...Savard English 101 1 April 2015 The American Dream In 1931, James Truslow Adams published a book titled "The Epic of America". He states that the American dream is a "dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." Throughout the years since publication, the American dream was something many families were able to achieve, that is until, perhaps, starting around 2008 when the "Great Recession" hit. Many Americans lost their jobs due to the country's fourth-largest investment bank going bankrupt. There was a job shortage, many Americans were laid-off, income was falling, and poverty was rising. Seven years have passed and slowly America has been recovering, but has it recovered enough for the American dream to be alive? For the average American the dream is perhaps a owning a house, car, children, a stay at home parent, medical insurance, vacations, and savings for retirement along with savings for college tuition. In today's society, the American dream is unobtainable because a stay at home parent is rare, bills are a struggle to pay for, vacations are rarely taken, most are not able to save for retirement because of debt, and many college students have to work while in school to pay off their college tuition. The American dream is in fact alive, but out of reach for the average American. In the article "7 facts that show the American Dream is Dead", Eskow states, "There was...
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...The American Dream and the Rising Cost of College Everyone wants to be successful and in America people are striving for their American Dreams. These dreams usually are getting a job, making a lot of money, starting a family, buying a house and dream car. It would seem that college is the best path for people to take for them to achieve it. However, the cost of college is not normally cheap, it is actually very expensive. This leads to the question, how does the cost of college affect achieving the American Dream? Lorie A. Johnson is a philosopher who believes, The American Dream is presented to the world as a married couple with one or two kids, living comfortably in the suburbs, the dad goes to work and and mom stays at home (“The American...
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...Rodrigo Albornoz Prof. Gordon. WSC 001 11/17/2014 College Or Costllege? What do you think should raise more, inflation or college tuition? History has shown that the cost to study in US colleges raises faster than the US inflation (Lorin). Why is this happening? Or even worse, why would the system support such incongruence? This could be because the high education level offered requires such high prices, or maybe, it is a way to improve the economy by teaching society that there is no better investment than education. Anyway, let’s try to discover the answer by delving in these two different aspects that, in fact, are the main reasons of education on society: To support the learning and improve the economy. Thinking and researching about our first point we find that it is fact that European academies have an excellent academic system, and we also find that Germany is offering free education to Americans and other international students without requiring “scholarships” (“German Colleges”). Perhaps the US education is perfect, and so, even better that German education? According to Paulo Freire, that is not the answer either. In Paulo Freire’s essay, he describes an important weakness in the American academic system. Freire refers to the “Banking Concept” as a symbolism of what is really happening between some students and professors. Students are described as a bank account to deposit information. As students never think critically about what is learned, they just assimilate...
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...average American family can only pay about 15% of college tuition. “College tuition has increased by 5% to 10% during the past 10 years” (Rubino). By planning and saving for college at an early age, it can save the student from going into debt from student loans later on in their lives. By applying to colleges early in the year, the student has a better chance of being accepted because classes and dorm space will not be filled up yet. High school students can take their SAT and ACT tests as many times as they would like to get a better score. With a higher SAT and ACT test score, the student’s application to college will be improved. “Applying to several different colleges can increase chances of being accepted” (Taylor) because of all...
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...Having a research strategy to saving money can be very useful in providing a first step in reaching the goal of financial security. It has been argued that the American society is materialistic and accustomed to instant gratification. Easy lines of credit and lack of proper money management have led many in deep financial straits. The recent high unemployment numbers and the deep recession have contributed greatly to this. However not everyone was affected. One major reason is because some were conscious about saving for a rainy day. In fact “Compared to a year ago, 50 percent more Americans are beefing up their savings account, according to a new survey by Money Management International, Houston” (Ginovsky J., 2009, p.12). Americans are realizing that savings must become a priority. I for one can honestly say that I am one of those Americans. I’m starting to feel the need to start saving more and spend less. My personal situation did changed significantly in the last year and is the driving force behind trying to save more. The fact that my son came into our lives is a wonderful experience that I would never trade for anything in the world. However the reality is that it does add a strain on the budget. Adding to this is the fact that my wife quit her job to stay home and raise our son. Also the decision to go back to school is another contributing factor that stretches the budget even more. On top of all of this within the last year I knew I would loose...
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...one day owning their own piece of land (Bloom). George Milton and Lennie Small are the two main characters that travel together in search for work. The story took place in California, during the Great Depression, a time in history where everyone suffered from the economical problems and hardship. It was a hard era to live in, there was an extremely high unemployment rate, no one had a steady job and people had to adapt to a new living style. John Steinbeck was present at this time and had a firsthand experience working on a ranch (Leaf). He wrote about the American dream every human being wanted; through the characters of George and Lennie, who both dreamt for the same future, in owning their own land and working for no one else. These two characters are both similar in the sense of wanting the same thing, yet are completely different. Also, Steinbeck included a character, Curly, who lives every American dream and displays how he is. I am going to characterization these three major characters and show their part in the novel. The story begins with two different, thus alike men who are each other’s companion. George and Lennie are both men who work on ranches for money and do not have family, thus they both have a common future. They are both hard workers and optimistic for the future. However, George is the brains and leader of this friendship, since Lennie is mentally disabled (Leaf). George always has to look out for Lennie because he does not make the right choices, and always...
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...Ravi P Eng091 Clarence Nero 10/12/14 Important to attend a community college According to the American association of community colleges, 44 percent of all undergraduate college students are enrolled at a community college. The importance of community college is likely to rise even father as the economy continues to evolve and industries demand works with new skills. Usually community college refers to a group of people living in a common geographical location. This group of people obeys some social norms and some common value among themselves. As such, there are so many communities the world over, separated by languages, cultures, or geographical locations. However, they are related to each other in some way or other, thus making entire world a one, single community. A sense of community is important to establish peace and harmony among the society. The sense of a community is also important in fostering a feeling of intra-national as well as international brotherhood. The community college is helping student to get their togetherness, basic requirement, and save money finishing associated degree to getting to better job. First, student can feel a sense of togetherness a community college. For example, a sense of togetherness lies in the soul of every individual. This comes from our care and dependency on our fellow beings. From our childhood days to our adulthood, we care for our family members, our relatives, our neighbors and friends. This leads to a need of...
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...In America, college costs have been growing at a rate faster than inflation for over a decade. The resulting student loan debt, most of which belongs to young people aged 22-40, is causing a lot of trouble for the whole economy. The average college student is graduating with $32,000 in student loan debt . Not only do they have to pay this back with interest, it affects them in other areas of their lives. Debt forces students to postpone life in several key areas including buying a house, getting married and saving for retirement. On top of all this, college degrees are more common than ever; record numbers of Americans have a college degree and its impact on future earnings is not what it used to be. So, college students are paying more for a degree that will earn them less than the same degree did a generation ago. And we want to go into debt getting this degree? This is absurd. For all these reasons, students today need to be taught the importance of avoiding college debt. In conclusion, the best way to avoid the never-ending stress of financial bondage is to get educated on financial matters while you are young, start saving today, and avoid college debt. Practicing these three principles will go a long way towards financial security. It has been said that 80% of financial success is behavior – spending habits,...
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...dsD D: ^ AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY-BANGLADESH Faculty of Business Administration Undergraduate Program, SUMMER 2013-2014 Financial Management (D) Assignment No. 1(Mid -Term) 1. Total target of a person is to save Tk. 150,000 in 10 years because he will send his child to MJA University for higher education. How much money the person needs to save at the end of each year to achieve the target. Assume that the interest rate is 14.25% p.a. 2. You have decided to provide Tk. 60,000 as university scholarship each year for 12 years. The first scholarship is to be awarded one year from now. If the university can earn 6.35% per annum return on investment, how much money do you need to donate now? 3. Mr. Jimi is planning to buy an apartment worth of Tk. 2,000,000 at the end of 14 years. In order to buy the apartment Mr. Jimi has decided to save certain amount at the end of each of the next 11 years and deposit it in MJA Bank Ltd. Assume that the bank interest rate is 12.70% per annum. How much money Mr. jimi will save at the end of each year? 4. Ref. No. question 3, Instead of installment Mr. Jimi wants to deposit a certain amount of money today. Now, how much money Mr. Jimi has to deposit today? 5. You wish to buy a Tk. 5000,000 dining room set. The furniture store offers you a 4-year loan with 11.25% interest rate per annum, compounded monthly. What are the monthly payments? 6. Mr. FM is saving for his college education. He is planning to attend college at the end of 5th...
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...Most Significant Issue A fairly recent Saturday Night Live skit released a sketch called, “Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford.” It was a spoof about a couple who didn’t quite understand saving your money instead of just buying on credit. “If you don’t have any money, you should not buy anything. Hmm…Sounds interesting.” The wife sarcastically remarks. “Sounds confusing!” The husband replies. As funny as it was, it still made a great point. American’s have a problem with buying things on credit but not having the money for it. My financial literacy class always taught me to have an achievable goal and save your money. Ever sense I was a little child, I have been taught to save, save, save, and plan for any expenses I may need. My parents also taught me the difference between a need and a want. They taught me to only buy things on credit if it is a necessity like a car, college, house, etc. I try to always keep their advice in the back of my head, but I’ve noticed a different path that buying on credit provides. Buying on credit is a type of borrowing but you may suffer a grave price if you cannot pay back your bill in full each month. The nation previous to 1929 became caught up buying luxury items on credit and borrowing money to invest in the stock market. It seemed harmless enough, the idea was that one could repay the loan when they sold their stocks and because of so much buying, people were making a lot of money. Stores were selling plenty of goods which in turn made the...
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...to retire at a decent age? There has to be another way. There is! Pay with cash! Ditch the credit cards; say goodbye to student loans; forget about the vehicle loan, maybe even eliminate the mortgage! Some of the problem perhaps lies with how children are being educated. How many high schools actually offer finance-orientated classes? This type of class is not mandatory but it should be. To the best of my knowledge, Grand Traverse County does not require it. If the children were better prepared to handle finances, and understood what lay in store for them once they graduated; they would have a great advantage. “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). The children would know how to budget for themselves. They would know how much money is being paid, how much is being saved, and most importantly, what they could afford to purchase. They would not fall into the abyss of credit. They would not need to get a fancy credit card just to feel like an adult. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave (Proverbs 22:7). Government officials are being more stringent on credit card companies; stricter guidelines for soliciting on college campuses is just one example. In fact, some schools are prohibiting the companies from soliciting on campus altogether, however the companies just set up adjacent to the school property to promote their products and ‘services’. Many schools have...
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...core was a “social technology”, something that would create culture and bring people together. In the late 1800s to the early 1900s, a period of time known as the Gilded Age, sport particularly became a symbol of national strength and unity. Sport was used to “Americanize” the influx of immigrants and create a culture of good men who held values similar to home-grown Americans. Football in particular took hold in most colleges as a way to pull more students to their universities and gain a higher amount of alumni support. Yet football was especially...
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...She was offered and accepted a job by Colonel Albert Clark, this was the man that published her speech back in college. The job was to inspect the working conditions of domestic servants with the United States Industrial Commission. Laughlin had to inspect, observe, and report on the working conditions of those employed in domestic service to help improve the working conditions for employees. After research the work force, she had found out that women were getting paid less than men, but they were working equal hours and labor and faced many unreasonable demands. This made her to be inspired to devote some of her life to the Women’s suffrage movement. Gail spent the next four years (1902-1906) campaigning for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She traveled across the United States promoting the vote and equal rights for women. Finally in 1906, Laughlin was in Denver, Colorado and opened a law office. She was on eleven city and state boards. Gail then opened her another law office in San Francisco, California in 1914. She served on the Republican state central committee, became a member of the National Woman's Party, a judge in the police courts...
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...The American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) is an organization, which helps enable American students to travel abroad. The main service AIFS provides entails organizing educational and cultural exchange problems across the globe. As the case explains, AIFS has split their business into two major divisions that that serve American student’s studying abroad; the Study Abroad College division and the High School Travel division. The college division, which is controlled by Christopher Archer-Lock, sends American students all over the world on semester-long exchange programs. The high school division, which was founded as the American Council for International Studies (ACIS), is controlled by Becky Tabaczynski and sends high school students and their teachers on 1-4 week long trips. This nature of business involves a certain amount of bottom-line risk. AIFS focuses largely on American students studying abroad, therefore the majority of their revenue is in American Dollars (USD). However, AIFS costs’ are generally incurred in foreign currency (primarily Euros (EUR) and British Pounds (GBP)) because the services they arrange for happen abroad. Due to their business activities involving foreign currencies, an unfavorable change in the exchange rate could result in a higher cost base, and potentially a loss overall if the change is significant enough. Inherently, due to the nature of their business, AIFS is exposed to currency risk because they are dealing in multiple currencies...
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...Rising Costs of College College tuition is a hot topic these days. For a long time, people did not pay much attention to tuition. Today, things are changing. More and more people are realizing how high tuition has reached and now they want that to change. In this essay, I have tried to approach a very difficult topic. The problem with this topic was that while searching for facts and information I found that almost all of the information regarding it was attack after attack on the college administrations. I found no writings by college administrators attempting to defend themselves. When I started the research for my first paper this semester, I thought I would just be cruising through another English course, effortlessly composing the required essays, and looking over other peoples' thoughts on topics I could not care less about. That all changed when I discovered the truth about how much college tuition has gotten out of control over the years. Students have every right to be angry about the state of college tuition. In the past 20 years, "tuition increased twice as fast as the overall cost of living (Larson, 63)." Between 1980 and 1990, the average cost of attending public and private colleges increased by 109% and 146%, respectively “ (Hood, 10). To put these figures into perspective, we can compare them with other rising costs during the same 10-year period. Those who can afford these outrageous prices can usually also ignore it. As for the rest of us, when every...
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