The Economy is a Seesaw- Lauren Kuehmeier

  Patterns are beginning to reveal themselves just as I wrote earlier of the lack of retail sales there were, the opposite occurs only a month later. After viewing both, I think a great deal of the increase has to do with the decrease in gas prices.  Lower gas prices means that Americans are more likely to use their cars without conservation, an increase in travel or people just going out and doing things occurs. This means of course means that those invested in the oil industry are getting the short end of the stick, but ultimately a gain is made for the consumers of the United States. Such a positive change could has inclined consumers to go out and spend more at local businesses or make the purchase of larger cars more desirable. 

  As prices of certain things rise or fall, they directly relate to how the state of the economy ends up. If one factor increases or decreases, it is almost certain to be linked to something else. The economy is just one big house of cards. Observing the confusing and fluctuating rates, I see why there is such an importance put on this class to pay attention to the current state of things during these summer months. I’ve also began to see how such a living can be made off of watching and predicting these patterns, because these changes effect everyone from billionaires to students like me.

  My understanding of the economy is starting to deepen with articles like these. We’ve always discusses it throughout history, yet it still remained this ambiguous enigma of a vocabulary word that I didn’t quite understand. Rightly so, I still feel like a stranger to the subject, but connections are being made. 

  In reading, I learned the numerous problems with our economy and now that I see what can go wrong with it, the factors it’s made up of are appearing. For example, I understand now how great of an effect that the lack of job creation has and that many of the big issues surrounding trading are due to the fact America does not have a “strong dollar” in comparison to other countries. The “strong dollar” relates directly to the economy because the weakness of our currency is a reflection of the debt  America is in. Easy enough, these puzzle pieces fit together and rely on one another to create the ideal economy. 

Economic Nausea- Lauren Kuehmeier

  This article caught my interest because it takes a narrative approach to a broken down and revived industrial mill to explain the changes that have occurred with the economy.  When given real world content rather than just graphs and statistics, I was able to make connections and grasp the story being told.

  Labor and the job force were nicely elaborated on here. It's one thing to say unemployment rates are high, but obviously more effective when you explain why that is. Here I gained a better understanding on why employees were unhappy.  As employment rates rise, people try to find whatever work is available and end up in hopeless jobs without the destination of an increase in wages. This means there is a lack or downturn in business spending, a factor that inevitably effects other factors. Companies, like the textile mill, aren't willing to increase business spending because they cannot afford to take such risks when the economy fluctuates, as they've experienced, and this is the reality for the majority of companies and corporations. Because labor can so easily be replaced, there's no point in making the extra effort to satisfy employees.

  This is of course terrible and unfair to those who do the heavy lifting and aren't well compensated, yet this is economy we as a society created and continually sustain. The best option, as mentioned, is to specialize in the job force so you can begin to name your price. It’s easy to say to just specialize and you’ll be better off because a specialized education costs money that means you have to be well off in the first place or take out loans. So, is making more really worth it when most of that income goes right back into paying off your debt. What a vicious cycle. 

  When reading this and going over what all this means, it became increasingly upsetting to me. All this effort we contribute for the sake of wealth or the future of wealth or the sustaining of wealth.  It's understandable to want to support yourself and family, but past that- at what point do we become greedy? More importantly, I wonder if these people stuck in the vicious cycle are content and happy with their lives or if they are just there because the cycle is inescapable. I hope I do what I love for every other reason but money. All I know is that if I specialize in my passion, it will be because I want that education to improve my craft and not because I wanted to make a few dollars extra. 

Snowballing - Lauren Kuehmeier

  Tuning into the political debates for the upcoming election is always interesting and brings up a slew of issues, the unemployment rates along with other economic issues always makes it into the mix. Possible nominee, Bernie Sanders, whose political event I recently attended makes unemployment a focal point of his candidacy. He discusses what is not customary to discuss while running for president, which has brought him well- deserved attention. Bernie, unlike his peers, does not shy away from revealing the inconvenient reality of where most of America’s money is going and that is unfortunately to the top one percent of billionaires. Even more astounding was that these same billionaires are the same people and corporations that receive tax breaks. How is such an imbalance tolerated?

    I think a lot of the inequality has to do with this secrecy surrounding this issue because if the public was made more aware of the fact that the richest people in the America are the same ones that don’t have to give a penny in taxes I do not think they would permit it. The issue is valuable and I understand why it’s at the top of Bernie’s list, why it only ranks somewhere 9th or 10th on other candidates list I do not understand. The problems regarding the economy directly give way to others. Connections cannot be denied. When there is asymmetry regarding money and the richest people keep getting richer and the poorest people stay stagnate, a formula for social uproar is created and so the snowball rolls. 

     Even if everyone isn’t aware of why there is cause for action, Americans can sense the imbalance because the root of the problem is guarded, but other issues sprout up that cannot be ignored. Those with money most often pull the strings, though this seems to be common sense we have to especially consider that when listening to the debates. Why aren’t the tax breaks for the billionaires coming up in the debates? Well, consider who is funding the campaign. So if the man or woman with all the money has a stance on a certain issue or won’t discuss global warming because it may hurt their oil companies profits, the candidate they “donate” to will most likely have those same stances. 

     Bigger issues are being left out or remain to much in the limelight because those who wield money and are only interested in protecting their fortunes. The fact that they have such a fortune thus have such power, directly relates to the economy America has created.