Occupy Wall Street is opposed to big business. However, with a $20.00 per hour minimum wage, big business would be the only businesses which could afford to pay their employees. Small and even some medium-sized business would fail entirely or reduce their work forces to accommodate the wage increase. Businesses would further influence the government to intervene which could lead to more drastic legislation of people in the workforce.

HOW MUCH IS THAT HAPPY MEAL?

Everything comes with a cost. The increased wages would mean higher prices for all goods and services. The proposed hike in minimum wage is a little over 3 times the national average for minimum wage now. With that math, a Happy Meal would run upwards of $13.00. “Can I get Happy Meal without the toy?”

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE

Automation would replace many more jobs throughout America. This would be one of the only ways for businesses to maintain a profit. In addition, large chain 24 hour grocery stores would be forced to adjust operating hours to eliminate the 3rd shift work force.

YOU GOT YOUR FIRST JOB WHEN YOU WERE HOW OLD?

Forget about your kids getting summer jobs. Congress would have no choice but to raise the working age to combat the reduced number of jobs left in America. In addition, businesses would lobby to reduce the retirement age.

I know there needs to be change in this country, but we need to think through what we want from government. Some solutions may end up being our demise.

Sources

Blood, J. (2011, November, 6). OWS Manifesto (Anti Gun, Pro Union, Pro Abortion, and “Social Justice”), Deadline Live. Retrieved from http://deadlinelive.info/2011/11/06/ows-manifesto-anti-gun-pro-union-pro-abortion-and-social-justice/

If you act badly, push people around, cause pain and suffering, eventually it’s going to catch up with you, and you’ll wind up dead or in prison. I think that’s called Karma. But what about fate? Maybe it’s fate that some people are just bad news and it’s their fate to wind up suffering the consequences of their behavior. I heard that there’s a big book up in heaven that has your fate written in it. What you’ll make of yourself, who you’ll marry, how many kids you’ll have, and how you’ll die. It’s all written down. Somebody planned everything that’s going to happen to you. It’s been said.

Yet, if you’re due to become a total creep, and you know that this can’t end well, can’t you just change things? But if you can do that, then maybe it was fate that you first become a down low, cowardly, sneaky creep and you suddenly transform yourself into Mr. Wonderful and in the end, the pearly gates will open for you.  

But I think that it’s really the law of consequences. I think there are both good and bad consequences. In the end, it’s the afterlife that’s important. Everything you do has consequences. And the things you do are both external and internal. The external are the things that people can be a witness to, or there is evidence of. And they can be both good or bad such as committing a crime, or helping the poor and homeless. People see these things and react to it.

But there is the internal. You can act outwardly good. Go to church. Donate to charities. Volunteer and so on. But inwardly you may have bad thoughts. Hatred, avarice, jealousy, and so on. I really believe that you must act good outwardly as well as inwardly. Inward thoughts will become outward actions eventually, but even if they never do, at least you are aware that you are not the person that other people see. God knows the true you even if no one else does.

Priests are generally supposed to be seen as good people. We call them Father. We can go to them with our problems. Outwardly they are good but if inwardly they have unclean thoughts, it can cause problems. I’ve seen a hidden camera sequence on a Rabbi, who is supposed to be a pillar of the community, get caught while trying to meet with a teenager for a sexual encounter. I saw his reaction on getting caught. It was not pretty. Consequences. His Karma. Was it his fate? Was it written?

I think he could have avoided it.

“It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine…” Do I need to go on?  Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G, was born on May 21, 1972.  He was raised in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, and at a young age discovered his passion for rapping.  Young Wallace grew up surrounded by poverty, in a neighborhood that turned out more criminals than it did scholars.  Although many criticized the young boy claiming that “[he would] never amount to nothin’”, young Christopher Wallace did the unthinkable and landed himself a record deal with Uptown Records, thus propelling him into stardom.  Stories like Notorious B.I.G’s are everywhere in the media, as many celebrities are transformed from rags into riches.  Although Christopher Wallace (A.K.A Biggie) managed to propel himself out of poverty’s grasp, many citizens of the United States are not so lucky.  In fact in 2009 alone the United States Census reported that an astonishing 43.6 million people were impoverished (Poverty).  Poverty is an everyday reality for many citizens of the United States and unlike Mr. Wallace, the debilitating effects of poverty weigh heavily upon these individuals as they go forth in their daily lives; thus drastically altering their way of life as Americans.

            The face of the poor man has changed, and is no longer just the homeless man begging in the streets. With the current economic downturn that the county is facing and a national unemployment rate of 10.2 percent, the face of the poor man is ever changing.  In the United States today, poverty embodies many individuals.  From “a young child in rural Alabama… going [to school] without breakfast and wearing hand-me- down clothes…[to a] New York businesswoman laid off by her company…having no income and feeling a rising sense of panic” (Poor 4).  As Americans, we like to think of the United States as the land of the free and the home of the brave; however we consistently overlook the fact that it is also the home of the impoverished. The number of impoverished individuals in 2009 was the highest number recorded in over 51 years (Poverty).  With statistics like this, one cannot ignore the fact that there is a growing epidemic within the country.  In order to fully understand the extent to which poverty affects the lives of individuals, one must first understand what it means to be impoverished.  The United States measures poverty in accordance to a “poverty threshold” or simply the poverty line.  The poverty threshold is the brainchild of Mollie Orshansky, an economist at the social security administration.  She developed the idea of the threshold in the 1960’s by utilizing the U.S department of Agriculture’s “Economy Food Plan”.  The “Economy Food Plan” consists of four nutritionally adequate food plans. In order to calculate the poverty threshold, Orshansky used the cheapest of the four plans and multiplied its price by three.  She had originally intended for the threshold line to serve as a mere indicator of low economic status (Iceland). However from its creation in 1960 to today, Orshansky’s poverty line serves as a basis for the minimum amount of income that an individual must have in order to achieve a reasonable standard of living. And as of 2010, individuals earning below $11,369 in the eyes of The United States are impoverished (Poverty).

             Poverty in the United States has an ever-expanding reach, as it is now affecting the areas in which individuals live.  With low economic funds, many poor individuals are forced to find shelter in some of the most dangerous environments in The United States; as many cannot afford the high housing prices that a secure environment offers.  A prime example of such desperateness can be seen in Las Vegas, Nevada; an area usually associated with glamour and money.  With “Sky-high foreclosures and epic layoffs…the working-class dreams of men and women” are becoming increasingly shattered, as sin city is reporting an unemployment rate of 14 percent (Dokoupil).  With such high unemployment rates in Las Vegas—among the highest reported in The United States—many of the laid off workers are turning to make shift homes.  The search for housing has driven these individuals “into a 500-mile warren of wet, trash-strewn drainage pipes that function as an underground shelter for hundreds of the city’s most downtrodden” (Dokoupil).  Life within the underground shelter in ridden with crime and there is an ever present threat of flooding.  A laid off casino waitress even went as far as obtaining a BB-gun in order to protect her area of the tunnel.  Similar to the inhabitants of the drainage pipes, many individuals in various other parts of the country have adopted a tent lifestyle; that is they create makeshift cities out of tents, motor homes and cars.  These “tent cities” as they are referred to house hundreds of homeless individuals.  The largest established tent city is right outside of Los Angeles, in Ontario, California.  This large settlement contains 140 inhabitants that call it home.  Life within a tent city is rough, for like the underground tunnel, conditions are not stable. There is an ever-present threat of harsh weather and sanitary conditions are not favorable for the inhabitants (Shimo).  The drastic measures that these individuals take in order to survive demonstrates the effects that poverty has on where an individual can live. 

            The behavior of an individual is often times reflective of the environment that they are raised in.  However the context of a person’s immediate environment also plays a major role in influencing his or her actions and thoughts.  In the case of the impoverished, the life style that they are forced to adopt becomes their sort of make shift culture; thus poverty’s reach is ever expanding as it affects the social aspect of an individual’s life.  In Black Urban Poor, author Carol Stack describes life in the flats, and the various techniques that the residents use in order to survive. In her writing, Stack introduces the concept of kinship, and how it relates to the family.  While the ideal family is held to the standard of the nuclear family—a mother, father and child—the residents of the flats have managed to redefine this concept to suit their needs.  Family for the flat’s residents consists of “an extensive network of kin and friends supporting, reinforcing each other…[and] devising…strategies for survival in a community of economic deprivation” (Stack 28).  It is obvious through this simple redefinition of family that mainstream society values cannot be upheld when one is under unfavorable economic conditions.  Thus, the poor man cannot fully hold an integrated position within society, and must then forge his own separate society.  The flat’s resident’s concept of exchange also reinforces the notion that poverty affects the social aspect of an individual.  Much like a formal banking system, the exchange system within the flats centers around a give and take relationship between the residents; with the concept of reciprocity as the main value.  Through the exchange system, flats residents are able to alleviate many of their financial burdens, be it through having their neighbors feed their own children, or having kin members share electricity.  The flat’s establishment of an informal economy demonstrates how removed they are from societal norms: for they cannot participate in the formal establishments that are already enacted.  Thus poverty rears its ugly head as citizens of this great country are forced to turn to each other, instead of the support of its government.

            Similar to the flats residents’ establishment of exchange, various other individuals are turning to informal economies, as desperation to make a living becomes impossible through a formal economy.  In his book, Poverty at Work: Office Employment and the Crack Alternative, Phillipe Bourgois illustrates how the downturn in manufacturing jobs has left many individuals with no means of income—as many only possess the knowledge of hard labor.  Bourgois focuses in particular on the life of a man named Primo.  Primo was cast into the streets after he lost his job as a laborer, and as a result found himself unable to integrate into the blue-collar world. He attempted to assimilate into the workforce, but found that his extensive years in poverty, and in harsh conditions did not allow for him to fit into the societal norm.  In one specific situation, Primo was even told that he was not allowed to answer the phone in the office by his supervisor who was a receptionist.  It is obvious how low Primo is in the “office hierarchy that his immediate supervisor is a receptionist” (Bourgois 2330).  This incident demonstrates how much Primo’s street life/poverty has affected him for even in a formal setting, he is reduced to the lowest possible position in the office.  As a result of this, he turned to the only other alternative he knew—the underground market—selling crack and other illegal substances.  Primo’s case is not an isolated incident for many individuals after experiencing a loss in their job are left with skills that prove to be useless in the realm of the blue-collar man.  Their “street” habits also prohibit any upward mobility for many individuals, like Primo, who value respect—which is oftentimes absent in an office setting.  Society itself creates a situation in which those facing hard economic times must find themselves another “society”, one that proves to be sympathetic with their situations.

            Education is the key to enriching the mind and provides individuals with the opportunity to succeed.  If education is such an important factor in the lives of American’s, then why has it become a commodity?  Instead of education based on merit, the wallet is now what determines the quality of an individual’s education. And with that said, location is also the key to unlocking a great education.  A 2002 study conducted by the United States General Accounting office found that “urban schools were typically older, with higher student enrollments, far fewer resources, less technological support, fewer books, and less- experienced and lower-quality teachers” (Batchis103). Immediately it is evident that the disparity in the supplies that low-income schools receive demonstrates to be an inhibiting factor for the education of students. .  In his book The Shame of a Nation, Jonathan Kozol examines the disparity that exists between the education of the wealthy and that of the poor.  In a study Kozol conducted on a South Bronx school, Kozol was able to bring to life the statistics that The United States General Accounting Office has posted about lower income schools.  He found that “very little teaching took place…[and the] kids waite[ed] as long as 30 minutes for their turn to file downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch” (Kozol 14).  Overcrowding is typical in low-income schools, and the demand for teachers is high.  However seldom do these schools ever achieve a balance between students and teachers.  One student Kozol conversed with admitted that she had four different teachers that same year; each one was subsequently fired for improper conduct.  The school went as far to hire “an unprepared young teacher who was not yet certified” (15).  The school’s desperation in hiring an uncertified teacher demonstrates the immense need of proper funding and staff that is needed in many urban schools.    This in itself is the downfall for many low-income students, for their schools ultimately are the ones that erect the barriers preventing the students to succeed.

            Many poor American’s are finding it harder and harder to enroll their children in high ranked schools, and as a result, many are turning to inner-city schools.  In once instance during a visit to a Columbus, Ohio school, Jonathan Kozol witnessed the methods that an economically devastated school adopted in order to help its students.  In a kindergarten class that Kozol observed, he found JCpenny posters along with several other retail stores advertising in the classroom.  And one poster even read, “Do you want a manager’s job?” (Kozol 89).  It is a failure’s mentality that many underprivileged schools are instilling in their children.  It is obvious that this is the case even in this institution, for even the teachers demonstrate their lack of faith in the students.  Kozol spoke to one teacher who remarked, “Even if you have a felony arrest…we want you to understand that you can still be a manager someday” (93).  Although 98 percent of the student population is recorded to be impoverished, the school is clearly not making an effort to aid its students.  In a sense the school is merely housing future criminals for many of the teacher’s statements reflect this belief.  Due to the lack of proper funding and the lack of a proper staff, these children who face horrible economic times, are being denied their right to a fair education; thus impeding their ability to succeed.  Instead, the school is facilitating the never-ending cycle of poverty that begins for these children as young as kindergarten.  Kozol clearly exposes the inequality of the education system when poverty becomes a factor.

            When you incorporate homelessness as a factor, then education seems more of a dream rather than a commodity; for many individuals without home face harder trials in order to receive an education.  Homeless students face multiple barriers when it comes to obtaining an education.  For starters, many are denied services such as transportation, which oftentimes play a determining role in whether the student can or cannot  attend a school. Moreover, homeless children face the implications of a psychological disadvantage, for many “lack a stable living environment, food, and clothing” (De Bradley).  Furthermore,  low income families tend to parent in a harsher style, thus inhibiting their children from experiencing an interactive environment.  In addition to this, many low income families also lack the encouragement that children need in order to succeed for many parents are often times working more than one job in order to sustain the family.  With this in mind, many children then start to lag behind in school for parents are unable to give them the necessary push needed In order to go out and find opportunities (Engle).  Also, low-income families are also unaware of the education system and unlike their wealthier counterparts, miss out on educational extracurricular activities for their children or themselves.  Many homeless students are also unable to associate themselves with their fellow classmate for many feel cast out due to their situations.  This can cause long-term repercussions for an individual; for if they become accustomed to living in poverty’s grasp at a young age, leaving the life of poverty will become difficult for them for they do not know any other life.  This in itself demonstrates the crippling effect that poverty has on an individuals educational circumstance, as well as his or hers psychological state.

            The toll that poverty has on an individual is great, for it is ultimately detrimental to the health of the individual. While an illness to many Americans is seen as a mere nuisance, to those who are in the grip of poverty, a cold can mean a day out of work and a day without food.  Many impoverished individuals find it hard to keep their health in check.  Often times, poor health can be attributed to a poor diet lacking the proper nutrients.  Many are forced to sacrifice quality food in order to appease the appetites of their families.  A large big Mac meal costs around $5 and is enough to feed an individual to the point of satisfaction—compared to the high price of produce that many supermarkets are charging.  It is this nutritional deficit that leads to terminal illnesses within the impoverished community (Magid).  Terminal illness due to a nutritionally lacking diet range from hypertension, high blood pressure, elevated serum cholesterol, to diabetes.  Since many impoverished individuals do not have access to health care this severely affects their health for they will be unable to receive care from a medical provider in times of need.  And according to  “One study…individuals with low incomes had life expectancies, 25 percent lower than those with higher incomes” (Nilsen).  Some thing even as small as dental hygine, can pose as a menace for low-income individuals.  While dental health may seem like a minute problem, improper care can lead to larger diseases, which in turn contribute to absenteeism and failure in both school, and the work place.  Many of these illnesses are easily treatable for most Americans for their insurance companies are able to help alleviate the payments.

            Low-income individuals are not completely without help for the government has enacted various laws that help with medical needs.  The United States Government created Medicaid as a health program intended to aid low-income families. Medicaid was created on July 30, 1965, through Title XIX of the social security act, and is jointly funded by the state and federal government (Bingaman). Though Medicaid was created for low-income individuals, being impoverished does not automatically qualify an individual, which is where the problems arise.  Medicaid does not provide medical assistance for all impoverished individual.  In order to qualify for Medicaid, low-income individuals must first meet the eligibility requirements.  This is where the conflict exists; for those individuals who do not have enough money for private insurance, yet are not poor enough to receive Medicaid are often times left unprotected and are subject to various illnesses that the majority of the time will be left untreated.

            America the beautiful…more like America the not so beautiful. Within our country lies a beast dormant, waiting to engulf the hopeless.  A shroud of deception has been cast over its citizens, as many are unaware of the growing problem that is poverty.  Poverty accounts for over 13.5 percent of The United States population, and with numbers such as these, it is an ever-present problem that cannot be ignored (Statistical).  While the government has enacted various programs in order to aid those with low income, it is not enough.  Many of these programs exclude the majority of those that do not fall immediately into the starvation category; leaving thousands of citizens unprotected against the cruel world.  However, poverty is not just something that affects an individual on an economic level alone.  Poverty takes the life of an individual and drastically alters it for it can be felt on every level including psychological, and social.  It also serves as a barrier for many. And unlike that young rapper who managed to pull himself out of poverty’s grips, impoverished citizens have very little options.  And oftentimes continue on through most of their lives in severe economic peril.  The illusion that our nation paints of upward mobility though education is ever present as many Americans hold the belief that with a little hard work anything is achievable.  However, Kozol was able to prove that there exist certain barriers for low-income individuals.   Educational opportunities become limited, as low-income individuals cannot afford the high prices of housing that are associated with elite schools.  Thus they are denied the opportunity to advance and succeed in life.   Poverty in The United States is a problem that needs to be addressed by the government and its citizens, for our fellow man is suffering, and who knows…you could even be next.

Works Cited

Batchis, Wayne. “Urban Sprawl and the Constitution: Educational Inequality as an             Impetus to Low Density Living” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the             The Law and Society Association, Grand Hyatt, Denver, Colorado, May 25, 2009             . 2011-05-01

Bingaman, Eff. “Dental Disease Is a Chronic Problem Among Low-Income Populations.” Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

De Bradley, Ann Aviles. “Education and the Rights of Homeless Children and Youth.” Legal and Community Advocacy. Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

“Dental Disease Is a Chronic Problem Among Low-Income Populations.” Web.

Dokoupil, Tony, Ramin Setoodeh, and Steve Friess. “Rich Vegas, Poor Vegas.” Ebsco Host. 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 May 2011.

Engle, Patrice L., and San Luis Obispo. “The Effect of Poverty on Child Development and Educational Outcomes.” Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011.

Iceland, John. “Measuring Poverty in America.” FDCH Congressional Testimony (2007). Ebsco Host. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Kozol, Jonathan. The Shame of the Nation: the Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in             America. New York: Crown, 2005.             Print.

Magid, Jennifer. “The Price of Poverty.” Weekly Reader Corporation. Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

Nilsen, Sigurd R. “POVERTY IN AMERICA Consequences for Individuals and the Economy.” Ebsco Host. Web. 11 May 2011. .

Phillipe Bourgois. “Poverty at Work: Office Employment and the Crack Alternative”             Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology (13th ed). Ed. James             Spradley and David W. McCurdy. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2009. 227-247.

“Poor in America.” Current Events 11 Nov. 2009: 4-5. Ebsco Host. Web. 10 May 2011. .

“Poverty Guidelines, Research, and             Measurement: Home Page.” Office             of the             Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS. Web. 28 Apr. 2011.

Samuelson, Robert J. “Defining Poverty Up.” Newsweek 155.23: 23. Ebscohost. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Shimo, Alexandria. “U.S. Markets Fall, Tent Cities Rise.” Ebsco Host. Web. 10 May 2011. .

Stack, Carol B. All Our Kin: Strategies for Survival in a Black Community. New             York:             Harper & Row, 1974. Print.

Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2011. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010. Print.

These are the children who have never been disciplined in any form of the word.  They have never been punished for any wrong-doing they have been involved in.  They grow up thinking that the sun rises and sets for their enjoyment and benefit.  They are the long lost royalty of a country presently unknown.  Their every whim is catered to and they are never told no.  

This child will be just fine, until they have to face the consequences of their actions.  When that is, depends on the situation of the family in which the child is raised.  For some children, this is when they go to school and they realize that they are no longer in control of the rules in the classroom.  For others it is not until High School or College.  For those most “fortunate” children this will not be until they enter the workforce.  What a rude awakening they have.

I personally hope that their awakening comes sooner rather than later.  The earlier in life that a child realizes that there are consequences to their actions, the sooner they can learn to live in harmony with the rest of society.  The punishments for taking something that does not belong to you are much less severe at the age of three, four or five than at sixteen, eighteen, or twenty-something.  It is much easier to stand in a corner, or apologize to a friend or even a store manager than to call your parents or lawyer from jail.

Each situation is different and I am not telling anyone what they should or should not do with their lives.  But I am asking that you try to gently, at the earliest age possible, teach the children you have influence with, that there are consequences to every action you take.  The consequences can be good or bad depending on the action.  Teach them to look at the consequence they would like to have, then make the decisions and choices necessary to arrive at that consequence.

1. Telling people they’re wrong or they need to change something.
2. Punishing, or refusing to enable.

One is verbal, the other is an action. Each one is intended to help the subject, though it may seem negative to that person. Unfortunately, there is a fine line between what’s necessary, and what’s just mean. Is one type less harmful than the other? Is it ever okay to use both? How do you know?

When To Tell Someone They’re Wrong

Everyone makes mistakes. Children and the immature especially tend to make critical errors in judgement, and it takes a wise, experienced mind to explain to them that they need to change. In some cases, it’s extremely important that someone speak up, otherwise the child might never learn the right thing.

The general rule I use is to make sure they know what they’re doing. If a child is running around recklessly, the first time, I tell them to stop so they don’t get hurt. The second time, I yell at them. The third time, I let them keep running until they hit a table. That usually works pretty well.

Everyone’s mind works a little differently, especially with age. I wouldn’t let a teenager speed until they hit a lightpole. The consequences are a bit worse. The difference with teenagers is that they understand a bit more. When I tell a three-year-old he might get hurt, he doesn’t imagine the pain of running into a table. He just stops running for a minute and does it again when I stop yelling. However, I can always show a teenager a video of someone wrecking a car, or even tell them a story, and they’ll have the sense to keep it under 100 mph at the very least. If my dad had yelled at me for doing something wrong while I was learning to drive, I would’ve cried and freaked out. I was already nervous enough. If the person you’re talking to can understand reason, just explain yourself. Don’t yell, and don’t say, “because I said so.” You have a better reason than that.

When To Stop Helping

If one of my family members is sick, lacking sleep, or disabled, I will bring them a sandwich. However, if that same person can get up and go to a movie without trouble and simply doesn’t feel like walking ten feet to the kitchen, I’m not making a sandwich. You can get mad all you want, but there’s ten feet in between me and you that you don’t have the energy to cross, so I’m feeling pretty safe.

Don’t buy an alcoholic a drink, and don’t loan money to someone in a pile of debt. It’s okay to help someone get back on their feet during a time of crisis, but every day does not qualify as a crisis. That’s a tragedy. At some point, you have to stop helping and tell them to help themselves.

When To Punish

Everyone needs to face consequences. If somone is doing something that’s not good for them and they don’t know it, or it’s hurting other people, take away something that matters. They should feel some of the pain they inflict, and they should learn not to do it anymore. If they can’t understand or care about the right reason for not doing something, give them a consequential motivation to do good. Like the three-year-old, they’ll learn eventually.

I should know – even though I lasted nearly twenty years working with children, the fact that I got sick, tired and fed up with dealing with “bad” kids was a big reason why I left that field in early 2008.

I understand why children who cause trouble act the way they do, however; it’s all in their brain development, or, more accurately, lack thereof…

The frontal lobe of the brain, which is the part that controls impulses, judgment, and a person’s sense of right and wrong, doesn’t fully develop until one’s mid-20s, and for boys it’s a bit later than that, stemming from the well-known fact that girls mature faster than their male counterparts.

That’s why kids and teens do dumb things like drink alcohol, smoke, take illicit drugs, drive recklessly, bully other kids, and act up in class.

While such is the case, that does not excuse that fact that children and adolescents must be held accountable, which is the root of needing to deal with the ones who continually misbehave and cause trouble and misery for teachers and everyone else around them.

To that effect, here are some suggestions:

1.  It is essential that you, as a teacher, a coach, or any other type of leader, establish clear rules, regulations, procedures, and consequences on day one, and make sure all of your charges understand them. This falls under the category of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

2.  Once your rules, policies and procedures are established, you must stick to them.

Based on my experiences with tough kids, warnings and talking to them often doesn’t work, as they interpret that as, “He ain’t gonna do nothing!” and will be a signal to keep misbehaving, so you must make sure that the consequences that you’ve established are given for all infractions. 

3.  Not only do you need to give consequences right away, but you also need to make sure that any bad behavior is nipped in the bud from the get-go; don’t let things slide, and – very important – do not let your students think, even for a second, that they can get away with anything.

4.   I know that this is an obvious suggestion, but the parents of the tough kid must be notified, as it’s important that they be put in the loop of their child’s misbehavior and defiance, and kept in that loop. Assuming that the parents want their kid to behave in school, they will make a strong ally here.

5.  Document every infraction that your tough students do the moment they make the infraction; I cannot emphasize enough how important this is, as it serves as proof and protection in case the tough kid’s parents are the type who are in denial and side with the kid, saying things like,

“How come you’re singling out my child?!”

“Stop picking on my kid!”

“You’re not being fair!”

With documentation, you can say when asked what the tough kid did to get in trouble, “Well, he did this, and this, and this…”, showing the parents what you wrote. It would be difficult for them to deny that there’s a problem then without looking unreasonably biased.

6.  For those tough kids who are defiant and continue to make your life miserable with their behavior, a contract between you, your trouble making student, and their parents is not a bad idea, a promise of rewards that can be earned for improved behavior and increased consequences such as visits to the principal’s office and suspensions if no improvement is shown.

Make sure that the student signs it; that way if he continues to break rules, you can simply show him the contract that he signed and how he broke such contract, justifying his consequence.

7.  Watch your trouble making students like ten hawks eyeing a meal.

At an elementary school where I taught P.E. at, there were a group of 4th graders who were like the proverbial bad apples spoiling the bunch, doing all kinds of chaotic stuff and making their class a hellish one to teach. 

One day another P.E. teacher and I lined all of these trouble causing youngsters against a wall and told them, in a very serious tone, that we were going to watch them and nail them on anything and everything they did that they were not supposed to do. That worked for the most part, as the majority of those tough kids realized that we weren’t playing around with them and shaped up.

8.  It’s particularly essential that you stick to your guns – DO NOT BE AFRAID to remove a kid from an activity, bench them for two or three days, send them to the principal with a recommendation of suspension, or even expulsion for the worst cases.

Some administrators have said that tough kids want to get in trouble; to get benched, suspended or expelled because they don’t want to do the work that’s required of them. Therefore, they advocate “working with these kids”, mostly through counseling, rather than have them pay the consequences for their actions.

I cannot disagree enough with that sentiment, as I’ve always believed that whatever a child does in school, good or bad, is on them.

In other words, I have never felt that a teacher gets a student in trouble or fails them, but rather it’s the student that gets himself in trouble and fails himself; I’ve always said,

“I didn’t give you that D, you gave yourself that D.”

“I didn’t do this to you, you did this to yourself.”

It’s always been my opinion that if a teacher, a coach, or anyone who works with kids spends too much time getting the “bad” kid to improve by counseling or any of that “new-age” stuff that’s common in schools today, it’s a detriment to those kids who are well behaved and do follow the rules, and brings down the class as a whole.

That’s why I’ve always hated, with a pronounced passion, the phrases, “These are just kids”, “It’s just a phase”, and “That’s what kids do”, which I’ve actually had people tell me, because it merely serves an excuse and indirectly gives kids the OK to act up.

Which has undoubtedly been a big factor in discipline issues and tragedies like school shootings being on the rise these past 15 years or so.

While it’s true that the lack of frontal lobe development is a root in all of this, I’ve also strongly felt, and still feel, that these tough kids who cause havoc and misery in schools are weak, in the sense that they, more than other students, simply don’t have the aptitude to discipline themselves, or to follow guidelines, or to do the right thing. 

To put it another way – with many, if not most, of these youngsters who cause trouble, you can talk to them and counsel them until you are, as a former supervisor of mine once told me, “…are blue in the face”, but if they continue to make bad choices, consequences must be paid, and it’s no one’s fault but the kid’s.

There’s an old saying fits in with this opinion perfectly, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink it”.

The bottom line in all of this is, those children in your charge who are incorrigible must be dealt with, to the point of removal, if they continue to be incorrigible.

To sum it all up, I once saw a TV show about this well-known family whose parents talked about how there was strong discipline in that family early on, with the father stating this as the reason for such discipline:

“If we don’t correct them, society will.”

Those seven words are the number one reason why you, as a teacher or in any job where you work with children, need to deal with those in your charge who continually cause trouble or chaos.

Because if you don’t, well, the authorities who will deal with them in later years will not be as nice or understanding as you are.

Not even close.

When scrutinizing the different perspectives on this issue, it comes down to two opposing perspectives. Opinion A:  No the YCJA isn’t fair and equitable when addressing youth crime or Opinion B:  Yes the YCJA is very fair and equitable when addressing youth crime are the two opinions.  Both opinion A and B have evidence to support their conclusions. A cartoon by Malcolm Mayes (www.artizans.com) is just one of the many examples. The cartoon shows a violent youth criminal who has been convicted (given away by handcuffs) with text on his wrists, “SLAP HERE”. This text is playing on the old saying “A slap on the wrist”, meaning the convicted got away with minimal and practically no consequence. Another piece of proof is a newspaper clipping from the Edmonton Journal in 2008. The article targets the gun violence increase among youths aged 12 to 17 and places the responsibility on youth law. According to Statistics Canada the gun rate use amongst youth has increased by 32% since 2002. The articles goes on to compare the percent of violent crimes involving a gun amongst teens to those of adults, the number being significantly lower in the latter ( a 1% difference).  Although all of these reasoning’s are valid, is it enough to say that that the YCJA isn’t truly fair and equitable when addressing youth crime? Opinion B argues that it is not, and that the YCJA is in fact very fair and equitable.  Opinion B also has evidence to support (hold) the foundation of their argument. This is supported (proven) through how the YCJA dealt with an Albertan youth who was convicted of three counts of first degree murder. The verdict was that she would serve intensive rehabilitative custody and supervision order. This sentence in the YCJA is intended for youths who have committed violent crimes and suffer from a physiological or emotional disturbance or a mental illness. Her time in custody was divided between jail time and a psychiatric hospital to assure she got the help required. A child and youth advocated, Bernard Richard addresses this issue. He reports the fact that teens suffering from mental illnesses are especially venerable while incarcerated and in most cases do not receive the assistance they require while jailed. This only leads to their condition growing worse and worse, the YCJA works to address these concerns to assure that this does not happen. Another method to justify that the YCJA is indeed fair and equitable when addressing youth crime is through statistics.  According to statisctics Canada the number of youth who were sentenced in custody on average (any given day) went down in 2004/2005 by 16% from 2003/2004 and down 50% since the YCJA was implemented. This is very significant (drastic) difference, for the benefit of society. In addition, the proportion of detained (incarcerated, apprehended?) youth who are formally charged by police dropped by 13% after the YCJA went into effect. Violent crime by youth also dropped 2% and property crime by youth dropped 12%. All of these statistics define clearly that the YJCA is having a very positive effect on youth crime. As shown above, both of these opinions have provided evidence as a fundamental base to why their argument must stand.

In my point of view, the YCJA is certainly very fair and equitable when addressing youth crime. The consequences that a youth offender must face are predominantly decided by the police, prosecutors, judges, professionals from the community and the Youth Justice Committee. The Youth Justice Committee is a group of volunteers from the community that work with the offender, their family and the victim to determine a just consequence for the offence. When determining the consequences for the youth offenders there are many things that are taken into consideration to ensure that they are fair and equitable. They consider the seriousness of the offence, the history of the young person, the attitude of the offender and most importantly, in my opinion, the underlying circumstances. For instance, there may be a situation at home and this could be a factor that encouraged their offence. The YCJA will then act to address and solve this problem through programs designed specifically for the individual so that they aren’t then tempted to turn back to crime. By doing all of this, the YCJA is taking into account individual need and circumstances, applying to every single youth offender who enters the Justice System, being fair and equitable. Not only does the YCJA work to address the underlying circumstances but works to rehabilitate and reintegrate the offender into society. By doing this the goal of the YCJA is to provide the young offender with the ability and knowledge to make positive choices in the future and to help them develop a sense of belonging within their community through positive manners such as sport teams. In addition, the YCJA works to ensure that the offender is subjected to meaningful consequences specific to their offence to assure that they are aware that there are indeed consequences.  However, the YCJA doesn’t just throw its offenders into jail to “teach them a lesson” but rather offers them significant consequences like community service, counselling and restitution to ensure that they understand the results of their actions.  The YJCA also recognized the reduced maturity levels of young offenders and prohibits adult sentences for youths 12 to 14, protects privacy of youth offenders and allows for most young offenders to avoid a criminal record. The reasoning behind this is quite simple, youth are much more vulnerable to other influences such as peer pressure, and therefore they cannot be held as accountable for their actions as an adult would be. Youth offenders are much more likely to learn from their mistake and Pamela Stephens, a spokesperson for the Justice Minister supports this point by saying “We recognize that it is much easier to rehabilitate a young person than an adult.”  When it comes to the fairness and equitableness I agree with Opinion B, the YCJA is very fair and equitable. However, to what extent is the YJCA fair and equitable? The only thing, I personally believe, that the YCJA could work on is its law to protect the privacy of youth offenders. I feel that the severity of the crime should be taken into consideration prior to determining whether or not their identity should be published. This is a valid argument that could be presented to oppose Opinion B however, this is a minor flaw in the YCJA and certainly is relatively simple  to fix

I feel that Opinion B’s argument must stand for the benefit of the whole Justice System and society.  Opinion A is invalid for all of the previous reasons stated. Although they may argue that youth offenders get off too easily, would harsher consequences necessarily lead to reduced crime rate amongst young offenders? Being incarcerated and spending time with “hardcore criminals” would only influence youth offenders, who are already vulnerable, to lead a life of crime obviously not addressing the issue and preventing crime. Opinion A may also disagree and argue that the identity of youth offenders, no matter their sentence, should be published. This however is not the case currently and it should remain that way. Youth offenders do not fully acknowledge and understand their offence and therefore the YCJA works to help educate and nurture them so they do not continue committing offences. By protecting their identity it allows them to be reintegrated into society and be accepted rather than shunned by society and turn back to crime.

Overall, it is clear and evident that the YCJA is indeed fair and equitable and that Opinion B is correct. The YCJA governs by rules that apply to everyone and takes into account individual needs and circumstances when determine just and meaningful consequences for the actions of youth offenders. I very passionately believe that the YCJA does a tremendous job and truly considers not only the offender but also the victim and the society to ensure justice is served.

Lesson One. Love all your children equally. Have no favorites. Had Israel loved his children equally, the hatred that existed towards Joseph by his brothers, to the extent that they wanted to kill him, would not have been there. Joseph would not have been sold as a slave to Egypt. Israel would not have been as distressed as he had been. Joseph would not have been separated from his loving mum, as a teenager, NEVER to see her again.

Genesis 37:5: Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers, they hated him all the more.

The dream suggested that al his brothers would bow before him, suggesting that he would rule over them. He had another dream with similar suggestions in verse nine of the same chapter.

Had Joseph known how much his brothers hated him, he might not have told them about the dreams. Three events made Joseph’s brothers hate him to the extent of plotting to kill him. These were:

1. The multi-colored garment;
2. The first dream; and
3. The second dream.

Lesson Two. Owing to naivety, the younger folk may be prone to making wrong judgements. If Joseph hadn’t known that the multi-colored garment had made his brothers jealous, he should have known, from their reaction to his first dream, that the implication of the dream was disturbing to his brothers.

When Potiphar’s wife seduced him, Joseph stood firm in righteousness, according to Genesis 39:9.

Lesson Three. We should stand firm in righteousness, whatever the consequences that might await us.

As a result of standing firm in righteousness, Joseph enjoyed the following benefits:

1. In prison, the warden put Joseph in charge of all other prisoners. This implies that he must have exhibited the following qualities:

1. Diligence;
2. Dependability;
3. Reliability;
4. Responsibility;
5. Maturity; and
6. Honesty.

All the above are godly qualities. Most importantly, God’s favor was with him. My suggestion is that this must have been brought about by his decision to be faithful to the Lord. Hence the gift of the interpretation of dreams.

1. He successfully interpreted the dreams of both the cupbearer and the baker. (Genesis 40:8-23);
2. After forgetting to speak on behalf of Joseph upon his release, the cupbearer, two years down the line, remembered Joseph’s gift of dream interpretation when Pharaoh had a dream requiring interpretation;
3. On the same day that Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream, he was taken from prison to the palace as a ruler, only second to Pharaoh. The Lord can turn our lives around in one day.

I realise many people will openly and perhaps vehemently disagree with this article. Why? Because sex is the best thing in the world right? Well yes and no. There’s no denying that sex is a source of immense pleasure, and that’s part of the problem. It’s so pleasurable that some people will do whatever it takes to get that pleasure. This leads to an enormous amount of problems in the world, the extent of which most people probably don’t realise. I think we should look at what a world without sex would look like.

To begin I should clarify what I mean by a world without sex, by this I mean the elimination of pleasure from sex, not actual sexual reproduction. If sex where simply an act which must be undertaken in order to have children then there would be no unwanted kids. The consequences of this alone would be staggering, no more children put into foster care, no parents who don’t love their kids and only stick around because it’s the right thing to do, no more contraception, no more abortion clinics, no more crazed zealots burning down abortion clinics in the name of religion? It’s a tempting prospect but the advantages of a world without sex would not end there.

Crime would also be changed forever. If there was no pleasure to be had from sex then rape would no longer be an issue. All the lives that have been ruined by an incidence of rape, all the prison’s around the world which would no longer need to house the people who commit these crimes. There would be no need for rape crisis centres, no need for court cases to judge all these cases, no lives ruined because of false accusations of rape. The same could be said for pedophiles, no more children’s lives would be ruined be sick individuals. The cumulative effect of all these points would be another huge advantage: the decrease of population growth.

The global population is growing at an alarming rate. There are already 6 billion people living on our planet and we’re quite close to reaching 7 billion. The rate of population growth is growing exponentially and our space and resources are diminishing rapidly. Now consider all the babies born worldwide who were born as a result of a couple in too much of a rush to use contraception, or the result of a drunken mistake, or the result of a rape. No more would the mother’s of these children face the difficult decision of wether or not to keep the baby, because these situations simply wouldn’t exist, I believe the change in population would decrease rapidly, perhaps even to a manageable rate.

Some other examples of things which would no longer exist if sex were not pleasurable: Prostitution, marital affairs, strip clubs, the porn industry. I’m sure there are more. Now I realise I may have overstated some of the consequences here: for example rape may be just a power trip to some people, affairs may be just as much an emotional thing as a sexual thing, etc, but the number of incidences of all situation listed above would be massively diminished. So what do you think? Theoretically if you had the oppurtunity to eliminate pleasure from sex for everyone in the world right now, would you do it? Would you sacrifice personal satisfaction to achieve the results stated above?

Most women do not truly understand men and pornography.Women who catch their partners watching porn, immediately assume that there is something wrong with them, that their partners no longer want, they are weak or mistresses see what happens as an infidelity.They must understand that male masturbation and porn is something like going to beauty: feel good and helps to relieve stress.

Masturbation with beautiful images of silicone is a quick satisfaction, but their long term needs – something like a packet of biscuits to satisfy your hunger.This does not mean you have lost interest in “meal” with the woman I love, but sometimes just a snack is good enough.

Sex becomes less frequent and pleasant

The danger of excessive masturbation and pornography should not be underestimated. Pornography can be damaging to your sex life, because not only quality but quantity may decrease sexual relations.Excessive masturbation while watching porn lead to lower libido and sexual desire.If you masturbate too much, you definitely have fewer sex with your partner.Because you used to enjoy instant romance and connection with your partner will suffer, which certainly will not go unnoticed.

The danger of excessive masturbation and pornography should not be underestimated

The consequences of excessive masturbation and pornography hidden

Some men may develop so-called idiosyncratic style of masturbation.During masturbation, men feel much more pressure and friction compared with intercourse or penetration, so it is easy for them to get used to this type of erotic stimulation.

As a consequence, many men get to be able to orgasm only by manual stimulation.It gets worse with age, because men need more time between erections, and to reach orgasm.Men tend also to different types of pornography , erotic novelties erotic stimulation constant and intensive and it becomes harder for them to reach orgasm with a partner in real life, because it probably is not as perfect and excitement News about the porn actresses favorites.