Do We Care More About Wealth Or Health?

On Tuesday, I went to the doctor for a long list of things all related to preventative healthcare.  I had a physical done, and since I have asthma, that included a chest x-ray.  I also had blood drawn to test my cholesterol, thyroid and glucose levels.  My entire cost for all these procedures?  Zero.  That's right - thanks to measures in the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, I didn't even have my usual co-pay.  The first week's blog asked you what issues you would like to study this quarter, and Obamacare was at the top of the list.  Since this week's post coincided with my doctor's appointment, I thought this would be a great time to blog about the pros and cons of Obamacare.

You might remember not too long ago when the federal government shutdown. The main issue that caused the shutdown was that Republicans insisted any new spending bill include provisions to defund, derail or otherwise chip away at the Affordable Care Act.  You can read my thoughts and your fellow students' comments on the shutdown here: http://historicalandpoliticalissues.blogspot.com/2013/10/america-shutdown.html

The Affordable Care Act requires all Americans to have health insurance.  Republicans feel it hurts employers because it requires companies with over 50 employees to provide health insurance to their employees.  Opponents to the new law also feel it amounts to over-reaching by the federal government – essentially saying it is not the federal government’s job to mandate healthcare for all citizens - hence, the "socialist" label we discussed in class last week.

Democrats say the law will expand access to healthcare and help reign in the rising costs of healthcare coverage.  The Affordable Care Act prevents those with pre-existing medical conditions from being denied health insurance, eliminates co-pays for preventative care, and allows young adults to stay on their parents’ coverage until 26 years of age.  Supporters also say individuals who have health insurance will no longer have to indirectly pay for emergency visits from individuals who aren’t insured.

I grew up in a household that didn't have health insurance.  I've seen first hand what hospitals bills can look like when you're not covered.  However, I've also spent my career in workforce development.  I've also seen first-hand how companies are less likely to hire full-time employees because they don't want to pay the healthcare mandate.  So my question to you this week is, “What do you think of the Affordable Care Act?  Do you support it or oppose it?  What do you think is a solution to the shutdown?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, August 6th, 2014. 

Just for fun, check out this Jimmy Kimble video in which he goes to the street to find out if people support the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare (hint: they’re the same thing). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx2scvIFGjE

And Though She Be But Little - She Is Fierce!

My sister is a high school science teacher, who has a young daughter.  Ever since she had my niece, we’ve both tried to make an effort not to enforce traditional gender stereotypes and to set a good example that women can be whatever they want to be.  So when I came across a video showing the effect social cues can have on a young girl, I knew I not only wanted to share it with my sister, but with all of you as well.

I’ve known for a while now that women are under-represented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) occupations.  I always assumed most women just didn’t tend to gravitate towards those type of occupations.  It never crossed my mind that social cues were playing a role in how women thought about themselves in terms of what they could achieve.  You can watch the video that changed my thought process here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/verizon-ad-tells-parents-to-encourage-girls_n_5526236.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000046&ir=Women  

According to a recent report, “The State of Girls & Women in STEM” conducted by the National Girls Collaborative project, “girls and boys don’t differ in their abilities in math and science, but they do differ in their confidence in math and science related subjects.”  Consider the following statistics I also learned from the report:

·         Males are three times more likely to be interested in STEM college majors and careers.

·         Males make up 53% of the workforce, but 82% of engineering degrees, 82% of computer science degrees, and 81% of physic degrees.

·         Only 1:10 scientists and engineers are minority women.

·         66% of 4^th grade girls say they enjoy math and science, but only 18% major in these fields in college.

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that most STEM occupations make higher wages than their liberal arts counterparts, and individuals in STEM occupations are more likely to climb the corporate ladder and become CEO’s.  Having less women in these occupations make it harder for us to earn comparable wages and promotions.

So my question to you this week is, “What do you think can be done to encourage young girls and women to pursue STEM majors and degrees?  Do you think social cues affect how young women feel about their own abilities?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, July 30^th, 2014.

Choose Your Own Adeventure!

I hope you all enjoyed a nice summer break.  It's always hard coming back to school after break. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching and being surrounded by all the crazy, creative energy that is all of you. That being said, it's still hard to get back into the grind. So for our first blog post, I'll go easy on you.

This week we started our study of the Constitution and the freedoms that make us uniquely American. You can order your own free copy of the United States Constitution from: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/index.cfm?section=bookstore&page=freeCopy.cfm

A good portion of this class will be spent discussing current events and political issues that affect our everyday lives. For this post, I would like you to tell me at least one issue that you are interested in studying. To help you out, you can look over the blog posts that we've had in the past several years to get an idea of the type of things we've covered. Many of the topics are pretty controversial and I do my best to not censor the information available to you.

So my question to you this week is, "What is one issue that you are interested in studying in this class?" Answers are due no later than Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014. I'm looking forward to a great quarter!