Honors History Blog #4

A personal honors history:

1. What did you gain from your experiences as an honors student in the first semester (please consider novels, leadership opportunities, writing, history, projects, etc.)?

As an honors student I found myself looking for deeper meaning in books read in class and for honors assignments. I gained a deeper understanding of the books read and how to write reviews. I read more book reviews this past semester than I have in my whole life.

Being in honors drove me to try harder on project and try to make something better than would be expected of me. I wanted to be one of the best and I also felt more able to help others improve their own work. In Life: The Book I took the role of a content editor because I felt capable of reading through an article and correcting content and giving feedback. This is partially because I am an honors student. I felt that with the experience I had and my ability to succeed that I was qualified to edit a paper. I found out that I really enjoyed being an editor. This is a role I would be happy to take again as an honors student.

2. Discuss what you might have done differently if you could do this past semester of honors over again.

I would have stayed slightly more on top of my work. I found myself doing a lot of work last minute and it ended up rushed and of less quality than it could be. I missed assignments here and there that brought my grade down and it was disappointing.

3. Discuss your goals for honors in the second semester.

My goals for the second semester would be to stay on top of things. I want to do things on time and get them done early if at all possible. Like the book reviews, to write them all before the week of the due date would be a big improvement from the way I ran things this semester.

4. If you could choose any specific parts of literature and.or history for our honors work next semester, what would you pick and why?

I would want to do a literary anylisis of a fictional book fantasy or like wise. Something that focused less on the real world ideals and more of what went through the author’s mind and the symbolism involved in the read book.

Honors History Blog #3

Civilian Conservation Corps

In the New Deal, instated during the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps sent 3 million young men, ages 18-25, to work on reforestation and other eco conservation jobs. They worked on public lands in every state. These jobs required no previous experience: they were unskilled manual labor jobs. This brought more jobs to the market, got the surplus of workers out of cities and gave the young men a healthy, money providing condition. The CCC brought out a new appreciation for the outdoors to much of America as well.

In our current situation there are millions of unemployed young men. They are crowding up the cities and in my opinion being useless. They are becoming less and less healthy everyday and more and more attached to their computer screens. Jobs are becoming scarce and without a degree almost impossible to find. This would provide a job opportunity for millions of those who couldn’t find a job elsewhere. This would not only get these men jobs but it would get them outside being healthy participating in exercise and constant face to face social interaction with each other.

Also our parks have gone into complete disarray. They need care and grooming. It’s been too long since someone gave them a good once over and fixed what needed fixing. The men that were part of the CCC planted almost 3 billion trees and we need more trees. A lot of those trees have died, been burnt down, or cut down. They need to be replanted to keep our environment healthy and in the best state it can be.

Nothing much would need to be changed about the way it worked in th 1930’s to now. Men would go stay in camps and work on parks as their job until the government saw fit to stop funding the CCC again.

Honors History Blog #2

Dear Mr. Obama,

I am writing to you today to suggest a plan. A plan on how to change the current America and save from the ever advancing “Great Recession.” I would like to start and bring up FDR’s plan to help in the “Great Depression.” One of his requirements is that his plan be “Simple. So simple that everybody will understand it.” And this is where social security came into play. Social Security was put into place to help avoid future events like the “Great Depression,” and it hasn’t. Since FDR’s death there has been 12 official recessions.

My first problem is that you haven’t followed through with what you said was your plan. This recession has been going on for 20 months now and the unemployment rate is .5% higher than is was before your “plan” was instigated. We have lost 3.6 million jobs and you stated you would save millions.

First thing is first, no more federal spending more debt is not going to help us. What we do need is people spending their money. That is the key to digging out of a recession. I suggest cutting sales tax, even if only for a short amount of time. Sales would hit the roof, and that is what you need. This time of year would be ideal for this because people are spending a concentrated amount of money at one time. The holidays are ideal. If the spending began the money flow would pick up its pace and our broken economy would be on the mend. If a companies profits rise people would stop losing their jobs and other people might be offered better paying more available jobs. Once the sales tax is reinstated the American economy would be back in the place it belongs.

Sincerely,

Erica Snider

"How to Fix the Recession: Cut Sales Tax, Page 2 of 2." Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. .

Hoven, By Randall. "How to Fix a Recession." American Thinker. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. .

"The Test : The New Yorker." National and World News, Profiles, Culture, Reviews, Fiction, Poetry : The New Yorker. Web. 11 Dec. 2010. .

Honors History Blog #1

Social Security

Security has always been a desired thing. All throughout history people have been striving for security so that when in a time of need they are taken care of. Social Security is what assures you that when you are old and retired that you will be taken care of. Social Security and health care go hand in hand. They are both there as a way to help you take3 care of yourself when you can’t do it with your income alone. Social security is “the comprehensive federal program of benefits providing workers and their dependents with retirement income, disability income, and other payments. The Social security tax is used to pay for the program.”

America’s first Social Security program was called the “Civil War Pensions.” “Following the Civil War, there were hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans, and hundreds of thousands of disabled veterans.” (www.socialsecurity.gov) This huge amount of people that couldn’t take care of themselves led to the Pensions. Money was given to these people so they could pay bills and take care of themselves after serving their country or having a family member that did so, "incurred as a direct consequence of . . .military duty." Over time the military pension evolved as the veterans grew older the qualification became more broad. In 1890 any disable civil war veteran qualified for benefits and in 1906 old age became a qualification. “By 1910, over 90% of the remaining Civil War veterans were receiving benefits under this program.” But this only made up an extremely small portion of the entire US. In 1934 after the Great Depression more than half of the elderly American population could support themselves so by 1935 30 states had old age pension. The need for these pensions is all to do with health problem and the lack of the ability to do work and get paid; disabilities, old age and being an orphan are all things that would prevent you from having a solid income in that time period and now as well.

Social security is the biggest event that led up to our current health care system because it fist showed that a lot of American’s can’t take care of themselves and need some sort of supplement money to cover medical bills. Health care is there to provide a way for people to have coverage on their medical expenses in the same way a pension would often be used.

"Social Security." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2010.

The United States Social Security Administration. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. ._security>.

"Social Security Definition." InvestorWords.com - Investing Glossary. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .

Blog #20: Fed vs AntiFed Interview!

The Compromise of 1850, passed in September 1850, a was neither Federalist or Anti Federalist, it is both. The Compromise of 1850 was a set of bills created to end the confrontation over slavery. This set of five bills was meant to deal with the slavery that was spreading throughout America and keep it confined to the states that the people choose to have slaves.

The Compromise of 1850 is Federalist in the fact that it was created by the American Central government and made all the states follow it. The Compromise is Anti Federalist because it allows Utah and New Mexico sovereignty on the issue of slavery. This is letting the states make the decision, state government not the central government. It also made California a free state, this is another situation where a small government has control. The Compromise split the country into states who wanted slavery and those who didn’t and each of their small state governments had control over the issue.

Interview with Bill Snider

Do you think the Compromise of 1850 is federalist of anti federalist?

I think that compromise had some federalist aspects but not all of it. The part where the whole compromise may have delayed the civil war the conflict and held things together for a while. Held the Union together for maybe four years. California became a non slave state. I guess what it was about was what to do with the New Mexico territory. Texas wanted it but they did get 10 million and the pan handle is that federalist of anti federalist I don’t know. I’m guessing that what was happen that by 1850 there a lot of major issues that were causing conflicts between the slave states and non slaves states who would own who would control all those issues were causing conflict and controversy so I guess in that way it supported the way of the US indefinitely it didn’t last for long that’s for sure.

The thing that is interesting is that there is a lot of polarization in the issues the two sides I guessing the wigs and the democrats and they became two separates groups and that’s a lot like it is today. The fact that they were able to hammer out some kind of a compromise the north was generally against slavery is very federalist though.

What parts of the Compromise of 1850 are anti federalist?

That would be anything that it’s like you have two different us you have the slavery and the not the question is can they coexist under the same federal system they 1850 compromise perpetuates these two systems. It reinforces the existence of the slaves states and the non slave states.

1860, By. "Compromise of 1850." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Dec. 2010.

Kelly, By Martin. "Compromise of 1850." American History From About. Web. 09 Dec. 2010. .

Blog #19 Semester/LIFE: Reveiw

1. What are you most proud of in your Life: The Book writing? Try to describe this is detail!

I am most proud of the poetic and artistic value in the first two paragraphs of my article. The first paragraphs are from the viewpoint of a potential designer baby and I was so proud of coming up with that concept and working it into my article. I think I convey the child’s emotions very well through it. I wanted to draw out the reader’s emotions through this child’s life experience and I would like to believe I managed that well.

2. What are some changes or new ideas that you have developed in your writing through the course of this semester?

The main focus was the actual style of writing that belongs in an article. Reading the New Yorker helped in that manner. Something I found the hardest was combining my flowing poetic style of writing with the science and economic aspect of an article.

3. If you had a little more time to work on your writing for LIFE: The Book, what would you do differently? What would you change about your writing?

There is not much I would do differently. If I could I would’ve done an interview and used the transcript in the article. I think that would have added a lot to my article in correspondence with the financial standing and the ethical standing on designer babies.

4. How has the additional element of publication in a book affected the way you approach writing?

If anything it put the pressure on. I had everything turned in early, which is rare for me. I wanted the book ot be done and published on time so I rushed to finish. I don’t know if this made my work better or worse. Also knowing that hundreds of people would be reading this book as a representation of High Tech High I knew it had to be good. I focused on making my writing good, educational, and efficient.