Posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
Bill Moyer's Journal--last show
Bill Moyer's Journal's last show was 4-30-10. His first guest was Jim Hightower. He is the publisher of Hightower Lowdown. (www.hightowerlowdown.org/) Mr. Hightower is a populist. He is not a liberal, he is a populist.--one of his favorite quotes from a friend is, "Everybody does better when everybody does better". The discussion centered on America today. How the rich have taken over our country at the expense of the workers. They discussed the existence today of a Plutonomy, which is how the wealthy uses their wealth to have government do their bidding. Grassroots politics is at the heart, not corporations being allowed to have the same privileges as a person, being allowed to give money to political entities at will. Populists are people helping people, think of co-ops in the farming community. They are not necessarily desireous of making government bigger, only helping the greater good. It is very apparent that Corporations through their lobbyists now control unions, supply, you name it and have help from our government. Congressmen are receiving excessive funding from the lobbyists for their votes that will help Corporations make more money at the expense of the lower classes and for the upper classes.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The New Secessionists
In the Monday, April 26, 2010 edition of Commondreams.org (it is in your resources area of this blog) there is an article called: The New Secessionists. This article indicates there are as many as two dozen states, but it specifically mentions: Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, and Vermont.
The article does not mention Hawaii'and Alaska's movements, mainly because they have been vocal for years, but it does discuss Texas and Vermont. You might want to take a look to see why these states are upset.
The article does not mention Hawaii'and Alaska's movements, mainly because they have been vocal for years, but it does discuss Texas and Vermont. You might want to take a look to see why these states are upset.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Be Able to consider ethical issues thoughtfully.
11. Be able to consider ethical issues thoughtfully.
In starting to explain this item, references need to be discussed. In writing this blog, I have no idea what you know, what you do not know. I will write this portion as if you know about the concept of ethics. I will help somewhat, but the following reference can help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics I realize wikipedia is not the greatest source, however, in this case it covers the subject in 19 pages, enough for a better understanding. Wikipedia also gives a pretty complete Notes and References area for further research.
Ethics is not a course in most high school curriculums. It is however a subject touched on to receive a college degree. Ethics can not only be read about, it must be discussed in a classroom- like setting with a moderator that can help direct the discussion.
"Ethics (also known as moral philosophy) is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality; that is, about concepts such as good and bad, the noble and the ignoble, right and wrong, justice and virtue."(Wikipedia)
Examples:
What do you do about the "prisoners" in Guantanamo?
What about abortion?
What about the death penalty?
Do we close the border?
Do the ends justify the means?
If you have been watching TV news lately, you have seen groups that have gathered together to support pieces of legislation, or not support that legislation. People in these support groups have made an ethical decision based on their "frame of reference" about that particular decision and are willing to get in a crowd to voice their opinion, or mail/call their Congressman about the way they feel about "pending " legislation. This is what an educated citizen does. He follows current events, watches TV news, reads periodicals, listens to radio talk shows, WHATEVER HE HAS TIME FOR AND THE DESIRE TO STRENGTHEN HIS FEELING FOR A PARTICULAR SUBJECT.
People who have had religious upbringing usually have been involved with moral discussions. They attempt to follow what their church leadership has already sorted out for them. As you grow older and start thinking for yourself, you will be stronger for having the church up-bringing, however, you must be able to keep an open enough mind to alter some of these learnings if new data is presented. How you value the data in your specific instance will determine your actions.
Perhaps the most polarizing issue in America today is abortion. How do you feel about that issue?
There are two main items to this discussion: Do you feel the woman should have control over her own body? OR, Do you feel the "fetus" has rights and should be protected by the state? If you have not made up your mind, you need to; the reason, in the new book, The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, he brings out that there are two kinds of appeals that are being brought to the Court today, in a 50/50 ratio, Abortion Issues and All others. As you can see, abortion is a very important ethical issue.
Please, anytime you discuss ethical issues, start with your frame of reference and an open mind. Starting with your frame of reference and a closed mind does nothing to help the greater good.
In starting to explain this item, references need to be discussed. In writing this blog, I have no idea what you know, what you do not know. I will write this portion as if you know about the concept of ethics. I will help somewhat, but the following reference can help:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics I realize wikipedia is not the greatest source, however, in this case it covers the subject in 19 pages, enough for a better understanding. Wikipedia also gives a pretty complete Notes and References area for further research.
Ethics is not a course in most high school curriculums. It is however a subject touched on to receive a college degree. Ethics can not only be read about, it must be discussed in a classroom- like setting with a moderator that can help direct the discussion.
"Ethics (also known as moral philosophy) is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality; that is, about concepts such as good and bad, the noble and the ignoble, right and wrong, justice and virtue."(Wikipedia)
Examples:
What do you do about the "prisoners" in Guantanamo?
What about abortion?
What about the death penalty?
Do we close the border?
Do the ends justify the means?
If you have been watching TV news lately, you have seen groups that have gathered together to support pieces of legislation, or not support that legislation. People in these support groups have made an ethical decision based on their "frame of reference" about that particular decision and are willing to get in a crowd to voice their opinion, or mail/call their Congressman about the way they feel about "pending " legislation. This is what an educated citizen does. He follows current events, watches TV news, reads periodicals, listens to radio talk shows, WHATEVER HE HAS TIME FOR AND THE DESIRE TO STRENGTHEN HIS FEELING FOR A PARTICULAR SUBJECT.
People who have had religious upbringing usually have been involved with moral discussions. They attempt to follow what their church leadership has already sorted out for them. As you grow older and start thinking for yourself, you will be stronger for having the church up-bringing, however, you must be able to keep an open enough mind to alter some of these learnings if new data is presented. How you value the data in your specific instance will determine your actions.
Perhaps the most polarizing issue in America today is abortion. How do you feel about that issue?
There are two main items to this discussion: Do you feel the woman should have control over her own body? OR, Do you feel the "fetus" has rights and should be protected by the state? If you have not made up your mind, you need to; the reason, in the new book, The Nine, Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, he brings out that there are two kinds of appeals that are being brought to the Court today, in a 50/50 ratio, Abortion Issues and All others. As you can see, abortion is a very important ethical issue.
Please, anytime you discuss ethical issues, start with your frame of reference and an open mind. Starting with your frame of reference and a closed mind does nothing to help the greater good.
Friday, April 9, 2010
#10 Be able to conceptualize a problem and solve it.
#10. Be able to conceptualize a problem and solve it.
This is an item that is very complex, so much so, that it can not fit into this blog. I will try to put the "answer" in as small a space as possible, but I must give articles for you to read to gain the full meaning.
The idea of conceptualizing a problem is a very intellectual term. This is one reason that a democracy is made up of "educated citizens". An educated citizen has a "Frame of reference" that they continue to build throughout their lifetime. This must include organizational skills that helps the individual "see" that there is a problem that needs to be solved and possible avenues of attack towards solving said problem. When doing this, the citizen needs to remember "nothing is set in stone". The answer that is presented as a solution to the problem then needs to be discussed within the citizenry for strengths and weaknesses. The citizen needs to be able to work with other citizens, bringing their strengths to the discussion, yet being flexible enough to bend their position to coming up with a final solution. Learning the procedural ways that work in the political process is a strength that needs to be placed into their "Frame of Reference" so they can call upon items that further their solution to the representation for their consideration.
Resources:
Thinking Object-Oriented, http://jacwright.com/blog/19/thinking-object-oriended/
The Theory of Citizen Participation, http://www.uoregon.edu/~rgp/PPPM613/class10theory.htm
Why is Consumer Involvement needed? http://community.michiana.org/famconn/IIwhyisconsinvolvneeded
This is an item that is very complex, so much so, that it can not fit into this blog. I will try to put the "answer" in as small a space as possible, but I must give articles for you to read to gain the full meaning.
The idea of conceptualizing a problem is a very intellectual term. This is one reason that a democracy is made up of "educated citizens". An educated citizen has a "Frame of reference" that they continue to build throughout their lifetime. This must include organizational skills that helps the individual "see" that there is a problem that needs to be solved and possible avenues of attack towards solving said problem. When doing this, the citizen needs to remember "nothing is set in stone". The answer that is presented as a solution to the problem then needs to be discussed within the citizenry for strengths and weaknesses. The citizen needs to be able to work with other citizens, bringing their strengths to the discussion, yet being flexible enough to bend their position to coming up with a final solution. Learning the procedural ways that work in the political process is a strength that needs to be placed into their "Frame of Reference" so they can call upon items that further their solution to the representation for their consideration.
Resources:
Thinking Object-Oriented, http://jacwright.com/blog/19/thinking-object-oriended/
The Theory of Citizen Participation, http://www.uoregon.edu/~rgp/PPPM613/class10theory.htm
Why is Consumer Involvement needed? http://community.michiana.org/famconn/IIwhyisconsinvolvneeded
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