Part-Time America
Recently, I read a report how some say the recession is over. But is it really now? College students all over America have taken so many loans just to advance their careers and are going to end up in debt for quite some time. Some students have to take a part-time job during the school year just to ensure they can eat while going to school. When graduation comes around, it does not get any better. Students have been thrown aside and have a great difficulty finding a job. They have to take multiple part-time jobs just to get by. This means they will not have many benefits, and their salary is not enormous either. These students have a dream that after college they can move out of their parents' house, when in reality they will live with their parents until they are close to thirty years old. Working multiple part-time jobs is not appealing for anyone. I remember talking to my friend, they work from 9am-2pm one job, they get an hour break then go to the next job from 3pm-9pm. Why are our college students flipping burgers, instead of crunching numbers and using their brains? Some economists blame Obamacare, they say that employers have to reduce costs now so they hire less workers, or they lay off some workers. Basic study of economics teaches that as the price or cost of a good goes up, your supply curve will move to the left, so there is less of that good, in this case our labor market. Other analysts say that one solution to this problem would be buying more American made goods. They say that this can open up a large number of jobs, and help everyone out. In the mean-time students ponder whether their college life is a good investment, or a waste of money. Why must college be so expensive anyway? College should encourage, or help shape future Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerbergs, and Steve Jobs. As I have two more years to college, I wonder if it is worth to go onto a Masters. It is something that I really, really want to do, but if it ends up with me having two part-time jobs in the end, what is the point of all that investment? America is changing, and it is leading to an era full of student debts which will lead to decreased spending and a whole amount of problems. Future presidents will be elected on this premise alone; in a few years this will be the main platform issue for each candidate.
The Steroid Era
Baseball has been one of my favorite sports to watch since I was a little kid. I even remember playing some little league when I had time, I do not think I was even good, but I loved the game and wanted to get better. My favorite MLB team the New York Yankees, have the most world series championships in the history of the game. However the team has been riddled with players who have used steroids. This epidemic has caught fire throughout the whole MLB league. A game that was America's pastime, is now at the bottom of all major sports. When I think of names involved in the steroid era, I remember Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens. Whatever accomplishments they had, and whatever impact they made on the game is now tarnished. Fans all over feel cheated, knowing that the tops players in the game had to use drugs in order to propel themselves to the top of the game. Currently, there is another scandal, revolving around a clinic in Miami. Numerous players have been tied to this clinic, and several have already been suspended: Nelson Cruz, Ryan Braun, Johnny Peralta, Alex Rodriguez. One of the biggest names from this list, Ryan Braun, fuels me with rage. The previous season he emphatically stated that he did not use steroids after winning the MVP award in his respective league. By all accounts now, he should be stripped of his MVP title from back then. Players like Jason Giambi, and Andy Pettitte may have used steroids, but have garnered some respect from me and some other fans by apologizing. Whereas, Braun has lied to America, and tainted the game now as another one of its cheaters. The other name on this list, Alex Rodriguez, has me perplexed. It has been a difficult decision, whether I should forgive A-Rod, or join the A-Roid chants. He has already used steroids before and came out to the public, and then I had to forgive him right? In 2009, he made everything right in my opinion by helping the Yankees win another world series championship. Now four years later, his name comes up in this scandal and everyone is ready to throw him under the bus. He is currently appealing the suspension by the league, and if unsuccessful he faces a lifetime ban. But now I ask you, should all these other players receive lifetime bans? If MLB only gives a 50 game suspension slap on the wrist, won't it encourage many younger players to do whatever it takes to get better. The days of hard work and practice have been overshadowed by drugs and the easy way out. I can only hope that baseball can save whatever dignity is left in the league, and change its structure.
Why Do these things happen ?
With the recent shooting that took place in Connecticut, it got me thinking why do these types of events occur? What has become of society that we fail to take care of our own children these days? The answer: "Because some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn" (The Dark Knight). As a country, we have regressed towards a higher crime rate in recent years. Psychological diseases should be identified early on in a child's life and should be treated with the utmost concern and priority. Crime will always happen, it is inevitable, but we can limit its grip on society by taking certain actions. Some people insist on instilling stronger gun laws, others say to arm everyone with a gun. The true issue lies in how we deal with people and treat them on an everyday basis. If this shooter had a true honest friend would he have continued with this outburst on innocent lives? No matter if one has a psychological condition, there is always a way to take action. One story that continues to impact me daily is "of a man who took his own life, attributed to Dr. Jerome Motto, a psychiatrist from UCSF, and dated only as being in the 1970s, is particularly haunting. "'The guy was in his 30s,' Motto related, 'lived alone. Pretty bare apartment. He'd written a note and left it on his bureau. It said, 'I'm going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I won't jump.'" Unfortunately for this person, no one smiled at him. What has happened to humanity, that we cannot look at another person and just smile casually? That is something I will never understand.