decided to look it up on mpaa.org which is the Motion Picture Association of America. “The ratings are decided by a full-time Rating Board located in Los Angeles. There are 10-13 members of the Board who serve for periods of varying length. They work for the Classification and Rating Administration, which is funded by fees charged to producers/distributors for the rating of their films. The MPAA Chairman chooses the Chairman of the Rating Board, thereby insulating the Board from industry or other group pressure. No one in the movie industry has the authority or power to push the Board in any direction or otherwise influence it. There are no special qualifications for Board membership, except that the members must have a shared parenthood experience, must be possessed of an intelligent maturity, and most of all, have the capacity to put themselves in the role of most American parents so they can view a film and apply a rating that most parents would find suitable and helpful in aiding their decisions about their children and what movies they see.”

So what do the ratings really mean?

G- General Audiences (All Ages Admitted)  “Contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a “certificate of approval,” nor does it signify a “children’s” motion picture.”

PG-Parental Guidance Suggested (Some material may not be suitable for children) “Should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture.”

PG-13- Parents Strongly Cautioned (Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13) “A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category.  The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous.”

R- Restricted (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian) “An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian.”

NC-17- No one 17 and under admitted “The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children.”

I believe that these ratings are very helpful for myself and parents around the world as well.  Though, most of the time they are not followed completely, I feel that they are a useful guide to teaching others of what is acceptable to watch for certain age groups.

Posted in Introduction to Sociology | 2 Comments »

6. March 2010 by student.

“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war and until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes. And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained… now everywhere is war.” Haile Selassie I I am in the conflict theorist camp.  I believe we must take on the struggle to lead to development of new ideas.  I do think the 2008 election of Barak Obama is a positive development in race relations.  I am discouraged though to hear the negative comments of my fellow Americans.  This makes me realize we still have a far ways to go.  We must stand up and not allow discrimination or prejudice of any kind in our everyday life.Since Sept. 11^th there has been increasing racism against Muslim-Americans.  I listened to NPR the other day where a Muslim-American Lady said she was afraid to put on her race on her census form.  Our government has in the past resounded racist attitudes and persecuted American Citizens. Remember the Japanese-American Internment Camps?  Everyone that has a conscious and deems themselves a moral member of society must stand up and make sure our people, our government never again persecutes citizens base on the silly notion of race.I am looking forward to the day when racists such as Ann Coulter no longer get book deals and tv appearances.

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5. March 2010 by student.

In our economy today, so many different people are afraid of loosing their job or their home. Homelessness is a well-known word and people will witness homelessness at least once in their lifetime. What many people don’t realize is that children make up a big chunk of the percentages. Just a couple days ago CNN reported that 1 in 50 children become homeless in the United States every year.According to the Stewart B. McKinney Act, a person is considered homeless who “lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence; and… has a primary night time residency that is: (A) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations… (B) An institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or (C) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.”According to National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, in 2006, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population. Out of these children, 42% were under the age of five. This same study found that unaccompanied minors comprised 5% of the urban homeless population. In other cities and especially in rural areas, the numbers of children experiencing homelessness are much higher.  According to the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, in 2007, 25% of homeless were ages 25 to 34; the same study found percentages of homeless persons aged 55 to 64 at 6%.”These numbers will grow as home foreclosures continue to rise,” Ellen Bassuk, president of the center, said in a statement. Homeless children have poor health, emotional problems and low graduation rates, the study found. ”The consequences to our society will play out for decades,” Bassuk said. “As we bail out the rest of our nation, it is also time to come to their aid.”

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

4. March 2010 by student.

According to the National Council on Sexual Addiction Compulsivity an estimated 6-8% of Americans are sex addicts, which are roughly 18-24 million people. Sexual addiction is used to describe the behavior of a person who has an unusually intense sex drive or an obsession with sex.  Sex and the thought of sex tend to dominate the sex addict’s thinking, which then makes it difficult to work or engage in a healthy personal relationship. If more and more people are coming out with this addiction, will it start to be more acceptable in society? If so, will this have to become a topic of discussion when you first start dating someone to avoid the shock when you find out your partner has been unfaithful?

            Some psychologists and sociologists disagree on whether sex addiction is real or not.  According to the Diagnostics and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, sexual addiction is not listed. Why? Sociologists, Martin P Levine and Richard Troiden argue that simply shifting societal values are the main reason to blame. They believe the sex addict theory amounts to “transforming sin into sickness”  Levine said self-help groups like Sex Addicts Anonymous and Sexaholics Anonymous simply try “to shut down the sexual behavior and not deal with the underlying problem” for those who are unhappy because their frequent sexual behavior violates moral standards. “It used to be that people said, `The devil made me do this.’ Now they say, `My disease made me do this.’ If you enter the role of being a sick person, you’re not responsible for the behavior.”     

Levine and Troiden have some really good points of view on their feelings of sex addiction, but it seems that this addiction is growing. There are many treatment facilities around the country that offer a 12 step program which prohibits them from sexual stimulants (ex. porn) form 90 days, the same amount of time it typically takes for the brain chemicals to stop craving and the body to undergo withdrawls.  Just like alcoholics and drug addicts are instructed to never have a drink or get high again, sex addicts are prohibited from self – gratification. They are to focus on having making sex more of an emotional experience with a loving partner, rather than just for pure sexual gratification.

Now that celebrities are coming out with this addiction after being caught being unfaithful (ie, Tiger Woods, David Duchovny). Are more and more people going to start using that as an excuse like Levine mentioned earlier? Michael Douglas reportedly has a signed prenup with his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones that includes a $5 million “straying free” should he sleep with someone other than his wife. I’m curious to see which way our society will go about opening up with their spouses on this issue.

http://ils.unc.edu/~viles/172i/users/big/docs/AP881031-0282

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/30/earlyshow/health/main4400786.shtml

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/02/20/2550891/sex-poiu-opiu-opiu-opui-opiu-ipui.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35464930/ns/health-sexual_health/#storyContinued

http://www.myaddiction.com/education/articles/sex_statistics.html

http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/guide/sexual-addiction

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4. March 2010 by student.

  It has been reported that babies who die rom sunden imfant death syndrp,e, or SIDS are showing lower amonuts of Serotonin. This was published in th Journal of the American Medical Association.

  Serotnin levels which regulates baby sleep, heart hate and breathing were 26% lower than in the brainstems of babies who died of other causes. The levels of the emzymes trypohande hydrozglase was also found to be 22% lower in SID babies, which is needed to made serotonin. According to the study they are focusing why certain babies are lacking the emzymes to make serotonin. Their is no test as of yet to determine which infants are at risk.

  Dr. Hannah Kinney, who is officiated with the Childer Hospital of Boston Mass, believes that they are decades away from discovering a physical marder of brainstem thatt will be identified in the blood. To advoid the frisk of SIDS, doctors recommend that parents make sure babies can breath uninhibited during sleep( fan helps). Place babies on their back to advoid their rolling over, don’t bundle the baby, and don’t leave loose bedding or stuffed toys in the crib.

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3. March 2010 by student.

  According to National Center for Health Statistics a Nation Survey of Family Growth a sample of almost 13,000 men and women showed that couples who live together before marriage and those who don;t both have about the same chance of a successful union. This information was announced Tuesday March 2nsd 2010. The resultsd surprised  researchers.

  Past reseach, using decades of old data had found signifcant higher divorce rate for ” not married but living together of the oppiste sex.” But now, in our day and age with 2/3 of couples who marry live together first. A different picture is emerging.

  Socioloist Pamela  Smock of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor consider the data definitive. ” on the basis of these numbers, thier is no negative effect pf cohabitation on marriages.” Another comment was made by Paul Anato a sociologist at Pennsylvania State University, ” Maybe the effect of permarital cohabitation is becoming less of a problem than in the past.”

  The report also take a closer look at different contributing factors such as, ethnicity,education level, up bringing and whether couples were engaged when they moved in. The odds that men and women will made 10 years of fmarriage is the same for who live together or don’t. 71% for engaged men and 69% eengaged non-cohabiting men. Amoung women the probability of making 10 years was similar (65%) to (66%) fr those who didn’t cohabit.

  There us a lot of inteesting work being done on difference amoung different groups of cohabitors as why, when, and how they cohabit……stay tunned.

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