Honors History Blog#4

1. What did you gain from your experiences as an honors student in the first semester (please consider novels, leadership opportunities, writing, history, projects, etc.)?

The books I read for Honors had influenced me. They contained interesting information into U.S. history and several cultural implications from the past in relation to the present. Also helping finish the projects was good, and participating in some key roles was rewarding. Learning the history helped expand some knowledge I had from my history class last year (last year it was AP world, not just the USA). Also learning about American history gave me insight to how the US Government works.

2. Discuss what you might have done differently if you could do this past semester of honors over again.

If I could go through this semester all over again, I would work more diligently, write better when working on my assignments, and work in a timely manner. Procrastination was detrimental, and if I had the chance to have gone through this semester again, I would have spent more time on my work first.

3. Discuss your goals for honors in the second semester.

I plan  on going through honors for second semester and doing well on my work, getting the right grade, and learning new things related with honors work.

4. If you could choose any specific parts of literature and.or history for our honors work next semester, what would you pick and why?

I would pick the Vietnam War because that has some importance historically (first televised war, etc.). Also the Cold War would be INTERESTING to learn about, considering that it takes up a majority of America's time after WWII.

Honors History Blog#4

1. What did you gain from your experiences as an honors student in the first semester (please consider novels, leadership opportunities, writing, history, projects, etc.)?

The books I read for Honors had influenced me. They contained interesting information into U.S. history and several cultural implications from the past in relation to the present. Also helping finish the projects was good, and participating in some key roles was rewarding. Learning the history helped expand some knowledge I had from my history class last year (last year it was AP world, not just the USA). Also learning about American history gave me insight to how the US Government works.

2. Discuss what you might have done differently if you could do this past semester of honors over again.

If I could go through this semester all over again, I would work more diligently, write better when working on my assignments, and work in a timely manner. Procrastination was detrimental, and if I had the chance to have gone through this semester again, I would have spent more time on my work first.

3. Discuss your goals for honors in the second semester.

4. If you could choose any specific parts of literature and.or history for our honors work next semester, what would you pick and why?

Honors History Blog#4

1. What did you gain from your experiences as an honors student in the first semester (please consider novels, leadership opportunities, writing, history, projects, etc.)?

The books I read for Honors had influenced me. They contained interesting information into U.S. history and several cultural implications from the past in relation to the present. Also helping finish the projects was good, and participating in some key roles was rewarding. Learning the history helped expand some knowledge I had from my history class last year (last year it was AP world, not just the USA). Also learning about American history gave me insight to how the US Government works.

2. Discuss what you might have done differently if you could do this past semester of honors over again.

If I could go through this semester all over again, I would work more diligently, write better when working on my assignments, and work in a timely manner. Procrastination was detrimental, and if I had the chance to have gone through this semester again, I would have spent more time on my work first.

3. Discuss your goals for honors in the second semester.

4. If you could choose any specific parts of literature and.or history for our honors work next semester, what would you pick and why?

Honors History Blog#3

WPA...
I would like to bring the Work Progress Administration to the modern society. The Work Progress Administration, or WPA, was the largest New Deal program at its time before it was ended around the start of WWII. It supplied jobs to the unemployed and had public works projects, and media, art, drama, and literacy projects. It paid its workers hourly wage, no more than 30 hours per week. During its time it fed children, and redrestributed food and clothing to the unemployed. Educational works helped benefit rural states.

I picked this plan because it would give more opportunities to unemployed families and could reduce the growing poverty level in the country. This would help the economy in many ways considering that this program played a large part in the New Deal programs during the Great Depression. This program would be a massive employer, having simple steps to being hired. Idealistically, it could help shape America for better, improving roads, cleaning neighborhoods, and reshaping the environment.

Modernizing this act could work if the jobs assigned to workers included production of goods used in society, like medical supplies for hospitals and other simple goods that could be made without need of experience. Public works such as building roads, repairing roads, and the construction of buildings could be used to help create jobs and keep the unemployed employed with work. Cleaning projects could also be issued, sweeping streets and making American cities better. This work could be channeled to improve America, wherever low cost jobs are missing.

Honors History Blog#2

Dear President,
The time ahead for your presidency will be filled with many difficult issues. America is not fairing well at all, with many economic problems, separation between congress, and much more. I have a few ideas of how to handle your first term and possibly your second term in office.

With regards to Congress, which has a split momentum of Republican and Democrat congressmen, you should advocate by-partisan ship, but do it in a way that benefits more than harms in terms of bills that are passed. The Republicans and Democrats are separate with their goals and will go only for those goals. You as president need to advocate the point that both parties need to make compromise, and not go for the minor issues at hand but prepare to serve the country, like FDR's ideal saying that "the United States is one organic entity, that no interest, no class, no section, is either separate or supreme above the interests of all” [1]. Dwelling the fight between parties will make it easier to help support the bigger plans ahead.

 The American public, as citizens, can support you. Many influential presidents in history have been supported by movements of people; this is your chance to start your own movement and influence on America. You have a following movement out there, and since your election it has died down in voice. Now you have to bring up that movement and have it assist your relationship for the public, because the Republicans have already begun a media-based public war against your presidency. Advocating for a cooperation in Congress deters some people, but providing your insurance to the people, like FDR "used radio and Reagan television to speak to the public without going through the press, [you] could do the same with the Web" [1].

If you can shape the economy to better fit both sides, then strive to. The Republicans want the Bush tax cuts, free-enterprise and business, while the democrats shoot for a more activist publicly run healthcare and governmental control on the economy. You need to make congress see the larger problems at hand, not just the instant gratifying missions that they have. A system for rebuilding the economy needs to in place, one that will somehow provide taxes to decrease the deficit but also provide to keep stability in an already shambling economy.

We need a "society that works for everybody" [1], and still gets the job done. President Obama, it is  your time now, time to reverse the economic stress left behind by the conservative era, and time to begin a new era, one that suits your American citizens.


Thank you for your time and consideration.


Sincerely,


You advisor Mr. Pena




CITATIONS
[1] http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/11/17/081117fa_fact_packer?currentPage=all

Blog#20: Fed vs AntiFed Interview!

Issue: Civil War
We discussed about the Civil War and the Federalist VS. Anyti-Federalist issues. The prime reason why the civil war was fought was because of slavery, whether the government (Federalist) should abolish slavery or whether the South (Anti-Federalist) should keep it. After the war, the south still stayed Anti-Federalist, arguing that the government took away the southern state's rights. Since Anti-Federalism was a large undertaking in the South, the federal government had a difficult time taking away segregation and instituting Civil Rights acts. The mood of the South in "Confederates in the Attic" by  Tony Horwitz, and it reflects how some southerners react to the government regulation; the Anti-Federalist way.

I interviewed my father for this blog:

Q- "What is your opinion on the Civil War, mainly on how it has effected the South?"

A- "The Civil War had many effects on the South. It was a war to end slavery, contrary to what many southerners would say. Also it was also an economic war because the South depended on slaves to run their industry, which was plantations. As for how it affected us in the future? The South was devastate, lot of poverty, loss of infrastructure, it did so many things I don't know where to start... It left a lot of southerners resentful towards blacks.

Q- "What is your opinion on the anti-federal movements in the south?"

A- "A lot of the southern states don't like federal government, so a lot of southern states want to run things their own way. That can be very dangerous, because we have a constitution, a law for every person in this land. Some of these states in the South, they want to segregate and do other things that are unconstitutional, and that is why they don't like The federal government... because the federal government sets them straight."

Honors History Blog #1

The most important Health Care legislation issue in history, from my point of view, is the debate on the privatized health care or 'Laissez-faire' (hands off) corporate health care system vs. public health care. Privatized health care has some issues with how it is run; it is easily manipulative in its clients.

The privatized health care was a form of Anti-Federal means, since the federal government had a healthcare system that allowed for private companies to deny coverage to people. Health insurance companies have certain goals to reach economically, and without government regulation, they can cancel coverage to people with "pre-conceived conditions... a medical condition that existed before someone applies for or enrolls in a new health insurance policy" [1]. Insurance companies use many factors for pre-conceived conditions, and they can even use ethnicity as a factor (Here is a link to an educational slideshow showing the ethnical effects on health: http://www.kaiseredu.org/tutorials/REHealthcare/player.html).

 

"Insurance companies and health plans are concerned about their financial bottom line – it’s in their best interest, therefore, to exclude people with a pre-existing condition" [2].

 While the government's job is to protect the people, the Anti-federal system in place leaves many people vulnerable to life without health insurance. This is why the matter is so serious, it affects a huge portion of health care involving numerous people. The federal government has had a recent health care bill proposal, a public health care system. In the news the Republican side fights for private healthcare while the Democrats fight for public healthcare. Healthcare has affected people from the past, affects us in the present, and will affect people in the future. This debate between Federalists and Anti-federalists in health care is playing an essential role in American society and history.

Sites used:
[1] http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
[2] http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/healthinsurancebasics/a/preexisting_conditions_overview.htm

Blog#19: Life the Book Reflection Blog...

1. What are you most proud of in your Life: The Book writing? Try to describe this is detail!

I am proud of the fact that I made an article supporting vaccines and that I was able to finish it

2. What are some changes or new ideas that you have developed in your writing through the course of this semester?

I have formed multiple drafts and had to include a story in the article with a bunch of medical information. (It was very hard to find a character in my story)

3. If you had a little more time to work on your writing for LifE: The Book, what would you do differently? What would you change about your writing?

I would have more people go over it and condense my information, because I was unsure of how long the article was supposed to be. I will always want to improve my work and change it.

4. How has the additional element of publication in a book affected the way you approach writing?

It made me feel that my work need to be perfect because of the publication, and it encouraged me to work more intensively on my work considering that it would view by many people.