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For your first blog each student is asked to reflect on the community they live, work, and go to school in. To begin this course think about the questions below and post your response. Read the blog requirements below. See the links to help guide your response.
What is the most important social or political issue that impacts you or your community? How did this issue become a problem? Who benefits from this situation, if anyone? How do you suggest our public officials address the problem (local, regional or national representatives)? What could community members do to augment the work of the public officials?
Blog Requirements Post one original post each week along with a response to one student. Your original post should be at least 200 words, your response should be no less than 50 words.
83 Comments
liang zhang
1/29/2015 07:27:54 am
For me , i think the most important social issue is the poor people getting poorer, and the rich people getting richer. for later on , poor people can't even survive in USA. right now everything is getting more expensive. we still getting the same amount of pay. we have more and more people in the state. that will make the rich people keep making more money. another main reason is i think for some people they are just lazy, they don't wanna work at all . that's why they are so poor. they don't have that positive attitude to work. maybe they just like to being lower class. For me i think government should let everyone to go to work. whoever is unemployment, government should sent him to work right way. maybe state need raise the minimum pay, and don't raise the commodity price.
Nafi Watson
1/30/2015 07:22:42 am
i feel like, even if we raise minimum wage the cost of living is going to raise. Even if the gov. allow the unemployment to work, those people who are unemployed still will have to make an effort to want to work. i agree with you on the issues you touched on.
Quantavis Gissentanner
2/4/2015 05:53:04 am
Whats important to me is the education in my community. I feel lilt we should have more up dated books and other things the support our youth in the community. So that they can progress to the next level of education.
Lin Chen
2/5/2015 12:36:04 pm
I agree with you. I also think government should give those homeless people a job. Most of them becomes more and more lazy, because they can get free food ,and get money for not doing any work. If government can support their lives, they will not think about working to support themselves. Thus, giving them a job is good policy.
Shameim Lowther
2/5/2015 12:56:55 pm
I disagree.. The goverment is the reason why people are homeless. Work doesnt solve the problem. Homeless people are not lazy. We are all a check and away from being homeless. People have unforseen paths in life that can change their circumstance dramatically. some people have illness (physical, mental, emotional). Some people have no famly or support system. Some people have drug (medical or illegal) addictions. Some were veterans and have health issues. Some people have the luck of the draw… being sued, loss of license, mortgage, home, bankruptcy, domestic violence, safety-soem people sacrifice themselve to care for oved ones and after death they cant seem to recover in the job market. Some people have kids and childcare costs the same or more than their salary.
Qin Chen
2/5/2015 02:35:58 pm
I do not agree raise the minimum pay to let the poor to have a better live. Actually, raising the minimum pay may will let the money become less value. I think the better way is lower the tax or control the price of necessity of life. However, I do agree lots of homeless should get a job. Lots of them are strong enough to ask people to help them, then they should strong enough to get a job. Then government can help the rest who is real need to help to survive.
Erik Hoffmann
2/5/2015 03:16:30 pm
A lot of homeless people don't have the necessary resources to get a job. Besides for not having a mailing address and basic shelter, many face discrimination because people make assumptions of the way they look or behave or used to behave. It's not as easy as you might think, because I'm pretty sure most homeless people who knew they had the same chance of get a job as someone not homeless they'd definitely seek employment.
Rayvonne Evans
4/29/2015 07:11:35 pm
What you are doing is error of attribution. We don't know why these people are poor and can't get a job. People who work 20 hours a day are still poor. Are those people lazy as well? We live in a system that is designed to be the way that it is. People are not poor by choice. People are poor with no choice. I'm pretty sure no one prefers not to be able to feed themselves, clothe themselves, and have a place to lay their head. We need equal opportunities for everyone. We need the pay wages to be a liable wage and we need to keep the cost of living down.
Hang Nguyen
4/30/2015 12:23:46 pm
I agreed. The gap between rich and poor people is getting bigger and bigger. Since the rich people, either they are in high position or they make good investments, so their money getting up and up. And for some people, with low-paid job and all the kind of fees that we have, their debts like never ends. And for unemployed people, they have the money from the government, they can live by day without have to do anything, so they won't want to do the job anymore
Ha Mac Bach Thien
1/10/2016 11:49:12 am
I agree with you that poverty is one of the biggest problems that America needs to solve. However, the idea of sending every people to work is nearly impossible because if people are lazy, how can the government make them to work? Also, most of the jobs in America are now distributed to other country. I mean, for example, Apple have ninety percent of the products made in China and sent back to our country to do the final step. Therefore, it would be hard to find a job now.
huimin huang
1/29/2015 08:49:12 am
I think now the social issuei that mpacts me or my community is security problems. In my community there are too many robberies and shootings, which can affect the safety and life of residents in our community, people afraid to go on the streets at night alone or afraid to go on the streets. because the lack of safety, people will have to leave the community, because most people will leave so that our community may become backwardness and poverty. No one would benefit from such a situation like that. We should let everyone learn not to hurt others to get benefits. Everyone should have high educations in order to understand how to help themselves and their community, rather than robbery and murder to get what they want and make the community go down. Also in firearms management should be improved.
Maurice Ainsworth
1/30/2015 05:48:15 am
I too find security an issue, Five years ago, my neighbor got shot at 1pm in the afternoon, after that, there was at least two shootings per month in a two block radius of where I live. The shootings stop and the burglaries start. A lady that was walking down the street got randomly stabbed just before the holidays. She wasn't robbed, just stabbed. safety is always a concern. This is because the only thing one can do, is take matters in their own hands, and that will propose a problem.
liang zhang
2/3/2015 07:34:29 am
i totally agree with you, i feel the exactly same way as you. Specially in oakland, everyone pretty go back there home after 7 or 8 pm. everytime they wanna go out have time. iam not gonna say everytime, most time they will go to alameda or SFO. cause in oakland just not a safe place to hang out. one of the most effective soultation is education. Goverment should lower the school price. so
liang zhang
2/3/2015 07:45:59 am
so everyone can afford to go to school. in school we are not just learn the knowledge, also we can learn the skills, and how to be a resbonsible person.
Ha Mac Bach Thien
1/10/2016 11:57:28 am
I totally agree with you. Four months ago I saw a man shot to death in front of the house I am renting. I was so scared because I used to live in Vietnam before I came here to study, and in Vietnam people do not allowed to buy gun. I have never been robbed but I actually have heard about many robberies around my place. Whereas in Vietnam I could hang out at night without any fear, I was told to not go out alone at night by the landlord. The government should find a way to reduce the risk of dangerous situation so that people do not have to live in fear any more.
Ha Rin Yoon
1/29/2015 11:35:10 am
I think racism is the most talked about issue in my society. I know there is a big dispute between African Americans and Caucasians right now but I feel like a lot of people are forgetting about what Asians experience with racism. Asians are mistreated everyday because we are “loud, ill-mannered, and do not know English.” Some people already conclude that we cannot speak English from the moment they see us. Maybe people have encountered Asians who really cannot speak English and were rude to them, but I do not think it is fair to treat everyone rudely just because of few incidents. The government can raise awareness about racism against Asians just like how they are doing with African Americans. I know there are few different organizations trying to raise awareness by having Asian American Awareness month and events around the country but I still think it is not enough to get higher government’s attentions. I am aware that San Francisco just recently started reaching out to Chinese Americans in Chinatown to participate in voting for district officials and have succeeded to gather some votes from the area. Jane Kim, who is the supervisor of the board for district 6, was one of the first person to reach out to them and asked for votes when everyone else was skeptical that they will pay any attention to her or the event. But after a surprising number of votes gathered from Chinatown, the office now decided to attract more attention from the Asian American community. I think if we were reached out by the government more, Asians Americans will be able to show more enthusiasm to the current issues and raise more awareness in the future.
Michael Waller
1/29/2015 02:23:11 pm
I think you make very interesting point here. I am always interested in other people's interpretations and experiences. We get so consumed in our own lives and our own problems that we often lose sight of the reality that there are other people who have similar experiences. If we all come realize that there are so many more similarities then we give credit for then as humans we would interact with much more harmony. Although, specific experiences are different, we all go through different styles of racism the effect is the same. Most of us can relate in that sense, and because we can relate we can connect.
Jacob Bandel
1/29/2015 11:49:51 am
The social issue that impacts me and the community is lack of public security (the police force). In the community there are way too many armed robberies, which seriously affect the safety and life of residents in this city. I am honestly afraid to go on the streets at night alone after classes, or coming back from my friends house.The lack of safety due to the lack of patrol officers people will abandon the community.Most people will leave so that they won't have to subjugate their kids to walking the streets in fear. No one would benefit from such a situation like that, Because the area is and will get a bad reputation. We really treat cops with more respect, and encourage people to join the force instead of deterring them. Everyone should have a high educations in order to actually join the police so maybe people could attempt to get an education rather than robbery someones house for goods, and in all honest firearms should be management much better to at attempt to keep them off the streets.
Michael Waller
1/29/2015 01:51:15 pm
The most important social and political issue that we have in our community has been one that we have been working on for years and has recently been re-sparked by the shootings that have occurred in the last four or five years, where police have killed black men. This issue so important because it is an issue that we have been trying to conquer for the history of this country, and really the World. The idea of a powerful people and a weak people, a civilized and uncivilized is once again bringing us to what I hope will be a turning point. In many ways things are far better now than before, we have made a lot of growth in terms of diversity and such; but these barriers, the figurative castle walls that define a person as strong or weak are hurting humanity. Unfortunately I am not sure that this world will ever reach a place that we no longer view power as we do but I believe that we are soon to see a movement in history similar to the one we saw in the time of the civil rights movement. The oppressed are beginning to see that they have power in numbers and if they can organize, they will create a shift. The community needs to continue to gather and grow so they we can educate the oppressors to the beauty that the people actually possess. That beauty, in my opinion, is where true power resides. I don’t believe that our current government will be able to resolve the problem but as we continue to get educated we can continue to put ourselves in positions in which we can create our own change. The generation that we are part of is one that carries much more tolerance then ever before; we just need to break down the barrors and carry this tolerance in to our everyday lives, our business, and into our police and government. There are no fast responses to this issue and I am sure that it will continue as long as I live but I hope to be a part of one of those movements that creates the mold for society to continue peacefully and comfortably, a movement like the one Ghandi lead, or Martin Luther King, a movement that alters history. I write without speaking of a direct race or people because the problem is really bigger than a black and white thing, it’s about a powerful and powerless.
Angela Tam
1/29/2015 03:54:55 pm
I think you make a powerful statement here. You said, "The idea of a powerful people and a weak people, a civilized and uncivilized is once again bringing us to what I hope will be a turning point". I couldn't agree more. I think I am starting to realize now, more than ever, that police have way too much power. The power to get away with horrendous acts of violence and use force when force isn't needed. Someone I knew was recently in an altercation with the cops. Basically he was being very cooperative and doing everything the officers said to do and the officers still applied force when approaching him and which cuffing him. He ended up being wrongfully accused and no charges were placed, but they treated him like he was an armed and violent person when he was being nothing but cooperative. I know there is so much going on right now with the "black lives matter" movement. But I definitely think, "all lives matter" and this guy was an Asian guy. I think that there needs to be more pressure put on police officers to be accountable for their actions. I think cops are a great asset in our communities, but there should be just as much repercutions for officers as there are civilians.
Thomas Baire
1/29/2015 02:14:14 pm
There is a huge social issue with starting and maintaining a small business in todays economy. Working at a local cafe for the past two years has really opened my eyes to how difficult it is to open up your own small business. From the mountain of expenses, to the high taxes its close to impossible to start a simple mom and pop shop. This in turn is demoralizing the people by closing a lot of small business and making people go to big corporation owned stores.
Michael Waller
1/29/2015 02:30:03 pm
Thanks for bringing this topic up, it is not an issue that I am familiar with but thoroughly interested in. I hope we can look more into this topic while we study during this semester.
Huimin Huang
1/31/2015 08:24:13 am
i agree.the goverment should lower the taxes or do something to encourage people who wants to open a small business.
Yvette Castillo
1/29/2015 02:24:38 pm
One out of the many social and political issue that impacts the community is lack of safety and the minimum wage. Many people including me dose not feel safe walking around running daily errands because we feel like if we are going to get shot or murdered because of the many violent cases that there has been in Oakland. People getting shot for no reason and robbed. And i "think" that this happens mostly in urban areas and due to minimum wage jobs, people don't have the sufficient needs to survive. To prevent some of these things we need a lot more supervision for the safety of the community, better education in the urban areas because that should be a birth right and also the minimum wage should increase and that will also help a lot of families to have their needs met, as well as improvement in the community.
Emerson Lovato
1/29/2015 04:52:35 pm
I agree with you, I don't feel safe in my neighborhood and most of the time I feel like something bad can happen at any time. The amount of violence that affects our community is tied up to our education system because the youth feel like they can't make it anymore so they decide to take a different path which ends up being the path of a criminal. We need to make sure our educational system improves and once again help out the youth to ensure that they stay in the right path and this will bring down the amount of crime and violence in the community.
Bolortsetseg Jargalsaikhan
1/29/2015 05:06:57 pm
Hi, Yvette.
jeremiah
1/30/2015 03:38:21 pm
I agree with yvette if minimum wage increases and programs and grants are given to low income residents we will see violence ,robberies etc reduced in the urban community
A.J. Roderos
1/29/2015 03:15:11 pm
In my opinion, the most important social issue in my community is the cost of living. According to statistics, the cost of living in my city is 22.7% greater than the California average and 63.7% higher than the national average. Additionally, the cost of living index of California is marked at 133.6, which is definitely higher than the country’s average at 100. This became an issue due to the fact that any area by the water is generally more expensive to live in, especially if that area possesses an urban environment. My city, specifically, is an island which offers a family-friendly environment and an estimated number of 3,000 Victorian-style homes. Originally, the development of my city started with the railroads in the 1880’s, which was followed by a housing boom in the 1890’s. With the development of Neptune Beach in early 1900’s, it was no surprise that my community became a suburb and offered a lot of attraction at one point. With these historic moments, it is not a surprise that the cost of living, in a community like this, continued to rise. Ultimately, no one benefits from this issue. As one of our options, our public officials can raise the minimum wage to address this issue. Currently, the minimum wage, effective as of Jan 2016, will be increased to $10 per hour. This may not address the issue as a whole, but it is a start. Community members can only augment the work of public officials by not voting on propositions such as Prop 13 that has affected the cost of living in California. Prop 30 has only alleviated some of the damage that Prop 13 has done. Yet again, it is a start to resolve this social issue.
Angela Tam
1/29/2015 03:42:44 pm
The social issue that I feel is impacting my community right now is the recent surge in the cost of rent in Alameda. I moved from Alameda to North Carolina back in 2008 and the average cost to rent a 1 bedroom in Alameda was about $800-$1000 per month. My husband recently retired from the Marine Corps and we decided to come back to our hometown, Alameda. We were shocked to find that sales tax had increased to nearly 10% and the cost for 1 bedroom was averaging $1500 - $2000. With two kids now, we would need a 2 bedroom and the cost for that is anywhere from $2000 - $4000 per month. Alameda used to be a place that was touted as being economically diverse. But with rent this high, I feel we are definitely pushing out the middle and lower class income. I don't know how much longer we can afford to live in Alameda, especially since there is no rent control here. We were home owners in North Carolina, and we understand that a home isn't cheap. There is the mortgage and taxes, not to mention, maintenance. But I feel that the rent is inflating because there is definitely a desire to live in Alameda and homeowners are banking on it. I have talked to some home owners and they say that there is pressure to charge more because property tax has been increasing by leaps in Alameda. So as taxes increase their rent needs to increase to offset the costs. Right now there is much talk at city hall about possible rent control being established. Alameda has functioned with no rent control for many years, happily. But with these town hall meetings, it is looking like rent control may need to be established. I do hope that homeowners and renters can come to some sort of middle ground before our economically diverse city becomes an upper class income only city. My husband and I both grew up in Alameda, and it's a shame that we can barely afford to come back to where we consider home.
Erkhes Bat-erdene
1/29/2015 04:05:15 pm
This is an issue I very much resonate with. Me and my family are of low-middle class and the recent surge of rent within the past few years have been very harsh on us. I would like to see the rent in Alameda become cheaper, but I am dubious about it. It would be nice to have rent control and help stabilize the cost of rent in Alameda.
Dongho Kim
1/29/2015 04:59:49 pm
I was very surprised about how much the cost of rent has increased since 10 years ago when my family and I moved to Alameda. I told many people who I've met from work, church, and other places how Alameda is such a nice and safe place to live. Some of the people actually considered to move to Alameda, but the cost of rent was more than they could afford, so they decided to move to somewhere else with cheaper rent. Cost of rent for my apartment also raised since last year which I was not very happy with.
Kristina
1/30/2015 07:33:39 am
I come from a single parent household, and growing up it was hard for my mom and I to live in Alameda. The rent was extremely expensive for the size of the apartment that we had. We just recently moved out of Alameda and the rent other places is so much easier to deal with. Rent control would definitely make things easier.
Erkhes Bat-erdene
1/29/2015 04:00:54 pm
This is a may sound far-fetched, but I believe that a political issue plaguing much of our communities is the monopoly placed on internet. In California, there are 3 major internet (and television) providers: AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable. In the Bay Area, AT&T and Comcast hold a complete monopoly on the distribution of internet. This is a major problem in a capitalistic country like the United States because competition drives the market for both the consumers and producers. The more competition there is in the specific market, the lower the prices of services and products, and more willingness to improve the services and products by the competitors. But the opposite is also true: the less competition there is in the market, the higher the prices of services and products, and less willingness of the competitors to improve their services and products. With internet becoming so prevalent and important in our society, to the point where almost every modern household is required to have one, such a monopoly places a huge strain on our communities with high prices and less-than stellar services. I believe that a solution that both our public officials and our community members could do is to help smaller companies in the market rise to be able to stand toe-to-toe with these two giants, and make sure that these companies do not gain even more power in the market by overshadowing and consuming the smaller and newer companies. Another solution could also be to help another giant from a different area establish themselves so that there is more competition.
LENA COLETTO
2/6/2015 01:14:46 pm
What you're saying is not far fetched at all. When you say monopoly of internet, look beyond that to the bigger picture of monopoly in general. It's not just the internet, it's everywhere in everything we consume. We think we are buying one thing from a certain brand but it turns out that brand is owned by nestle. Our whole structure of life is being run and controlled by large umbrella corporations who are profiting from us the consumers.
Emerson Lovato
1/29/2015 04:45:48 pm
I think that the most important political in my community is the immigration problem because it affects most people I know in my community and it also affects myself as well. This issue has been a problem for decades but it has scaled into a major problem in the past 10 to 15 years. It scaled because of all the criminal organizations and violence affecting Latin American countries so people decide to leave their countries to find a place where they can live peacefully and maintain an economic stability. So far only a few people have benefited from new immigration laws like the Dream Act and now the Executive Law but there's still millions waiting for an opportunity to ensure that they will never be sent back to their countries. I suggest that public officials come up with a plan to ensure that hard working, non-violent people don't get deported because they left their countries for a reason. As a student, I believe officials need to come up with something bigger than the Dream Act because even though it has given us some help there are still a lot of barriers holding back students like myself. Community members should make plan of action to push officials or to make them realize how important it is for us to feel safe and to get more support from the federal government especially college students who would love to get federal grants but unfortunately can't. It's frustrating because there are many people who don't take advantage of the opportunity and there's so many of us who would do anything to receive an opportunity but it hasn't happened yet. Hopefully in the near future officials will decide to make this a reality.
jorge ferrer
1/30/2015 09:39:45 am
i agree with emerson because most immigrants that come from mexico run away due to the violence that carteles creates because of organized crime. i can also relate to this because i was brought to the US as a kid not because my family or i wanted to but it was because my mom basically ran away from my father because he wanted to take me away from her. we immigrate for our safety.
Dongho Kim
1/29/2015 04:50:12 pm
The most important social issue which impacts me would be the minimum wage campaign. I used to get paid minimum wage too at my work until I got a raise after working one year. I worked at a Korean restaurant in Berkeley and felt that minimum wage pay was way too small compare to how much I work every day. I believe that the amount of works that some owners give to the employees are too much compare to how much they get paid. Many employees who I know are working in harsh conditions and get treated very bad and unfairly but they only get paid minimum wage. Only people getting benefited by this are the employers who treats their employees unfairly. Many Employers take advantage of their employees when they only pay them with minimum wage. I would suggest that public officials to find out about those many different unfair working conditions and consider to raise the minimum wage for every workers. Community members could write letters to the public officials about their experiences and opinions about how it is unfair for many employees to get paid minimum wage. I actually heard that the minimum wage in Oakland area are going to raise this year which is a great news for many employees.
Bolortsetseg Jargalsaikhan
1/29/2015 04:58:37 pm
The most important social issue that impacts my community would be racism right now. Since the shooting of teenager Ferguson happened, the people around the Oakland have been on protests which is kind of hurting the neighbors around the city and in it as well. I won't take a side on whose fault it is when it comes down to the case because I don't know the facts about the case. If you believe that polices are responsible, go and show them how you feel professionally, don’t hurt innocents/businesses doing so. If the things don't work out, respond to higher people/power to be heard, to make them see what is wrong and right.
Harin Yoon
2/2/2015 04:13:43 pm
I agree with you on protesters protesting the right way. I have seen many businesses and even just regular pedestrians getting hurt because of this violent protests. I really wish people can see that peaceful protests are more effective and safe.
Maurice Ainsworth
1/30/2015 05:28:23 am
Gentrification is the most important political issue that I am confronted with in my community, It's economic racism fueled by entitlement.I realize that there are a few things that happened before gentrification; the loan game, foreclosures, people walking away from their homes because they couldn't make the balloon payments. However, predatory lending, and lack of knowledge on behalf of homeowners is the main cause. It appears as though it was a plan that has finally come to fruition. Older Black folk have maintained home ownership. The crack epidemic made dope fiends out of those who would inherit property. The loan game comes along and people who are ignorant to economics, borrow money on house to buy car, all the while, not understanding ARM Loans. When balloon payment comes along, they can't make payment. House then goes into foreclosure, and the tech kids form LLC's and start buying up houses once owned by Black families. They then sell to other white people at an inflated price because they can. And all of a sudden the market has turned and Black people can't afford to rent or buy in what was once their community, Then to make matters worse, you have all of these entitled ass people as neighbors looking down at you because you have melanin. And all the while the City of Oakland, State of California, and they United States Governments allow Authorizes this to happen in the name of establishing wealth inequality.
Kristina Wilkinson
1/30/2015 07:27:52 am
For me, I feel that one of the most important issues that impacts my community is health care. So many people are effected by serious health issues. A lot of those people do not have the coverage or insurance to help them pay for the necessary medication and treatments that they need to survive. Or the insurance companies charge ridiculous amounts to be covered. If people who had jobs before they became ill had jobs that had health insurance and are no longer able to work due to illness than after a year, the insurance company does not have to cover that person anymore. I think that a solution to this issue is to cover these people. If a person becomes ill than the insurance company should continue to cover that person throughout the treatment or whatever health issue the person has.
Shameim Lowther
4/6/2015 01:12:09 pm
I agree, however the government, medical, and prescription intention industry isn’t in saving lives; Its all intertwined with the federal drug administration meant to generate money through cures, illnesses, and lack of wherewithal to have preventative care-such as regular checkups, and advertising health lifestyles.
Nafi Watosn
1/30/2015 08:01:32 am
The political issue that I would like to talk is the Educational system. The government is spending so much money on the war for example that there isn't enough money going towards schools supplies for the youth. I wonder why they preach that education is important but they aren’t giving the students the opportunities to get a “great” education. This impacts our community because the students are dropping out of school and ending up on the streets. Racism plays a huge part in this issue because kids of color get discriminated against because, the teachers feel threated by the students due to the stereotypes that have been installed into their minds. I feel like the students are not paying attention due to what has to be taught in the schools. A lot of what is taught is not interesting to them. The solution to this problem is to teach the real history of the United States, and not sugar coat anything that happened in the past. Also encourage our youth to want to be something different in their lives. Be a positive role model for them and hopefully they would continue on with the next generation.
Yvette Castillo
1/30/2015 09:22:17 am
I totally agree with Nafi Watosn, there should be improvement with the education system. In order to guide future generations to improve our community there has to be excellent & real education taught to students (not just sugar coat everything) like Nafi said. And specially to give the community the awareness of resources and connections so that there is education advantage for the lower class people because there isnt really any of this in urban area schools and thats why when students start college they are not fully prepared. to prevent and improve student education, there needs to be alot of support for the education branch or system and knowledgeable teachers. this can also prevent violence and keeping people out the streets by focusing on their education.
jorge ferrer
1/30/2015 09:30:38 am
I grew up in the streets of Oakland CA so what impacts my community the most is the gang activity that occurs for example young kids joining gangs. Kids that have no one to look up too, for example a father image or just someone to call family if they can’t find that nowhere but can find “family” within a gang they are likely to join it. Gangs offer the chance to make you feel as if you belong to something, every single person in that gang has so many things in common which is why they belong to that gang and that feeling makes people feel close. I feel if kids don’t have that support at home they should have some support within the school system. If a child is seeking for guidance then what better place to start with a good learning system cause many schools in Oakland seem to fail in that department. Staff seem not to care about students. One solution to this problem i would say could be a better educational system where schools help students pass or graduate and attend college.
Luna Flores
2/4/2015 03:17:02 pm
I feel when gangs were a big issue at my high school those who were in them were lost when it came to what they wanted to do with their lives. Many students just looked for people they could relate to and feel safe with when their homes weren’t the best place for them. Something that my school did was create this program called homies empowerment and it allowed for a safe place for gang members and it worked as a teaching program were the students got to learn about their heritage, students were mainly just chicanos. Not only was it based at school but there was a following program meeting once a week at the Y center on Oakland were rival gangs would come together and cook and eat with one another, although it was a working progress it did make a difference. Eventually the program was not funded because the authorities on campuses only saw it as a gathering of gang members and nothing more.
Hang Nguyen (Evelyn)
1/30/2015 02:16:05 pm
Well to me, the social issue that I concern the most right now is the way people tend to judge other people’s personalities unfairly based on the community situations. I know that in Oakland there are many big problems going like robberies and shootings, etc… and it is understandable that people are afraid of coming to this city. But that does not necessarily mean that each and every person who comes from Oakland are all bad! Just because of all the horrible things about African-Americans you heard on TV that every time you go out and see a black men in Oakland, you will turn your back and run away? To me that is not nice to treat people rudely when you don’t even know about them. I have some friends in Oakland who are studying at Laney College, 2 of them are black, and honesty to me, they are even nicer than white people. They are amazing just the way they originally are. And yet most people don’t want to get near them because of all the bad things are going on in this city.
Jeremiah owens
1/30/2015 03:28:36 pm
I think violence and poverty correlate with each other its a domino effect For example if i dont have something the mindset is im going to take from you the results of that is robberies In oakland and im sure other places we dont have no guidence and people feel lost I think we need mentors who is successful and who is not afraid to come back to the community and let the youth know i was just like you but this is how i did it and im willing and able to show you how its done and traveling would be good also for youth to see other parts of the world and they can become mentors in there communities i dont think it would completly fix the problem but it would help
Tory Burleson
1/31/2015 04:13:39 am
I completely agree with you, we need to understand why all the crimes are being committed. Not all people who are committing these crimes are bad people, to some, stealing purse/backpack could be finding means to get by for the next day/week. The way our society is built leads people to want what they do not have but even less than that there are people who are barely surviving in our own city so when an opportunity arises to get things that they don't have then they take advantage of that.
Fode Cheick Toure
2/2/2015 03:54:15 am
I also agree with you. Violence and poverty are two different things that fit perfectly within the same bowl. Some people have tendency to sort of forget about that. The poorer the people, the violent they become. I think everyone should be aware of that.
Heidi R
2/4/2015 03:54:00 am
I could not agree more with your post. Most violent acts I am aware of somehow always have to do with teenagers selling drugs, gang affiliations, home invasions. It is for the most part the youth in our communities becoming involved with the violence in our communities. I do understand they are not the main ones, however they are a big part of the violence in our communities. I have always thought that it is because these kids may not have an idea of how the world is outside of what they are used to. Traveling the world and being exposed to new experiences, and gaining knowledge would definitely open many minds.
Tory Burleson
1/31/2015 03:47:15 am
I feel a huge problem that we have in our community is the idea that we live in a colorblind society. The fact that we are told that race no longer matters in the U.S. is just a false shield to hide the fact that this country was built off of racist acts. We are told that everyone has upward mobility no matter where you come from or what color your skin is and that is backed up by black exceptions such as Oprah/ Obama and the idea that if they made it so can anyone else. This idea somehow covers up the fact that this country has major racial issues/ inequalities. Living in the bay area is like living in a bubble of acceptance but knowing it isn't like that in other states or even in other parts of our state is unsettling. I think a way to change this is to be able to talk about race and face the fact that it is there, to talk about things that are going to make people feel uncomfortable such as white privilege but talk through it and come to an understanding because we cannot continue to ignore it and act like its not there.
Anqi Sun
2/1/2015 03:11:51 pm
As an immigrant who has lived in the United States for almost four and a half years, I believe that one of the most important issue that the society in our society is the problem of poverty. Since the crisis of economic started in the United States 4 years ago, many people were suffered in the low salary and the unacceptable high expense in every part of our life. If you have a habit of going for some shopping at the Costco, you will realize that you will have to spend at least 120 dollars on your shopping list when you arrive at home and that is just one part of our cost in our daily life. As the people who live in this different countries, our life are also affected by many other expensive cost in our life such as the charges on credit card, payment on credit card car insurance and other kinds of bills. When you struggled for a whole month, you will realize that you always have a bunch of money but you only have very few money to save in your wallet. But despite this, many employers refuse to add the minimum wage for its employees. We are now able to earn more, but we still it is not enough for us. Someone may argue that the government has just adjusted the standards about the lowest salary and indeed some people are now able to earn a little more salaries when they used to earn, but still the gap between the rich people and poor people is still huge. In order to deal with the problem, I believe that the government must do something to decrease the cost of its people and also provide more opportunity for those who are struggling for jobs.
Fode Cheick Toure
2/2/2015 02:45:42 am
FODE CHEICK TOURE 2/2/2015 12:19:14 pm
The social political issue that I see having a catastrophic effect on the human race is drugs and alcohol abuse. This epidemic has been effecting humans pretty much all of human existence. Cocaine, meth ,heroine, prescription drugs, and alcohol are direct as well as indirect causes of crime, violence, sexual abuse and self destruction. The distribution of class A drugs directly fund illegal organizations such as the Mafia, drug cartels, and gangs. Each of these organizations use death and violence as a means to an end; therefore by purchasing illegal substances and narcotics helps to run these evil, inhumane organizations and perpetuate death and torture. Gang related crime isn't the only crime linked to drugs; Crime rate for drug addicts is high. According to the bureau of justice statistics a study in 2004 revealed that "17% of state prisoners and 18% of federal inmates said they committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs". The crime and violence of drug use continue to trickle down. Another group of people who benefit from drugs are police officers, prisons/workers/wardens/guards..etc. If there was no crime in the world then there would be empty prisons and no jobs for police. Drugs are a vital factor in reinforcing the hierarchy of our society and keeping certain individuals separated from others. Legal benefactors consist of large corporations that legally produce "prescription" drugs as well as large corporations that legally produce and sell alcohol. People who do not benefit from drug use, the family household. Drugs and alcohol cause violence on the streets and in the home. Domestic abuse creates physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Children who watch drug abuse or come from broken homes are more apt to repeat the behavior. These lost children often run to the streets in search of families such as gangs, or prostitution is very common for young women runaways, since women are more susceptible to sexual abuse. Prostitutes are often drug addicts to escape from the suffering of everyday life. So drugs and alcohol abuse create a self perpetuating cycle. I think a good start to this issue is to make alcohol illegal, bring back the temperance movement.
Jazmyn Brown
2/4/2015 03:40:51 am
Sexual exploitation is an issue that has greatly affected my community for as long as I can remember. Although there are many different definitions for the issue, the under lying meaning is a sexual act or acts performed by someone as a result of force, fraud, coercion or the need to have a basic need (food, clothing, housing) met. Sexual exploitation can come in many forms from an adult woman or underage girl standing on the corner to perform sexual acts for money or the exchange of a basic need to what some would call a more sophisticated form of women/ young girls posting ads on the internet or newspaper to solicit sex in order to have these needs met. Some may refer to it as prostitution but I do not agree. The definition of prostitution is someone selling their body for financial gain, something like a career choice. For the victims of sexual exploitation nothing is by choice. Whether it is a pimp or trafficker physically forcing or threatening them to perform these sexual acts or if it is a lack of resources or income forcing them to take action to provide for themselves (and sometimes their children as well), the individuals that fall victim to this issue are doing what they feel is the only option they have to survive. I think the first step to addressing this issue is to create more resources and employment opportunities to people in poverty as they are the most likely and vulnerable to fall victim. More free or affordable food and clothing drives to meet the needs of those in poverty, more opportunities for the uneducated and inexperienced to obtain work (after all how can you gain experience with no experience?) and more affordable housing resources I think would drastically decrease the number of sexually exploited individuals there are today. But then you must tackle the percentage of the population that are being exploited by another party (those who are physically forced or coerced). I think a major solution to this could be specifically going after the perpetrators (the buyers and the sellers) increase the punishment for these crimes by adding more incarceration time to a sentence for any sexual exploitation crime related conviction. Also making the offenders lifelong registered sex offenders - which is already beginning to happen- I believe would begin to resolve the problem as well. But the perpetrators need to be addressed in a different way as well to obtain a permanent solution to the issue. Wrap around services for after completing their incarceration or probation sentence- or during. Mental health and education- maybe the buyers are unaware of the physical, mental and emotional trauma the victims experience as a result of being sexually exploited. Maybe the pimps, traffickers and exploiters have child hood trauma and mental health issues that have caused them to be desensitized to another human beings physical and emotional well-being that need to be addressed. All these issues, I believe have the potential for a solution if public officials and national representatives were to advocate for a change in the way services are delivered to current and former incarcerated individuals. The community as a whole working, volunteering and donating more to help these individuals meet their needs and to connect them to resources that can provide stability and self-sufficiency.
Heidi R
2/4/2015 03:47:44 am
There are many social issues that are linked with each other making one single issue harder to resolve. For example, whether you are “white” “black” “brown” or “purple” if you come from a low income family you are already in a bad situation. Now maybe you are brown like me and on top of that you come from a low income family with no papers, no education, matters are worse. The stress to be better than your own family is real because you come from nothing, and your parents immigrated just to give you a better life. You are the one who has to accomplish “The American dream”, trying your hardest but at the end of the day you are still unsure of whether or not it will become realized or not. This issue of coming from a low income are, with immigrant parents from little to no knowledge makes it that much harder for people like me to succeed. In order to resolve this issue we need more mentors, we have some programs such as College Track, but we need more actually talking and motivating students since the beginning of their high school years to inspire them and help them visualize a dream that could come true for them. For most kids in our communities it is harder for them to visualize the world outside of their own, and that is what an assigned mentor for at least once a week can do for a kid who does not have someone to let them know better. Individually we can all make changes as community college students making a small sacrifice and getting involved in our local high schools.
Jazmyn Brown
2/4/2015 09:38:49 am
I learned a lot from reading this post. I don't think people realize or even try to stop and think about the complex issues that many families in America who have come from other countries face. Not only do they face discrimination and criticism for being different, but it seems like they also have to work twice as hard just to prove that they can live and be successful by America's standards. So not only do they have to prove them selves as 'worthy Americans" (a task that those born in this country- regardless of work ethic or character- do not have to do) they also have the burden of ensuring a better quality of life for not only them but their families.
Raynard Anderson
2/4/2015 01:32:16 pm
its sad that such a burden is put on kids who immigrate from a different country and how all the cards in general are stacked against kids from impoverished areas who are literally trying to make a miracle happen with no leg to stand on and it only makes it that much harder when you have the distractions of popular culture such as drugs, violence, and sex which only makes it that much harder to stay focused on your goal and then you cant help but think that if you fail you will be the constant reminder to your parents that all the pain and hardship they endured for nothing which will guarantee that they will live there rest of there life with a void of what if or I feel like i was meant for so much more so i agree with you schools should definitely offer motivational counselors so that impoverished kids have someone to keep them on track and future to look forward to.
Raynard Anderson
2/4/2015 01:05:15 pm
I think that the most important political issue that affects me and my community is taxing the rich or lack of adequate taxes on the rich, because while people are starving making minimum wage which is not even enough to live off of the rich are lining there pockets with more money than they no what to do with. in the 1950s when our country and economy was at its peek the rich were taxed 52% and raised to 70% throughout the 1960s and 70s, but this was all undone during the reagan administration and because of that we are now at a low 39.6 % which doesnt do much to help the economy. Do any of you know who the walton family is if so then your well aware that they are literally the richest family in the world and owners of the corporation walmart their net worth is 144.7 billion dollars now I'm not trying to take there legacy and torch it down but there employees make $8.81 an hour on average if they work 34 hours a week they would make around $15,576 a year that puts them significantly below the federal poverty line of $22,050 so to make up for that couple thousand they seek out part of the 2.2 billion our government spends on public assistance a year so that's roughly $5,815 per worker which puts them at $21,391 still $659 below the federal poverty line. now you might think this is not my problem well the Walton family currently employs roughly 3.8% percent of the american population which is about 1.2 million employees out of the 316.1 million americans by bumping up there hourly wages to $11.33 which is literally pennys to the dollar in what the waltons they would literally change the economy as whole, since now an employee that works 40 hours a week would make $23,566 year which therefore puts them over the poverty line and no longer forces them to seek public assistance which means less taxes and more money in everyone pocket which is amazing for the economy. but the Walton's continue to collect money hand over fist while there employees continue to struggle to make ends meat which is why until they start to begin to care about the everyday mom and pops that make there dreams a reality they need to be taxed more heavily or i see us going down the road of countries like china who have high poverty rates and also some of the richest people in the world because our governments safety net can only hold so much before it breaks.
Luna Flores
2/4/2015 03:04:51 pm
The most important social issue the impacts my community is the lack of students graduating from high school due to them not finding motivation or seeing the importance of pursuing a higher education. This became an issue when students would get in trouble for things and take it to the extreme of suspension or expulsion. Students also begin to lose interest and don’t se themselves in college. As a community I think that seeing alumni that are doing well in college and are doing great things should go back to their high school to show a students perspective on college. This will show students who come from right where those high school students are coming from and not seeing people they can relate to.
Erik Hoffmann
2/5/2015 08:38:00 am
I feel a very important issue in society today is education. Not enough money is going into education and too much of it is going into prisons. This puts educating people as less important than locking people up, when educating people would make less of a need for prisons due to a smarter population. Since the prison system is a giant business, it makes sense that they would push for a way to keep "clients" coming, so might as well take the money from schools. It saddens me that the state of California would do such a thing but there's no limit to what people will do for money. The streets are dangerous as a result of people not being educated and not wanting to work towards a career and not knowing anything else to begin with, so the rest of us suffer from the effects of this. Preventing crime with better education would be less costly in the long run, with money that would be saved from hospital bills, better spent tax dollars, property values not crashing because of the crime, and a future generation of smarter people would come from it. Although to the state of California, it seems profit is more desirable than being able to live in safety.
Stephanie Linford
2/7/2015 10:33:14 am
I agree with you when you said preventing crime with education will cost us less money in the long run. The State of California has failed its people,tax payers,etc. for years. The Prison Systems brings the state in a lot of money. For example in the early 80's spending on education was decreased by 13%. Spending money on California Prisons went up 436%. Due to incarnating to many people. I agree 100% when you say invest more into OUR PEOPLE and it really will save us. It will bring more educated youth to the table, inspire them todo better, and know better.
Sierra MacIntyre
4/2/2015 02:54:35 pm
I completely agree. i think that the government does not spend enough money on education. I believe that prison systems and the military. I believe that student loan debt is just as big of a crisis. I believe that students seem to get the short end of the stick. Its really quite sad that criminals get better funding than students. I agree that the streets have become more dangerous due to the lack of education. I think that the government should redo their budget and make education the top priority.
Shameim Lowther
4/6/2015 01:02:57 pm
Education is always going to be an issue within our society due to inequality. 2/5/2015 12:48:05 pm
I moved to Berkeley California in 1989. I attended all of the schools surrounding the downtown Berkeley area from daycare to college. Over the years slowly like across the nation, the homeless population began to rise.
Chase Carter
2/5/2015 12:56:00 pm
Personally here in Alameda I believe that how our commercial real estate is being used and if its being used to its full potential.Recently a lot of real estate has popped up around the college of alameda area and its being used for mainly food "joints" where there many already in the same general phacinity. The clear answer is that the franchise companies would feed off this but in reality most of these incoming places wont make a profit and foreclose and all this new commercial properties will sit around and rot.The City Hall should have a meet and find the majority of votes to decide what will bring the most wealth and revolution.I believe that protesting is completely irrelevant and has no utter purpose, its causes more mayhem then good. I honestly wouldn't know how else to go about it besides having a mayor that would have similar visions.
Lin Chen
2/5/2015 01:31:40 pm
I feel the major social or political issue that impacts me and my community is gun control. We hear lots of news about robbery by using gun. Since my country don’t allow citizens have gun, my parent are fear of the strange weapon.Not only my parent, in fact many people lives in Oakland are fear of gun too, because they all think gun is danger.Because of the crime in the city, many people always come home early, and when it is almost 7pm, it is hard to find a person who walk in the street alone. I’m not mean that people have a gun is a bad thing. Gun is a tool for people to protect themselves, but the person who have a gun should not do the bad thing. I find that more than thirty thousand people are killed by firearms each year in the United States. In this situation, only those people who have a mind to do the bad thing like robbing can get benefits. I feel if every people can understand the right way to use gun, crime in city will decrease. Thus, government needs to educate people. Government have responsible to educate citizens how to use gun in right way.
Qin Chen
2/5/2015 02:15:57 pm
The most important issue that impacts me is the public transport. When I went to America, I could only went to school by bus. However, I was fed up with waiting the bus. The bus came to the station every 30 minutes. This already drove me crazy, because if something wrong happened, I would need to wait for the bus for 1 hour. I think motor corporation can get benefit from this situation, but I am not very sure; because I know that lots of people do not like bus stations near their house. The easiest and most expensive way to solve this problem is spend more money in built more public station. The second way is update the public transport. I had taken the underground once. The speed of it was pretty slow. I could not stop thinking I could faster them it if I run. The last way that I can think is appealing people to do not use car every time. The last but not least, if the public transport is not good enough, more and more people will use car; and if we do not have enough to take public transport, the government will cut the money that will spend in public transport. This will be a vicious circle. If it is hard to solve this problem in short time, then at least, we should have a more environmental way to go out, such as buy a energy-saving car.
Tonivi Truong
2/5/2015 11:57:02 pm
I believe that one of the most important issue that impacts me is the lack of security in the cities, rather than than the army itself, as in the watchmen, police force,and the need for more security. It is understandable that we are taking the ideal from Federalist Papers #10 where it talks about letting the larger factions will break themselves down. This applies to gangs (i.e. bloods and crips) or criminals and the common people. Because America runs by this concept, there is always a large amount of chaos that affects the way people live and grow up to becoming the future society. The government instead exploits this, and takes advantage of it to gain more people elsewhere. Most of the congress are just sitting around not fighting the important problems (that which are better to fight together) are just sitting around watching everything happen, especially with the income they are getting annually. Most of the people are not protesting against the gangs around, or the people who are doing bad deeds, they are protesting against lack of security, changes in the economy, and so on and so forth. With the lack of security, we are having more issues inside the states than outside as a community; so much that even when troops come home from wars overseas, even they can see the chaos the next day.
Guadalupe Hernandez
2/6/2015 03:01:56 pm
The current minimum wage causes many social issues. For one, socially, those working for the minimum wage are effected by this. The steady amount of income provided by the minimum wage may affect our schooling decisions, the neighborhoods we can afford to live in, and our health. Not enough income could cause some to feel discouraged on pursing an education. This could be well, simply because there is simply not enough funds to cover the cost. Yes, the government helps, but is it enough when there is a whole family to feed? On another note, someone working for the minimum wage may be considered as low-income, and live in Section 8 housing, these as many can agree on are not the most popular sites to visit, nor have the best reputations. This, could then cause those living in the areas to be "categorized" by society, or be looked as less then the "average" American. Lastly, minimum wage can only afford so much when buying foods. Usually fresh, organic foods are pricier then those boxed and easily stored for long periods of time. Those foods that are boxed or caned are usually not the healthiest choice of meal. But when having to make a decision based on the funds available at the moment, and having a family to feed. Healthy eating may not priority, instead having children feed may be.
Stephanie Linford
2/7/2015 10:58:28 am
The biggest most important social/political issue in my community that effects my everyday life is THE WAR ON DRUGS. this issue has been a problems for decades. DRUGS REPEAT LIKE FASHION. I'm loosing more and more people that i deeply care about to drugs. Times are hard for EVERYBODY.A lot of people who sell drugs are good people, just trying to pay their high rent, take care of their kids, legit job isn't enough income, might now have citizenship to work, etc. The list goes on and on. I don't think the people that sell drugs like crystal, crack, cocaine,etc. even know the impact on their "CUSTOMER" or his/her family. When your on drugs it just doesn't effect you. It effects whoever really is around you and loves you.It's a lot quicker to sell drugs then do the 9-5 for just minimum wage. Let's be real selling drugs is EASIER. I don't understand how in my city it is so easy to get a hold of drugs? It displayed way more then other cities?WHY?
Adham Awa
2/23/2015 04:13:25 am
Reading your comment Stephanie, I could not agree more. I was fortunate enough to grow up in Alameda but a lot of my closest family and friends live in Oakland and I have noticed just how much more intense of a problem it becomes by simply crossing over one bridge. Too many beautiful people as you said are now dealing with these preventable issues and don't seem to know their way out. I feel that if we really implemented a proper drug-prevention program beginning with the youth and really staying persistent in keeping the program alive as they further their education could really benefit the both of our communities. It starts with us as the ones who have lived through it and are aware of what could happen to make a change for our future generations and the future leaders of our communities.
Zane Samuel
2/16/2015 04:41:38 am
A major social/political issue in my community right now is vehicle safety and car parking. My neighborhood is highly congested and has many apartment complexes with no parking lots or with very little parking. Due to this after a certain time at night there is no street parking which results in people having to park far away from their houses. This increases the risk of people being mugged on their walk home, especially when its two or more blocks. In addition, car theft has also increased especially when not many people can keep an eye on their car which is parked blocks away. The only party who seems to benefit from this situation is the city of Oakland, who drive around late at night issuing parking tickets for people being partly in driveways or red zones. One way to fix this issue would be to ticket cars that are parked for more than 72 hours in order to find cars that are not in use and only taking up street space. Neighborhood watches or a higher police presence could possibly also decrease car theft and crime. Lastly, if apartment complexes could offer more parking that could also help clear congestion.
Patrianna Douglas
2/20/2015 04:04:27 pm
Reflecting on the important social and political issues that is currently impacting my community in a strong way is the growth and gentrification of the San Francisco Bay Area. Every area will come to a time of change and growth but at the moment many long term residents are being pushed out of their neighborhoods due to the rise of rent. The problem arose very quickly and the solution is not coming fast enough. San Francisco has imposed a rent control agreement, but is it enough? Across the bridge in Oakland they have yet to create a proper solution. After much research I am not quite sure the best route to take as to not infringe on others rights, if we impose a stronger rent control I feel we will be imposing on the freedom to list and sell at any price you want but at what cost can we allow the rents to rise. I hope as a community we can work together to find a solution. There are currently many activist groups cropping up to try and help families find solutions to keep them in their homes. I think the creation of a board that specifically monitors drastic rent increases would be most helpful; citizens can in turn help by sitting down with landlords and try to find mutual agreements to ease the strain on both parties. I think many issues have to do with lack of communication when tensions rise and sometimes a mediator needs to be present to help the flow of positive progress. We also need more regulation in the real estate industry and for new residents to have a better understanding of current resident needs and the culture already thriving in their new neighborhoods. Through community and neighborhood outreach programs we can bridge the hostility between neighbors, landlords, and new comers and work towards a better future for the entire community.
Adham Awa
2/23/2015 04:06:32 am
Growing up in Alameda it's hard to establish that I had many social I faced growing up but one that is very apparent to me would be drug use. I was fortunate enough to have been born and raised here as my parents moved out of Oakland with my older brother after i was born. Drug use in Alameda didn't always seem to be an issue growing up but I feel like it was more of an underlying issue that I would only be exposed to as I got older. As usual, it started out as I would make the transition from middle school into Alameda High and all my closest friends began to experiment here and there as they saw most other kids doing the same thing. By sophomore year I began to understand that this was a serious issue seeing all my friends regularly smoking and drinking but I always undermined it as I felt it was normal for kids in high school to be doing so. As time went on I noticed that those decisions only served as a gateway into making further poor decisions. It wasn’t long before I lost a good friend to those decisions as he would overdose and be found dead the morning after a party. I do not see how anyone would benefit from these issues other than the State as they continue to make money from the tickets, court visits, rehabilitation programs, etc. I would suggest that this issue be dealt with first at the school level by using the experiences of some of us graduates to help those dealing with the same issues as current students of high school. I think that such a program would be effective if it were implanted at least on a weekly basis to serve as a reminder of what the consequences could be for those still “experimenting” as we once thought we were. As a community we need to enforce this similar ideology to our youth, especially, so that they are completely aware of what is going on before they even reach that time. I believe it is on us all as a community in Alameda to look out for the well-being of our cities youth. 4/1/2015 06:28:31 am
The issue that I find to be the most important is the amount of students who face student loan debt. Every person is entitled to a proper and equal education, price should not be an element. The amount of students who face loan debt Student loan debt is something that is incredibly hard to hide from in today’s society. Chris Denhart states that two thirds of student graduating from college will have some sort of debt. In fact student loans make up more debt that credit cards. The loans have made it all the way up to the trillions, 1.2 trillion dollar to be precise. It has become so bad that students are no longer choosing schools that weren’t their first choice due to the tuition cost. Tuition has been increasing every year and loan interest rates have been increasing as well. The best way to put an end to student loan debt would be to create some type of forgiveness program. Money can be pulled from the money set aside from the bank bailout crisis or even extra money not being utilized by the United States Army. We can propose a bill and put it on the next election ballot to get this money rolling. The extra money can go toward paying students who are currently in debt. To prevent debt we can impose a small tax that will go back to colleges. This way we can decrease the price of tuition and also decrease the need for student loans.
Guadalupe Hernandez
4/4/2015 02:37:40 pm
I agree student loans have always caused issue, and have weighed on students decisions to pursue an education. I like the idea of creating a bit more of financial support for student from the government. This help would greatly. The ones paying for this, on the other hand may feel otherwise. Overall, I really like the idea. Me speaking as a student of course. The cost to attend a university is a little high price, especially for a full time student, which is what most school want. They should offer more financial support that won't increase over the years.
Michael Le
5/4/2015 07:15:32 am
I agree that students shouldn’t be charged so high for tuition. Although the high tuition cost makes the degree that the student achieves more rewarding and prestigious, it also is a way that keeps poor people poor. I say this because the child of a truly poor family will not have the opportunity to pay $10k-$50k a year to spend forty hours a week inside school.
Rayvonne Evans
4/29/2015 07:01:53 pm
A political and social issue going on in my community is the minimum wage. Before 2015 minimum wage in Oakland was $8.00. Effective January 1, 2015 the minimum wage was raised to $15.00. First of all $8.00 an hour isn't a livable wage. A lot of people are forced to live under a real livable wage. We have to figure out how to make ends meet because we don't make enough to actually live. Now that the minimum wage has gone up that's great if the cost of living would be under 15 dollars an hour. The issue is because minimum wage is up they've raised the cost of living. It specifically effects me because I work in Alameda so I still make $8.00 and i shop here in Oakland and now everything is too expensive. Instead of corporations paying the raise of salary its coming out of our pockets. I'm not really sure who to confront about this issue or how it can be resolved. Our city economic system is a small part of the country's economic system so in my opinion the economic system would have to be rebuilt in a manner that everyone makes a livable wage.
Samone Anthony
4/30/2015 03:49:40 am
My biggest issue that i have noticed in my community would be taxes. i work at a local business and taxes are so high, almost higher than the rent to just be there. house taxes are ridiculous and the taxes getting pulled out of our checks are just as bad. makes me feel like we work just to pay taxes and not our actual bills. the issue becomes worst and worst each year when taxes are raised. police officers and highways benefit from this situation and half the time the police officers aren't doing there jobs and not all the highways are being fixed like they should be. theres sadly nothing our community can do about it, its all up to the federal government and if we chose not to pay we will get fines and possibly jail time till you pay.
Michael Le
5/4/2015 07:08:40 am
The two biggest social problems that affect my family and I are security and wealth inequality. I do not feel safe in my neighborhood at all because there are robberies that are constantly happening. I constantly have to look over my shoulder when I get out of my car at night. I constantly have to worry about dressing down so the robbers won’t notice me. This fear has been programmed into me. My family and I once lost almost everything, years of saving, because criminals wanted a payday. We lost decades of saving. I feel angry when I think about it because my family and I are stuck in these neighborhoods because the cost of living in a safer city like Alameda is too high. The ironic part about it is that living in my neighborhood is also pretty expensive but there is still a danger of losing to a criminal. I believe that the wealth in America is so unequally distributed and should be re-budgeted. For example, hard working minimum wage earners are still stuck in the same neighborhood with their lazy neighbor that sit at home and wait until their neighbors leave to rob them. Both parties are in the same financial class, poverty, but are not helping each other. I believe that the hard working family that keeps busy and never misses a day of work should be noticed and rewarded.
Ha Mac Bach Thien
1/7/2016 10:00:58 pm
Because I am an international student, my biggest social/political issues are tuition fee and lack of English vocabulary to communicate. As an international student, I have to pay about $180 for one unit at De Anza College, which is much more than what an American student pays here. Also, I can only work on campus, but the campus is just too far from the house I am renting. It is about two hours by bus and I have to take three different buses to reach to De Anza. I cannot apply for financial aid either. Compared to the cost of living in Viet Nam, things are expensive here so I am very sorry that my parents have to send me money for the next three or four years. Moreover, English is not my first language, so I find it hard to communicate and make friends. I also need to try my best and focus on everything my professors say at school so that I could understand them. When talking with friends in school, sometimes I feel uncomfortable because some of them seem to look down on me for my poor English. I really want to say that I am not good at English, but it does not mean that I am ignorant or anything. I just have to take more time to express my thinking. Leave a Reply. |
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