Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Patriotism by Shopping

Patriotism by Shopping

           When the question arises about the attachment between patriotism and shopping in today’s age, it’s not always an easy question to answer.  There are many different variables that incorporate into this debate.  Different variables ultimately mean that there’s going to be people on each side of this issue, and which one is the correct side would be almost impossible to decipher. 
          In one regard, I think it would be easily understandable where it is considered patriotic to be an avid shopper.  From the outside looking in, it seems completely reasonable.  More money spent in today’s economy would be beneficial to everyone.  With more and more people becoming unemployed, the more money that is spent in these said stores or shops would require more staff to manage and keep these places operate able. 
          From an accounting standpoint, there would be a direct link between spending money and boosting the economy which from there helps the U.S. market, and from there, helps America as a whole.  There’s a direct link between the average shopper and helping America get stronger. 
          Where it gets a little murky is when companies that are benefiting from the U.S. shoppers wealth are taking that money and putting it from there into a different country by outsourcing.  Outsourcing is where businesses hire workers such as telecommunications or getting resources from another country instead of their own because of the discount or benefit of supplies being cheaper than where they are located.  This would cause a negative effect on the economy because money would be spent elsewhere, boosting another countries economy instead of our own.        In this article, it tells you about some of the dangers of America outsourcing.  http://socyberty.com/economics/the-dangers-of-outsourcing-to-foreign-countries/  It’s quite interesting to see, and also see what companies are tending to outsource more than others. 
          This would go against the good that the American shopper is doing by putting money into the economy, which then just get’s sent somewhere else.  Although the amount spent by the shopper probably doesn’t exceed the amount outsourced, it still would be more profitable for America as a whole if businesses tried a little harder to support their country, even if that meant they would have to take a profit cut.  Clearly, this is idealistic thinking; nothing is going to be perfect.
          In the end, the conclusion brought forth by myself would be that it is beneficial for shoppers to spend.  It’s not going to do anyone any good when people are hording their money, and the economy is just going to get weaker because of it, but if money is being spent, then it’s a win-win situation.  The main key to spending is to remember to pay yourself before paying everyone else, meaning you should always take money from the month into some sort of savings account.  That way, even though you are helping the economy by shopping and spending money, you are also helping yourself by putting away a “nest egg” for unforeseen events.  

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Reasoning Skills

                Reasoning skills are part of our everyday lives.  It is imperative for children to be taught these things at a young age for many reasons.  Children’s minds are like sponges, they are going to soak up everything when they are young.  Wouldn’t you want your child to soak up essential material that they can use in future scenarios throughout life?  Making sound decisions and logical judgments I would think would be at the top of every parent’s list for their children in early onset learning.
                Basic reasoning skills are broken down into four major building blocks.  These skills include storage, retrieval, matching, and finally execution skills.  Looking at these skills one at a time help us really grasp the concept of reasoning skills in a whole. 
                Storage skills are defined as the ability to transfer information into long term memory and back out again.  This is where new things learned are understood and also placed in combination of things already learned.  These skills are particularly helpful in future years as a student while learning new and revised information, and combining this new information with already known information.
                Matching skills is just that.  It helps the learner determine and break down new information and how to place it with similar information in long term memory.  There are five different types of matching skills that touch on different ways matching is executed throughout the brain. 
                Retrieval skills are very similar to storage skills in where it helps determine how to transfer and how to retrieve or “remember” set information. 
                And finally we have execution skills which deal primarily in coordinating other skills taught and how to structure or build new thinking patterns.  This will also come in handy in future scenarios such as furthering education and learning job skills. 
                Clearly, learning basic reasoning skills at an early age will help anyone achieve long term goals, and starting children out early in the process where they still have many years of schooling ahead will benefit greatly from this lesson.  Many examples and further information about basic reasoning skills are found in this external website.  Reasoning Information  I am also including an image showing the different branches for each of the four basic reasoning building blocks to indicate which skill sets have more steps to them and what those steps are.   That image is seen below.


                In closing, I find that basic reasoning skills are definitely needed for children’s success in their day to day lives.  I think these skills should be taught in school, and I believe they already are.  Children need to have all the ammunition they can to succeed in today’s world, and getting these basic building blocks taught at an early age is crucial.  It’s a great idea that I fully support.
                 

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Shop til you drop

            Is it patriotic to shop?  I would definitely say so.  It just makes logical sense.  The more you spend, the more the economy goes up.  The economy goes up, more jobs are required.  The more jobs that are required, the less unemployment there is.  The chain effect goes on and on, but before we get too carried away in the dreams of spending, let’s take a closer look.
            In my opinion, yes, it is patriotic to shop.  But there are so many other variables that have to be seen.  It’s not as clear cut and to the point as that.  Simply, yes it makes logical sense, but what about all those companies that are outsourcing (getting their required and finished products from over seas)?  Are we really just helping out foreign countries when we go shopping?
            Almost everything these days are coming with little gold tags saying “Made in China” or scratch China and insert some other country that’s not ours.  I go shopping a lot.  I’m almost a shopaholic.  I always joke about it with my parents and friends.  When they call and ask what I’m doing, I always say “I’m giving the economy a boost.”  They all know what I mean, and laugh along with me. 
            One of my favorite stores is American Eagle Outfitters.  I pretty much buy everything from there.  It’s a one stop shop for me when it comes to my attire.  Lately, I’ve been paying a little more attention to the tags on the clothes I buy.  Almost all of the tags for my shirts say “Made in Vietnam”.  I was kind of shocked.  Surely I didn’t think that everything I buy was made right here in the U.S.  but it did catch me a little off guard. 
            Clearly, it would make more sense to buy all American made items and shop at American companies but sometimes that’s just not feasible.  It would certainly help the United States more but there might not be an American company for all of our shopping needs.  What do you do when this problem occurs?  The answer is it is impossible.  You’re going to have to shop where you know you can get what you need.
            So the real question is, even if you are a shopaholic, and think you’re doing good by spending, are we really?  Is it really helping us if we are buying products from overseas?  The company may be American, but what if the products aren’t.  These are the questions that I’ve been thinking about lately. 
            In closing, my answer still stands.  I think it is patriotic to a certain degree to shop because we are putting money back into the economy.  Clearly, if everyone hoards all their money, and buries it in the back yard, that’s not going to help anyone.  Like an old quote I’ve always remembered, “You have to spend money to make money.” I find total truth in.   My answer is yes, it is patriotic to shop in today’s times.