RA "Death Of Macho"

In the selection of text “Death of Macho”, Reihan Salam writes about the change of power in the United States shifting from men to women, and how the recent economic collapse was partially do to the  “macho” finance capitalism. The article was written in 2008 and was written towards conservatives who are interested in the state of our country. He believes men have been hit the hardest during the recession and this will cause problems for their ego. Salam says men are “even less well-equipped to deal with the profound and long-term psychic costs of job loss” (630). Salam seems to have an angry attitude towards the macho financial men who are in control, and believes men will only stand in the way to delay the historical trend of equal power among both genders.  He claims that the loss of jobs, and power of finances being turning over to women, will cause the “death of macho” and men will have to make the choice to fight or accept these facts which can cause drastic effects on humanity.

Salam uses the term “he-cession” to refer to the disproportionate impact the current crisis has had on men. A much larger amount of job loss in the United States has happen to men then women and the trend continues. This is due to the fact that men have been in control of the economic crisis and their “aggressive, risk-taking behavior, that has enabled men to entrench their power” (631) has gotten them there. There are many past examples of government polices that men have created that have only benefited their own gender; such as, the housing bubble that created less-skilled jobs at a higher pay for millions of men, and the New Deal which only forced on job creations for men. Salam says that since macho has “run a mock” and “is now giving way to macho unemployed” (632). Men tend to have a lot of issue when their power; such as, job loss and not being the bread winner at home, has been lost, lending them to heavy drinking, loneliness, and loss of wanting to commit to marriage. In turn these issues will be felt within humanity.

After discussing what the effect of solely men being in power has created, Salam further talks about the outcomes, and that there are only two choices men will have to make. The first is adaptation: men will need to embrace women as equal partners. The second resistance, meaning they will decide to not accept the death of macho. The second choice would cause a series of unnecessary yet devastating events. He also believes that North America would have a much easier time adapting then countries such as Asia or Russia, were women traditional have always had significantly less power.
            I think when you look at how large of a difference there is within gender from 50 years ago to now, its only observant to think that within another 10-20 years women will have just as much power in the financial and political world as men. Women are no longer just housewives, they don’t keep their mouths shut about politics and they already out rake the number of men who are currently earning bachelor degrees. I agree with Salam that men need to accept women as equal partners, and if they can’t the transition could be very unsettling in countries and parts of our state that are just not ready to accept the facts, but like all change, its never easy for large groups of people to all agree at the same time. Similar to race it took years, even decades for the acceptance and this is just another step in right direction of humanity.

RR "Two Ways A Women Can Get Hurt"

       In the text, "Two Ways A Women Can Get Hurt: Advertising and Violence," Jean Kilbourne discusses how using sex in advertising is objectifying towards women. She believes that this kind of mass media advertising will cause not only self esteem and body image problems with women, but also teaches men that taking physical and sexual power over a women is acceptable. She claims that "sex in advertising is pornographic because it dehumanizes and objectifies people, especially women (576)". She talks about the psychological effects sexual advertising has on society and how it is creating more violence and attributes to the lack of respect that women receive in work, school, and everyday aspect of life.
      Kilbourne further discusses how advertising is controlling how we let ourselves be treated in relationships, and in turn, how men will treat us. She says that male violence is encouraged as in ads of Old Spice and Fetish. This is teaching men to value "sexual intimacy  more then emotional intimacy (577)" and "ridicules men who are not in control of their women (578)" this type of behavior is the typical "bad boy" image that young girls find attractive, when in reality it general lead to an unhealthy relationship. In a time where divorce is more common then a lasting marriage, and a society where assault and rape cases have been blamed on the victim, you can clearly see the correlation between the advertising and what it can lead to.
     I find the section of the text that talks about very young girls being held responsible for their sexually aggressiveness very disturbing. I don't know if you can blame the media for a court making a terrible ruling, but I do agree that featuring pre-adolescents in sexually charged advertisements does not help.
     In my own experience with this, I have grown up with the idea that I had to be thin and pretty to get ahead in our society, or to be truly loved by a man. I don't just blame the media for leading me on to believe these terrible notions, but I can personally connect with the self abuse and demeaning ideas that advertising can lead to in a young persons mind. My problem with her written is that she only sees the ads as one sided (women being the victim) and she only mentions the rare, some of which are disgusting, ads. I believe a lot of sexual based ads can empower women due to their femininity and strength. The idea of sex in advertising is a powerful tool, and although I do believe what she discusses is extremely important and relevant, I unfortunately don't think its something we can change in mass media.

Final Polish Prop. 30 OP-ED

Californias schools are in severe trouble, and we as voters need to do something about it before they are beyond repair. Proposition 30 is a start in getting our educational systems back into the right direction. Prop. 30 will be on this Novembers ballot; therefore, we as tax paying voters, parents, and students need to approve the proposition in order to prevent drastic continued cuts in K-12 schools and community colleges. Proposition 30 proposes a state generated revenue gain of around 6 billion dollars from 2012-13 through 2016-17. 89% of this revenue will be allocated to K-12 schools, 11% to community colleges, and extra funds will be given to public safety services throughout the state.                                                                      
           Education is a necessity in all aspect of life. It keeps us working as a nation to achieve. Without a strong system in place we begin to lose our hope that with hard work you can become what you want in life. Education provides people with the opportunity for success, and if we don’t put funds into the system and make it a priority we will lose out as a nation. As Anthony Carnevale states in his article The Real Education Crisis is Just Over the Cliff, “The real story is that this country is disinvesting in higher education at an alarming rate—as it has been doing for decades—and we are hurtling into the future unprepared for the economy that awaits us.”
           The revenue from proposition 30 will be provided by a temporary 4 year sales tax increase of ¼ cent, meaning every 4 dollars you spend you will get taxed an extra penny, and by raising income taxes on an individual who earns over $250,000 a year. More specifically their income tax will increase by 1%-3% depending on the amount they earn. If paying an extra 20 cents on every hundred dollars you spend isn’t worth keeping our school systems from falling to pieces then I don’t know what is.

           I strongly believe that proposition 30 is a positive stride towards getting our educational system and state budget issues back into shape. We as citizens need to support California by voting yes on proposition 30 and to help avoid continued hardship on students, teachers, public safety workers, and our future. As a 27 year old, I have been employed full time for the last 8 years, and have worked for the last 11. I have lived from paycheck to paycheck my entire life and I have been making plenty over minimum wage. I have earned enough for the state to take out between 6%-8% in income tax, that is only 1.3% less then someone who earns $1,000,000 a year (at the moment a person who earns $48,029 gets taxed the same as a millionaire). For a very long time I have been wanting to go back to school; although, due to tuition rates, lack of funding for nursing programs, and my own mental stability of not being able to work 40 hours a week while being involved in a high intensity school program, it has taken me over 5 year to be at a point where the opportunity to start back has arose. My “American dream” is to be a registered nurse where I could make a good living, maybe pay off a bill or two, and to share my empathy for humanity with others.     

            Due to the financial crisis our educational systems are facing there is a lack of nursing programs. There are wait lists of 4-5 years and lottery type situations to get into a certified program at community colleges throughout the state. They estimate that there will be a greater demand then nurses available, partial due to the lack of programs, which is greatly due to our educational crisis. This could mean my goals will be put on hold until I get lucky enough to get accepted into a program, not because I haven’t gotten good enough grades, or earned it, but simply because there is no funding in education. There are many students and hopeful students just like me, and I guarantee I am one of the luckier ones. If proposition 30 does not pass because we cannot pay a few cents more a meal, or some of the wealthiest families in California can’t afford to pay 1% more a year then someone who earns 3 times less then them, then not only nursing programs, but all educational programs at the college level will receive budget cuts. These facts break my heart.

Some advocates against the proposition fear that the money will not go directly to education and that a tax increase is being proposed at a bad time due the economies fragile state. The proposition states that the money is placed into a special bank account, called the “Education Protection Account and it “will be subject to an independent audit every year to ensure they are spent only for schools and public safety.” This means the money will go to our schools. In addition to education this proposition will help align the state funding of public safety services which includes; police, fire, development services, and parks and recreation. This means less layoffs, more jobs, and additional help for our communities. A small tax increase may be coming at a poor time, but if we don’t take action now there will be larger increases to make up for the loss of these programs in the future.                                                

            Our school systems have been on a steady decline since 2007, and if prop. 30 fails there will be another round of cuts even more drastic then before. K-12 spending per child is $1,000 dollars less then it was five years ago. There are many families who cannot afford to send there children to college as it is and if budget cuts continue these numbers will only increase. If proposition 30 does not pass there will be a $5.4 billion dollar cut from grade schools and community colleges in effect immediately. This type of budget cut for schools will have a severe effect on class size, higher tuition rates at community colleges and universities, classes available to students, layoffs within schools, and in other various ways. CSU Monterey Bay has already sent out a letter to students letting them know that if proposition 30 does not pass many students will not be able to attend next quarter. With our schools budgets already at the lowest that they have been in years we as a state cannot afford to continue making these kinds of cuts. If we don’t work together by making some sacrifices for educational purposes, ultimately the American dream will fail.

O'Leary, Kevin "The Legacy of Proposition 13" Time U.S. Time 27 June 2009. Web. 21 Sept 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1904938,00.html>

Carnevale, Anthony P. "The Real Education Crisis is Just Over The Cliff" The Chronicle of Higher Education N.p. 10 June 2012. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://chronicle.com/article/The-Real-Education-Crisis-Is/132167/>

           

Final Draft

Californias’ schools are in severe trouble, and we as voters need to do something about it before they are beyond repair. Proposition 30 is a start in getting our educational systems back into the right direction. Prop. 30 will be on this Novembers ballot; therefore, we as tax paying voters, parents, and students need to approve the proposition in order to prevent drastic continued cuts in K-12 schools and community colleges. Proposition 30 proposes a state generated revenue gain of around 6 billion dollars from 2012-13 through 2016-17. 89% of this revenue will be allocated to K-12 schools, 11% to community colleges, and extra funds will be given to public safety services throughout the state.                                                                      
           Education is a necessity in all aspect of life. It keeps us working as a nation to achieve. Without a strong system in place we begin to lose our hope that with hard work you can become what you want in life. Education provides people with the opportunity for success, and if we don’t put funds into the system and make it a priority we will lose out as a nation. As Anthony Carnevale states in his article The Real Education Crisis is Just Over the Cliff, “The real story is that this country is disinvesting in higher education at an alarming rate—as it has been doing for decades—and we are hurtling into the future unprepared for the economy that awaits us.”
           The revenue from proposition 30 will be provided by a temporary 4 year sales tax increase of ¼ cent, meaning every 4 dollars you spend you will get taxed an extra penny, and by raising income taxes on an individual who earns over $250,000 a year. More specifically their income tax will increase by 1%-3% depending on the amount they earn. If paying an extra 20 cents on every hundred dollars you spend isn’t worth keeping our school systems from falling to pieces then I don’t know what is.

           I strongly believe that proposition 30 is a positive stride towards getting our educational system and state budget issues back into shape. We as citizens need to support California by voting yes on proposition 30 and to help avoid continued hardship on students, teachers, public safety workers, and our future. As a 27 year old, I have been employed full time for the last 8 years, and have worked for the last 11. I have lived from paycheck to paycheck my entire life and I have been making plenty over minimum wage. I have earned enough for the state to take out between 6%-8% in income tax, that is only 1.3% less then someone who earns $1,000,000 a year (at the moment a person who earns $48,029 gets taxed the same as a millionaire). For a very long time I have been wanting to go back to school; although, due to tuition rates, lack of funding for nursing programs, and my own mental stability of not being able to work 40 hours a week while being involved in a high intensity school program, it has taken me over 5 year to be at a point where the opportunity to start back has arose. My “American dream” is to be a registered nurse where I could make a good living, maybe pay off a bill or two, and to share my empathy for humanity with others.      

            Due to the financial crisis our educational systems are facing there is a lack of nursing programs. There are wait lists of 4-5 years and lottery type situations to get into a certified program at community colleges throughout the state. They estimate that there will be a greater demand then nurses available, partial due to the lack of programs, which is greatly due to our educational crisis. This could mean my goals will be put on hold until I get lucky enough to get accepted into a program, not because I haven’t gotten good enough grades, or earned it, but simply because there is no funding in education. There are many students and hopeful students just like me, and I guarantee I am one of the luckier ones. If proposition 30 does not pass because we cannot pay a few cents more a meal, or some of the wealthiest families in California can’t afford to pay 1% more a year then someone who earns 3 times less then them, then not only nursing programs, but all educational programs at the college level will receive budget cuts. These facts break my heart.

Some advocates against the proposition fear that the money will not go directly to education and that a tax increase is being proposed at a bad time due the economies fragile state. The proposition states, “Bars the use of the funds towards administrative costs but provides local school governing boards discretion to decide…how funds are to be spent”. This means the money will go to our schools. In addition to education this proposition will help align the state funding of public safety services which includes; police, fire, development services, and parks and recreation. This means less layoffs, more jobs, and additional help for our communities. A small tax increase may be coming at a poor time, but if we don’t take action now there will be larger increases to make up for the loss of these programs in the future.                                                

            Our school systems have been on a steady decline since 2007, and if prop. 30 fails there will be another round of cuts even more drastic then before. K-12 spending per child is $1,000 dollars less then it was five years ago. There are many families who cannot afford to send there children to college as it is. If budget cuts continue these numbers will only increase. If proposition 30 does not pass there will be a $5.4 billion dollar cut from grade schools and community colleges in effect immediately. This type of budget cut for schools will have a severe effect on class size, higher tuition rates at community colleges and universities, classes available to students, layoffs within schools, and in other various ways. CSU Monterey Bay has already sent out a letter to students letting them know that if proposition 30 does not pass many students will not be able to attend next quarter. With our schools budgets already at the lowest that they have been in years we as a state cannot afford to continue making these kinds of cuts. If we don’t work together as a nation by making some sacrifices for educational purposes, ultimately the American dream will fail.

Rough Draft

California’s schools are in severe trouble and we as voters need to do something about it before they are beyond repair. Proposition 30 is a start in getting our educational systems back into the right direction. Prop. 30 will be on this Novembers ballot, and we as tax paying voters, parents, and students need to approve the proposition in order to prevent drastic continued cuts in K-12 schools and community colleges. Proposition 30 purposes a state generated revenue gain of around 6 billion dollars from 2012-13 through 2016-17. 89% of this revenue will be allocated to K-12 schools, 11% to community colleges, and extra funds will be given to public safety services throughout the state. This means the money will be going directly to education. The proposition states that it bars the use of the funds towards administrative costs but provides local school governing boards discretion to decide, in open meetings and subject to annual audit, how funds are to be spent. In addition to education this proposition will help align the state funding of public safety services, which include police, fire, development services, and parks and recreation. This means less layoffs and additional help for most communities. This revenue will be provided by a temporary 4 year sales tax increase of ¼ cent, meaning every 4 dollars you spend you will get taxed an extra penny, and by raising income taxes on an individual who earns over $250,000 a year. More specifically their income tax will increase by 1%-3% depending on the amount they earn per year. If proposition 30 does not pass there will be a $5.4 billion dollar cut from grade schools and community colleges in effect immediately. This type of budget cut for schools will have a severe effect on class size, higher tuition rates at community colleges and universities, classes available to student, layoffs within schools, and in other various ways. CSU, Monterey Bay, has already sent out a letter to students letting them know that if proposition 30 does not pass, many students will not be able to attend next quarter. With our schools budgets already at the lowest that they have been in years we as a state cannot afford to continue making these kinds of cuts. Education is a necessity in all aspect of life. It keeps us working as a nation to achieve, without a strong system in place we begin to lose our hope, that with hard work you can become what you want in life. Education provides people the opportunity for success, if we don’t put funds into the system and make it a priority we will lose out as a nation. As Anthony Carnevale states in his article The Real Education Crisis is Just Over the Cliff “The real story is that this country is disinvesting in higher education at an alarming rate—as it has been doing for decades—and we are hurtling into the future unprepared for the economy that awaits us.” If paying an extra 20 cents on every hundred dollars you spend isn’t worth keeping our school systems from falling to pieces then I’m not sure what is.
                If we don’t work together as a nation, and make some sacrifices for educational purposes, ultimately the American dream will fail. Our school systems have been on a steady decline since 2007, and if prop. 30 fails there will be another round of cuts even more drastic then before. “K-12 spending per pupil remains $1,000 less then it was five years ago” and many families cannot afford to send there children to college as it is, if budget cuts continue, these numbers will only increase. As a 27 year old, I have been employed full time for the last 8 years, and I have worked for the last 11. I have lived from paycheck to paycheck my entire life and I have been making plenty over minimum wage, enough for the state to take out between 6%-8% towards income tax, that is only 1.3% less then someone who earns $249,000 a year (at the moment a person who earns $48,029 gets taxed the same as someone who earns $500,000). For a very long time I have been wanting to go back to school, but due to tuition rates, lack of funding for nursing programs, and my own mental stability of not being able to work 40 hours a week and be involved in a high intensity school program. It has taken me over 5 year to be at a point in my life where the opportunity to start back at school again has arose. My “American Dream” is to be a registered nurse, where I could make a good living, maybe pay off a bill or two, and to share my empathy for humanity with others. Due to the lack of nursing programs there are wait lists of 4-5 years and lottery type situations to get into a certified program at community colleges throughout the state. They estimate that there will be a greater demand then nurses available, partial due to the lack of programs, which is greatly due to our educational crisis. This could mean my goals will be put on hold until I get lucky enough to get accepted into a program, not because I haven’t gotten good enough grades, or earned it, but simply because there is no funding in education. There are many students and hopeful students just like me, and I guarantee I am one of the luckier ones. If proposition 30 does not pass because we cannot pay a few cents more a meal, or some of the wealthiest families in California can’t afford to pay 1% more a year then someone who earns 3 times less then them, then not only nursing programs, but all educational programs at the college level will receive budget cuts. This fact breaks my heart.

            I strongly believe that proposition 30 is a positive strive in getting our educational system and state budget issues back into shape. We as citizens need to support California by voting yes on proposition 30 and to help avoid continued hardships on students, teachers, public safety workers, and our future.