Inflation and Unemployment Essay Example for Free

Inflation and Unemployment Essay Recently, the United States of America has been bombarded with a great financial crisis. Many companies resulted to bankruptcy forcing the owners to close their businesses. Other companies had lay-off some workers to lessen the operating costs of their business. Few other companies resulted to cutting the employee’s benefits to avoid laying-off and closure. Workers earning below marginal income resigned from their job in the hope that they could find another job which pays better. Among these responses, the most notable problem is the increase in the rate of unemployment. In a report from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009) among the 2,309 population in Iowa only 1,602 are employed while 62 are jobless in 2007. In 2008, from 2,325 members of the population, 1,607 are employed while 69 are jobless. Measuring the employment-population ratio of Iowa residents aged 16 years and above, the rate of unemployment was at 69. 4 percent in 2007 and 69. 1 percent in 2008 (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). Meanwhile, the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2009) reported that the unemployment rate in Waterloo-Cedar Falls Metropolitan Area rose at 8 percent in February 2009 whereas the jobless rate was recorded at 4. 9 percent. This is relatively high as compared to unemployment rate in 2008 which was at 3. 9 percent and in 2007 which was at 3. 7 percent (U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009). State inflation has been identified as one of the major factors that contributed to the increased number of the unemployed. Inflation refers to â€Å"a process in which the average level of prices increases at a substantial rate over a considerable period of time† (Grolier Encyclopedia, 1995, 150). This implies that more money is needed to buy a certain amount of products and services. In Keynesian term, the relationship of inflation and unemployment has been described as: Wage costs are among the costs that rise in response to higher pries. When unemployment is low, employees can old out for full compensation for the higher prices, and raises above that. When unemployment is high, however, the employees will have to settle for less, and so costs do not rise as fast as prices when unemployment is high. (cited in Inflation and Unemployment). Adopting this term in the case of Waterloo-Cedar Falls, the high price of goods and services lead to increase in the number of unemployment since the companies are forced to cut down their human resources to adapt to the increasing prices of goods and services that caused high costs in production. There are also times in Waterloo-Cedar Falls when high unemployment caused high inflation yet the production cost did not increase as fast as the prices. In this situation, high employment is caused by low labor wage. Since the wage is low, the demand for product and services is also low forcing the companies to increase their prices in order to compensate for the low demand of products and services. Analyzing the relationship between inflation and unemployment the following factors are said to contribute to the increase or decrease of the two variables: wage as part of production costs, level of demands and supply, and cost of goods and services. Depending on the movement or behavior of these factors, the level of inflation or unemployment will either increase or decrease. Yet, it does not always follow that when unemployment is high; inflation is also high or vice versa. There are other instances when unemployment is low yet the level of inflation is high or vice versa. Again the increase or decrease in level of the two variables depends on the above mentioned contributing factors. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls, however, tried to address the problems of inflation and unemployment by creating job opportunities for its residents. As expressed by Bob Seymour, Cedar Falls community services manager and economic development director, in an interview by Jim Offner (2009)† â€Å"Obviously, we’re not immune to what’s going on nationally, but we’re pleased that we’ve been able to see some expansion and new-project interest in Cedar Falls right now. The university obviously keeps us on an even keel, and I think our business community has learned to be more diversified and in a better position to weather these down times. Projects like Target Corp. ’s new perishables distribution warehouse and retail developments in Cedar Falls also are helping the city withstand national trends. † (cited in Offner, 2009). This solution however is applicable only for a short period of time. To really solve the problem of inflation and unemployment, Waterloo-Cedar Falls should implement a demand managing policy wherein the government and private sectors will be required to learn how to manage demands in supply (both of labor and product materials) and demands in product and services according to economic situation. Such management is needed so that the people of Waterloo-Cedar Falls will be trained to expect the worst consequences of increase or decrease level of inflation and unemployment. References Grolier Encyclopedia. (1995). Inflation. In U. S. Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge 10, 150. USA: Grolier Incorporated. Mc Cain R. A. 2009. Inflation and Unemployment. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://william-king. www. drexel. edu/top/prin/txt/AS/where1. html Offner, J. (2009). Local jobless rates among best in state. Retrived April 24, 2009 from http://www. wcfcourier. com/articles/2009/03/11/news/breaking_news/doc49b7a3bf91f75482515049. txt U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2009a). Over-the-year change in unemployment rates for Metropolitan Areas: Monthly rankings, not seasonally adjusted. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://www. bls. gov/web/laummtch. htm. U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2009b). Regional state and unemployment, 2008 annual averages. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from www. bls. gov/news. release/pdf/srgune. pdf.

Affirmative Action Essay -- Race Racism

Affirmative Action The Webster dictionary defines affirmative action as an â€Å"active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This paper will discuss the history of affirmative action and its effects on education and the work force in our society. I will argue why affirmative action is necessary for minorities to gain equal opportunities educationally and economically and how affirmative action is morally required as reparation for past discrimination. I will also discuss why many people believe that affirmative action is a step in the wrong direction and point out several arguments as to why we should get rid of affirmative action and try to validate their claims. Affirmative action requires that supervisors in charge of economic and educational opportunities take into consideration a candidate’s sex, disabilities, and ethnic background when accepting positions, especially if the candidate’s ethnic affiliation has had a history of racial discrimination. These minority groups are entitled to special considerations, typically viewed as payments made by the government to settle past discrimination. The effects of affirmative action have been well seen in economic and educational systems where educators and employers have long been pressured into giving preference to minorities even if they lesser qualifications, to help write off past discrimination. Affirmative action was established on the basis that because of the past discrimination of races, our nation was unable to flourish into what it should have become- a nation which provided equal opportunity regardless of a person’s race. It is in my opinion that had our country n ever oppressed colored people to such a great exten... ...nathan. Long Way to Go: Black and White in America. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998. Thomas D. Boston, Affirmative Action and Black Entrepreneurship. New York: Routledge, 1999. Geiger, H Jack. "Race and Health Care-An American Dilemma?" New England Journal of Medicine 335(11):815-816 (1996) Gould, Stephen Jay. The Mismeasure of Man. New York: Norton & Co., 1981. Curry, George. The Affirmative Action Debate. Massachusetts: Addison Wesley, 1996. Wise, A.E., Darling-Hammond. Effective teacher selection: From recruitment to retention. R-3462-NIE/CSTP, Washington, DC: RAND Corporation., 1987 Rosenfeld, Michel. Affirmative Action and Justice: A Philosophical and Constitutional Inquiry. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1991. Rothman, Stanley; Lipset, Seymour Martin & Nevitte, Neil, "Racial Diversity Reconsidered," The Public Interest Spring 2003.

Fences Baseball Essay

Fences by August Wilson is a play full of baseball imagery, which is key to understanding the writing. Being a play the reader must interpret the scenes from emotions, setting, tone, and interpretation. This gives them insight to how August Wilson wants to portray the book. Being a white man writing from the perspective of a poor black man he sends the reader back into a time where blacks were inferior. They were pushed into a life where they could never climb the social ladder in sports or work. Troy being a former baseball player holds resentment towards the world and becomes bitter over the years. He has experienced injustice for many years and this has had a toll on him. Troy has the power to future to look at the situation differently but falls into the victim roll. Foreshadowing from the first scene of the play Troy’s has arrogance toward death leads to his death in the last scene with a baseball bat in his hand. The play is based around Troy’s love for baseball a nd how characters compare it to life situations. â€Å"Death ain’t nothing but a fastball on the outside corner†(1.1.82). Troy seeing his life as a baseball game compares a fastball to death. During Troy’s life he encounters an experience that supposedly brings him close to death. This may not actually be the case due to Troy’s practice at telling stories, but its importance is from the idea of a perfect pitch. Troy’s sees this perfect pitch as a homerun, showing the reader that Troy likes to bring drama to any situation. Troy being a former baseball player reverts to old ways when he was playing, he never made it to the big leagues and holds resentment. By never growing from his baseball years, he approaches every situation as if he is in a game. Troy introduces his tale early in the play giving the reader a chance to understand his character. â€Å"You got to take the crookeds with the straights. That’s what Papa used to say†(2.5). Lyons makes this remark to Cory, the son of Troy at the play in Act 2. This is significant because this is Lyons can finally understand and relate to Troy. Lyons has a metal plate in his head and has disabilities which cause him to make poor dictions and go to jail numerous times. Troy kept paying of the judge to get him out of jail and there was a part in the play where he remarks saying that he didn’t care what happening to Lyons. Being his brother Troy and Lyons have tensions in their relationship and this when Lyons makes an important connection to Troy. By being able to see that they were both very similar in their life dictions which connect them. Though this is a sad moment in their relationship, Lyons sees that they have never accomplished their dreams. I interpret the quote meaning that even though there are good times and bad ones, one must take them both. I belie ve you cannot experience happiness without struggle because then there wouldn’t be any separation between the two. By being able to distinguish the two one can become a better person because we can learn to deal with it better. â€Å"We’re not talking about baseball! We’re talking about you going off to lay in bed with another woman†¦ ain’t talking about no baseball†(2.1.121). Rose finds out Troy’s affair with Alberta and becomes upset with Troy’s response to her. Troy doesn’t see cheating on Rose as a problem and only sees what he is doing as a game. The problem is that he isn’t playing in a baseball game anymore and he is affecting his family. Troy’s waists his eighteen years with a woman he has loved, only to get Alberta pregnant and she dies due to complications during the pregnancy. Troy feels no regret and sees Alberta as an accomplishment because he was able to â€Å"steal second†(2.1.118) while he was still married. While his wife Rose sees it as being selfish and not thinking of her or her feelings during his affair. â€Å"They got lots of colored boys playing ball now. Baseball and football†(1.1.76-1.1.77). In the beginning of the novel the Troy’s wife, Rose and best friend, Bono and trying to convince that times have changed sense he played baseball. Their son Cory is trying to get recruited for football and Troy doesn’t believe he will be able to make a living to support himself being a black football player. This causes friction and tension between the couple because of their mixed views. Troy cannot get over his personal problems and drags him to his relationship with Cory. Instead of being supportive of his child, but pretends to be concerned, only being selfish from his experiences. Troy hates the thought of his children doing better than he ever did, being suppressed by the time he is in poverty. Cory resents him because Troy was in jail and was not there for his childhood, as a result Cory does not feel as though his father should have a say in his life. â€Å"You [Cory] swung and you [Cory] missed. That’s strike one. Don’t you strike out!† (2.4.58). Cory does not believe that he did anything wrong by quitting his job and as a result of a football career. Troy believes that Cory will also be cheated and segregated from the whites. Only because Troy is being stubborn and this is his perception of what will happen to Cory. Troy doesn’t know how to describe his feelings and he uses a baseball reference to release his anger. The problem is that he still holds on this anger which is self destructive. Then Cory strikes out two times by protecting his mother. Troy refuses anything that is not his own opinion because of his own rejection from his opportunities turned down by baseball. â€Å"If you going down†¦you going down swinging† ( 69). Troy tries to explain his life and diction making. This quotation shows how Troy is trying to justify his actions to Rose. He cannot get through to her using his baseball innuendos to make his actions seem less serious. Troy needs to look at Rose and apology for what he has done, but Troy sees his actions as laughable. He cannot take what he has done serious because he has hit a home run. This is his way of making up for the past this is his own reason to keep her in his life because she is a distraction from his life. He replaces baseball with Alberta, in the sense he feels â€Å"safe† when he is with her and creates a relationship based on hitting a home run. Putting his runs on the board is how he looks at winning in life instead taking a step away from his delusional life with Alberta. â€Å"They got a lot of coloured baseball players now. Jackie Robinson was the first. Folks had to wait for Jackie Robinson† (10). Troy blaming another person for his failure, he is not capable of taking responsibility for his own problems. Thinking till the day of his death Troy was robbed of a life he could have died he cannot get over the fact that he will never get that life back. Jackie Robison is his scapegoat and wants to give the credit of being the first black baseball player, but his jealously takes him over. He talks about how Jackie wasn’t even a good ball player instead of looking why the major leagues picked him to the first man. It was because of Jackie’s strength and hitting record that one man when out on a whim and took him in.

A Feministic View on Jackson’s Short Stories ‘the Lottery’...

Shirley Jackson is most famous for her short story ‘The Lottery’ and her novel ‘The Haunted House’. She has been applauded for her fresh approach towards American Gothic writing. There are many works dedicated to the gothic elements her stories contain. However, most critics overlooked the feminist elements that most of her stories have. The two short stories discussed in this essay both have female characters who are outsiders in their society. Careful examination of the protagonists’ course of action, setting, and symbolic references Shirley Jackson put in both of the stories shows that the female protagonist in both ‘The Lottery’ and ‘The Tooth should be considered as a woman with a feminist attitude towards a male-dominated society.†¦show more content†¦However, towards the end of the story Tessie transforms into a different woman once her family is chosen. The next passage indicates Tessie’s transformation when all of the sudden, Tessie Hutchinson shouts to Mr. Summers, â€Å"You didnt give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasnt fair!†(298). Her husband did not receive an honest treatment according to Tessie, which will eventually lead to her downfall. Now that she is the victim, there is a significant change in attitude towards the town and its tradition. She is no longer a good-natured woman who finds the lottery on great joke, instead, she stands up to this old tradition and is more nervous and aggressive than ever before in the story. This is the complete opposite of what we first saw of Tessie, a simple woman concerned more with her dishes than the lottery. The character of Tessie, in the end of the story, is fully aware of the consequences of this same lottery and she protests against the tradition which is so deeply rooted in her society. Because of the first impression of Tessie the reader would have expected her to just shrug her shoulders, inst ead Tessie does completely the opposite and stands up for her own rights. In ‘The Tooth’ Clara leaves her secure domestic environment to travel to