As the Olympics end, South Korea asks: Was the cost worth it?

Summary: South Korea has held the national spotlight since the announcement that PyeongChang would be the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Although winning the rights to host the Olympics is an honor, there have been questions of the true value to the country after the spending for the games amounted to over 13 billion dollars. South Korea data estimates that the games will bring in around 40 billion dollars worth of spending. This money is mainly generated by tourism during the games, and the attempts of PyeongChang to display their Olympic Park as a winter tourist attraction.

Questions:

1. In your opinon, does the tourism and world focus that the Olympics bring to a country offset the financial expenses the games generate?

2. As Salt Lake City, Utah is in contention to host the 2026 Winter Games, do you believe that the U.S. should attempt to win the rights to the games?

3. Have you been keeping up with the Olympics recently? If so, what events are your favorite?

Article Link: http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/24/news/economy/south-korea-olympics-cost-debt/index.html

5 things Congress could do on guns

Summary: While there have been no gun reforms for two decades, following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, President Trump has stated that he is open to changing gun laws and supports the ban on bump stocks, which allow semi-automatic weapons to fire rounds more quickly. Congress is back in session next week, and author Daniella Diaz suggests 5 ways Congress can reform gun control laws: outlawing bump fire stocks, holding federal and state agencies accountable for failures to upload criminal history records to the background check system, raising the age to get a gun, restricting the size of the gun magazine, which holds ammunition, and banning AR-15 style weapons completely. She states that the first three are likely to have bipartisan support, but the last two proposals will be much harder and almost impossible to pass.

Opinion: I agree with Diaz that the first three ideas will be easier to pass than the last two, but I am not sure if it is enough to stop mass shootings at schools from occurring again. I think in addition to background checks, people need to be educated on how to properly use and store guns, because someone else who is not legally allowed to use a gun may take it from a friend or parent that has passed the background check for a gun if it is easily accessible. I think raising the gun age from 18 to 21 will have the strongest impact, because 18 is the age a potential senior high schooler could get a gun whereas 21 would be a college junior. However, Diaz does not propose stricter background checks because it will not have bipartisan support and is unlikely to pass, she only proposes that the bureaucracy be held more accountable, which I think is not enough but it is a step.

Questions: What are your thoughts on these ideas? Do you have any other ideas how to reform gun control laws?

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/25/politics/gun-control-congress-proposals-marco-rubio-parkland-school-shooting/index.html

A Strong U.S. Economy Can Be Tough on Immigrants

Summary: Even though the national labor market is becoming stronger overall, immigrants haven't been seeing the benefits and likely won't for awhile. One of these reasons is that many large corporations have been raising their minimum wages, offering certain benefits and wages that immigrant-run businesses are often unable to pay their employees. Therefore, businesses run by immigrants have been seeing an exodus to these corporate giants, and it's difficult for them to find new employees who have the specialized skills they need, like being fluent in another language or able to expertly cook foreign foods. Immigrants will also likely start to see their neighborhoods being taken over by growing businesses, as these neighborhoods are typically built on cheaper land in urban areas and have lower voting rates that will restrict them from voting against their land being taken.

Questions:
1. Is there a way to help out immigrants and their businesses from being hit hard as our economy grows? Should the government be involved, or is the situation better left alone?
2. Considering we live in the Bay Area, where many immigrants reside, do you have any personal experiences similar to this situation? How do you think immigrants are affected in immigrant-rich communities like San Mateo compared to other regions of the country?

Link: Bloomberg

Bank of America wants to talk to its customers who make guns

Summary: After the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School last week, many companies, such as Delta and the rental car company Hertz, have ended their contracts and stopped all forms of their connection with the NRA. None of these businesses has released the reasons behind their decisions to do so as of yet, but it likely is in protest to the current status of guns in America and how the NRA has contributed to that. Bank of America is currently not one of the companies listed to have broken connections with NRA, although it is unclear if the business has a contract with the NRA, but it has also shown support for working to stop the numerous rifle-caused injuries and deaths in America by talking to assault-weapon manufacturers about "what they can contribute to this shared responsibility." CNN held a town hall meeting last week where the teenage survivors urged for the government to ban rifles like the one used in the shooting, but the NRA claimed that the problem was not with the availability of rifles themselves, but with our "flawed background check system."

Questions:
1. What do you think businesses with connections to the NRA should do or should have done if they don't support the NRA's beliefs?
2. Do you think it was smart for these businesses to end their contracts with the NRA, even though that might mean they will lose a lot of business? In general, how should companies balance their values with good business decisions?
3. What do you find to be most at fault for our country's gun/shooting problem–weak background checks, the availability to buy assault weapons, or something else?

Links:
CNN
Washington Post

Teacher: I'm supposed to transform from an economics teacher into a gun expert?

Summary: In response to Trump's suggestion that teachers be armed and given bonuses, an economics teacher from Tampa, Florida, argues that that is not the solution and the money going towards training teachers to fight should be going towards better mental health programs and counselors and resources for troubled students. He is also concerned that troubled students or other employees could take the gun and it would make it easier for them to harm other students. He is angry that while many other educational resources have been cut due to a lack of funds, Trump is willing to fund teachers to become armed. While he also owns a gun and believes in the Second Amendment, he also believes that "adding tools of violence to an environment that is trying to prevent violence is counterintuitive."

Opinion: I agree with him that more money should be going towards mental health resources rather than training teachers, because school is supposed to be a safe and educational environment for people to learn rather than a place that promotes violence. While I would feel safer knowing that teachers are trained to fight, I am worried that the guns will fall into the wrong hands and I am not sure how I would feel about teachers carrying guns in class. Perhaps as a compromise each school could have a few police officers assigned to them and constantly on duty there.

Questions: Would you feel comfortable having teachers carrying guns? Do you think the money should go towards training teachers to fight or mental health resources? What other solutions do you think will be able to make schools safer?

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/opinions/teacher-im-supposed-to-transform-from-an-economics-teacher-into-a-gun-expert-tillman/index.html

Billionaire Mark Cuban: ‘One of the great lies of life is follow your passions’

Summary - As part of the famous insights for entrepreneurs series, Mark Cuban was quoted as saying that "One of the great lies of life is 'follow your passions,'... The things I ended up being really good at were the things I found myself putting effort into. A lot of people talk about passion, but that's really not what you need to focus on. You really need to evaluate and say, 'Okay, where am I putting in my time?'".  Cuban also goes on to mention that when you do something you are good at, you also start to enjoy doing it, so the effort and skill snowball. I think this is a pretty interesting stance since us seniors are at the point where we are choosing our future after high school.

Questions -

Do you think it is better to pursue your passion or to pursue what you are good at?

Do you agree with the idea that the better you are at something, the more you will enjoy doing it?

Link -
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/16/mark-cuban-follow-your-passion-is-bad-advice.html?recirc=taboolainternal

Weapons Found After School Safety Officer Helps Thwart Alleged School Shooting Plot at High School in Whittier Area

Summary: Authorities have been on high alert due to the recent Florida shooting. Recently in the Los Angeles area another attack was thwarted after Marino Chavez, a school safety officer overheard a student mumble a threat. The student, disgruntled with his peers, planned to carry out a school shooting in 3 weeks. Chavez reported this to administration and the matter was brought to the Los Angeles Police department. The L.A.P.D. searched the family home and found two AR-15 rifles, two handguns and 90 high-capacity magazines unsecured and available to anyone living in the household. The student was arrested on the suspicion of making criminal threats.

Opinion: Since February 14th, there have been 19 school related threats in LA County. Many of these threats after investigation were found to be false claims by students. I believe that it is important for schools to discuss the seriousness of false threats and the consequences that occur. If students are  educated, I believe that this will help authorities limit fake threats from students, and focus on true, lethal threats.

Questions:

1. Should there be further security within schools to prevent attacks like the one planned? If so what should be done to ensure safety?

2. Mental health is often a partial cause for these events, what do you believe should be done in order to limit this occurrence?

Article Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/21/politics/cnn-town-hall-florida-shooting/index.html

The fight over razor, diaper and shampoo prices

Summary: As more competitors are entering the market and people are going online to compare prices, companies have been fighting to lower their prices. However, some companies have chosen to raise their prices and give the appearance of a premium brand and appeal to higher end shoppers. This is breaking down many existing business and distribution models because of how different companies are responding to competition. In addition, startup companies are having an easier time reaching out to customers and growing their business than already established brands through the internet. Amazon is also hurting prices by allowing customers to compare different brands online. Yet, big companies still have the advantage of the established brand name over smaller companies, and they can appeal to customers through advertisements and loyalty programs.




Analysis: In this example, because the number of suppliers are increasing, the supply curve is shifting right and more goods are being produced. Consequently, there will be more related goods. While the demand curve will shift right, some people would still be willing to pay more for what they consider to be name brands or higher end products. In addition, while some shampoos or razors are necessities that can be higher quality or better suited for certain individuals, I feel that most shampoos are similar enough and the companies with pricier products prey on customers’ insecurities through advertisements that will make them think that only their shampoo or razor can make them as beautiful or handsome as the model in the advertisement.




Questions:

How does this relate to what we are learning in economics right now?

Do you think smaller companies or larger companies have the upper hand? What are the advantages of each?




Link: http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/20/news/companies/household-goods-products/index.html

NRA head: Gun control advocates 'exploiting' Florida tragedy

Summary - During the Conservative Political Action Conference this week, NRA head Wayne LaPierre stated that "opportunists" were using the recent tragedy that happened in Florida as a way to push their agenda of expanding gun control and abolishing U.S. gun rights. Here is another statement which was said by the NRA head: "They hate the NRA. They hate the second amendment. They hate individual freedom". It is safe to assume that the word "they" refers to those with leftist views on gun control who voiced their opinion on a solution to the problem of school shootings. The words spoken by the NRA head are not going to sit well with some, believing that the talk of gun control after a shooting is not exploitation of the situation. 

Questions - 

Do you agree with any of what Wayne LaPierre said?

Do you believe statements like these are what contribute to the growing polarization of American people today?

Link - 
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43158994

Tight supply, rising prices undercut on U.S. home sales

Summary: New data collected in January 2018 shows a current shortage in the national housing market, with a 9.5% decrease in housing inventory in the last year and 32 straight months of a decrease in the supply of houses. This has resulted in the steady increase of the median house price, now up to $240,000, and fewer houses being bought. However, a higher price means a higher down payment on a house, making it much more difficult for first-time buyers and those working minimum wage jobs to be able to shell out enough money to buy a house in the current market. Right now, the buyer's best hope is for the increasing number of houses currently under construction to substantially increase the supply of houses, therefore reducing the prices and making it possible for more people to buy a house.

Questions:
1. Why do you think that the number of houses in the market has steadily decreased in the last few years, even though our economy has grown?
2. Is there a way the government could be involved in making it easier for first time buyers and/or minimum wage earners to buy a house, and, if so, should the government get involved?

Link– Reuters

Students at town hall to Washington, NRA: Guns are the problem, do something

Summary: Today, students of the Stoneman Douglas High School, helped lead a town hall. During the town hall, students and others questioned Senators Marco Rubio, Bill Nelson, and Representative Ted Deutch about their stances on both Assault Rifles and NRA spending in relation to campaigns. The students called for action after the Florida State House failed to pass a ban on assault weapons. Rubio was specifically asked by one student, to promise that his campaign would no longer accept donations from the NRA.

Opinion: These students showed the importance of demonstrating one's beliefs. Although no solutions were addressed tonight, there was a sharing of ideas, feelings, and perceptions, all crucial to finding a final answer for gun control. This debate opened the air for national discussion and the possible steps we need to take as a country to solve this problem.



Questions:
1. Should candidates should be criticized for taking donations from organizations like the NRA, which in this case, opposes further gun control?
2. Do you believe that assault rifles should be banned? Do they serve a purpose for civilian use?
3. Are there any possible solutions to the gun control problem? Will there be a point where the heavily divided sides can come together and form a solution?

Article Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/21/politics/cnn-town-hall-florida-shooting/index.html

Parkland students show why 16-year-olds should be able to vote

Summary: Following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, there has been debate about allowing 16 year olds to vote since politicians have refused to pass any gun reforms. Takoma Park, Maryland, was the first city to allow 16 year olds to vote, and other cities are following suit. Several countries like Austria and Scotland have already let 16 year olds vote as well. Author Joshua A. Douglas argues that allowing 16 year olds to vote would increase voter turnout tremendously. While some may argue that 16 year olds are not mature enough or capable of making decisions, Douglas says that studies of cognitive brain development shows that cold cognition, reasoned, deliberate decision making, has already been developed by the age of 16.





Opinion: While it is sad that politicians are not pushing for more gun control following many high school shootings, if 16 year olds get the right to vote they will be able to vote on all other issues besides gun control and I am not sure if they should be able to have a say in things such as taxes which they do not need to pay yet. Furthermore, while Douglas claims that "reasoned, deliberate decision making" has developed by the age of 16, I know many students and even adults who do not make good decisions. I am surprised gun reforms have not been passed yet since I would imagine many parents would not want this tragedy to happen to their children and be moved to vote for reform.





Questions:


Do you think 16 year olds (high school juniors) should be able to vote? Why or why not?


What other ways do you think students can do to push for gun reform?





Link: https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/19/opinions/parkland-shooting-voting-age-opinion-douglas/index.html

Study Finds People Given Basic Income Are Likely to Keep Working

Summary -  The Alaska Permanent Fund is a $61 billion communal resource that collects revenues from Alaska's oil and mineral leases to give each person in the state $2000 per year. This fund is the closest thing to a universal basic income that we have seen in the U.S.. Researchers from the university of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy have analyzed the economical effects of this fund and found that employment did not decrease. In fact, they found that the number of people in part-time work actually increased 17%.  As automation today is threatening many human-held jobs, some are looking at universal basic income as a realistic option. Many others disagree with the implementation, stating that higher basic income funds would lead to less employment.

Questions - 

Why do you think, in this specific case, that people given basic incomes are still likely to keep working?

Looking at both the benefits and costs of a universal basic income, do you think it should be implemented? If so, what should be the amount funded?

Link - 
https://futurism.com/basic-income-part-time-work/

Erasing the lines to deal with gerrymandering

Article Link

                                          Source: Pete Maravich, Bloomberg

As the Supreme Court hears arguments on the case of Gill v. Whitford, their decision this spring will have an impact on potential gerrymanders based on the upcoming 2020 census. Instead of debating the technicalities of what are or aren't fair lines for a district, what if states erased district lines and made U.S. representatives accountable to states instead of districts? States have tried this in the past and the Constitution says nothing about using single member election districts or how those lines should be drawn.

Discussion Questions
1. Is it time to consider changes in how we elect our representatives to make outcomes more representative of the wishes of the people?
2. Are we better off just waiting for the outcome of Gill v. Whitford and working to contain gerrymandering in the future rather than shifting the single member district system?
3. As new voters who have learned about the electoral process last semester, how do you propose it be improved in the future?

An Olympian Feat: the Economics of Hosting the Games

Summary - Currently, the 2018 winter Olympics are being held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and while the Olympic games have been going great so far, there is still a cost to having them. The projected price tag for this years winter games is set at around $13 billion. The high cost from countries in order to build and support the Olympics is seen to some as a waste of money, they argue that this money could be spent in a more important area of the country. Country officials who bid to host the Olympic games argue that the increased tourism spending, better infrastructure, and higher global status/power all outweigh the cost of the Olympic games. The controversy stands around the idea of having both the summer and winter Olympics in different locations every time they happen.

Analysis/Opinion - I believe that the Olympics should be held in places where there economy would benefit from the Olympics. For example, in the U.S., we already have pre-made infrastructure for the Olympics, so our budget would be substantially lower than one of a country with no previous infrastructure already built. I think that Brazil should not have hosted the Olympics in 2016 because they had no pre-made infrastructure, and since their economic status is not too great, it would have been better if the country decided to focus their budget more on the necessities for their country rather than the Olympics.

Questions -

What economic principle do you think applies to hosting the Olympics?

Do you believe that the Olympics should only be held in more developed countries?

Link -
http://cornellsun.com/2018/02/19/of-marginal-interest-an-olympian-feat-the-economics-of-hosting-the-games/

Depressed teen's guns didn't raise red flags for host family of Florida shooter

Summary: When 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, the recent Florida high school shooter, moved in with his friend’s family last November, his friend’s parents made him buy a gun safe for his multiple guns. The parents, James and Kimberly Snead, knew that Cruz was depressed, but attributed the depression more to losing his adoptive mom to pneumonia in November than to the bullying he had faced at school. The Snead’s didn’t feel like Cruz’s depression raised any red flags about his possession of guns. Cruz was even noted for having told the Sneads’ son two weeks before the shooting that “‘he’s the happiest’ he had been in recent times.” The Sneads felt safe with the guns in their house, as long as they were kept in the safe, because they thought they were the only ones who had the key to access it, not Cruz, and had even told Cruz before that he wasn’t allowed to access the guns. However, they admitted to not knowing how many guns and what types were kept in the safe, or if Cruz had bought any more--after the shooting, authorities found he had purchased at least 10 rifles within the past year.

Analysis and Opinion: Last February, Cruz legally purchased the rifle used in the shooting despite Cruz’s public defender calling him a "’broken child’ who suffered brain-development problems and depression.” He passed a background check before buying the gun because he had no criminal record, even though federal law prohibits people “adjudicated mentally defective” from doing so. While I think gun control reform definitely needs to include stronger background checks to actually prevent people with mental illnesses like Cruz from obtaining guns, I think mass shootings will still occur in large numbers because not every shooter has a mental illness, and people with mental illnesses can still get guns from friends or illegally. There is no need for a civilian to own a rifle, in my opinion. I also think keeping guns in safes isn't a very effective way of preventing gun violence in general, as Cruz was still able to access the guns even though the Sneads thought he had no key to the safe, and as told through the numerous injuries each year from children accidentally shooting others after finding a gun in mistakenly unlocked safes.

Questions:

1. Do you think stopping or greatly decreasing mass shootings is possible in America? If so, how do you propose we do so?

2. Should we be allowed to keep guns in our homes, even if they are kept in a safe?

3. Can we maintain our Second Amendment rights while increasing gun control? How important is our right to bear arms, and should increased safety and protection from gun violence be valued more?

Links:

CNN

USA Today

The California Dream is tough to afford if you’re under 40

Summary: More than a third of Bay Area apartment renters and a quarter of residents in their 20s and 30s say they are struggling to afford their housing. Furthermore, while 80 percent of millennials dream of home ownership, few are actually saving enough. Apartment List’s chief economist Chris Salviati says that it would take the average millennial with college debt 27 years to save up for a down payment in the San Francisco metro area. Moreover, between 2015 and 2017, average rent in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose rose by 40 percent. Many millennials have to share an apartment with roommates to afford the high costs, and still have to cut back on other expenses like eating out or traveling. They are also more likely to be burdened with student loans, making it more difficult to save for home ownership. However, while California has the nation’s highest rates for poverty and income inequality, we’re safer, better educated, and more diverse than we used to be.

Questions:

Do you think it’s worth it for millennials to stay in the Bay Area?

Would you pay the costs of living in the Bay Area or would you rather move to a cheaper area?

Link: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/02/18/the-california-dream-is-tough-to-afford-if-youre-under-40/

Trump blames everyone but Russia

Jorge Silva/AFP/Getty Images

Summary: Over this weekend, President Trump sent out multiple tweets referencing Russia; however, none of them condemned the Russians for their involvement in the 2016 election. In fact, Trump found a way to “undercut [Robert] Mueller's investigation [on Russia], according to CNN, by tweeting that it was “spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign” that caused the FBI to miss alarming  “signals” regarding the Florida school shooter. The fact that President Trump is trying very hard to shine bad light on the Russian investigation and divert the nation away from the findings, is quite perplexing and concerning especially considering that the Russians may have plans to tamper with the 2018 midterm elections as well.

Analysis: I think the problem here, is that President Trump is always trying to prove that there is no “collusion” between him and Russia whenever this issue is spoken about. The investigations only revealed that the Russians tampered with the 2016 elections, not that President Trump asked them to do it. Therefore, I am quite confused as to why President Trump is finding it difficult to openly chide Russia, and firmly let them know the consequence of future meddlings. Is it because so far the Russian individuals and companies have only been indicted and not formally found guilty? Or is it because there is something to hide?

Questions:

1. Do you agree with President Trump in thinking that too much time is being spent on the Russian investigation? If so, do you think that the FBI did not investigate enough into the Florida school shooter because of it?
2. Do you think that it is ok for President Trump to stay “silent” when it comes to accusing/condemning Russia?

Links:

Interesting news analysis: CNN

ABC

NBC

In Allergy Bullying, Food Can Hurt

Summary: Recently, bullying has expanded to target children with food allergies. Bullies have been reported to pour milk over their target, wave peanuts in their face, and have cake thrown at them. In one instance, Bridget Starbuck’s 12-year-old, who is lactose intolerant, had nacho cheese dip smeared on his face by a bully, but luckily he was able to wash it off in time. Ms. Starbuck said, “kids may think something like that is funny, but when a child has an allergy, this is like an assault with a deadly weapon.” Another father took to Twitter to recount how his son, who is severely allergic to peanuts, was once “taunted by ‘friends’ with a PB & J sandwich,” who said, “‘let’s see if he dies.’” Bullies are easily able to trigger a life-threatening reaction, as well as cause distress, depression, isolation, and anxiety. Bullying has become very common among children with allergies, however, most children do not tell their parents they are being bullied, even though adult involvement is extremely effective. Dr. Sicherer, a doctor of pediatric allergy and immunology, said “most of the bullying was verbal, as in ‘Ha ha, you can’t eat this,’ but occasionally they would wave the food at the person and threaten them with it, and if they dropped the allergen into the child’s own food, that could cause a serious reaction.” More recently, in the new Peter Rabbit movie, rabbits are seen throwing blackberries at the human, who is allergic to them, which causes him to go into anaphylactic shock. Sony issued an “apology, but parents say the movie illustrates one of the persistent preventable threats to their children’s health: bullies who pick on children because of their food allergies, going beyond verbal taunting to attack them with allergens.” Now, these attack may carry legal repercussions for the bullies, as victims are alerting law enforcement officials and pressing charges. Also, civil lawsuits have been filed against restaurants accused of deliberately inserting allergens into food ordered by customers who made their allergies known when they placed their orders.

Analysis & Opinion: Personally, I believe that there should be laws or rules set in place to prevent this from happening. If not within the government, at least at the schools. Bullies should be punished, and this is a serious threat as allergies can cause someone to die. I think that the fact that this has become so common is a terrible thing, and that even restaurant chains like Panera and Sony Pictures are doing this type of thing. Doing something like this should damage their business, but the truth of the matter is that this is not that well known and people will continue to go to Panera and watch Sony's movies.

Questions:

1. Have you ever personally seen something like this happen? Has this happened to you personally? Either taunting or physically bullying. 
2. What do you think should be done to someone who hurts someone with their allergy? Should it be treated as a criminal offense?
3. Do you think that it is okay for someone to taunt someone with a food allergy? (like saying “haha you can not have this”)
4. What do you think the future holds for an issue like this?

Article Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/well/family/in-allergy-bullying-food-can-hurt.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth

Facebook plans to use U.S. mail to verify IDs of election ad buyers

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Summary: Facebook announced that it will start using postcards sent by U.S. mail to verify the identities and locations of people who want to advertise material which “mentions a specific candidate running for a federal office” on its platform.

This change is in response to the indictment of 13 Russian officials, and 3 Russian companies who supposedly used social media to promote Donald Trump and “denigrate” Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. The postcards will have a “special code” which the advertiser has to return to Facebook, in order for them to have their content displayed on the platform. This method allows Facebook to verify that the advertiser is actually in the US.

Opinion: While I feel like this is a step in the right direction, I am not too confident about how well these changes will deter future election meddling. I feel like if foreigners strongly want to publish election propaganda on Facebook, they can do so by sending people to the U.S., or connecting with people in the U.S., who can access the postcard and get the special code.

Questions:

What are your thoughts? Is this going to work? Are there better alternatives?

Links:

Reuters

The Verge