In my opinion I believe that even though our government is not perfect our structure and policies are the best way forward. People often have the misconception that economic situations and political policy can easily be modified to benefit all people in all economic situations. �??The economy is much messier and more unpredictable then economic theory it involves all sorts of political, sociological, and psychological factors�?� (Grossberg). The fact that the United States is by the far the richest and most powerful nation shows that our economic decisions are seemingly paying off. I must admit it is much easier to make this statement because I am a middle class American who reaps much of the glory and spoils of living in this economy. However when your in first place you don�??t look behind to see who�??s in second. For the majority of this population a person will remain in the same socio-economic class for their entire life. So to pretend that many of us can stand up and fight for greater improvement are just fooling themselves. I believe the improvement for better economic standards falls upon the individual. There are many groups that feel comfortable being the bottom on the economic ladder and live in the condition they do because they choose too. Whose to say that every person that lives in apartments of West Baltimore is put their because of the government and economic lifestyle forced upon them. I think its human nature to look less privilege and feel pity and sympathy. No one ever seems to comment on the fact that percent of people who make more money also has more of their money taking by taxes, Is that fair? I am not someone who truly favors to side with one socio class then the other I merely just stating my opinion on both side of the spectrum.

In response to Towsongurl08, I agree that a change in the form of government can not be made by one person. The working class must come together to make a change, just as women came together to gain the right to vote.

I believe, although our government maybe heading in the wrong direction, I still think it is one of the best systems in the world. I believe in the idea of free markets and free trade. I think that this is one of the ideal concepts in keeping our society flourishing. I also think that there needs to be a balance between government regulations that stifle ideas and progress, and those that unfavorable benefit those in power.
For instance, if the Firestone Corporation enters Liberia for the low cost of labor, I feel that they have every right to do so. I believe that if the going rate for laborers who farm the rubber trees in Liberia is $2 dollars and hour, then I have no problem with them working for that wage. I do believe, however that these corporations are an extension of our society, and should be held to our standards of business practice. That means if a corporation enters into a third world nation, they should be held accountable for how their workers are paid, and treated by �??our standards.�?� That means they should be paid the average living wage, should not be subjected to long hours or unsafe working conditions, and should adhere to a level of environmental safety. I also feel that corporations that wish to do business in our nation should also be held to these standards of business. The U.S. has the ability to lean on other nations to say if you do not improve your business practices then we will not want your products.
In the article we read about Neoliberalism the author points out that �??the free market should be universalized to cover all human activity because markets are the most rational and efficient agents for the distribution of resources, the measuring of value, and the encouragement of innovation and creativity.�?� Now, I absolutely believe in this idea, but this is only theory. If the free markets were universalized to cover all human activity, in theory, this would be the most efficient way of maximizing those activities. However, the worlds economies and governments are much more complex that that, there are certain activities that I feel need government intervention and regulation. The key I feel is finding that maximizing point where these theories of democracy and free markets are at their best while still benefiting majority of the world�??s population. Governments have been established to protect their citizens. We as people of this nation expect this. This government needs to put forth a greater effort in improving the quality of life for all people, not just the select few.
Ultimately, I believe that as a whole this nation is improving. I feel that we may have taken small detours throughout our 250 year history, but in the end the majority of us care about the betterment of society. In the end, we as consumers do have the option not to purchase Nike shoes, Firestone tires, or shop at Wall-Mart. Hopefully we as a society can find that point in which we hold our corporations to the same standards as we hold ourselves and our neighbors.

i agree with Dave Stier. I think we should allow the courts to determine what the truth is when it comes to big business operations. I don't think that the courts have always brought out the truth in many situations; however, we have to rely on it because it is our last line of defense against the government and big business.

The form of government that The United States uses promotes competition between businesses. Without this competition I do not believe that our economy would thrive as it has over the years. It is for this reason that I do not believe that the current government system should be changed. Without competition there would be no reason for anyone to strive to be better then the person next to them. However, since there is competition and a greater desire to be better then the next, it creates an atmosphere where big decisions need to be made by large corporations. One of these decisions includes whether or not to make their products over sees. Since many companies do send their labor over to countries where the labor is cheaper; many Americans feel as though the government is allowing these companies take jobs away from the American people by not stopping these companies from outsourcing their labor.
Is outsourcing labor really a bad thing when it comes down to it? Personally I do not think it is a problem because it saves the company money, and it brings jobs to other parts of the world that may need them more then we do here at home. American companies are providing jobs and a source of income to people in third would countries that may otherwise never be able to make a decent living. These people may be making very little but it is better then when they were making nothing before these jobs became available. I also believe that the people in America fighting to keep these outsourced jobs in America, should stop complaining and try to improve themselves in order to get better jobs then the ones that they are fighting for.
While this system of government may help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, I do not think it is the government to blame. I think we have to blame the American people for the large gap between the filthy rich and the extremely poor. There are those people out there who believe that opportunities should just be handed to them and that they should not have to work harder then the next person. I believe that these people need to realize that the only way opportunities become available is through hard work and dedication. This type of thinking is evident in young athletes. Most young athletes have a dream of playing for a major university or to go pro in their sport. They know that the only way to make their dreams come true is to work hard and dedicate them selves to the sport. I think that young athletes can use their athletic abilities to obtain a free education through athletic scholarships. D. Stanley Eitzen would disagree with me. Eitzen believes that it is a myth that sports can lead to free education for young athletes. There may be a limited amount of full scholarships to give out but people still get them and the ones who don�??t get most of their tuition paid for through partial scholarships and have very little to have to pay for them selves.
NO changes need to be made to this current government system. There are always those people out there saying that enough is enough. I don�??t know if these individuals realize the consequences of what they want to happen. Do they want to pay more money for goods just so the employment rate can jump a percent or two? Do they want to put poverty stricken people out of work in third world countries? We just need to leave everything alone because everything is fine the way it is operated now.

I have to agree with Imnotsure75. It is so difficult to make any changes this far into where we have evolved. We would have to grow our own food, produce our own goods,etc. Until we can do these things we will continue to support corporations!

The mystery of ignoring negativity?
It happens everyday! We don�??t think about the process of any products. We just consume, consume and consume some more! Our society has become accustomed to not thinking and just enjoying! Why? Is it easier that way? Are we taught this, do we do it to make ourselves feel better, do we just not care? Americans don�??t take time to intellectually analyze most products and events. We judge a book by its cover and from the popularity of the item. Most of us feel we can�??t change anything so we give in and listen to our wants. Think about all the things we do this with, sports, government, shopping, health issues, peer pressure, family vacations, holidays and so on! Neo-liberalism has turned everyone for them selves and even if they want to change they cannot! Because others would still be thinking in a neo-liberalism mind-set and those who want change would be left in the dust! Alone once again to think of only themselves! It is a never-ending continuum. Just as Mr. White stated, he and journalist Dave Zirin both want change but where are they, still following the day to day patterns that they have controversy with. How would one ever get away from this? I�??m starting to think that moving is the only option. But, �??America is the greatest place on earth�?� where would one go? Money is worshiped in every country!! Without it you are and have nothing, so many think it! How to save a dollar and how to earn profit is the question�??s we answer to! Standing up and fighting for the rights of others against the corporate world seems such a hard battle. We can�??t just stop purchasing and we can�??t stop thinking about ourselves!!!! We can�??t even comprehend standing up for ourselves against our own companies much less standing up to help the world! We need to have determination, wheel power, and a lot of effort to make a difference. Most of the people in this country have very little of these qualities! So, instead we just �??do it�?� like the Nike commercial tells us. Don�??t think, just do it! Yes corporations give us the money we need to survive in the U.S. You would hope that the corporate controllers have morals, ethics and love of the human race! This has been proven as not the norm, corporations act for themselves not for the good of all people involved! I believe that a change needs to be made and that corporations should have to pay higher minimum wage and not be aloud to use labor from other countries! I believe that corporations should pay all taxes and that no subsidiaries should be offered to them!

I have to again agree with cari04r when she said she enjoys entertainment such as sports games and the stadiums they are played in. It would be hypocritical to say we should make strong efforts to change these systems, when I too enjoy traveling to these places and therefore supporting the corporations that enforce the systems and policies. So, again, its not that we as a whole dont want to see the change, but that we are also wrapped up in our own amusement which indirectly supports what goes on.

Neoliberalism should not be a factor present in the governing body of our nation. However, I believe it would be very difficult to make any real change at this stage in time. Part of neoliberalism is seeing economic freedom as political freedom. This allows the abundant number of corporations currently present in our society do most whatever they like and get away with it. According to the lecture notes provided by Mr. White, many large companies, whose products many of us readily purchase, have acted out atrocity after atrocity with almost complete disregard for the benefit of others. Seeing as how the single golden rule for all of these large corporations and business in general is to make money, why would we expect anything more of them. Many of these companies cut cost by outsourcing their labor, paying extremely poor wages. The laborers may see this as an opportunity to make money, and it is. However, once they start asking for wage increases and the company moves on, that could influence other companies to stay away from their area for fear of paying more wages. This will prevent the poor laborers from really leaving the situation of poverty, while the big business goes somewhere else and continues to increase wealth. It is sad. However, I believe that it will not readily change until we can modify the golden rule and add a conscience to what the video points out as �??people�?�.
In our society it is possible for one man to amass some type of wealth. There is a limited amount of money in circulation throughout our country and the world for the matter. If a corporation is a person it is a person with many heads and brains working together to get a large amount of wealth. With many corporations gaining money it leaves only so much left for others to work for and attempt to save. However, even after the other less wealthy population gets money, most of it will go back to a large corporation of some type to pay for the conveniences that we have grown accustomed to in America. These corporations are all run by a very small percent of our population. If I remember correctly it is approximately 4% of billions of people. Even groups that you would not think are run by a small population. For example, I was surprised to read, in Matthew Benjamin�??s article �??Life in the Fast Lane�?�, that NASCAR is run by a single family and has been since its creation. I never knew that a sport that I enjoy could be part of all this inequality. Because of the loyalty of its more hardcore fans to the advertisements, NASCAR is an extremely profitable sport. Much of this wealth is apparently being enjoyed by a single family. Are other sports run the same way? How much of our lives fuel the profits and criminal treatment of people and our environment? I am willing to bet that almost every aspect of our lives or at least our consumption helps these businesses continue to operate the way they do. Because of this I do not believe that we will be able to prevent the rich from getting richer. I would like to say that the world is a great place and we can stop these corporations and knock some morality into them, but I think that would require us to resort to growing our own food, producing our own goods, and providing our own power. Perhaps in the future when we all live on farms with huge solar panels for roofs, but I do not see change anywhere in the near future.

In response to cguido1 I never even thought about what the tags said on my shirts until I learned about it in class. Now I feel horrible for what the people who make them have to go through. You do not think about things until they are pointed out to you. I figured that people in other countries were making almost as much as an American worker. I guess I am naive considering I did not think it was possible to pay someone only 20 cents for making a shirt.

I found this topic very hard. I am somewhat torn between whether or not this form of government works. I think to a point it works but then there are people who it does not work for. The rich who own the corporations make out the best, but without them others would not have a job. If companies were not expanding every year new jobs would not be formed every year. What I do not like about corporations, is those that go outside of the country in order to find people who will work for them for pretty much a penny a minute. Pay people what they deserve to be paid. When there is such high unemployment in America why leave the country to employ people when there is plenty here who need jobs. I believe that we are stuck the way we are because even if a better plan comes up no one will say that enough has happened for it to be put into place. Gerald P. Merrell says in his article Super impact of bowl game, �??An estimated 140 million Americans will watch the game. Just over 105 million people voted in the 2000 presidential election.�?� This figure blew my mind. People can not complain about the government if they are not willing to get up and vote to possible make a change. The bowl game takes anywhere from three to four hours, how long does it take to vote? Not that long. It shows how lazy most Americans are because they would sooner sit on the couch watching TV. then get up and take a stand to change the country. America is very set in its ways and does not go for change easily. I understand that for the poor this form of government does not work because as the rich get richer the poor get poorer.
Certain companies have taken things way too far. Those running Firestone and Nike keep getting richer and richer, well they are only paying people about a quarter an hour to make shoes and tires. They have people working ridiculous hours for no extra money. I do not know much about the working conditions but I am sure they are not even that safe. America has almost taken these workers and turned them into slaves. Another thing that helps companies become so rich is that it cost less than a dollar to make a shoe but they expect you to spend more than a hundred dollars to buy the shoe. How is that even fair? So as I come close to the end I still feel as though this form of government is working, BUT I would love for it to change. I am against what companies are doing and how they are doing things. They have become out of control with the way they treat their workers, and how much they charge for a product when it cost nothing to make it. Nothing will change with these companies until people are willing to stand up and fight for what they believe. Until that happens the rich will keep getting richer and the poor will continue to suffer to make it by.

In response to Jackie812-
I think she more clearly said exactly what I was trying to say. We are obviously a powerful country, but by what means have we acquired the power? Unethically, is a word used, and used well in my opinion.

I think the main theme of these posts is that change would be a positive move forward, but hard to come by. And I agree when she says our "materialistic society" pushes forces companies to be only interested in their own profit, rather than the product or service they are providing.

In response to cari04r, Nice write-up! I completely agree with you. Are we really gonna do anything to help our situation? No way! Our lives in the United States, as Towson Univ. students, are too good. Why would we trade what we have to help some other country? Lets face it, no matter what we do as citizens we are not going to effect the grand scheme of things. The majority of people in the US are greedy and could care less about those outside this countries boarders. I am not saying there aren't a few good people out there who genuinely care about what is going on, but most people are satisfied with there lives and probably would prefer not to be disturbed.

I completely agree with espnscfrk. Shutting a corporation down would be impossible, and yet we never would because we continue to own all their products. It would be in the best interest if these large corporations make slight adjustments on overseas pay by comparing them to that nation's wages. It would still be much lower than American wages. Running a fair game for everyone would be the clear answer. If only this were possible, but heaven forbid they have to give up their New York penthouse suites or hampton beach homes!

Like many high school, college, and professional athletes, every season my teammates and I showed up to our first game in brand new equipment. Every year our helmets, shoulder pads, jerseys, and game pants were replaced with brand new equipment. Who did we thank for all of this? Of course we thanked Nike for supplying on and off field apparel, Riddell for our gear, Under Armor for our shirts, and Brett Farve for the Nike practice cleats donated to his former high school. Did I forget to mention anyone? Ahh, that�??s right, the tags say different!

All I ever read on my shirts is made in Indonesia, Peru, Honduras, the Philippines, and occasionally, in the USA.. After all these years of wearing all this apparel, I had never felt any remorse for those who made these products. It really makes me wonder if children in Nike commercials are those who are rewarded for being worker of the month. My mother is from one of the biggest �??sweat shop�?� countries. Honduras is home to the products of Nike, Gap, Old Navy, Sean John, Coca-Cola, and Polo. When I visit Honduras it is hard to notice the giant Coca-Cola sign planted in the mountains surrounding the capital city, Tegucigalpa, just like the Hollywood sign in California. The next thing I notice is how every child walking the streets is either wearing an Nike shirt, Tommy Hilfiger hat, or a Polo shirt. The capital of Honduras itself is not a pretty city. Despite the devastation of Hurricane Mitch, the city lives with crucial poverty levels. The reason this companies build their largest factories in countries there is to give revenue and raise the country from its poverty. My mother, born in a pueblo, knew many children who were workers of these large factories. She said told me that their hands were blistered at every end from working with fabric all day long. This was the only way to make a living in Honduras and yet the salaries were lucrative. The only thing they seem to do is occasionally fund the building of a high-rise apartment, maybe a fancy Burger Kings, or multi-level shopping complexes. How do they get people to work in these conditions?

Big fortune 500 companies are allowed to do this in countries who have no power to fight back. These companies come into the area, threaten to buy out the city if the people who inhabit them do not work for them. There is another way they catch the attention of the youth. Endorsements is the key word. Who wants to be like Mike or Ronaldinho? This is what children in Honduras believe when they are shooting basketball or juggling soccer balls in the day but working at Nike factories over night. This is something that will never change. Anyone can stand up to something like this and maybe there will be a fine involved, but what else? Without these companies owning factories in these areas, the people would probably be worse off. This form of economic power strategy is something I am strongly against. America uses its labor law breaking companies to profit and market all around the world. Does running companies who open factories in third-world companies, pay low salaries, and produce high end products really bring social and economic power to the US? Our government seems to believe this theory, and this is why our market today is so tied around everything we do.

There is one ideal solution that I have thought of. First of, why pay these big name athletes a 100 million dollars to advertise a brand. I�??m pursing a medical career, and yet the highest salary I will probably ever see is 300 to 500 thousand a year. So saving a person�??s life is considered so much more less standing in front of a camera drinking Powerade? Cutting the costs of endorsements would probably allow a slightly higher salary to those factory workers in third-world countries. With the increase of salaries, more adults would probably take work in these factories, reducing the need for children. Having more work efficient adults would produce products at a faster rate with using less hours. This one slight adjustment of endorsements would make the biggest difference, besides don�??t names like Tiger Woods make their 12 million a year already. What do you honestly do with 100 million dollars a year? Then, you get to the company like CBS, who take in 200 million dollars from televising the Super Bowl (Merrill). According to Gerald Merrill in an article out of the Baltimore Sun, �??[this] could be four times [the Republic of] Sao Tome�??s entire gross domestic project for an entire year (Merrill)�??. Note that the Super Bowl is the event that is sponsored by all of these labor law breaking companies! Yet will the government every tax the hell out of these companies and demand less from the middle class? This is something that will never happen because to make of for every law these companies break, they donate massive amounts of money to charities to make up for all of it. As I donate a small amount of money myself to some charities, I get to wonder if I too will ever have to stop paying two thousand dollars a year in state taxes.

I agree with jredding when he/she says that the CEO of a company could easily give up some of his money and let it trickle down to the workers beneath him. When you are making that much money and you are outsourcing to other countries to save a few bucks, it just shows how greedy you are. It shows how you are in it to profit as much as you can at the expense of others. I also agree that the CEO pulling in that ridiculous amount of money each year adds to the gap between the middle and upper class. If the upper class (the CEO) holds on to more money and pays the other workers (middle class) less, it just makes the gap even wider. I believe this phenomenon will continue to occur in our society because of the greed of the upper class.

There are two responses that i agree with and one feeds off of the other. First off i agree with vonlang in keeping our corporations home therefore keeping jobs here in America. With this i believe that chrisrichard's idea on charging a fee to corporations for outsourcing their business would be a great way to allow this to happen.

i agree with what travis hubbard has to say. companies should be fined for abusing children and paying people dirt. And also gradually getting to shutting down once they abuse people after a certain number of times

In response to Stephanie's paper i agree that our government is all about making money and that raising awareness and boycotting certain products would certainly help. I think that an equally important Stephanie made in her paper was that people need to be in place to make sure labor laws are followed.

i agree with ladytigerswim616, I do think we will never say enough is enough because we are too comfortable in the lifestyle that we are currently living. And even if we did we would not know where to start, what to do or how to do it.

The United States is believed to be one of the most powerful nations in the world. This may be true, but are the methods used to be so powerful ethical? In my opinion, there are a lot of things wrong with the way the government is run. I see a lot of flaws in the ways in which big businesses operate. Neoliberalism allows corporations to make countless immoral decisions so they can maximize profit. As a society, we have a long way to go before it is put to an end.

Grossberg�??s publication titled �??Neoliberalism�?� points out the selfishness of businesses functioning under the neoliberalism concepts. He discusses �??neoclassical economics,�?� one of the foundations for neoliberalism. This concept of �??no national economy�?� is the mentality that many businesses and corporations have adopted. Companies like Nike and Firestone clearly operate in this way. It is demonstrated through hiring people in third world countries for close to no pay. For these companies, hiring such cheap labor is a perfect opportunity to maximize profit. They do not take into consideration the ethical or moral aspects of running something close to slave labor. The company�??s only interest is making the most money of all its competitors. According to Grossberg, an element of neoclassical economics is that the �??benefit should exceed the cost.�?� Nike is the perfect example of this. The benefit of such cheap labor allows it to make the largest profit. This narcissistic company does not take into consideration the cost it has on its laborers. In their eyes, the ability to produce as many goods as possible at such a cheap price outweighs the suffering of those hired.

Perhaps a reason why neoliberalism is so accepted is because it can work for anyone. As Grossberg states, �??neoliberalism courts both Democrats and Republicans.�?� Any business owner can adopt the concepts of neoliberalism into his or her own business. In fact, because neoliberalism allows for success and maximizing profit, it is almost acceptable for a business owner to act so selfishly. The company owner searches for ways to be the best. He does not take time to think about whether or not his decisions are ethical. For example, one of my close friends started up a successful online company that sells various sporting goods. When starting the company, he constantly talked about ways to maximize sales and profit. One of his business decisions was to hire a woman in Florida to remotely work for the company. The idea behind this was that he could pay someone in Florida less than someone in Maryland to do the same work because of the lower cost of living. Even my friend, the twenty-three year old business owner is beginning to implement concepts of neoliberalism into his young company.
After seeing this, it does not surprise me that large companies with a wide range of resources would unethically find ways to increase income.

Grossberg points out that a long time ago, people fled to America for economic opportunity. Now, immigrants still come to America for the same opportunities. We live in an arrogant society where those of the middle and upper class are not willing to do �??blue collar�?� or dirty jobs. Instead, we hire immigrants to do our dirty work at the cheapest labor possible. Companies hire them to scrub toilets, wash dishes, and pick up trash at very low wages. This may seem cruel, but for many of these people, they are happy to have the opportunity to work. The countries many of them originate from are not in the same economic situation as the United States. They do not have the opportunity to work and establish the same quality of life there that they do here. This opportunity poses an argument for companies like Nike and Firestone. Are these companies actually providing opportunity for those living in third world countries? Are they able to provide money for families who would otherwise have nothing? Is providing work for those in third world companies essentially the same as immigrants coming to America to work? I do not feel educated enough about the issue to make that decision.

I believe the United States needs to make a change from its ways, but I think it would be close to impossible to do. Our materialistic society makes for a very competitive market. Large companies are only interested in their own profit. Because companies have functioned this way for so long, it would be difficult to change. I do believe companies need to be more closely watched by the government to ensure their means for maximizing profit are ethical. However, it will be difficult for these companies to profit as much without them. Even though there is a need for companies to step back from neoliberalism, I do not see it happening any time soon.

I agree with what towsongurl08 says about our "great" nation. It amazes me that so many people want to come here because there's supposed to be so much opportunity. It may be better than the country they're coming from, but it certainly has its share of problems.

The world as we know it is becoming more and more about corporations and globalization. I�??m not against capitalism and people making money, but there has to be some more parameters set up. There are countless corporations that make more money than whole nations. If it was based strictly on their hard work and business intellect, then I�??d be all for it. However, some new story is always circulating about some big company that�??s outsourcing their labor. Much of that labor is going to those same places that the corporations are destroying in income revenue. Obviously this is a huge moral and ethical problem; one main reason the poorer country can�??t pull itself out of poverty is because it�??s getting exploited by the mega-corporation.
I certainly understand that these big companies can make so much more money by running a sweatshop in South America or having their customer service in South Asia. I get the ideas of capitalism to make that money, but they�??re taking it too far. They keep down the poor nations of the world and the poor in the nations where the companies are located. If you take GM for example, they are taking away jobs from our working class citizens because they can pay some other country to make their parts for less. It just seems to keep getting worse and worse. At this rate, nations won�??t rule the world, the corporations will.
It�??s not even just outsourcing to different countries as Matthew Benjamin describes in his article, �??Life in the Fast Lane�?�. He talks about how NASCAR has taken business away from some of their small-town venues to bring races to paces like Los Angeles and New York. These small towns, however, were the ones that NASCAR was founded on. The owner of NASCAR can surely make more money and gain a bigger audience at one of the big city venues, but it takes so much away from the others. These small towns thrive off the races; it�??s part of their livelihood and part of NASCAR�??s history. Now I�??ll admit, I don�??t care about NASCAR one bit, but many people do, and this shows how the corporate world is destroying the poorer, hard-working people of the world.
There are many people who try to argue for the other side. This especially comes from political economists since corporations run the economy and have their hand in political agendas. An article entitled �??Sweatshops, Choice, and Exploitation�?� by Matt Zwolinski tries to do just that. He states that sweatshop workers may not like working there and may aspire to better working conditions, but they do choose to work there. In reality though, they don�??t have much choice most of the time. The big corporations move into a poor area and basically take it over with the help of the local government. The local officials probably see some decent money in regards to their current situation, so they don�??t care. The people there just want to survive, so they�??ll take the sweatshop job. They can�??t really argue much about the conditions because then they�??ll just be let go. If too many people there stand up for their rights, then the company can simply relocate to another poor town.
It�??s a vicious cycle, but what can seriously be done to stop this? Corporations don�??t want to lose money and can be sued if they do. They probably could, however, give some better working conditions to there workers. I know they would have to pay American workers more, but it would help our economy to have more people with money. I know that I would personally rather talk to someone from the United States about my computer or credit card than someone that I can�??t understand from halfway around the world.

Both Dave Zirin�??s Article and Firestone�??s public response to his allegations did not surprise me in the least. We live in a world where everyone knows that many injustices are committed and when I read an article about child labor I am no surprised, the same way many other Americans are not surprised. Zirin�??s article was very stirring and I am sure it was meant to be. I personally was moved when Zirin mentioned the amount of waste that gets dumped into the River that the people of Liberia use to bathe and drink from. The fact of the matter is many people are content to let these world wide injustices go unpunished so we can continue to live our luxurious lives (luxurious in comparison to those in other countries).
The response to Zirin�??s comments by Dan Adomitis, president of Firestone-Bridgestone helped me to delve even further into the American psyche. Obviously as Zirin stated, Adomitis�??s response �??was not a serious refutation but an exercise of PR�?� and for many Americans this would be enough to quell their calls for the Bridgestone Company to be shut down. The fact that Bridgestone�??s response clearly had many holes in it and did not address all the issues in Zirin�??s article demonstrates that corporate America is confident that the majority of the people of America are so readily appeased when it comes to world issues that there is no need to truthfully justify their exploitations of others. I think that we (Americans) are satisfied with Adomitis�?? response because we do not want to give up the luxuries we have been using our entire lives.
It is very hard for anyone to find a solution to this problem. As I was contemplating a solution myself I could not arrive at a clear cut answer. My first step would be to educate those on the injustices that occur across seas and raise awareness. However, this does not seem to fix the problem because there are many Americans just like me that know that child labor occurs and sweat shops exist and still do nothing. My next step would be to protest. Protesting is a great way to enact change as we saw with the civil rights movement, but I�??m not sure if it would be enough. Corporate America and the benefits we receive from it is so engrained into our culture that it would take more than protest to enact change, we need more radical action in my point of view.

But what kind of radical action?

Im not exactly sure, but, In order for corporate America to care more about the people they are hurting then how much money they get to role in every night the laws that regulate corporate America need to change. We cannot be an economy so focused on the bottom line that we don�??t care about families being destroyed and lives being taken in other regions. Maybe another American revolution is in order, its either that or continue and try to get though life knowing that the clothes we wear and the shoes we play ball in come at the cost of others lives and livelihood. As for me, let someone else start the revolution I have to get this college degree so I can become another corporate slave that only cares about the bottom line.

Duplicate! Sorry, the above response was me, it did not have a name. I agree with cari04r. I did not state it in my own response. But it is true how most Americans including me are contributors of this. I also buy these products, and ashamed now to say, I like them. Will I stop buying these, I want to say yes and hope that I will and stop and think about what it is I am contributing to and the people I am hurting. At least this has opened up my eyes and been made aware and will make others aware as well.

I agree with cari04r. I did not state it in my own response. But it is true how most Americans including me are contributors of this. I also buy these products, and ashamed now to say, I like them. Will I stop buying these, I want to say yes and hope that I will and stop and think about what it is I am contributing to and the people I am hurting. At least this has opened up my eyes and been made aware and will make others aware as well.

i have to agree with mwenke when he says "The government does seem to cater to the needs and wants of the very rich and privileged, but that�??s because the individuals high on the totem poll are the ones with the most influence." it resembles the point that i was making when i said that the reason our upper class has as much as they do, is because they in most cases are built to be there. they can handle the stress, pressure, and time demanding workplace that is thrust upon them. when a company has a bad year, are they going to dip into the assembly line and fire the person who made the least number of candlestick holders? no. theyre going to fire the CEO, and hire someone else for two years and pay them 500 times more then your average laborer because his or her ivy league degree has prepared them for this. our government may run the country, but our upper class run's the economy.

I have never believed it is in any one mans power to change the world. Although those who join the peace corps with a dream of making a difference may help them sleep at night, once they reach these third world countries in need of assistance its not long before they realize that they have quickly changed from the predator to the prey. My question to us as a country, is �??when are we going to stop focusing on things that we cannot control and begin focusing on our own potential �??recession�?? that is staring us in the face?�?� If you stop and look at the problem, then it would appear it is fixable. But realistically thinking, the difference between the upper and middle class has become so large and widespread that it�??s possible in 20 years our country may only have 2 classes: rich and welfare. When you think about what this country is doing to its own population, you have to wonder how long it will be until those who are taking up all of our technological positions overseas will be brought over here to live virtually tax free and financially aided by our very own tax dollars.

The most privileged CEO today may pull in over 350 million dollars a year, while the lower level laborers at the bottom of the worker�??s hierarchy may make 350 dollars a week! Now the CEO position may be short lived, but I can tell you now I wouldn�??t mind getting fired after one year, 350 million dollars and thousands of shares in stock richer. This may just be my opinion, but a CEO�??s pay could easily be decreased to allow more financial stability among honest, hard working American employees in a certain company. Outsourcing to Asia and India just because they will take an eight dollar pay cut isn�??t as simple as it may seem when their English is so bad that people can�??t understand them in a phone conversation. If anything, we are demolishing our own economy, and the only thing that recession will bring is a substantial loss of income for everyone but the upper class, whose income will continue to grow. The privileged upper class will find a way to turn assets that come in into there own, because face it, that�??s how they got to where they are in the first place. If there is one group we should worry about, it�??s our �??middle class�?�. With the poverty and welfare class lacking proper education and indulging in lives of crime and misdemeanors, the middle class has continued to take the income hit for years and years while putting in more hours at work. Middle class individuals have and WILL continue to shell out money that don�??t have, using credit cards they cant pay off, and playing the lottery they most likely will not win, all in order to keep their fast paced, technology filled lives seem �??normal�?� while society undoubtedly has us all in a tight grip.

I would have to agree with Grossberg (2005) when he says �??neoliberals tend to believe that, since the free market is the most rational and democratic system of choice, every domain of human life should be open to the forces of the marketplace�?�. It is obvious that every domain of human life has been opened to forces of the marketplace, and with open arms. But what baffles me is the way we�??ve �??opened�?� the free market up to the point where our population�??s laborers are being laid off by the thousands for the lesser paid, more technologically superior (to some anyway) foreigners of the East. Although there is plenty that we can do as a society to aid our current situation, our government has become entirely too solid in there actions and beliefs that anyone who thrusts there life into the pot to help wouldn�??t see much more of an outcome than those attempting to aid the weak in the middle east. Its sad and downright pathetic, but that�??s the United States, and given the oppurtunity, I highly doubt you would leave if you could.

I agree with Nicole Loverde about why less people are voting in the United States. Even though it is very important to vote, the majority of the people living in the United States do not want to compromise the nation's wealth or the rank as the richest nation in the world. If the United States were not the richest nation in the world, other countries would take advantage of just this fact. However, since this is the year of a very big Presidential election, I think that it is very important for people to vote. One of these candidates is going to be our president for the next 4 years.

in response to cari04r-my view point was very similar to yours: yes, we do have many professors and even our peers pointing out to us the flaws in the American government, and we all know that it is wrong. But I understand exactly what you are saying in that how are we suppose to do anything about it. Because I certainly do participate in consuming the popular media and culture of today's society, and I'm not sure I could imagine my life without that aspect.

Living in the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world, one would think our form of government, neoliberalism, is the best. Thousands and thousands of immigrants come to the United States, the �??land of opportunity�?�, to start and make a better life for themselves and their families. Even though the United States is the richest nation globally, the country has one of the highest percentages of people living below the poverty line who cannot even afford shelter, food, etc. That is an example of people living the great American dream! The wealth of the United States is solely concentrated in about five-percent of the nation�??s population maybe even less than that. Grossberg brings up an excellent point, �??Rather than wealth increasing poverty�?�it is far more true to say that what causes poverty is the widespread belief that wealth does�?� (Grossberg, 2005). While the rich are getting richer, the poor are just getting poorer! Instead of the gap between the rich and the poor shrinking, it�??s growing.

With neoliberalism, the major source of jobs in the United States available is in the service industry due to corporations branching out globally where labor costs, taxes, etc are the cheapest. There are many problems with major corporations such as Nike, Old Navy, Firestone, and others placing factories in third world countries. One problem is that is reduces the amount of jobs in the manufacturing sector in the United States making it harder for employees in the United States to find jobs that pay decently. Secondly, many employees that work in the factory located in one of the third world countries ran by U.S. owned corporations, are treated like slaves. These workers have to work long hours in horrible conditions with basically no pay. These people cannot even buy enough food for three meals a day in some of these countries because the wages are so low. Corporations do not care if the majority of their workers are being treated like slaves. The only goal of corporations is to make money. The more money they can make the better.

Even though I do not support this form of government, there is nothing one person can do to change it. One thing that does need to be changed is that people living in the United States need to start standing up for what they believe in. Changes cannot take place unless people stand their ground, and voice their opinions about issues. That is how women have the opportunity to vote, and how schools became not segregated. If actions are not taken, the rich will keep gaining control of every aspect of our lives. �??Do we really want to commodify and marketize everything in the world�??including our children, emotions, imagination, and education?�?� (Grossberg, 2005) In conclusion, unless people unite together and take action, nothing will ever change in this country.

I agree with msookdeo in that it is wrong that our government is set up so the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I also get very frustrated when someone like a telemarketer calls and I answer the phone and their English is poor that I can�??t even understand them. I also agree that workers should be paid more and that they should receive annual bonuses and paid vacation if they are full time. When the workers are happy then they are more likely to work harder and produce the product faster which will in turn make the CEO happy.

In reference to Nicole Loverde: I agree with what you said about less people voting. We have such a huge problem with getting people to vote in major elections and I believe this is the downfall of this form of government. Things will never change if we all don�??t have a say in things. The working class makes up such a huge part of society and we don�??t have any of the power. All the power rests in such a tiny percentage of the people in this country. Also, I like the idea about companies facing harsh penalties for exploiting their workers. They deserve anything that comes their way. It may be hard to watch all the companies that have moved over seas but it is a start to end this horrible things that are going on.

In society today, we are so used to the American way, that we don�??t realize what is going on elsewhere. The clothing, entertainment, and sports that are benefiting our lives, are on someone else�??s expense. Companies are outsourcing over seas to make and produce their products for a cheap cost, but by doing this, it affects the lives and families of the people in that country. In my opinion, I don�??t think anyone will have enough bravery to stand up and say enough is enough. I believe people are so comfortable with the way things are that they would not want to change it. Companies like Nike and Firestone have made their fortune because of outsourcing to other countries. All business�??s goals are to make a profit. It is the American way. Money is so important to our society that anyone will do anything to make a dollar. If the companies can get away with exploiting their workers and paying them 30 cents an hour, they will. Today everyone has the drive to make more and more money. This forces the companies to look for cheaper labor. CEO�??s of major corporations must look for cheap labor for their business to survive. As much as I disagree with what these companies are doing, it would be hard for anyone to change what is going on. The article by Grossberg about Neoliberalism stated, �??The problem is that economic models rarely claim to represent the reality of economic relationships. After all, the economy is much messier and more unpredictable then economic theory; it involves all sorts of political, sociological, and psychological factors.�?� I think this means that it would be difficult to change our government and the way we live. By changing our economic system will just make things messier as Grossberg put it.
Since the manufacturing of products is now over seas, the economy here is suffering. People are losing their jobs to workers in other countries. Grossberg also stated, �??It implies that we are no longer in control of our future as a nation, because too many choices appear to be the inevitable consequences of accepting necessary implications of this new global arrangement.�?� Americans can�??t compete with the countries over seas. Companies are looking for the cheapest possible workers, not for the most productive or efficient workers.
If I could change what is going on over seas, I would. I think if companies are going to remain over seas producing their product, they should definitely pay the workers more money. Many workers have to support their entire family and they barely make enough to survive. I think they should also have better working conditions and maybe be provided with benefits, such as food and shelter for their family. Anything more then they are doing now would be progress, but I don�??t see any of this happening in the future. Profit for major companies is the number one goal. If they are able to exploit the workers over seas to be profitable, they will. None of this is right, but I don�??t see any of this changing.

Now the �??big time corporation�?� isn�??t just tied down to advertising. It stems far beyond what we, as general civilians, even know. Behind the scenes of the big time corporations lies a dirty little secret. We all know that corporations are liable to make a profit in order to appease their shareholders. So in order to create such great returns and generate these humungous profits, corporations are forced to outsource their business. Companies like Nike, Firestone, and Verizon send work overseas in order to score cheaper labor. This seems like a great idea, however, the labor laws overseas are much different and workers are forced to work many hours for very little pay. In some instances, these companies bring great relief to a town, allowing workers to better their lives through reliable and consistent jobs. Other times, these companies will come into a village and start a factory, paying workers meager wages. Once workers figure out they are getting ripped off, they form a union. The company then says, �??It was nice doing business with you, but we have to move on to the next town,�?� leaving the village jobless and generally worse than before the company came.

This issue could be criticized all day long, but as citizens of the wealthiest country in the world, do we really have room to criticize these acts of immorality? We benefit from these acts everyday. All of the goods that we purchase are cheaper and our stock dividends continue to grow because of the decisions these companies have made.

So where do we draw the line? When does immorality out weigh our own personal gains? There is no solid answer to this question. It is a different answer for everyone. The capitalist government, which we were built on, is only going to continue to feed the old adage, �??The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.�?� As long as our government continues to function in the way that it does, allowing big corporations to do whatever it takes to maximize profits by just about any means necessary, then we are stuck. Is it possible, though, for there to be a modern day Robin Hood, someone or something to come in and allow the under privileged to share in this wealth?

It seems like the only way a change could take place is in the Presidential office, but as general trends have shown, all of our President�??s have been the same as those who have run our country since the beginning. This election year could bring new life with a female candidate and African-American candidate both running strong campaigns under the Democratic Party. A drastic change needs to occur to bring this country to order. Nothing will completely change, however, a better distribution of wealth could prove healthy for the United States.

So when is this Robin Hood going to arrive? Who knows? He may never show. As a citizen to this country and one who cares about its direction, there needs to be some action taken to see that large corporations are outsourcing ethically. As said before, nothing is going to completely change, but there are ways to make things better. Some legislation needs to be passed so that the government can regulate this search for cheaper labor. As John Maynard Keynes argues, �??Economies and markets are unstable and therefore need governments have to intervene regularly to maintain a relative equilibrium (Grossberg 113).�?� As said in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, �??There are no perfect men in this world, only perfect intentions.�?� Some good intentions wouldn�??t be such a bad thing, now would they?

I have to agree with Clax1027. The �??gap between upper and middle class is widening�?� a lot and really us as Americans are getting what we want. He hit the nail right on the head when he said �??Consumers demand the cheap and easy�?� because everyone is looking for a great deal all of the time. Americans are getting what they pay and now its affect job statuses.

Gotta agree with VonLange .. Mostly because his views resonate the similarities those that I have stated. We need to focus on keeping the money at home. Keeping the jobs at home. Pretty soon, we will be known as the "Land of Missed Opportunities". Now, let's wait for our $600 Economy stimulus check..

I completely agree with TOSteen's comments: "We should make an effort to create safer work places and possibly raise wages somewhat. We should share some of the wealth that these rich businessmen have acquired with the less fortunate employees in the overseas factories. It wouldn�??t hurt these men to take a small pay cut to better the lives of someone else", but I am unsure of how these changes will come about? Who is going to be the one to make the corporations share and give a portion of their pay to their workers? It seems that if this were an option, perhaps it already would have been done.

If we do not point out the lack of responsibility of the big corporations, then who will? Who will point the finger and say, hey, this is wrong? Even though it sounds trite, I think that if we, as ordinary citizens, don�??t stand up and say that the current system isn�??t working, then no one will. The big corporations sure aren�??t going to say that the system that is making them filthy rich, so rich that they can afford to spend �??$2.3 million every half-minute to peddle goods�?� during one football game out of the year is wrong and should be revamped (Merrell, 1). If we don�??t say, �??Hey, big guys, this is wrong �?? there are people who do not have food for their children, and yet you spend millions of dollars to attempt to get someone to buy your product�?� then who will? Who will be the conscience for them? At some level, yes, it is good for the economy for those that can spend to spend. However, those that the top continue to gain, at the financial, physical, and economical expense of those at the bottom. As someone who has a pair of Nikes on my feet, I won�??t even try to say that I have separated myself from �??the evil Corporation�?�, but I think that it simply isn�??t right that the corporations, representing those who have extreme wealth in this world should continue to take and take from those who are still working towards even a degree of that wealth. I think that the majority of what we would like to call normal people would say that they don�??t agree with this state of affairs; I know that, as for myself, we recognize that this isn�??t the way that the world should function, but we are at a loss as to how to go about changing it. It has been this way for so long, that any other options seem few and far between. In order for there to be any kind of lasting change, you would think that this would have to be governmentally spearheaded. But doesn�??t the government have its fingers in one too many of our pies already? In order for anything serious to happen, a major corporation would have to take the initiative and change their corporation right down to the very bottom. If one corporation could make a go of it the �??right�?� way, and be an example for others, then we would be getting somewhere. The only issue being, of course, that the legal responsibility of the corporation to its shareholders would suffer; it is undeniable, for example, that workers in South America will manufacture Nike�??s shoes for less money than North American workers. So Nike would have to be inventive and come up with some new and improved way to counteract that shift and still be turning an overall profit with their company. They might continue to be on top if their consumers are impressed by their dedication to bettering our global community, but its hard for us to say, since no major corporation seems willing to make those changes.

A Bennett says, "I don�??t feel that we as a country will ever officially say enough is enough. We are too comfortable with the established system and the results, and income that it provides. With all the chaos and confusion in the present day, people don�??t want to stray from what they know. They don�??t want to take risks and they don�??t want to chance another depression or any drop in the quality of living presently available to us." I completely agree with this statement. This is basically what I was trying to say in my response. I really do not believe there are people out there who fully agree with the way the government is being run, but I agree with the people who believe the change is a lot bigger than some people think it will be. It is going to take a long time before someone comes up with an action plan so bold that the government will agree will agree to change, because in the end they are the ones who are benefiting.

Over-population is the biggest problem our economy is facing today? Um, I�??m sorry but I think not. The ratio between Americans and square mileage in the United States leaves us with PLENTY of room for more. We are no where near the need to start regulating how many children families are allowed to have like they do in China. I also think it is infuriating that someone would propose that the MOTHER (and I emphasize mother because nothing was mentioned about the family, or the couple) should pay a tax because she went over the �??limit�?� of children a family is allowed. First, we have people telling us abortion is wrong. Then, when a woman chooses life, she has to pay a tax. Wow, how unfair is that. I also thought it was comical that someone would compare this �??tax�?� on a human being with the luxury tax in baseball. Second, proposing a law that corporations must employ a certain number of Americans is ludicrous. I refer again to my microeconomics class with Professor Howard Baetjer, if an American loses his or her job to technology, or cheaper labor in other countries, then they do SOMETHING ELSE. New jobs are constantly being created as our economy evolves. I also think that supplying foreign laborers with computers with internet access is the least of anyone�??s worries when it comes to the issues of American corporations outsourcing labor. The way I see it, our American corporations are giving those laborers a job. They don�??t have to work for those wages if they don�??t want to. It is just an option our corporations have provided for them. It is not our responsibility to protect citizens of other countries. Their government needs to step up and protect the people of their own country. If they have a problem with our corporations building factories in their country and employing their citizens, then they have the option and the power to make it stop.

This form of government, which has made the United States have the highest level of poverty for a First World Nation, is not the best way forward. The capitalist class, a small group of wealthy white men, is supposed to foster opportunities for the classes below them. However, there is an obvious flaw in this theory because their average income is dramatically increasing while the average income of the lower classes is remaining the same, if not decreasing (Where is the Trickle Down Effect?). The few, white, educated, powerful businessmen in control of large corporations have adopted the �??every man for themselves�?� attitude. They outsource jobs from our country to slave-shops overseas in order to put more money in their pockets. They ignore the good morals and ethics that were instilled in them from their Ivy League education and find that making a profit is a just reason to take advantage of the working class. This form of government must be changed in order to allow class movement; but, the social classes who will benefit from a change do not have the influence or power to promote such a change.
Although I firmly believe that this form of government is not the best way forward, I do not think a radical change could be made by the working class. According to Gerald Merrell, �??since World War II, we have increasingly become a passive rather than active society�?� (Merrell 2004). This idea explains why there are less people voting, which consequently keeps the same wealthy people in control. In addition, people may be reluctant to support such a change influenced by working class members and compromise the wealth of our nation (especially since wealth is directly correlated with world power). Grossberg elaborates on this idea by explaining that �??the economy is much messier and more unpredictable than economic theory; it involves all sorts of political, sociological, and psychological factors.�?� In addition, a radical change could not be made by the working class because they do not have the time to plan such a change. If they are already working 21 hours per day, when will they be able to organize and plan a new form of government?
I believe that if corporations faced harsher penalties for unethical practices, they would be less likely to exploit the working class. However, the government would have to play a crucial role in monitoring the practices of large corporations because the working class does not have the monetary means to confront the corporations. If large corporations were offered some sort of incentive for keeping jobs in the country, then they would not resort to sweatshops overseas to make more of a profit. However, it will be important that the delicate balance of regulation is kept in order to continue the free market system.

I have to agree with stevep in saying that there are some mixed economies that are worth analyzing but also as stevep said, many of those systems wouldn�??t work for the United States. This is why we need to almost turn our heads for some of the current practices done by corporations and stick with what we know and what has put us where we are in the �??world economy�?� today. I also agree wholeheartedly that there isn�??t a perfect system out there and that the only way to better the system we have is to play by the rules and make our system the best it can be with the resources available, good or bad.

Our government has been utilizing foreign workers for hundreds of years, all the way back to the Civil War Era and even before then. For those hundreds of years, despite a few minor slip ups in the early 1900�??s, we have been flourishing as a country and our economy has been booming. Lately, people such as Dave Zirin have been pointing out the use of foreign workers for cheap labor by major companies, trying to initiate a change in how our economy makes the money it does. I know that cheap foreign labor is wrong but at the moment it is what is keeping our economy above water. These companies are turning profits which are allowing their businesses to grow and by paying workers in third world countries 30 cents an hour to make products, the growth will continue. When we look at the situation for afar it seems like we have a small number of major businesses utilizing �??slave labor�?� to turn profits and succeed but in our economy every business feels the benefit of that slave labor no matter if they use it or not. The companies which do use it are able to charge whatever they want to charge for their product because they really aren�??t spending anything to make the product. According to Grossberg, �??the final foundation of neoliberalism is �??neoclassical economies�?�, which is sees any collective (even society itself) as nothing but the sum of independent individuals or agents�?� (Grossberg, 114). This basically means that every little company benefits from every big corporation in our economy. Even so, �??neoclassical economics assumes that such agents [corporations], free from outside interference, will always act in an entirely rational way to maximize their own self interests�?� (Grossberg, 115). A corporation which wants to be successful will stop at nothing to make sure that they turn a profit despite the repercussions from using sources such as slave labor.
If we as a country try to stop them from using the resources already available to them, we will fail. Even if we can convince one person in that corporation who deals with foreign labor, that what they are doing is wrong and it needs to be stopped, that corporation will fire that person in a heartbeat and find someone who wants to make money to replace them. All the corporations see the slave labor as in an easy way to make profit on the products they sell. I wouldn�??t advise anyone to try and step in front of that train and try to make changes to the thriving economy. It would be a losing battle and if you did work for one of those companies, you would be fired. It is best to keep things the way they are and have been for the past couple hundred years. The only thing that we should do and probably can do is try to make the so called �??slave labor�?� a little less slave-like. We should make an effort to create safer work places and possibly raise wages somewhat. We should share some of the wealth that these rich businessmen have acquired with the less fortunate employees in the overseas factories. It wouldn�??t hurt these men to take a small pay cut to better the lives of someone else.

I would have to agree with Clax1027 when they state that the government and policy needs to change, but until someone comes up with a better idea it is going to remain the same. Society as a whole does not have the guts to stand up and make the change itself or as individuals. We, myself included, will just sit back and hope that a higher up will come up with and implement a better idea. I also agree with them when they say that America runs off money and power, how very true.

Personally I believe that whether we stand up and fight or sit back is a personal preference and how we should act depends on the interest of that particular individual. When out sourced jobs were here in the United States no one wanted to work them, but when individuals would settle for these jobs they would require a much higher wage than those over seas. This is due partly because of the attitude that many American�??s have that they are �??better�?� than slave labor. Although there wage was significantly higher than over seas it can be argued that Americans produce more at a higher rate then those in Asia or Africa, thus justifying that they should be paid a higher wage since they are producing more. Ceo�??s and other �??big wigs�?� did not factor this in when shipping work over seas. All they saw was the bottom line and lower wages.
On the other hand I think that it is absolutely unacceptable for black fraternities at the University of Mississippi to be referred to as �??The Slave Quarters�?�, or for offensive paraphernalia to be displayed publicly. Not only there but everywhere in the United States. This is the 21st century and racism especially on a national level is totally unacceptable and without a doubt action needs to be taken.
Currently from an Economic stand point many would argue that we are in a recession, which as an Economics major I would have to agree. I think that the governments actions that always benefit the very privileged is part of the reason and way our economy got the way that it currently is. I definitely do not believe that always benefiting the very wealthy is the right thing to do. I think resources and business decisions need to be looked at in a very different way, such as how can we help the struggling middle and lower classes. I think that funds need to be redistributed in a more fair arrangement to give a chance to people of the middle and lower class. In Eitzen�??s article �??Upward Mobility Through Sport? The Myths and Realities�?� he states that one myth is that it is a way out of Poverty. �??Of the 40,000 or so African American boys who play high school basketball, only 35 will make the NBA and only 7 will be starters�?�. This is shocking since many African American boys have dreams of becoming a professional athlete and see it as the only way they see to get out of poverty and ghetto areas. I think that more emphasis should be placed on trying to help those in poverty so they do not feel that sports is the only way out and when they don�??t make it get discouraged. Many discouraged go on to work jobs that they have a strong dislike for but never gave any thought to being anything else as a child besides a pro athlete thus, being stuck in poor jobs that they dislike. The simple fact that CEO and President Salaries have raised 414 times since the 1970 while middle class wages have stayed basically the same is disturbing. Redistribution of wealth is a must in my opinion. I think that the salaries of the rich should be lowered or the wages of the middle and lower class should be raised. If we bridge the financial gap between classes it would cause more unity among class and might even have a spill over effect into the unification of all races, thus uniting America.
America will never be perfect and that�??s definitely a fact. Enough is Enough now we need to start taking action on things that we want changed especially with racism. We should continue pointing out the critical and moral responsibilities that are being shirked by our corporations until changes are made to benefit society as a whole and we should not stop pointing these out until benefits are present.

Is this a form of government, slavery, CEO�??s making millions, and companies exploiting other countries for profit? Absolutely!! This is what the government is all about, and what defines it today. As long as these companies are making money, producing jobs here in the U.S., and of course we as Americans are not getting hurt, �??what we can�??t see can�??t hurt us�?� moral, government turns the other corner. Do not think the government has never known about what has been going on in other countries or they are just finding out? I am sure the government is, in a manner of speaking, supportive of this kind of industry.

There is nothing surprising about companies who want to save money by having cheap labor. The goal of any business is to cut costs and increase profits, remember the only �??rule�?� is to make money. And employers typically complain that labor is one of the biggest expenses, so they're always looking for ways to pay workers less. But is making other poorer countries and having people especially children slave away for hours on end to hardly make nothing the answer? According to Grossberg (2005) he states that �??neoliberals tend to believe that, since the free market is the most rational and democratic system of choice, every domain of human life should be open to the forces of the marketplace�?� (p. 112). This in a sense may be true in that employing people, even in other countries can help them and the company in numerous ways. But being fair in wages and making sure labor laws are in effect are absolutely by far should be standard! There should be nothing less, anything else is immoral!

What should we do? First, the government should be involved and in taking a stand against this kind of behavior and treatment to not only raise awareness, but to set a standard to our country by saying this is not right and we will not accept this! Do I think this will happen? Not a chance! I think the government has too many issues going on right now and even in the future they will still �??sweep it under the carpet�?� and address whatever crisis is happening at the time. I do not think they even see it as a problem. If they did, something would have been done by now or in the works. However, we as consumers can most likely make more of a difference. Not buying products from companies who exploit other countries will be the most effective. Raising more awareness and having our own public officials take a stand against how companies treat these people by writing to them is another way to address the issue. There needs to be laws and standard criteria for people in these countries to protect them as well as still helping benefit the company they work for.

Grossberg. (2005). Neoliberalism. The Contemporary Political Field, 111-127.

Chris Richards says:

"If various �??American�?� companies feel they need to outsource their labor then the United States should institute a fee."

I know this was just an idea, but discouraging and limiting outsourcing would be the worst move for our economy. Outsourcing is good it stimulates growth and wealth inside the United States as well it helps other nations develop their markets, we need to embrace global trade not eliminate it. Outsourcing creates wealth because it encourages businesses be created �?? the U.S. is becoming a specialized market in innovating ideas and outsourcing enhances this efficiency.

What was the bottom line of every business in America again? Was it not what every business is driving for? To make money perhaps?
In the beginning of this blog, the so called �??conundrum�?� of relating sport to the negative aspect of business practices really isn�??t relevant at all. Yes, a company that uses a vast amount of outsourcing ( or to others it is known and slave labor) was advertised during the Super Bowl. This follow suit by a many other commercial that was aired thereafter. Is this a huge surprise to those that were watching the Super Bowl? Is this not the practice that has been implemented since the turning of the new millennium? Breaking down the negative aspect of neoliberalism is just simply kicking yourself in the mouth while living in America. We live, breath, wear, and even eat the outsourcing that many have grown to despise. A country where any major piece of electronic device, any brand name of clothing, or any piece of manufactured goods is the result of outsourcing in general. Our society�??s business logic is to make money at the least amount of cost to the profit margin. What is outsourcing doing to our country? I am sure with all the headlines of the upcoming election, most of you are pretty much aware the port-a-potty our economic situation has been. The biggest player of our economic recession, in my opinion has 1. To do with the war in Iraq 2. All the outsourcing that is being deployed to other countries despite our own. Here we are, hearing more and more about huge American corporations sending money and jobs offshore to further save the dime taken from their practically endless bank accounts. At the same time, we are hearing of the same American companies laying off upteen-thousands of jobs directly to accomplish the same thing. Just to save that extra dime so that the company�??s stock can gain a quarter of a point in value. When was the last time we heard of an American company building an establishment in our native soil that was going to create thousands of jobs? Maybe once a year? Not even once a year? Just a little comparison of how our nation is going in the toilet economy wise, India, by the year 2013, will have produced close to 10 million new jobs in their country (http://www.laborradio.org/node/4364) More than half of these jobs being generated will be that of the profusely outsourcing United States of America. Also taking note that this in time will threaten the U.S. as being the world leader in technology providers. All for the sake of making an extra dollar while only spending a dime.
America is going to hurt economically here people. Perhaps congress may want to look into capping outsourcing. Not stop it, but cap it. Regulate it to a point. I don�??t see this stop the business train anytime soon, because let�??s face it. I am an every day user of an outsourced product. You are too. I don�??t think that this economic stimulus bill is going to do much in getting us out of a gutter. But, my $600 check is definitely going to help me buying my new flat panel HD lcd tv in time for the next super bowl ;)

In response to Ladytigerswim616 I seriously agree that our society as a whole does not have the courage to say enough is enough. I believe that being scared is a big part of it. People only know what they have experienced and if you decide to change something that they would now be unsure about what to expect for the future. I agree that individuals need to start looking out for their self. There is not going to be anyone there to coddle them through the world. There are some things that I disagree with what the government does however, I know that I am not better experienced to handle them.

I feel there are many aspects of capitalism that are unjust, and should be regulated to a certain extent �?? but the benefits of our economic free market system far out weight the negatives. I am a supporter of Libertarianism, which in general terms can be interchanged with classical liberalism. I believe in protecting property rights, limited government, civil liberties, and most of all free markets. Obviously we need checks and balances to ensure corporations are not abusing laws and human rights �?? and when found guilty they get properly prosecuted for their actions. But the full potential of a society will not be reached with extreme regulation of the market.

The two main alternate political and economic structures to capitalism are communism and socialism. Both of which have many negative aspects, in fact in certain communist societies we might not be able to have this open forum about our dislike for our government. China, which is communist, has been emerging recently as an economic powerhouse but that is directly related to the opening of their markets and shying way from communist roles in their economy.

�??China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment.�?� (CIA Factbook)

There are some mixed economies worth analyzing, but for the United States many of these systems would not work. A lot of the governments require enrolling in the military to receive the social benefits promised to citizens, but I feel that Americans like having our choices. The Scandinavian countries are often cited in the argument against neoliberalism. The Norwegian government owns almost 32% of all publicly listed companies; including the whole petroleum sector, the largest bank, and the telecommunications sector. This is not a comforting fact for Americans.

The fact is, there is no perfect system. We need to continue to encourage open trade and free markets to further the growth of our economy, while at the same time ensure people are being fair and playing by the rules.

I believe that the economical gap between upper class and lower has become increasing larger. Simultaneously, I believe the middle class is slowly diminishing. Now in writing this response I think it�??s important to mention that my family is considered upper middle class. Even still, I would rather see a better balance of power. Our government is run by mostly upper class, white males and is no doubt benefitting that same social division. Although I think it is unfair that only a small percentage of our society has such control am positive it would not be an easy thing to change.

Our government has been run the same way for too long. I would love to see change, as I believe do many others, but have no idea what would be beneficial to our problems. Until someone comes up with some ideas, the government will remain the way it is.

Americans run off of money and power. It would be amazing to convince Americans that money and power are NOT the be-all and end-all, but does anyone see that happening any time soon?

Where have our senses of value gone? Has it really come down to exploiting people from other countries simply because it is cheaper? I understand successful companies are ones that make money. I also understand the idea of cheaper products for consumers, but it's almost a vicious cycle. Consumers demand the cheap and the easy, so companies are forced to produce the cheap and the easy, but all at the expense of a process most Americans are unaware of. The sad question is, even if most were aware, would the feelings be the same? Are people too comfortable with there current lifestyles to be able to sacrifice anything for the �??greater good�?�?

What I found most interesting about this response was about the effectiveness of good writing and persuasion. After reading Zirin�??s article I was completely again Firestone and what they were doing. I then read Firestone�??s response and almost felt guilty for thinking so badly about them. Finally, I read the response to the response and was again back on Zirin�??s side. It�??s sad how we use media to twist around what we are saying just to convince people about certain things. For example, the child labor laws. When Zirin explained that workers were bringing their children to work to help them fill their quotas, I was in disbelief. Firestone fired back saying that they had a strict �??no-tolerance�?� policy regarding child labor. Then Zirin touched on the fact that Firestone probably had that written into the company laws, but was sure it was violated. This just goes to show how far some people will go to convince people to think a certain way, even if that way is not really the truth.

I believe that the economical gap between upper class and lower has become increasing larger. Simultaneously, I believe the middle class is slowly diminishing. Now in writing this response I think it�??s important to mention that my family is considered upper middle class. Even still, I would rather see a better balance of power. Our government is run by mostly upper class, white males and is no doubt benefitting that same social division. Although I think it is unfair that only a small percentage of our society has such control am positive it would not be an easy thing to change.

Our government has been run the same way for too long. I would love to see change, as I believe do many others, but have no idea what would be beneficial to our problems. Until someone comes up with some ideas, the government will remain the way it is.

Americans run off of money and power. It would be amazing to convince Americans that money and power are NOT the be-all and end-all, but does anyone see that happening any time soon?

Where have our senses of value gone? Has it really come down to exploiting people from other countries simply because it is cheaper? I understand successful companies are ones that make money. I also understand the idea of cheaper products for consumers, but it's almost a vicious cycle. Consumers demand the cheap and the easy, so companies are forced to produce the cheap and the easy, but all at the expense of a process most Americans are unaware of. The sad question is, even if most were aware, would the feelings be the same? Are people too comfortable with there current lifestyles to be able to sacrifice anything for the �??greater good�?�?

What I found most interesting about this response was about the effectiveness of good writing and persuasion. After reading Zirin�??s article I was completely again Firestone and what they were doing. I then read Firestone�??s response and almost felt guilty for thinking so badly about them. Finally, I read the response to the response and was again back on Zirin�??s side. It�??s sad how we use media to twist around what we are saying just to convince people about certain things. For example, the child labor laws. When Zirin explained that workers were bringing their children to work to help them fill their quotas, I was in disbelief. Firestone fired back saying that they had a strict �??no-tolerance�?� policy regarding child labor. Then Zirin touched on the fact that Firestone probably had that written into the company laws, but was sure it was violated. This just goes to show how far some people will go to convince people to think a certain way, even if that way is not really the truth.

In regards to Chris Richards, I liked the point you made about if OPAC was endorsed by Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan would we feel differently about them. And I really do not know anything about the economy so what you said about a fee for outsourcing also sounded like it would work. The way our government is set up it does seem like we are getting screwed but it seems as if no matter who is in there we will always get screwed.

Ahhh, Another blog post about the magical aura of America�??s biggest stage- the Super Bowl and hand-in-hand the world champions, the NFL�??s crowned kings, ambassadors of resilience and heart ( and the Lombardi Trophy), the New York Giants�?�Here�??s a little taste of Tim Layden�??s article from Sports Illustrated:
�?�Behind a ferocious assault on Tom Brady and a final drive for the ages, the upstart Giants broke the unbeaten Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and pulled off one of the NFL�??s greatest upsets (Layden, Sports Illustrated, What a Catch, What an Upset, 02/11/2008)�?�
Yet besides the fact that the New York Giants are the newly crowned NFL Champions of the World and proudly represent America�??s greatest city, the purpose of this blog is to address issues pertaining to United States and its governmental ideologies and direction. After reading the supported material for this blog assignment, I feel comfortable stating the one topic that I agree on with sport journalist Dave Zirin. That being Zirin�??s Super Bowl prediction: The New York Giants.
I believe we live in a great country; a country that is built around freedom and justice. We have many laws and statues which aid to protect and serve for our American communities. We are a capitalistic, economic driven society, constructed on monetary incentives which are available to every citizen. We have a judicial court system, a system and a foundation of law which is clear: innocent before proven guilty. Through contemporary technology, and the vehicle, mass media, there has been a dangerous shift in our American judicial outlook. Guilty before proven innocent has been widely accepted- viewed through the eyes of the media, public verdicts of accountability above our legal system.
Dave Zirin embraces this attitude of guilt prior to judgment when he accuses Bridgestone as a company which endorses �??exploitive labor practices�?�. Below is a caption from his article, Super Bowl Slavery:
�??According to a 2005 lawsuit filed by the International Labor Rights Funs, a Washington-based advocacy organization, Bridgestone/Firestone allegedly overworks, underpays and exposes its 4,000 Liberian employees to hazardous chemicals and pesticides. Its subsidiary also oversees what has been called de facto slavery.�?� (Zirin, 2008)
There is a delicate selection of words that Zirin and many other writers use to imply unexamined and unjustified statements. Let�??s look at the word allegedly. According to Dictionary.com, by definition, allegedly (alleged): Represented as existing or as being as described but not so proved; supposed.
Bridgestone allegedly overworks, underpays and exposes its 4,000 Liberian employees to hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
Dave Zirin was allegedly spotted masturbating outside a Baltimore City Nursing Home.
It�??s on paper, it�??s on the internet so it must be true. As educated Americans we should wait for judicial verdicts with legal and comprehensive investigating before casting judgment. Nothing has been proven concerning the alleged accusations against Bridgestone; and even if a lawsuit is filed, does that validate its truth? No, let our court system determine the truth, not the media.

To be honest, this whole situation sucks for everyone, except for the CEO�??s and presidents of major corporations. It sucks for Americans because the jobs that can and probably should be theirs�?? are being relocated to third world countries so that a larger profit can be made from cheaper labor. It sucks for the citizens in the third world counties because they are being extremely underpaid for their efforts on products that may be 1000% more then what they are actually worth. It sucks for American consumers because they pay 1000% more then what they should pay. And the people who are actually benefiting from all this are the rich(and getting richer) CEO�??s and presidents. With that being said, I may disagree with them, but I do not blame them. If they can get away with it, then why not? They are in the business of making money, and there job is not to be the feel good story of the United States.
It�??s like the same thing when dealing with professional athletes. We can sit here all day and hate T.O. or Alex Rodriguez for making too much money, but if you can get someone who is willing to pay you more, then why not? There responsibility is to themselves and there family. While with Philadelphia T.O. was already rich by our standards, but I don�??t think he was being paid in the top 10 or 20 of receivers in the league at the time. So for him to come out and say that he feels that he should be paid more does not bother me one bit. Of course if you were a fan of the Eagles, it sucks, but his career could be cut short at any time and for him to want to make an extra 5-10 million dollars more between then and the end of his career isn�??t the worst thing that he could want. Again, winning and loyalty to your team is important, but at the end of the day, fans liking you for playing for a cheaper price isn�??t going to pay the millions of dollars that you missed out on. If we were in a situation where we could go out and make more money for a job that we loved then I am sure we would all take it. And I am sure that if I was a CEO of a company and could reap the benefits of a 400% pay raise I wouldn�??t be so against it then either.
In the first article by Grossberg about Neoliberalism, it says�?��?�the economy is much messier and more unpredictable than economic theory; it involves all sorts of political, sociological, and psychological factors�?�. I see this statement and agree with it completely. It is easy for us as middle class America to judge what the rich are doing, but given the opportunity to run our own corporations would we change or fall in line as another money hungry CEO? Since the political and psychological advantages would be unlike anything we ever knew I am unsure that there are too many people who could change the way our economy is.
While writing this I �??sort of �?? changed my mind. Yes, I blame the CEO�??s, presidents, and government for our economic problem because it is essentially all in there hands. It is also easy for me to say that the answer is to not be so money hungry and greedy. I can hate them for it, and I really hate the fact that Firestone utilizes slave labor but it�??s not like I can replace every CEO and president with someone who isn�??t obsessed with making money. Obviously I would like to abolish the slavery going on in other countries and let people get paid fair wages but I can not see it happening. So basically, our economy is screwed, and it sucks!

I don't really see a problem with what companies such as Nike and Firestone do in order to make a profit. If you think about it from a business standpoint ONLY, it is a great money making idea. Go to a different region, where labor and utilities are cheaper and then sell it in a much more wealthy region in order to make a tremendous profit. Now, thats from a business standpoint. I am totally against everything else that they do. If Nike was paying their employees the going rate of wage acceptable in their nations (which would still be much more cheaper than American labor, and they would still be making a phenomenal profit) and not abusing their workers nor hiring children, we wouldn't be having this argument. This is why I have very mixed feelings when it comes to this topic and is very difficult for me to write.

The rich do seem to get richer and the poor, well they don't get poorer, they just get less opportunity. My whole life, I have been a season ticket holder for the Mets. Growing up, it was great, the team was horrible and I got to watch professional baseball close and it was very affordable for my parents. As I got older, the team improved. When we made it to the World Series in 2000, I was able to sit in my seat around the same group of people I was accustomed to seeing throughout the years. The next season, the Mets had gained a lot of corporate sponsers and the price of season tickets almost doubled. The 2001-2005 Mets were some of the worst baseball I have seen my entire life with a bunch of high priced has been players, yet the Mets were still a hot ticket and ticket prices increased little by little each year. Then came the year 2006. I still think this was the best Mets team to ever take the field, and apparently so did big companies. Soon the seats around me had labels on the seats (there are labels indicating whose seats are whos) with the names of MetLife, Chase Bank, Maytag (a NJ based matress company who has factories overseas) and no longer the Smith family. Still, I saw all that coming, but I would never have expected what was going to happen, actually happen. Once the Mets clinched the NL East title, we get a letter within a week from Major League Baseball, telling us that our seats are going to be forfeited so they can give them to their own corporate sponsers for the post season and that they will re-seat us in the same view, yet in a higher tier. Now, our tickets were 7 rows from the field behind the Mets dugout. Our playoff tickets were in the 3rd of 4 tiers, but they were behind the Mets dugout. We were livid and refused to buy tickets for last season. This is just another example of how the poor just get less opportunity.

I would like to see this all changed, but I just know it is all too unrealistic. We are all becoming sublimanal advertisers for these companies. Look around, count all the shirts with a swoosh on them or the people wearing American Eagle clothing with their label on the crest. The sports adveritsers is what get us to watch and enjoy a game. The Under Armour All-American Game sounds a lot more appealing and gets better ratings than the Papa Johns Bowl (I'm hoping thats not the reasoning, seeing as the All-American game is a showcase of the best high school football players). But if you think about it, wouldn't sound a lot "cooler" if this presidential election was sponsered by Gatorade. I mean I would love to hear "...we now will start our broadcast of the 2009 Presidential Election sponsored by G2: Gatorade's new low calorie drink, G2! is it in you?". I seriously think that alone would drive people to the polls, as Merrell stated in his article "An estimated 140 million people will watch the super bowl, while 105 people voted in the 2005 presidential election."

If I could change the way big companies like Nike gain an advantage on society, I would do just as i stated in my first paragraph. Keep the overseas factories, yet pay your workers wages acceptible by society or a commission. Make it a fair playing ground for everybody. Realistically, we cannot bring these companies down, it would be impossible. As Americans we are ignorant and have to have what looks best and what is trendy (Nike, Abercrombie, American Eagle), and we just won't stop wearing these products. Hopefully these companies could just make is a fair playing ground for all parties involved.

msookdeo, I would also attempt to pay my employees higher salaries, especially if they were honest, hard-working, and helped me, as a corporation owner, make more money. The harsh reality is that big businesses cannot pay workers high salaries, because of the overwhelming, mostly internal, but also external theft that occurs. I have worked at a couple different places. At Ross clothing store, I worked in the stock room. Within 3 months of working there, 3 employees were arrested for stealing merchandise. This is also one reason why prices of merchandise in these stores such as Abercrombie and Fitch are so high. If they can be, and have to be, they will. I have also worked in a family business my entire life. What I am trying to say, is that I do not think every employee should make say 10 dollars an hour. Some should make up to double that an hour if they possess the qualities mentioned above, and some should be making minimium wage. It should all depend on the individual in my opinion, but that is what the corporation generally does not value.

The United States of America is currently the greatest place to live in the world, but this could absolutely change within the next couple centuries if we as U.S. citizens do not attempt to change current procedures operated by these corporations. The three main ideas that I would like to introduce and discuss are over-population, employment choice of corporations, and the link between these, which may result in a harsh outcome that our grandchildren will inevitably face someday.
First, I feel that over-population in our country is the biggest problem we are currently facing. I believe at some point in the country of China, government officials regulated the amount of children a family had. I believe it was no more than two children to a family, and even more specifically, no more than one girl to a family, meaning if a mother conceived two females, one was killed. Murdering innocent forms of life is horrible, and I completely am against it, but the idea of regulating the amount of children a family is allowed to have is a great idea for the future of our country. If a mother has more than three children, no matter if the children are females or males, she, or the family she is a part of, should be made to pay a tax, similar to the luxury tax in baseball, where if the owners and general managers go over a specific set amount of money because they want to hire an all-star team of players and coaches, in order to win the World Series, they must pay this tax as a punishment. Also, a very alarming topic that is not mentioned often enough I feel, is the fact that both Republicans and Democrats seem to favor some degree of immigration of individuals into our country. Republicans generally like it because big business owners are able to hire these immigrants, and pay them salaries far below what the current American would want to live on. Democrats generally like it because the majority of the minority in this country and immigrants are Democrats, which in turn means more votes for the Democratic party, and therefore greater political power.
Second, politicians and economists should work together to introduce a bill that regulates the employment choice of corporations. Let's face it, corporations are not going to go away because they are way to powerful, so why not work with what we got, and make the best of it? Right now is when we should say enough! To me, it is silly to think that corporation owners are going to listen to cries of moral responsibility from us. They live in a different type of world, than we as the American public live in, so why don't we stop pointing the finger, complaining about their financial freedom, and our lack of, and teach them through example, how to live a life based on morals, where it is all not simply about money. Corporations should be made by law to hire a certain amount of Americans, who will work in this country to produce goods for corporations. This will keep more decently paying jobs available to U.S. citizens. Politicians could then in turn tax those individuals a great amount if they work for the corporations, and use these taxes primarily for their presidential campaigns. Corporation owners could use the money for their own increase in wealth. This may sound unfair, but deals only get done if they benefit both sides in some way, similar to a professional sports trade. Also, corporations should be required to supply workers from other countries with a basic computer with internet access and enough electricity for it to run on. These American employees would partner up with employees from other countries working for the same corporation, in order to learn from each other about the job needed to be done. Employees could contact each other and share information through the internet. If you think this cannot be done, I would most likely say your crazy, because I would pose this question... Are we or are we not living in the age of technology?
Finally, I would like to say that we should sit back and applaud, mostly for the fact that we need new businesses to emerge for a better economy, and they are. For example, in regards to the article by Matthew Benjamin about the business of Nascar, titled Life In The Fast Lane: "Its television audience grew from six million a race in 1991 to over nine million last year. The France family owns 100 percent of the Nascar sanctioning body, and controls publicly traded International Speedway Corp. The value of this is 1.4 billion. The France family owns 35 percent." (pgs. 64-65) Also, we should applaud our athletes, because they are at the core of what our society is entertained by, and without this entertainment on television, our only escape from our everyday lives may be television shows, which nearly disgust me, because morals are completely lost. I guess we could watch commercials, which I find annoying, or even watch the news, which I do not feel like watching, because it covers stories that are sadly enough almost completely negative. We really should stand up and seek change! Brian France is: "Rather than put Nascar in neutral, France chose to be an agent of change. His latest move was lifting Nascar's decades old-ban on hard liquor ads, which could prove a lucrative source of revenue." (pg. 65) I would like to explain the link between the two topics that I have just discussed. We need to push for regulating the amount of children a family may have and banning immigration, and if we don't, than the majority of us better be satisfied with making just enough money to get by. If there is no change, this country eventually may have another depression, and furthermore, if over-population increases at such high rates, we may say the highest crime and violence rates in history, because people will not be able to survive on their own.
In conclusion, Neoliberalism does benefit the most privileged, but it's fine, because we have the opportunity to live great lives in this country. After all, isn't this owning of power similar to what we have seen in history? For example, the kings and queens being most privileged and powerful, the lords and noblemen with a good amount, and the best gladiators with a solid degree of power, and the lack of power existing among the peasants.

I agree that it seems that the rich are always finding ways to get richer, but those less fortunate are still suffering or struggling. The increase in prices for the United States is making plenty of those working hard in both debt and stress. Most of those that are working hard are working for their children to get the education needed to be successful and profitable. This is what makes it hard for those below high class be successful and earn good wages. Those that inherit their fortunes from their parents and such are the lucky ones not to worry about struggling because the money and support is always there for them unless there is an unfortunate accident.
I would definitely like to change the laws or some ways to help society at least live peacefully. It is understandable of how prices and such are going up because of the cost to make products and the services to construct or fix products; however the wages should be increased for those that do the hard work are the ones actually making the product. For instance, at a retailer most workers that are in direct contact with customers always have a better idea of how to setup the store to be more appealing to customers, sell better, and be convenient for employees. At a corporate level those in a cubicle might just be hired because of their higher education or knowing someone in the organization and this doesn�??t mean they know what is best for the company if they haven�??t worked from the bottom up that causes frustration for those below them. This is almost similar to sports because an owner of a team or a manager might not have played or watched that sport in their life, but that person gets a high position commanding the team and such.
There are those however that may not have played that sport ever but know how to manage that team. The basis of this argument is to stick at what an individual is good at but also listen to those around for suggestions and help. Most CEO�??s, owners, and presidents of these corporations do not care about the feelings or situation others are in as long as they can stay on top of the game and keep making money. Ways to change these economic blunders are increasing pay with inflation and tax increase, stop wasting tax money on useless projects that are not beneficial to society, be stricter on immigration. There are always talks of ways to help the United States but nothing is ever done. There is always increase on tax and inflation on prices, but an increase in either wages or minimum wage takes a long time to increase.
Corporations take advantage of the public becoming very open-minded during the Super Bowl and find ways to market their products and services to the public when Television is watched the most. This planning helps rake in over millions of dollars if a commercial is catchy and satisfying enough to the viewers. It is positioned at a perfect time to after Christmas so people have a reason to relax and party after all the chaos of Christmas. �??The National Football League brilliantly filled a national social void years ago by placing the game between Christmas and Easter. �??It's right after the rush of the holidays. People are in fairly cold-weather locations ... and there are few events that bring people together,�?? says Blum.�?� (Merrell paragraph 7).

In response to Chris above, the government has tried to tax the rich additionally before. The problem, as stated in my response, is that the tax was introduced decades ago and was never adjusted to take into account inflation. So what we have now is a system where some of the middle class is being taxed in the exact same way that the upper class was intended to be taxed in. You are very right when you say that the tax system is a huge issue and problem facing the government and hopefully it will be adjusted and fixed in the coming years to tax those who truly need to be taxed.

After sitting through class on neoliberalism, and now reading a scholarly article and a blog on it, I feel that I can make points that both support the idea and clash with the idea. The first idea is that neoliberalism is where the very rich rise and prosper through their corporations, while the middle class is left to stay in a constant limbo and simply work for these companies. The fact that, �??the average pay for CEOs and Presidents has risen 414 times since the 1970�??s�?�, can be very frightening to those who are not part of this upper class, yet the government has taken action. While this action has proven to not be as effective as once hoped, it has almost had a placebo effect on the whole country. What the government introduced was the alternative minimum tax, which caused high salary CEO�??s to not be able to take all of their previous deductions on tax returns and was established with the idea of not letting the �??rich CEO�?� get out of paying their share of taxes. This is a great idea on paper and lets us think that rich will be taxed the proper amount and everything will be even across the board. Yet, working in the accounting industry, I have had the �??privilege�?� of seeing how the government has seemingly failed us. The alternative minimum tax was never increased for inflation so the current taxpayers that are being hit with this additional tax are the taxpayers who are seen as �??middle class�?�. The reason that this is important is because it illustrates the fact that without constant government intervention the middle class can be subjected to hardships of taxes, while the rich CEO�??s company get tax breaks on the same taxpayer�??s tax dollars.

Personally, I do feel that the current system we have in place benefits the rich and does little for the poor. Whether it is through the unfair taxation system in place, or through the fact that corporations are able to profit off of child labor and cheap products, those who are in charge and on the rich side of things are constantly able to prosper. While reading Grossberg�??s article, one line right from the beginning seemed to put the situation in prospective for me. Grossberg made mention of the fact that �??economics has become sexy, while politics have become vulgar�?�. This is very true in our society today, especially in the corporate landscape. While the idea of a corporation is to make profits and money, corporations have now resorted to just seeing the simple economics of business as opposed, to following rules and listening to laws. Businesses have found ways to avoid the politics and export jobs to countries overseas because of the lower costs and in turn the higher profits. This is an example of what Grossberg means when he says that politics have become sexy. Shareholders and investors will be wowed by the low expense numbers and high profit numbers, yet they will not see what is really lying within those numbers. Politics have become vulgar today in the sense that companies are almost willing to sweep these issues under the rug in order to keep showing the high profit numbers. Companies use child labor, and cheap, defective products until they are exposed and then think it can all be swept under the rug through a press release. An example would be Reebok using child labor years ago and then having to do damage control upon the discovery of this issue through press releases and public relations ads. It is vulgar and unpleasant to see these true stories of companies doing whatever it takes to make a dollar, while at the end of the day, those dollars that make up the profit are what is sexy in certain peoples eyes.

To change this current situation, I suggest that the government continue to investigate into the practices of child labor and the testing of products in our country. Companies that are found to be in violation of these laws, would be subject to stiff penalties and fines. What this would do is reverse the idea that politics are vulgar and would seek to reduce those profit numbers through fines. Another way to do this is to inform consumers of when companies do wrong. This would put the choice in the consumers hands as to if they would continue to do business with companies found in violation or not. After reading about the teacher being a Cowboys fan and how corporations play such an important role, it made me question my own choices as a consumer. As mentioned above Reebok faced a child labor issue years ago, yet I still wear my Larry Johnson Chiefs�?? jersey every Sunday during football season and it is made by Reebok. So in actuality I am supporting these corporations and lining the pockets of the already high paid CEO�??s. Maybe that can be something I can better understand and fix by the end of this class.

I don�??t know how we can as a society say enough is enough. We have been aground in this same sense of living for so long that this is what we know. I do agree that it is a problem that in our current society the statement �??the rich keep getting richer�?� pans out to be exactly true. But at the same time when I state this is a problem I also do not have a good response as to the proper form of government we should use. I do know that if we are going to live the way we currently do, stricter penalties should be imposed on corporations than just miniscule fines. I further do not believe that those involved in the highest levels of the corporation should be able to hide behind their corporate title. In saying this I believe that people like Phil Knight of Nike should have to own up along with Nike when they are proven to have used child labor and have horrible working conditions in foreign countries. Furthermore on the topic of corporations being allowed to have factories I don�??t think it should be so easy for them to up and move to the next country for cheaper labor so frequently. When has it ever been ok to use and abuse a whole culture for labor and then up and move leaving the original people behind to suffer after you have achieved what you wanted out of these people. In my life I have always been taught a moral code and no where did I ever learn actions like these were alright. If as individuals we have the ability to know right from wrong then if a corporation is essentially looked at as an individual should they not also be expected to live up to the moral code of mankind. The only argument I saw for the factories was when Grossberg�??s economic belief that if the factories were to be brought to America it would lead to inflation and unemployment. We as a country do not need this so for now stiffer penalties should be imposed. This is just personal opinion, but in short I believe that if corporations were held more accountable for the atrocities happening outside our country in their factories, then maybe we as a country could grow. As for the Eli Manning comments I as an outsider do not believe in anyway that where Eli came from has bearing on his character. I have heard for years that people are products of where they live; this could not be further from the truth. Eli is from a portion of our country that is still riddled with racism, but he in no way personifies a racist. If that statement were to be true then the worlds leading neurosurgeon should still be in the projects of Chicago. Instead Dr. Ben Carson runs Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University. So with this being said I don�??t think there is anything wrong with Eli�??s pride for his school, because lets face it if he didn�??t go there he may have never been a first round draft pick and living his dream. Having pride of where you came from is not bad as long as it is the right kind of pride. Eli is not a racist; he just knows his university propelled him to superstar status with a little help from daddy and his older brother.

I feel that the United States is still the land of opportunity, considering that I don�??t hear about people leaving the US for a better life in another country. However, something has to be done about the rich just getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I do not think it is right that companies are creating contracts with other nations using child labor, and sweat shops. I know that they are doing this because there is a law for corporations that they have to make money. So companies are using sweat shops to create products for a lower cost, and if it just so happens that they get caught then they have to pay some fines (which are not very high considering what the company is making). I think that if cooperation gets caught using child labor, or sweat shops, that they should have to pay a very large fine (possibly a certain percentage on how much the company is worth) for their first offense. If the company is caught a second time then they should be shut down. I feel that this may hurt our economy in the beginning but I think overall it would be step in the right direction. I think that it is wrong that women are still not treated as equals to their male counterpart. Females should have the same opportunity as males to succeed in the business world. When applying for a job, I think that the most qualified person should get the position, no matter what their race, ethnicity or gender is.

In response to the fact that Eli Manning went to the University of Mississippi and that there is still an active KKK there has nothing to do with what kind of person Eli is. I personally grew up in a town where there was a lot of racism, and I know for a fact that there were KKK meetings, just 10 miles from where I work. But this does not mean that I am racist (which I am definitely not). I feel that it shouldn�??t matter what race you are whether you are male or female, poor or rich, that everyone should get the same opportunity to succeed in the United States. So yes I think that something needs to be done so that everyone has a chance live the life that they want. �??As much as people fled to America seeking religious freedom, they also sought economic opportunity.�?� (Neoliberalism, pg 111) I feel that this quote is very accurate, and something needs to be done.

The United States of America is supposed to be the land of opportunity and the place where the so called �??little guy�?� has the opportunity to make it big. However, over time the United States has gotten completely away from that dream and it has now gone to making the rich richer and the poor poorer. This is truly a sad time in America, but it is something that we have brought upon ourselves. No longer can Americans go out and find a decent paying job, they now have to scratch and claw to get any type of job. Wages have dropped for the middle class and increased for the upper class and there really is no sign of that slowing down. The problem with wages does not stop there either because the wages are now going to people overseas. In all reality when was the last time you called a help line and actually got someone in the United States? 9 times out of 10 you are transferred to Zimbabwe or some crazy country and dealing with someone that barely speaks English. Having these jobs moving overseas is causing America to run out of jobs, which is very evident right now because we are heading for a recession. Newspapers have consistently said that this is a great fear amongst the stock traders and that is the reason for the markets great decline. In the Grossberg reading about Neoliberalsm there is a line in which Al Gore is stated as attacking George Bush and saying �??Mr. Bush should tell Americans when my opponent attacks big corporations he is attacking you and me.�?� The quote is a lie because all of the big corporations are forgetting about the little guy in America and are leaving him with no opportunity to do anything. Now I do know that the people of those companies need to make a profit and that they do employ Americans in certain positions, but those positions are decreasing very rapidly. Any company that can make more money by employing someone overseas for little to no money will do it in a heart beat and not think twice. In all reality though I do not understand how corporations could not make money here since minimum wage is only about $6 an hour. That seems to be the going rate for all newly hired employees, which is a joke in itself. Everyone knows that is impossible to live on today since the cost of living has sky rocketed. However, that is a great case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The only real idea that I have that could somewhat limit corporations to going overseas is to either tax them very heavily at a ridiculous figure or simply jus not allow it to happen since they want to be employed through the United States. I understand that might not be possible, but in reality what other solution do we have. Americans can start protesting and standing up for what they think is right in employment opportunities. A way that Americans can stand up is to stop buying a companies product. This could give them a good wake up call and make them realize how important it is for them to keep employment in America, so that Americans are happy. Every corporation that goes overseas is leaving hundreds of families pretty much homeless since they are not giving an American the opportunity to work. Americans need to stand up and do something whether it be protest or go in and demand more jobs to the government something needs to be done. Sitting around and just taking what the government gives you has go to stop I think we all can agree enough is enough. Everyday that passes just means more and more jobs are leaving the United States. Americans can no longer just walk outside and get a job, it has turned into a very tough world to get a job. If Americans do not start standing up for themselves and protesting against the rich in large corporations then one day we could be facing some serious employment issues and in particular wages could become worse then ever before. It really is a shame that this country had gotten away from what it used to be all about and that was helping the little guy. Unfortunately now the little guy has been forgotten about and continues to be and until something is done about by the government or the Americans we could see an unbelievable recession that is already starting to take place.

I do not agree with this type of government and the way that it operates. I hate seeing articles and pieces on the workers being taken advantage of and their poor quality of life. However, I do feel that this entire concept is bigger and more powerful than any smaller groups that form to try to stop or change the policies. As much as I would like to see a change in the way these corporations make their products, realistically speaking it is much more difficult to make a change than it may seem.

These companies have been successfully mass producing their products in this manner for many years, and to think that we can get them to stop, let alone quickly, seems irrational. Dave Zirin made a bold attempt at educating readers on these facts. I feel that the effort was just as much as any one person could do at this point in time. He made claims that these �??tappers�?? working for Bridgestone/Firestone in Africa are subject to harmful chemicals and pesticides, and that their workdays add up to about 21 hours of labor. Just as quickly as it was said, Dan Adomitis came back saying that someone had taken a comment he had made about how long it takes to pump one sap tree out of context and turned up with the �??21 hours�?? with their own inaccurate formula. Also, the pesticides used to promote crop growth are common and not posing a threat to any laborers. He claimed the company is working very hard on trying to get a properly functioning system to clear out any waste as well. Apparently, in his attempt at helping, Zirin had made inaccurate statements anyways.

I don�??t feel that we as a country will ever officially say enough is enough. We are too comfortable with the established system and the results, and income that it provides. With all the chaos and confusion in the present day, people don�??t want to stray from what they know. They don�??t want to take risks and they don�??t want to chance another depression or any drop in the quality of living presently available to us. I do understand this way of thinking, and I know many people that would agree with it. As unfortunate as these methods seem for the people working, most of them seem happy to have work at all in many of those areas. It�??s a shame that the working conditions and pay are so poor, but this country is selfish in so many other ways, they figure why worry about them if they are willing to do the work? Unless enough people within the corporations themselves begin to stand up and make reasonable ideas for improvement, it is very unlikely that this Neo-Liberalism will undergo any significant changes. Although I would be interested in seeing the changes, I know I personally couldn't come up with anything that would benefit both the foreign laborers and our system equally.

I believe that this government is not being run the best way for our future. For this country to properly move forward changes must take place. Republicans and Democrats must work together in order to correct the issues. A lot easier said than done I understand but times have gotten bad. The problem is, our society has for the most part not really questioned what the government is doing, and people sort of just believe that politicians are doing what is right for the country.

Our Tax system is one the biggest issues I have with our government. As our system is currently set up it gives tax breaks to the rich and poor, and creates more tax pressure on the middle class. I agree that the poor should be given tax breaks, however, the rich need to pay higher taxes. Is it right that the rich controls about 80% of this country�??s currency however, are given preferential treatment? With the current system the financial gap between the rich and poor grows daily. The saying �??the rich get richer and the poor get poorer�?� as never been as true in current government. Through the tax breaks given to rich, the middle class is wrongfully asked to give more and more to Uncle Sam. Many of these economic wrongdoings can be seen in today�??s real estate market where middle class individuals are taking out 30 and 50 year mortgages to afford a home. To correct the problem we need to unite, however, if history is any indicator nothing will happen and we will just accept it. The battle for Civil Rights for both African Americans and women is a testament as to how strong our voice can be together. However, Americans are content by just going through the motions and not necessarily stopping to ask why. The Super impact of bowl game article quote by Shorr �??Since World War II we have increasingly become a passive rather than an active society�?�.. We�??d rather play video golf then real golf or watch football on TV than in the stadium�?� sums up this position. With modern society, we are comfortable to sit back and have the government tell us what to do, just so that we don�??t have to get off the couch.

The government�??s treatment of corporations is an aspect that must be corrected. Both political parties are responsible for the power that big business holds over Washington. Are we really voting for the public official or the lobbyist behind him/her? Companies such as Nike, and Dell are based in the United States however, they outsource the majority of there labor force. They do this to cut production cost then sell us that product for maybe five times or more what it cost to manufacture. If various �??American�?� companies feel they need to outsource their labor then the United States should institute a fee. This is just a thought, it would be more complicated than that but I am not an economist. We as Americans complain about what OPAC does with the oil prices as they bring in record profits every quarter, but are our companies really doing anything different? Both are screwing us, but for some reason we just don�??t really care about Nike. Why don�??t Dell and Nike get such uproar as OPAC? If Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods endorsed OPAC would we think of it differently? CEO�??s are placed under extreme pressure to bring record profits every year and if not they are fired. Money hungry companies and the power they hold over politicians must be altered in order for this country to appropriately move forward. These are just some of my ideas, I am no expert but just some ideas I think that I wouldn�??t mind seeing.

The government does seem to cater to the needs and wants of the very rich and privileged, but that�??s because the individuals high on the totem poll are the ones with the most influence. The man working for minimum wage has the opportunity to voice his opinion by visiting the voting booth and casting his one vote. He doesn�??t pay much in taxes, well at least not compared to the wealthy, so of course the government is more worried about those who pay the most. Also, the government is saturated with mostly white, wealthy, well-educated males. Today, in the new millennium, we still have yet to have a President with any difference in background or status. These politicians that fit this upper class mold to a �??T�?� are expected to use there Harvard degrees to create new and improved policies and programs to help our country and keep the citizens content. What I don�??t understand is if any of these �??well-educated�?� politicans have taken a micro-economics class, why would they propose a universal healthcare program, or why would they continue to increase minimum wage? It�??s the simple law of supply and demand that any person who can read a graph can see those are obviously bad ideas and cause more bad than good. I also wonder why white, middle aged men are discussing and having opinions on issues such abortion, the Gardisal vaccine, or issues of race and gender? I wish our government would branch out and gain some perspective at a much faster rate than it has in the past.
I thought the article, �??For Good Health it Helps to be Rich and Important,�?� by Erica Goode raised a lot of important issues. As most people are aware, health care is extremely expensive, and paying one�??s health insurance bill is sure to put a hole in any average Joe�??s pocket. According to the article, studies have suggested that people of the lower classes engage in more risky behavior, such as smoking. They also eat less healthy diets which is understandable because the dollar menu is dirt cheap compared to organic shopping at your local Trader Joe�??s or Whole Foods store. One can order four items off the dollar menu for almost the same price as a six inch sub and a bag of baked Lays at Subway. Also, those who watch their pennies closely probably don�??t have a gym membership on their list of upcoming purchases. So the lower class also isn�??t getting an adequate amount of exercise.
I thought the study with the monkeys and stress was also important. According to the article, the less dominating monkey (minimum wage workers), scrambling for food to survive, felt more stress, thus living a much shorter life than the dominating, relaxed, and pampered monkey (wealthy, high-classed Americans). This study proves how damaging a high-stress lifestyle really has the potential to be mentally and physically. It is easy to see a pattern emerge and that is those who do not have a lot of money feel more stress. They also eat less healthy, do not get enough exercise to help release tension and stress, and engage in unhealthy lifestyle choices like smoking. All of these things lead to serious health problems. But healthcare is so expensive that many Americans are not getting the care they need. So, the lifespan of the lower class is going to be lower than those of the upper class. And according to this pattern, why wouldn�??t it be?
As for the issue with large corporations exploiting foreign laborers to maximize profits, I think there should be something done to change it, but I do not foresee that happening any time in the near future. I cannot imagine that people work for three cents an hour and that someone would take such advantage of a person�??s desperation. But why would Nike increase their wages when these workers are willing to work a full day for one dollar? Nike isn�??t forcing them into their factories to work; in fact, the laborers are sprinting full speed right through those factory doors. As much as corporations seem like a money hungry beast with no sense of ethics or moral, we need them. They create jobs for people, and produce goods that we need. I believe in the trickle down effect. People want to work, and when they are earning more money, they have more to spend. Their quality of life is improved and the money is recycled back into the economy allowing businesses to flourish and become more efficient. The business expands, thus creating more jobs. I do not see any solution to stop the exploitation of laborers unless every worker in every country puts a foot down and demands a minimum wage higher than a dollar a day.

Wed 7-9:40
As a young adult, someone who is always being preached to by professors, parents and our political figures about standing up for their beliefs and not being scared to take chances in our lives and futures. I can sit here and say that I do not fully agree with this form of government. It is not the best way to get a foot forward and to promote and implement the change so many people talk about. However, I do not think that I am the best person to come up with ideas and ways out of this form of government. I am a very consumer driven young adult, and I will admit most aspects of my life are determined by some corporation and some form of media. I am a consumer of many of these corporations that do exploit the underprivileged. Is it something I am proud of? No, when you read articles and blogs about everything that people go through to give us something to consume for entertainment purposes it will make you stop and think am I really a part of this exploitation of children and poverty stricken families? But then, the next thing you know you are sitting with your friends watching a Super Bowl ad from Nike thinking �??Those shoes would really help my sprint�?�

I can sit here and say that I will stand up for a change to make me feel like I am doing something for our society, but in reality I know I won�??t. The government has been the way it is for decades and it is much bigger and stronger than any ideas and actions I alone could come up with. I know there are groups and activists out there who do not support the corporations and the government system, and they are doing all they can to be heard. But if you sit each one of these activists down I bet you can find some form of consumption from them that might just exploit the underprivileged that they might not even realize they are doing.

There is so much more to this problem, than we may see. As Grossberg said in his article �??...The economy is much messier and more unpredictable than economic theory; it involves all sorts of political, sociological, and psychological factors.�?� There are so many underlying reasons as to why the government runs the way it does when it comes to our economy. And I think that these reasons are so above any action that I could take against our government. I am not saying that I agree with the way it is run, because I don�??t and I wish maybe I did have the self control to not be a part of the consumer driven society that we live in. But, to face the facts, I know I don�??t. I enjoy entertainment such as sports games and the extravagance of the stadiums. For example, attending baseball games in the summer is one of my favorite pastimes. And I do get swept into the excitement. I pay the outrageous prices for the food and the beer and probably even a souvenir such as a new t-shirt. After all, what is a baseball game without these things? I do wish I could stop and say to myself, �??why am I really buying all of these unnecessary items when it is just constantly exploiting children in other countries and even the working class families here in our country?�?� But when it comes down to it, I don�??t I am there at that game for a reason and I am determined to make the best out of it for myself.

I think that Dave Zirin did about all one can do. He wrote about it, he drew attention to this matter at hand about the government not caring about the actions that these corporations are taking to make sure they turn their expected profit. I however, am not willing to take these steps. I would feel like a fraud. While I don�??t think that it is the right and best way how our government is running our economy, I am perfectly content in my lifestyle and I honestly do not see myself becoming a major activist for this topic now or anytime in the future. If there is a better way to run our government, someone someday will be the one to make the change. Until then, I will continue on in my consumer driven life and enjoy the entertainment factors of it.

I' am against this form of government it is not the best way forward because the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. I think it is ridicules how company's like Nike, Firestone, Adidas, American Eagle and even Abercrombie and Fitch just to name a few are making millions upon millions of dollars a year but they are only paying their factory workers 20 cents a day after working 12 hours sometimes more. Those companies's are exploiting their workers and treating them like slaves, they even work in harsh environments. It is sad that the only thing companies think about is making a 200% profit. They do not care about their workers, the family of their workers or even the conditions at the factory. That is not even the worse part, the worse part is that we are supporting these companies by buying their over priced products and not thinking twice about it. We spend $150 for a shoe when it cost them 30 cents to make. We keep buying their products are not realizing the consequences. Because of us those companies are making record profits. The only people that are benefiting are the CEO's. If a CEO were to make as much money as what their factory workers made in a day that CEO guaranteed would not survive. Maybe that is what it will take for them to realize that they are running a slave shop. Even telemarketers, companies like Netgear, IBM the .com companies are outsourcing to go over seas because it is a lot cheaper. That also is ridicules because if you need help and call that 1800 number you get some guy you can barley understand what he is saying. At least put someone that can speak English fluently behind a phone.

If I could I would change the pay of the factory workers. I would increase their pay to $10 an hour they would also receive bonuses and raises depending on how well the company's does and improve the working conditions. Or I probably would bring the factories to the states since it will be cheaper because the employees would be making the same and the shipping wont cost as much and I would be providing jobs here to help out the economy. The rich would be staying rich and the poor will become richer. But in the real world I know this is will never happen because I do not think anyone have the courage to say stop because truth is we are all comfortable in our situations that we do not want to change. And even if the CEO's wanted to bring the factories to America it would be another problem because according to Grossberg in his article on Neoliberalism he states, "Too much employment is likely to drive wages up, and prices will follow, producing inflation which results in devaluation and unemployment". Maybe the best thing to do would be to turn the other way because if we wanted to change, how would we do it, where would we start? What would happen to the economy?

I don�??t think we�??ll ever have the courage to say enough is enough. In my opinion, I think we have been stuck in this type of government for so long, we don�??t have another way out of it. Even if we, as individuals, could think of an alternative form of government, it would take we, as a group in its entirety, to change the way we have lived for so long. Maybe another problem is that we are just scared. Scared of messing up the little comfort that we have, scared of making the economy worse, scared of sending the country into a downward spiral to unsurpassable debt. And then we would be left with rebuilding the entire system just to maybe get back to the comfort level we are in now. For me personally, I am satisfied with my niche and I think risking that for the unknown of attempting to make our government a little fairer is not worth it. It�??s good to get the information out there and to make people aware of what is happening. But realistically, even if we were able to get enough people together to make a change, where would we start? I wouldn�??t even know where to begin because the job of those few people who control the majority of the wealth in this country is so unfamiliar to the rest of us. And although they run the economic system, among other things, unfairly, we have to ask ourselves, would we be able to do it better? I agreed with the point made in the article about Neoliberalism by Grossberg, he brings up a good idea about the complexity of the economic system. �??The problem is that economic models rarely claim to represent the reality of economic relationships. After all, the economy is much messier and more unpredictable than economic theory; it involves all sorts of political, sociological, and psychological factors.�?� I found this section in the article to support my thoughts about why it would be a lot more trouble than it is worth to try and change the type of government, economy, and society in which we live in today. I think it takes a lot more than we realize to get a country up and running; I can�??t even fathom all the ideas those in power have to get over in order to get the country up and running the best they can. In some cases, the select few rich, white males don�??t have many choices. They may be aware that what they are doing is wrong, but when they are told they have to make as much of a profit as possible, they don�??t really have much choice. Because if they won�??t do what they need to in order to maximize profits, the company will find someone in America who will do whatever it takes. When it comes down to it, it is all about looking out for yourself because no one else is going to do that for you. So, even though I think the government is unfair with some of the things and ideas that go through with, I somewhat support them. I don�??t know if there is a better way out there to run the economy, and if there is, I certainly am not qualified to tell them how to go through with it.