Washington’s Arguments Against the Slave System

What were Washington’s arguments against the slave system?  Slavery is immoral and undermines people of their work ethic while giving the receivers of this work luxury and ease.  Though the majority of the slaves didn’t loathe their owners, they wanted their freedom back.  They missed being able to choose and think for themselves.  The slave system often kept them from practicing their religious beliefs and from voicing their thoughts and concerns out loud.  Though where housing and living facilities were concerned, the slaves were able to survive and live, not in comfort though.  If there was bedding, it was often just a lump of hay or they’d sleep with the animals in the barn if the outside was  way too chilly.  There was also no way of cooking food, making Washington’s mother think of creative and not so sanitary ways of preparing and cooking food for her children and the other slaves.  Washington believed that slavery was immoral and undermining; it brought egos up and harmony down.  He rejoiced greatly when the fight for the slaves' rights was over.

Monitoring Politicians

Should the group in the legislator’s district that got him elected monitor his votes and recruit someone to run against him in the next primary if he starts voting wrong?  Yes, I believe that the people do have the right to monitor the politician.  After all, they did vote for him to speak for the people and if the politician decides to start voting against what’s best for the people, then the group that voted for him should be able to send in someone to run against him, a person that will make better decisions for the public than what the person before him made.  In conclusion, I believe that the group that voted for the politician should be able to monitor his votes in case he votes against what he promised and, if necessary, recruit someone to run against him if he doesn’t vote on what’s best for the public.

No Police for Politicians

I do not think that a politician has the right to use police force to stop people from filming him at a public meeting.  Because it is a public meeting, everyone should have access to it, so a video reproduction should be perfectly fine.  The police are not some special force for politicians.  They are employed to help enforce the law.  A simple, verbal request is not a law.  Politicians are supposed to be representing the public.  If they are truly doing that, why would they be compelled to use the police force to stop people from recording them?  The only reason they could possibly not want any video recording, is to protect themselves if they say something offensive or contrary to what the people want.  They should not be using the police force to protect their jobs.  They should be using their own words and actions to keep their jobs.  A true public servant has nothing to be afraid of.

Books That Have Impacted My Life

I really enjoy reading books.  Ever since I learned how to read I have been drawn to books and seeing how characters handle situations and change over time.   There are three books that stand out in my mind  that definitely have molded my future.

The first book I ever tried to read on my own was Eragon, by Christopher Paolini.  As I read it, I realized I really love reading fiction.  I enjoyed creating the voices of the characters in my own mind, rather than being limited by the voices my mom would create whenever she read to me.  I could also visualize the characters and plot better because it was like going to the cinema in my mind.  It was all my creation.

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan is probably my all-time favorite series.  The characters have had to deal with heart-breaking and life-threatening situations.  They always seem to come out smiling and happy, although they may be broken on the inside.  They also seem to find some sort of humor in every situation.  They have taught me to be loyal, brave and to face my fears.  They made me learn to accept myself even though I might not be satisfied with how I am at the current moment.  They have taught me to take serious situations more lightly and that I  should never have to grow up too fast.  Even if times are rough, I can always do it with a smile. 

Last but not least, Edgar Allen Poe has given me a love for reading and writing horror.  I think I’m a fairly happy person, but his gruesome, twisted stories fascinated me.  His frighteningly vivid imagery creates much anxiety within my soul, but at the same time it creates an apprehensive anticipation, and I find myself lusting for more.  I never would have supposed I would ever love reading and writing horror when I typically get scared easily.

            I think all three of these pieces have affected my personality and my outlook on life in very different ways.  They have greatly impacted my life.

Volunteers Vs Robin Hood

How could voluntary arrangements solve the problem of taxing the rich to help the poor if the state did not impose the politics of plunder?  When you tax the rich to give to the poor, you take are taking the hard-earned money of the more successful and hard-working people and giving it to the not-so-successful or not-so-hard-working people.  It sounds like a really nice thing to do, but it takes away the freedom of the “rich” to choose whether or not they want to give to the “poor.”  The “rich” would probably give to lots of “poor” people, but they should be free to choose who they want to help.  Very few people are going to just watch others suffer and not do anything to help.  Most people are happy to help when they see others in need.  The government does not have to be the one to take care of everyone because, contrary to “popular belief,” rich people aren’t just stuck-up jerks who want to keep all the money for themselves.

Price Controls

Price controls control people.  The price of goods should be a reflection of their true value.  If the government is controlling the prices to make those goods more “affordable,” the price no longer is a reflection of what it truly costs to produce or its true value.   This results in it seeming like it is a better deal when really it is just a fake “value.”  For example, what if the government put a price control on all shoes?  Say all shoes had to be $20 or less.  All buyers would cheer and rejoice!  Yay!  Cheap shoes!  BUT, the shoe companies, especially high-end shoe manufacturers, would be losing money and probably go out of business.  So, the result could be junky shoes and less jobs because the quality of all shoes would plummet so that the companies could afford to stay in business.  Those companies who cannot or will not lower the quality of their shoes will dwindle and all their employees will be out of work.  This same scenario happens today in oil and gas, buying homes with fake interest rates, education, and so on.  Price controls control people because there is no easy way out of that vicious cycle because a fake value was set.

Helen Keller's Freedom from Prison

Helen Keller began her journey out of her personal prison when a teacher came.  The teacher, Miss Sullivan, would write a word in Helen’s hand and then would give Helen the object she wrote in her hand so that Helen would make the connection that D-O-L-L was a doll, et cetera.  Pretty soon, Helen was ready to learn to talk vocally.  Miss Sullivan would have Helen rest her fingers on the teacher’s mouth to feel the position of her lips and tongue as Miss Sullivan would say a word.  Helen would then try to copy those same movements.  After much hard work, Helen was able to speak, though a lot of the time you could not understand what she was saying; she could talk, nonetheless.  I think it is amazing that a woman who’s blind and deaf could do such amazing feats as learning to speak and sign so quickly!!!  It’s astounding.

Autobiographies and Succintness

Out of the three main parts that make up an autobiography: accuracy, succinctness, and liveliness, I believe that succinctness is the most vital element to an autobiography.  Sure, accuracy is needed because acts are there to support and build the story.  Liveliness keeps the story from being boring and bland.

Succinctness is what keeps the story short, sweet, and to the point.  It’s what keeps the story from being billions of pages long yet paints a better image in your mind.  It’s often used in poetry to create a feel of artistic flare.  It’s what makes the story more unique and creative.  For example, this is a sentence without succinctness: The grass is long, wavy and green; I liked it a lot, and it made me feel good.  First off, this sentence just sounds lame in general…  Let’s spice it up: The luscious, green grass tickled my nose subtly.  See?  Pretty much the same sentence, just in a less amount of words, and a more vivid picture is painted in the reader’s mind.  In conclusion, I believe that out of the three main parts of an autobiography, succinctness is the most important part.  It gives the story more flavor yet keeps the story short, sweet and to the point.