Response to The Meth Epidemic

There are many sides to the argument and it has been talked about for years. In an article for the New York Times published in 1988, the author writes, "If drugs were legal, the argument goes, drug black markets worth tens of billions of dollars would evaporate, the empires of drug gangsters would collapse, addicts would stop committing street crimes to support their habit, and the police, courts and prisons would no longer be overwhelmed by a problem they cannot hope to defeat." This argument seems reasonable, but now drugs would be cheaper and purer.

On another online source I read about what one man thought about when he tried to imagine a world where drugs were legal and he said, “Would crack be legal? How about PCP? Or smokable heroin? Or ice? Would they all be stocked at the local convenience store? ..... The lesson is clear: If you're in favor of drugs being sold in stores like aspirin, you're in favor of boom times for drug users and drug addicts. With legalization, drug use will go up, way up.” His view is that if drugs are legalized, more people will begin to use these drugs.

I somewhat believe that drugs should be legalized, but I also have views that it should not be legalized. Many of these drugs are addictive, mind-altering, and can be lethal. A lot of money could be saved that is being used to fight the never ending drug war and be put somewhere else if drugs are legalized. I read that the number of addicts who commit crimes to get the money need to buy their drugs would decrease if they are legalized, but I personally do not agree. If they cannot get the money to buy it illegally, it is still a matter of money. If they don’t have money to buy it illegally, they still will not have the money to buy it legally.

Another thing that I do not make sense of is after we make drugs legal, we will spend money on programs to stop drug use. “Legalizing drugs, then, would save the United States a large sum of money, but what about the fight to stop drug use? Several different programs could be set up with the savings that the nation would enjoy as a result of drug legalization. The nation could use some of the billions of dollars it would save to promote better programs on the effects of addictive and mind-altering drugs.” It seems contradicting in my opinion. We would legalize drugs, which does in fact make it seem more acceptable to use them whether you are in favor or not, and then spend that money for programs to stop drug use.

Government Subsidies

A government subsidy is when the government provides financial assistance to an industry in order for the industry to not decline. They keep the free market going and encourage industries to continue doing what they are doing; however, they are controversial because developing countries do not have the opportunity to make money from us. We have enough of our own that we do not need to buy from other countries. Subsidies are good because they keep a more stable price on crops. They also are bad because they also create a unhealthy choices for consumers. Cane sugar being replaced with cheap corn syrup makes high-sugar foods less expensive.

Response to Food Inc.

I think that this video was very informative and that everyone who eats should watch it. I enjoyed the movie, even though some of the facts are some what hard to take it, such as the fact the the chickens killed and cleaned outdoors are more sanitary than those bathed in chlorine and other bacterial cleaners. Also, I support the idea of Kevin's Law because Food plants should be able to be shut down if they fail health regulations multiple times. However, it also seems unlikely that even if this law passes that food plants will be shut down because of the pattern of Food Processing Plant Presidents and CEO's are becoming the Head of the FDA. Corruption of our food industry is also seen in that not one of the major food industries would be interviewed for the the movie.

As for the issue of immigration, it is terrible that the big companies get the illegal immigrants to America to work for them, but then they violent get thrown out of whatever home they have for being an illegal immigrant. The company doesn't do anything to stop this process because they can get more workers quickly. Also, the companies do not care for how healthy the food is. They want to make money, and they do it by whatever means possible. Health of the animals is not a big deal so long they are still living. The animals meat is still processed with the rest of the meat of healthy animals.

Many changes would have to be made in order to even start to reverse what has become of our corrupt food industry. Kevin's Law would be a good start because maybe than companies will start to be shut down or forced to produce healthier and more sanitary foods. Steps that individuals can make is to eat organic, grow your own food in a garden, try to talk to a state representative about pending laws and laws that can be thought of in order to improve food quality, etc. Also, we have a high dependence on oil. Alternative forms of energy need to come into use and more forms need to be created or applied.

Decision Making Models

The first Decision Making model I found is the five step decision model. The first step is to state the problem, and you do just that. You need to identify the problem so that the decision in the end will be right. The second step is to identify alternatives. You should have as many good alternatives as possible, although sometimes the only alternatives are to do it or to not do it. The third step is to evaluate your alternatives. You must analyze all your alternatives and rank them. The fourth step is to make a decision. Eliminate all the choices that were low ranked and choose what has the best outcome. The fifth and final step is to implement your decision. Nothing will come of your decision if you don’t actually do something.

The second Decision Making model I found is the Ultimate Decision Making process. It puts you first in making your decision according to how you think and how are you. It asks only one question to help you make your decision and that is If I do x, will it allow me to more so be who I want to be, or not? This question puts all your morals and values and goals into it. Everything is based upon you. If you answer yes than do it, and if you answer no than don’t do it. It is a simple process. If your answer is ‘I don’t know’ than it suggests waiting it out and gather more information before you decide.

One thing that makes all the models similar is that in the end, you make a decision. The GREAT model and the 5 step model are very similar is that they both tell you to do the same thing, just in different words. They also both have 5 steps. The Quadrant and the Ultimate Decision Making process are similar because they both ask questions. A difference between the two would be that the Quadrant asks four things while the Ultimate asks only one.

I am not sure which is the most effective, but I know that the Ultimate is probably the LEAST effective process. It may look very promising and the one that people may want to use, but sometimes your wants are not the better choice over doing the right thing.

Industrial Farming

Most of the dairy, meats, eggs, fruits, and vegetables available in the supermarkets are produced through industrial farming. The aim of is to produce as much as possible for the lowest possible price. Food and water is provided for animals, but artificial methods are used to maintain its health and improve production, such as vitamin supplements and growth hormones.

One major downside to industrial farming is that animals are given very little space to live. With room only to stand and live, bacterial and viral infections and diseases can spread quickly and excess use of antibiotics is needed. This is not good for the health of the animals or humans because quickly antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria and viruses form.

Also, with such a large number of animals it is hard to rid all of their waste. Man made lagoons that hold the waste can contaminate groundwater, and then lead into surface waters killing the fish and other organisms.

Reversing the issues of industrial farming is possible, but would be difficult to do. Current farming methods are inexpensive and farmers who are involved most likely would not want to change what they are doing. Animals would need to be given actually living space rather than just standing space. One thing that anyone can do to help stop industrial farming is to buy from smaller, sustainable farms. Local small farmers still want to make a profit, but they also don’t sacrifice the health of the animals and their land.

My name is Kate Gidenko. I am currently working at the Golden Wok. Some of my interests are piano, art, and traveling. I have blogged for other classes and can not say that I like blogging. In this class I hope to learn about the consequences of decisions we make such as drinking and drugs. I would also like to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. At the end of this school year, my family and I will be moving to North Carolina. My life goals include attending NC State, Duke, or UNC, and majoring in psychology. Eventually I would like to move out of the U.S.