What is Working, What is Not (Revised)

I must start by telling the truth: I do not know much about the world. I have been a tourist in Canada and Mexico, but I have not explored the markets in India or attended a governmental summit in Japan. The world is again becoming "flat," where there are no hidden horizons or places known to be unknown. The world is reaching out to everyone, but I have failed to embrace it. Hopefully, through the course of this year, I will be able to make up for lost time and get to know about the subjects that have been trying to get to know me. There are some things I find to be extremely frustrating in our society, like the existence of political parties and the way laws are produced to prevent lawsuits. In the economy, I have found that products are no longer designed to fill a need but to entice customers to keep buying the same product. I feel that these subjects are the easiest for me to comment on because these issues are the ones that directly affect me. I can only hope that my thoughts and opinions may inspire others to wonder about the same things.

Political parties. A political party can be defined as "a group of persons organized for the purpose of directing the policies of a government," according the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. How many political parties are there then, if they are meant to represent the ideals of the individual? There are only two main parties to represent some 281 million citizens in the United States. Can a person’s opinions really fit so closely enough with one party’s goals that the person could identify themselves as a member of that party? How will new ideas be created and the government be reformed if the same ideals are presented every term? Are the propositions truly tweaked enough every four years to create diversity in the elections? Another point I would like to make is that some people have ethics and ideals that are similar to both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party, yet fit neither. I personally support free trade and stronger state-level control on access to abortion, which could classify me as a Republican. However, I also support same-sex marriage, think personal guns should be illegal, and want stronger environmental restrictions. I, then, would probably register as neither a Democrat nor a Republican. When would I get a chance to vote? I would not be able to vote in the primaries, which seriously decreases my choices in the official election. How about the Independent parties? Why do they never seem to gain substantial support? The answer lies in the legacy. Just as parents like to teach their children which religion is true, which food is healthy and which universities to go to, they also like to teach their children about ethics and ideals. If your parents’ religion strictly forbids abortion, like the Catholic Church, then it is likely that you will grow up believing that abortion should be illegal. In later years, similarities in ethics and ideals can lead to similarities in political views and parties.

Another issue I have faced is abundance of “preventative” laws. Have you ever found a law that prevents you from doing something great, just to prevent other people from doing something harmful? Or perhaps you simply want to host a spaghetti dinner to raise funds for a local charity, like my Civic Responsibility class is attempting. Even though our school's Key Club is allowed to have a spaghetti dinner for the same reason, we are banned from the kitchen. Students in our class are not certified to cook or keep the kitchen up to health code standards, preventing us from just trying to improve the community. However, if the law were not in place, just about anyone could cook and sell tainted or undercooked food items. I can understand a law concerning the health of others, because the same laws apply to commercial restaurants and cafeterias. What I do not understand is the type of law that forbids activities in certain places, when in other circumstances the activity would be acceptable. Every two years my school hosts an "All-Night Party," during which all high school students are bused between the school and various recreational venues all night long. However, when our Civic Responsibility class suggested a similar activity, but only with seniors and not leaving the school, we were again rejected. I am not quite sure as to why we were rejected, but it was implied that the reason had to do with a worry that the students would deface/destroy school property. We also tried to pull together a Varsity Basketball vs. high school teachers game, but again, it is against the law. Apparently, according to our teacher, principal, and superintendent, it is illegal for adults to play sports with non-adults in school functions or on school property. At any park or home, games are played between adults and children all of the time. I just wish that laws about such specific events could have been written with more concern towards allowing the situations in a safe manor than just writing them off completely.

My new favorite thing in the economy is the start of buying "atmosphere" with your product or service. Last weekend I decided to eat at the Melting Pot, a restaurant chain that serves multiple types of fondue. The prices: outrageous. How much would you pay for a few cubes of bread, some celery, carrots, and melted cheese? If you are going to the Melting Pot, about $9 a person, and that's sharing the cheese! The truth is, you are paying for the atmosphere. You are paying for the fancy convection heater for the cheese on your table, the intricately designed layout and the pretty lamps. Industry knows that you would not pay a lot of money for food at home, but you would to go somewhere fancy. Another great example of atmosphere is the Ipod. Right now, a 16GB Ipod Nano is priced at $199 and the 8GB Ipod Touch is $229. Why is it $30 more for half the function? Simple: the Ipod Touch has atmosphere. Nice, touchable atmosphere. Everyone knows that you buy an Ipod to use it for storage of songs, music, and video, and so does Apple. Apple also knows that until something new and innovative like a 3D video-projecting Ipod is invented, their products can only change in atmosphere and not function. All of our economy is like this. Until something new is invented, companies will just make minuscule changes to the products we already have to make us want new products that perform the same function. Economically, getting consumers to buy products helps to circulate money in times where the economy may be failing. It is important for consumers to not save all of their money when money is short nationally, because when less money is spent then the economic depression can only worsen. However, using technology and engineering, new products and designs can be created to keep consumers buying, only they will be buying things they don’t already have rather than small updates on current possessions.

It is important to keep thinking of the future. In the coming years, I will make sure to pay attention to the newest goals of the Democratic and Republican Parties, so that when I am able to vote I will be able to make the most of what choices I have. I plan on finding ways to help my school’s community in the coming months by using the allowances I am given to make the most of what is legal. And yes, I plan on buying the newest Ipod Nano as soon as I have enough money to purchase one. Although it is similar to other mp3 players circulating throughout the markets, it has new features that are the result of pressure on companies to create new products. By purchasing that piece of new technology, I hope to be encouraging the progression of technological advances. By understanding the reasons why things are the way they are, it is much easier to accept them for what they are or strengthen your case on how to change them.