Freakonomics Entry #4: Does your Name Matter?

The book Freakonomics analyzes the affect different names have on people.  Parents always want the best for their kids so giving them a 'good' name seems to be essential.  So does your name change what your life will be like?  Many peoples initial reaction would be no, but this book proves that your name will effect you when someone doesn't know you and just sees the name on a piece of paper.  Some parents believe their child won't prosper unless they have the right name.  In 1958 a man from NYC named Robert Lane decided to name his son Winner.  They lived in the projects and everyone else in the family had a typical name.  A few years later he had a 7th child.  He named the boy Loser.  So how did his kids end up?  Well Winner has a criminal record a mile long with 3 dozen arrests.  Loser on the other hand went to prep school then college at Lafayette College all on scholarship.  Loser is now in the New York Police Department as a detective (his mothers dream for him).  And his friends call him Lou now, not Loser.  This is a prime example of names having no relevance on the outcome of life.  Now let's take another example.  According to a study, two people with identical resumes were sent to the same employer.  One person had the name DeShawn Williams and the others name was Jake Williams.  Jake would be more likely to get a call back.  Why?  This is because, according to the study, black sounding names have an economic penalty.  Two people from identical backgrounds named Jake and DeShawn will most likely have the same life outcomes.  But the kind of parents who name their kid Jake typically don't live in the same neighborhood or have the same circumstances as the boy named DeShawn.  From this the employer can assume that Jake comes from a better area and is more sophisticated.  So why don't people from more depressed areas name their children with names that will make them seem from better areas?  This is because there is a penalty within the community for trying to act against their culture.  They don't want to stand out because this will cause scrutiny that is unwanted.  So in conclusion the name that you possess as a person has little to no effect on what you will make of yourself.  Where you're from and what you try to make of your life is the difference maker.

Freakonomics Entry #3: Why do Drug Dealers Live with their Moms?

This book gives insight into a gang that sells crack in Chicago.  Many of times all we hear on the news about gangs is that they are fighting for territory or somebody was killed in a drug deal.  Most people never realize how complex of an operation it truly is to run a gang and be successful.  Running a gang is like running a multi million dollar corporation.  There is millions of dollars at stake in the business.  It's a game where people risk their lives for the chance to move up in the gang.  I used to wonder why people joined gangs.  The reason is because they have to.  The gang has such a big presence around town that if you aren't running with them then you are putting yourself in danger.

So how does the gang really make its money?  Like all solid business' it starts from the ground up.  There are people who aren't even in the gang who want to get in who will pay the gang fee.  Then there are other people around town who will pay the gang for a protection fee.  This way the gang will have their back if anything goes wrong.  Everyone in the gang has monthly dues to pay.  Then comes the big money maker for the gang; the actual dealing of the crack.  The teens standing on street corners with a 1 in 4 chance of being killed in their time dealing drugs.  One of the characters in the book who was high up in the gang was making an average of $64,000 a month in his peak.  He had to pay the people above him 20% of that every month.

Now to the 'foot soldiers'.  The people who risk it all and get little to nothing in return.  Those people made merely $3.30 an hour, which is close to a third of what minimum wage is.  On average they are arrested 5.9 times and have 2.6 near fatal wounds in their life.  They are 50 times more likely to die than having the most dangerous job in the US which is a timber cutter.  Many ask why they do it.  They do it because the only way to get to the top is to start at the bottom.  They are hoping that they will be one of the lucky few who get to move up the gangs ranks and start making the big money.  Not only that, in depressed areas when you are uneducated, there aren't many options.  Freakonomics did a really good job of explaining the multi million dollar business of running a gang and also how people get involved with it.

Freakonomics Entry #2: The Internet Helps Everyone

The internet boom occurred in the 1990s.  The internet has a big effect on almost everybody's lives.  In the late 1990s the price of life insurance dropped dramatically.  Many wondered why the radical change happened so fast, but the real reason is the internet happened.  All the sudden people were able to compare insurance quotes to get the best possible deal.  When there is competition, price goes down.  Companies were publicly competing to get more customers, and all the customers cares about was getting the lowest possible price on a premium.  Within a year, customers were paying $1 Billion less per year for life insurance, all because of the internet.  Nowadays we see this a lot on the internet.  Hotels, car rental, car insurance, etc. all having side by side quotes on the internet.  In turn, this provides competition in the market which will in the end help the consumers.

The main source of the internet is used for gaining information on various topics and also news.  When people are able to look at multiple sources of information, they are able to form their own opinions and be more open minded.  This makes for a stronger country because people will be on both sides of an issue.  Like the title of this blog post, the internet truly does benefit everybody.

Freakonomics Entry #1

Freakonomics is best selling book written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.  Both of these men are economists who study various cause and effect situations along with how the economy works.  In this entry I will introduce a couple of their ideas that are abstract when first thought about, but then make complete sense when fully analyzed.  In the past few years there have been a few scandals that involved teachers cheating for their students.  This problem has been especially prevalent within the Chicago Public School system. One of the lessons that the authors teach the reader is that everybody responds to incentives, and that's why they act the way they do.  Some people study extra hard to get an A in a class so they can get an iPod from their parents.  Other people stop smoking cigarettes because the sin tax is going up.  And some teachers cheat for their students to prevent themselves for going on probation.  Everybody responds to incentives differently, and incentives are what keeps the economy going.  High stakes standardized testing puts stress on everybody, but especially the teachers.  If a good number of students do exceedingly well, then the teacher will be promoted.  The contrary is also true though. 

The issue is how to catch the cheating teacher.  Some teachers have blatantly cheated by putting answers on the board.  This was done by a fifth grade teacher in Oakland.  Some teachers will give their students extra time to finish the test, and others will give the answers when a student asks.  And the worst way is when a teacher changes the students answers after they are done with the test.  The CPS did a study on classes that were suspected of cheating.  They devised a formula and when a block of answers were all answered correctly for a class (or close to), cheating was a high possibility.  The correct block of answers often came at the end of the test where the questions are harder.  That proves that there was even a higher likelihood for cheating because the chance of sub par students getting those questions correct is quite low.  In the end they found that 5% of the classrooms had either cheating students or teachers.  The real loser in all of this cheating is the student.  They are the loser because they and their parents will see the inflated test score and be happy.  Then the next year their scores will return to the low level they are truly at.  Here's an example: for each grade level a student is at, that's what level they should score at.  So a fifth grader who is perfectly on par will score a 5.0.  A student in fifth grade scores a 3.8, in 6th grade they score 7.1, and in 8th grade they went back to their old ways and scored a 5.6.  This is a clear indication that in 6th grade they experienced cheating.  I am really excited to continue to read the book and see what other great analysis' these authors can offer.

Abortion Argument

Abortion is probably one of the biggest issues in America today and will continue to be because the two opposing sides are so passionate about their argument.  The Supreme Court has given power to the states to impose regulations on abortion as long as they're not undue burdens.  Theoretically, this means that the states cannot deny a woman's right to having an abortion.  Many abortion clinics are being forced to change the way they operate because their state government is imposing rules.  I think that something that would be considered an undue burden would be anything that makes the woman change her mind.  Getting an abortion is a huge deal in a woman's life so when they decide they are going to do it, they are positive that that's what will be best for them.  If they end up having to jump through hoops to get an appointment or have to go back multiple times before the operation, that would be an undue burden.  Something like getting an abortion is an incredibly hard time in their life so clinics should be making it easy for the patient.

Health care plans should cover the cost of the operation to have an abortion.  Having an abortion is simply just a procedure.  Almost all procedures people have are covered by health care, if they have it to begin with.  Some wil make the argument that since the woman could have prevented getting pregnant (assuming it concentual) that health care shouldn't cover it.  That is true that it could have been prevented but it's no different than breaking an arm skateboarding.  It's the own persons fault and could have been prevented.  And certainly the broken arm is covered.  If the patient wanting an abortion doesn't have health care, then they should get assistance paying for the operation.  The country has a responsibility to help its citizens and they doing something like that would help them so much.  The percentage of taxpayer dollars that will go to assisting people to pay for abortions is so minute and that's why the government should assist in the payment process. 

Abortions should be legal in all circumstances up to the third trimester of the pregnancy.  There is no reason why lawmakers and other people should be able to tell women what they can and can't do with their body's.  Also, if they have made the choice not to have the baby, then they are clearly not suited to have it.  If they were forced to have the baby, they wouldn't care for the child, partially because they wouldn't be able and also they wouldn't have the means.  When woman opt to have an abortion, chances are it was a mistake.  Making one mistake should not effect someone the rest of their lives, especially if it can be avoided.  This is why abortion should continue to be legal.

District 113 Renovations

There are some pre-conceived notions about district 113, some of which are good and others should be changed.  The district has a great academic reputation because of the high test scores that come out of the schools.  There are high test scores because the teachers in district 113 and the feeder school are very good.  Deerfield High also has a not so great reputation for having strong facilities.  Within the school there are a lot of essential things that the school needs to change.  For example the school was built 50 years ago.  Most of the school has heating, air conditioning, and windows from 50 years ago.  Everyone knows how much technology has changed over that time.  The renovation plans are a great idea and would truly benefit everyone in the community. 

The renovation plans would be a great addition to the school.  If the school renovates the heating, air, and windows in the old part of the school, it would save money in the long run.  Technology in that department has changed dramatically over the last 50 years.  This would make the heating and air bill go down because the system would be a lot more efficient.  Also, by having better windows it would keep those classrooms at a more neutral temperature.  Renovating the athletic facilities and adding a field house would be great because it would benefit everyone in the school.  It would increase everybody's productivity because the fields would be able to withstand any amount of play.  The games would always have the same field conditions too because the artificial turf never changes.  If the school was able to build a field house that would be beneficial to everyone in the community.  Not only would the students at the school be able to use it, it could be open to the public on the weekends.  People would be able to use the indoor track in the winter and also workout there at little to no cost.  Having great athletic facilities not only benefits athletes during their season, or students in gym class.  It will benefit everyone in the community.

Having all of these new great amenities at the school would make the tax payers take a little hit.  Even though everybody's taxes would barely increase, many don't want to pay at all.  Residents would be paying for the renovations in the short run but in the long run it would help everyone.  Compared to other communities the athletic facilities here are much inferior to many other schools.  Even though we have a SLIGHTLY better academic reputation than those schools, having great facilities will make young family's want to move there.  If these changes could be made, everybody's property would be worth more because this would be a more attractive area to come to.  Overall, taking a small hit to your taxes in the short run are worth it because you would be able to boast some of the best facilities in the state, and also increase the value of your property in the long run.   

The Execution

"The Execution" was an informative documentary on the death penalty, and it focused on two men in particular.  Clifford Boggess was a man who was executed for murdering two old men in cold blood.  His sentence of death was proper punishment.  Although I do think that Boggess changed as a man when he was on death row, he should still have been sent to die.  Even though he changed and may have been a good man in the end, it doesn't change what he had done.  If the court system would let him go off of death row that would send a poor message to the public that they are willing to give murderers a second chance, not to mention the family of the victim was looking forward to the closure.  I do think that he believed he was going to heaven, and hence that's the reason he was able to accept the penalty for his crimes.  I think that's irrelevant though because those are his internal thoughts.  It's great that he believes that but who really knows what's going to happen.  Boggess was a changed person but that doesn't mean he should have his sentence changed.  If he was truly remorseful for the murders of his victims he should feel obligated to die in order to compensate for pain he caused so many people.
Leslie Gosch is a prime example of the glitches in the death penalty system.  Anybody who is teased with their death is cruel and unusual punishment.  Although I do believe that the death penalty is an acceptable form of punishment, the process of them dying should be quick and not dragged out.  This case has changed my understanding of capital punishment, although it hasn't changed my core belief about it.  I am a lot more informed about the effects that the death penalty has.  After learning more and more about the death penalty I actually have a stronger belief in keeping it in place.