A tariff is a fee that other countries pay when importing goods to another country. Tariffs have been used for centuries by many countries, and have affected the rate of trade, and the efficiency of trade. Automatically tariffs on imports reduce the number of imports the country that imposes a tariff receives. Something that is less clear is the question: does a tariff on imports also reduce exports?
Trade between countries is a very important relationship that takes time to build and strengthen. Tariffs on imports create difficulty in establishing a trading relationship because it makes it difficult for other countries to send imports to a country. An indicator that a country does not favor imports from other countries. This creates higher prices in the country that is receiving the imports, and a lack of those products being imported.
When a country that imposes tariffs on imports, now wants to export products to other countries, it would be more difficult because their relationships with those countries are limited due to them imposing tariffs on those other countries, in regard to imports. Those other countries most likely put in place tariffs, which further limit the number of exports a country sends out.
Tariffs play a heavy role in society and affect trade between countries, usually in the form of limiting it
Today, there are many options for where you can get your shopping done. Amazon, Walmart, and a variety of very large corporations have risen up to the top of the shopping market, thanks to these corporations selling items more inexpensively than the average small business that would sell the same items. Regardless of the convenience of shopping at large corporations, many people choose to shop in local small businesses, which are usually more expensive. These small businesses usually sell goods that are local to the area, state, and country. Personally, would I pay 20% more to shop at a store that sells only American-made goods?
When I shop I personally like to go for quality but at a good price. Shopping at Walmart for example is great for buying inexpensive necessities, but it is not necessarily the best for buying certain items that I personally prefer of higher quality. Higher quality items are usually found at local businesses that usually sell only American or locally made goods. The only catch to buying more locally is that the items in these local small businesses are usually more expensive. The compromise is service and quality, over price.
In answering the question above, personally, I would pay 20% more to shop at a store that sells only American-made goods. Of course, this answer would depend on the item I am looking to buy; I do usually prefer to buy from local stores and to support local businesses because the service and quality of the products in these stores are usually higher.
The rise of large chain stores has led to smaller businesses turning to emphasize quality and service over inexpensive prices, which are usually local to the country, area, etc. Whilst the large chain stores focus on convenience and more affordable goods.
Today, there is an unspoken rule between shoppers in stores. If a shopper is able to find a limited item other customers do not fight with them for that item; the shopper who picked up the item first is the one who is now entitled to the item. This is also seen in stores, movie theaters, and sports game lines, where the people who are in line first can get done whatever they intend to do before anyone else in the line. “First come, first served,” is the name of this unspoken rule that has become the norm in many areas. A different rule that is mostly in auctions, is the rule of “high bid wins:” whoever offers to pay the highest amount is entitled to buy whatever is being sold. “High bid wins,” is the preferred rule in certain situations, over the rule, “first come, first served,” but the latter rule is more common today. If I had control over what areas of life implemented those rules, in what area of life would I prefer “first come, first served,” to the latter social rule?
Personally, I would prefer, “first come, first served,” when I am shopping in stores, waiting in a movie theater line, library line, or even a town fair line(which is far from ideal), over the latter rule. I believe that those areas of life would be a disaster without the “first come, first served,” rule. Who would want to undertake a ticket line for a fair, where everyone is shouting different sums of money, and fighting to state the highest sum of money? Of course, it is important to acknowledge that the rule “first come, first served,” has become an issue in society today, especially in regard to medical care, but it would be ludicrous to do away with this rule.
Society today is governed by unspoken rules, which help ensure that daily life in society will run smoothly. “First come, first served,” and “high bid wins,” are two examples of rules governing society regarding purchasing items, lines, and most monetary exchanges. “First come, first served,” is the rule seen most frequently in our society today, and governs many areas, including medical care. Though without this rule many areas of life today would be disorganized, this rule is not perfect and should not be applied to some of the areas that it is applied to today.
Education is a very important part of our society, and is one of the key factors in building and shaping the future generation of individuals. Today in American society there are more options for education than ever, thanks to the growth of the internet, and the rising movement known as homeschooling. Even though the concept of homeschooling is expanding like never before, the majority of parents still enroll their children into brick and mortar public schools. These public schools are administered by the state, and funded by the people, which makes one assume that the people are in charge of dictating the form of education these schools are teaching to the students. Does he who pays the piper call the tune in education?
Dissecting the sentence above into more simple terms: “he,” refers to the people, the “piper,” refers to the state, and “tune,” refers to the form of education being taught. Which in turn means that the sentence is asking: “does the people, who fund the state, in charge of the form of education being taught.”
The answer to the question above is mostly no. People who pay the state in regards to state run education do not have very much say over the form of education being taught in the public schools. The state is the entity that is ultimately in charge of the form of education being taught in the schools, regardless of the fact that the people fund the schools. People do have the ability to complain, go to boards, the local government, etc to help influence change in the school system, but that is limited, and ultimately not very effective in bringing about long-lasting change in the system.
Homeschooling is greatly expanding today in America, with more parents concluding that homeschooling is the best option for their childrens’ education journey. A key factor in why many parents have turned to homeschooling is because parents have little say on what form of education is being taught in the public schools. Ultimately regardless of the truth that these parents fund the public school system itself. He who pays the piper does not call the tune in education.
The literary piece: Doctor Johannes Faustus tells the tale of the promiscuous character, Doctor Faustus, who sold his soul to the devil.The book is written in an autobiographical style, and covers the life story of Doctor Faustus, and how he became a fallen man, who was involved in sorcery and other forms of magic. It is debatable that this story is an accurate story, but regardless it still covers in a sense the important aspects of a person’s life. The concept of “selling the soul,” to the devil, is a key theme in the story and is discussed throughout the story. This theme has lived on throughout history and is encountered in other pieces of literature including in some modern films and music. The question is: why has this theme of “selling the soul,” remained popular since 1587?
Doctor Faustus’s life story is an interesting one, to say the least. At the beginning of his life, his Christian parents sent him away to live under the roof of a relative, to hopefully give him a better life. From the beginning it was clear that Faustus was deviant at heart, this led him to eventually deal with magic and the concept of sorcery. Sorcery and magic was the path that led Faustus to make a blood pact with Satan. This pact stated that Faustus would die when the pact ran out. The curious thing about Faustus was that he even attempted to return back to Christianity but instead, he renewed the pact. At the end of his miserable life, Faustus became further distraught and fearful, even to the point of wanting out; regardless he still died with the pact over his head.
The moral of this story is a simple one to understand. This story is a warning to people to not go down the wrong path as Faustus did. Interestingly enough this theme was not supported throughout the majority of the story, even to the point that some of Faustus’s wrong actions were not questioned. Faustus as a character goes through little character development and remains with the same ill character in the end.
Selling the soul to the devil is an interesting concept that has remained somewhat popular since the 16th century. This concept can be encountered in various forms including movies, music, etc. Because this theme has lived on during the test of time, why has it remained popular since the 16th century? There are a variety of reasons why this theme has remained popular even today, but the main reason is that people most likely are curious about this theme. Selling your soul sounds frightening, dangerous, and even thrilling, and as humans, we are easily curious and are attracted to things that may or may not be necessarily healthy for ourselves. It has remained popular because of this curiosity and interest.
The main education system today is in the form of public schools which are supported by taxes, and run by the state. This system has been in place in the west for many years and has become the standard in the majority of other non-western countries. Many people rely on the public school system to educate their children today, and many individuals have been educated in this method. Though the public school system has been used and adopted by the majority there are still individuals who question the system and are concerned about its flaws of the public school system, especially relating to it being run by the state. A debate or question to ask in regard to the flaws of the public system is to compare it to a tax-supported church. Is a tax-supported school any different in principle from a tax-supported church?
First and foremost many will disagree with the concept of tax-supported churches because it is clear that one does not want the state to manipulate or use the church to push their own political agenda. Any place of worship including a church is purely religious and should not be used for anything else other than being a place of worship. This explains why tax-supported churches are a rarity in today’s society.
The question is, is this any different from the tax-funded, government-run schools in today’s society? Tax-funded schools are very much at risk of having the state who runs them push out their own political agenda, to control the outcome of the student’s political beliefs or beliefs in general before they actually have a chance to discover their views themselves. Historically public education has been used as a method by various governments to bring the children of the country to not question the state regardless of if they were wrong. With the fundamentals of both the tax-supported church and school, it is clear that both are quite similar in nature, and both have similar risks.
In conclusion, there is little difference between tax-supported, public schools and tax-supported churches. Both are run by the state, and both are at risk of having the state push out their own personal agenda.
A garage sale is something that people do to get rid of old items or things that they no longer need. These Garage sales are almost always held in a person’s garage or in a driveway. Overall it is a very casual thing. The unique thing about a Garage sale is that it is almost completely independent of state regulation and has little to no state interference. In a scenario of the state deciding to begin regulating Garage sales, would the lower class or poorer individuals be better off in this case?
One must note what comes with state regulation especially when it has to do with businesses. Some of the things that come with state regulations that have to do with businesses include price controls, the government would have regulations on how much a person could sell their items at a garage sale. A tax on each item, which in turn would hike up the prices of the items. Because the state is already implementing the first two regulations, why not add that people have to have a license or have to do a special course on “Garage Sale Safety,” to hold a garage sale? All of this most definitely would not benefit anyone who wants to hold a garage sale, but how does this affect poor people or the lower class? The lower class most definitely would not be better off if the state-regulated garage sales. What if a person of lower income wanted to have a garage sale to declutter and get some cash money, and they couldn’t because they had to have some sort of license? In this case, a buyer who has a lower income would go to garage sales to buy inexpensive used items and all of a sudden all of those inexpensive used items were hiked up in price because of the state regulations, and the tax implemented by the state.
Thus, in conclusion, if the state-regulated garage sales like they do with most businesses, people of lower income and class would most definitely not be better off. In all honesty, people of lower income would be worse off in this scenario than the average middle-class person.
High school is usually the period of time that a person gets their first taste of an actual job. Usually, a high schooler would start with a part-time job that would fit with their schedule, but eventually in the summer when the high-schooler is off from school he/she could work more full-time because it makes more sense to do so during the summer months. As a highschool aged student would it be worth my time to get a part-time job at the minimum wage?
The answer to the question above really depends on the circumstance. As a full-time student much of the year, who does extracurricular activities such as sports, it would be worth my time to get a part-time job at the minimum wage. My reasoning is that I would not have time to have a full-time job, or to work eight hours a day during most of the week, it simply would not make sense for me. Also, though the hours are shorter than a full-time job, a part-time job would still provide a steady income and some job experience for the future. The income from the job would most likely cover my small expenses, and also would be enough to save a percentage. I must note that where I live there are quite a few laws on minors working, so I technically would not be able to work full time during the school year as a minor anyways.
In the scenario that it was summer time it would be appropriate to get a more full-time job because I would not have school(unless I decided to get ahead and do summer school), and my extracurriculars. Most likely I would not want to get a full-time minimum wage job because I would want to do other things, like going to the beach or spending time with friends, for example.
In conclusion, a part-time job at the minimum wage would be worth my time at the moment because I would be gaining some job experience, an income, and something of value to use my time with.
Airline travel is very common today and highly relied on. A downside of airline travel is that it is highly costly, and even the cheapest ticket for the cheapest seat is still very costly. With this in mind, if I were traveling across the country, would I rather sit in first class, or would I rather my parents give me the difference between the first-class fare and the coach fare?
If I had the financial funds or the means to pay for a first-class flight, especially for a flight across the country or overseas I would. A first-class seat is more comfortable than the coach seat which has limited legroom, and in general, is not comfortable to sleep in. Of course, if I did not have the means for a first-class flight I would make the sacrifice for comfort for a standard coach flight. If my parents gave me the difference between the first-class fare and the coach, would I rather sit in first class?
This is a complicated question since it depends on the circumstances. If I was a college student who did not have a lot of money and my parents wanted to give me the difference between the first-class fare and the coach fare I would take their offer and sit in coach. On the other hand, if I had the personal funds to afford a first-class flight I would prefer the first-class option.
In conclusion, if I were flying across the country, and had the means to do so I would sit in first class. On the other hand, if I did not have the funds to fly first class I would rather my parents give me the difference between the first-class fare and the coach fare.
March was definitely a month of reading. I was able to find a few unique reads that I had either never heard of or had been recommended many times. The common theme with the majority of the books I read is that these pieces of literature deal with or discuss serious issues like mental health. I really wanted to find books that would leave a lasting impact on me; that wasn’t just fluffy and forgettable, like most I have read. Over the years of reading, I have realized that some books just aren’t worth reading and that your time is precious so use it wisely.
Besides all that, I hope you will learn something or discover some new and intriguing reads for the future :).
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, was *a chef kiss. It was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it greatly! The novel is about a journalist named Monique who is interviewing the Old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who is now an old woman. Evelyn Hugo was this sex symbol, bombshell actress of the 50s and 60s, who in many ways is a personification of figures such as Marilyn Monroe or Elizabeth Taylor. As the title implies Evelyn was married seven times, which is an important theme of the story. The story does an excellent job of telling Evelyn Hugo’s life story and keeping you hooked on the story. Also, the twists in the plot were very well done and even left me surprised. Overall a solid 9/10.
A Little Life
ALittle Life, by Hanya Yanagihara, was a book that I had been seeing all over. If you have heard of it you most likely would know that it is very sad, and dark. Sad and dark are words that understate this book. I personally would never recommend this book to anyone since it is very triggering and graphic to the point that it could cause some serious harm to somebody. Overall if you do feel that your mental state can take a book like this please read this as a further warning, it’s a lot worse than I thought it would be. If you have a trigger it’s most likely in this book. Some of the Tws include self harm, sexual abuse, physical abuse, grooming, and suicide.
The book revolves around four friends: Jude, JB, Malcolm, and Wilhelm, and their lives over the decades. The book though primarily focuses on the life and perspective of the character Jude, who is a disabled, intelligent man who struggles with the effects of the severe childhood trauma he experienced; which is described in the book with great graphic detail. A major theme of the book is how the people in Jude’s life are affected by Jude’s personal struggles which they cannot do anything about. The book does an excellent job of making you fall in love with the characters especially Jude which makes it even more painful when the book continues to destroy the characters. With that said the thing that I really liked about this book was how the author was able to depict the happy moments or the beautiful moments in the characters’ lives. An effective tragedy needs to have happy moments to make the ending more of a tragedy and this book really goes by that truth. While reading this book I felt like I was watching a person I really loved fall apart and hurt, and being unable to do reassure or comfort them. It really hurt. To be honest I was very surprised I didn’t cry though I was very close too. I rate this book 8.5/10. It would have been a ten if it hadn’t been for the painful reading experience. Don’t read this book!
The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar, by Slyvia Plath, was on my reading bucket list for a while, it most certainly did not disappoint. Definitely, this book does have some trigger warnings(suicide, depression, racism, etc), which is important to note. The book is about a young woman named Esther Greenwood who is living in New York as a guest editor for a short period of time. Esther’s mental health deteriorates throughout the timeline of the story, and though she is supposed to be having the time of her life her emotional state states otherwise. This novel captivated and drew me in almost immediately. Plath does an excellent job of using the first-person narration style, and in many moments I felt like I was really in Esther Greenwood’s head, which made her story even more relatable. I highly recommend this book and rate it 9/10.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, was another book that had been on my bucket list for a while. It most certainly did not disappoint, and I will forever call it a genius novel. The novel itself is about a beautiful young man named Dorian Gray who gets his portrait painted by the artist Basil Hallward. Basil introduces Dorian to Lord Henry who is a very worldly figure. Lord Henry influences Dorian to begin living his life in the indulgence of pleasure or sin. Dorian begins to wish that the marks of age would instead appear on is a portrait and not his physical appearance. This becomes a reality for Dorian. The worst and more corrupt Dorian’s character becomes is reflected in his portrait along with his actual age, which he realizes is a curse in actuality. This novel is beautifully written, and you really are able to experience the inner turmoil of Dorian’s character. The novel, in my opinion, is an excellent allegory of the mainstream, beauty culture today which has an emphasis on looking young and focusing on one’s appearance, often to a point of neglecting one’s inner character. This novel is a 9.5/10 in my opinion.
Though the reading list for March is quite short(I do have the excuse that A Little Life was over 700 pages long), it was a solid one from not reading for two months. Hopefully, April will be an even more successful month of reading but let’s see. I hope you guys find something new to read in this post.
The Dreamer 