Response to “Let The American People Grow Our Own Crops”

I’m unclear on what “decision” you are talking about. As far as I know, there are no bans on producing our own crops. In the northern states, farms still produce corn, potato, beans, and grains such as wheat and rice. Other west coast states sill contribute fruits and vegetables as well. Although it is true that we import some crops and vegetables from other place, but that is because it is sometimes cheaper. Now if you are talking about the HR 875
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, then growing tomatoes in your back yard is not illegal. The act sets tougher regulations on farms and factories that produces and sells for profit. The regulations are in set so that farmers and factories are not putting in chemicals and pesticides that can harm its consumers. Yes, the new bill makes it harder small farms to produce and sell, but it’ll make the products that go into the supermarkets safer. Take the peanut recalls for example. In late January to march, Peanut Corporation of America caused a salmonella outbreak that caused over 500 people to be ill.

America Again

There once was a time when America had money and used it for the good of people around the world, there once was a time when peace came from meetings and handshakes and there was once a time when people around the world looked upon America for leadership, hope and inspiration. All of these things seem far away today, but I know it's still there.

Our influence around the world must remain positive because it allows opportunities for America to prosper. For example, when we borrow money from other counties, we are competing with many other counties for that money as well. That is why our image is important. Also during times of negotiating peace talks and other crisis, we want our opinions to matter on the world stage to but if we set a bad example, like the way we entered war with Iraq, who would listen to us. During a town hall with Turkish students, Obama talked to the students about peace and prosperity and his ideals on the matter. Obama said "Words are good and understanding is good, but ultimately it has to translate into concrete actions ... These things take time, and the idea is that you lay the groundwork and slowly, over time, if you make small efforts, they can add up into big efforts."

I feel that President Obama is doing a great job in restoring a positive image back to America and will take serious step in restrengthening our country. The new president represents a new optimism and hopefully a new future.

New Regulations

According to an article by Veronica Salazar from USA TODAY, the cause of the economic meltdown can be traced back to big businesses making poor choices. The blog deals with an article concerning the regulations of stock markets, financing and high risk investments. Over the past months, the events concerning A.I.G’s bail-out and bonuses have led to the question, "Can we leave our financial well being to big corporations without oversights from the government?" The answer is clearly no. The article centers around the idea that regulations need to be in place as soon as possible to lessen the damage of future economy. Their failures threaten not only “their own viability but (also) the health of the financial system and the U.S. economy.” Without the help of the U.S government, these large businesses such as AIG would have gone under, with it the economy. However, these businesses cannot be left unregulated. She thinks that the ideas Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner outlined Thursday represent a logical starting point.

One, credit default swaps, a large and unsupervised market, must be regulated. They pose a threat in a highly interconnected market with “computerized global trading,” making debts’ credible backing unclear. This means large losses in times of economic downfall. “They're the chief reason taxpayers have put more than $180 billion into AIG.” Two, super-regulators should have “the same power to take over big non-bank financial institutions that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. now has to take over banks.” By taking out failing businesses, super regulators can help protect depositors and stabilize the economy. Three, hedge funds, “high-risk investment pools that remain largely unsupervised,” should be supervised more. “The hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management required a $3.6 billion bailout in 1998.” This shows that a company should not be given special treatment regardless of reputation or prestige. When they are borrowing money, a business must provide all necessary documents and evidence. Fourth, to prevent executives from burning down the house for quick profits, financial firms must pay their executives not for short-term performance, but for long-term profit. By doing this, shareholders-owners cut down excess spending and promote better performance.

The author clearly stresses the fact that if you're gambling with taxpayer money, you should accept reasonable limits on your business. The article also points out that If a corporation is too big to fail, it deserves to be broken up into much smaller banking corporations. I agree with that statement. We should have never let these banks get that big.

Buyers Are Us

There are very few people who do not feel the weight of the economic pressure upon them or someone close to them. People all around us are going through tough times because of gas prices or layoffs. Nearly 2.8 million jobs were lost during 2008 and many others experienced pay cuts; many others such as my sister who works for a Japanese technology company. Many questions come to us when we think of today's situation such as "Am I going to be OK?" "Are the savings going to pull us through?" or "Will I have enough to last till payday?" One question that we must ask ourselves is"Was there anything I've done to prevent this problem" I agree that big corporations and bad business practices are a major contributing factor to the economic crisis, but we ourselves need to be held responsible too. In an article by Lex Loeb, he explains why as consumers, we must think of our actions and how it has affected the economy. As I read his article, I became convinced that this statement holds true. Loans are a bittersweet gamble in today standards and credit is a direct example of this. There are a very few people who I meet that are not in debt either from credit cards or loans of some kind. It should be common sense that we should not buy for what we can not pay for, but with that card in our wallets, that LCD flatscreen T.V is a must.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1238258/unsecured_loans_the_formula_for_economic.html?cat=9

Blagojevich on TV

I know this story is somewhat out dated but I think it's noteworthy. After President Obama's senate seat was available for appointment, Governor Rod Blagojevich became the center of attention. The now former Governor of Illinois was arrested on charges of political corruption in December of 2008. A month later he was finally impeached. Instead of attending the trials and hearings, he went on talk shows like Late Night with David Letterman. On the last day of the trial, Blagojevich finally requested a closing statement, but that wasn't enough to change the panel of senator's decision. Here is a link of an article covering his TV campaigns.

Blagojevich on TV