Free Economics Response- Gas Prices Hurting Kids

On Cnn.com today there was an article about how much gas prices have skyrocketed and how it is affecting school districts. Diesel prices have gone up by 35% in the past year, and some schools have had to pay over $70,000 more for diesel than they did last year. This increase in spending on diesel has caused the schools to spend less on teachers, materials, textbooks, and software updates. It also, in some cases, has caused schools to reduce bus routes, and making kids walk further to catch their bus or get a ride to school from their parents.

If Weiser had to start cutting back bus routes, I would definitely be driving because I live in the boonies and my route would definitely be cut. With the new Classrooms of the Future Grant though, materials and textbook expenses wouldn't be as much of an issue, because we could go mostly computerized.

Overall, we need to start seeing more alternative fuels or cars with better gas mileage on the market, or maybe we will all be doing cyberschool or be homeschooled because busing will cost too much money.

Modern Great Depression

The hardest thing I would have to give up if we had something similar to the Great Depression happen to us today is going out with my friends. At least once a week I go out to eat, to the movies, bowling, or to parties and bonfires at my friends' houses. The only thing left to do would be to go to people's houses and go outside because there probably wouldn't be as much TV watching or video gaming, everything would have to be inexpensive. I would also be going to less places because gas is so expensive, and everyone would have to cut back on travel. It would also be difficult to go places if problems became drastic enough that my family would have to sell a car. All traveling would be cut in half and my family would all have to go to the same general area. Hopefully nothing horrible like that will ever happen again, because I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't hang out with my friends.

Teddy Roosevelt's Journal

There are so few bison left in North America today, if we do not do something soon, future generations will never get to see these magnificent beasts. There are also less birds. Measures need to be taken to give these animals, and many others, and chance to repopulate. Politically, I cannot do something too drastic to lose the votes of hunters and fishermen, but morally I must do something to stop this. Not only should I try to help animal populations, but the forests themselves should also be protected. By conserving, we could bring back and sustain a healthy amount of forests and wildlife.

Lecture #10: McDonald's

1. How did McDonald's restaurants fill consumers' needs?
They were built along the new Interstate Highways, and didn't require people to drive into busy downtown areas. Fast food restaurants were also very quick and convenient. McDonald's also standardized its recipes so the food would be consistent at different restaurants all over the United States (and eventually the world).

2. How did McDonald's simultaneously grow as a company while also dramatically increasing its profits?
The recipes were standardized, so people knew what they were going to get (quality-wise) wherever they were. The fries were promoted because when people would come in for lunch for a hamburger, all employees had to ask if the person wanted fries with that, so if people didn't originally want fries, they were tempted into buying them, making profits go up for McDonald's.

McDonald's was also franchised, where individuals would build and operate the restaurant, but would pay a fee to use the McDonald's recipes, building setups, name, etc. McDonald's would then received part of the individual restaurant's profits. By having all of these stores in different areas, operated by different people, there were more, different foods created to fit their consumers' needs, like the Big Mac (for steel miller workers in Pittsburgh) or the Filet O Fish (for Catholics in Cincinatti).

3. Why has McDonald's become a magnet for political theorists?
That no two countries that had McDonald's in them ever went to war. This may be because the globalization of these countries created shared values between them.

Company Owners Looking Out for Worker's Interest

I would be so angry if I were a worker for that company! Companies back then didn't really look out for their worker's well being, they tried to just make as much money as possible, and saw workers as expendable property. They were used to their limit, then discarded. The workers had to work extremely long hours for continuous days in a row. Their working conditions were very similar to those of modern day sweatshops (like in my previous post). If an outside company were watching the worker's interests, they would be better off because they wouldn't have profit in the back of their mind.

Sweatshop Worker in Mexico

A typical day in the life of a sweatshop worker in Mexico starts out very early in the morning and usually ends at least 11 hours later. The work week is usually six days long. The worker is paid by piece, so the quicker, more efficiently they sew, the more they earn. This can lead to unsatisfactory work or a needle through the hand. The sweatshop conditions itself are very low standard, with no air conditioning and workers rarely get breaks because their quotas are so high. It is also common for a worker to be verbally or sexually assaulted by a superior. Workers are also forbidden to create unions.

Sweatshop conditions are horrible, but at least people are making money. In their countries, a bad job is better than no job.

Most Important 19th Century Invention

I was torn between three very important inventions from the 19th century:

In 1800, Count Alessandro Volta invented the battery. Batteries are used in computers, cars, and many other things. I can't imagine life completely plugged.

Then in 1880 another great invention was created: toilet paper. Without toilet paper we would still be using leaves or be going by the "left hand" rule. Toilet paper makes life sanitary and hygienic.

My last important 19th century invention was created in 1887 by F.E. Muller and Adolph Fick: wearable contact lenses. I wear contact lenses, and they are fantastic compared to glasses. Playing sports with glasses is impossible, not to mention dangerous. Going to amusement parks, swimming pools, and anything that involves sweat or water is so much more enjoyable with the aid of contacts.