In this unit I learned to think in an entirely new perspective. I learned to ditch the constrictive views on econ I had learned. Reading Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth was an eye opener to how the world actually works. Each of her 7 chapters came with an entirely new way to think. As small groups we picked a chapter, read it, and taught it to the rest of the class. Learning this way allowed me to use my own creativity and see the creativity of my classmates in the way we presented each chapter. This AP had me thinking outside the box of what society had taught me. Money isn't more important than people. When my health was bad I found myself caring more about my inability to be a "productive member of society" rather than how much pain I was in. This AP gave me the opportunity to think about what caused that mindset.
Put People over profit
LM. "Put people over product", 2021
For far too long, a large focus of economics has been making a profit instead of those who allow profit to be made. We sacrifice peoples’ lives in favor of cutting corners to save a buck or two. This is unnecessary. We can not put a price tag on a human life. People are not disposable and are not robots that can be duplicated. Many manufacturers try to bypass regulations and find ways out of different safety procedures because they want to save money. This is going to catch up with them eventually. We can see this now as people are refusing to work for businesses that do not value them. The worker shortage is the fault of the companies and not the people when the people are fed up with companies behavior. We have allowed companies to get away with abusing their employees for as long as we can remember and it is catching up with them as people realize they are worth more than a wage they can’t even survive on. Human beings are not the robots companies want them to be. For far too long, the people making the laws are the ones that can afford to lobby instead of the people who will have to live with the consequences of the politicians and companies actions. Instead we should give people a reason to work. This would include a reasonable minimum wage and health care.
Commentary:
The idea that we don’t need to raise the minimum wage has been prevalent for ages. A government website even says, "Raising the minimum wage would increase the cost of employing low-wage workers. As a result, some employers would employ fewer workers than they would have under a lower minimum wage." This completely ignores the fact that people who work minimum wage jobs are more likely to be working several jobs, which means they work more hours and puts their health at risk. According to the American Heart Association, "participants working long hours had a 29% greater risk of stroke, and those working long hours for 10 years or more had a 45% greater risk of stroke." Keeping minimum wage this low is actively putting peoples’ health at risk. People can't afford to live on minimum wage and so they take on more work. We are actively harming our workers and we just look past it in favor of corporations not having to spend as much on their labor. When Kate Raworth is talking about the doughnut model, she says, "The Doughnut’s inner ring – its social foundation – sets out the basics of life on which no one should be left falling short. These twelve basics include: sufficient food; clean water and decent sanitation; access to energy and clean cooking facilities; access to education and to healthcare; decent housing; a minimum income and decent work; and access to networks of information and to networks of social support." She actively wants a livable minimum wage and for health to be accessible for everyone, not just those who can afford to only work one job. In Reuters's interpretation of the census they say, "They also noted that multiple-job holding occurred at all levels of income, but was more common for low-wage workers. Those juggling more than one occupation earned less, on average, than people who had only one job." Health is more important than money but in this society we put money over health. The census shows how people with lower incomes are more likely to work more than one job, which often means more hours. If we keep going like this more people will die from overworking themselves.
Sources:
American Heart Association. "Long work hours associated with increased risk of stroke." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 June 2019.
“How Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage Could Affect Employment and Family Income.” Congressional Budget Office, 5 Apr. 2021, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/55681.
Marte, Jonnelle, and Lucia Mutikani. “Share of U.S. Workers Holding Multiple Jobs Is Rising, New Census Report Shows.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 17 Feb. 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-multiple-jobs/share-of-u-s-workers-holding-multiple-jobs-is-rising-new-census-report-shows-idUSKBN2AH2PI.
Raworth, Kate. Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a 21st-Century Economist. Random House Business Books, 2018.
The idea that we don’t need to raise the minimum wage has been prevalent for ages. A government website even says, "Raising the minimum wage would increase the cost of employing low-wage workers. As a result, some employers would employ fewer workers than they would have under a lower minimum wage." This completely ignores the fact that people who work minimum wage jobs are more likely to be working several jobs, which means they work more hours and puts their health at risk. According to the American Heart Association, "participants working long hours had a 29% greater risk of stroke, and those working long hours for 10 years or more had a 45% greater risk of stroke." Keeping minimum wage this low is actively putting peoples’ health at risk. People can't afford to live on minimum wage and so they take on more work. We are actively harming our workers and we just look past it in favor of corporations not having to spend as much on their labor. When Kate Raworth is talking about the doughnut model, she says, "The Doughnut’s inner ring – its social foundation – sets out the basics of life on which no one should be left falling short. These twelve basics include: sufficient food; clean water and decent sanitation; access to energy and clean cooking facilities; access to education and to healthcare; decent housing; a minimum income and decent work; and access to networks of information and to networks of social support." She actively wants a livable minimum wage and for health to be accessible for everyone, not just those who can afford to only work one job. In Reuters's interpretation of the census they say, "They also noted that multiple-job holding occurred at all levels of income, but was more common for low-wage workers. Those juggling more than one occupation earned less, on average, than people who had only one job." Health is more important than money but in this society we put money over health. The census shows how people with lower incomes are more likely to work more than one job, which often means more hours. If we keep going like this more people will die from overworking themselves.
Sources:
American Heart Association. "Long work hours associated with increased risk of stroke." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 20 June 2019.
“How Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage Could Affect Employment and Family Income.” Congressional Budget Office, 5 Apr. 2021, https://www.cbo.gov/publication/55681.
Marte, Jonnelle, and Lucia Mutikani. “Share of U.S. Workers Holding Multiple Jobs Is Rising, New Census Report Shows.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 17 Feb. 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-multiple-jobs/share-of-u-s-workers-holding-multiple-jobs-is-rising-new-census-report-shows-idUSKBN2AH2PI.
Raworth, Kate. Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a 21st-Century Economist. Random House Business Books, 2018.
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