Constitution Assignment Part B (Revised)

Section 1 of Article 4 in the Constitution ensures that laws in other states are respected by the other states. This means that a gay couple that is married in one state is also married in another state. Even though gay marriage is not legal in many states, these states must accept gay couples who are married in another state. Therefore, if a gay couple wants to get married but they are living in a state where gay marriage is not allowed, they can go to a state where gay marriage is allowed and then move back to the state they came from. The “Full Faith and Credit” provision in Article 4 limits states so that the states cannot stop people from doing something legal in their state but illegal in other states.

The amended portion in Section 2 of Article 4 guarantees that slaves, in one state, escaping to another state are not free from the state and that they must be returned to the state. If slaves were able to be freed from their states by running away, then all slaves would attempt to run away to be free. Then if all slaves ran away – or killed because they failed to run away – from their states, then the white people back then would not have anyone working for them for free. Runaway slaves will also decrease the gaps between the social classes; the slaves would be freed and allowed the chance to become rich. These white people included the rich white men who signed the Constitution and wrote “we the people” in the Preamble. This proves that “we the people”, as stated in the Preamble, are not really the actual citizens of the United States but they are the rich white men who did not think about the slaves. The Constitution contradicts what America is known to be, a country of freedom and equality. Not allowing the slaves to have a chance to become free shows that America is not providing freedom for the slaves. By categorizing them as "slaves" does not give a sense of equality; it seems as if America is putting people in poor and rich categories.

The 2nd Amendment allows only “well-organized militias” to have guns because they are regulated by the government. These people carry guns to protect the country and they are well trained so it reduces the chance of an accident happening. Not everyone should carry guns because some people are not well trained and they may abuse the right to carry a gun. It is especially dangerous if children are around adults who carry guns all the time; the children may want to get their hands on the gun or the gun might go off unintentionally. “A well regulated militia” should only be allowed to carry guns for the safety of the country and the citizens.

I do not think the 4th amendment is contradicted by MTA, library, and/or airport searches because the MTA, the library, and the airport have a reason to search people. They search people for dangerous weapons that may harm the people and weapons that may seem like an attack on the country. In order to prevent events like the 9/11 from happening, the police increased the frequency of the searches. If the police only searched a particular group of people, then the police are not doing their job correctly. But if they are searching to prevent attacks, then I think the police has the right to search people with a reason.

Ebay Assignment

My strategy on bidding was to make a very late low bid at the last minute and hoped that no one will outbid me. I was pretty nervous because I was afraid I was going to lose something that I needed badly. After making my bid, I kept refreshing the page to check if anyone outbid me. Luckily, no one used J-bid on the product. Then, of course, there's always the pride of winning something by bidding for the first time.

This experience felt like capitalism because it seemed like it was me against everyone else who had their eye on the product. It was unlike the simulation we did in class, where some people were able to transfer credits to others so that they can get what they want. This reminds me of when we talked about the Koreans, Cubans, and Japanese, the model minorities, and how they became rich by borrowing money. They borrowed wealth to earn more wealth to pay the money they borrowed and made profit. When I was on eBay bidding, I was not able to borrow money from anyone; I was not a Korean, a Cuban, or a Japanese. On the other hand when we were doing the simulation, there were Koreans, Cubans, and Japanese because money were being borrowed; but in the simulation, the money were not paid back.

This affects some of the American Way of Life because people who are not like the Koreans, Cubans, or Japanese cannot depend on anyone else. Therefore, they create their own little bubble and block out everyone else. Some of these people learn to not trust other people and only trust themselves. Their point of view on the American Way of Life may be to be independent because no one can be trusted. However, the Koreans, Cubans, and Japanese may have the exact opposite point of view on their American Way of Life. Because they are able to trust one another that they borrow money to one another. Their American Way of Life is to help others and may be easier with all the money that they earned.

Final

There is not only one American Way of Life; there is more than one American Way of Life. People have different views on how to live an American Way of Life and what influences it.

A white, middle class female said that an “American Way of Life is about having a democracy…” Her point of view on an American Way of Life is all about freedom, equality among other people, and the power to express oneself. One of the good aspects of an American Way of Life is “having the freedom of speech” which is stated in the first amendment. The amendments are created by the people who are elected into the office. Therefore, without the politics, people would not be living the American Way of Life. The American Way of Life is also shaped by the “cultures” that are around the Americans. Americans are made up by people that come from all over the world and they bring a little part of their country with them. In this case, people from other parts of the world share their cultures with other Americans. As time progresses, the cultures combine and creates a new culture.
On the other hand, a white, middle class male said that “we don’t really have the freedom” the country claims to have given to the Americans. He thinks that the laws are created to act like boundaries so that Americans are not able to have the freedom to do whatever they want. When he thinks about the American Way of Life, he sees “people striving for success” and trying to reach the top of the social class. People come to America to try and succeed in life, a life where people basically roll on money, in an environment where people have the same goal. Unfortunately, he does not live an American Way of Life because he does not “give a shit about success”. Some people may not care about how other people live an American Way of Life but he chose not to follow the same path most Americans take.

Similarly, an Asian, middle class male believe that the American Way of Life is like a “competition” where the rich tries to stay rich and the poor or middle class try to become rich. He also agrees that the American Way of Life is about having “freedom” and he adds that people are more “independent”. In a way, Americans get to have what they want, live alone without having their parents sticking their nose into their businesses, and find a career that they love to do. The American Way of Life provides more “job opportunities” for him and therefore he is given more options when he has to choose his career. He is currently not living an American Way of Life and that he will “eventually be living an American Way of Life”. Some people are not living the American Way of Life the second they are born; they transition from another way of life into the American Way of Life.

My father sees the American Way of Life as the American Dream where people are more focused on “education, getting a stable career, creating a family, keeping in touch with friends, and living in a big house”. Education is necessary to get a career that will pay enough so that people can make a living. Once an individual has proven that one can make enough money to support a family, they can get into a relationship and maybe even buy a house. The American Way of Life is steps to achieving the famous American Dream. But my sister believes that “the American Way of Life is pointless and people do things that do not help them continue living their life”. She currently lives the pointless American Way of Life because all she does is go to work and watch TV. Although she thinks the American Way of Life is made up of unnecessary things, she is planning to “achieve the American Dream, where people live in big houses”. Basically, she is living the meaningless American Way of Life.

People define the American Way of Life differently. Some see it as living freely while others believe that we're only believing to live in a country of freedom. The American Way of Life cannot be defined in a way that people call it a correct definition. Each individual live their own definition of the American Way of Life and have their own perspective on it.

The holidays Americans celebrate affect the American Way of Life. For example, Thanksgiving is a holiday where my siblings and I go out to eat. We had planned to go to this restaurant but they tripled the price so we decided to eat at a Taiwanese restaurant. The price went from $15 per person to around $45 per person. People take advantage of these holidays to make money because they know that people will be consuming a lot of food. It seems as if the typical American Way of Life is to use the holidays to make more money off people.

This also brings us to the fact that Americans consume a lot; ten times more than Chinese people and thirty times more than Indians, according to the video. In order to save the world from limited resources and hungry Americans, the Buy Nothing Day is created. At one point, it seems okay to eat all you can on Thanksgiving, because it is a holiday. But it also does not seem okay to use up all of the world's resources, and Thanksgiving seems to be contradicting that. I think a typical American will disregard the Buy Nothing Day because Americans are used to living their life using up the world's resources.

Black Friday also contradicts the Buy Nothing Day because these stores are luring Americans to buy their products. It shows how people prioritize money over saving the world regardless of the Buy Nothing Day. My older sister decided not to buy anything on Black Friday this year not because she acknowledges the Buy Nothing Day, but because there were no products that meets her eyes. Other people still go out on Black Friday to satisfy their greed even though it is also a day when people buy nothing. The fact that people choose to buy stuff rather than not buy anything shows that Americans do not take the time to think about all the resources that are being used up.

Greed for things that are not necessary to live also affects the American Way of Life. Shoppers at the Long Island Wal-Mart only care about the cheap stuff in the store and not about the life or death of a human being. They are so desperate to get what they want that they would climb over other people to get it. While the worker was attempted to be saved, the shoppers continued to push people, disregarding the life of the worker. The shoppers would rather save money on something they have been waiting to get and take the life of a worker. They are selfish in a way that even when they knew that an employee got killed, they refused to leave because they have been waiting since 5 in the morning. This reflects the American Way of Life because people are in their little bubble and do not care about others. Even in the train stations, people push through other so that they can get a seat on the train. They do not wait for the people on the train to get off and they just elbow people out of the way. People need to not only think of themselves sometimes and take the time to do something for other people.

The Constitution, highest law of the land, contraints and shapes the American Way of Life. Section 1 of Article 4 in the Constitution ensures that laws in other states are respected by the other states. This means that a gay couple that is married in one state is also married in another state. Even though gay marriage is not legal in many states, these states must accept gay couples who are married in another state. Therefore, if a gay couple wants to get married but they are living in a state where gay marriage is not allowed, they can go to a state where gay marriage is allowed and then move back to the state they came from. The “Full Faith and Credit” provision in Article 4 limits states so that the states cannot stop people from doing something legal in their state but illegal in other states.

The amended portion in Section 2 of Article 4 guarantees that slaves, in one state, escaping to another state are not free from the state and that they must be returned to the state. If slaves were able to be freed from their states by running away, then all slaves would attempt to run away to be free. Then if all slaves ran away – or killed because they failed to run away – from their states, then the white people back then would not have anyone working for them for free. These white people included the rich white men who signed the Constitution and wrote “we the people” in the Preamble. This proves that “we the people”, as stated in the Preamble, are not really the actual citizens of the United States but they are the rich white men who did not think about the slaves.

The 2nd Amendment allows only “well-organized militias” to have guns because they are regulated by the government. These people carry guns to protect the country and they are well trained so it reduces the chance of an accident happening. Not everyone should carry guns because some people are not well trained and they may abuse the right to carry a gun. It is especially dangerous if children are around adults who carry guns all the time; the children may want to get their hands on the gun or the gun might go off unintentionally. “A well regulated militia” should only be allowed to carry guns for the safety of the country and the citizens.

The US government should overrule state government laws against gay marriage because the laws against gay marriage contradicts the 14th amendment. Gay marriage is a "privilege" of citizens of the United States so state governments cannot create laws banning gay marriage. The US government should also step in to protect fetuses - as "persons" - from states that allow abortion. However, exceptions can be made by having a trial; for example, if a women gets raped, she should be heard by a jury to abort the baby. Women have the right to the liberty control of their own body and reproductive choices. The body and reproductive cells belong to the women and the government cannot take the right for a women to make choices for herself.

I think that the 13th amendment is the most significant because it eliminates slavery. Without the 13th amendment, slavery would still be going on and people would still think that it is okay to oppress people. Slavery would not only limit slave from interacting with people not their kind, but it would also limit other people from interacting with the slaves. It also strengthens the white supremacy and allows other races to feel even more inferior to the whites. The 13th amendment is partially why the United States is a country with freedom and equality.

Constitution Assignment Part D

Constitutional amendments changes laws that are stated in the Constitution. Laws are rules that were not mentioned in the Constitution. The Constitution is not a perfect document so people make changes in the Constitution and thus, America is a step closer to reaching its goal. If I had the influence, I would amend the twenty-first amendment in the Constitution.
The twenty-first amendment in the Constitution removes the eighteenth amendment; legalizing alcohol. Drinking too much alcohol can lead to alcohol poisoning and that can be dangerous for the drinker. Those people are just using up the resources in the hospital; the equipments and energy used on them can be used on someone who appreciates life. Then, if alcohol becomes a problem throughout the United States, then the population will decrease. As the population decreases, there will be less people filling up the jobs and working to keep the economy running. By removing the twenty-first amendment, which replaces the eighteenth amendment back into the Constitution, can save the United States money on the equipments used on saving the alcohol addicts and the economy.

I think the Constitution is a good starting point for the United States to create a "more perfect union". The Amendments are taking the United States even more further to reaching America's goal. For example, section two of the first article states that slaves count for only three-fifths in the census. Then in 1868, the 14th amendment removed that statement in the first article; allowing equality throughout the country. Even though having slaves in the first place is not a good idea, the 14th amendment fixed the Constitution to make the United States a more just society.
In section three of the first article, it states that the senators are elected by the state legislatures. Amendment seventeen gave the people of the states,instead of the state legislatures, the right to elect their senators. This gives the people of the United States more power and it does not allow the state legislatures to hog the power. It also fulfills the beginning of the Preamble that states "we the people of the United States". The people's job/duty is to create amendments that will help make America a better society.
Section two of the second article states that the President shall be the one who obtains the most electoral votes and the Vice President shall be the one who receives the second most electoral votes. In 1804, the 12th amendment allows the President cooperates with the Vice President and runs together during the election. Therefore, if the President receives a vote from the electoral college, then the corresponding Vice President also receives a vote from the electoral college. The 12th amendment avoids having to choose the President and the Vice President when two candidates receive the same amount electoral votes. This amendment brings the United States closer to creating a more stable society for the people.

The Constitution allows the United States to become a country of freedom and equality. With the first amendment, people are able to practice whatever religion they want, say whatever they want, see whoever they want, and write whatever they want. Allowing people to practice the religion they please creates a society with multiple religion and beliefs. It also creates controversies because of what people believe in; like "marriage is only between men and women". The freedom to believe what we choose to believe is partly the reason why people say "that's how it's supposed to be".
Equality allows the United States to become a more diverse country with people from around the world. People interact with each other and learn from each other to create something new in the United States. The 13th amendment, the amendment that abolishes slavery, was a turning point for America. It allowed people to interact with the former slaves and their descendants so people can learn more from others. People do not really form groups because of this equity and diverse interactions between race and cultures.
The Constitution also provided equality between men and women so that women do not need to feel inferior to men. Amendment nineteen makes sure that people are not forbidden to vote because of their gender. America, and the Constitution, believes that people, of any race and gender (and culture), are supposed to be treated equally. This is why women today can do most things men can do and they are able to stand up for themselves. The Constitution created a society of freedom and quality.

Constitution Assignment Part C

I think that the US government betrayed these ideals frequently and deeply because of white supremacy. The Chinese immigrants had to build the railroads because the whites would not do it and the job is hard labor. During World War II, the Japanese-Americans were rounded up in concentration camps because the rich white people governing the country were afraid that they would become a threat to the country. Even now, Mexicans are doing the hard labor and still, they are receiving low wages from using more energy than most whites. Because whites has been running the country for many years, they tend to take advantage of others.
The US government should overrule state government laws against gay marriage because the laws against gay marriage contradicts the 14th amendment. Gay marriage is a "privilege" of citizens of the United States so state governments cannot create laws banning gay marriage. The US government should also step in to protect fetuses - as "persons" - from states that allow abortion. However, exceptions can be made by having a trial; for example, if a women gets raped, she should be heard by a jury to abort the baby. Women have the right to the liberty control of their own body and reproductive choices. The body and reproductive cells belong to the women and the government cannot take the right for a women to make choices for herself.
I think that the 13th amendment is the most significant because it eliminates slavery. Without the 13th amendment, slavery would still be going on and people would still think that it is okay to oppress people. Slavery would not only limit slave from interacting with people not their kind, but it would also limit other people from interacting with the slaves. It also strengthens the white supremacy and allows other races to feel even more inferior to the whites. The 13th amendment is partially why the United States is a country with freedom and equality.

Wal-Mart Trampled Worker Analysis

These shoppers only care about the cheap stuff in the store and not about the life or death of a human being. They are so desperate to get what they want that they would climb over other people to get it. While the worker was attempted to be saved, the shoppers continued to push people, disregarding the life of the worker. The shoppers would rather save money on something they have been waiting to get and take the life of a worker. They are selfish in a way that even when they knew that an employee got killed, they refused to leave because they have been waiting since 5 in the morning. This reflects the American Way of Life because people are in their little bubble and do not care about others. Even in the train stations, people push through other so that they can get a seat on the train. They do not wait for the people on the train to get off and they just elbow people out of the way. People need to not only think of themselves sometimes and take the time to do something for other people.

Thanksgiving, Blaack Friday, and Buy Nothing Day

Thanksgiving is a holiday where my siblings and I go out to eat. We had planned to go to this restaurant but they tripled the price so we decided to eat at a Taiwanese restaurant. The price went from $15 per person to around $45 per person. People take advantage of these holidays to make money because they know that people will be consuming a lot of food. It seems as if the typical American Way of Life is to use the holidays to make more money off people.
This also brings us to the fact that Americans consume a lot; ten times more than Chinese people and thirty times more than Indians, according to the video. In order to save the world from limited resources and hungry Americans, the Buy Nothing Day is created. At one point, it seems okay to eat all you can on Thanksgiving, because it is a holiday. But it also does not seem okay to use up all of the world's resources, and Thanksgiving seems to be contradicting that. I think a typical American will disregard the Buy Nothing Day because Americans are used to living their life using up the world's resources.
Black Friday also contradicts the Buy Nothing Day because these stores are luring Americans to buy their products. It shows how people prioritize money over saving the world regardless of the Buy Nothing Day. My older sister decided not to buy anything on Black Friday this year not because she acknowledges the Buy Nothing Day, but because there were no products that meets her eyes. Other people still go out on Black Friday to satisfy their greed even though it is also a day when people buy nothing. The fact that people choose to buy stuff rather than not buy anything shows that Americans do not take the time to think about all the resources that are being used up.

Constitution Assignment Part B

Section 1 of Article 4 in the Constitution ensures that laws in other states are respected by the other states. This means that a gay couple that is married in one state is also married in another state. Even though gay marriage is not legal in many states, these states must accept gay couples who are married in another state. Therefore, if a gay couple wants to get married but they are living in a state where gay marriage is not allowed, they can go to a state where gay marriage is allowed and then move back to the state they came from. The “Full Faith and Credit” provision in Article 4 limits states so that the states cannot stop people from doing something legal in their state but illegal in other states.
The amended portion in Section 2 of Article 4 guarantees that slaves, in one state, escaping to another state are not free from the state and that they must be returned to the state. If slaves were able to be freed from their states by running away, then all slaves would attempt to run away to be free. Then if all slaves ran away – or killed because they failed to run away – from their states, then the white people back then would not have anyone working for them for free. These white people included the rich white men who signed the Constitution and wrote “we the people” in the Preamble. This proves that “we the people”, as stated in the Preamble, are not really the actual citizens of the United States but they are the rich white men who did not think about the slaves.
The 2nd Amendment allows only “well-organized militias” to have guns because they are regulated by the government. These people carry guns to protect the country and they are well trained so it reduces the chance of an accident happening. Not everyone should carry guns because some people are not well trained and they may abuse the right to carry a gun. It is especially dangerous if children are around adults who carry guns all the time; the children may want to get their hands on the gun or the gun might go off unintentionally. “A well regulated militia” should only be allowed to carry guns for the safety of the country and the citizens.
I do not think the 4th amendment is contradicted by MTA, library, and/or airport searches because the MTA, the library, and the airport have a reason to search people. They search people for dangerous weapons that may harm the people and weapons that may seem like an attack on the country. In order to prevent events like the 9/11 from happening, the police increased the frequency of the searches. If the police only searched a particular group of people, then the police are not doing their job correctly. But if they are searching to prevent attacks, then I think the police has the right to search people with a reason.

Constitution Assignment Part A

The Preamble states that the Constitution is created to ensure that "we the people" create an orderly, stable and just society. The goals are to create peace, defense for the people, welfare, and freedom.
Article I LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

• Closest and most directly responsible to the people
• Two parts: balance each other
• Requires approval of both House of Representative and Senate
• Most responsive
• Elected every 2 years
• Representatives represents their own state
• Census conducted every tens years to determine number of members of Congress
• Special elections are held to replace members that are missing
• Limit president by choosing speakers
• Able to impeach
• Limit larger states from dominating
• Each state gets 2 senates
• Elected every 6 years
• 3 elections within 6 years
• represents their own states
• vice president votes to break ties
• senate cannot be influenced by other branches
• senate becomes court during impeachment
• 2/3 senate must vote to convict
• convicts cannot be a part of the United States government
• elections are held the first Tuesday of November on even years
• congress meet with president on January 3
• congress controls its own members
• they create punishments and penalties
• must keep journal
• congress must deal with each other
• congress cannot be arrested for what they say
• people in the executive branch cannot be part of congress
• house of representatives start tax bills
• house of representatives and senate must pass bill for president to sign it
• if president veto it, more than 2/3 congress must override veto
• if president does not sign for 10 days, it is a pocket-veto
• tax rate is equal throughout the united states
• congress can borrow money
• power to create clear, simple, system of trade
• congress controls how immigrants because citizens and how to deal with bankruptcies
• controls the value of money
• controls mail system
• controls who studies technology
• controls courts other than the supreme
• power to declare war
• create armies
• regulates army
• makes rules for the government; regulates land and navy
• each state is responsible for their security
• capital of the country is Washington DC
• power to create laws
• citizens cannot get arrested without committing a crime
• citizens cannot go to jail without going through court
• tax depend on personal income
• exports are not taxed but imports are
• controls trade between state boundaries
• president cannot take money from the country
• other countries cannot bribe government officials
• states can only control affairs in itself and not between states

Article II EXECUTIVE BRANCH

• Constitution does not put many specific restrictions on the executive power.
• Electoral College: state legislatures decide how electors for that state will be chosen. Number of electoral votes = Number of Senators and Representatives.
• The Tuesday after the first Monday of November, every 4 years: when electors cast their ballots. Decided by the Congress
• Requirement: 14 years of living in the US, natural born citizen, 35 years old.
  
• VP becomes president if president dies or resigns
• The Congress cannot change the salary of the president ($ 200,000) in the middle of a term
• When the president takes office, they swear oath to the Constitution and only the Constitution (not the country of USA).
• Military Powers: the president would be the commander in chief, for the army and the navy of the US.
• President has the power to grant pardons.
• Heads of the executive departments = cabinet. Require their opinion in writing.
• Treaties; appointment: need the approval of senates/ Supreme Court
• give a state of Union address occasionally
• adjourn Congress if 2 houses are divided about it
• Receive ambassadors and commission officers
• Make sure the laws of the US are faithfully executed
• The president and VP will be taken out of office if they’re discovered committing treason, bribery or other high crimes.

Article III JUDICIAL BRANCH

• Salary of the federal judges cannot be reduced: maintain their “good behavior” and judgments
• The Supreme Court handles cases involving the Constitution, federal laws, treaties and diplomatic officials, international cases between the US and another country, between 2 states(no longer applies; restricted in 1795 by the 11th amendment)/ citizens of 2 states.
• can appeal judgments of lower courts
• first ones to hear and decide cases (foreign ambassadors and individual states)
• every case but impeachments
• Jury made to make sure the government does not make judgments hastily and does not make unjustified judgments.

It felt overwhelming when reading and taking notes on the Constitution because it was like 3 pages of words to read. Most of the information were review but I also learned from reading the first three articles of the Constitution.

Insights and Questions:

1. What is the definition of "just" for the courts?
2. "We the people" may not refer to the actual people of the United States because it is written and signed by rich white people in history.
3. I think that the Constitution's definition of treason contradicts The First Amendment. Treason should only apply if one acts upon it.
4. What happens when a judge is not doing the job?
5. Legislative Branch has more power and responsibility than the others.

Reaction To Election

This election made me wonder if Obama is really going to make a change in the American history. It feels as if many people see this election as an African American candidate running against a Caucasian candidate. I remember people wishing that one day there will be an African American president so that African Americans will not feel inferior. Now that America has an African American president, it would not make sense for people to discriminate against African Americans. But America has been fighting against discrimination for years and I don’t think that Obama being the president will decrease the amount of racism.

The elections also made me wonder if Obama is able to get America out of this big “ditch” and get America back on track. I think that the whole point of this election and the whole point of choosing a president are so that America can be successful. Electing Obama (or McCain) will not get America out of this big ditch and America might be worse than it is right now. The probability of anyone getting America out of this state is very slim so basically this election is just delaying what is going to happen to America. I think that Obama decided to run for president at a wrong time because he is going to give a bad impression since he is unable to aid America.

Short Synopsis of How Capitalism Works and the Good About It Draft 2

“Capitalism is an economic system based on private property and the profit motive in which goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed through free markets.” The dominate framework of capitalism is the land, the labor, and the capital; where the land is the raw materials that are used to make the goods or stuff that are needed to make the services possible, the labor is the people who are actually doing the work that is done to process the free market, and the capital is the money or tools used to make profit. Capitalism enables one to make more money if one has the ability to so one does not have to be on the same social class than others. People invest wealth on capital to make profit that turns into more wealth. Some of that wealth is being reinvested onto the capital to make even more profit that turns into even more wealth. In the definition of capitalism, profit motive is the desire to make money. The founder of the apple company wanted to make money and, therefore, created the apple company. The market price is the price buyers and sellers agree on; the price almost always higher than what the buyer wants to buy the product at and lower than what the seller intends to sell the products at. This way, buyers can buy products at a price they wish to pay and sellers can sell the product at a price where they can still make profit. The free market is all about competition and negotiation. The prices in free markets are not set and therefore people can compete and negotiate with prices. "Everyone benefits from lower prices" (Bland). Companies compete to make more money by lowering the prices to try to get people to buy their products. This way, people can buy products at a lower price while companies still make money with the lowered price. Capitalist countries allow “two-for-one special on sleeping bags in aisle three”. The fact that stores close down do not necessarily have to be bad news. “They close down because they can't compete. They can't deliver the quality good at the lowest price. The market mechanism dictates these losers be replaced with the firm that will best serve the public interest.” Capitalism eliminates the stores that carry products with poor quality. Having a capitalist economy provides better products for the people by getting rid of the stores that cannot give the people what they want. Capitalism enables social mobility and is led by the invisible hand. The invisible hand is thought as an actual hand or an angel that comes to lift things and make things work together. Without the invisible hand, people would not be able to work together to get what people want to need. During the 1800’s in a small town of Hamilton, Valentin Keller was a 26 year old, small, 5 feet 6 inches tall tailor (Boaz). Keller had gotten sick a year later and died at the age of 41; his 36 year old wife later joined him a month later. But the rest of his family is taller, heavier, healthier, and living longer today than Keller himself when he was living. Gina Kolata researched and reports the scientific findings and interviews on why Americans today are able to maintain their healthiness compared to Americans in the 19th century. Dr. Robert W. Fogel found that the retirement age was around 85 and now, the retirement age is around 62. Boaz believes that capitalism is the answer to the significant changes between American health today and American health back then. The process of creating more wealth has caused capitalist countries to invest that wealth on sanitation, more than enough food for the people, vaccines, and antibiotics. Capitalism caused better sanitation and better immune system so people today will not get sick as easily.

Short Synopsis of How Capitalism Works and the Good About It

“Capitalism is an economic system based on private property and the profit motive in which goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed through free markets.” The dominate framework of capitalism is the land, the labor, and the capital; where the land is the raw materials that are used to make the goods or stuff that are needed to make the services possible, the labor is the people who are actually doing the work that is done to process the free market, and the capital is the money or tools used to make profit. Capitalism enables one to make more money if one has the ability to so one does not have to be on the same social class than others. People invest wealth on capital to make profit that turns into more wealth. Some of that wealth is being reinvested onto the capital to make even more profit that turns into even more wealth. In the definition of capitalism, profit motive is the desire to make money. The founder of the apple company wanted to make money and, therefore, created the apple company. The market price is the price buyers and sellers agree on. It is almost always higher than what the buyer wants to buy the product at and lower than what the seller intends to sell the products at. This way, buyers can buy products at a price they wish to pay and sellers can sell the product at a price where they can still make profit. The free market is all about competition and negotiation. The prices in free markets are not set and therefore people can compete and negotiate with prices. Capitalism enables social mobility and is led by the invisible hand. The invisible hand is thought as an actual hand or an angel that comes to lift things and make things work together. Without the invisible hand, people would not be able to work together to get what people want to need.

"I, Pencil" Summary, Quotes, and Analysis (Edit)

The main idea of this essay is that people are limited to what they can do. The pencil talks about what it is made of to show all the people that are needed to make it. Fortunately, none of these people actually know how to make the pencil all by themselves because this way, people can work together to create something that is used everyday in life (like the pencil). The pencil is created because of natural forces that cause one to do what they know in exchange for other goods/services.
1. "Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me."
2. "Think of all the persons and the numberless skills that went into their fabrication..."
3. "The absence of a master mind, of anyone dictating or forcibly directing these countless actions which bring me into being."
The pencil's reference to the amount of people needed to make it and the different materials that is needed to make it is similar to the working factor of capitalism. The people are the labor; the tree, seed, etc. are the land, and the saws, trucks, ropes, etc. are the capital. No one knows how to make the pencil all by themselves because they are only told what to do and not to do what they can do. Some people create part of the pencil and the other people create the other part of the pencil. They create the parts without knowing what the parts are for or why they are doing it. The only thing they do know is that they are creating these parts to exchange for other goods/services they need. This natural force that cause people to create the pencil without knowing that they are creating it is "the Invisible Hand". The Invisible Hand causes large companies and/or corporations to become greedy and take advantage of their workers. Therefore, these large companies and/or corporations are one of the factors that cause people to work together in creating something useful.

"I, Pencil" Summary, Quotes, and Analysis

The main idea of this essay is that people are limited to what they can do. The pencil talks about what it is made of to show all the people that are needed to make it. Unfortunately, none of these people actually know how to make the pencil all by themselves. The pencil is created because of natural forces that cause one to do what they know in exchange for other goods/services.
1. "Simple? Yet, not a single person on the face of this earth knows how to make me."
2. "Think of all the persons and the numberless skills that went into their fabrication..."
3. "The absence of a master mind, of anyone dictating or forcibly directing these countless actions which bring me into being."
The pencil's reference to the amount of people needed to make it and the different materials that is needed to make it is similar to the working factor of capitalism. The people are the labor; the tree, seed, etc. are the land, and the saws, trucks, ropes, etc. are the capital. No one knows how to make the pencil all by themselves because they are only told what to do and not to do what they can do. Some people create part of the pencil and the other people create the other part of the pencil. They create the parts without knowing what the parts are for or why they are doing it. The only thing they do know is that they are creating these parts to exchange for other goods/services they need. This natural force that cause people to create the pencil without knowing that they are creating it is "the Invisible Hand". The Invisible Hand causes large companies and/or corporations to become greedy and take advantage of their workers. Therefore, these large companies and/or corporations assign jobs to people and limit them to what they can do so the companies and corporations can make the profit.

Draft

There is not only one American Way of Life; there is more than one American Way of Life. People have different views on how to live an American Way of Life and what influences it.
A white, middle class female said that an “American Way of Life is about having a democracy…” Her point of view on an American Way of Life is all about freedom, equality among other people, and the power to express oneself. One of the good aspects of an American Way of Life is “having the freedom of speech” which is stated in the first amendment. The amendments are created by the people who are elected into the office. Therefore, without the politics, people would not be living the American Way of Life. The American Way of Life is also shaped by the “cultures” that are around the Americans. Americans are made up by people that come from all over the world and they bring a little part of their country with them. In this case, people from other parts of the world share their cultures with other Americans. As time progresses, the cultures combine and creates a new culture.
On the other hand, a white, middle class male said that “we don’t really have the freedom” the country claims to have given to the Americans. He thinks that the laws are created to act like boundaries so that Americans are not able to have the freedom to do whatever they want. When he thinks about the American Way of Life, he sees “people striving for success” and trying to reach the top of the social class. People come to America to try and succeed in life, a life where people basically roll on money, in an environment where people have the same goal. Unfortunately, he does not live an American Way of Life because he does not “give a shit about success”. Some people may not care about how other people live an American Way of Life but he chose not to follow the same path most Americans take.
Similarly, an Asian, middle class male believe that the American Way of Life is like a “competition” where the rich tries to stay rich and the poor or middle class try to become rich. He also agrees that the American Way of Life is about having “freedom” and he adds that people are more “independent”. In a way, Americans get to have what they want, live alone without having their parents sticking their nose into their businesses, and find a career that they love to do. The American Way of Life provides more “job opportunities” for him and therefore he is given more options when he has to choose his career. It was interesting to find out that he is currently not living an American Way of Life and that he will “eventually be living an American Way of Life”. Some people are not living the American Way of Life the second they are born; they transition from another way of life into the American Way of Life.
My father sees the American Way of Life as the American Dream where people are more focused on “education, getting a stable career, creating a family, keeping in touch with friends, and living in a big house”. Education is necessary to get a career that will pay enough so that people can make a living. Once an individual has proven that one can make enough money to support a family, they can get into a relationship and maybe even buy a house. The American Way of Life is steps to achieving the famous American Dream. But my sister believes that “the American Way of Life is pointless and people do things that do not help them continue living their life”. She currently lives the pointless American Way of Life because all she does is go to work and watch TV. Although she thinks the American Way of Life is made up of unnecessary things, she is planning to “achieve the American Dream, where people live in big houses”. Basically, she is living the meaningless American Way of Life.

Looking At Other People's Blogs

Jia Min = lol, the naruto pictures are so cute. >_<
Melanie = Gasp, you drive a bigger car than I do T_T
Andy = Yooo, you gotta teach me how to swing the sign thing.
Karl = lol, friends and family are the only things.
Esther = lol, you have the JB concert in it.
Everyone incorporated their friends in their video and their family. They also mentioned entertainment whether it's watching anime/tv, reading manga, drawing, going behind the wheel, playing sports/video games, singing, playing instruments, or just chilling with their friends.

Grade Me

Grade Me from Maggie on Vimeo.
Description:
I have included a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game in this video. There is only one part in this video and it is just a part of the usual image I see when playing the game. I spend most of my free time on the computer and what I do is play the game. In the game, you create a character of yourself and you travel around the world killing monsters to gain experience. The game requires you to have Internet connection so it’s basically a worldwide game. This allows players to interact with other players and socialize electronically. Like the game, we spend our lives interacting with people and learn from them.
What’s good about my way of life is that people can interact and learn from people all around the world. It is helpful for people who are unable to travel around the world. What’s bad about my way of life is that people can get too absorbed into it and thus causing people to become unaware of the real world. It also causes people to rely on technology (computers, internet, etc.) and it can cost a lot to get the technology as it progresses or the amount of electricity that is being used up to power the technology. People interacting online are not able to get the full experience from interacting across the world but it is more experience than just interacting with others in person alone.
I would have liked to include a video of instant messaging but I figured it would give away too much contact information of others. This is important to my way of life because like the MMOPRG, IM-ing is another way of interacting with people and staying connected with friends. People who do not like chatting on cell phones are able to chat on the Internet through IM services. xD
Analysis & Insight:
My way of life is all about interacting with people even those from all over the world and staying in touch with friends. Both the MMORPG and IM services are ways to chat with people through the Internet. I like to hang out with friends and staying together with family. Basically, I like to be around people I know well and I try to learn whatever I can from them. I also like know people from around the world and learn about how they live their life. A pattern in my way of life is someone who enjoys spending time on the computer and learning about the new technology the world is working on today. That someone would also like to be entertained by game and they would like to be around their friends and family.
The good is that I have the people I love there for me when I need them. They are there to listen to the little stuff that happen in school or when I need someone to talk to for advice. I have full access to them whether I'm at school or at home because I have what I need to get in contact with them. I am thankful for the technology: the cell phones, computers, and the Internet; they make my way of life work. The only setback about technology is the way it needs to be powered and how much we rely on it. Using electricity cost a lot of money and in the future, the world may be dominated by technology. Even so, I believe that my way of life is in balance.
I think my way is pretty typical because we all use the Internet and the computer a lot. The Internet is world wide so not only does the Americans use it, people around the world use it. I think that as time progresses, technology will also grow with it.