Posts by Yeji Chun
Health Problems and Solutions
As a receptionist in a doctor’s office, I’ve seen various problems regarding health and healthcare. Especially, I saw a drastic rise in cost of healthcare plans and decrease in number of patients as well as doctors. Also, there is a great issue of obesity in New York, as well as throughout the other States. Therefore, in this post I will discuss the aspects of these issues and possible solutions that can be implemented to address these problems.
One of the most dramatic changes I’ve seen throughout my job as a receptionist is the cost of insurance. Because I became more knowledgeable about insurances and its expenses, I realized that there are way too many healthcare plans and their prices were high rocketing. According to The New York Times, with the increase in cost of insurances and deductible, many people cut back in visiting doctors. For example, Medicare patients have to pay off deductible every year in order for doctors to bill their services. However, I’ve seen numerous patients that are unable to pay their deductibles because it is expensive. Also, there is a significant number of different insurances. For example, Amerigroup insurance includes plans such as Medicare advantage, Healthplus, Community plan and more. This multitude of insurance plans is ineffective because doctors take certain number of insurances and this variance leads to confusion. Therefore, the number of insurances and their cost gives both patients and doctors hard time.
Furthermore, there is a decrease in number of doctors and patients throughout the years. The United States Census Bureau stated that, “In 2010, working-age adults made an average of 3.9 visits to doctors, nurses or other medical providers, down from 4.8 in 2001.” This decrease in number of patients can be reasoned with the cost of insurance. In addition, there is a shortage of doctors because of the recent health care law. This decline in patients and doctors is problematic because it does not insure health of patients. If patients delay office visits because of the cost, it may delay diagnosis of diseases. Late diagnosis can lead to late treatments and by that time, certain problems might be too late to cure. Moreover, obesity is an issue in New York as well as all throughout America. Although New York is not ranked as the state with the highest obesity rate, the rate of obesity in adult is 25.4%, which is still a high number. Obesity is a problem in today’s world because the rate has been increasing throughout the years. Quick and easy access to food can be harmful if the rate continues to rise. Also, New York lacks certain public policies that address obesity. For example, NY does not follow the Menu Labeling Law that requires nutrient content on menus. By not implementing such policy, people are not being thoroughly aware of what they are eating.
From these three problems I have addressed, I found the cost of insurance to be the most important topic to discuss. For example, President Obama tried to tackle the problem of cost of insurance by enacting the Affordable Care Act. Although this act’s effectiveness is still debated, data have shown that it has helped in significantly decreasing the number of uninsured people. Such policy is one way of solving the issue of cost of insurance.
Also, to address the problem of declining patients and doctors, there should be a way to enforce communication between the patient and the doctors. It is crucial for patients to be aware of their rights as a patient and should feel at ease in visiting doctors. Also, better communication between these two parties can ease the environment within the office and convince patients to regularly visit doctors.
Furthermore, I believe it is crucial to increase awareness of health issues within society. As mentioned above, rise in rate of obesity is an issue that could be solved with more awareness. If the policy of Menu Labeling Law was implemented in New York, more people would be aware of what they are consuming and would be conscious of its effect. Therefore, by implementing awareness and educating people about health issues, more people would be keen to their health. In order to educate people, schools should be the first step in teaching the problems. Health education class should not solely focus on problems of drugs or sexual diseases, but also on rights of patients and the problems of health in today’s society. Therefore, with increase education and awareness, these issues could be addressed and solved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/health/policy/too-few-doctors-in-many-us-communities.html
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/health_care_insurance/cb12-185.html
online.citibank.com/US/JPS/portal/Home.do
http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-pros-and-cons/
http://stateofobesity.org/states/ny/
Gender and Economic Growth Solutions
Problems regarding gender lens includes wage gaps, governmental roles, and traditional roles of women in society. Through our discussions in class and the presentations by the speakers, I thought up of few solutions that regard these issues. In specific, I focused on female’s role in the government and business because I felt that they were the most prominent issue regarding gender lens. In addition, after reading other people’s posts, I realized that sexual harassment within work places should be mentioned as well.
For governmental role problems, there is a lack of females in higher position of governmental body. Not only are there a lack of females in the government, but as well as in businesses and enterprises. According to Forbes, female leaders run less than 3% of largest companies. Also, according to Harvard Business Review, out of 2,000 world’s top performing companies, 29 of the companies’ CEOs were female. Forbes stated that one reason why there is such difference in the ratio of men and women is because women have more personal and social pressure than men. I believe this is true because society views women in different lens compared to men. Traditional roles of women in the past still haunt women today. To solve this problem of limitation in women’s role in businesses and government, more programs should be created to inspire females to achieve higher. I was truly inspired by Arielle Kandel of New Women New York, because her organization focused in helping female immigrants find job and learn skills to provide service for the community. These kind of programs should be developed because females make up a large part of the population and it is important to inspire them to become the CEOs of large companies or representative of government. Also, if there were a policy that forced companies to hire specific ratio of women and men, there would be more equal opportunities for women.
Furthermore, although I did not focus on this problem in my previous post, I believe sexual harassment is a problem of gender and economic growth. According to the AWARE, (Association of Women for Action and Research), 79% of the respondents who reported having experienced sexual harassment in workplace were women. However, sexual harassment is not only an issue regarding women but also regarding men. Although some men are victims of sexual harassment, the overwhelming amount of females who are victimized shows how problematic this is. To solve this problem, people should be educated on their rights within the workplace. They should feel safe to report harassers and know how to report them. Also, because people might be scared of reporting the harasser in fear of losing their job, there should be a way for people to make anonymous report within their workplace. Moreover, sexual harassment policy should be clearly taught when one enters a workplace. Conclusively, all these issues should be publicized and solved for more gender-neutral society.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/10/31/why-most-women-will-never-become-ceo/
http://www.aware.org.sg/ati/wsh-site/14-statistics/
https://hbr.org/2009/12/women-ceo-why-so-few/
Questions for speaker: Kim Wales
1. What do you think is the biggest success in creating Wales Capital? What is your goal for Wales Capital right now?
2.What are some difficulties businesses bring to Wales Capital?
Questions for Speaker: Arielle Kandel
1. How do you decide which women to interview and question for the “Hear Me!” Project? Why are you focusing on female immigrants from Latin America for this project?
2. What are some of the successes of NWNY so far? What is your biggest concern regarding the future of NWNY?
Gender and Economic Growth Problems
When people think of presidents, government officials, or CEOs, they would usually envision men. This picture has been engraved in our mind ever since we were very young. The traditional idea of “women belong in the kitchen” is slowly dying out but it is still inevitably present. Whether it is the wage gap in workplace, governmental roles in a nation, or traditional roles in households, gender roles and stereotype are never-ending problems within our society.
In regards to wage gaps, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, average female workers made only 81% of the median earnings of male workers in 2012. Also, female CEOs and directors earned 42% less than male CEOs and directors. Although these numbers are decreasing and have decreased over few decades, they are still noticeably different. Statistically, in almost every job, weekly wages for women are lower than for men. Where does this difference stem from? Is the reason for this difference because of stereotypes? The answer is yes because the idea of “ woman belongs in the kitchen” seems to be still prevailing within the society. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously battle for equality within the workplaces.
Furthermore, there is inequality in the governmental roles in many nations. In 2013, only 18.5% of congress members were female. Also, only 24.1% of female state legislators were women and in 100 largest cities of United States, only 12 of them had female mayors. Therefore, one can clearly see that governmental roles within the U.S. are predominantly male. This difference seems to be a possible reason to why there is gender inequality in society. If more women held offices in government, there could be more voices for females. With more representation, more women would feel encouraged to reach higher positions within workforces as well.
Last but not least, there is a significant problem of gender roles within cultures that affects the participation of women within the society. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistic, 82% of women spent time doing household chores on an average day. Traditionally, women would stay home and take care of children and do chores. This cultural idea has influenced many women to take more time at home than outside. Although this idea has changed over the course of time, it is still an underlying problem within the society. Cultural and traditional limitation is another problem that is taking part in gender and economic development. In an article from Harvard Political Review, the writer states that gender roles and stereotype prevents women from participating in bigger studies. This traditional idea of what women could do and not do is one of the biggest reasons for gender lens problems.
Conclusively, problems of gender roles in society are seen through wage gaps, governmental roles, and traditional roles within the household. It is nevertheless important to address all these problems to solve the difference and inequality between male and females in our society.
http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/gender-society/u-s-bureau-labor-statistics-womens-earnings-2012#
http://www.nwpc.org/statistics
http://harvardpolitics.com/harvard/want-equality-must-stop-perpetuating-gender-roles/
Work Solution
One of the most important problems of workplace is the lack of experience and education of college students. According to Forbes, in 2011, around 53.6% of college graduates under the age of 25 were unemployed. Also, 48% of employed college graduates are in jobs that require less than a four-year college degree and one third of the graduate’s feel that they are not prepared to work. These statistics show that now, its not about how “book smart” you are but rather how much experience and skills you have. The focus of workplace seems to be revolving around experience and using the knowledge one received in their years as college students. In addition, I discussed in my previous post that many employers seek for workers that completed internship. However, compared to the percentage of employers seeking these graduates, there were significantly less students that actually completed internship. This difference shows that there is a need for students to focus on skills training. Therefore, with more experience, more graduates would be hired and unemployment rate will decrease as well.
In response to this problem, the possible solution can be enforcing experiences on college students. For example, similar to taking core classes for graduation, college should demand students to do some sort of hands on experience, including internship, research, or volunteering. Although college advisors recommend students to participate in such activities, no one is forced to do so. If this becomes a requirement, more people would be experiencing the environment of their future workplaces. They will also be better prepared for being in offices and working with groups of people. Moreover, the US News article explains the importance of internship in finding jobs. The article explains that more colleges are now pushing students to take internship and when internships are more marketed, there is an increase in students enrolling in internship. Such marketing can have a significant impact on students and if internship becomes a requirement, they will be well prepared for the future.
Furthermore, there should be more college classes that provide students with information that helps them find a career or a job they are interested in. Especially, classes such as the Future of New York City can broaden the perspectives of students. I personally learned more about entrepreneurship and the class widened my views of my possible future career. Also, learning about the problems of society and finding the solution is a way to step into the society before graduating college. College should be more than learning through books but working on the experience that one will face after college. An article in The Atlantic questions if college education is now seen as less valuable and the answer is yes. If more than half of college graduates are jobless, what is the purpose of college? As much as learning through textbooks are important, real-life experiences are important as well. Therefore, college should not only focus on education, but also preparing students by skills training.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/05/28/half-of-college-grads-are-working-jobs-that-dont-require-a-degree/
http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2010/04/15/when-a-degree-isnt-enough
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/04/53-of-recent-college-grads-are-jobless-or-underemployed-how/256237/
Questions for Debera Johnson
1.For the Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation, how does the consulting service work? How is it organized and assembled?
2.How is BF+DA’s space organized? Is there a specific way the space is distributed? And if there is, what is the reason for this kind of design?
Work Problems
Problems with workplace has been issued and discussed throughout the past generations. In the past, people seemed to worry more about the how safe and clean their workplace was. However, the continuous problem with workplace seems to be how to get hired and stayed hired. How can you get the job? How long can you continue this job? This problem seems to arise due to multiple reasons including the lack of college education and experience, high unemployment rate, and the lack of workplace benefits.
College education is deemed to be necessary for employment. However, recent studies have shown that college graduates lack preparation for jobs. According to Times, more than 60 percent of the job applicants lacked “communication and interpersonal skills.” Also, according to a survey, more than 80 percent of the employers wanted to hire college graduates that completed a formal internship. In contrast, only about 8 percent of the students completed such internship. With this lack of experience and education, many college graduates are not being hired.
Even though many college graduates are not being employed, President Obama is trying to employ workers without a college degree to work in the technology jobs. According to USA Today, there are 500,000 jobs available in the tech-related fields but they are not being filled because the job requires a college degree. Therefore, the president is trying to allow people without a college degree to work in this area. This news can become another issue, because if people with college degree are not being employed but people without college degree is being hired, college is going to seem unnecessary. Conclusively, the necessity of college degree is being questioned, while the necessity of experience is being emphasized.
Furthermore, another problem with work is the unemployment rate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the current unemployment rate is around 5.5%. Unemployment is not only an issue for the college graduates, as stated before, but also for the disabled, minorities, and people who were formerly incarcerated. There never seems to enough jobs for everyone and many people are struggling to find a job. Also, since there are people who are trying to keep their jobs, there is a lack or replacement or addition of employees.
Lastly, there is a problem with lack of benefits in workplaces. According to the U.S. News, in 2012, only 46% of the employees participated in workplace retirement plan. This data illustrates that more than half of the employees lack retirement plans. The problem with this lack of benefit is that there is no backup for people who are ready to retire. Since they do not have this plan, they will be more unwilling to retire, leading to lack of space for new workers to join the work force. Then, this problem will also turn into the issue of unemployment.
Through the problems discussed in the workplaces, it is evident that a change is necessary in the work force. The lack of benefits should be addressed to help those who want to retire and there should be enforcement of experiences for people who want to be employed.
Resources
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/09/obama-techhire-technology-jobs-linkedin/24641077/
The Real Reason New College Grads Can’t Get Hired
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000
http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/planning-to-retire/2013/08/30/half-of-workers-lack-retirement-benefits
Site Visit: CSI Questions
1. With the amount of space available in the center, how are the areas distributed? Who or what uses the most space?
2. How do you keep the center busy and filled with people? There seems to be various events every month. How are they held and do they attract a lot of people?
Policing Solutions
In my post regarding problems with policing, I discussed the lack of speedy trial, police abuse of power, and police funding. It is difficult to find a solution for all these matters because there never seems to be a solution that appeals to everyone. However, I thought of few possible solutions that can be the impetus for solving these issues.
In the first problem of speedy trial, I believe that we could enforce a law that limits the time a person could be held in jail before trial. There is a rule in the New York’s Criminal Procedure Law Section 30.30 that trial should be ready in “six months of the commencement of a criminal action wherein a defendant is accused of one or more offenses, at least one of which is a felony.” However, this does not mean a trial should be taken place within six months, but that the prosecutor has six months to claim that he/she is ready for trial. Therefore, we are not exactly enforcing the law of speedy trial. There should be more campaign that pushes for speedy trial so that people do not wait years like Kalief Browder for trials that might not even happen. There could also be a campaign that raises awareness of this problem in the community. If people become more aware and speak out against it, there will be a pressure for the government to act upon it.
Another problem I addressed was the police abuse of power. This abuse of power seems to arise due to the lack of education that causes police officers to act upon their instincts. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the average basic recruit training time is 18 weeks, or about 5 months. The minimum educational requirement is high school diploma or GED. I do not believe the training time or the educational requirement is enough to be a police officers. There should be certain classes that people have to take so that they may be more mentally prepared for whatever situation they might be in. Regarding the news I mentioned in the other post, the main issue seems to be the lack of correct judgment from the police officers. If they learned more about human behaviors through psychology, they might be keener to people’s gestures and actions. Rather than relying on their instincts, psychology can help officers to better pinpoint suspicious actions.
Furthermore, funding is a big problem in policing. If we do want to educate police officers more or put a body camera on every single one of them, we would need a lot of funding. The solution cannot be increasing taxes because that would simply anger the people. Therefore, I feel that funding can be increased by lowering the amount of people being incarcerated and reducing the number of prisons being built. There is more money spent on putting people in jail, rather than saving money for other uses. If we focus more on lowering the incarceration rate, there will be funding available to help the police department. As Brendon Beck has mentioned, the SAFE Parole Act and Milk not Jails should be something we should be enforcing. Therefore, I believe it is more important to focus on using the fundings we already have for a different and better use.
http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202638065307/The-Undoing-of-Speedy-Trial-in-New-York-the-Ready-Rule?slreturn=20150126001537
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/nycode/CPL/ONE/C/30/30.30
http://discoverpolicing.org/what_does_take/?fa=training_academy_life
http://discoverpolicing.org/what_does_take/?fa=requirements
Comments by Yeji Chun
"I agree that the shortage of primary care physician is a problem, but I believe it is not fair to alter the wages of primary care physicians simply because there is a shortage. It is right for specialists to have higher salaries because they put more time in studying and are "specialized" in a specific medical field. Therefore, if we do implement change in the wages of primary care doctors, it will surely lead to problems with the specialized doctors. Instead of changing wages, it will be more helpful to encourage medical students to pursue career as a primary care physicians. As you stated, by issuing the importance of primary care, more people will be encouraged to be a PCP.
In regards to legalizing marijuana, I think this is an already progressing problem that will soon take effect. I agree that legalizing and putting tax on marijuana will definitely be helpful in the medical field. Also, I believe people should be better educated in the effects of marijuana so that they do not solely trust the bad connotations."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post
Public Health Problems and Solution )
"I like your idea on encouraging citizens to eat locally grown products. I also believe this idea is important, but I am not sure if making locally grown food more accessible will necessarily mean more people will buy the products. Therefore, it is also important to advertise the importance of eating natural food and educate people on its benefits. If people are aware of the significance of naturally grown products, it will definitely encourage more people to buy those products. Also, this is a good idea because farmers can benefit from selling their products as well.
In regards to the problem of obesity, I feel that this could also be solved with more education and awareness. Not many people are aware of the lack of nutrients in school food so by increasing awareness, there would be more promotion for change.
In addition, I am surprised to hear that there is an increase in people with HIV and STDs. I thought that with better technology and advertisement for contraception, people would be keener to the problems of sexually transmitted diseases. So your idea on promoting more education regarding this matter will be helpful in solving this issue."
--( posted on May 5, 2015, commenting on the post
Topic IV: Public Health Problems and Solutions )
"I agree that He for She campaign should encourage males to speak on their own account of gender inequality. I also believe that it should not only encourage males to speak up for the females but speak to fellow males who are against the female authority. As you said, only 28% of males agree that gender inequality is an issue. Therefore, males should encourage other males to learn on the issue realize that it is a problem. In addition, this idea should be implemented on students that are younger in age. Giving young children the idea of gender equality is important because they will grow up with the idea. However, I am skeptical on how much this can influence students who are born in families that emphasizes only female or only male power. Also, this can cause problems for families that have culture against the idea on gender equality.
Furthermore, I also believe that domestic violence is a problem to be addressed. Although I do have recollection of learning the problem of domestic violence in school, it does not have enough emphasis. Therefore, there should be more classes and policies that teach students the problems of gender inequality and domestic violence."
--( posted on Apr 22, 2015, commenting on the post
Gender and Economic Growth Solutions )
"I really liked you point regarding the equality in parental leave. I also agree that it is difficult to change our perception and stereotypes regarding gender roles. However, it is inevitable for this difficulty so our only solution is to help people change their perception now and spread the new ideas to the next generation. The idea of equalizing the parental role seems to be a step closer to equality because it leads to equal opportunity for both the male and the female to work and stay home. Therefore, I believe this idea should be implemented in more businesses.
Also, I like your idea on implementing mentorship program in City College. More women should step up and challenge the role of women in society and encourage young girls to reach for a higher status. If I would suggest anything, not only should female speakers and mentors help the students but as well as male staffs. Male’s that can speak out against the stereotype can allow students to realize that not all males are against the female authority."
--( posted on Apr 22, 2015, commenting on the post
Gender lens- Solutions )
"I agree that there is a significant problem regarding the limitation for women that are majoring in STEM fields. As a science major myself, it is upsetting to learn that women are not able to practice their fields just because of their gender. Also, as much as companies and businesses want to hire women, it is true that they are not marketing opportunities enough. That is why there is such lack of females in work forces. If they do want to hire more women for STEM jobs, they should promote it more and make it known. Furthermore, I believe sexual harassment is definitely a big problem in regards to gender inequality in society. However, as important as it is, there are not enough publications of such problems to make people more aware of the issue. Sexual harassment is a big deal and more people should be conscious of the frequency of such events. Also, just because females are reported more often for being the victim of sexual harassment, it does not mean males are not harassed. Sexual harassment of both genders should be more made known to the society."
--( posted on Mar 31, 2015, commenting on the post
Gender Inequality: Problems III )
"Your point on stay home dad is extremely interesting because I have never really thought of gender issue as a problem for males. I agree that stay home dad makes him look week and it brings bad image to the family. If I would add more, stay home dad seems lazy and the idea of “head of the family” tends to be the father so if they are not out to do work, they are seen irresponsible. However, as much as it is important for this image to be more flexible, it is difficult to change because it has been engraved in in our mind for a long period of time. Therefore, it is important to understand that gender issue is not only a problem for females but also for males. Furthermore, glass ceiling is definitely evident in our society. I agree that females are not reaching for a higher status in society because of prejudices and stereotypes; therefore it is up to us to change this image and promote females on higher positions. Also, there should be more government officials that are women so that they can be role models for other women."
--( posted on Mar 31, 2015, commenting on the post
Gender and Economic Growth Problems )
"I cannot help but to comment on your post because it mentions my home country. I definitely agree that the increase in technology was beneficial for the development of South Korea. I knew people in Korea were extremely involved with media and technology, but I had no idea that Korea had the fastest Internet speed in the world. However, as pleasant as it is to know that Korea is ranked high in advanced technology, I am rather concerned. The large production of high-tech materials can provide job and help people find jobs, but it is problematic because many people are way too connected to this technology. It disallows communications between workers and many people are being too attached to the high-tech gadgets. This is not only a problem in Korea but also all around the world. Is technology a benefit in the workplace? Or does it make workers disconnect from each other? Although it may be a benefit in modernizing the culture and providing resources for workers, it also includes disadvantages that should be considered."
--( posted on Mar 18, 2015, commenting on the post
Solution to the Modernization of the Economy )
"I found Thiel Foundation’s 20 Under 20 Fellowship program mentioned in your post very interesting. The idea of dropping out of college to start a business seems to be something not many people would usually recommend students to do. However, getting paid $100,000 and having continuous help throughout the program seems like a good plan for people with brilliant ideas. This program really opened my eyes on the idea that college may not be the answer for everyone. I agree that there is a problem regarding the traditional classroom-oriented classes and that there should be a new way of approaching work forces. Therefore, such fellowship program should be more funded and created for people who have ideas that can be put into test as soon as possible.
Also, developing from your idea, we can also include such programs inside colleges as well. For example, a class that is not about test scores or essays, but about group work and ideas can gather people who think outside the box. Class, such as Future of New York City, should be provided to other college students who are interested in learning about problems in the society and finding the solution.
For the automation problem, I also agree that machines are not a great threat to highly educated employees. As you mentioned, they can be helpful for work, but they will never replace people in works that require intense thought processes that only humans are capable of doing."
--( posted on Mar 18, 2015, commenting on the post
Future of Work Solutions )
"I agree that the value of college education is diminishing and that we should focus on creating better-rounded people. In my post, I discussed this idea as well and I learned that there were a lot of employers looking for people with experience, not focusing on whether they have a college degree or not. I believe a way to solve this problem is making hands-on training a necessity for college students. Basically, if students were more forced to take classes that include communication and group-thinking projects, they will be more prepared to face the atmosphere of the workplaces. Internship should also be highly promoted and discussed. I also feel that there is not enough promotion for internship or group work in colleges. As much as the grade matters, there is definitely an importance in creating a well-rounded person.
Also, you claimed that increase of freelance workers could be a problem because it diminishes job security. However, I believe that the traditional jobs will not be completely diminished because many people do rely on this kind of a job. The increasing number for freelancer is beneficial for lot of people, but it will never be a replacement for traditional workplaces."
--( posted on Mar 10, 2015, commenting on the post
Problems with the Future of Work )
"I agree with your idea that there is a lack of benefits for employees in the work force. I found it surprising and upsetting that there is lack of employees with healthcare benefits due to the cost. It seems to me that because they are the people working to create a better company or business, they should be guaranteed safety and health benefits. Also, you mentioned that there would be difficulties for people who are retired because of the decreased benefits. However, there will be a problem with people retiring because the retirement benefits are costly as well. With the lack of people with retirement plans, they will continue to work in the same area, disregarding their retirement period.
Also, I found Claudia’s comment on technology interesting as well. She mentioned that there should be a focus on how technology disturbs the working area and I also agree. With the continuous development of technology, employers should focus on employees meddling with their phones or other devices. As much as manager meeting might disturb the workers, phones and computers will be a distraction as well. Technology can be helpful if it involves the effectiveness of the work, but if it is used for personal purposes during work, it will be more of a problem than a benefit."
--( posted on Mar 10, 2015, commenting on the post
Future of Work Problems )
"I cannot agree more on how important it is to close the gap between police officers and the community. I agree that police officers should not only make appearance in negative situations but also in positive situation. As mentioned in class discussion, I said that police should approach the community in more positive manner. This can be possible if they attend community events as you have mentioned in the post. It is important for police to build a positive image to society because it makes them more approachable. Especially because there have been increase in negative images of police, if we focus on recreating their image, people would find them helpful rather than power-driven or abusive. Focus deterrence is another great idea because I also believe that the police are approaching the wrong crowd. It is truly important to imprison the worse criminals rather than the petty criminals. However, I believe stop and frisk also has a purpose that cannot be ignored. So, rather than replacing stop and frisk, it would be more beneficial to lower the amount of police working on stop and frisk and enforcing them to work on focus deterrence."
--( posted on Mar 5, 2015, commenting on the post
Policing Solutions )
"I believe it is a good idea to keep records of inmates’ behaviors for their future employment purposes. However, as Aychen mentioned, the problem would be the prison guards being the one to keep the records. There definitely will be the abuse of power and the possibility of incorrect reporting, depending on the guard’s feelings towards the inmate. However, if is not the guard who is keeping the records, there will be less of those problems. The cost of hiring non-guards are also a problem but if we are able to use this idea to keep formally incarcerated from reentering the prison, it will eventually save money. Also, since we are helping the formally incarcerated to reenter the society, they will be benefiting the country with their jobs, allowing them to pay back for the finances they used in the prison. Additionally, your idea on decriminalizing all drugs can definitely backfire if people abuse the use of drugs because they know they will not be penalized. You did mention this problem in your post but having drug treatment programs might not help those who are not willing to be treated. Rather than decriminalizing drugs, it might be better if the people who uses drugs are arrested and put into drug treatment programs rather than prison. This way, drugs will still be criminalized but the criminals will not have to go to prison."
--( posted on Mar 5, 2015, commenting on the post
Policing Solutions )
"Your statement on the problem of disproportionate amount of minorities is extremely interesting. You stated that racial bias is evident and I believe that it’s unavoidable. Racial profiling is definitely a problem to be addressed but we cannot put fewer minorities in jail just because they are minorities. The statistics show us that there are more blacks than whites that are being incarcerated and I feel that we should focus on why more blacks are being caught in action. This might be due to the amount of police in one neighborhood over another or that blacks are being judged in stricter manner. To possibly solve this matter, we could have a system where the race of the defendant remains hidden.
Additionally, I strongly agree on your point of the difficulty ex-convicts have while reentering the community. I also believe that our country lacks a system where ex-convicts have a second chance to redeem themselves and work for the country. To solve this matter, I believe that the government should create a training program for these ex-convicts to learn certain skills so that they may enter the society once again. Also, employment should not only depend on whether they have criminal record or not, but depending on what crimes they committed and the time they spend training and redeeming themselves."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post
Problem 1 )
"Your statement on the problem of disproportionate amount of minorities is extremely interesting. You stated that racial bias is evident and I believe that it’s unavoidable. Racial profiling is definitely a problem to be addressed but we cannot put fewer minorities in jail just because they are minorities. The statistics show us that there are more blacks than whites that are being incarcerated and I feel that we should focus on why more blacks are being caught in action. This might be due to the amount of police in one neighborhood over another or that blacks are being judged in stricter manner. To possibly solve this matter, we could have a system where the race of the defendant remains hidden.
Additionally, I strongly agree on your point of the difficulty ex-convicts have while reentering the community. I also believe that our country lacks a system where ex-convicts have a second chance to redeem themselves and work for the country. To solve this matter, I believe that the government should create a training program for these ex-convicts to learn certain skills so that they may enter the society once again. Also, employment should not only depend on whether they have criminal record or not, but depending on what crimes they committed and the time they spend training and redeeming themselves."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post
Policing Problems )
"In the problems you provided in this post, I definitely agree with the statement that police training is a problem. However, I agree with Damien’s comment on how it can be a necessity for policemen to be trained to prepare for all possible life-threatening situations. Yes, it does seem cruel to train them by beating them down and physically hurting them, but they do need to be trained for anything and everything. I believe that as long as the life of an officer is not threatened, these trainings should continue. However, to lessen the danger and for safety, maybe someone should be there to check on the training once in a while. Supervisors can be present to make sure they are not overdoing the training.
Also, your idea on unnecessary use of power is definitely agreeable. However, it is understandable that police officers sometimes overuse their power because they are not aware of the degree of danger they are in. But to prevent this unnecessary use of power, police officers should be trained to approach with caution. It seems that they are trained to attack if they feel possible danger. It would be more efficient if they were more educated in cautiously approaching possible-criminals, rather than rashly acting out."
--( posted on Feb 19, 2015, commenting on the post
Policing Problems )
