Hospitality Makes a Comeback

This article explains how industries are bouncing back after the recession. In 2008, the bleak reality of a financial crisis set in. With thousands of people losing their jobs or defaulting on their house payments, the economy was in the tank. However, four years after the start of a terrible recession, the economy is showing signs of healthy activity, especially in the hospitality industry.
When people saw all of the voided checks, foreclosures, and lack of retirement benefits in 2008, people became scared and with good reason. People were slowly losing their jobs because the economy could no longer support the job market. With a lack of money, many people found themselves living modestly. The hospitality industry hit rock bottom. People just weren't spending their income in hotels, on vacations, or in restaurants because, frankly, they no longer had the disposable income that they had previously. This just further increased the trouble America was in. Not only was there less money in the bank and in people's pockets, but there was significantly less money circulating in the economy. This creates a terribly debilitating condition that fosters high unemployment.
The real question here is why is the hospitality industry making a rebound? Four years later, with more money in the average American's pocket, people are starting to spend again. Americans have lost their fear of losing money in the stock market and less people are worried about losing their job. Unfortunately, a lot of this is psychological. People feel that it is safe to spend money again. However, unemployment still hovers around a lofty 10 percent.
My solution is to circulate more money by reducing taxes and putting more money in people's pockets. I honestly think that the economy will benefit more if people are not reprimanded for making more money with higher progressive taxes. On the other hand, we have trillions of dollars in debt to worry about. I still advocate a laissez faire economy. The hospitality industry is a benchmark industry that directly relates to how consumers are doing. If the economy is doing well, the money in the hospitality industry goes up, while it will decrease if the economy fails. I see a brighter future in the coming years, as predetermined by the recent rebound of the hospitality industry.

Is Education for Everyone?

This article elaborates on the veiled jabs between GOP candidate Rick Santorum and President Barack Obama. Basically, Santorum implied that advocating college education for everyone is rather ridiculous. I completely agree. Everyone in the US does not have the resources or the money to go to college. That is just a fact. President Obama, an advocate of Keynesian Economics, believes that in order for the economy to prosper, one must spend more money than is available to jumpstart the economy. President Obama has shown a vested interest in this theory to pick America up out of the recession, but thus far has not delivered in the least. But where does education come in?
If you think about the current job market, it is a really scary place. The market is highly competitive for a variety of reasons. People have to get higher education (aka College) to have a shot at getting a decent job. However, there are two major flaws to Obama's educational aspirations. Where does all of this money come from and why would a burger flipper at McDonald's need an expensive college education?
In my humble opinion, college has, and will continue to be a place for people that are aspiring to do great things. As the job market insists on having the best workers, college can continue to increase their premiums because it has become a necessity instead of a luxury. If colleges increase their tuitions, then how is the average Joe going to afford it? The only way college students from low income backgrounds can afford college is through governmental assistance programs, which are a luxury of living in a capitalistic society. However, government assistance can only go so far before it becomes overbearing and ridiculous. Where does that 'line in the sand' lie? Who knows? One thing is for sure; if Obama believes education will solve all problems, he will have a long list of donations from the federal government to make, a list that will never cease to expand the current debt of the US economy.

Retirees are Scarce

This Article explains the cruciality of expanding jobs in America because elderly people are, to put it simply, not retiring in the usual amounts. Due to the stock market crash in 2008, many Americans are still living in fear. This fear is manifested in many different avenues. One of these avenues is in the retirement community. People that are now hitting the 65 range are normally labeled as retirees because they typically retire in their golden years. This is no longer the case. Elderly people are actually going out of their way to keep their jobs in fear for what another stock market crash would do to their wallets. Why is this important? Well, if there are limited job numbers in an expanding population and the older people are not giving up their jobs for younger people to take over, there is a slight problem. In this recession, where President Barack Obama has attempted to create more jobs for the lower class Americans, the job market is becoming more and more competitive. Now, you can barely get a job as a file clerk without having a bachelor’s degree. Even more pressing is the idea that working class Americans are finding it harder and harder to find a job. When the unemployment rate is steadily increasing, despite government funding, we are in a tough situation.

Another interesting factor is the fact that the housing market has declined in the past years. We are currently on the cusp of a rise in real estate, but not yet. Many retirees, who planned to sell their house for a profit, now have to sit on the piece of property to wait for the home to turn profitable again. This puts the housing market in a bad place as well. Without considering the consequences, I thought retiring was just a typical practice. Now, it has become more of a luxury. In harsh economic times, it is easy to overlook the elderly people because of technological innovation and new sciences; however, we need to put our brains together to find out how to solve the retirement issue. Is it a problem for the federal government to address, or is it more a change in attitude? Only time and more paychecks will tell.

The Housing Market: Reduced Sizes, More Expectations

This Article explains how housing markets are changing to suit the demand of homeowners in modern times. The sizes of houses are reducing, but so are their price tags. People expect more for their money, but let’s establish what more means. More does not mean more space, but rather it means people are expecting more amenities, such as energy efficiency, and ecologically friendliness. As the years go by, people are willing to pay a premium for their house if it houses all of the necessary energy efficient technologies.

After the stock market crash in 2008, home buying has decreased significantly. People stopped buying and started renovating. However, over the past year, homeowners are becoming a little less cautious and are starting to invest in the housing market again, but at what cost? People have started a trend to buy smaller, cheaper houses that are more energy efficient. Average housing sizes have decreased, but the amenities have increased. People are expecting new homes with great insulation, energy efficient appliances, and new windows. While everyone's next though would be solar panels, the technology is still too expensive for consumers to demand and the companies to supply. Basically, builders are supplying the needs of their homebuyers by giving amenities without a significant price increase. How will this affect the expectations of homeowners?

In my opinion, smaller, efficient housing is most likely the best thing for our planet. Older homes are hurting the environment more than they are helping and homeowners are starting to realize this. The housing market is rebounding quickly. Who knows what's next? The main concern with the new housing market is the higher expectations for a cheaper price. Builders are losing their profit margins with more cautious buyers. Hopefully, the building industry will continue their environmentally friendly trend into the future, but at what cost?

Alzheimer's Patients Face New Diagnosis

This Article explains the dichotomy of thought in the medical field over the classification of Alzheimer patients. New studies and medical studies have tried to change the majority of Alzheimer’s patients to be labeled as Mild Cognitive Impairment patients (MCI). While this seems to be a medical breakthrough, it really is just confusing the industry. The medical professionals behind this study are trying to further separate two diseases that are almost exactly alike. In my opinion, there really is no difference between mild Alzheimer’s and MCI, but some professionals say otherwise. "We are really now working on trying to identify exactly where people will fit in the continuum of Alzheimer's disease," Thies said. Thies is a medical professional advocating the split of disease between the two entities. He says that many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are misdiagnosed. However, a study shows that 99.8 percent of Alzheimer's patients that were labeled as mild carriers of this disease would be changed to MCI patients. They would no longer be classified as Alzheimer's patients. While this seems to be very easily changed, it isn't.

If this classification process was instituted, the cost in millions of jobs, millions of donation dollars, and medical dichotomy would fully change the economy. Alzheimer's currently affects almost 3 million people in the United States. A significant change in insurance policies and medical care for that many people would have drastic effects on the economy. People would buy into the fallacy that MCI and Alzheimer's are actually two separate diseases, whereas in reality, they are actually just different stages of memory loss. In my opinion, until more research is done, no change to Alzheimer's patients should be publicized because the American public is known for buying into lies and without realizing it, changing the way they live to substantiate these lies.

Starbucks Finds a New Market

Recently, this article explained that with an ever expanding global consumer, Starbucks is ready to take on India. There has been a drastic increase in the amount of coffee shops in India in recent years and Starbucks, noticing the trend, is happy to take on another market. Starbucks currently resides in 57 countries with 17,000 stores. Basically, Starbucks is taking over the world, one country at a time. The interesting concept here is that Starbucks is actually taking on an equal partnership with Tata Beverages. This company initally invested 80 million dollars to lure Starbucks into its grasp, giving incentive a global carnivore, like Starbucks, would not refuse. The real question is why would Starbucks be successful in India?
According to the article, "Tata Starbucks Ltd., as their venture is known, hopes to capitalize on the rising aspirations — and fattening wallets — of many Indians, who are eager to partake of the global latte life." This is rather interesting considering the Indian market has always consisted of tea drinkers. However, I posed the initial question "How can Indian consumers afford the ridiculous prices of Starbucks coffee? I soon found the answer to my question. Indian civilization does not give its population any place to socialize, regardless of age. Coffee Shops, renowned for their social atmosphere, provide the perfect setting for people to 'hang out'. India has changed from a poor, uncivilized country into a modern metropolis of civilized people. India is finally on the same page as the rest of Asia, a task many thought to never see.
What economic implications does this new introduction provide? Well, obviously Starbucks is going to profit even more because it will take the urban areas in India by storm, while also giving tourists a familiar place to 'call home.' In my opinion, Starbucks has once again used their powerhouse status to change another country. Economically, Starbucks is providing an outlet for the consumer, while also giving Indian poeple a chance to manifest their long-awaited civility. Starbucks epitomizes what capitalism can create, both positively and negatively. On the bright side, Starbucks will continue to rule the coffee market, monopolizing the industry. On the dark side, Starbucks is gaining too much power in too many different countries, essentially limiting any government action to limit their influence. Once a company goes global, it is expanding its own success at the expense of everyone else in the market. However, Starbucks continues to increase global demand, a feat most companies would kill for. Who can blame them? Starbucks seems to have all the cards and is playing them without hesitation.

Is the State of the Union Address a Bunch of Lies?

This article reflects on the rather unsuccessful year President Barack Obama has had in 2011. From the failed promises and the unfulfilled dreams, he has left many Americans speechless. He promised a lofty campaign full of restructuring Washington and tax changes, both of which he has failed to do. Barack Obama idealizes a very strong centralized government very similar to that of a command economic system. He tries to heighten taxes on the wealthy, and gives economic relief to the poor to level the playing field. The failures of a strong central government include a lack of incentive. This lack of incentive can be seen in a portion of Americans receiving our tax dollars in the form of welfare. Unless America starts to become the home of the free and not the home of the governed, the economy will never rebound. I am here to tell you that the Robin Hood adventure President Obama is living will never put forth any results and it is time for the American public to stop dreaming for 'change' and get set in reality.
The main detriment to President Obama's campaign is that he is fostering a public that is used to getting free handouts. He has contributed heavily to the misshapen belief that people are all equal. While this may be the case spiritually and morally, economically that is definitely not the case. This is America, the land where people come to achieve their dreams. People work hard and benefit from it. President Obama is destroying that notion by advocating the current welfare system. As it stands now, the welfare recipients actually make more money off of government assistance than they do with a part time job. This is not a way to generate a productive economy. If given the chance to have more money and not have to work at all, who wouldn't take that opportunity? I know I would. The real issue here is the political game that President Obama is playing. He is previously misled the public into believing he can achieve nearly impossible tasks overnight. He has failed to "eliminate subsidies to oil companies; replace No Child Left Behind with a better education law; make a tuition tax credit permanent, rewrite immigration laws and reform the tax system," all of which he promised to do last year in the State of the Union Address.
While this seems to be a condemnation of our president, it is not. I am sincerely pointing out the problems with the State of the Union address. The real problem lies in telling people what they want to hear. Presidents use the State of the Union to boost the morale of the people, which is understandable. But it goes without saying that feeding the American public with unachievable goals is ridiculous. If the State of the Union Address was more focused on presenting the 'State of the Union' and less about winning the next presidential election, I think the American public would respond more positively to the unexpected failures of the current economy.

Is Cloning Worth The Money?

This Article explains the expansive amount of money a woman paid to have her precious dog cloned. This article works on multiple levels. First, there are the implications of cloning. People have extremely strong opinions about the divide between science and religion. Many people argue that cloning is a scientific advancement, while others believe that it is actually the act of 'playing God.' Everyone has a sense of value based judgment that is relatable to their experiences in life. No one has the same experiences. While I am baffled at the idea of cloning a dog, not to mention the ridiculous price tag to do so, some people think it is worth 50,000 dollars as seen in the opinion of young woman, Danielle Tarantola.

Based on the scarcity of the event, Tarantola was able to cut the cost of the procedure in half by appearing on a TLC screening about cloning. By being able to cut the procedure costs in half, there was more incentive for Tarantola to push for results, affecting her value based judgment. In my opinion, cloning is not something that humans should try to control. I believe that God creates life. Therefore, he should be making the major decisions concerning life and death. Essentially, decisions in our lives play almost solely on value based judgment which encompasses the present circumstances, the scarcity of the event, and past experience. In my humble opinion, Tarantola has attachment issues that cloning will not rectify even with her cloned dog Double Trouble.