Quality posts

Instead of a single post I would like to use my responses to other people’s posts.
Alex’s “Shifting economies of a digital age” and Michael DeLaGarza’s “Unit 3 The New Second World.” Both for the same reasons. They were interesting conversations that touched on things we talked about in class and things the class made us think about more generally.

Class review

I liked the format overall and the conversational nature of the posts. The readings and videos were excellent and I enjoyed reading other peoples webpages. One thing that would have helped me would be more direct comparisons between two (or more) countries. The China/India comparison helped give me a point of reference to look at the big ideas. Maybe have students make one post about how a unit relates to a specific country. I really enjoyed the big picture nature of this class and the things it made me question.

What I learned

The most important thing I learned this semester is that its impossible to actually compare economic systems because of the effects of culture. Even two countries that are both capitalist, or socialist or whatever have very different economies. In part because they have different human and natural resources but primarily due to culture. I used to think of economics as very cold, mathematical and somewhat arcane, but now I think about it differently. It has really made me think about why we end up with the economy we have and what would have to change to change the economy. I used to put the blame for our economic situation on politicians and CEOs but im starting to think of how I need to change if I want the country to.

I enjoyed the fish video but did you…

I enjoyed the fish video but did you notice he never addressed the question of how do we feed the world? He said that we are CURRENTLY making more food than gets distributed (Great point) but he never answers if we would have that surplus if everything was raised in an ecologically friendly way. Im not hating on the idea but he dodged the question which makes me wonder if he knows the answer is no.
Also its hard to grow food locally in say arizona in an ecologically friendly way. Maybe thats a good thing? Maybe people wouldnt move to deserts if that was our method. Maybe a decrease in the amount of food produced would curb the population expansion?

I really liked Richard Wilkinson’s talk The most…

I really liked Richard Wilkinson’s talk. The most important parts of it to me were the lack of social mobility and the influence of parents wealth on their kids success. That is exactly counter to the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” “anyone can make it in America” idea that is pushed by politicians and even ourselves. I like that he mentioned the French Revolution. While I dont think we are there yet I think the frustration with the current system is getting pretty clear.

The panama papers http www nytimes com 2016…

The panama papers (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/world/panama-papers-explainer.html?_r=0) are not that surprising. When public companies merge with a company in another country to avoid US taxes can it really come as a shock that private individuals do the same?
They do show how interconnected things are and that people are people no matter where they are from. I know its not how it works but I cant help but picture an awkward scene when Putin and Cameron bump into each other in the lobby of the law firm.

Regarding the future Will one company Monsanto control…

Regarding the future
Will one company (Monsanto) control all the world’s agricultural seed supply through it’s patents?
No, because then it would be a monopoly and broken up.

Resource sustainability– How do we raise living standards for the other 80% of the world? We don’t have the resources to produce 6 times as much stuff if we use the same methods we have used in the industrialized countries. How do we deal with it?
Do we even want the same things anymore? Why buy a cd/blue ray when you can download/stream it? E-books save on paper and apps have replaced many many things for people. Not that smartphones and tech in general doesnt take resources, it certainly does. But once the technology plateaus a bit people will be willing to use a product for longer conserving those resources.

Rising Income Inequality – In the industrialized nations (especially the U.S.), the last 30 years have seen rising income inequality and flat-growth in real income for the middle class. How long can this continue? What will cause a change? Will we see a return to new-feudal age?
I think we’re already in a neofeudal age. Companies can refuse to hire you if you engage in legal activities on your own time. For example sparrow wont hire cigarette smokers even if they dont smoke on the job. People with prescriptions like Aderral, vicodin and marijuana might not be hired if they do a drug test. Why is your medical history required to work? At least most feudal systems had an upper 10ish% instead of a 1%. But I think thats what the 2016 election shows: That a change is coming. Both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders attract people who see the system as rigged and want to overturn it. Coincidentally both do well with younger voters who will eventually take over power. America swings way right then way left with brief intervals of sanity.

I liked the message of The economics of…

I liked the message of The economics of Happiness but the video itself bothered me. Showing the professor speaking now and then is good but could you throw up a graph or some other visual to make the point more clear while she is talking? A visual aid in a visual medium is usually a good idea. I always just assumed this was true (unless you had a really expensive hobby) But it was nice to have research to back up my views.

The Problems with GDP video is the most…

The Problems with GDP video is the most interesting segment to me this semester. It seems to go hand in hand with income stagnation which makes sense given his point about what you measure is what you work towards. It also explains why the service economy has been pushed since the 1990’s as it helps the GDP but doesnt seem like it would do much for GNP. I dont want to become a conspiracy theorist but lately its been getting harder and harder.

The article about medical specialists is hard for…

The article about medical specialists is hard for me. I understand some of the problems but Im stuck on ideas for solutions.
1. The article kept mentioning that you cant track their true income as they have ownership in treatment facilities and other things of that nature. That shouldnt be included in their income (as regards this story-taxes are obviously different) as it is a separate business venture, not a medical one. The problem is in the self referral. On the one hand anyone would want to work in an ideal environment: the tools you like, the staff you trust, etc… But isn’t there a conflict of interest that should be disclosed? Can you legislate that? Should we? Im a teacher and we see a lot of laws passed by people who dont know anything about the profession or day to day realities and its not a good things. Could the AMA pass some ethics rules? How do we get them to do that?
2. Insurance is a stupid way to arrange the system. Its costly for doctors (hiring staff to work with the insurance) and for patients.One of the things that came up over and over during the ACA’s debate in congress was that, “the government should stay out of the doctors business and the invisible hand of the market will lower prices.” The trick is the insurance companies are all up in the doctors business and prevent the market from functioning as it otherwise would. If health is the actual goal of the health care insurance industry then gym memberships, healthy foods and a dietitian would be things prescribed by your doctor and covered in your plan. Insurance makes sense if you want to hedge your bets against an expensive procedure or even a broken leg but why do they need to be involved in my annual checkup or routine procedures? And they are, from who I can see (who paid to be part of their plan) to how much they charge. My gripe about the PPACA is that it just adds to the power and influence of a middle man who controls access to health care for the public and patients to doctors. Maybe a medical loan program like student loans could work? As another article explained a vast number of people are poor at some point in their life. If they make it to stability later then they could repay but until you make X dollars you are in deferment?