Some ways to help the economy and energy problem: 1.Don't increase the minimum wage. 2.Don't let communism and/or socialism come into effect. 3.Drill in the U.S. 4.Cut off oil supply from the Middle East. 5.Use money that was saved from 3 and 4 for funding alternatives. 6.enchorage (not bribe or force) people to save energy and recycle. 7.Take illegals back to Mexico (if they have committed a serious crime, then put them in jail or execute them.) 8.Don't let banks become corrupted. 9.Implement a stimulus package. 10.Don't let people get loans that they can't afford.
This is just MY opinion.
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Young Alaskans - Discussion » Issues » Economy
Help the economy
(11 posts)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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its all well and good, but instituting the ideas is another argument altogether. Unfortunately minimum wage is raised when people on it can no longer afford to pay for the bare necessities of life. Saying don't let communism/socialism come into effect it may be a good social argument, but won't really help economics... Drilling in the U.S. is a good idea and would lessen our dependence on foreign oil, but it is nearly impossible in the current condition of the united states to cut off oil from the middle east. I agree on the illegals, if they want to be here follow the system... Don't let banks become corrupt, corruption in general is an issue not just the banks. On top of that #9 and #10 are more issues that political intervention caused rather then the banks themselves. Had politicians not encouraged, forced, banks to provide to risky loaners we wouldn't be in such a mess... and what do you mean by a stimulus package?
Posted 1 year ago # -
People! We have so much natural resources, why are we buying money from the middle east?!? It would be so much cheaper to drill what we have!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Yes, drilling what we already have would temporarily lower gas prices, but it isn't a permanent solution. The oil in our country makes great reservoirs for when we can no longer supply ourselves from other sources. We honestly need to start putting a hard pressed effort into developing other sources besides oil.
On the other hand, in order to help fix alaska's role in the national economy we need to stop allowing the systematic rape of Alaskan lands by foreign companies. Crap like the Pebble Mine are not bringing the profits into America, they are giving it to places like Canada. These are resources that we could easily harness ourselves, but we have to make efforts to establish privatized contracts to develop these resources that the government regulates.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Hmmmmm........
It seems like we are at a standstill.
When all else fails, I prefer to look at the oldest ethics codes known to humankind: Religion.
Again, this is just me, but if all of our deliberation leads to nothing getting done, we have to turn to another system to actually make some change. And no other system, in all honesty, throughout history has made as much change as religion.
What does religion, on average, encourage? Fellowship with our fellow human beings. Why? We are all working for one goal: survival at the least, being closer to God in Heaven at the most. How? By believing religion, we internalize the ethical principles within the religion, as long as we don't twist the original meaning of them, which unfortunately some people have. Who? Everyone must make the choice. When? Whenever it is best for them. Where? Physical place doesn't matter as much as the spiritual state you are in. Believe me, if people followed true religion, the original, unaltered, pure and unalloyed beliefs, we would be in fewer troubles than we are now.
So I will apply some of the beliefs of my religion, the Baha'i Faith, to this issue, as best as I can. I'm not perfect, and I'm not even close to being a perfect Baha'i, but this is what I would say, based upon what I know. So, for Jasmine Huber's list, #1 is don't increase the minimum wage. As far as I know, we do need to be fair, but we do need to make sure people working in minimum wage jobs can have an affordable place to stay that is clean and healthy, and that they have food and medical assistance as well. I am not aware about the average status of the minimum wage earner in the U.S., but we may have to increase minimum wage if the current minimum wage isn't enough for the people to survive on. It depends upon the current state of minimum wage earners.
#2 is don't let communism and/or socialism come into effect. The general idea of communism, in its broadest sense, wasn't a bad idea. An economy where everybody was equal was a good dream to shoot for. The problem? Those who supported communism used it as a vehicle to bring themselves to power. In other words, communist leaders manipulated the system they created to bring riches and grand schemes to mind. So, if there was a group of people who were sincere about letting all people have an equal share in the economy, and not desiring riches for themselves, communism just might work, and it would certainly make useless the excesses of capitalism today. But, any human-made system is never perfect, and neither is communism. So, if the free people of the United States decided to run their government in a communist/socialist styled way, there is no way we can stop them from doing so. It is almost impossible to try to change a person's point of view when you are face-to-face with them. We all have to respect the choices of others, regardless of what they believe, because we are not perfect and neither are them.
#3 is drill in the U.S. A good idea, but it would destroy more ecosystems in the U.S. than are currently destroyed by other means. It would also increase pollutants, and make more oil available to the world market, which would then be consumed faster because of the intense rate of demand for it. In other words, it solves some issues with politics and whatnot, but it doesn't solve the problem.
#4 is cut off oil supply from the Middle East. We do have to respect the people of the Middle East. Many companies make a lot of money from the export/import of oil. By cutting off that supply, we force those companies to go bankrupt, which would destroy millions of jobs on both sides of the world. Many of the people in the Middle East make it their business to export oil. If we deprive them of one of their greatest customers, its going to hurt them. They are human like us. We must respect them. Thus, it is not a good idea to cut off the oil supply from the Middle East, out of respect for the people living there. If the Middle East cannot export oil, the resultant crisis might drive them back to the times of Muhammad. That would be pretty catastrophic for their governments and their people. In a religious sense, we cannot let that happen. For now, we continue letting them supply oil. If we find a way to cut off the supply without destroying their economy, then we can help them implement it, if they are willing to do so.
#5 is using money from #3 and #4 to fund alternatives. According to what has been stated here, #3 and #4 are not quite as viable as people make them out to be. But it is possible to fund alternatives by getting rid of the country's massive debt by destroying the ubiquitous "pork barrel" spending. I theorize that if we abolish the practice of pork barrel spending, we will be able, financially, to pay off our debt and actually have money to fund alternatives. For the sake of lessening growing pains, which has happened before, from switching from oil to alternative energy, we should develop both resources side by side, increasing alternative energy while continuing development of our oil drilling industry. This insures that we keep the millions of jobs tied up with the oil industry while creating even more jobs through the alternatives. Overall, this would be a foundation upon which to gradually ease away from oil while bumping up alternative energies.
#6 is encourage people to save energy and recycle. I wholeheartedly agree with this, for some of the most common reasons. It is economical, it is safe, it saves resources for a rainy day. The benefits far outweigh the cost. Definitely recommended.
#7 is take illegal immigrants back to their home country. I do agree that if you break the law, you need to be punished for it. But there are some illegal immigrants that are on the edge of desperation. They will do anything to increase their standard of life, because it might be impossible in their home country to survive. We should deport the illegal immigrants that can support themselves in their home country, but we can introduce an "amnesty" clause in the immigration law. If an illegal immigrant can prove that they cannot survive in their home country in a U.S. court of law, they should be allowed a shot at citizenship. This is the "land of the free," after all. What else does the Statue of Liberty stand for? We should give those illegal immigrants who deserve it a chance to become a part of our nation. We are the cultural melting pot, after all. The more, the merrier, as the saying goes. Within limits, illegal immigration isn't a bad thing.
#8 is don't let banks become corrupted. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement, but exactly how are you planning to make that a reality? An idea is good, but if it isn't carried out it fades away. If there was a way to make sure banks don't become corrupted, then I'd be all for it. It is terrible when people decide to do the wrong thing. They go down a slippery slide that never ends until their death. But then again, any sort of material wealth never lasts beyond death. After a person dies, their wealth is either forgotten or passed on to other people. So it will never stay with us anyway. While we use it while our bodies function, we never use it again after our bodies decompose. Those who take steps to preserve their own material wealth are fighting against the inevitable. It's better that they be able to see the truth of this, than to lock them away in a prison, which might or might not produce that effect.
#9 is implement a stimulus package. For what? To whom? For what reason? It is better to pinpoint a particular area/job type/wage range and implement the stimulus package on that, and nothing else. A sloppy stimulus package lets money fall into the wrong hands. A carefully controlled and regulated stimulus package gets money where it needs to go, and nowhere else. So a stimulus package is a good idea, but only if it is properly used.
#10 is don't let people get loans they can't afford. That would cut down on a common lifestyle practice of many homeowners in America. In general, a mortgage on a house that you own is impossible to pay off in just a few years. Some loans are meant to be paid off over a period of a decade or more. If people cannot pay those loans, bankruptcy waits for them. The threat of bankruptcy, more than anything else, is enough to ensure, at least in part, that people create loans that they can afford, whatever the time scale of the loan may be. There should be ads about the evils of loan mismanagement, with the death-spector of the Reaper of Bankruptcy waiting for the sorry shmoes. Just an idea ;).
Anyway, that is what I think about that particular blog post. I know this is gigantic, but I really, really wanted to post this. I couldn't think of a shorter way of saying what I had to say.
What do you think?
Posted 1 year ago # -
In many ways i agree completely with you, but there are several things you said that were either half truths or flat out false.
Yes, religion is an important factor and throughout history has led to enormous amounts of change. Yes, certain religions profess morality and they are essential for society. However, other religions, which i will not name, don't necessarily profess those same moralities. Then comes the fact that differences in doctrine have also caused more deaths then anything else known in history.
Yes most religions promote fellowship within their own religion, but it also raises contention with those that are not of that same religion. Also it doesn't work in our society to force everyone to a certain doctrine. For example i am Christian and where i would love to see everyone be christian and the world in peace, it is not my place to force others to a religious decision. It is always open to them and i will gladly discuss my beliefs with them.
#1 yes i agree with most of what you have said here, survivable conditions should be provided to any and all who are willing to work for it.
#2 You are correct in the idea that communism was a decent theoretical idea, however i don't believe that it is a good thing to incorporate into the democratic governmental society we have here. Yes, it might work well for a time, but in the end it would become the same autocratic society.
#3 Ecosystems are something that need to be sustained, but we can still develop our oil industries.
#4 Yes, it is horrible that so many jobs will be potentially lost. Unfortunately, we need to put the needs of the majority, most of which are our people, over those of the minority. Oil has retarded progress more then anything else in the past few decades. We must start moving away from this idiotic industry and begin moving forward once again.
#5 Ok, Pork-Barrel spending. Yes, it is wrong that all of this pork is thrown into legislation, but the fact is that the amount of money that is actual "pork" that is put into the legislation wouldn't even pay the interest on national debt. Pork is simply a way for states to put their own interest into a bill and push it through. It is a mediator that allows legislation good for everyone to pass through. I am not saying that it is good, but it isn't a great evil and will never be gotten rid of entirely.
#6 No comment this is a no brainer.
#7 Yes, it may be that they can not make a decent living in another country, but most illegal immigrants that come here work for lower wages then anyone else and send surplus out of our country. The lower wages lowers the value of everybody's work and the export of finances creates a leaky faucet effect on our nation's economy. Small amounts now that add up to millions upon millions of dollars later. I believe, that immigrants should go through the immigration process to come into our nation legally.
#8 Here comes capitalism. Yes, it is horrible that the banks have become corrupt and have been giving out bad loans. However, we should not simply bail out these failing companies. Capitalism works, something or some one will fill that void and learn from their mistakes. It is called progression.
#9 Stimulus package... that all depends i don't think that the government should intervene to heavily in the economy, because it doesn't work very well. However, if the government was to subsidize the founding and running of new export businesses.
#10 Finally we come to this. It is the banks fault for giving out bad loans. It is not their responsibility to hand out money to any woe-speaker who wants to buy a house. If that person's history shows that they are irresponsible with their income and have a history of not paying their bills then they are not yet ready to begin buying a home. Bankruptcy might be a threat, but people disillusion themselves into thinking that they won't do something when history shows that they will.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I personally have studied Christianity and the Baha'i Faith, even though I am no expert on the topic, and I can honestly say that the only differences between the two religions are superficial. I do expect to find the same thing when studying Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and sundry. The core, moral beliefs of all of the religions are so similar, it raises an eyebrow when you notice it. It is only in the practice of this religion that we people differ. Thus, it may be sayable that the only reason religion seemed to cause conflict is because we humans became nitpickers and perfectionists and tried to convince everybody else that we were right and they were wrong. Of course, this is a classic argument, like the argument between husband and wife. The end result of such an argument is that certain things said by either side are right, and certain things said by either side are wrong. The only way to clear the air is to forgive and forget, and learn from your mistakes. But since religion is such a worldwide phenomenon (which also raises an eyebrow, when you think of how our ancestors came from so many different isolated areas, but the idea of religion is a common factor), we have to forgive and forget on a worldwide scale. This will definitely take time, possibly longer than many of us have years to live. But it is the only hope of settling the religious dispute once and for all. As a Baha'i, I cannot simply let people continue to argue with each other over whether or not to face Jerusalem or Mecca to say your daily prayers. Regardless of where you face, are you not communicating with the Lord, your God, Allah, Jehovah, name him whatever you will? Are you not attempting to make your life better by reaching a higher standard? When you think about this, the differences that give rise to the deadly conflicts so stereotyped with religion really are extremely superficial. And yet we still get tripped up by said superficiality, whether we are from the east or the west. We need to act as one world, one global entity. Otherwise, the needless suffering may continue.
I understand that talking about religion was not what was intended with this particular topic, but it sort of led that way. You can ignore the religious question I brought up and ignore this particular post if you want to, and return to the economy. But if you are interested, what do you think?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Besides, they are not half-truths or flat-out false. Search for yourself in whatever religion you follow. You might find those things in there.
Again, sorry for the interruption.
Posted 1 year ago # -
There is no problem with you adjusting the topic, i merely love discussing. When i brought up the fact that i am a christian, i merely brought it up because you brought up Baha'i. On that note, you are not the only one who has read up on religions. I know about Baha'i and the bridging ideal that it claims, which gives an understanding to your forgive and forget idea. Now, i am not saying that you are wrong or that anybody else is right. Personally i will argue for my religion, but i have no right to hold anything against you for belonging to a different religion.
My point was that people will always fight for what they think is the correct faith. There is even fights between doctrines of the same religion, and as noble as it is to want to move on it isn't going to happen. I agree that religion should be allowed room to grow and influence people's moralities and lives, but it must reaming out of our politics if only at the surface. This prevents any specific doctrine or religion to take over the government and cause discord among those of other faiths.
finally when i spoke about half-truths and lies i was speaking about your economic theories not your religion. I apologize if you felt that i was insulting you or your religion.
Posted 1 year ago # -
All apologies accepted, Ryan. Don't worry about that. I understand that religion is a point of contention in today's society, but that doesn't mean that it will always be an item of extreme argument. I also know that I am not perfect, and if I was wrong with my economical theories, I accept that.
You know, it is interesting how the Baha'i Faith sees the other religions. The concept was introduced to me in an analogy, and I will attempt to explain an analogy that describes this concept.
Imagine a tree, a tree that has been growing for centuries. It is strong, its canopy provides shade, it bears mature fruit for anything that wishes to partake of it. It goes through the usual seasons of winter, spring, summer and fall.
Now, imagine that this tree is the concept of religion. I know, it is hard to equate religion nowadays with this image of a strong, mature, useful and nourishing tree, but when you think especially of the individual level of effect that religion has, person by person, religion is a very, very strong part of one's daily life, regardless of what religion they may believe in. One could argue that it is only with dealing with entire masses that religion is ineffective. I won't go into that point at this moment, but I will later.
Now, think about what that tree had to go through to get to this point of maximum usefulness. It started out as the tiniest of seeds, with an extremely tender and vulnerable shoot, and it grew to a brittle sapling, and it kept growing. It kept the properties that it had before, especially the property of growing. That first little vulnerable shoot became several more vulnerable shoot, either of a root or otherwise, and now at the mature stage, there are millions of these shoots. They are still as vulnerable as that first shoot, but they are still useful and serve their purpose.
Now, think of humanity starting out in whatever theory of creation you can imagine. At first, they were like that one seed, all potential and none of it yet realized. Eventually, they became dimly aware that there has to be a creator or some sort of higher power. Thus comes the basis for many traditional religions. Then, with Abraham, a revolutionary idea came along: there was only one all-powerful creator. While that point is still contested among the religions today, most people would look at that idea and say it is anything but revolutionary now. But back in Abraham's time, it was revolutionary, and it got him into a whole heap of trouble because it was hard for the people who had previously believed in several gods to condense that belief into one God.
Now a pattern starts developing. You can almost see this as a teacher teaching the basics of letters and numbers to his/her students. And then, after a period of time so that humanity could adjust to this new idea and at least on some proportion believe in it, there came another idea, that not only is there a God but that he has laws that he must follow, most prominently shown in the Ten Commandments. This was again revolutionary for the time, and it took a long time for people to get a handle on it. Then, when humanity was ready for the next spiritual lesson, Jesus came, and through his sacrifice taught us just what it is like to love God purely out of your own heart, and not through fear of heaven or hell. Jesus also built upon the Ten Commandments and expanded on the idea of morals and ethics through his many stories and utterances.
And then, in the barbarian tribes of Arabia, Muhammad came. Yes, I include him because Islam is one of the most major world religions. And it is good to know something about the history of Islam, which I did peruse a little bit.
Muhammad taught the importance of believing in the Truth that God (Allah, in their language) brings to us, and that we cannot wait as humanity did before. Part of the essence of his teachings was that a lover always wants to be with his/her beloved. So, if we truly do love God, then we should make every effort to try and attain His presence. If we slack for even one instant, we are lost and unfaithful. It is no wonder that to Christians Islam seems so strict, but I believe that it is this essential core belief that drives that discipline. Of course, certain leaders have misused and completely twisted and abused that power, but I will not expound upon that further ;-).
And then, with Baha'u'llah's Forerunner, The Bab, who proclaimed to the entire world that Baha'u'llah was coming (similar to John The Baptist, but a central religious figure at least within the Baha'i Faith), he taught that we have to be open and willing to analyze every single detail with an open mind and a searching heart, because if we do not recognize That which is the Object of our heart's inmost desire, namely the new Teachings of God (that could be a matter of opinion, but I won't discuss it here), then we will have automatically failed our duty to listen to God and follow his teachings without ever having known it. The Bab stressed periodically the importance of preparing yourself as best as you can so that when the time comes you can recognize the Light of God, wherever It may be.
And now, with Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith, he taught that we all need to learn (emphasis on learn!) how to work with one another as one global civilization, because our disunity makes us vulnerable to not only outside threats (imagination conjures up space aliens, which are theoretically possible) but inside threats as well, as many of us are aware of, all the way from resource mismanagement to murderous psychopaths. Furthermore, we must have this all-embracing "unity in diversity" within ourselves as well. That phrase "unity in diversity" means, in a nutshell, to have the strengths of one person compensate for the weaknesses of another person, and have that person's strengths compliment another person's weaknesses, and etc... while also allowing each person on an individual basis to try and correct their faults as best as they can, and being as supporting and encouraging in the meantime. The end result, after a ton of hard work, is a strong, powerful, peaceful (wouldn't we love to see that!) and most importantly unified humanity, that only uses what it needs to use. That is the goal, and the Baha'is can and will work towards it.
There is a reason this brief and altogether pathetic overview of the different religions is mentioned here. To go back to our analogy of the tree, you can see the pattern: From the basics, we grow up and up and up until we reach the absolute greatest heights that we could ever possibly reach, in terms of understanding spiritual reality. Without that concept that there is some sort of creator, we would never have understood who Jesus was. Without the tentative stretchings of that first shoot, there never would have been the powerful and mature and useful tree that is the goal and the result of such an action. This is the overall concept that Baha'u'llah's teachings have on the different religions, at least as best as I can make out.
What do you think?
Posted 1 year ago #
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