Better Know A District

1. Dick Lugar (R) and Evan Bayh (D)
2. André Carson (D)
3. Glenn Howard (D)
4. Vanessa Summers (D)
5. Summers, Carson, Howard
7. Mitch Daniels (R) Jill Long Thompson (D) Andrew Horning (L)

#1

1. Although I believe that all people are born with equal opportunities to succeed in America, I think it impossible to truly make sure all people are created equal. Every child is born into a different environment. Whether they are born into a single parent or two-parent family, a middle class or a lower class family, or even are a boy or a girl, there is no way that every person will be equal to everyone else. And if it were made to be that way, I wouldn’t think it was right, because forced equality is the definition of communism, the opposite of what this country is supposed to be. I believe that equal opportunity is the only type of equality that suits America because it is the principle that America was founded upon. Being forced to be equal is a restriction of the rights that Americans care so much about. If all children were made to be created equal, then the parents of the children would have lost their right to the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness for many people involves their children’s future, and if they forced to be made equal to other children born at the same time, their hard work would be all for naught and they would consider their pursuit of happiness a failure. Also, the forcing of being created equal removes an important sense of individuality that all Americans feel. An American’s family, history, and unique surroundings are pieces of individuality that I personally don’t want to lose.

Super Size Me!

In the movie Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock effectively communicates the message that eating McDonalds consistently on a regular basis will generally create future health issues such as liver and heart health. However, I don’t believe that McDonalds should be punished for the way their food is prepared. The customer is not obligated to buy McDonalds food, and although the movie leads you to believe that the food has some addictive properties, I think that it comes down to personal responsibility and that people should be held accountable for their decisions and should not be able to blame their misfortune on a company that provides them with food. Now that their nutrition facts are readily available for anyone to see, it puts the responsibility even more on the consumer. This makes it even more important for people to make good decisions about what they are eating, and they will suffer the consequences of their actions if they choose otherwise. I think this is a very important thing to have for a country as free as America. The ability to make your own decisions is an important part of what a free country should be, and when people blame McDonalds for their own decisions, something has gone wrong in our legal system. It disappoints me to know that some Americans seem to be afraid of their own accountability, and I am glad that the ruling in the court case against McDonalds went against the plaintiffs. People know what fast food does to the body, and although Spurlock’s point is well taken, it is clear in my opinion that McDonalds is not at fault for good marketing of their product.

Is American society too competitive?

Competitiveness can be a huge piece of a person’s makeup, and it can sometimes influence a person negatively. However, when I hear competition, I think of it in the terms of a free market. Competition on a large scale is a great thing for the consumers in a nation. The ability to create your own business and have a chance to compete with large chains and other big companies is something that makes this country great.
Competition between businesses is something you don’t have to look hard to find. Recently, I have been observing the prices of pizza between some popular brands and how they are affected by the smaller players. Up until several months ago, Domino’s, Papa Johns, and Pizza Hut all had the price of a large 1 topping pizza for at least $10. Then, Little Caesar’s came on the scene. They offered a large ready-to-go 1 topping pizza for $5. My local Little Caesar’s was packed every night with people buying pizzas by the boatload. Papa Johns and Pizza Hut did not suffer due to their high customer satisfaction. Domino’s however, which had always been the third most successful pizza chain in the area, immediately took a hit. This forced them to lower their prices dramatically; first to $6.99, then to $5.99, then finally to $5. Their sales seemed to recover substantially. Little Caesars, surprised by their success, got a little cocky and raised the price of their pizza to $6. They quickly regretted their decision as the demand for their pizza quickly fell. Papa Johns and Pizza Hut continued to be stable, and Domino’s regained in popularity, but Little Caesars was forced to drop their price back to $5. So now, because of competition, instead of having 3 pizza options for $10 each, I now have 2 for $5 and 2 for $10. The consumer always wins when people compete for their business.
A lack of competition is usually generated by the government, and it also usually hurts the consumer. Take my pizza situation for an example. Put the government in control of the market for pizza. If any competition like Little Caesars would arise, the government would create legislation against the company so there would be no opportunity for competition. This is a bad thing because then there is no incentive for the government to lower prices on any of their goods. Thus the customer loses and there is nothing they can do about it.
However, there are casualties of a free market. Because it is a free market, there is a possibility of failure. Companies can go out of business at any point in time if they can’t compete or run out of money. But this country was founded on the American dream, which gives you the freedom to succeed (or fail) at whatever you want to do. Although business can be cutthroat, it is worth the risk for the vast number of American and foreign consumers.
It is important to have competition in a democratic society like America because of the importance of a free market. The risk of loss of income and possibility of failure are just things that have to be accepted as a piece of a free society and country.