Response: Bail Out!!

Although i believe in the laissez faire approach, i think governement needs to take action in some way shape or form. I like the idea of limiting the amounts that CEO's walk away with. i have heard rumors about individuals providing ideas like, maybe instead of the tax payers flipping the bill for this bail out, that maybe corporations should front the money and this could provide future tax relief (Writeoffs as well). i think provisions like these are a good idea any way, im suprised it took this long to have anyone say something.

Back on track?

Hundreds of billions of dollars, a bail-out plan, and an economy in a serious crisis sounds like a serious problem to all those who know the current situation, but only one day after the the newly propsed bill failed and the dow jones dropped a staggering 778 points, Tuesday, September 30th, was a day full of smiles on wall street as the dow had its 3rd largest increase, growing 450 points. Many people understand the precious value of the passing of this bill, and many assure the effects will be "painful and lasting" unless it is passed. Thousands of jobs are at risk due to the lack of funds to support payroll's. So if this bill is passed, do you think America and its economy will make a full recovery as our leaders assure us we will?

Financial Crisis

Wondering how everyone feels about this bailout plan. I am not a political person, a matter a fact i hate politics. The reason i have started watching is because of the direct effect it has on our future. I know we as an economy have to do something but i don't know what. I think it is a little crazy for the government to bail out a company that made bad decisions, businesses go under everyday. The biggest problem i have with these companies is that they claim bankrupcy but there CEO's are walking out the door with hundreds of millions of dollars. CRAZY!

Michele M. Blog posting for the week of Sept 22

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/defender_17985___article.html/ahead_indigent.html I chose this article not for the business aspect of the discussion but because it applies to my thesis paper. I am very interested in the Public Defender system and am concerned that it can be improved. By counties such as this not having a formal public defenders office, I see that the indigent clients of this community are severely underserved. This particular community is the principal reason I became so interested in this issue in the first place. I am a firm believer in equality in justice and that no matter how atrocious the crime, they deserve to be properly defended by a competent attorney. By just using a list, this county is sorely underserving the clients that need the services of an attorney the most. From my perspective, the clients that are being served by the attorneys that are on the list are continually being put on a back burner and are being UNjustly served. Imagine what the ethical implications are of this system if they are denied the opportunity to finally have a public defenders office?

What about income inequalites in the U.S today?

I had to do another resoponse question on this topic so i figured I would kill two birds with one stone. But from what I read is that many companies are more concerned with making their own profits than their employees. Over the past few years production levels have risen by a significant percentage but the pay rates have stayed the same. So employees feel like they're doing more work they ought to get more money. They also say that companies had to lower american wages to stay competitive with foreign countries because their labor is so cheap. I also read that the increase in income in the top quintiles is a result of the number dual earning households increased, meanwhile single-parents families also increased, widening the gap between the top quintiles and the lower quintiles. I know some inequality is good, but is such a large gap good?

AIG Bailout

One day after Palin spoke publicly to the US on the matter of America's economy being in shambles, the Federal Reserve granted a loan to the American International Group for a grand lump sum of 85 billion dollars, not what you would necessarily call "chump change." Foolish moves by the American government are worsening the economy day by day. All surrounded are subjected to this as we see in another declining day on wall street. The Dow Jones dropped a staggering 449 points, its lowest since November of '05. Money is quickly being lost by all and the mayhem will be sure to follow. America needs to wake up and face reality because we are quickly falling off the boat.

Michele M. post for the week of September 15, 2008

http://www.scnow.com/scp/news/local/grand_strand/article/suspended_atlantic_beach_police_chief_responds_to_allegations/14672/

By now, most Horry County residents are aware of all the troubles that Atlantic Beach has had in their government. First the Mayor and members of that office staff and now the Sheriff for Atlantic Beach. There has also been rampant rumors that, because of all the troubles, Atlantic Beach may be absorbed into North Myrtle Beach or another adjacent city. I find that sad because Atlantic Beach is one of the few Black owned cities on the eastern seaboard.

This story and all related stories that have been going on for this over the past few months are prime examples of how Business Ethics apply to a wide array of the way things are run. Ethics applies to every aspect of our lives. It can be government, business, school, even our actions have some ethical implications. I am a firm believer that if you are doing something that hurts others or taking advantage of priviledges you have, then you will be caught and have to face the consequences. In this light, the Sheriff of Atlantic Beach may have taken advantage of the priviledges he has as an officer. Using the patrol car for other purposes than policing is one example. Alternatively, the interim town manager may be wrong by falsely accusing the Sheriff simply because he wants him out of that position. Only time will tell who is acting unethically and who will be punished for their "wrongdoings."

What do you think about a 4 day school week? Michele M.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/8616/

My sister lives in Gainesville, Georgia. I found this article in the local paper there. The local community college there is going to be closed on Fridays for the fall semester in an "energy and cost saving" move. It states that the amount of courses will not decrease but that the delivery method will change. It looks like they will be more dependant on Blackboard or another similar program as many of the courses will have a quiz or something due there on Fridays. I wonder how the employees feel about that? (Especially the ones who get paid by the hour and are dependant on that 40 hour per week paycheck!) It also makes me concerned that the school day will have to be longer for the other four days for the full time students. It is expensive enough to go to college of any type but to try that with those students who have families or have to pay their own way through will make it hard and it may make opportunities for those types of students in that area a little more slim. Way to go Lanier Tech, make education a dream for those who need dreams to get out of the life they are currently living!

Should States Raise Driving Age?

This article I found on msnbc.com deals with issues regarding the proper age to recieve a drivers license in the U.S. As most know, the legal age to obtain a drivers license is 16, and in New Jersey 17. Car crashes are the number one leading cause for teenage deaths in America right now and the number steadily increasing. The issue is a highly debated one, with good arguments coming from both sides. Many feel that chauffeuring their kids around until they're 18 and ready for college is ridiculous, commenting that teens need to grow up and learn responsibility. Others feel it is putting inexperienced foolish teenagers behind the wheel of a 2 ton piece of metal acting as a wrecking ball on the road. I for one, being from New Jersey and not recieving my drivers license till I wa 17 feel that an extra year or two may not be the worst thing in the world. Besides, this could save parents money on cars, insurance, gas, and the hassle of dealing with their kids accidents and car problems they will surely go through. Do you feel the age to recieve a drivers license should remain at 16 or should the government raise the age to 17 o 18?

Why machinists decided to strike Boeing

I found this article on msnbc.com. The main idea is why are 87% of Boeing workers on strike. Most people looking form the outside don't see why, especially when their pay is being increased by 11%. The pay would increse by 5% the first year and 3% in the two following years. Boeing also said that they would keep the workers pesion planl, which they had originally planned to scrap. But the catch is along with the pay increse, there was a decrese in medicare. The workers main concern is that with no medicare, even a few hospital visits can negate their increased wages. The question is should Boeing try to stay on good terms with its workers, and increase wages as well as keep the existing Medicare plan. Or should they just do what they want, hire and train new machinist? What's right?

AVX and their audacious thinking Michele M.

I have been keeping up with the whole AVX fiasco with their polluting the ground water in the 17th Avenue South block and the 10 block radius of neighborhoods nearby in Myrtle Beach. Recently, they applied to the federal government for yet another permit to emit toxins. This time into the air. This all happened while the groundwater pollution was fresh on residents minds AND while there are three lawsuits in federal court as a result of the pollution. Last Friday, they pulled their request for their permit without comment. Albeit that was a smart move on AVX, it shows how their thinking process is in relation to hurting the communities that it is a part of.

Another imbisillic move on their part was to acutally believe that they were going to get the federal government to help them with the cleanup cost as the military branch that last occupied the Withers Preserve community (the old air force base) was still cleaning up the base from their time in residence there. AVX thought that they could get away with that because they assumed they could blame their woes on that governmental entity. It does not matter that the old air base is located right next to the AVX property. AVX didnt even bother to see if the pollution from the old air base was the same type of pollution that AVX was dealing with and it was not.

How ethical would it be for AVX to be allowed to emit toxins into the air with the light that they have run amuk of federal standards in the past?

What do you think?

I use to work in banquets and i would like to know what you all think about a particular situation. as employees we were paid a starting wage of $9.50/hr. our jobs were to serve parties ranging from 100 to 2500 people. when our employer would bill the parties for our services, they would include a 25% gratuity. They told the clients that this covered all of the tips for the staff working the event (made this very very clear). so everyone attending the event knew tip was included. At the end of events the employees never saw a dime. after much frustration, we found out that the gratuity was being dispursed to upper management as bonuses. Let me know what you think?

Mortgage Industry

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSN0312975220080903

A few can spoil it for the masses. Just because a couple of bad corporate execs decide to cheat and defraud their customers, the public, quite understandably, equates attributes such as wealth and power with deception and theft. It's sad that the rest of corporate America has to suffer the consequences of a bad reputation just because a couple of bad seeds thought they could get away with it.