High school seniors need to be taught economic responsibility. Economic responsibility should not only be taught in the schools, but in the home as well. As we have discussed in prior chapters, some of the reason we are in the mess we find ourselves in is due to the overspending not only by individuals, but the government as well. Arthur MacEwan states, “U.S. consumers have a reliance on credit and fail to look beyond the present” (2012, p. 6) As a consumer the high school senior needs to be taught how to look beyond what they see. How are they going to pay for the credit they have taken out, if our country hits another recession and they are left without employment?
Businesses and families borrow money to start up their business, to run their households and this amount has risen dramatically over the last two decades. According to John Miller, “in 1990 the household debt owed by families was 60.2% which has increased in 2010 to 92.5% and the total debt of businesses in 1980 was 53% whereas in 2010 it jumped to 74.3%” (2011, p. 36) Another words our budgets are not any more balanced than our governments without borrowing. Our government has borrowed and put money into our economy in order to try and give our economy a boost into the right direction. Miller states, “In 2008, the U.S. government spent $253.8 billion on expenditures that will boost the productivity of the economy and help to provide the tax revenue to service our national debt” (2011, p. 37) Our high school seniors need to be taught the appropriate times when to spend money and when they should invest to boost their future.
MacEwan points out there are three areas which should be addressed if we want to get a handle on our financial crisis. High school seniors shoul...
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...rld Economics (16th ed., p. 43, 46). Boston, MA: Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
MacEwan, A. (2012). Inequality, power and ideology. In J. Cypher, A. Reuss & C. Sturr (Eds.), Current economic issues: Dollars & sense Real World Economics (16th ed., p. 6, 8). Boston, MA: Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
Miller, J. (2011). Government "living within its means". In J. Cypher, A. Reuss & C. Sturr (Eds.), Current economic issues: Dollars & sense Real World Economics (16th ed., pp. 36-37). Boston, MA: Economic Affairs Bureau, Inc.
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Inequality, itself, may seem like an aspect that is surrounding the academic subject of history. An American economist, Paul Krugman, substantiates that inequality exists within our society through connections to several important historical movements. “One of the best arguments I’ve ever seen for the social costs came from a movement [...].” (Page 562) He implies how inferior inequality could be, and discusses why he along with a wide array of an American audience, may give some attention to its rising. Krugman makes “Confronting Inequality,” interesting, challenging, and enjoyable. This author approaches the audience by giving a powerful inception, and appealing to the senses of ethos and pathos.
The best thing the gonvornment can do is invest in education, because “[m]ore financial education in public schools is a must” (Source H). Children should learn how to do the “basic Suze Orman stuff “ like “how to make a monthly budget” and “ what saving and barrowing mean“ and “how wealth builds over time” ( Source H). If we do this people can learn at a younger age how to handle their money and be responsible. In order for this to work the gonvornment must allow the schools to teach to the individual because students learn differently. They also need to allow the teachers to teach to the students the way the students learn which will make a better educated person and a better class of
The Economist. “Inequality and the American Dream”. They Say I Say. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009. Print.
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Taking Sides Summary-Analysis Form. Title and Author of Article: Christopher Jencks. Briefly state the main idea of this article: The main idea of this article is that economic inequality has steadily risen in the United States between the richest people and the poorest people. And this inequality affects the people in more ways than buying power; it also affects education, life expectancy, living conditions and possibly happiness.
Most kids that have graduated high school have never been educated on the subject of personal finance, so they don’t know things like how to pay bills, or even how to do something as simple as applying for a job. According to a family friend of mine, Ron Hart; who happens to also be an award-wining author and TV/radio commentator, believes that students in high school don’t learn anything about how to get a job or get prepared financially. He states that, “ Students should prepare for a job. Maybe, instead of taking a fifth field trip to the Trail of Tears site, do one to learn about real jobs in an area they might want.” Hart believes that most basic high schools aren’t teaching students how to become financially stable for their future, which can cause major issues. He claims that “few schools teach about the value of hard work, ingenuity, gumption and entrepreneurship. Those lessons are as rare as Donald Trump bumper stickers in the faculty parking lot.” Hart also goes on to talk about how high school does not prepare you for life the same way college will. There are so many more lessons to learn there that people are missing out on. College is very important due to the fact that it will teach students more skills about finance and job seeking that most high schools don’t. In college, kids will learn how to save and budget their money, pay for their own expenses, and prioritize their needs verses their wants. Learning financial responsibility is also something that kids will carry with them throughout their jobs and their life. Having more freedom to understand the concepts of person finance will allow students to make mature decisions while easing their way into real world
The US has been in and out of debt countless times throughout history, going as far back as the Civil War. However, debt did not become a truly relevant problem until much later, in the 1980s (Budget Deficits). Up to that point, large budget deficits were generally only allowed during wartime, but this pattern ended after the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s New Deal meant that the government spent much more than it previously did, even after the economy improved (Budget De...
Credit card debt is one of this nation’s leading internal problems. When credit was first introduced, and up until around the late 1970’s, the standards for getting a credit card were very high. The bar got lowered and lowered to where, eventually, an 18 year-old college student with almost no income and nothing to base a credit score on previously could obtain a credit card (much like myself). The national credit card debt for families residing in the United States alone is in the trillions (Maxed Out). The average American family has around $9,000 in debt, and pays around $1,3000 a year on interest payments (Maxed Out). Many people have the concern today that these interest rates and fees are skyrocketing; and many do not understand why. Most of these people have to try to avoid harassing collecting agents from different agencies, which takes an emotional and psychological toll on them. While a lot of the newly recognized “risky” people (those with a doubted ability to make sufficient payments) are actually older people who have been customers of certain companies for decades, the credit card companies are actually consciously targeting a different, much more vulnerable group of people: college students. James Scurlock produced a documentary called Maxed Out on this growing problem, in which Senator Jack Reed of (Democrat) of Rhode Island emphasizes the targeting of college students in the Consumer Credit Hearings of 2005
Wilhelm, Heather “The Great Income Inequality Sham” Real Clear Politics. May 2013. Web. 29 Apr 2014.
To understand the student debt crisis, one must first understand what caused it and what results from it. College undergraduates use student loans to finance the cost of tuition, room, board, transportation, and personal expenses while attending (Gage and Lorin). Student loans are different from other forms of debt because basic consumer rights like bankruptcy protection don’t apply to students who default on their loans. As a result, students are virtually locked into their debt, offering them little to no ability to refinance it. Solutions to debt problems like consolidation are available to students but that process doesn’t involve shopping for a better deal from competing lenders like it does in other debt areas. Therefore, interest rates often remain high and the loans remain with the original lender (Vanegeren). As Kayla Webley expl...
Reich, Robert. "Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and the Poor Poorer." Mountain View College Reader. Neuleib, Janice. Cain S., Kathleen. Ruffus, Stephen. Boston: 501 Boylston Street, Suite 900. 2013 Print.
Pettinger, Tejvan. The “Pros and Cons of Inequality.” Economics Help. 18 Oct. 2011. Web.
The effect debt has on young adults is severe. More and more young adults today battle with debt and how to deal with it. I know many people who pay cash for everything they purchase, while this a admirable ambition it is often difficult for most Americans. I see debt a lot like cramming for a test. Although you may get the problem fixed in a short-term matter, it comes back up later and often tends to be more serious than before. This is why taking care of debt now is crucial. There are many ways to avoid debt but the first ones I can think of are not impulse buying. This is something I struggle with recurantly, and often times with clothing. I may not be in need of a new shirt nor can I afford one but I get sucked into the
Kerbo, H. R. (2012). Social stratification and inequality: class conflict in historical, comparative, and global perspective (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Shawki, Ahmed, Paul D’Amato (2000), “Briefing: The Shape of World Capitalism,” International Socialist Review, [http://www.isreview.org/issues/11/world_capitalism.shtml], accessed 19 May 2012.