Every social problem that the country has a lack of personal responsibility associated with it. Nobody takes personal responsibility for anything anymore. If someone’s kid is not learning, it is the school systems fault. If I’m overweight and have a health condition because of it and don’t have health insurance, it is the health insurance companies fault because they are selfish. How about the parents and the kid sit down and read at night and do the homework they are assigned and study hard for their test. See how that works before you jump all over the education system. If someone goes to McDonald’s everyday but does not have health insurance, the responsibility is on them. Try eating healthier if you cannot afford the heart surgery. Obviously there are exceptions to everything. However, if more people would take some responsibility, we would not have as many social problems as we do.
Personal Responsibility
Self Interests
I thought it was interesting in class how we talked about how T. Boone Pickens was singled out as only looking out for himself. His energy plan would make him rich. I found this comparable to Al Gore and the green movement, however. Al Gore is highly invested in companies such as GE. GE and Al Gore will be rich if he has anything to do about it. I find him hypocritical when it comes to the green movement. I would like him to debate someone such as Lord Christopher Monckton. However, he will not. Not only will he not do that, he demands $300,000 dollars just to show up and does not take any unscripted answers. Talk about someone being self-interested.
Government Role
I feel that the government we have today is not what the founding fathers had in mind. Thomas Jefferson once said a government big enough to give you everything has the power to take it all away. The whole reason we founded this country is the fact that the government is getting too big. This is limiting our freedom. Freedom we deserve. Now we have government that doesn’t let anyone fail because it is not fair. ITS FAIR! If you can’t run a business and it fails that is your fault. After it fails, someone will take over who actually knows what to do. Plenty of companies have come back from bankruptcy. Leave us alone. We now have school districts that the lowest grade a student can get is a 50%! What are we teaching kids? There is just as much, if not more, to lose from failing as there is winning. There has to be a winner and a loser. There always is. Stop holding our hand government. A hand we hold is a hand that holds us down.
Societies Failing
I think Diamond’s argument is interesting. He makes a lot of good points for why societies collapse. The most important of his five points is the religion aspect. I feel that the most conflict in the world has started with religious backgrounds, such as Israel and the Palestinians. A conflict in the world always seems to have some religion tied into it, whether it be a civil war from differences or it leads to an attack from the neighbors. The least important I feel is human environmental impacts. I am a firm believer that the environment and the Earth is here for us to survive. We should use it. Could we be more cautious with it–probably, but we still have to live and survive. In order to do this, we need to have cost-effective ways to feed the world. As of right now, the cheapest way to do it is not the cleanest and that is ok with me.
Free Market
I’m a believer in the free market more and more every day. The government we have today is too interested in pleasing special interest groups and not helping the people of the country. The government now is just throwing money at the situation instead of figuring out the problem. Plenty of companies have come back from being bankrupt. The government should only step in if market failure is going to happen and even then, they better know what is going to fix the problem. I feel that individuals will come through with what the people want and need. They always have. Money drives innovation. Leave us alone and let me keep our money because we know what is better to spend it on than the government does.
Social Justice
I feel that America has a good deal of social justice in place as we are right now. I feel that not much is wrong with how America is run. I do have a problem with where the current administration is taking us, however. In general, anyone can do what they want in this country, no matter what their economic status. It just seems to me that some less fortunate people live with the expectations that things should be given to them or they deserve something for not having any money. For the most part I completely disagree. I feel that it comes down to choices. Now a days, people can chose to go to college and work hard and get a degree or not. There are enough grants and financial aid that anyone can go from any economic level. So don’t complain when you are not making money or can’t get a job, especially if you drop out of high school–a free education. There are obviously situations that this is not possible and there are organizations that do their best to help those people. But work hard and do not punish those that do. That is what I feel this administration is doing. They are promoting laziness. Why work hard and go get a good job if half of it gets taken away in taxes and you make as much as someone with a lower education doing less work?
Technology
I feel that loneliness is a problem even though we are hyper-connected. I feel that people do not get together and communicate enough in person. I feel that communication between people is not as developed as it used to be. A txt message or an email can say something completely different from what is actually supposed to be portrayed. I feel that technology is both helping and hurting the developement of communities. I feel that it is helping by keeping people together that would not be able to keep in touch otherwise. The cell phone and video chat has helped people maintain distance relationships. I feel that it destroys communities in a sense that people do not have as deep of relationships with as many people as they used to. It is easier to just have more acquaintances and do what is better for the individual than worry about their neighbors. I feel like people trusted each other more back when technology was a luxury and not a necessity. Times used to be more simple and slower. I feel that is what makes communities and relationships better. The example of people not stopping to help someone who got a flat tire on the side of the road really shows this. Communities used to be much tighter and more loyal.
Educational Enterprise
There are several purposes for my attendance at USD. The first is to obviously expand my knowledge capacity of what I am interested in. The second is to set myself up for my future, not only grad school, but for the rest of my life. I feel people become who they will be for the rest of their life in college or this time of their life. The last is to gain great friends I will have and cherish the rest of my life.
I feel that the enterprise of education is valuable. I am a biology major with a chemistry minor. I am planning on going to medical school. Without an education from a university, such as USD, my dream of being a doctor is unattainable. If I were to get a degree from an online university, my med school application would be thrown out. I would not have the experience of the on hand activities necessary to be successful in med school. Labs are a vital part of a biology degree, and they are even a bigger part of med school when it comes to the gross anatomy lab along with others. Professors in a med school will not teach the basics of dissection and simple lab procedures. I feel there is no other way to get a biology degree than through a traditional university.
My Picture
This is me last year down in Missouri when I went to Missouri Southern State Univeristy on a golf scholarship. I came here last semester.
Mission Statement
I am in college to set myself up for my future. I am here to get an education and set myself up for med school. I also am at college to learn more about myself as a person. I want to know where I stand on subjects and figure out what I believe as a person. Right now I want to be an anesthesiologist or, more recently, an ophthalmologist. I have recently been leaning towards ophthalmology due to the fact I feel they would have more set hours and be called in less often. I feel there are few eye emergencies. I am worried about my future though with health care reform. If the government option is passes, I feel like private insurance companies could not compete. In the end, I feel that we would end up with socialized medicine and worse treatment, such as what Canada has now. I would not be a doctor and would try to find a new career path if this is the case.
