A Piece of Me

On the road to economic recovery – true or false?

tsmetona — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:16:17 +0000

Recently, economists have been saying that our country is on the road to economic recovery. Well that’s great, but unfortunately the signs of that recovery have still not appeared. The housing market has reached a new low after specialists had predicted change for the better, jobs are still being cut at enormous numbers (10,000 Walmart employees just lost their jobs, and local policemen also just suffered cuts) and, of course, prices are rising ever higher while people are more unable to afford them. Even though it may be true that less people are being laid off than a year ago, new job opportunities are as scarce as ever. Companies just don’t have the need or can’t afford to hire new employees and as a result, the unemployment rate in our country is dangerously high. It is incredible how hard it is to get a job. For example, (now I may be a bit biased on this one), my brother, aged 24, who recently finished graduate school at Columbia University and is now living in New York, has found that desirable job openings are incredibly scarce. He got his masters degree in financial engineering, has had some previous experience in the field, is intelligent and sociable, and to top it off is living in New York city, our nation’s financial capital…and still no job. When he was reduced to look for a job as a waiter, he was surprised to find out that there were hundreds of candidates applying for the job of a waiter! Hundreds vying for one, rather undesirable job. That’s pretty shocking. However, while our economic situation is, at present, very bad, I prefer to believe in the words of the economic experts, for it is true that the repercussions of a positive change come long after the change has been effected.

Lebron – don’t leave Cleveland!

tsmetona — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:00:26 +0000

Being an avid basketball fan and player, I am very aware of one of the most talked about issues in the NBA currently, which happens to hold a special significance for our city. Will Lebron leave Cleveland? Besides the unfortunate fact that the Cavaliers would lose arguably the NBA’s best player if James left Cleveland, another issue that many are concerned about is the detrimental effect that Lebron’s departure would have on Cleveland. The ability to boast of being Lebron’s hometown has helped to boost Cleveland’s image, not only in the eyes of the rest of our country but also in its own. Lebron James is one of the most successful enterprises in the country, and having him grow up in Cleveland and now play for its basketball team has not only helped Cleveland economically but also helped to slow down Cleveland’s fall from importance and popularity. When I mention the fact that I’m from Cleveland while out of town, people often respond – “Oh you’ve got Lebron!” Yes, we’ve got Lebron and we need to keep him. Most people unfamiliar with our city consider Cleveland to have two great things – the Cleveland Clinic and Lebron. It’s kind of disconcerting to think that if we lose Lebron we lose half of the reason why we’re not considered to be a total joke of a city. While that is an exaggerated statement, it does have a certain amount of truth to it. Many Clevelanders define Cleveland by Lebron, and he does in a sense rule our city – from dominating the Plain Dealer’s headlines to towering over the city in an impressive billboard, “King James” is a crucial part or Cleveland, and it would truly be unfortunate for the city of Cleveland to lose its shining star.

It’s Time to Start Caring

tsmetona — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 23:40:02 +0000

This is a bit late, but, I think, still relevant. When it was discovered that suspected terrorists being held in the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay were being cruelly tortured by the U.S. prison guards, a loud outcry of protest was made against this display of brutality and inhumanity. I too was saddened and angered to hear that representatives our nation were torturing defenseless prisoners. Ironically, however, while many protests were made over this incident of U.S. cruelty towards those unable to protect themselves and retaliate, virtually none were made over the many innocent, defenseless people being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan every single day. I think that we lost sight of the forest for the trees in this situation. I sometimes wonder if it bothers Americans that the U.S. is responsible for the deaths of countless citizens who are in no way involved in terrorist attacks. They may say that civilian deaths are an unavoidable consequence of war. And this is true, but I think that we should maybe attach a little more importance to the fact that thousands of people are being butchered mainly because of our military involvement in the Middle East. It is both ironic and sad that in this “war on terror” we are actually perpetuating terror, probably wreaking more harm on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan than was inflicted upon us by terrorists. I realize that dangerous criminals should not be allowed to terrorize innocent people – but was this cause important enough to justify the killing of many more innocent civilians in a most likely futile attempt to bring terrorist groups to justice?

The De-culturing of a Society

tsmetona — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 04:13:19 +0000

Although the strike that the Cleveland Orchestra members initiated Monday to protest pay cuts was resolved on Tuesday, it made me think about the place that the Cleveland Orchestra holds in our city. While I realize that a poor economy was in large part responsible for the pay cuts, I also think it is a sign of an unfortunate trend – in general, people just don’t want to go to the Cleveland Orchestra. My dad, who lives, breathes, and sleeps classical music (I’m not kidding, he probably has over 1000 CD’s of classical piano performed by a myriad of classical musicians), often takes the family to concerts at the Cleveland Orchestra. In general, the hall is hardly packed, and even more disturbing, many people are over the age of fifty while the majority are over the age of seventy. I almost never see any teenagers and there are not many younger adults either. While I realize that when given the choice, the average teenager will choose to go to that Lil Wayne Concert over going to the Cleveland Orchestra, I still think that teens and young adults should learn to appreciate such an institution as the Cleveland Orchestra. In general, the younger generation tends to completely disregard the cultural and artistic value of the music the orchestra performs, and it is sad to see such a prestigious orchestra to be ignored and unappreciated by so many.

And Where Will Taxation End?

tsmetona — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:01:42 +0000

“It’s your responsibility.” “I can’t believe that you actually don’t want people to have healthcare! That is so selfish!” “What if you couldn’t afford healthcare?” I cannot count how many times I have heard these and other similar lines when discussing the healthcare debate. Supporters of universal healthcare almost always end up calling me selfish and uncaring simply because I happen to disagree with them.
To a certain extent, I understand their point. Everyone does deserve healthcare. No one should have to do without necessary medical attention because they cannot afford it. But just because I realize that everyone should have healthcare does not mean that I support an increase in taxes to fund universal healthcare. And no, I do hold this view simply because I do not have to worry about not having healthcare for a long time. My brother, age 24, currently supports himself by performing odds and end jobs, and does not have healthcare. Of course I would like him to have healthcare but I am not so sure that I would be willing to pay for it. Recently, I was helping my dad to fill out his tax forms, and was appalled to discover that my dad pays fifty percent of his income to taxes. Fifty percent – half of the money he makes! To me, that is completely ridiculous, and I am most certainly opposed to having taxes raised yet again. While I realize that it is our responsibility to care for our fellow countrymen, and while I am not opposed to a certain amount of my hard earned money (or, for the present, my dad’s heard earned money) going to help the less fortunate, at a certain point, I feel that it is unfair for the government to demand so much from us. The difference between fifty percent and seventy five percent, and seventy five percent to one hundred percent of income going to support others is not all that big, and I can’t help but feel that it is unjust for everyone to be rewarded equally, regardless of their jobs.
As for the problem of the unfortunate people who do not have healthcare? For one thing, if someone has an emergency medical issue, emergency rooms are obliged to treat them, regardless of whether or not they have healthcare. Doctors, however, are another issue. Maybe the reformation of our current healthcare system should start with doctors…my grandfather, who was a doctor, treated a significant number of patients who did not have healthcare – if they needed medical attention, he would see they got it, regardless of whether or not they had healthcare . While I realize that many people are not so selfless and that doctors, too, have to earn a living, I think that a little more generosity would be incredibly helpful.
However, at the end of the day, the problem still remains. We must fix it. How? I’m not sure, but I can say with certainty that yet another tax must not be imposed on the American people. If it comes down to that or nothing, I would have to say that I would rather nothing were done.

Let’s get together and talk about Tiger

tsmetona — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:52:51 +0000

“Has his dynasty ended?”, “ What was behind Tiger’s car crash?”, “ Tiger’s caddie says he will stand by his golfer”, “Yet another mistress for Tiger”….These and many other similar titles headlined most mainstream news outlets during the last week.

After being ruthlessly bombarded with these meaningless, excruciatingly boring articles, I am ready to never visit MSN or Yahoo again. And as much as I would like to blame the shameless paparazzi for making my Internet experience during the past week far from enjoyable, unfortunately, I realize that the problem has to do with us, the common Americans who like nothing better than to gorge ourselves on gossip columns which explore every juicy detail of the latest celebrity scandal. I often wonder - when will the media stop probing into every corner of celebrities’ lives? And the answer always is the same - when we stop lapping up their nonsense like fat cats before a bowl of fresh milk.

It is really embarrasing how much time the average American spends reading senseless trash in grocery store aisles. And I’m not going to lie, I too have looked through more than one issue of People or US Weekly. But, in my defense, this generally occurrs when I am in the waiting room of a dentist office, rather than when I am surrounded by work that begs to be done. So what drives the common American to obsess over the lives of celebrities? Why do we spend so much time criticizing others’ lives instead of focusing on improving our own? Are our lives really that boring and unexciting? If so, then why don’t we take active steps to make them more invigorating and meaningful? How about the next time that we have an urge to investigate the cause of the scratch on Tiger’s cheek we instead read a book, or connect with a family member or friend, or get ahead on that next big assignment. Let’s focus on self-improvement rather than detraction.

Let’s Get Down to Business

tsmetona — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:41:41 +0000

One of the most important questions facing President Obama right now is the future of American troops in Afghanistan. There are people who propose adding bringing many more soldiers to Afghanistan, while there are others who support a gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Most evidence points to the fact that President Obama will probably send more troops to Afghanistan in the near future.
However, why is it that the option to pull American soldiers completely out of Afghanistan is always overlooked? I recognize that there are many objections, some of them valid, to this approach – people are worried that the essential surrender of Americans will bolster the Taliban’s courage and perhaps prompt more terrorist attacks on the U.S.; others do not want to pull out of Afghanistan with having nothing to show for the many American lives lost, the billions of dollars spent, and the almost ten years of time that we have put in to this struggle.
Many people assert that if we only had more troops, we would succeed in defeating the Taliban and establishing a peaceful democracy. I strongly doubt the validity of such a statement. For one thing, in its entire history, Afghanistan has never submitted to foreign rule – we should definitely heed the relevant example of the fairly recent Soviet failure to control Afghanistan. Even if we were able to dominate the opposition, this would cost us many more lives, much more time, and not to mention millions of more dollars. And even if we did succeed in this, what would happen next – would we establish a democracy, and then immediately leave? Most likely, the situation would immediately revert to the conditions which existed before we arrived.
I believe that the U.S. really cannot do any significant amount of good in Afghanistan. As of right now, we are simply expending vast amounts of money (the economy is suffering, poverty is rising – come on, let’s focus on our own problems, we have enough of them) and endangering the lives of our soldiers. So I say, let’s cut the misery short, and pull out of Afghanistan before the situation worsens.

Not Super Experienced? No Matter, You Can Still Make Money.

tsmetona — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:48:25 +0000

Sarah Palin’s new memoir Going Rogue – An American Life recently was made available to the public. In it she describes her life in Alaska and also her experiences with the McCain campaign. Although I have not read her autobiography, judging from the reviews I have scanned, I hardly think it worth my time. But I am slightly annoyed that Sarah Palin is going to make thousands off this book simply because she was probably the least qualified candidate for the Vice-Presidency in the history of the United States. I have nothing personal against Palin, and I even admire her for standing by her views, many of which were harshly criticized. But I still think it was one of the most ill advised decisions for the McCain campaign to elect Sarah Palin, whose sole political experience lay in being mayor of a small town in Alaska and then governor of Alaska for barely two years, for a running mate. Ms. Palin states that “there’s no better training ground for politics than motherhood.” While having to deal with the hardships of motherhood may be a good emotional and psychological preparation for political office, pardon me for having to say that I would prefer someone with legal and other political experience. Motherhood in itself is no substitution for years of being involved in politics. However, I may as well stop my rant, for the presidential election is gone and past, and hopefully Palin will never attempt to run for political office again. But however, even though her political career has been spotty at best, there’s no denying that she will be raking in the dough as a result of her failures. Maybe I should follow in her stead, for what does it matter that you were the favorite guinea pig of Saturday Night Live if you are rewarded with tangible cash?

The Many Kids Left Behind

tsmetona — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:04:10 +0000

I am often reminded that I am very fortunate to be able to attend Laurel and that there are many others less fortunate than I am. When I think of these “less fortunate” people, images of starving children in Africa, homeless people, and so forth come to mind. I never really thought about the underprivileged kids right here in Cleveland. This weekend was quite a wakeup call to me. I participated in a Speech and Debate tournament in a high school in Cleveland. I was immediately struck by the differences between this school and Laurel. Before entering the school, you had to pass through metal detectors. There was graffiti all over the walls and the bathrooms did not even have soap in them. But what stuck out most sharply to me were the huge signs posted all over the school that read “Pass the OGT,” “OGT. Si tú puedes,” and the study tips for passing the OGT in all the class rooms. At Laurel, the OGT is regarded to basically be a joke and probably not one of us has the slightest doubts of passing the test. At this school, however, the OGT is taken extremely seriously, and there is no guarantee that even the majority of the students will pass the test. In addition, I noticed how much of an emphasis was placed on testing and the value that the school appeared to see in something As I was sitting in an English class room, I noticed various essays posted on the walls. These essays were composed of phrases such as “Doin drugs happens in the world” and “Swine flu is sikness afect people.” The spelling and organization of these essays is what I would have expected from a first or second grader, but the kids who wrote these were in high school. As I was looking at these pitiful essays, I realized that these kids don’t even have a chance to go on to higher levels of education. The education they are receiving in this school is obviously atrocious, and even worse, these kids are probably considered to be lucky to even be attending school. I don’t know how to fix the problem of the poor education in public schools, but it is most definitely a pressing problem. Voters need to elect to provide better funding to public schools, for while paying the extra money is a pain, those few extra tax dollars will go to insuring a better future for them and their kids

Truth in Advertising

tsmetona — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:13:25 +0000

On the way home from Chicago this weekend, my dad, who is an avid sports fan, was listening to the Cavs’ game on WTAM 1100. During the frequent commercial breaks, many different businesses advertised their products and, because of the upcoming voting day, many of the proponents for various issues attempted to garner votes. The most frequently played message was from the supporters of Issue 3, who listed various reasons to vote yes on this issue in the upcoming election. The two main reasons that the advertiser listed as incentives to vote for Issue 3 were the 1) gaining of 34000 new jobs in Ohio, and 2) keeping Ohioan’s money in the state. Regardless of the my position on this issue, I noticed two rather disturbing elements in the add. For one thing, the jobs which the promoter spoke of are not permanent. Most of the 34000 jobs mentioned are construction jobs, and as casinos take only a short time to build, soon the majority of these jobs would be lost. Secondly, the money that casino-goers pay goes to the company that owns the casino, and not the state that the casino is located in. So, although the ad stated that money would be kept in Ohio, in reality money goes to the same individuals no matter where the casino is located. I know that the purpose of the ad was not to be perfectly honest but rather to gain support for the issue, but it is quite aggravating that so many ads find so many different ways to bend the truth.

http://www.yesonissue3.com/