Interested in GMO's? Check out this research paper

 

                                               Food, Eat At Your Own Risk

                   Anne Wigmore ¹said “ The food you eat can be the safest form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” What do allergy, Cancer, Nerve gas, Autism, death rates in America and agricultural damage have in common? They are all connected to pesticides and GMO's in one form or another. 80% of all the pesticides used in the US are used on agriculture alone, while at least 7,500 miles of crops in the US are GE crops. The current situation with food is quite alarming once you actually know what is going on. Not only for your health but also for the health of our planet, Earth. Now this isn’t one or two farmers spraying pesticides and killing off some species of insects. This is an industry ran by wealthy corporations greasing the hands of uncle sam. Its something strategic and thought out something called coordinated framework. It is very unfortunate that in todays world we have congressmen turned farmers, because as we all know most politicians are known for drumming up campaign money not growing crops. In the biotechnology industry where GMO's are studied and created around $50 million per year is spent on marketing tell you that GMO's pose no risk to your health. If they were ok would you really need such a deep pocket for marketing? Not only are we poisoning our food and our people but in turn we are poisoning the one thing that takes care of us, the one thing we need, Earth. It is unfortunate but the government is no longer concerned with the well being of the country, the people or the world and this is rubbing off on all humankind.

                  Every year a list called “The Dirty Dozen” comes out and it lists the top twelve most pesticide contaminated fruits and vegetables. Fruits like peaches, apples, strawberries and cucumbers have been tested with 60+ different types of pesticides when not organically grown. I was raised eating extremely clean and healthy but there did come a time in my life when I decided I would eat whatever I wanted. My mother being an intuitive, humanitarian, lover of all things natural, healthy and good for ones well being had been telling me, “Autumn you have to pay attention to what you're eating, you really should eat organic, you need to be careful and put good, healthy things in your body.” And my typical response was “Mom, I've been eating un-organic food with pesticides for this long and I'm fine, so I'm not stopping now.” Luckily due to great genetics, a fast metabolism and age I was able to do this for a handful of years. Then came July 17^th, 2013, I had an extremely weird allergy attack and was sent into the hospital from work in an ambulance. I was breaking out in hives, itchy, sneezing, mucus had filled up my nose and my esophagus so much that I was starting to have paranoia that it would block my breathing completely. That morning I had ate nothing out of my ordinary routine except one thing, there was the peach, this was the one thing I had that that morning that I never have. So after questioning while I was in the ER the doctors had ruled out that I had suffered from an allergy attack, not to the peach itself but the pesticides used on the peach that was sold for human consumption. So at this point I was pretty shocked, confused and dumbfounded. How could something be put on my food, that I would eat, that could possibly harm me in such a manner that I would have to be hospitalized? I kept asking myself, how could this be? I had asked the doctors and nurses over and over how it could be from the pesticides and they had told me that this was a common occurrence with pesticides on food and most common with peaches. I was in total disbelief but it was like everything I knew growing up as far as food and everything my mom had been telling me was just unfolding in front of me. I haven’t eaten a peach since then as well as doing anything in my power to eat only organic fruits, vegetables and food all together. So here I have given you a firsthand experience to the minor effects to pesticides and yes, these are just the minor effects.

 

                             To understand pesticides its important to know their history. There is a reason the companies who make them don’t tell us. Chemical Warfare is the origin of some Pesticides. To name a couple, Nerve Gas in World War 2 and Agent Orange² in the Vietnam War. Agent Orange was a mixture of Herbicides that were sprayed on forests and vegetation during the Vietnam War to eliminate the troops and the forests that would feed them. Around 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam were sprayed with more than 19 million gallons of Agent Orange from 1961-1972. The effects of Agent Orange range from muscular dysfunction, birth defects, inflammation, nervous system disorders,Type-2 Diabetes, Hodgkin's disease, leukemia and numerous cancers. The U.S Department of Veterans Affairs sill offers a program for those who are suffering from the effects of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was not only dumped on the land but also dumped in the water supply and non-combat areas. The battle of who should be allowed receive Vietnam War benefits goes on to this day because in Vietnam millions of children were born with serious birth defects while others are still suffering from cancers and other Agent Orange caused illnesses. Now that you know a little history on Pesticides, how do you feel?

                  We hear a lot of hype around buying organic and how pesticides aren’t good but we are not educated as to why pesticides actually are harmful and what it is that they do. Although they are harmful to ingest the effects don’t only affect those eating them, this is a huge cycle of contamination from farm to land, to water to air, because the cycle of pollination Pesticides have the capability to contaminate more than those handling and consuming them. There are three types of pesticides used. Herbicides, used to kill unwanted weeds and plants. Insecticides, used to kill insects. Lastly Fungicides used to kill fungus. All three could be used in conjunction to “protect” your food from all three of the natural elements. Pesticides can also enter through the skin because of the skins absorbing capability’s. One wouldn’t need to eat, touch or be near a crop thats been sprayed with pesticides because it travels in the air. Being airborne means it also comes into contact with water and the most obvious of all the soil. Pesticide poising looks a lot like a flu so many people eating them as well as those not like workers may not even know they are poisoned.

               One of the most commonly used Herbicide is 2,4-D it is a Herbicide that was introduced in the 1940's it is made from ½ of the chemicals that form Agent Orange. 2,4-D has been found in rivers, streams, even in air samples and studies show that about 25% of 2,4-D is found in human urine. Some effects of 2,4-D are diarrhea, tumors, genetic damage in human cells, skin and eye irritant, reduced fertility and reduced kidney function and damage. Studies on the workers who handle 2,4-D have shown to a below average sperm count as well as higher levels of birth defects. Those most sensitive to Pesticides are children because their organs are growing and because what women eat while pregnant goes directly to the womb, even the fetus can be affected by pesticides. A study of 306 expecting women from all different races and economic backgrounds was completed. The women with the 15 percent higher levels of pesticide exposure had an average reduction of one-third of a pound and a half a week earlier birth. Early birth weights have been linked to infant mortality, health, cognitive and heart problems. The food we put in our bodies is supposed to be what fuels us, our muscles, our organs, brain, skin and to help us bear children . Food is supposed to be what makes us “healthy” but if we are putting Pesticides on our food then we are doing the exact opposite.

                   Corporations as farmers, Congressmen as distributers. Do you like this idea? Do you think it is okay for corporations and government to have full control of all aspects of food, the growing, regulating, planting, safety and distribution. Full control of the one thing we actually need to live and survive? I will illustrate all the ways the government and big corporations control the way food we eat is grown, protected and sold. Aside from the fact that anytime the government gets involved with something for any reason other than upholding standards and safety then you know there is usually an anterior motive, nine out of ten times it's money. In 1984 Coordinated framework³ was presented by Ronald Reagan for the regulation of biotechnology. This is basically three separate entities (FDA, USDA, EPA) in the government controlling the regulation of not only our natural food but also genetically modified organisms as a source of food the production, growth and distribution. The FDA which regulates to make sure foods are safe and effective. The USDA which provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources and enhances safety to reduce the prevalence of food borne hazards from farm to table providing food assistance and nutrition education. Lastly, the EPA which is responsible for making sure environments where we live and work are safe, reducing environmental risk based on scientific information, environmental protection policy, managing human health and environmental risks, sustainable and economical productivity. This means that you have three government entities working together to approve the health and standard of our farm processes and production. The downside to this is that all three agencies have the control to navigate what they want in these areas. So if you have officials working in either of the three regulation agencies and the government then you have government initiatives for certain reforms, laws and criteria. This is a big reason we don’t have stricter laws on use of pesticides on food and labeling of GMO's.

                   Its a fact that big corporations have a lot of say in politics because of their wealth and through lobbying because of this we are now seeing a lot of changes in favor of Monsanto Biotechnology. We’ve got whats known as the Monsanto Mafia. There are a total of 35 Federal employees who also hold positions at Monsanto, the worlds largest Biotechnology Corporation⁴. Of these 35 employees 6 work for the FDA, 3 USDA and range from FDA commissioner, Head of USDA, US Supreme Court and chief of Agricultural negotiation. Living in the “age of information” with statistics like these one could only think “This works to the tremendous advantage of anyone who'd benefit from our being dependent of their systems, information, fuel, and food. We've become easy to manage and control.” (Hartmann, 127) Unfortunate to us we also have a government that states at times it is against the use of GMO's yet passes things like HR 933 Provision, known as the Monsanto Protection Act which releases any jurisdiction the Federal Court may have to stop or halt the selling or planting of GE (Genetically Engineered) seeds regardless of the health issues or environmental issues they may cause. Due to natures way of pollination, Organic farmers now have to test their crops for pesticides to ensure their fruits and vegetables are actually organic. Non-GMO Farmers may even face patent infringement if strands of GE fruits or vegetables are found in their crops, which is inevitable with pollination, this could even be a way for the big corporations to “put out” smaller less powerful organic or non GMO farmers. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Monsanto be fined because their plants are genetically contaminating other farmers crops, not the other way around? Aside from being unfair, it is unfortunate that our government is not protecting people but instead choosing to protect big corporations as well as support and back them up.

            Genetically Modified Organisms or GMO's have made history and are continuing to every day in our country. GMOs are made by gene splicing, it merges DNA from different species of animals, plants, bacteria and virus' to change the way the plant grows, ripens and maintains. This process changes not only the natural makeup of the plant but also the nutritional value of the plant as well as creating a resistance to antibiotics because the new genes in the plant are changed. This also changes the natural level of toxins in plants which are so high that they can be at harmful for humans. GE plants are equipped with their own insecticide as well as being herbicide resistant which means growers (like Monsanto) can spray the herbicide Roundup⁵ (which is also owned by Monsanto) on them and any weeds will die off but the GE plant will remain intact. This is an extreme benefit to the grower, being they can grow more and sell more to the consumer.GE plants can withstand natural weather changes, require less food and attendance and can bring in more money because it's still going to last a lot longer on the shelf. Monsanto is currently working on creating a seed that will along with its insecticide and herbicide will also be drought resistant, so it wont need as much water if any as traditional plants do. GE plants lose nutritional value and obviously have less value due to pesticide dosing and their changed genetic makeup. The only value GMO's have is in money, they are in no way valuable to the health of Humans, animals or nature. One can only wonder how long will it be until the food were eating starts changing our DNA?

                The food we eat is essential to our health. Its essential to the well being of our life, the quality of our life in many ways. Of the top ten leading causes of death in the US six are health related listed in order of most deaths; 1. Heart disease 2. Cancer 3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases 3. Stroke 7. Diabetes 8.Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis 9. Influenza and Pneumonia. What this shows us is that we have a direct connection to what we are eating and our health. While Heart disease is the number one killer in the US, homicide ranked as the 15^th and is probably the most talked about cause of death in todays news. Shouldn’t we be talking about whats actually killing us? Due to these numbers shouldn’t we be taking a closer look at our food and why health is such a death threat to us? So for anyone still skeptical on weather pesticides and GE foods really are bad take a good look at those numbers and all of the changes our food has gone through over the last 20 years. We can't continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that the number one killer and 7 out of the top 10 killers are all health related. We must begin to realize that our food is much more important and valuable to our health than we are making it. If we cannot rid our food of pesticides, poisons and GMO's then we will continue as a species to decline in health, we will continue to become diseased, unhealthy and ill.

                  Changing our food has changed our health.“Every life-form has its special purpose in the grand ecosystem, and all are to be respected.” (Hamilton 176) We have started to change the ecosystem, began changing the food chain of animals, plants and humans. With all the types of pesticides we're using to kill off plants, insects and fungus were changing the natural jobs they were put on Earth to do. We have forgotten that with every nuisance that these things may bring there was also a purpose of them existing here in the first place. We have not looked at ways to work around or with these so called nuisances, we have just decided to all together cease and desist them. GMOs have changed the way things grow all together we’ve created plants that have genes of animals. Plants that resist poisons, need little water and out live their natural growing competitors by weeks. Completely changing their purpose in the ecosystem to benefit what? In no way do GE crops benefit the farmers, consumers and above all the Earth. We are far from the days of respecting the Earth and working with what its giving us. We have decided to take things into our own hands by whatever means we feel necessary regardless of its affect on us or our surroundings. The unfortunate thing about this is once Earths resources are gone or ruined we cannot just “create” another Earth in a lab, once its ruined, there is no turning back.

             What we can do now is raise awareness. Talk, spark interest. Support small businesses, shop at farmers markets, shop local. Learn about food, where it comes from, when it grows and why. Bring back the attitude that respecting the Earth we live on is okay, even cool and that we are actually a part of this Earth. We are one with Earth and as Earth serves us, we must in turn serve Earth. We must work together with Nature and only then will we prosper and live healthy lives. If Earth and nature are not healthy we cannot be healthy as creatures thriving on Earth. We should admire, acknowledge and respect nature and all of its actions, good or bad. Understand that things happen in nature and that is part of the cycle of life, it is to continue that way, not for us to change. Food was once living, thriving, taking nutrients from the Earth, water from the sky all to grow, strong, healthy to one day feed us, so we can to continue our similar cycle. We are creatures too. “The man-made environments of buildings and streets helped us forget our sacred connection with the Earth and all living creatures.” (Hartmann, 289) This is exactly what we must work to rebuild, our sacred connection with the Earth and all living creatures. This includes our relationship with ourselves and to human kind. It isn’t fair healthy or logical for the government to allow things like GMO's and pesticides to be consumed by people let alone poison our Earth thus ruining future crops and land regardless of its profit. Some things have no price because their value is beyond the terms of money, like health and life. We need to come to the realization that once all of Earths resources are dead, toxic or gone that we cannot eat the money that brought us to that point.

REFERENCES

Ann Wigmore

http://www.wigmore.org/annwigmore.html

How much of our food is Genetically modified?

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/food-how-altered/

Pesticide usage in the US

http://epa.gov/oppfead1/cb/csb_page/updates/2011/sales-usage06-07.html

Coordinated framework

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Coordinated_Framework_for_the_Regulation_of_Biotechnology

Round up

http://web.mit.edu/demoscience/Monsanto/about.html

USDA and FDA definitions

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070623105449AAQbRWE

www.epa.gov

http://jimwes.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/monsanto.jpg monsanto family tree

Monsanto numbers

http://www.forbes.com/companies/monsanto/

GMO ban in countries, GMO's response to the reasoning why

http://gmoanswers.com/ask/why-are-gmo-foods-banned-so-many-countries-china-and-russia-and-whole-continent-europe-if-they

Agent orange linked to 2,4D

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/10/superweeds-revive-old-highly-toxic-herbicide

Agent orange

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/

Effects, facts on Agent Orange

http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/agent-orange

Pregnancy and babies dangers to pesticides

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/05/pesticides-pregnancy-babies-health_n_1406468.html

CDC death rates in us 2010

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_04.pdf

1Ann Wigmore In 1955 her life vision began to take shape. In poor health, she began using weeds and wheatgrass juicing to heal herself. Over the course of the next 35 years, she promoted natural healing via her schools in Boston, The Hippocrates Health Institute, which opened in 1963, and The Ann Wigmore Foundation, begun in Boston in 1985. Her brilliant, long-lived career included lecturing, writing, and giving wheatgrass demonstrations in over 35 countries. Dr. Ann Wigmore is known for healing the natural way through a diet of organic, raw, living foods. She is among other famous naturopaths and alternative medicine advocates such as Herbert Shelton and Viktoras Kulvinskas. Through a diet of raw foods, sprouting, dehydration, and vegetarian and fruitarian living, anchored in weeds and wheatgrass juicing, Dr. Ann Wigmore healed herself and promoted natural healing worldwide. Her legacy continues at the Ann Wigmore Foundation® Living Foods Lifestyle® Retreat Center in San Fidel, New Mexico, where people come to learn the Living Foods LIfestyle and how to prepare living foods

2The two active ingredients in the Agent Orange herbicide combination were equal amounts of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contained traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD).The U.S. Department of Defense developed these tactical herbicides specifically to be used in “combat operations.” They were not commercial grade herbicides purchased from chemical companies and sent to Vietnam. Tactical herbicides also were used, tested, and stored in areas outside of Vietnam.

3The Coordinated Framework also generally outlined that biotechnology regulation would be divided among existing federal agencies. The FDA would be responsible for regulating food, feed, food additives, and veterinary drugs, the USDA would be responsible for plant pests, plants, and veterinary biologic, and the EPA for microbial/plant-pesticides, new uses of existing pesticides, novel microorganisms.

"U.S. biotech policy was developed with the goal of promoting the biotech industry. After publication of the Coordinated Framework, the White House initially convened the Biotechnology Science Coordinating Committee (“BSCC”), an inter-agency committee responsible for coordination of science policy. However, when the BSCC was unable to come to agreement, its working materials were forwarded to the President’s Council on Competitiveness, a council formed under the first Bush Administration. The Council on Competitiveness established an Ad Hoc Committee on Scope, which, together with the OSTP, established the scope of agency jurisdiction over biotechnology.

4As of May 2014 Monsanto Market Cap is $59.83 B, ranked #334 on the Global 2000 Leading Companies

5Roundup Ready crops are crops genetically modified to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup. Roundup is the brand-name of a herbicide produced by Monsanto. Its active ingredient glyphosate was patented in the 1970s. Roundup is widely used by both people in their backyards and farmers in their fields. Roundup Ready plants are resistant to Roundup, so farmers that plant these seeds must use Roundup to keep other weeds from growing in their fields.
The first Roundup Ready crops were developed in 1996, with the introduction of genetically modified soybeans that are resistant to Roundup. These crops were developed to help farmers control weeds. Because the new crops are resistant to Roundup, the herbicide can be used in the fields to eliminate unwanted foliage. Current Roundup Ready crops include soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum, with wheat under development.

We are not connected but because of you, I breathe. Because of you, I eat. Because of you, I live. Earth, we are not connected.
The Earth can live on without us, we cannot live on without Earth, yet we live as though the Earth is our slave. We take resources from it until they are gone, we pollute it like its a dump, we forget that we need Earth to survive. We think that money will buy us everything we need and want yet we forget that we were put here on Earth and given everything we need to survive. Our existence on Earth is disconnected from where and how we exist on it. We worry about money and if money runs out we can still live, survive and prosper but if Earth stopped giving us its resources we could not live off of money alone. Earth provides us everything we need for survival.

What is MY greatest environmental concern?

I first, sadly, had to do some research to get my mind thinking about all of the environmental issues that we face today. There were a lot. I can say as of right now I dont know what my greatest concern is truly because I have not allowed myself to be exposed to all that is going on and the effects of whats happening to my world and how those effects are directly and indirectly affecting me. I know one thing that is big in my world is GMO and pesticides, usage and effects. Pesticides firstly, because last year I was sent to the ER due to what was found out to be an allergy attack to pesticides on a peach I had eaten. Since this I have been very much aware (at times felt like a slave) of the food I'm puting into my body because of the direct effects of whats put on our food. I think this also ties into my passion in political injustice and thats another reason why its my greatest environmental concern at this time. I dont think its fair, healthy or logical for the government to let things like GMO's and pesticides be consumed by people regardless of its profit, some things have no price because their value is beyond terms of money,  like health and life.

Dead Poetry

Big action through healthy inspiring wisdom with confident happy and content soft smiles laughing local in a fit home of happiness

Spring break blog..

Asked "What do you want to be?" and "What do you want to do?"

If this isn't opening up a can of worms, I don't know what is... (chuckling to myself)
I wonder this myself, often.
I knew for a long, long, time that I wanted to be rich and wealthy but I didn't know what I was going to do in order to get me there. So I have just continued to work and go to school and try to find that one thing I thought I could tolerate to do for the rest of my life that would gain my acceptance to wealth and the option to have the "good life", the life that could buy you anything at anytime, well almost at least. Or maybe just the kind of life that could provide this for my future kids and ease my stress of them having to struggle as I did and do. I know for a long time I wanted reassurance that whatever decided I wanted to do, that I wanted it to make me guaranteed money AND guarantee that it lasted long enough through my retirement. I wanted something stable so I wouldn't have to worry about where I would be in 5, 10 or 15 years. Stable enough to not live paycheck to paycheck, stable enough to buy a house so from that point on I would never have to worry about where I would live.
But if you haven't noticed all I've said up to this point are all the things I wanted from what I would do.
 The last two years of my life I have grown a lot, learned a lot and accepted a lot. I almost pursued a nursing degree solely based on the fact that 1. there is an (almost) guaranteed job upon graduation  2. great money and 3. the fact that I have worked in healthcare for the last 7 years (not by choice). In 2011 I decided to obtain an Aesthetician License with the goal in mind to work for either a dermatologist or plastic surgeon with the potential to use my esthetics license to increase my value and knowledge in the industry and get out of the area of medical I was in because I wanted a change of pace. Well here I was again just looking for something that would make me more money not necessarily make me more happy, although I did think it would be more fun and fulfilling. In 2013 I met with a counselor at Chabot College, told them I was interested in two areas, Nursing and Broadcasting/Journalism. I knew at this point I was serious about going back to school, I wanted to follow through and get that degree, finally. No more one class here, one class there like I had been doing since graduating high school. I think I was definitely leaning more towards Nursing. But after meeting with the counselor and really seeing my options and looking at all the time I would be doing in school I decided I should and wanted to do something that I actually wanted to do, that was Broadcasting/Journalism. Because if I was going to dedicate all of my time and effort into my future well, I should like it or at least want to do it, right? I knew that it was something I wanted to pursue when I graduated high school 11 years ago but just never actually followed through or really got serious about. I don't know exactly what area of Broadcasting/Journalism I would like to be in yet. I love to listen to people talk, tell me their stories and tell me about themselves. I love when people allow themselves to be open and let me ask and listen. These are some reasons why I want to pursue this.
I know as of recently I have decided that what I really want is to be happy and do something everyday that makes me fulfilled. This is my true goal. While staying afloat economically, obviously. It has come to me that I am much more interested in feeling happy than feeling rich, maybe because there is no such feeling as rich...

As far as what I want to do, wow, it's more like what don't I want to do, (more chuckling)
Really I have an interest in a lot of things, maybe another reason why this field may be good for me.
I want to meet all kinds of people old and young, from all over the world. I want to collaborate with people, who have interesting thoughts and inspiring words and actions. I would like to help people, be an activist. Spread the word or get the word out there. I want to help the youth, more so after this class, all that I have learned makes me really want to help the children have a chance in life regardless of their situations as children. I want to show people the good still left in the world but also expose truths so people aren't blinded or lied to. I've been lucky enough to take this English class and have my eyes opened again to the opportunities out there and reminded that the resources are there if one wants or needs them. Also that we cannot expect change if we are not the change. So with that, What I want to do is be happy and what I want to be is fulfilled. Hopefully the path I am heading will lead me there and hopefully I can be the change I want in my life.

Poverty among plenty -- and it's getting worse | SF Politics

Poverty is not a choice and not always the luck of the draw. This article draws a very clear picture of the reality of Poverty in California in the midst of a somewhat tech boom. How is this possible ? Read on and see...



Poverty among plenty -- and it's getting worse | SF Politics

After watching "9 Out Of 10 Americand Are Completley Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact."

 

I honestly do not know what to think of the shrinking middle class. I feel a wrenching feeling in the pit of my stomach. I feel sick to know that this is the reality I live in not necessarily or particularly for myself because I have come to accept where I am in society but for the fact that the country has become this way. There is no longer an “American Dream” unless you are the 1%. I feel sad that the economy has changed so much and that there is an overwhelming amount of money and power in the 1%, its not only money but they really have the power to do what they want they dictate politics and education and that really makes me upset because its lowering the chance for the 99% to break out.

I also don’t appreciate how the government leads us to believe it is out for our best interest and is going to put programs and money into the todays “middle class” poor but is really only doing things to benefit this 1%.

I think this is why we think we are ok. Because the government continues to tell us “yes we can” and “were for the people” really meaning for the 1% not for the 99% of people in america that can do absolute nothing for this country at this time. I think the US has always given us hope and for a lot of years there was hope. There is no longer hope for the economy but the government is still telling us we have hope and to continue to have hope. What is hope? It is not something you can see, not something you can buy or find or give. So the US government continues to give it to us and tell us to work hard and hope for more, for better and if we continue to hope we might one day get something in return. We still think we are ok when we really aren’t because our generations parents were the thriving Middle Class, our parents were the successors of the true “American Dream” they worked hard and got ahead in life. That is no longer attainable although we would like to believe that it is. 

The facts in this video make me feel small, defeated and naked. It probably sounds funny to hear me say that but we are poor and exposed and nobody is doing a thing to change the current state of the economy nor address the hole the poor are getting pushed into and how this will affect the future.

Rough Draft.

Education, what has always thought to be a common right to all Americans, children and students has proved to be an extension of race class and wealth; something that of a luxury to those who can afford it. Poor communities have been oppressed they cannot get a substantial education and this is breeding a society within our society- a detached community. These people have continued to suffer for generations they have unfortunately maintained this, lack of power or rights in education. The issue at hand currently isn’t a problem can be fixed so easily as these problems have succeed the roots of generations. Parents, grandparents and great grandparents have gone through this cycle and system which brings us to now, a standard that is still far below the society’s standard yet for some reason is left to continue that way. “Money, the message seems to be, is crucial to rich districts but will be of little difference to the poor” (Kozol, 207) is what those with the money and resources to keep well preforming schools up will tell you. While we all sit here wondering where the sense in that idea is. If we were to take away money from wealthy schools would they willingly allow it? I think not, there would be a fight put. A rebuttal of the fittest because then you are punishing the rich at this point in time and the society we live in the wealthy feel a sense of entitlement they feel deserving of what they have even if it’s an overindulgence. Education is an ongoing battle in the U.S. Something meant to keep people in their perspective places in society and protect the wealthy in continuing their wealth and growth in power. The rich do little to help children in poor schools and communities. The districts with more money say that money is not the issue but when asked about the money they use to fund their systems they seem to believe that it is their standard because they are of course at a higher standard, believing that it should stay this way for economic and social status. Here is where one would see that standards clearly depend on money.

If these affluent communities with great schools could see that the problem in bad crime ridden communities starts with schools would they be more inclined to help change them? Probably not because this would also give them a chance at a change in social and economic status and thus take students in poor areas out of the "track" they have been put on and give them a shot at better opportunities in societies economic ladder. If we take students out of the track we have selected for them then competition would increase. Employment opportunities would then be available to them; opening up the idea or opportunity for these students in poor and oppressed neighborhoods to get out of them, or have to a choice at a better living situation, better job or a better life. In Pennsylvania 68% of inmates are high school dropouts and the money spent on one prisoner is significantly higher than that spent on one student per year. Now how does this add up?  It’s interesting to see that when you look at the flip side, communities who spend more on education also have lower crime rates and higher passing rates there’s a clear correlation here that I can see.


When schools are poorly funded they have fewer options on spending this means less options with teachers. Would one expect a highly qualified, passionate teacher to want to work for low wages at a school that might not have a working plumbing system or a peeling chalkboard or how about enough books for just 1/3^rd of their students? Well in all actuality these are realities in schools all over America. Teaching in closets, with no heating, no air condition, and computer classes with no computers or how about teaching a history class in 2014 with textbooks from the 1980's. Would you choose to send your child to this school? What if you had no choice? With the intention to teach students and drive them to success it seems a task to be impossible in these conditions. These poor schools are getting teachers who are only teaching because they are tenured and can't be fired, the Wikipedia definition of Teacher tenure is a policy that restricts the ability to fire teachers, requiring a "just cause" rationale for firing, making getting rid of uninterested or passionless  teachers a difficult task. . In Chicago more than one quarter of all teachers are subs, some children have several teachers in one school year. You have teachers in these schools who don’t want to teach they are showing up when they feel and some teachers sleeping in class, how can these students be held to any standard if we can’t get teachers to set standards worth keeping or teachers with standards of their own for that matter? “Let’s be real,” the student says. “Most of us ain't going to college... We could have used a class like this.” (Kozol,64) said a student in Du Sable High in one Chicago's poorest schools, attending a hands on auto class that hadn't been taught to change a tire for a whole semester and in regards to having no teacher for one whole semester. Truths like these make occupations like drug dealing and crime seem like really good options to students who are in situations like this. It brings a different light to the importance of the teacher, if our teachers cannot teach, excite and push these kids to see that they do have options in life they may leave believing there aren’t any; as many personal of their experiences,and injustices in their school and society have shown them. But we cannot hold our teachers to a higher standard until we are given the resources to do so. We need more money to pay better more qualified teachers to come into our cities where crime and poverty continue to handicap the society that lives in them. We need programs for students that build self-esteem and social skills to build strong students and citizens. We need support groups, programs and funding for teachers willing to work in low income communities and in schools with poor teaching conditions and with children that are traumatized and handicapped on a daily basis. We need strong result driven and passionate principals also to help keep teachers and students on track. Great teachers are the core of success for students in school, unfortunately there is a price for a great teacher and an entire school cannot benefit from a few good teachers.

The failing of a school not only results in an uneducated person but also creates a sort of society within a society. There is a different belief system, different defense mechanism a different critical thinking and common sense. Imagine this, waking up in house with garbage dumped in your backyard between a sewage plant and a pharmaceutical plant, walking to school in streets reeking of sewage arriving to school a classroom with no air conditioning in sweltering heat. Then imagine in this classroom you are stuffed with so many other students you have to sit on the floor then at that you have no book and the person who walked into class before you got the last paper and pencil... sounds like a joke? No its reality. How would you feel, how would you react? How does ones mental state change? This is the day to day life for some of our students our children.. Tell me that this would not drive you mad, angry and upset at the life you were given. In most instances, not all these are not the only hardships our children and students are facing. They have parents either non educated or drug addicted or barely present maybe dead. Along with education stresses they have life stresses. These people did not all move to these neighborhoods and decide to live a life of struggle and defeat on their own but what I am saying is that they being “breaded” in a sense to stay this way, conform to it and in turn continue the cycle. To make matters worse there is a whole population that believes “this is what they have become, that this is what they are. (Kozol, 232)And they don’t believe that better school or social changes will affect it very much.” So now I show you a society within a society. Two separate worlds, two separate ways of thinking. What we have pushed aside on these people and continued to give them has made them a product of what time and circumstances have made them. I go back to my point that schools that perform well produce great passing rates, college attendance and thus lower crime rates. It starts with school foundation if these people century ago received the same education as those in affluent communities then they would be the same, relatively speaking. But years and years of oppression has not only created a failing community but a failing education and a failing person. “If you degrade people’s self-respect on a daily basis, over centuries, you are bound to produce monsters....” (Kozol, 233). For young women in these poor communities leaves little to aim for. Many of the young women are conceiving in high school, some one child some two children with no high school diploma or still in high school. “There’s not much for me in a public school.' The truth is, that a pretty honest answer. A diploma from a ghetto high school doesn’t count for much in the United States today.”(Kozol, 36) We have given these communities nothing yet called this the land of the free and told them they can live the American dream. Its instilling a sort of hate against the world it explains why the ideals in these poor neighborhoods are the way they are. Its created a type of “victim thinking” which I feel is connected to the fact that a lot of the families in these neighborhoods feel entitled to things like Subsidies and welfare and government assistance after years and years of being broken down by the society that's trying to help you one would feel entitled to all it has to give. Schools are the beginning of a failing community. If we cannot instill a structured learning basis and show students that we have the power and resources to do so we cannot expect them to enter the world thinking otherwise. We in essence have created a world with in a world.

In my attempt to solve our problem of inequality in education I have found that the big answer to most problems in our school systems are the people who run them and their willingness to change it. We don’t stop quite there now it’s a battle between federal, state and district lastly, funds. Now when I say the people who run our systems I do also speak on programs for our families and parents living in these conditions, it is true you cannot help those who don’t want help and the sad truth is along with the people who want the help in oppressive communities there are also those who do not want help, for a number of reasons, some do not know of change, some not mentally or physically capable (drugs, incarceration etc.) and there are those who have “accepted this role in society”. As stated “What’s really sad, “she notes “is that so many kids come from places that look as bad as our schools-and we have nothing better to offer them.” (Kozol, 121) I feel strongly about programs for these communities to rebuild centuries of dysfunctional living and schooling, in a sense we need to recreate thinking and a reality. This is a big task. It would require a lot of money and a lot more talented, patient people. The world today is not that giving or caring especially with the way the economical standings are changing. The gap between wealthy and poor is furthering and furthering the wealthy will do whatever money can do to continue keeping the gap wide and the poor will continue to do what it can to “catch up” or attempt to compete for the American Dream while being bullied and pushed down. Our teachers can only be held accountable for what they are able to teach and accomplish during school hours and in our after school programs. How do we fix life that's already been tainted? We need to create foundations that work and are consistent. America has proved that the standard is not equal and the stakes of our children s futures is dependent on adults, so we need to help build strong parents with strong values and support systems. A lot of these communities need more outreach. We need to change and update the teachers union so that the good teachers can have more of a say and hopefully either push out the bad teachers or create a sort of post degree training for teachers who are not competent. We also need to offer compensation for well preforming teachers. Teachers are an important part of your life from 5years old to18 years old. In some cases we see our teachers more than our parents, if children are required to pass a proficiency test our teachers should be required to also. As for money I don’t know how we could manage getting more money for our schools we have continued cutting art classes and sports, I for example went to a middle school with only one year of sports and music; it was then cut due to funding two things I loved. I don’t see our student doing better academically with these cuts maybe money and class types needs to be readdressed. In Waiting for Superman it was stated that students went from B grades to D grades in middle school 6-8^th grades. I can attest to this as a student. I was a great student up until middle school then suddenly my grades started slipping. I remember going from interested to not interested. This is an age of change for students and I wasn’t offered after-school help or programs until my senior year I think schools would benefit from early year programs, track programs that actually help students. Nobody likes to fail, nobody wants to fail but what are you to do if it’s the only option given to you. I have listed a lot of options to fixing our education I don’t know that my options will make the change that we need to get back on track but we need to start somewhere.

Waiting For Superman-Free write review

Waiting For Superman...

Isn’t it interesting that so many presidents say their top priority is education and they are going to “fix” education in America? In 1971 the average spent on a student was $4300 it was increased to $9000 by 1994 from 1971-1994 student scores flatlined.

Its obvious that public schools located in low income and crime ridden neighborhoods get less and are failing children in America. But is it possible for students with a good support system to prevail and become educated and successful in a school that is failing them?

There was an obvious trend within 5th-7^th graders in these failing schools students went from B to C to D students during this three year span. When did you give up on your future? When did the chances of you achieving it give up on you?

Dr. Robert Balfanz found a pattern in failing schools, he deemed them “dropout factories”

in a study of Americas schools he found 2000 “dropout factories” in the U.S.

Steve Barr a Principal at a high school in L.A. Had a dropout rate of 800 students from freshmen to sophomore year. He claimed that “Bad schools produce bad neighborhoods” rather than the bad neighborhoods producing bad people. When you take a moment and really analyze this what do you think? I think it makes undeniable sense.

68% of inmates in Pennsylvania are also high school dropouts.

The amount of money spent on a prisoner for one year is actually more than the amount of money spent on a student per year. If the state was to invest that money into the education system they would end up with money to spare and who knows if the dropout rate would go down.

Money that is spent on prisoners is only going one way.

One grandmother caring for her grandson whose father had passed to drug abuse was asked if school was taken very seriously when she was a child, she shrugged and said not really she “wasn’t pushed” if these children had better support systems along with functioning school systems then they might get a chance.

What happens when a publication labels a school as “bad”?

In 2007 there was an education “frenzy”

In 10 years there were 7 superintendents for the schools in Washington... Definitely weird

I think the State and Federal government need to be two departments that work together (at least for education) rather than two separate departments that make funding and laws more difficult to track, manage and disperse.

There are too many “hands in the pot”

Why does Tenure have no limitations? This makes me mad. Tenure needs to have a stricter process of application and needs to have limitations. We are waisting so much money on lazy teachers who aren’t working and aren’t making any positive contributions to our education system. I feel like money given to education is waisted on “tenured” teachers who cant work but are still paid, this is one less teacher and one less class that isn’t getting an equal education. Lose a teacher and class size goes up, educational value goes down.

The teachers union seems to be one of a mystery.

Why are well preforming teachers not compensated accordingly? This makes no sense.

According to Waiting for Superman public schools in the U.S. Were the best until the 1970's, 10 of our presidents attended public schools in the U.S.

Students scored very low in most subjects but did come out first in one...Confidence, oh the irony.

Kipp Academy was created by three inspiring people Geoffrey Canada, Educator who claimed would “figure out” the education system in 3 years post graduating (1978) David Levin and Mike Feinberg. These schools proved an alternative teaching style and environment improved children s passing rates and education retention. When facts and proof was presented to the government they sated that this was only due to a few good teachers and could not be successful in other circumstances. Does this go back to the idea that business leaders want to keep low income poor achieving students in that bracket for entry level positions? Why would the government blatantly turn down an obvious solution?

Schools have student tracking systems...

Depending on various things, grades, likeness, mannerisms etc. it somewhat determines where or what you will be capable of and where you may go after high school..

Will the gap between rich and the poors education ever be closed? What is actively being done to improve the school system?

Because the schools system is failing us matters have been taken into the hands of a few willing to make change. “Private Charter schools”, “Magnet schools” “Urban Public Boarding Schools” even.

With such terrible school conditions there is now the stressors of school lottery’s. One cant just apply to a school or audition there is such a high demand that a lottery is what determines if a child will have the opportunity at a more promising future. What kind of stresses do you think this is putting on children at such young ages to see their parents in disappointment and distress over the fate of their children s future. This also cant be good for our kids, a lottery is fair but is it really fair?

“turn a blind eye to children in schools for harmony amongst adults” Michelle Rhee