Rogerian Argument

Josh felt shocked by the holocaust like set-up of these slaughterhouses. Large numbers of animals clustered together with no sanitation methods shouldn’t be allowed. Instead of being raised, the chickens we eat are now being “grown” in half the traditional time, reaching twice their normal weight. With the veils put up around these massive factories, consumers are kept in the dark about exactly what is it they are paying for. For Josh, the motives of vegetarians have finally become clear. It is scary to think about the genetically modified meat we are putting into out bodies and the short and dirty life those animals lived before being slaughtered, and all this is controlled by just four super-corporations. Not only are the animals being mistreated, the farmers are as well. Treated almost like slaves, these farmers live in constant debt and under constant pressure from the corporations. They have no freedom when it comes to decisions about their crops and harvesting methods.

The U.S.’s rapid consumption of meat has required a change in our farming techniques. With such a high demand for beef and poultry, companies were forced to innovate their methods, leaving only the strongest, most “efficient” companies to run the businesses nationwide. As long as consumers continue to buy these products, they are endorsing the methods used by these companies.

The compromise we need to reach is one in which companies have the right to do whatever they feel most efficient but only as long consumers are not kept in the dark about the companies’ practices. Consumers have the right to make an educated decision, and companies should be responsible for putting up glass walls around their factories. Only then will it be a fair vote when consumers choose their purchases in the grocery store. 

Dirty Little Secrets

I feel downright disgusted after watching Food Inc. There are many shocking aspects of our modern food industry that need to be discussed, but my main concern is the fact that we as tax paying citizens are not protected by our government. I am infuriated that our government has allowed the food industry corruption to get this out of hand. Enormous factories in which both the animals and workers are abused have become our current reality. What used to be free-roaming livestock is now food in an assembly line. Huge corporations get away with these injustices because they keep consumers in the dark about what really occurs behind the veil over these factories. Would you eat a beef patty if you knew that the meat was a product of fifty different cows that stood ankle deep in their own manure? This practice is not only cruel treatment of animals, it is unsanitary and hazardous to meat consumers who don’t even realize it.

Disappointing is the sad truth that only one motive exists for these companies: money. Small, family run businesses have been replaced by profit-thirsty tycoons, and our own government endorses this. This is not to say I believe our government should run all business and capitalism should be crushed. I am a supporter of capitalism, but it must run honestly and transparently. As stated in Food Inc., if we put up glass walls around our current food industry, we would immediately have a different food system. Consumers would not stand for this sick, dirty business.

Ethnobotany Research

American Indians and Ethnobotany

 

Claim: The ethnobotanical practices of American Indians must be incorporated into western culture in the interest of our posterity.

Questions to Answer (Prospective sections):

1. How much of our modern medicine currently comes from nature?

2. What ailments have indigenous medicines cured or treated that still exist today?

3. What are the benefits of traditional and native plants versus imported and out of season crops?

4. Are there any healing flora/fauna native to North Carolina (Cherokee tribe specifically?)

Warrant: In light of the extreme increase of overuse and over-prescription of chemical drugs and antibiotics, it is vital for the future of preventative healthcare to rediscover tribal remedies and put them into practice.

Beautiful Photography in Manufactured Landscapes

Letter to the President

Dear President Obama,

First of all, thank you for taking time to read my letter. I know how hard you work, and I feel honored to have a president in office that cares enough about the citizens to listen to their questions. As president, you have the most powerful position in America, and your supporters trust you to use this power in their favor.

With the election not too far away, I have researched both the democratic and republican platforms so that I can make an educated decision on whom to vote for. There is no doubt in my mind that I will vote for you, but I wish to stress to you the importance of strengthening middle class protection. As part of my research, I watched the documentary Inside Job. Sadly, this film shed light on the minimal support our government has lower- and middle-class Americans during this financial crisis, support that it promised. In an interview, you stressed the need for a “consumer financial protection agency.” I urge you to go through with your promise. Please strengthen your focus on consumer protection in your next term. I hope to see you work on laws that will re-introduce regulation into the speculation industry. As seen with the catastrophe of Iceland’s economy, regulation is a key part to minimalizing corruption. The middle class stands behind you and hopes to see the businessmen responsible for this economic hardship not punished, but controlled so that they no longer have the option to prosper at the cost of others.

Voters count on you to stay true to your words, so I urge you to prioritize fixing our broken and corrupt economy over fixing other countries.

As stated in Inside Job, for the first time in history, average Americans have less education and are less prosperous than their parents. You have the power and responsibility to turn this around; you have the trust of the American people to accomplish this.

Thank you for your time and happy 20^th Anniversary with Michelle,

Lacie Wallace

"It is a Wall Street Government"

I have always wondered if there were some person or some company to blame for the collapse of our economy. Why is such a “powerful” country not prospering like it used to? Inside Job exposes the frightening truth: a small group of wealth-hungry people controls our entire society. The top 1% of the U.S. prospers by digging a deeper and deeper hole for the rest. This documentary pinpoints the causes and effects of the financial crisis our country is facing. Not only that, this documentary puts faces to the businessmen infesting Washington. 

This film helps expose people working in the in the deregulation industry. The eerie, unsettling personality typical of these “1-percenters” is clearly seen during Glenn Hubbard’s meeting. While being interviewed, Hubbard suddenly becomes very defensive and almost hisses at the camera: “Give it your best shot.” It is then clear: these men know what they’ve done, they know how to continue what they’re doing, and they will not be stopped or punished unless the law interferes.

I assumed the film would go on to praise Obama’s reforms, and when he was featured, I began to feel that sense of hope connected to our president. But as Damon continued to narrate, he told of Obama’s participation in the corruption. My heart sank as Damon listed a handful of people who were appointed by Obama: William C. Dudley, whose paper with Glenn Hubbard praised derivatives; Mark Patterson, a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs; Gary Gensler, who helped ban the regulation of derivatives.  Why did Obama appoint businessmen who again and again make decisions that hurt the middle class? I felt a sense of hopelessness. As stated towards the end of the film, for the first time in history, average Americans have less education and are less prosperous than their parents. This quote left me reflecting, and now, a few days later, I am still asking myself: “Is there any hope? Or is our government too corrupted by money-thirsty ‘politicians’ to be turned around?” Inside Job was powerful, but from it I only received a hopeless message.