Here's an interesting blog post on why people should shop local:
And my response:
I agree with your post in some respects and disagree in others.
I do think that local buisnesses are an important part of what makes Austin unique. Even though i moved here from San Diego a few years ago, i can tell you with certainty that there are no Book People in San Diego. (excuse the pun :)) There is no Salt Lick, no Epochs, no Thundercloud Subs, and no Hula Hut. Local buisnesses are part of what makes Austin different than other cities. (and let me tell you, I miss Ichi-ban from San Diego, too).
That being said...i don't think all big buisness is the enemy. I will concede (easily) that Wal-mart is the posterchild for irresponsible buisness. But what about buisnesses like Costco? Starbucks? Dell? These are companies that are just trying to make a buck; they care about their employees. Costco has the best medical benefits in the retail industry; the company pays for 95% of the costs. It's average wage is also around $17. Is this far less than local buisness? Also, Starbucks has a few things going for it: 1) it's consistency. Whenever you order something in one starbucks, it almost always tastes like the exact same drink in the Starbucks across town. 2) it's cleaner. Epoch is a neat place to hang, but i don't get the same feeling of cleanliness (though you may call it sterility-different strokes, i suppose) than i do at Starbucks.
I do agree that retail jobs pay less than manufacturing, though i don't know if that can entirely attributed to big corporations. It's probably more the fault of the American consumer wanting more junk for cheap. (and if you go to jibjab.com, they do a pretty interesting take on that-all in song, of course) I will say that it is difficult to find anything that is made in the USA anymore-it's all in Korea, Tawain, or China.
I guess what i'm trying to say is that, while some corporations are as bad as you think they are, others aren't. And also, people have a choice whether or not to shop at Barnes and Noble or Book People; personally, i choose whichever has a bigger manga section (which, if the section at Barnes and Noble is any clue, is probably Book People). People have a choice of whether or not to support local buisness or not, and it's up to those buisnesses to give their customers something they can't get at a chain: whether it be friendly service (you'd be suprised at how "happy" some of those people at Wal-Mart can be...yeah right), knowledge about their product, or a superior product, there has to be a reason for someone to shop there-not just because it's a local buisness.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Bigger isn't always better
Apparently Texans aren't so enamoured with the "Everything's Bigger in Texas" philosophy as i'd thought. Sure, Texans like big steaks, like big cars, and like to think of themselves as the biggest state in the US. (only in land size) But where they're not the biggest? On educating thier children. What? That can't be possible? With the state that has UT-Austin, Texas A&M, and Tech? Well, apparently the only things Texans like in small quantities are SAT scores. Texas is an astounding #49 in SAT verbal scores and #46 in SAT math scores. Out of the 50 states in the US. I know some children have difficulty testing, but come on Texas! You're supposed to be the best!
Well, it's ok. I mean, you have the highest amount of people in school. You have the highest amount of schools open. I mean, you have to have the highest amount of people graduating....no, wait. You don't. Texas is ranked #50 out of 50 states for having people over 25 with a high school diploma. (the number is 78.3% of people over 25). Oh well. It's not like that other 21.7% of Texans will actually need that diploma anyway, right? I mean, it's not like it'll effect their ability to get a job, and to earn higher wages. Then again.....maybe having a diploma is a good thing. In reality, high school graduates generally earn almost $15,000 more annually in 2004 than people who haven't graduated from high school. Does $15,000 make a difference? I think so.
Well, take comfort Texans. One thing about your school system has gotten bigger; the amount that people have to pay. The tuition for public universities increased 61.4%. Yes, you now have to pay 1.5 times the money you did before just to go to the same school! It doesn't get any better if you went to a Community College: their tuition went up 51.3%. Well...Texans always say bigger is better...maybe this time, bigger tuition for the same amount of schooling isn't the best thing.
But wait! The higher education is worth the price! Texas has the best colleges in the nation! Well....no. Not really. In reality, UC Berkeley is ranked #1. Where does Texas weigh in? Not until #15. California has three schools in the top 10. (UCSD, UC Berkely, and UCLA). The only ranked colleges? UT-Austin and Texas A&M. (A&M is 24th) So...not only are the colleges more expensive, but only two in the entire state are ranked in the top 100 in the nation? Well, at least they're good values...well, two of them anyway. Rice and Texas A&M make it onto the list. Behind Stanford, Harvard, MIT and CIT. Oh well....at least Texas is consistent.
By this time, if it's not already obvious, something needs to be done about the education system in Texas. The first thing would be to try to get more kids graduating from high school. Even if they never go onto college, having a workforce with at least a high school education is much better than having one with no education at all. Another thing Texas needs to do is to try to get the tuition it's schools charge under control. Having tuition go up over 50% in 4 years isn't just high-it's ludicrious. "But where will the money come from?" you ask? "Why can't they just get by with what they have?" Well....here's an idea. Income Tax. Texas has none. Wait-i know what you're going to say. "You just want to take my hard earned money." Well...yes. And pay for things that go for the common good. Unless you'd rather Texas stay permanantly in the basement with the lowest percentage of people over 25 with high school diplomas. But hey, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Well, it's ok. I mean, you have the highest amount of people in school. You have the highest amount of schools open. I mean, you have to have the highest amount of people graduating....no, wait. You don't. Texas is ranked #50 out of 50 states for having people over 25 with a high school diploma. (the number is 78.3% of people over 25). Oh well. It's not like that other 21.7% of Texans will actually need that diploma anyway, right? I mean, it's not like it'll effect their ability to get a job, and to earn higher wages. Then again.....maybe having a diploma is a good thing. In reality, high school graduates generally earn almost $15,000 more annually in 2004 than people who haven't graduated from high school. Does $15,000 make a difference? I think so.
Well, take comfort Texans. One thing about your school system has gotten bigger; the amount that people have to pay. The tuition for public universities increased 61.4%. Yes, you now have to pay 1.5 times the money you did before just to go to the same school! It doesn't get any better if you went to a Community College: their tuition went up 51.3%. Well...Texans always say bigger is better...maybe this time, bigger tuition for the same amount of schooling isn't the best thing.
But wait! The higher education is worth the price! Texas has the best colleges in the nation! Well....no. Not really. In reality, UC Berkeley is ranked #1. Where does Texas weigh in? Not until #15. California has three schools in the top 10. (UCSD, UC Berkely, and UCLA). The only ranked colleges? UT-Austin and Texas A&M. (A&M is 24th) So...not only are the colleges more expensive, but only two in the entire state are ranked in the top 100 in the nation? Well, at least they're good values...well, two of them anyway. Rice and Texas A&M make it onto the list. Behind Stanford, Harvard, MIT and CIT. Oh well....at least Texas is consistent.
By this time, if it's not already obvious, something needs to be done about the education system in Texas. The first thing would be to try to get more kids graduating from high school. Even if they never go onto college, having a workforce with at least a high school education is much better than having one with no education at all. Another thing Texas needs to do is to try to get the tuition it's schools charge under control. Having tuition go up over 50% in 4 years isn't just high-it's ludicrious. "But where will the money come from?" you ask? "Why can't they just get by with what they have?" Well....here's an idea. Income Tax. Texas has none. Wait-i know what you're going to say. "You just want to take my hard earned money." Well...yes. And pay for things that go for the common good. Unless you'd rather Texas stay permanantly in the basement with the lowest percentage of people over 25 with high school diplomas. But hey, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
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