Of the State of Nature vs. DOI

In class, we recently read John Locke's Of the State of Nature. At the beginning of the essay, I agreed with everything Locke was saying. He presented ideas of perfect freedom and equality, which I'm sure many of us can agree on; however, he then took a drastic shift in to presenting new ideas very different to his original ones.

Locke asserts that creatures of the same species and rank should be equal among each other, which is a very relateable idea. It only makes sense that common people should be treated in the same way. However, I somewhat disagree with this idea. It is not right if people who are not alike, or hold different positions in society are treated differently from each other. True equality is when all people are treated the same. This is actually a very complicated idea because a person who had committed multiple crimes should not necessarily be treated the same as someone who has not committed crimes.

I found it very interesting that Locke presented only two states of nature, which were unity and chaos, there was no in between. And these two things depended on relationships and trust among the people. This is very similar to how the Declaration of Independence is stated. Most of it has to do with equality and the consequences that come with rejecting this idea. The Declaration of Independence states that "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal", and the Of the State of Nature says that we need to "preserve the rest of mankind".

One of the main things I noticed that was different between the two was that Of the State of Nature is more blunt when concerning the death penalty and things of that nature. No pity was shown from John Locke concerning this subject which was very off putting to me. The transition from all men being created equally to punishing wrong doers was very unexpected.

I agreed with both of the writings on many points and believe that they bring about valid ideas that will make our society a better place.

Gun Rights

As many people can agree, there has been a lot of controversy concerning guns and gun rights in our society lately. With several deadly school shootings occurring across the country within the last decade, our government has been taking many serious steps in working on fixing this problem that has grown drastically over the last few years. Many laws have been reinforced in hopes of creating a safer environment for civilians and many protests and rallies have been held against the use and owning of guns. However, some people disagree, and think there is no harm in owning a gun for self-protection and that it is one of their rights to have one.

In Arkansas, there is a march this upcoming weekend where gun rights supporters plan to march the streets with their firearms to prove the point that a law, Act 746 to be exact, supports the open carry of handguns. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel disagrees with this march, and says that the act does not approve that people can openly carry handguns. Many people agree with McDaniel’s opinion.

With the help of police and prosecutors, the participating in the march plan to go through with the march and according to Fort Smith Police Chief Kevin Lindsey there wouldn’t be considered a violation unless one of the weapons are used on another person. The Second Amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms, but it doesn’t specify if they can be held by citizens publicly.

I understand both sides of this argument concerning gun rights. If someone owns a weapon, why shouldn’t they have the privilege to carry it in public? However, on the other hand, people may become tempted to use these weapons in everyday situations where they are not needed for protection.

Although both sides of the argument make sense, it would be far safer for people not to be allowed to publicly carry arms unless they are employed as a police officer, or any other job of that nature. With this simple change in our government, we can quickly avoid many deadly situations that could possibly lead to a decline in many other things such as education. The age of people who shoot guns will become younger which will lead to more youth in jail and our nation will have a lower education rate which will eventually lead to a decline in many other things that are very important to our society! 

Beautiful Broadway

As summer came to a slow but steady end, Broadway ticket prices actually increased to what has been a strong season in terms of average ticket prices! During the week of August 4^th, overall ticket prices increased by more than $1 million to $23.1 million and attendance went from 12,000 to 217, 266. However, the average cost for purchasing a ticket up ticketed by around $1.25 to $106.34. This is a really great economic growth considering that last year, the figure came out to around $98.74.

Part of the explanation is the demand for top tickets. Many theatre goers are buying premium-price seating tickets which, of course, are more costly than the average ticket, or nose bleeds as some may call them. With a high-demand for more expensive tickets, there is also an increase in the amount of money theatres are earning.

Also, ticket buyers are thrilled to purchase tickets for longstanding successes such as “The Lion King” ($157.71; $2,145,484), “The Book of Mormon” ($197.75; $1,730,668), “Kinky Boots” ($142.53; $1,636,476), and “Motown ($120.54; $1,423,791). These shows are often sold out for their 8 show a week run, so we can conclude that the demand to see these shows is very high!

As some say, “the rich get richer”. Many shows not only profit from their run on Broadway in New York during the regular season, but also profit a lot more during the summer and holiday seasons when the city is filled with tourist. Some people may travel specifically to see a show, but many times, it is just stumbled upon. There is always the hype of going to see a show with the Broadway cast in New York. Some may think it’s for “bragging rights” but some agree that the memories from the productions will last a lifetime.

New York is the most beautiful city in the world to many and maybe even the worst to some, but I’m sure that almost everyone can agree that the shows performed on 42^nd Street and beyond are amazing. The thrill of seeing a production and knowing that it may or may not be here 20 or even 10 years from now is exciting. As you sit in those seats that thousands of others have once sat, you are experiencing something unexplainable, magical, and Broadway definitely deserves to benefit from this! And as we can see, they are!

Keep Emergency Fund in Cash or Invest?

 

 

 

                It is often said that people should always keep around six months’ worth of money saved in case of emergency. This money can be used to pay bills, buy food, or pay for other expenses if a family member, or two becomes unemployed. The question is if these savings should be kept at home in cash or if it should be invested in hopes of expanding the amount of money saved.

                New research fund in the Journal of Financial Planning suggests that saving it at home is not a very good idea. With the interest rate going down to zero, having large sums of money will slow down the growth of the emergency fund. If you diversify your money smartly you will see exponential growth while still having access to it whenever you need it. The only risk is having to sell at the most inconvenient time, when markets are tumbling- but the study says that is definitely a risk worth taking!

                Financial planners emphasize the fact that if you are just starting out and do not have much money saved yet, that it is best to keep your money somewhere safe and not take such huge risks yet. However, if you have more “cushion”, then you should go ahead, take a risk, and begin the investment process.

                When considering a risk such as this, it is important to take in to account factors such as how stable your job is, how many unavoidable expenses you have, and whether or not you can depend on your spouse or other family members in case of an emergency. The only thing to worry about is making sure the money is only used for emergencies and not for things such as a sale on a limited edition Birkin Bag!

                Some experts recommend using your Roth IRA during emergencies because you can withdraw money you have deposited at any time free of tax or penalty. However, the important thing is understanding each and every aspect of this. With the Roth IRA, you can only withdraw money you have directly invested, or you can be subject to a ten percent penalty! And who would want that? The entire point of emergency savings is to save, so why risk losing money because you withdrew money for something petty.

                The important thing to remember when investing your emergency savings money is that by withdrawing from it now, you can possibly loose benefits you would have had in the future. So watch where you withdraw and save save save! You’ll be happy in the future!

           

APPLOI, The Comman App for Employment

Many people can confess to having dealt with the stress of applying for jobs.  Not only is it tiring, but also it often leads people to doubt themselves and what they are capable of doing.  Endless hours are spent filling out paper work answering questions about previous work experience, and things that should not take so much time to do, but often do because the prospective employee wants to be hired.  However, a hopefully soon to be solution has just been created!

                An app called Appoli has just been created; it is very similar to the Common Application that high school students use to apply to college.  Although applications will still have to be filled out to apply to jobs, it will be easier because it will be one mass application sent to all companies you wish to apply to with select questions regarding each. However, there is one section that requires a video to be submitted of you answering one of the required questions.  Not all applicants like this portion of the application, but I am sure they would prefer this over the old way of applying to jobs. The great thing about Apploi is that it can all be filled out on your phone, how convenient is that!

                When things like Appoli are created, many people in our society benefit from it.  Appoli not only can help more people become comfortable with applying to jobs, but it will also keep unemployment rates low and the percentage of employed people higher.  Not only do the now employed people benefit, but all of the rest of our economy does also.

                From this, we can conclude that innovators and entrepreneurs are a necessary asset to our economy.    We need their ideas and bold decisions in order to be successful in our economy.  In addition, we also need citizens to work hard in order for these innovations to go to good use.  It is necessary for everyone to do their parts in order to see progress in our economy and when it comes to the Appoli app, it seems that people are.

                   It is astonishing to see how far we have come in terms of technology.  Ten years ago, if someone would have said that people would be able to apply for multiple jobs through one application on their phone, no one would have believed it, but here we are! It’s exciting to think what great innovations will be here in the next few years. 

Attempted murderer turned drug dealer?

Almost thirty years after shooting at four teenagers on a Manhattan subway, Bernard H. Goetz has made himself publicly known again after allegedly trying to sell marijuana to an undercover police officer. He was arrested Friday night; earlier that day, the cop asked if he was selling, to which he replied yes, he went up to his apartment and when he returned, he was arrested.

On December 22, 1984, Goetz, a 37-year-old electrical engineer, was riding on the Seventh Avenue express train when he was approached by four teenage boys asking for the time, cigarettes, and money. He had been mugged in the past, and made the choice to defend himself and avoid letting this happen to again by firing five rounds from an unregistered pistol.

Because of this incident, Goetz became very famous in New York, to some people, he was a hero, and to others he was an out of hand criminal. This raised controversy concerning gun control, crime, citizen’s right to self-defense, and race. Goetz is white, while the four young men were black. One of the young men who were shot at, Darrell Cabey, was paralyzed and suffered from brain damage. Another one of the men, James Ramseur, died in 2011 on the 27^th anniversary of the shooting; his body was found in a motel in the Bronx.

In 1987, Goetz was acquitted of attempted murder but was found guilty of weapons possession. It is unjust that Goetz was not found guilty of attempted murder, although none of the four boys were killed from the shots, he still harmed them and should have been punished for committing a crime. Although that was over thirty years ago, because of a current incident, we can still see that Goetz is still up to no good. According to evidence gathered from the police, Goetz is now a drug dealer. It seems that he has been just trying to make a living ever since the incident in 1984. He ran for mayor in 2001 but has kept a relatively low profile throughout the recent years.

I think one of the larger problems we face relating to Goetz is gun control. It seems crazy that he was able to walk around with a loaded gun. If this was not possible, those four young men would not have been put in danger that day. But if people are demanding guns, someone is always waiting there to supply them.

Are you sure that's natural?

Last month, a very popular restaurant based in Denver that sells Mexican food across the United States posted a video on YouTube has raised controversy amongst its seven million viewers. This restaurant is known as Chipotle. The animated three minute and twenty three second short film consisted of a scarecrow farmer that moves to the city to find a job. When he gets there he comes to realize that many of the things that are labeled “All Natural” and “Farm Fresh” are nowhere close to being natural. The animals are given chickens are given different types of injections to make them twice as large, and the cows are hidden in dark places completely opposite of their natural habitat. However, the consumers of these “natural” foods are completely oblivious to what is happening behind the scenes and continue to support and buy food from these companies and businesses. But don’t just take my word for it… watch the video for yourself:

Now how exactly do you feel after watching that? Do you feel like you have been lied to or taken advantage of? I’m sure however you feel is far from honesty. At the end of the film, the scarecrow went and discovered new ways to not only help the people, but also his environment. If he could do it by himself, why can’t we all come together and make a change? I’m sure it won’t be simply that easy, but once we start the world of food evolve leading us to a much better future.

                Currently, the most disputed part of the debate is the genetically modified organisms- also known as GMO’s- in foods. Last year, Chipotle became the first national company to post on their website which items on their menu contain GMO’s, soon after that, Whole Foods and Ben and Jerry’s followed. Because of this, consumers are becoming more interested in what exactly they are eating, which does not seem illogical at all. Chipotle decision to list this is a good start to changing the way we eat.

                Many companies have lacked using all natural products because of the costs. It would be more expensive and time consuming. This is the same issue that consumers face with making the choice between buying fast-food and buying items to cook a home cooked meal. The healthier option not only costs more money, but also costs more time. However, what they don’t realize is that the time and money they are saving now through buying fast-food will hurt them in the future.