Things are Shaping Up to be Pretty. Odd.(Why Gas Prices Are Actually A Good Thing)

Can you believe that title? I've been furiously debating this issue in my head for several days out. I've been outright enraged about this particular topic several times. This is especially true because I plan on making several trips this summer. I've never been to be be upset about gas prices since my car is fairly fuel efficient (especially compared to SUVs) getting around 35 miles to the gallon. But we hit 4 dollars a gallon this week. When I was a kid (it wasn't THAT long ago) gas hit 1 dollar a gallon.

So what good can come out of 4 dollar a gallon gas? As a result of these insane prices, I've driven around less. I can only imagine getting around 8 miles to the gallon like someone who drives a Hummer (American vehicle by make, Anti-American vehicle by model). I beleive that this will lead to people not taking that extra trip to the grocery store, less driving around just for the fun of it, and all around less travel taking place via automobile.

This won't fix the gas prices. It is a start though.

Fact of that matter is, oil companies are evil organizations. They have American citizens by their (for lack of a better term) extremities. Oil companies haven't lost a dime on rising oil prices. Why is that? Because they raise the price and just like the ignorant Americans we are (this includes myself) we continue to buy. True, at this juncture we don't have any option other than to buy gas to get us places, but we should become more aware that research is going on to discover an alternate source of energy. Oil companies have gone to far this time; people are going to think twice when they go out because it's now an issue of "can I afford this." I have faith that smart, educated, well-informed Americans such as you and I will not continue to use gas frivolously.

So who should we blame? If you're around 75% of the average youth of today you'll say that we should blame George W. Bush. I mean that's the easiest answer in the world. Why blame yourself? Blame the "man." This isn't the 60s, the government isn't pulling some grand oil conspiracy over our heads they have simply run out of options and are fighting this with us. It's too late for that though because we've already lost faith. In November, America will elected Barak O'Bama into office(personal prediction that I'd like to bet real money on if you're interested, perhaps to pay for gas). Gas price will continue to rise and the liberals will say, "Thanks to George Bush we can't get this economy under control." You can't blame one man for the state of the global economy which is easing toward recession (at least the Europeans have it under control).

Take a good long look in the mirror and say to yourself, "It's my fault gas prices are so high." Am I suggesting that you go out and trade in your car for a hybrid? No, it's your right to drive whatever you want to (as long as it isn't a hummer). But let's all do whatever we can to cut back, and lessen the oil companies demand (or at least go out and buy some Exxon Mobil stock).

Why Finals are a Crock

Yes it's that time of year. The beginning of May use to mean wonderful things for me. My birthday was coming up, school was getting out, and vacations were coming soon. This was well and good until the 7th grade. That year Finals began to plague my life. I remember how stressed I was back in those awkward days. Today I have to actually have to study for them. So what? Everyone has to take finals right? Only because it is logically a good idea (using italic words make me feel important). Like many things in life, it sounds great on paper.

I have a few bones to pick with this system however. First of all, I want to know who remembers what their professor said on the first day of lecture. Secondly, I want to know what professor loved finals when he/she was in college. Aside from pure distaste for the system, I do have some legitimate points in which I have set out in a beautifully (my 5th grade teacher loved it when we used adverbs) organized list.

1. The average college student doesn't study until the day before the exam. If you know me you know I'm against grade inflation, but give us a break! Most of us spent most of our high school career learning through osmosis. We never studied and probably made fun of people who did.
2. Introductory classes carry WAY to much information for a comprehensive final. Next semester when I take HY 300 - History of Brazil I'll be expected to know everything about the history of Brazil. That's legitimate. I'm taking it as an upper level class which means I'm truly interested in it (not to mention the fact that I'm a history major). This semester I'm taking Geography 101. This class has absolutely nothing to do with my major (by the way I'm failing it with flying colors). The University of Alabama requires me to take 2 science classes as part of my major. Thankfully I took an introductory Biology class in high school, so I only have to take one. As a cop out I decided to take Geography 101. What should have been an easy A has turned into this late night at the Gorgas library studying. An 85 on the final to pass the class? Sounds like an easy A to me.
3. Tests are a poor indicator of how much a student knows about the topic, especially if the structure of the test is confusing or otherwise constructed poorly. The best example I can give of this is my Western Civilization class this semester. I can go into a test knowing the material. Knowing it so well that I could almost recite the notes to you. My teacher is a good guy and structures the tests for those who may not be too terribly fond of history (rightfully so its a REQUIRED class the university makes you take, much like science). This entails short multiple choice tests that take about ten minutes to complete. Give me the test in a fill in the blank format and I'll make a perfect score. How about Geography 101? Well I knew on day one my life was going to be a living hell after hearing the comment that "you'll see things on the tests that I won't talk about in class or will be in text, you're just expected to know it." (I could write an entire post about this guy...)

These reasons mean nothing in the scheme of things, however. After all, how can we measure a student's knowledge on a particular subject if we don't assess (thank you education classes!)him/her. Traditional colleges assess students traditionally (which is logical, as i said before). So until the great college revolution of 2198 (the year the world discovers this post), we are just going to have to deal with power trip 101 teachers, and poor preparation for college finals.

The Beginning of Something

I've tried several times to start blogs. Let's see how this attempt goes. I think deep down inside everyone wants an outlet on the way the feel about issues that affect them. It can be a very powerful thing if it is written effectively.

I do have purpose in my views, however. I want to draw people's attention to issues they may otherwise never think about. I want people to understand how others may feel about an issue. I want people to apply the principal of "treat others the way you want to be treated" to real issues we face today.

Mostly, I want modern day politics to be less about personal agendas, crooked tactics, and scandals, and more about moderate compromise. Compromise is the key to successful politics.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this. Let's change the way we look at today's issues together. Let's change the world one voice at a time.