Blog Post #5

A reoccurring theme in my mystory is economies. From discussing my future in the stock market, to my various proposal statements, economies are mentioned often. The above image is a picture of the American dollar, the thing that allows the United States' economy to function. It is the cause for the many debates in the many governments around the world. If you look at any disagreements within the American government, you can probably find the dollar at its roots. The dollar acts as an emblem that represents what interests me in the world. World economies intrigue me because they control how we live. They are the back bone of every country because they provide structure for the transactions, bartering, distribution of wealth, living conditions, etc. The American dollar truly is an emblem that represents one of my interests and my mystory.

Challenge Check-In #3

Writing about a hip hop space enhanced my understanding of what makes up hip hop culture. Hip hop is more than just a genre of a music, there is a whole set of customs and traditions that go along with it. This challenge has taught me that things like free speech and art can be directly related to hip hop music and culture. This genre is all about expressing oneself and it shows through the music. Artists sing about their roots, their living conditions, their everyday lives, and the struggles that they are going through at the time. Producing hip hop music allows these artists to relate to their listeners. Most of these listeners are going through the same struggles that the artists are going through. This helps listeners understand that there are other people out in the world suffering from similar problems and helps them get over them. The freedom of speech that surrounds hip hop culture is what allows it to maintain its popularity in today's society. This challenge assignment has helped understand that free speech within hip hop acts a outlet, a solution, and an answer to the current problems that many people are facing.

Blog Post #4: Community

C.
In Miami Springs, my home town, the city council just decided to tear down the recreational pool to build a new one. The thought of tearing it down was always present, they were just not sure on the design of the new pool. It came down to a pool with large kid's area and a four lane pool or a medium size kid's are with an eight lane p waterool. The council ultimately went with the large kid's area and the four lane pool. The majority of the city is upset with decision because it is quite expensive ($5 million to be exact), and it will destroy programs that need eight lanes. I played water polo for Miami Springs Senior High and I also played on the city's club team. The fact that the pool was eight lanes made it possible for it to be used as a water polo pool. When the new pool is built both of these programs will be no more. Also, the Miami Springs Senior High swimming team and the club swimming team will both be done away with because swim meets utilize eight lanes. There are other programs such as aquatic fitness classes that will also be done away with. This would not be such a problem if these programs did not make up the majority of the usage of the pool. The pool is used for recreational use by one to two people per day, numbers that are nothing close to the various programs' population. All things considered, the new pool will destroy many programs that the community is involved in and it will lower the pool's overall attendance.

Proposal Paper: Justification Statement

               A solution implemented at the federal level in the United States is the only solution that has the chance of ridding the earth of unethical production practices. Not only is it the most prudent solution, but also it’s the most economically feasible one. The only participants being economically effected are the corporations who practicing unethical production. This is because their production costs will increase because their subcontracted workers will be getting paid a higher hourly wage. The loss in profits that these companies will incur is so small compared to their overall economic profits that it will barely be felt. As a whole this solution has the least amount of negative consequences and the consequences that do exist are felt by the entities that can handle them.

               The most obvious solution for the problem at hand would be for American citizens to stop consuming products made by companies who are unethically producing them. The problem with this solution is that these products are the cheapest products on the market. The majority of consumers are only looking for the cheapest products rather than the ethically produced ones. Therefore, leaving it up to American consumers to solve this problem will have no positive effect. Another solution that is quite obvious is the enforcement of building codes and working standards. The problem with this solution is that most of these countries have corrupt governments that have no say over what factory owners do. When constructing a factory the proprietor, partnership, or corporation that is supplying the money is looking to build in the cheapest way possible. This mentality is what leads to the poor structure conditions, and the governments in these developing countries have no control over it. Also, due to their corrupt governments, a minimum wage cannot be enforced. Subcontractors are looking to maximize their profits, and because of this mindset they pay their workers low wages. Therefore, they will continue to pay their workers this amount until they are forced to do otherwise. A solution at the federal level in developing countries is just not feasible due to their governments’ current conditions.

               The idea of forcing American companies to allow inspectors into their overseas factories in order to write a report about working conditions is something that has been proven to better working conditions.  In the early 1990's, news that Nike was producing their products in poor working conditions was publicized. Workers were being paid wages that they could not support a family with and were working in conditions that were unsuitable for any human being. When the news broke and it became a large story in every newspaper, protests against Nike’s products began to occur. As Nike’s executives watched their revenue decrease, they realized that they needed to do something. They began to shift their production to safer factories and began to demand that their subcontractors pay their workers high wages. They followed this up by having inspectors go to their factories in developing countries and have them write up a 108 page report about the working conditions. This report is made public for all of American citizens to see. By making it public, they are forcing their selves to maintain good working conditions because they know that if not they will lose profits. Due to the fact that every American company is looking to maximize their profits, the publication of a report highlighting their working conditions in overseas factories will have large positive effects in the ethical sector of production. 

Challenge Check-In #2

Memo

To:          Mikayla Beaudrie, ENC1101 Instructor

From:      Patrick Perez, EN1101 Student

Date:       November 11, 2014

Re:          Challenge Check-In #2

Since picking which challenge I would like to do, I have decided that I will narrow my analysis down to the racial similarities between Kanye West's "Runaway" and another short film. 

I am currently undecided on which short film I will conduct my comparison with. Due to the fact that my comparison will be based mostly on similarities, I need to choose a film that is parallel in content relating to society's idea of racial division today.

This idea of racial division can be seen in "Runway" during the dinner scene. Everyone at the table is black and the servants are white. This is a flip of what society expects as the social norm. I need to find another short film that points out a similar kind racial division.  

Solutions To My Problem Statement

Solutions

1. Have consumers in developed countries stop buying items that are made unethically. This solution will have direct effects because companies will realize that their sales are going down. Due to the fact that companies strive to maximize profits, they will quickly begin producing their good ethically.

2. Have the United States government implement a tariff on imports that were made unethically. The tariff will make it expensive for companies to import unethically made goods. This action will decrease profits forcing companies to search for alternate production methods.

3. Legislation Enforced by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) under the Department of Labor. This legislation will require annual factory checks to make sure that a companies production practices are ethical. The people hired to carry out these checks will write a report about the building conditions and working conditions in these factories. These reports will be made public as an incentive for these companies to produce in an ethical manner. If consumers know that the products that they wish to buy are being produced by exploited workers, than they will most likely not want to buy them. Due to the fact that the United States is an economic super power, other developed countries will see how America is regulating the production practices of its companies and will implement similar legislation.

4. Have the governments of the countries where the unethical production practices are taking place enforce their building codes, working condition standards, and  minimum wages. By doing so the buildings will become safer places to work and workers will make enough money to support themselves and their families. Overall quality life will increase for these workers.

5. Sanctions can be put in place by developed countries' governments to dictate where companies can produce. By doing this, governments can make it illegal for companies to produce in countries that exploit their workers through poor overall working conditions. This will address the problem directly and will effectively solve the problem.


I have decided to choose solution 3 (bold) for my proposal simply because it has the least amount negative repercussions. Also, there are some aspects of the other four solutions that are not economically feasible or prudent.

Proposal Paper: Problem Statement

              The corporations that make up consumer markets in the United States have one goal in mind, to maximize their profits. Most of these corporations will stop at nothing to achieve this goal. A repercussion of this sad truth is that corporations will outsource their labor to developing countries that do not treat their workers in an ethical manner. The exploitation of these workers varies from their physical working conditions to their low pay. Due to the fact that these countries are developing their governments do not have much power over factory owners and do not have personnel to enforce building and working standards or codes. Factory owners will take advantage of the lack of enforcement of these standards and codes and will build factories as cheap as possible. This leads to poor working conditions that put workers’ health and even lives in danger. They work while knowing that the building can collapse at any time. Along with physical conditions, these factory workers get paid wages that can barely support one person. Being that the majority of these workers have families, most of them do not make enough to support an entire family. Factory owners can pay their workers as little as they please because there is either no minimum wage or there is no one to enforce the minimum wage. The problem of poor working conditions in factories that corporations in the United States outsource to can be otherwise known as unethical production practices.

               The problem of unethical production practices can be directly related to its facilitators. The source of the problem begins at the corporate level. Companies in the United States do not care how their product is being made, they only care if it is maximizing their profits. Along with these companies the governments in the developing countries where the unethical production practices are being carried out are also at fault. Due to the fact that they are not enforcing their building codes and working standards, workers are being exploited and put in life threatening work areas. Factory owners in these developing countries are also to blame due to the fact that they are carrying out their business in unsafe conditions and in an unethical way. They have the power to construct safe factories that are up to code and to pay their workers reasonable wages. The last facilitator of these unethical production practices is the government in the United States. They do not pressure the companies based in America to maintain ethical production practices. The solution to this problem rests in the hands of the American government.

               The solution to this problem will not directly effect United States citizens but it will surely be felt. Knowing that the products that they are consuming were made in an ethical manner will give them all the satisfaction that they need. The solution will directly effect the exploited workers in developing countries. Their working conditions will increase along with their wages. Fear for their health and life will no longer be a thought in these workers’ minds. Also, they will not have to worry about not making enough money to support their entire families. The inalienable rights that they posses will be given back to them through the deletion of their exploitation.