Nov. 26 Assignment

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/10/15/121015ta_talk_surowiecki

Surowiecki, . "Congress and the Fiscal Cliff." New Yorker. 15 2012: n. page. Print. <http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/10/15/121015ta_talk_surowiecki>.

The Fiscal Cliff


  In James Surowiecki's  The Fiscal Cliff he elaborates on what the fiscal cliff is, what the backup plan is for when congress fails on coming up with a plan of their own, and what is cuasing this to happen.

His points are that there was a preset plan(budget cuts) in case congress didn't reach a deal, and that the country would be worse off with these cuts in place. These cuts were supposed to get congress to agree on another plan instead of this one, which they didn't.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/08/27/120827ta_talk_surowiecki

Surowiecki, . "The Track-Star Economy." New Yorker. 27 2012: n. page. Print. <http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/08/27/120827ta_talk_surowiecki>.

Economy for Immigrants

James Surowiecki goes in detail in his article Economy for Immagrants, on how hard it is for people( specifically foreign students in the US) to find a good job once they finish school here, what the benifits would be if they were able to get jobs and visas here more easily, and how we compare against other countries.

Many foreign students would prefer to stay and put their skills to work here after they graduate, but they can’t get work visas. People find themselves stuck in immigration limbo for years, waiting for visa and green-card applications to be approved.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/12/03/121203ta_talk_surowiecki

Surowiecki, . "Disaster Economics." New Yorker. 3 2011: n. page. Print. http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2012/10/15/121015ta_talk_surowiecki.

Cost of Disasters

James Surowiecki informs us of the costs of natural disasters in Cost of Disasters, an article of his that explains the hardships and costs of natural disasters. One disaster he specificaly talks about is hurricane Sandy.

The costs of natural disaster relief is getting to be a great sum. The problem with this is the question of how this country could afford to keep doing this, the fact that our response and "paths" for that response are not up to date, and whether or not politicians would approve laws to set aside money for such disasters.

Michael Newberg

11-13-12

#3

There are two people that had the most influence on me are my parents. My mother came from a large school in California and moved up to Minnesota where she met my dad. My dad grew up in a small town and on a farm in Minnesota. They are both self-employed, my father being an attorney with fifteen plus years of experience in Stillwater and my mother a personal trainer. They have influenced me in many ways. Two specific examples were that they taught me to get the most knowledge I could and to get my work done before I did what I wanted to.

Both of my parents largely encouraged me at a young age to work hard and to learn the most that I could through constantly telling me to do so and by doing it constantly themselves, so it rubbed off on me. That was where I attained a great work ethic and a willingness to learn.  I always get my work done before I do anything else that is a trivial use of my time. I have always been able to get my work in on time, if present for the assignment, as well as if I were gone. For example, I have the project due next Monday for Web Design already done. For the most part it is complete, with the exception of a few tweaks here and there.

Having a great work ethic did wonders for my grades in school and will have a great effect in my future.  It  encourages me to be successful at what I am are doingThe point that I am trying to make is that everybody, meaning those without this quality, would be better off if they did have them.

A willingness to learn also went hand-in-hand with my work ethic, because they both relied on each other in school and in life. Whenever I am confronted with a puzzle or activity for the mind I never give up until I either find it out or happen to be told by someone else, but even then I look to see if it indeed would work or was the right answer. This can have a good impact as well as a bad impact. If everyone wanted to learn at the same level that I do it would create a healthy competition for knowledge. This would eventually give people that otherwise wouldn’t try or that aren’t as good at learning a better chance to be more qualified for jobs than they would be otherwise.

As you now know from reading this document the person(s) who had the most impact on my life were and are my parents. They taught me things that helped/ help/ will help in my life. The two main bits of knowledge they gave me were the willingness to learn and to have a good work ethic, both of which help me in life and specifically helped me with this paper. When I do eventually leave my parents, I will try to apply these two qualities with everything I attempt. If given the chance in life, I will also teach these qualities to others that I influence.

My Biggest Fish

My Biggest Fish (Favorite Event)

The water batted across the tiny would-be boat. The wind had stilled as if it too had bee snuffed out, like the candles that it so often does. Rays of golden sun shone down upon my pale white skin and the water draped upon it. No clouds were dawned upon the sky, for there was no cold for them to be of any use. A polyethylene fish lay dangling from a long, flexible cord of plastic attached to a wooden stick with a cranking device on the side. Connected to that fish were short, curving metal rods with points on each end, each group looking like a miniature bent pitchfork. Muscles tense and move the rod with great speed, sending that insignificant fish into the water a distance away. Seven twitches, and a jerk bring a living fish to the bait. Arm accustomed to a stronger fight glide the creature across a pale green algae bloomed water. Greedy hands reach out to that prize that easily fits in them.
Those who call this prize insignificant know nothing of its beauty. Muddy emerald scales tinted with black and gold cover this creature like gems on the royal crown. Released from pain and greed, it swims into the depths of the unknown. Same spot? Why not. Muscles ready and spring. The lure becomes water as it slips into the liquid, becoming invisible from these eyes trained to read the water. Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. My line screams as it is torn out of its compartment. A v forms around the line as it touches the water. The boat turns, proving this is in fact a log of the depths and not a log of a plant. Hands hold and crank the line, bringing this monstrous creature to light.
A noise of pure joy sounds, carried by the lake to all who would listen. "Too big for the well." Too big for the well? Nothing is ever too big for the well. With top speed, the boat races back to its origin a hard clay beach. Taken out of its medium, gasping for breath, knowing all too well what will happen. This prize is destined for a cold prison, and not given freedom like its brethren.



I learned from this event that life can bring you surprises if you wait. Just because you get something small at first (the short end of the stick), doesn't mean that you can't get anything better or bigger. Getting the bigger fish taught me the importance of patience and just because you cover one area/topic doesn't mean you have discovered all that is there. It taught me to be patient with life and not give up on something right away.


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Nothing was changed.

Well, election day is upon us. Have you chosen who you will vote for? I have, and I will tell you who I would vote for and why.

The person that you should vote for is Mitt Romney. Why? Well, for starters his plan to cut spending has realistic goals. For example, “any turnaround must begin with clear and realistic goals. Optimistic projections cannot wish a problem away, they can only make it worse. As president, Mitt’s goal will be to bring federal spending below 20 percent of GDP, which is in line with the historical trend of 18 to 20 percent by the end of his first term.” Also, Obama's plan failed. “Since President Obama assumed office three years ago, federal spending has accelerated at a pace without precedent in recent history, taking us from an already staggering $3.5 trillion in federal spending in 2010 to a projected $5.6 trillion within the next decade. This sharp rise has been entirely a matter of choice. Even as federal spending remains wholly within our control, Washington is spending money in an out-of-control fashion. Since the 1950s, federal spending as a percentage of GDP has hovered around 20 percent. When President Obama took office, it shot up to 25 percent, a level not seen since World War II. Before the recession, the federal government spent $25,000 per household. That number has now soared past $30,000 and is on track to hit $35,000 within the next decade.” “The Romney plan to reduce spending includes a three-pronged approach including not doing things “the American people can’t afford,” – repealing health care reform, privatizing Amtrak, cutting funding to Planned Parenthood, cutting funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and cutting foreign aid. By cutting Obamacare, the campaign estimates that the federal government will save $95 billion. The additional four programs total $2.6 billion.”

Another reason why you should vote for him is that he has a much better approach to health care than Obama does. For example, “Romney’s Massachusetts plan was limited to the states, it is better tailored to the people of Massachusetts. Obama’s health care plan is an example of Washington overstepping its boundaries because it places a mandate on 100% of Americans.” “The costs are commensurate: Obamacare added a trillion dollars in new health care spending. To pay for it, the law raised taxes by $500 billion on everyone from middle-class families to innovative medical device makers, and then slashed $500 billion from Medicare.” “Mitt will begin by returning states to their proper place in charge of regulating local insurance markets and caring for the poor, uninsured, and chronically ill. States will have both the incentive and the flexibility to experiment, learn from one another, and craft the approaches best suited to their own citizens.” Romney plans to promote free markets and fair competition. Competition drives improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, offering consumers higher quality goods and services at lower cost.  It can have the same effect in the health care system, if given the chance to work.

First Blog Post

My favorite life experience.

My favorite life experience would have to be when I caught my biggest largemouth bass to date, which was almost 7 lbs on Squaw Lake.

I never thought teachers would use Facebook for class.