Okay people.
I read a blog post over at Voice of America that disturbed me greatly. (It is possible that blog is just a propaganda tool of the US government, but, I doubt it; the reason I doubt that the government is using that blog only to scare me is basically because many of the claims made on that site have been witnessed by me firsthand. For instance, I graduated from a public high school in 2005, and I remember that some of my classmates did not know who George Washington was. No joke).
Anyway, here is the blog post that initially got me all riled up: http://blogs.voanews.com/tedlandphairsamerica/2011/05/05/u-s-a-the-uninformed-states-of-america/.
Specifically, this quote drove me crazy: "Students can’t be blamed for not knowing what they haven’t been taught".
Why did that statement drive me crazy, you ask? We'll, first, it's only partially true. The teachers have an obligation to teach, and the students have an obligation to learn. I know for a fact that my school made students take several history and government classes (and I went to a sub-par high school). And, in those classes, students had the opportunities to learn about American history and civics; however, I know students who never did homework but ended up passing with D's. That means that the teacher failed to hold the students accountable, and the students failed to study. There is failure on both ends.
The more distressing part, however, is the fact that our government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on lower education, yet, we are becoming less-educated. What exactly are we paying for? I am guessing, based on my brother's input (he's an English teacher at my alma mater), we are paying ineffective teachers' salaries, exorbitant pay packages for administrators, and excessively large payments for retirees. The system is unreasonably stupid, America.
And, I read some more of Mr. Landphair's blog posts. This one I found to be even more troubling than the first one: http://blogs.voanews.com/tedlandphairsamerica/2011/04/29/math-smath/.
Math, smath? I can't stand that sort of position. Granted, I am naturally a fan of math (I hate real and complex analysis while I enjoy analytical geometry and topology) and I understand the discipline much better than most people. However, there is no better training in terms of understanding logic and reason than math training. That is precisely why we should be encouraging more students to take math: critical thinking will be vital in terms of maintaining American superiority in a globalized economy based on information.
Basically, it all comes down to this: right now, USA stands for "Unbearable Stupidity of America". In the future, it is crucial that USA stands for "Unbelievably Smart Americans".
(Okay, that might have been really cheesy, but, it should make my point clear: the USA is stupid right now, but, in the future, Americans must be smart to survive in the world).
And that is precisely why the "Math, Smath" article bothered me so much. Math is universal. It is important.
I think we should start shoving math down everyone's throat as soon as possible. No one should leave high school in the USA without taking a course on trigonometry. No one should leave college without understanding basic calculus. Other countries (South Korea and China, for instance) make their students do this much. We need to do the same if we're going to compete.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
An American Revitalization: the State Convention Amendment Method
Hi all!
I was doing some thinking about our citizens' views on our federal government (specifically, the Congress) and I came to a conclusion: we should directly reform our Constitution. (I'll explain how the Constitution can be amended by citizens in a bit).
According to separate polls conducted by Gallup and Rasmussen, no more than 18% of the population approves of the job our congresspersons are doing. You can see the polls here http://www.gallup.com/poll/147227/Congressional-Job-Approval.aspx and here http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_performance.
In my opinion, it is unacceptable that the individuals in charge of drafting and approving our nation's laws are given such great powers despite the fact they are hated by the nation. Americans see their legislators as corrupt, self-serving, ineffective drags on society, and, yet, we still give them these important powers. It appears to me that the solution is congressional term limits and salary reductions; I believe we will then have the "periodic rotation" of rulers that George Mason and Thomas Jefferson desired. However, no congressperson would ever cap the number of years he or she could serve or cut the amount of money he or she could make: the congressional job is too good and it would be irrational for any congressperson to curtail his or her benefits.
Thankfully, the country's founders provided ordinary people with a way to bypass Congress when amending our governing document. In Article V of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers established four ways for the Constitution to be amended. These four paths are: "proposal by convention of states, ratification by state conventions (never used); proposal by convention of states, ratification by state legislatures (never used); proposal by Congress, ratification by state conventions (used once); and, finally, proposal by Congress, ratification by state legislatures (used all other times)". (Source: http://www.usconstitution.net/constam.html).
The paths that intrigue me the most are the first and second ones. Both have never been used, and I believe it is time for us citizens to use them. In the first method (proposal and ratification by conventions), citizens have a direct input in both the creation and acceptance of an amendment. In the second method, citizens from each state meet in a convention and create an amendment; after that has been done, 3/4 of state legislatures must approve the convention's amendment. (See: http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_acon.html).
The main problem is that neither method has been used, and, so, there is no precedent. However, Americans increasingly believe the corruption in (and ineffectiveness of) our Congress is unprecedented; we therefore have the obligation to change things for the better. Alexander Hamilton and the rest of the Founders gave us these tools to keep our leaders in check, and that is precisely what we should be doing right now.
Can conventions actually work, though? Well, our Constitution was created in a convention that began in 1787. Do you think that worked? I do (for the most part, but it does need tweaking as the USA evolves).
In sum, the main point I want to establish is that our current system of producing legislation is illogical and damaging. We have a constitutional reprieve, however: state conventions. Congress has always been hated (see: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/17/132141805/why-we-love-to-hate-congress) but we as a people have not aggressively sought changes. I believe now is a good time to use the methods the Constitution has provided us with a way to correct the problems we face in terms of corrupt legislators. We just need to spread the word and actively seek this outcome.
I was doing some thinking about our citizens' views on our federal government (specifically, the Congress) and I came to a conclusion: we should directly reform our Constitution. (I'll explain how the Constitution can be amended by citizens in a bit).
According to separate polls conducted by Gallup and Rasmussen, no more than 18% of the population approves of the job our congresspersons are doing. You can see the polls here http://www.gallup.com/poll/147227/Congressional-Job-Approval.aspx and here http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/mood_of_america/congressional_performance.
In my opinion, it is unacceptable that the individuals in charge of drafting and approving our nation's laws are given such great powers despite the fact they are hated by the nation. Americans see their legislators as corrupt, self-serving, ineffective drags on society, and, yet, we still give them these important powers. It appears to me that the solution is congressional term limits and salary reductions; I believe we will then have the "periodic rotation" of rulers that George Mason and Thomas Jefferson desired. However, no congressperson would ever cap the number of years he or she could serve or cut the amount of money he or she could make: the congressional job is too good and it would be irrational for any congressperson to curtail his or her benefits.
Thankfully, the country's founders provided ordinary people with a way to bypass Congress when amending our governing document. In Article V of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers established four ways for the Constitution to be amended. These four paths are: "proposal by convention of states, ratification by state conventions (never used); proposal by convention of states, ratification by state legislatures (never used); proposal by Congress, ratification by state conventions (used once); and, finally, proposal by Congress, ratification by state legislatures (used all other times)". (Source: http://www.usconstitution.net/constam.html).
The paths that intrigue me the most are the first and second ones. Both have never been used, and I believe it is time for us citizens to use them. In the first method (proposal and ratification by conventions), citizens have a direct input in both the creation and acceptance of an amendment. In the second method, citizens from each state meet in a convention and create an amendment; after that has been done, 3/4 of state legislatures must approve the convention's amendment. (See: http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_acon.html).
The main problem is that neither method has been used, and, so, there is no precedent. However, Americans increasingly believe the corruption in (and ineffectiveness of) our Congress is unprecedented; we therefore have the obligation to change things for the better. Alexander Hamilton and the rest of the Founders gave us these tools to keep our leaders in check, and that is precisely what we should be doing right now.
Can conventions actually work, though? Well, our Constitution was created in a convention that began in 1787. Do you think that worked? I do (for the most part, but it does need tweaking as the USA evolves).
In sum, the main point I want to establish is that our current system of producing legislation is illogical and damaging. We have a constitutional reprieve, however: state conventions. Congress has always been hated (see: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/17/132141805/why-we-love-to-hate-congress) but we as a people have not aggressively sought changes. I believe now is a good time to use the methods the Constitution has provided us with a way to correct the problems we face in terms of corrupt legislators. We just need to spread the word and actively seek this outcome.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
A Look at a Nation with Integrity
Evening, folks!
I was cycling through the USA's top news sites when I came across this great story on Foxnews.com (Fox News does have some legit stories, haters): http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/05/japan-sends-tornado-relief-supplies-alabama/.
Just in case you have been under a rock the past couple months, Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11th. Even though Japan is one of the most-organized and diligent countries in the world, the nation is still trying to get its economy and infrastructure back on track.
And despite the fact that Japan lost 18,000 people, the Japanese still had the decency to send supplies to their struggling allies in Alabama. Alabama has had horrible issues with tornadoes over the past 10 days or so; at least 238 people are dead. It's just such a nice gesture of the Japanese to help their friends out even though they are having troubles with their own nation.
I admit, I have always been a huge fan of Japanese culture. I spent five months living in Osaka (it is a city of 7 million people in the western part of the main island), and I can say that the Japanese are some of the hardest-working and nicest people you will find.
In sum, given that we live in a country that has a hard time telling friend from foe (I'm talking to you, Pakistan), it's just nice to know that we still have some friends in the East. I hope that my generation keeps our alliance strong with these noble people: Japan and the USA will both benefit in the future.
I was cycling through the USA's top news sites when I came across this great story on Foxnews.com (Fox News does have some legit stories, haters): http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/05/05/japan-sends-tornado-relief-supplies-alabama/.
Just in case you have been under a rock the past couple months, Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11th. Even though Japan is one of the most-organized and diligent countries in the world, the nation is still trying to get its economy and infrastructure back on track.
And despite the fact that Japan lost 18,000 people, the Japanese still had the decency to send supplies to their struggling allies in Alabama. Alabama has had horrible issues with tornadoes over the past 10 days or so; at least 238 people are dead. It's just such a nice gesture of the Japanese to help their friends out even though they are having troubles with their own nation.
I admit, I have always been a huge fan of Japanese culture. I spent five months living in Osaka (it is a city of 7 million people in the western part of the main island), and I can say that the Japanese are some of the hardest-working and nicest people you will find.
In sum, given that we live in a country that has a hard time telling friend from foe (I'm talking to you, Pakistan), it's just nice to know that we still have some friends in the East. I hope that my generation keeps our alliance strong with these noble people: Japan and the USA will both benefit in the future.
Why I Am Glad to Be an American
Like you, I have been closely following all the crazy things going on in our world: the uprisings throughout the Middle East, the drug cartels' killing sprees in Mexico, and the civil war in the Ivory Coast. After reading about each of those violent episodes, I came to a conclusion that I hope you all came to as well: I am so glad I am an American.
I know I write a lot about the failings of our country (political, financial, and social) but that is only because I want America to be better. Maybe I am just young and naive, but I believe (with wise leadership and an engaged citizenry) this country can be an inspiration for the rest of the world. That is why I am so critical of my fellow Americans and my rulers: I want everyone to understand the areas we need to improve in so this nation can be as great as it should be.
What I really want to say is that I am so happy I am an American because I have freedoms many people around the world do not have. I live in a country that allows me to harshly criticize my leaders without having to worry about being kidnapped and disposed of. My country's laws allow me to organize a peaceful protest in a public setting without having to worry about the police opening fire on me. I can cast my vote in a private booth and base my electoral decision on my own criteria instead of being forced to make my choice while a candidate's friends stick their guns in my face.
These are amazing achievements. The respect for the rule of law and the emphasis on free speech are some of the best things this country has going for it. Sure, we may have our problems, but, I believe that we will overcome them. There may be some dark days ahead, but, we will pass through them on our way to a bright future. I know this because we Americans have the freedom to create our future the way we want it to be. We just have to put in the effort to make our ideas a reality.
In the end, I am glad I am an American because I have freedoms, comfort, and hope. And, really, who needs anything else?
I know I write a lot about the failings of our country (political, financial, and social) but that is only because I want America to be better. Maybe I am just young and naive, but I believe (with wise leadership and an engaged citizenry) this country can be an inspiration for the rest of the world. That is why I am so critical of my fellow Americans and my rulers: I want everyone to understand the areas we need to improve in so this nation can be as great as it should be.
What I really want to say is that I am so happy I am an American because I have freedoms many people around the world do not have. I live in a country that allows me to harshly criticize my leaders without having to worry about being kidnapped and disposed of. My country's laws allow me to organize a peaceful protest in a public setting without having to worry about the police opening fire on me. I can cast my vote in a private booth and base my electoral decision on my own criteria instead of being forced to make my choice while a candidate's friends stick their guns in my face.
These are amazing achievements. The respect for the rule of law and the emphasis on free speech are some of the best things this country has going for it. Sure, we may have our problems, but, I believe that we will overcome them. There may be some dark days ahead, but, we will pass through them on our way to a bright future. I know this because we Americans have the freedom to create our future the way we want it to be. We just have to put in the effort to make our ideas a reality.
In the end, I am glad I am an American because I have freedoms, comfort, and hope. And, really, who needs anything else?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
An Organization That Can Help Us Youngsters Shape Our Futures
Greetings TYATS followers!
I know I have been posting a fair amount of negative material recently, so my posts today will be all about good news. I finally found an organization of intelligent, well-meaning individuals who genuinely want the USA to have a prosperous future.
The organization's name is "Common Good". You can read about the group here: http://commongood.org/.
I will quickly give you a synopsis on the group. Common Good is a non-profit, non-partisan organization formed in 2002 by Philip K. Howard (a lawyer who is tired of our legal system). It claims as its members prominent intellectuals, lawyers, businessmen, and politicians. The goals of this group are to clean out and modernize the legal system so we can achieve better results in terms of health care, education, and the justice system.
Please go to the website I posted and join the movement to fix our nation!
I know I have been posting a fair amount of negative material recently, so my posts today will be all about good news. I finally found an organization of intelligent, well-meaning individuals who genuinely want the USA to have a prosperous future.
The organization's name is "Common Good". You can read about the group here: http://commongood.org/.
I will quickly give you a synopsis on the group. Common Good is a non-profit, non-partisan organization formed in 2002 by Philip K. Howard (a lawyer who is tired of our legal system). It claims as its members prominent intellectuals, lawyers, businessmen, and politicians. The goals of this group are to clean out and modernize the legal system so we can achieve better results in terms of health care, education, and the justice system.
Please go to the website I posted and join the movement to fix our nation!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Rising Gas Prices and My Solutions if I Were the President
I have decided to post a little bit about today's insane increases in gas prices and what I would do to fix them if I were the President.
The national average for a gallon of gas is approaching $4. In fact, the average gas price has risen about 86 cents since the end of January. That's basically a 30% increase in 3 months.
This rapid rise in oil prices may derail an already fragile economic recovery (the reason being that we Americans use oil and oil derivatives in everything: fuel, lipstick, plastics, etc). I believe it would make sense if our government took strong action now in order to preserve our recent economic gains. To help our overseers out, I have proposed a list of options that I would take if I were President that would cut gas prices and aid the American people.
First, I would remove the federal fuel tax (which is 18.4 cents per gallon). Then I would pressure all the states to remove their fuel taxes as well. These two changes will save almost 50 cents per gallon of gas.
To balance that loss in revenue, I propose a cut in government spending (shutting down operations in Afghanistan would be a good place to start).
There are other ways to ease the pain at the pump. For example, if I were the President, I would "ask" Iraq to produce more oil. According to government estimates, Iraq has about 120 billion barrels of oil in known reserves (that amount could run the USA for approximately 15 years or so). Additionally, Iraq is supposed to have an additional 100 billion barrels in untapped reserves, so we could have the Iraqis produce even more.
Furthermore, I would lift the ban on offshore drilling in the Gulf. Make no mistake: what happened with BP's oil spill was awful. But, an accident should not stop us from doing what is best for our nation in terms of energy provision.
Finally, if I were the President, I would get the oil shale industry going. The USA is supposed to be sitting on 2 trillion barrels of shale oil deposits. From what I have gathered, it appears the only reason why we are not more invested in this industry is that oil shale processing releases too many pollutants. However, Royal Dutch Shell has a mining method that heats the oil shale while it is still in the mine and then pumps out the resulting oil and gas which is then refined on the surface. Right now Shell gets about 3.5 units of energy for every 1 unit of energy it uses to extract the shale oil. And it's only going to get better.
As I hope you can see, most of these policies are simple, common sense solutions to our troubles. Hopefully, our leaders will come up with similar approaches to solving our gas issues.
The national average for a gallon of gas is approaching $4. In fact, the average gas price has risen about 86 cents since the end of January. That's basically a 30% increase in 3 months.
This rapid rise in oil prices may derail an already fragile economic recovery (the reason being that we Americans use oil and oil derivatives in everything: fuel, lipstick, plastics, etc). I believe it would make sense if our government took strong action now in order to preserve our recent economic gains. To help our overseers out, I have proposed a list of options that I would take if I were President that would cut gas prices and aid the American people.
First, I would remove the federal fuel tax (which is 18.4 cents per gallon). Then I would pressure all the states to remove their fuel taxes as well. These two changes will save almost 50 cents per gallon of gas.
To balance that loss in revenue, I propose a cut in government spending (shutting down operations in Afghanistan would be a good place to start).
There are other ways to ease the pain at the pump. For example, if I were the President, I would "ask" Iraq to produce more oil. According to government estimates, Iraq has about 120 billion barrels of oil in known reserves (that amount could run the USA for approximately 15 years or so). Additionally, Iraq is supposed to have an additional 100 billion barrels in untapped reserves, so we could have the Iraqis produce even more.
Furthermore, I would lift the ban on offshore drilling in the Gulf. Make no mistake: what happened with BP's oil spill was awful. But, an accident should not stop us from doing what is best for our nation in terms of energy provision.
Finally, if I were the President, I would get the oil shale industry going. The USA is supposed to be sitting on 2 trillion barrels of shale oil deposits. From what I have gathered, it appears the only reason why we are not more invested in this industry is that oil shale processing releases too many pollutants. However, Royal Dutch Shell has a mining method that heats the oil shale while it is still in the mine and then pumps out the resulting oil and gas which is then refined on the surface. Right now Shell gets about 3.5 units of energy for every 1 unit of energy it uses to extract the shale oil. And it's only going to get better.
As I hope you can see, most of these policies are simple, common sense solutions to our troubles. Hopefully, our leaders will come up with similar approaches to solving our gas issues.
The American Dream is Dead (For a Little While, at Least)
America was once a place where people believed that they could work hard and improve their lot in life. Well, it appears that dream is mostly dead. Read this article and observe the lack of optimism for America's future: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110503/ts_yblog_thelookout/optimism-about-future-for-american-youth-at-all-time-low.
Besides the fact that most people are right, what else is deeply disturbing about this article?
This paragraph: "Older Americans were much more pessimistic about the future than younger ones. Among those between the ages of 50 and 64, just 36 percent said they expected younger Americans to have a better life than their parents, and among those 65 and over, just 37 percent did. By contrast, 57 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they expected their lives to be better than their parents'. Among Americans aged 30-44, 45 percent agreed with that view--a total just about in sync with the results as a whole".
Question: Why are the Boomers much more pessimistic about our futures than we young people are?
I have a theory: it's because they know they screwed things up for young people in terms of destroying our image in the world, creating massive liabilities that we will have to pay for (e.g. Social Security and the public debt), and screwing up our education system so badly (in terms of quality and price) that we young people will not be ready to compete in tomorrow's economy.
In short, I believe the Boomers may feel a little bit bad. But, I doubt they feel bad enough to do anything about the problems they created. I seriously doubt they are willing to cut their retirement benefits or raise taxes on themselves. I do not believe they will help us when we finally wake up and realize our education system sucks. Basically, I do not believe they will fix the messes they created.
And, I believe that will impact how the Boomers will be remembered. The generation that did a lot to push minority and womens' rights forward will not be remembered for those actions. They will be remembered for their partisan bickering, their refusal to serve in Vietnam, and their unfettered licentiousness. Mostly, though, the Boomers will be remembered as the generation that financially and morally bankrupted America because of their selfishness and unwillingness to make small sacrifices.
So, Boomers, do you want history to remember you as the most selfish generation the USA ever saw? If not, you should make things right. Fix America's debt problems, the education system you screwed up, our entitlements, and our image in the world. If you do not fix the mistakes you made, I can promise you this: history will not remember you kindly and we young people will make sure of that.
Besides the fact that most people are right, what else is deeply disturbing about this article?
This paragraph: "Older Americans were much more pessimistic about the future than younger ones. Among those between the ages of 50 and 64, just 36 percent said they expected younger Americans to have a better life than their parents, and among those 65 and over, just 37 percent did. By contrast, 57 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they expected their lives to be better than their parents'. Among Americans aged 30-44, 45 percent agreed with that view--a total just about in sync with the results as a whole".
Question: Why are the Boomers much more pessimistic about our futures than we young people are?
I have a theory: it's because they know they screwed things up for young people in terms of destroying our image in the world, creating massive liabilities that we will have to pay for (e.g. Social Security and the public debt), and screwing up our education system so badly (in terms of quality and price) that we young people will not be ready to compete in tomorrow's economy.
In short, I believe the Boomers may feel a little bit bad. But, I doubt they feel bad enough to do anything about the problems they created. I seriously doubt they are willing to cut their retirement benefits or raise taxes on themselves. I do not believe they will help us when we finally wake up and realize our education system sucks. Basically, I do not believe they will fix the messes they created.
And, I believe that will impact how the Boomers will be remembered. The generation that did a lot to push minority and womens' rights forward will not be remembered for those actions. They will be remembered for their partisan bickering, their refusal to serve in Vietnam, and their unfettered licentiousness. Mostly, though, the Boomers will be remembered as the generation that financially and morally bankrupted America because of their selfishness and unwillingness to make small sacrifices.
So, Boomers, do you want history to remember you as the most selfish generation the USA ever saw? If not, you should make things right. Fix America's debt problems, the education system you screwed up, our entitlements, and our image in the world. If you do not fix the mistakes you made, I can promise you this: history will not remember you kindly and we young people will make sure of that.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Complex Thoughts About Osama bin Laden's Death
I would just like to write a bit about Osama bin Laden's death; specifically, I want to talk about my and my fellow Americans' reactions to it.
Like hundreds of millions of Americans, I was shocked and skeptical when I first heard the news that OBL was killed. It had been almost 10 long years since 9/11, and, I think, as a nation we despaired of ever bringing him to justice for the crimes he committed against our country.
After I got over my initial skepticism, I felt a variety of conflicting emotions. First, I was glad he was dead; I believed that OBL getting shot in the head was a just punishment for the atrocities he ordered against the world's citizens. Then, I realized that my belief in OBL's assassination was inconsistent with some of my principles as a future doctor (namely that lives are sacred and that I do not have the authority to judge others).
A few seconds later, however, I remembered that his punishment was commensurate with his crimes, and achieving a more just world is also a belief doctors have. So, I at least do not really have that feeling of cognitive dissonance anymore.
There was one thing I did not like about the death of OBL, though: I did not really appreciate my fellow Americans (and some reporters) practically partying in the street. It reminded me too much of the partying in the streets that many Middle Easterners did after 9/11. Did their joy about the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans not make you sick with anger? I'm sure it did. And I would not doubt that there are thousands of people around the world today feeling that same displeasure.
The better reaction to OBL's death, in my opinion, was the considerably less-raucous candlelight vigil held in NYC.
(Note: I am not saying that Americans should not be glad justice has been served and OBL is dead. What I am saying is that perhaps it would have been better to be a little more restrained for national security purposes. That's it).
I guess I am just genuinely afraid that my countrymen's public displays of joy and exuberance after OBL's death may incite more violence against our country. I am sure there are people in the world who are pissed about last night's party in front of the White House just like I was furious when I saw people celebrating in the streets in the Middle East after the towers fell.
The only difference is that the people who are going to be pissed about Americans' exuberance over OBL's demise are people who supported him in the first place; and those people are probably prone to violent anti-American tendencies.
I really hope that I am wrong, but I would not be surprised if we created some new terrorists today. Let's just hope the CIA, the SEALs, the rest of our defense network, and our rulers are prepared and able to keep us safe. No one knows what is coming for us next, but I am sure it will be bad. And that scares me to no end.
Like hundreds of millions of Americans, I was shocked and skeptical when I first heard the news that OBL was killed. It had been almost 10 long years since 9/11, and, I think, as a nation we despaired of ever bringing him to justice for the crimes he committed against our country.
After I got over my initial skepticism, I felt a variety of conflicting emotions. First, I was glad he was dead; I believed that OBL getting shot in the head was a just punishment for the atrocities he ordered against the world's citizens. Then, I realized that my belief in OBL's assassination was inconsistent with some of my principles as a future doctor (namely that lives are sacred and that I do not have the authority to judge others).
A few seconds later, however, I remembered that his punishment was commensurate with his crimes, and achieving a more just world is also a belief doctors have. So, I at least do not really have that feeling of cognitive dissonance anymore.
There was one thing I did not like about the death of OBL, though: I did not really appreciate my fellow Americans (and some reporters) practically partying in the street. It reminded me too much of the partying in the streets that many Middle Easterners did after 9/11. Did their joy about the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans not make you sick with anger? I'm sure it did. And I would not doubt that there are thousands of people around the world today feeling that same displeasure.
The better reaction to OBL's death, in my opinion, was the considerably less-raucous candlelight vigil held in NYC.
(Note: I am not saying that Americans should not be glad justice has been served and OBL is dead. What I am saying is that perhaps it would have been better to be a little more restrained for national security purposes. That's it).
I guess I am just genuinely afraid that my countrymen's public displays of joy and exuberance after OBL's death may incite more violence against our country. I am sure there are people in the world who are pissed about last night's party in front of the White House just like I was furious when I saw people celebrating in the streets in the Middle East after the towers fell.
The only difference is that the people who are going to be pissed about Americans' exuberance over OBL's demise are people who supported him in the first place; and those people are probably prone to violent anti-American tendencies.
I really hope that I am wrong, but I would not be surprised if we created some new terrorists today. Let's just hope the CIA, the SEALs, the rest of our defense network, and our rulers are prepared and able to keep us safe. No one knows what is coming for us next, but I am sure it will be bad. And that scares me to no end.
Stop Screwing Yourselves (Part IV): Get Engaged in Politics
The main point of my blog is to inform, and, hopefully, inspire young people in terms of caring about political events. All too often I hear my fellow youths talking about how political happenings are irrelevant to their lives, and that they can't do anything to change the political sphere anyway. The first claim is crap, and the second one is sort of legitimate, but mostly crap.
Political events going on today will impact everyone's future well-being (and present livelihood). For instance, let us just look at the enormous public debt our country is facing. Right now, some of our leaders are working on a deficit reduction plan. I am guessing that this plan will include budget cuts and maybe some tax increases. Clearly, people who are affected directly and indirectly by the soon-to-be cut government programs will be affected; additionally, the people who have to pay higher taxes will be affected as soon as the taxes are implemented. Now, all of this will add up to a lower amount of spending in this country, and that means there will be fewer jobs for the unskilled and uneducated (young people and college students) soon. Just check this out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/teen-joblessness-may-hit-record-summer_n_856619.html. Contrary to your beliefs, young people, you are feeling economic pain now and you will be feeling the pain of the political (and economic) process in a few weeks.
Furthermore, because whatever deficit reduction plan our government creates probably will not do anything to dent the total public debt (accumulation of all the deficit years), we are going to be screwed in the future. We will be screwed over down the line because we will have to pay higher taxes, deal with massive government reductions, or default on debt (or some combination of the three). This curtailing of our economic futures will be the result of failures today, just like the fiscal issues of today are a result of the political failures of the past.
In short, current political events affect many lives now, and will affect everyone in the future; oftentimes political mistakes will add up over the years and punish citizens in the future economically because it costs more money (due to inflation and interest) to clean those errors up. That is why I want you all to pay attention and get involved now.
As for the claim that we young people have no influence on political events, do you people not remember the 2008 presidential election? About 24 million people under the age of the 30 voted, with 18 million of those going for Obama. Those 18 million votes put Obama in the White House.
In addition to voting, young people can get involved in politics in terms of corresponding with political organizations. We can get in contact with lobbying groups and other organizations (such as the College Democrats and Republicans).
Additionally, we can write to our representatives and voice our concerns. For instance, I know right now that a Facebook group ("Forgive Student Loan Debt to Simulate the Economy") is planning a massive e-mail campaign that will send all our Congresspersons messages discussing the state of higher education financing.
So, fellow young people, you can get involved in politics if you want to. And, in my opinion, you all need to. Our futures are on the line and I think we all should be adamant about getting a fair deal.
Political events going on today will impact everyone's future well-being (and present livelihood). For instance, let us just look at the enormous public debt our country is facing. Right now, some of our leaders are working on a deficit reduction plan. I am guessing that this plan will include budget cuts and maybe some tax increases. Clearly, people who are affected directly and indirectly by the soon-to-be cut government programs will be affected; additionally, the people who have to pay higher taxes will be affected as soon as the taxes are implemented. Now, all of this will add up to a lower amount of spending in this country, and that means there will be fewer jobs for the unskilled and uneducated (young people and college students) soon. Just check this out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/teen-joblessness-may-hit-record-summer_n_856619.html. Contrary to your beliefs, young people, you are feeling economic pain now and you will be feeling the pain of the political (and economic) process in a few weeks.
Furthermore, because whatever deficit reduction plan our government creates probably will not do anything to dent the total public debt (accumulation of all the deficit years), we are going to be screwed in the future. We will be screwed over down the line because we will have to pay higher taxes, deal with massive government reductions, or default on debt (or some combination of the three). This curtailing of our economic futures will be the result of failures today, just like the fiscal issues of today are a result of the political failures of the past.
In short, current political events affect many lives now, and will affect everyone in the future; oftentimes political mistakes will add up over the years and punish citizens in the future economically because it costs more money (due to inflation and interest) to clean those errors up. That is why I want you all to pay attention and get involved now.
As for the claim that we young people have no influence on political events, do you people not remember the 2008 presidential election? About 24 million people under the age of the 30 voted, with 18 million of those going for Obama. Those 18 million votes put Obama in the White House.
In addition to voting, young people can get involved in politics in terms of corresponding with political organizations. We can get in contact with lobbying groups and other organizations (such as the College Democrats and Republicans).
Additionally, we can write to our representatives and voice our concerns. For instance, I know right now that a Facebook group ("Forgive Student Loan Debt to Simulate the Economy") is planning a massive e-mail campaign that will send all our Congresspersons messages discussing the state of higher education financing.
So, fellow young people, you can get involved in politics if you want to. And, in my opinion, you all need to. Our futures are on the line and I think we all should be adamant about getting a fair deal.
Stop Screwing Yourselves (Part III): Learn Money Management Skills
Next to learning how to think properly, I believe it is crucial for young people to learn money management skills. Specifically, young people need to understand the benefits of saving money, compounding interest, and opportunity cost.
I believe most of the practical knowledge on the aforementioned topics can be addressed in an economics class. Additionally, the earlier someone understands these concepts, the better. I know some high schools have money management classes. Take as many as you can! The more you know about managing money, the better off you will be in the long term (I wish I had taken a money management class in high school, but I didn't and now I am paying for it).
There are a few tips I can give to my fellow young people right now, though. First, every young person should start a retirement account ASAP. As I have posted numerous times on this site, we will not be able to rely on Social Security for our retirements. And, the earlier you start your retirement account, the earlier you can start taking advantage of compounding interest. You will regret putting this off later in life because you will end up having to sock away much more money down the line in order to be ready for retirement. In terms of finding places that host retirement accounts, check your bank or local credit union.
Additionally, try to pay off student loans ASAP. That interest builds up over time, and it's not uncommon for you to pay back the principals and an additional 30% in interest. On a related note, try to be as cheap as possible when you are in college. You'll save a bundle in the long term.
Finally, try to cut down on the non-essentials. For instance, the next time you are at a gas station, don't waste your money on the concessions. They are too expensive. You'd be better served putting that money in the retirement account I told you to start.
If you master the major money management concepts of opportunity cost and compounding interest, you should be financially set.
I believe most of the practical knowledge on the aforementioned topics can be addressed in an economics class. Additionally, the earlier someone understands these concepts, the better. I know some high schools have money management classes. Take as many as you can! The more you know about managing money, the better off you will be in the long term (I wish I had taken a money management class in high school, but I didn't and now I am paying for it).
There are a few tips I can give to my fellow young people right now, though. First, every young person should start a retirement account ASAP. As I have posted numerous times on this site, we will not be able to rely on Social Security for our retirements. And, the earlier you start your retirement account, the earlier you can start taking advantage of compounding interest. You will regret putting this off later in life because you will end up having to sock away much more money down the line in order to be ready for retirement. In terms of finding places that host retirement accounts, check your bank or local credit union.
Additionally, try to pay off student loans ASAP. That interest builds up over time, and it's not uncommon for you to pay back the principals and an additional 30% in interest. On a related note, try to be as cheap as possible when you are in college. You'll save a bundle in the long term.
Finally, try to cut down on the non-essentials. For instance, the next time you are at a gas station, don't waste your money on the concessions. They are too expensive. You'd be better served putting that money in the retirement account I told you to start.
If you master the major money management concepts of opportunity cost and compounding interest, you should be financially set.
Props to Obama, the Navy SEALS, and the CIA for Getting UBL and New Intel
I will admit that I have been a huge skeptic and critic of President Obama thus far. I thought he was in over his head and he was incapable of making a tough decision. However, I have to give the man props for ordering the mission that killed Usama bin Laden (UBL). That took some huge balls for a few reasons.
First, he did not know for certain if UBL was in that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. If bin Laden wasn't there but a bunch of Al-Qaeda operatives were, some 40 Navy SEALS would have been in severe danger. And Obama would've had to live with those consequences personally and politically.
Additionally, this mission took an incredible amount of secrecy. Obama could not tell the Pakistani authorities before the strike due to the fact that the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI) may very well have some pro-Al Qaeda sympathizers who would have alerted bin Laden. It remains to be seen how this will affect relations with Pakistan.
President Obama also deserves credit for reiterating the fact that Americans are not at war with Islam. Perhaps Muslims around the world will believe him more than they believe President Bush.
Obviously, SEAL Team 6 (I believe they are the SEALS specially trained for counter-terrorism missions) deserves massive credit for getting this done. It took 7 months of preparing for this strike (in terms of getting the intel and getting the team ready to strike); obviously their hard work paid off. They also deserve credit for getting very valuable intel from the compound they killed UBL in.
Finally, I have to acknowledge the great job the CIA did in terms of getting the intelligence on bin Laden and keeping it quiet.
All in all, this operation was well-planned and well-executed. Mad props to everyone.
First, he did not know for certain if UBL was in that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. If bin Laden wasn't there but a bunch of Al-Qaeda operatives were, some 40 Navy SEALS would have been in severe danger. And Obama would've had to live with those consequences personally and politically.
Additionally, this mission took an incredible amount of secrecy. Obama could not tell the Pakistani authorities before the strike due to the fact that the Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI) may very well have some pro-Al Qaeda sympathizers who would have alerted bin Laden. It remains to be seen how this will affect relations with Pakistan.
President Obama also deserves credit for reiterating the fact that Americans are not at war with Islam. Perhaps Muslims around the world will believe him more than they believe President Bush.
Obviously, SEAL Team 6 (I believe they are the SEALS specially trained for counter-terrorism missions) deserves massive credit for getting this done. It took 7 months of preparing for this strike (in terms of getting the intel and getting the team ready to strike); obviously their hard work paid off. They also deserve credit for getting very valuable intel from the compound they killed UBL in.
Finally, I have to acknowledge the great job the CIA did in terms of getting the intelligence on bin Laden and keeping it quiet.
All in all, this operation was well-planned and well-executed. Mad props to everyone.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Stop Screwing Yourselves (Part II): Get Your Priorities Straight
This is my second post on how young people can stop screwing themselves over. (Note: this piece will mostly be based on anecdotal evidence and detailed observations as opposed to scientific studies). Anyway, I am quite certain that youths today are too distracted by nonsensical baloney and they would do well to heed my criticisms and get their priorities in order.
My first complaint is against cell phone usage. I have no problem with cell phones per se (I am not a Luddite); my issue is with their ubiquitousness. You see, it is impossible to walk down the street in any city without being bumped into by someone who is posting a stupid status update on his or her Facebook while holding a video chat with his or her BFF while looking up directions to the nearest Baby Gap. It is almost as if many young people are totally unaware of the world because they are solely utilizing technology for socializing purposes and never for informational purposes.
I wish young people would take a step back from their mobiles and chill out; they need to recognize that it is unnecessary to post Facebook updates from their cells every time they buy a new pair of shoes or have an exceptionally stinky bowel movement. Instead of wasting their precious (and fleeting) time texting, updating Facebook 26 times every day, and having long-winded IM chats about nothing, young persons should try to take a step back and think some deep thoughts about life, love, happiness, and death. Actually considering some of the greatest puzzles that have ever vexed our race (such as the topics I just mentioned) may impact the world: Facebook updates primarily impact Mark Zuckerberg's pockets.
My next complaint is against the excessive sports coverage young people pay attention to. I love sports as much as anyone else, but, for the love of God, why do you need to know every single score at every moment of the day? How exactly does any of this impact your lives? There are more important things going on in the world than the Heat/Celtics playoff series. For instance, people are being slaughtered in Syria and Libya by oppressive dictators, our fellow Americans are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our government is on the brink of bankruptcy. Why aren't the people in my generation paying more attention to stuff like this?
In the grand scheme of things, whoever wins the NBA championship should not matter (the winners only won a few silly games after all); however, they will probably be remembered for generations to come. On the other hand, the young men and women who died in Afghanistan and Iraq will eventually be forgotten despite the fact that they made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country. This situation is absolutely shameful and speaks volumes about the priorities of our people. Does this embarrass any of you? I sure hope it does; if a lot of you are embarrassed, there may be some hope for the future of our nation.
I know a lot of young people will make foolish decisions and forget about their priorities (I certainly screwed up, too). My advice for them is simple: learn from those errors. If one misses an opportunity, he or she should jump all over the next chance. If he or she does poorly in a class, he or she should make sure to pay more attention to school. Essentially, I want my generation to make success a priority.
Finally, this is the most important thing I can tell my fellow young people to do: learn how to think critically and logically. The ability to truly think is probably the best attribute any decent human being can have.
If you follow these tips, you will live a considerably more happy and prosperous life. And you may even help fix our ailing country.
My first complaint is against cell phone usage. I have no problem with cell phones per se (I am not a Luddite); my issue is with their ubiquitousness. You see, it is impossible to walk down the street in any city without being bumped into by someone who is posting a stupid status update on his or her Facebook while holding a video chat with his or her BFF while looking up directions to the nearest Baby Gap. It is almost as if many young people are totally unaware of the world because they are solely utilizing technology for socializing purposes and never for informational purposes.
I wish young people would take a step back from their mobiles and chill out; they need to recognize that it is unnecessary to post Facebook updates from their cells every time they buy a new pair of shoes or have an exceptionally stinky bowel movement. Instead of wasting their precious (and fleeting) time texting, updating Facebook 26 times every day, and having long-winded IM chats about nothing, young persons should try to take a step back and think some deep thoughts about life, love, happiness, and death. Actually considering some of the greatest puzzles that have ever vexed our race (such as the topics I just mentioned) may impact the world: Facebook updates primarily impact Mark Zuckerberg's pockets.
My next complaint is against the excessive sports coverage young people pay attention to. I love sports as much as anyone else, but, for the love of God, why do you need to know every single score at every moment of the day? How exactly does any of this impact your lives? There are more important things going on in the world than the Heat/Celtics playoff series. For instance, people are being slaughtered in Syria and Libya by oppressive dictators, our fellow Americans are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, and our government is on the brink of bankruptcy. Why aren't the people in my generation paying more attention to stuff like this?
In the grand scheme of things, whoever wins the NBA championship should not matter (the winners only won a few silly games after all); however, they will probably be remembered for generations to come. On the other hand, the young men and women who died in Afghanistan and Iraq will eventually be forgotten despite the fact that they made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country. This situation is absolutely shameful and speaks volumes about the priorities of our people. Does this embarrass any of you? I sure hope it does; if a lot of you are embarrassed, there may be some hope for the future of our nation.
I know a lot of young people will make foolish decisions and forget about their priorities (I certainly screwed up, too). My advice for them is simple: learn from those errors. If one misses an opportunity, he or she should jump all over the next chance. If he or she does poorly in a class, he or she should make sure to pay more attention to school. Essentially, I want my generation to make success a priority.
Finally, this is the most important thing I can tell my fellow young people to do: learn how to think critically and logically. The ability to truly think is probably the best attribute any decent human being can have.
If you follow these tips, you will live a considerably more happy and prosperous life. And you may even help fix our ailing country.
Stop Screwing Yourselves (Part I): Secondary Education Failures
I have decided that it is time for me to talk about problems we young people are creating for ourselves. Sometimes, people need a metaphorical boot to the loins from someone who knows their struggles, and I believe I am an appropriate person to kick some youths' butts due to the fact that I am young. The Millenials and Gen Z'ers need to get their acts together in terms of one of the largest problems facing us as a nation: our abysmally large high school dropout rate and the general apathy of high school students. If our young people fail to wake up academically, the long-term consequences for our futures could be catastrophic.
Approximately 25% of all high school students in the USA will drop out at some point before graduation (see: http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Grad-Nation/Building-a-Grad-Nation.aspx). The current graduation rate of 75% is about 10 points lower than the OECD average. Nations with promising futures (such as Korea) have graduation rates almost 20 percentage points above our fair nation's rate.
What really bothers me about that high drop out rate is that, in general, high school today is not hard as measured by national standardized tests (like the SAT). The SAT is designed to measure college readiness (or how much students learned in high school). Let's look at what should have been learned in high school as assessed by the SAT: http://www.universitylanguage.com/quiz/SAT/. Compare those questions to the questions a high school graduate and prospective student at Harvard in 1899 would have had to deal with: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/education/harvardexam.pdf. Quite a difference in difficulty and expectations, eh? If you are a high school student and you are planning on dropping out because "classes are hard", just remember what you would've dealt with in 1899. That should put any ideas of dropping out to rest.
Even more troubling than the low graduation rate is the fact that high school students do not seem to be learning anything. In terms of reading and scientific comprehension, American high schoolers are mediocre compared to other OECD countries. As for mathematical knowledge, the USA's students are far behind their counterparts in countries like China and Korea (see: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf).
This trend of illiteracy in mathematics is discouraging. Mathematics is one of the languages in our reality (I have not figured out yet if math can completely describe reality) and it is unreasonably good at describing our universe. Our future ability to compete in the world economy will be directly related to today's youths being able to succeed in mathematics and math-based disciplines (such as engineering, physics, and computer science). So far, it looks like our competitors are winning the battle for mathematical and technological superiority.
However, I have some encouraging news for you high schoolers struggling with math: Archimedes, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Leonard Euler all spent hours every day studying math (Google those names if you do not recognize them). If it took those geniuses hours of diligent study to understand mathematical topics, it is no surprise that it takes you a lot of time as well. So, do not be discouraged if you can't figure out a problem; the giants of math I just mentioned struggled at times, too. Just keep trying.
In sum, high schoolers, it is time to stop screwing around. Get off your computers, turn off your iPhones, open up your trigonometry books, and get working on using that unit circle to derive the tangent function's graph. You will be at it for a while, just like the great mathematicians of the past were.
Approximately 25% of all high school students in the USA will drop out at some point before graduation (see: http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Grad-Nation/Building-a-Grad-Nation.aspx). The current graduation rate of 75% is about 10 points lower than the OECD average. Nations with promising futures (such as Korea) have graduation rates almost 20 percentage points above our fair nation's rate.
What really bothers me about that high drop out rate is that, in general, high school today is not hard as measured by national standardized tests (like the SAT). The SAT is designed to measure college readiness (or how much students learned in high school). Let's look at what should have been learned in high school as assessed by the SAT: http://www.universitylanguage.com/quiz/SAT/. Compare those questions to the questions a high school graduate and prospective student at Harvard in 1899 would have had to deal with: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/education/harvardexam.pdf. Quite a difference in difficulty and expectations, eh? If you are a high school student and you are planning on dropping out because "classes are hard", just remember what you would've dealt with in 1899. That should put any ideas of dropping out to rest.
Even more troubling than the low graduation rate is the fact that high school students do not seem to be learning anything. In terms of reading and scientific comprehension, American high schoolers are mediocre compared to other OECD countries. As for mathematical knowledge, the USA's students are far behind their counterparts in countries like China and Korea (see: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/54/12/46643496.pdf).
This trend of illiteracy in mathematics is discouraging. Mathematics is one of the languages in our reality (I have not figured out yet if math can completely describe reality) and it is unreasonably good at describing our universe. Our future ability to compete in the world economy will be directly related to today's youths being able to succeed in mathematics and math-based disciplines (such as engineering, physics, and computer science). So far, it looks like our competitors are winning the battle for mathematical and technological superiority.
However, I have some encouraging news for you high schoolers struggling with math: Archimedes, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Leonard Euler all spent hours every day studying math (Google those names if you do not recognize them). If it took those geniuses hours of diligent study to understand mathematical topics, it is no surprise that it takes you a lot of time as well. So, do not be discouraged if you can't figure out a problem; the giants of math I just mentioned struggled at times, too. Just keep trying.
In sum, high schoolers, it is time to stop screwing around. Get off your computers, turn off your iPhones, open up your trigonometry books, and get working on using that unit circle to derive the tangent function's graph. You will be at it for a while, just like the great mathematicians of the past were.
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