Link to TV show
http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000001910832/what-is-fair-.html
Most of the viewers of "What Is a Fair Tax Code?" will come away with the same belief about taxes as they went in with, taxes on the rich should be increased and on the middle class decreased. Everyone has an opinion about what should be done with taxes, but many don't understand the impact of their ideas. All Americans want lower tax rates and government spending to decrease, but most of the government run programs are necessary. The viewers of this show will learn about the impact taxes have had on the "average Joe". Tax increases have put people out of business and therefore out of work. The objective of this story is to increase awareness of the problems with taxes and hopefully get the government to start changing things. The story is showing people that they are not alone when it comes to struggling with taxes. Almost every American wants tax reform and its only a matter of time before they get it.
I created a survey and went out in the community to ask random people what they thought about taxes. Most of the questions were yes or no answers and below the results are shown. The questions were as follow:
1) Do you think you are over taxed?
Yes - 69%
No - 41%
2) What social class do you think is under taxed?
Poor - 13%
Middle Class - 34%
Rich - 53%
3) Do you believe your tax dollars are well spent?
Yes - 37%
No - 63%
4) What social class do you think is over taxed?
Poor - 23%
Middle Class - 57%
Rich - 20%
5) Should the tax system be changed?
Yes - 86%
No - 14%
This survey parallels what was done in the TV show "What Is a Fair Tax Code?" because it asks people similar questions. Eau Claire has a relatively low poverty rate compared to other places in the United States, therefore the results of my survey are a little different compared to the show. More people in Eau Claire think that the middle class is over taxed because most of Eau Claire's population is a part of the middle class. This survey made people think more about taxes. I had small conversations with each interviewee and found that a lot of them said that the government should stop spending so much. I responded by explaining that almost every government run program is used by some people in some way. It was alarming how many people never realized how used the programs were. Many people from Eau Claire didn't know how necessary the policies are to help different people in different circumstances. Many citizens just blew it off, but some actually had a change of heart and told me they never realized how many people use the government run programs. Overall, this survey made some people change their views, but many people externalized the information because they don't want to believe that a high school student understands more about their taxes than they do.
Annotated Bibliography
The television show "What Is a Fair Tax Code?" sheds some light over the person that tax reform effects the most, "the average Joe". In this episode, Shayla Harris travels to southwestern Illinois to get an idea of how taxes have impacted a small town community. He asks many citizens the question "who should pay more in taxes?". This show brings out the voice of the working class and allows people to see the importance of tax reform. This television show does not have bias because the authors never pose their own view. Furthermore, the episode interviews people that have opposing views, it explores both sides of the argument. The information provided is reliable because it is on the New York Times web page. My project's main topic is the idea of the "average Joe" being over taxed. This show utilizes interviews of "average Joe" American citizens which will make my project stronger.
Harris, Shayla, and Appelbaum, Binyamin. "What Is a Fair Tax Code?" Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 29 Nov. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000001910832/what-is-fair-.html>.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Nonfiction Book Assignment
Nonfiction book summary
This book focuses on one big question, what needs to change or stay the same in the United States tax system? The author of this book, Noel Merino, is like a composer of a musical piece, he found viewpoints on different debates and put them together into one book that looks at both sides of the argument. Merino took the main question and broke it into three smaller issues. First, is the tax system working? This explores the amount of money Americans are paying to taxes and where that money goes. Second, is the current system fair for rich and poor? This section talks about the how much the rich pay in taxes compared to the middle class and poor. Third, what taxes should be enacted or repealed? This talks a little about the type of taxes people pay for and whether they are beneficial or not.
There are many critics of the tax system in the United States. Many Americans argue that the system is not working and want it changed. This section goes into detail about where our tax dollars go. It talks about the different government programs that are run using the citizens tax dollars. Some people benefit from one program so they believe that program is necessary while they think programs they don't benefit from are unnecessary. The only problem with this is that all Americans don't find the same programs beneficial. For example, one person thinks that a government run program is a waste of our taxes while another needs that program to live. This happens all the time so all programs are necessary to some extent. The book goes into more depth on which programs are widely used and absolutely necessary.
Almost every person thinks that their tax rates are too high, but is that actually true? This chapter debates whether the tax system is fair for rich and poor. It talks about different types of tax systems, progressive, regressive, and proportional. These three systems have many benefits, but they all come with costs as well. This chapter shows the costs and benefits of each system while explaining government policies. Many people get deductions and exemptions while doing their taxes, but don't really know why. This chapter helps individuals understand why certain people get deductions and exemptions while others do not. Overall, experts debate who benefits from different tax regulations.
This chapter talks about what is taxed and where. To start off it states many different types of taxes: federal, income, state, payroll, social security, medicare and Medicaid, and estate. It goes on to explain a little about each type of tax and where those taxes are enacted. This chapter focuses on the value-added tax, alternative minimum tax, and the estate tax. Here experts argue that all of these taxes should be repealed, then other experts argue that all of these taxes are necessary.
The debate over taxes is long and confusing, but these debates are needed to keep the United States tax system in balance. It is necessary for people to challenge the tax system and ask questions, this makes sure that the current tax system is the best one we could possibly have. This book helps extinguish some of the myths of the United States tax system while confirming others. Noel Merino covers both sides of the debate on taxes and leaves it up to the reader to do what they want with the information given.
Key Passages
- In the book "Tax Reform" Doug Bandow stated "Americans this year will spend more on taxes than on clothing, food, and shelter combined"(20).
- "the top 20 percent pay almost 70 percent of all federal taxes and over 86 percent of all income taxes"(Dubay 61).
- "Instead of the hundreds of forms demanded by the current tax system, the Armey flat tax would have required just two postcards"(Mitchell 144).
Thought provoking Questions
- Is the United States tax system working for you?
- Do you think you are under/over taxed?
- Who do you think is under/over taxed?
- Do you believe your tax dollars are well spent?
- Do you think all government run programs are necessary?
- If you could change the tax system, what would you change?
Fitting in with my topic
My topic proposal asks the same questions and talks about the same topic as the book "Tax Reform". I found this book after I wrote my topic proposal and it sounds like it was written by me. Noel Merino goes over all of the parts of taxes that I want to know about. He asks the question "Is the current US tax system fair for rich and poor?" and goes into detail on that question. This is the question my entire capstone project is on and Noel Merino has 50 pages written about it. He also asks questions like "is the US tax system working?" or "how should it be changed?" and I will talk a little about those throughout my capstone project.
Annotated Bibliography
The book "Tax Reform" by Noel Merino is a collection of viewpoints on the problems with taxes. This book has many different questions that the author goes through one by one in his chapters. The book is broken down into four main points, three of which I will be focusing on. First of all, Merino finds viewpoints that support and are against the United States tax system. After that, he talks about whether the tax system is fair between the rich and poor. Finally, he finishes off the argument by asking what taxes should be enacted or repealed, some solutions to the tax problem. A very interesting fact about this book is that it is not biased at all. The author finds viewpoints that support both sides current argument or question and allows the reader to draw their own conclusion. Also, this book is a very reliable source because it is supported by the opposing viewpoints series. The questions Merino asks throughout this book parallel my research and my topic. Before I found this book I made an outline for my project and it showed what information I was looking for, this book had all that information and more.
Merino, Noël. Tax Reform. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven, 2011. Print.
This book focuses on one big question, what needs to change or stay the same in the United States tax system? The author of this book, Noel Merino, is like a composer of a musical piece, he found viewpoints on different debates and put them together into one book that looks at both sides of the argument. Merino took the main question and broke it into three smaller issues. First, is the tax system working? This explores the amount of money Americans are paying to taxes and where that money goes. Second, is the current system fair for rich and poor? This section talks about the how much the rich pay in taxes compared to the middle class and poor. Third, what taxes should be enacted or repealed? This talks a little about the type of taxes people pay for and whether they are beneficial or not.
There are many critics of the tax system in the United States. Many Americans argue that the system is not working and want it changed. This section goes into detail about where our tax dollars go. It talks about the different government programs that are run using the citizens tax dollars. Some people benefit from one program so they believe that program is necessary while they think programs they don't benefit from are unnecessary. The only problem with this is that all Americans don't find the same programs beneficial. For example, one person thinks that a government run program is a waste of our taxes while another needs that program to live. This happens all the time so all programs are necessary to some extent. The book goes into more depth on which programs are widely used and absolutely necessary.
Almost every person thinks that their tax rates are too high, but is that actually true? This chapter debates whether the tax system is fair for rich and poor. It talks about different types of tax systems, progressive, regressive, and proportional. These three systems have many benefits, but they all come with costs as well. This chapter shows the costs and benefits of each system while explaining government policies. Many people get deductions and exemptions while doing their taxes, but don't really know why. This chapter helps individuals understand why certain people get deductions and exemptions while others do not. Overall, experts debate who benefits from different tax regulations.
This chapter talks about what is taxed and where. To start off it states many different types of taxes: federal, income, state, payroll, social security, medicare and Medicaid, and estate. It goes on to explain a little about each type of tax and where those taxes are enacted. This chapter focuses on the value-added tax, alternative minimum tax, and the estate tax. Here experts argue that all of these taxes should be repealed, then other experts argue that all of these taxes are necessary.
The debate over taxes is long and confusing, but these debates are needed to keep the United States tax system in balance. It is necessary for people to challenge the tax system and ask questions, this makes sure that the current tax system is the best one we could possibly have. This book helps extinguish some of the myths of the United States tax system while confirming others. Noel Merino covers both sides of the debate on taxes and leaves it up to the reader to do what they want with the information given.
Key Passages
- In the book "Tax Reform" Doug Bandow stated "Americans this year will spend more on taxes than on clothing, food, and shelter combined"(20).
- "the top 20 percent pay almost 70 percent of all federal taxes and over 86 percent of all income taxes"(Dubay 61).
- "Instead of the hundreds of forms demanded by the current tax system, the Armey flat tax would have required just two postcards"(Mitchell 144).
Thought provoking Questions
- Is the United States tax system working for you?
- Do you think you are under/over taxed?
- Who do you think is under/over taxed?
- Do you believe your tax dollars are well spent?
- Do you think all government run programs are necessary?
- If you could change the tax system, what would you change?
Fitting in with my topic
My topic proposal asks the same questions and talks about the same topic as the book "Tax Reform". I found this book after I wrote my topic proposal and it sounds like it was written by me. Noel Merino goes over all of the parts of taxes that I want to know about. He asks the question "Is the current US tax system fair for rich and poor?" and goes into detail on that question. This is the question my entire capstone project is on and Noel Merino has 50 pages written about it. He also asks questions like "is the US tax system working?" or "how should it be changed?" and I will talk a little about those throughout my capstone project.
Annotated Bibliography
The book "Tax Reform" by Noel Merino is a collection of viewpoints on the problems with taxes. This book has many different questions that the author goes through one by one in his chapters. The book is broken down into four main points, three of which I will be focusing on. First of all, Merino finds viewpoints that support and are against the United States tax system. After that, he talks about whether the tax system is fair between the rich and poor. Finally, he finishes off the argument by asking what taxes should be enacted or repealed, some solutions to the tax problem. A very interesting fact about this book is that it is not biased at all. The author finds viewpoints that support both sides current argument or question and allows the reader to draw their own conclusion. Also, this book is a very reliable source because it is supported by the opposing viewpoints series. The questions Merino asks throughout this book parallel my research and my topic. Before I found this book I made an outline for my project and it showed what information I was looking for, this book had all that information and more.
Merino, Noël. Tax Reform. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven, 2011. Print.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
House and Cuddy
Dr. House has a passion for medicine and helping people, but he has something inside of him that allows him to put his morals aside to help people in unconventional ways. House likes to do things his way and will stop at nothing to make sure something goes his way. He acts like a child in some cases, but that gives him an excuse for his loss of empathy. House has less morality than the other doctors, he will put patients through pain or lie to them to find an answer about something. Dr. House has a sense of right and wrong, but ignores it to help patients.
In the TV show House, Dr. Cuddy is the person who is trying to stop Dr. House from crossing the line from which there is no turning back. She is the head of the hospital and has to deal with House's unethical treatments every day. Cuddy does not share House's ability to put morals aside. She is more likely to do things by the book and threatens House when he does something immoral. House and Cuddy know that Cuddy cannot do anything about House's actions because he is the best doctor in the hospital, and Dr. Cuddy can't give up his valuable knowledge. Cuddy will go along with House's ideas because she knows he is usually right, but has to stop him when things go against her sense of morality.
House and Cuddy have different levels of morality. House has a very low level, like a child, while Cuddy is at a much higher level. She is able to feel empathy, something House lacks, and this makes her want to help people with as little emotional and physical pain as possible. House doesn't care about peoples' feelings, as long as he heals the patient, he couldn't care less about peoples' emotions. House is a very good doctor because he heals patients and saves lives. Many people don't believe that House should be a doctor because he is so immoral, but it is good to have someone to think outside of the box. Other doctors don't even think about the treatments House does because their morals get in the way. House has a sense of right and wrong, but ignores it when necessary. By doing this, House saves patients that would have died without his out of the box thinking. Hospitals need doctors like House or many people that could be saved would die.
In the TV show House, Dr. Cuddy is the person who is trying to stop Dr. House from crossing the line from which there is no turning back. She is the head of the hospital and has to deal with House's unethical treatments every day. Cuddy does not share House's ability to put morals aside. She is more likely to do things by the book and threatens House when he does something immoral. House and Cuddy know that Cuddy cannot do anything about House's actions because he is the best doctor in the hospital, and Dr. Cuddy can't give up his valuable knowledge. Cuddy will go along with House's ideas because she knows he is usually right, but has to stop him when things go against her sense of morality.
House and Cuddy have different levels of morality. House has a very low level, like a child, while Cuddy is at a much higher level. She is able to feel empathy, something House lacks, and this makes her want to help people with as little emotional and physical pain as possible. House doesn't care about peoples' feelings, as long as he heals the patient, he couldn't care less about peoples' emotions. House is a very good doctor because he heals patients and saves lives. Many people don't believe that House should be a doctor because he is so immoral, but it is good to have someone to think outside of the box. Other doctors don't even think about the treatments House does because their morals get in the way. House has a sense of right and wrong, but ignores it when necessary. By doing this, House saves patients that would have died without his out of the box thinking. Hospitals need doctors like House or many people that could be saved would die.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Chris McCandless and Mr. Fox
Chris McCandless and Mr.Fox like to do things their way and they have something inside of them driving them to be adventurous, like an animal. Chris does not like to do things that people tell him. Mr. Fox does this as well; there were countless times in the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox when Mr. Fox did what he wanted and ignored other's advice. When people try to boss Chris around, he leaves and doesn't come back. These two characters' similarities are what contributes to their adventurous spirit.
Chris had a passion for everything he did, his personality drove him to do things no one else would ever think about doing. Chris always went overboard on things, if he was interested in something he would go all out and do it. In the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer Chris's dad said "Chris was a high achiever in almost everything that caught his fancy"(109). This is what lead Chris to the edge where there was no turning back. He wanted to go into Alaska and live off the land with very little supplies, alone, in the wild. He was not scared because he thought he could overcome any obstacle, like he did in the past. "Chris was fearless even when he was little"(Krakauer 109). Chris's adventurous spirit came from his fearlessness, his narcissistic personality, and his unwillingness stop when he was in over his head.
Like Chris, Mr. Fox does what he wants and has an animal inside of him that drives adventure. In the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox Mr. Fox asked his wife what she thought they should do in a given situation. His wife gave an answer and immediately Mr. Fox responded with a different idea. It was like he had already made up his mind before he even asked his wife. This happened multiple times throughout the movie. Mr.Fox stole chickens for a living before his son was born. He promised his wife that he would never steal a chicken again, but twelve fox-years later, he was back in the game. Mr. Fox couldn't give up stealing chickens, his passion for it would not let him. His excuse was that he had an animal inside of him, and he did, the animal was adventurism.
Chris and Mr. Fox have something on the inside that drives their behavior. Neither of them like to take orders from others and they will only do things their way. Chris will leave if anyone trys to help him and that gives him opportunities for adventure. Mr. Fox askes people for their opinions, but in reality he has his mind made up before hand. Both Chris and Mr. Fox have an animal inside of them that drives their adventures. Chris's animal is his selfishness and narcissim while Mr. Fox's animal is his passion for the hunt.
Chris had a passion for everything he did, his personality drove him to do things no one else would ever think about doing. Chris always went overboard on things, if he was interested in something he would go all out and do it. In the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer Chris's dad said "Chris was a high achiever in almost everything that caught his fancy"(109). This is what lead Chris to the edge where there was no turning back. He wanted to go into Alaska and live off the land with very little supplies, alone, in the wild. He was not scared because he thought he could overcome any obstacle, like he did in the past. "Chris was fearless even when he was little"(Krakauer 109). Chris's adventurous spirit came from his fearlessness, his narcissistic personality, and his unwillingness stop when he was in over his head.
Like Chris, Mr. Fox does what he wants and has an animal inside of him that drives adventure. In the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox Mr. Fox asked his wife what she thought they should do in a given situation. His wife gave an answer and immediately Mr. Fox responded with a different idea. It was like he had already made up his mind before he even asked his wife. This happened multiple times throughout the movie. Mr.Fox stole chickens for a living before his son was born. He promised his wife that he would never steal a chicken again, but twelve fox-years later, he was back in the game. Mr. Fox couldn't give up stealing chickens, his passion for it would not let him. His excuse was that he had an animal inside of him, and he did, the animal was adventurism.
Chris and Mr. Fox have something on the inside that drives their behavior. Neither of them like to take orders from others and they will only do things their way. Chris will leave if anyone trys to help him and that gives him opportunities for adventure. Mr. Fox askes people for their opinions, but in reality he has his mind made up before hand. Both Chris and Mr. Fox have an animal inside of them that drives their adventures. Chris's animal is his selfishness and narcissim while Mr. Fox's animal is his passion for the hunt.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Physical and Mental Brain
Neither the physical brain nor the mental brain have more of an influence than the other. First of all, the physical brain can limit people in certain ways and they can't change that. In "The Brain" Clive had a physical disease that limits his ability to remember things that happen, but he can remember how to speak and move his body. On the other hand, the mental brain has to be in the right mindset to do what is wanted to be done. If someone goes into school thinking that they are already smart enough, a fixed mindset, then they will not succeed. That person has to go into school with a growth mindset. They need to embrace failure and learn from it, then they will succeed. Similarly, a player's mindset during a basketball game has to be in the right place and their physical brain has to be prepared as well. The player has to believe that he can win. He also has to be able to go from being really pumped up while playing, to being very calm while taking a free throw; just like in "The Brain". Together, the physical brain has to be prepared for an event and the mental brain has to be in the right mindset. Only then, people are able to complete the task at hand.
In my life experiences, I have found that the physical and mental brain both have an influence. I believe that my mental mindset has an effect on my performance. When I play a hockey game, I have to tell myself that I can do it, "I can score this goal" or "I can keep up with this guy". Similarly, my mind has to be physically prepared for the game as well as mentally. I have to be pumped up for my hockey game to succeed. If I just came out of the locker room without preparing myself in any way, I wouldn't do well. To get myself ready for a hockey game, I warm up by jogging around the arena and doing a small, easy workout. Then I listen to some rock music, which gets me in the zone. After doing all of that, I am physically and mentally ready for my game. I do this when I am getting ready for a test in school too. To get my physical brain prepared for a test, I study all night. To get mentally prepared, I have to believe that I can do well. Both the physical and mental brain effect how I perform in sports and school, I have to get pumped up or study and believe in myself to succeed.
In my life experiences, I have found that the physical and mental brain both have an influence. I believe that my mental mindset has an effect on my performance. When I play a hockey game, I have to tell myself that I can do it, "I can score this goal" or "I can keep up with this guy". Similarly, my mind has to be physically prepared for the game as well as mentally. I have to be pumped up for my hockey game to succeed. If I just came out of the locker room without preparing myself in any way, I wouldn't do well. To get myself ready for a hockey game, I warm up by jogging around the arena and doing a small, easy workout. Then I listen to some rock music, which gets me in the zone. After doing all of that, I am physically and mentally ready for my game. I do this when I am getting ready for a test in school too. To get my physical brain prepared for a test, I study all night. To get mentally prepared, I have to believe that I can do well. Both the physical and mental brain effect how I perform in sports and school, I have to get pumped up or study and believe in myself to succeed.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Personal Narratives and Cultural Factors
1) I have found the personal narratives and single stories the most interesting topics so far. The personal narratives were fun to read and write. I liked reading all the different stories of people in the book "The Oxford Project". It was very interesting to read about the lives of other people. They told stories about life lessons they have learned, some entertaining and others sad, and really good stories. It was probably the first time any of the people in the book told their stories. The stories in "The Oxford Project" are also single stories. The stories only get the points of view of the person they are about. Of course, that is the most important point of view, but there are many other sides to that persons story. Their friend might see a particular event as insightful rather than a complete loss. I liked writing my personal narrative too. It felt good to get some of the things that I have never told anyone out and on paper. It allow me to reminisce about good and bad parts of my life. I thought that the personal narratives and single stories were the most fun topics this year.
2) The cultural factor that has had the most affect on me is social class. My family is in the middle class, and that has shaped the person I am. It has made me a saver, not a spender. I have to work hard in order to go to college because I know that my parents won't pay for my college career if I get bad grades. Rich people feel entitled to go to college no matter how hard they work. Poorer people have to work a lot harder than richer people if they want to go to college. In the world, more money equals more opportunity, and less money equals more work. I believe the least influential cultural factor is political views. I don't care about elections or important economic decisions. I don't care what direction our country goes in, there are other people that do and they will keep us going in the right direction. I hope. I don't have political views, and that is why I believe that it is the least influential cultural factor.
3) The article "15 ways rich people think differently" by Steve Siebold also talks about rich people getting opportunities. " Rich people maintain a logical relationship with money viewing it as a tool that represents options and opportunities"(Siebold 1). Everyone knows that more money means you get more opportunities, whether that be in schooling, music, athletics, etc. "Average people focus on saving and miss big opportunities by trying to live frugally"(Siebold 1). This is a perfect example. Middle class families teach their kids to be savers because that is the only life they know. The middle class doesn't know that to make money you have to spend money, and the rich do. The rich are taught that from a young age. "Rich people teach their children from an early age about the world of haves and have nots"(Siebold 1). Kids from rich families get knowledge that poorer kids don't. Rich kids get more opportunities and are taught by their rich parents how to become rich. Social class has a very big impact on the peoples lives.
Link to "15 ways rich people think differently": http://www.news.com.au/business/worklife/ways-rich-people-think-differently/story-e6frfm9r-1226464697808#ixzz2fwBrrfv3
2) The cultural factor that has had the most affect on me is social class. My family is in the middle class, and that has shaped the person I am. It has made me a saver, not a spender. I have to work hard in order to go to college because I know that my parents won't pay for my college career if I get bad grades. Rich people feel entitled to go to college no matter how hard they work. Poorer people have to work a lot harder than richer people if they want to go to college. In the world, more money equals more opportunity, and less money equals more work. I believe the least influential cultural factor is political views. I don't care about elections or important economic decisions. I don't care what direction our country goes in, there are other people that do and they will keep us going in the right direction. I hope. I don't have political views, and that is why I believe that it is the least influential cultural factor.
3) The article "15 ways rich people think differently" by Steve Siebold also talks about rich people getting opportunities. " Rich people maintain a logical relationship with money viewing it as a tool that represents options and opportunities"(Siebold 1). Everyone knows that more money means you get more opportunities, whether that be in schooling, music, athletics, etc. "Average people focus on saving and miss big opportunities by trying to live frugally"(Siebold 1). This is a perfect example. Middle class families teach their kids to be savers because that is the only life they know. The middle class doesn't know that to make money you have to spend money, and the rich do. The rich are taught that from a young age. "Rich people teach their children from an early age about the world of haves and have nots"(Siebold 1). Kids from rich families get knowledge that poorer kids don't. Rich kids get more opportunities and are taught by their rich parents how to become rich. Social class has a very big impact on the peoples lives.
Link to "15 ways rich people think differently": http://www.news.com.au/business/worklife/ways-rich-people-think-differently/story-e6frfm9r-1226464697808#ixzz2fwBrrfv3
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