Showing posts with label U.S.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label U.S.. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Business Tips from A Very Educated Firm
This has plenty of articles on business tips, managing people, and handling the day to day grind of working. Take a look at these articles if you get a chance!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
States Rights
I got into an interesting discussion with someone recently about the effects of the Civil War in the United States. My friend was adamant about the war being about slavery, and I disagreed with them. I wasn't arguing that slavery wasn't an issue, I was simply pointing out that the war was not started based on slavery, and that the men of the southern states weren't as evil as some people would make them to be. Here are a few pointers in understanding the reasons behind the war.
1. Robert E. Lee, the general for the South, was originally asked to command the Army of the Potomac, on the side of the North. He refused, answering that he was a son of Virginia. He believed that states should have more control, and therefore he sided with the South.
2. When the southern states seceded from the North, constitutionally, Abraham Lincoln could not attack them, which he did not. The South attacked and took Fort Sumter, a Federal Fort. This action sparked the war.
3. One of the largest slave populations was located in Pennsylvania, a state on the side of the North. If the Civil War had begun on the basis of slavery, chances are Pennsylvania would have also seceded.
4. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address was not made until several years into the war. This was the first major announcement pin pointing the issue of slavery within the country. The South collectively owned the most slaves, therefore freeing part of their population might benefit the North.
5. Economics played a major part in the Civil War. The South, mostly plantations and farms, relied on a working force to produce their crops. The North was far more industrial, setting up factories and having the capability to mass produce weapons. Indentured servants were common in the North, often abused far worse than slaves were, due to immigration from Europe, and therefore a healthy supply of extra hands.
My point is not to downplay the issue of slavery. What is most upsetting however is the common belief that slavery was settled by the Civil War. This was not true. Slavery continued on in other forms, mainly segregation, where the stories of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks are so important in our history. Slavery is just as important, and we as a people did not focus on that issue until later in our history, finally making strides to stop such a terrible practice.
The Civil War was mainly about states' rights and economics, where brothers fought each other on different sides, all over the issue of government. As often pointed out by some, South Carolina never surrendered. It was a question not of every person's rights, but of our chosen form of government. Slaves fought on both sides, some voluntarily, some ordered to do so. Remember that in the end they fought as men, and were respected by their friends and hated by their enemies the same way that we all are.
War is a terrible thing, but it is a product of who we are. Our constant aggressiveness goes hand in hand with our love and appreciation of the most delicate things. It is the power to destroy such beautiful things that makes us so terrible.
But to lose that aggression is to lose our humanity.
1. Robert E. Lee, the general for the South, was originally asked to command the Army of the Potomac, on the side of the North. He refused, answering that he was a son of Virginia. He believed that states should have more control, and therefore he sided with the South.
2. When the southern states seceded from the North, constitutionally, Abraham Lincoln could not attack them, which he did not. The South attacked and took Fort Sumter, a Federal Fort. This action sparked the war.
3. One of the largest slave populations was located in Pennsylvania, a state on the side of the North. If the Civil War had begun on the basis of slavery, chances are Pennsylvania would have also seceded.
4. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address was not made until several years into the war. This was the first major announcement pin pointing the issue of slavery within the country. The South collectively owned the most slaves, therefore freeing part of their population might benefit the North.
5. Economics played a major part in the Civil War. The South, mostly plantations and farms, relied on a working force to produce their crops. The North was far more industrial, setting up factories and having the capability to mass produce weapons. Indentured servants were common in the North, often abused far worse than slaves were, due to immigration from Europe, and therefore a healthy supply of extra hands.
My point is not to downplay the issue of slavery. What is most upsetting however is the common belief that slavery was settled by the Civil War. This was not true. Slavery continued on in other forms, mainly segregation, where the stories of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks are so important in our history. Slavery is just as important, and we as a people did not focus on that issue until later in our history, finally making strides to stop such a terrible practice.
The Civil War was mainly about states' rights and economics, where brothers fought each other on different sides, all over the issue of government. As often pointed out by some, South Carolina never surrendered. It was a question not of every person's rights, but of our chosen form of government. Slaves fought on both sides, some voluntarily, some ordered to do so. Remember that in the end they fought as men, and were respected by their friends and hated by their enemies the same way that we all are.
War is a terrible thing, but it is a product of who we are. Our constant aggressiveness goes hand in hand with our love and appreciation of the most delicate things. It is the power to destroy such beautiful things that makes us so terrible.
But to lose that aggression is to lose our humanity.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A Letter to the President
Mr President,
My qualifications are only that I am an American citizen, that i pay my taxes, and that I like to pay attention to the news. Since being elected to office, you have shown that you are not a man of few words, and you have made decisions in order to influence not only this country, but the entire world. Since you have worked tirelessly to do so, I applaud your efforts. There are so many things in this world that cannot be controlled, and we are all human. I understand that life is a struggle, but it is also a dance, beautiful to participate, though ugly at times. You have made many contributions to this planet that will shape our future.
Criticism is something you receive everyday, Mr. President, taking the good with the bad. I do not believe that the following items are your fault at all, I'm simply stating what you are faced with at this time.
1. The Economy of the U.S. is struggling, without manufacturing as a backbone like we had during and after WWII, we cannot produce our own goods, and have given some of our power away to other countries so that we do not have to.
2. Corporate and Private sectors are shrinking, and with them our wealth and image as a strong Capitalist nation will disappear.
3. Families are struggling, the adults uncertain, the children scared that something bad will happen.
4. There is no world peace right now, our soldiers are moving from one country to another, still fighting, still dying to protect us.
5. You have very little time until the end of your term Mr. President, and much of your attention will go to focus on getting a second term in office.
I am aware that there is so much to face as the leader of a country, that politicians and constituents are pulling you in every direction. I am aware that the political body of this country does not want or believe in heroes. Heroes lose things in the end, they may save the worlds but they lose their friends in the process, they lose their families. People turn their backs on heroes, never thanking them for what they have done to save people, but instead judging them and walking away.
I don't want you to be a hero, Mr. President.
I would like to ask you to be a guardian instead, one that finds away to create simple yet effective answers to our struggles as a people and a country. If you do not wish to be that guardian, then let someone else take over, and maybe they will make those changes. You still have plenty of time though, so make the best of it.
The country is a beaten soldier on its knees, pull it to its feet if you can.
Sincerely,
The People
My qualifications are only that I am an American citizen, that i pay my taxes, and that I like to pay attention to the news. Since being elected to office, you have shown that you are not a man of few words, and you have made decisions in order to influence not only this country, but the entire world. Since you have worked tirelessly to do so, I applaud your efforts. There are so many things in this world that cannot be controlled, and we are all human. I understand that life is a struggle, but it is also a dance, beautiful to participate, though ugly at times. You have made many contributions to this planet that will shape our future.
Criticism is something you receive everyday, Mr. President, taking the good with the bad. I do not believe that the following items are your fault at all, I'm simply stating what you are faced with at this time.
1. The Economy of the U.S. is struggling, without manufacturing as a backbone like we had during and after WWII, we cannot produce our own goods, and have given some of our power away to other countries so that we do not have to.
2. Corporate and Private sectors are shrinking, and with them our wealth and image as a strong Capitalist nation will disappear.
3. Families are struggling, the adults uncertain, the children scared that something bad will happen.
4. There is no world peace right now, our soldiers are moving from one country to another, still fighting, still dying to protect us.
5. You have very little time until the end of your term Mr. President, and much of your attention will go to focus on getting a second term in office.
I am aware that there is so much to face as the leader of a country, that politicians and constituents are pulling you in every direction. I am aware that the political body of this country does not want or believe in heroes. Heroes lose things in the end, they may save the worlds but they lose their friends in the process, they lose their families. People turn their backs on heroes, never thanking them for what they have done to save people, but instead judging them and walking away.
I don't want you to be a hero, Mr. President.
I would like to ask you to be a guardian instead, one that finds away to create simple yet effective answers to our struggles as a people and a country. If you do not wish to be that guardian, then let someone else take over, and maybe they will make those changes. You still have plenty of time though, so make the best of it.
The country is a beaten soldier on its knees, pull it to its feet if you can.
Sincerely,
The People
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