bonus option e.2/short story
Joe G
Joe Omar Gonzales
English 101, Section 3226
Professor, O’Connell
Bonus Option E.2 with Short Story
America’s Broken, Corporate Greed and Consumption
The United States of America’s government once had a system to ensure
the best interests of the people. Interestingly, “every single
government regulatory department” (Adams, 2007) is now run by the
corporations it is supposed to be regulating. Take a look at the FDA
(Food and Drug Administration), USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture), the FTC, FCC, and the SEC to name a few. And, all other
government entities, you will find Board rooms and other rooms full of
politicians, bureaucrats and lobbyist who unreservedly abandon the
“People” while prioritizing the financial needs of influential and by
the end of our last President George W. Bush and his corrupt and
greedy Administration, the U.S. became “top heavy”. (Adams, 2007). As
Andrew J. Bacevich argues in his book “The Limits of Power”; “The
Jeffersonian trinity summarizes our common inheritance, defines our
aspirations and provides the touchstone for our influenced
abroad.” (p. 15). Because of the Declaration of Independence written
by Thomas Jefferson, Americans are spoiled and have the freedom to
live and do as they please, as long as they are not breaking any
laws. Many Americans pursue their dreams in the arts; dance, theatre,
writing plays, or books. Others write music, sing and or play
instruments. Many Americans join or create Volunteer groups or clubs,
like the Boys and Girls Club of America. Others choose to participate
in environmental groups, such as Heal the Bay (cleaning up trash from
and around our beaches). “From expansion came abundance”, “Documents
drafted in Philadelphia promised liberty. Making well on these
promises refused a political economy that facilitated the creation of
wealth on an enormous scale” (p. 22 & 23). Since the inception of our
Country, the more Americans have the more they want, whether it was
property, money and or prestige, this is what has brought America to
where it is today. Americans appear to be living in fear today, a war
against the Taliban, Iraq and Afghanistan, the high unemployment rate,
increase in the cost of healthcare benefit cost or the lack of
healthcare.
Because of the overwhelmingly slant towards enriching the
corporations, our policies on national defense, health care, finances
and agricultural come to the expense of the people. Corporations
gained power, greed and influence over our government and the people,
because of “Campaign Finances” (Adams, 2007). It is extravagant the
amount of lobbyists who work for fortune 500 companies. Lobbyists
spend their time in and out of Washington, leaving Congressmen/women
with money, luxurious gifts and vacations fit for a Queen.
Unfortunately it is Wall Street (fortune 500 co.) who controls
Congress today (Adams, 2007). In the Senate of the United States,
110th Congress (2nd session) November 19th 2008 introduced by Mr.
Sanders, Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Boxer, which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. A
bill, to limit the amount of compensation for employees and executives
of financial institutions assisted and the Troubled Asset Relief
Program and for other purposes. Also, known as the “Stop Greed on
Wall Street Act”, this is to make clear that no employee or executives
from a bank or any other financial institution that was assisted under
TARP, will receive in excess the salary of the President of the United
States. This also includes and not limited to bonuses, stock options,
deferred compensation and securities, including any other form of
compensation provided to an employee. This is an amendment to the
TARP bill and will put limits on Compensation. There is also the
House of Representatives, 111th Congress (1st session) March 17, 2009,
introduced by Mr. Conyers and 7 co-authors; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary. This bill would authorize the U.S.
Attorney General after discussion with the Secretary of the Treasury
to limit or recover excessive compensation paid or payable by entities
that have received Federal financial assistance on or after September
1, 2008. Also, known as “End Government Reimbursement of Excessive
Executive Disbursements (end GREED) act”. This bill is extreme as it
will establish a uniform law on bankruptcy; authorize U.S. Attorney
General after consultation with Secretary of the Treasury. Recovery
of Excessive Compensation, Review of Contracts, Payments and Civil
action for Fraudulent Transfer. It will also give U.S. Attorney
General Authorization to issue subpoena.
There are so many ways for fortune 500 companies to do creative
accounting, moving money around, and finding ways of playing the
game. According to AFSCME (We Make America Happen), 38th
International Convention, July 28 – August 1, 2008, the Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of a Standard & Poor’s 500 company received on
average $14.2 million in total compensation, which is nearly 400 times
the pay of the average U.S. worker according to The Corporate Library,
a corporate governance research firm. Average family incomes are only
15 percent higher today than they were three decades ago. Countrywide
CEO Angelo Mozila, Citigroup Chuck Prince and Merrill Lynch’s Ken
Lewis were rewarded with hundreds of millions of dollars in payoffs
and golden parachutes. A “Golden Parachute Plan” is a term that
Corporate Human Resources uses for its top Executive Officers, Board
of Directors, CEO, CFO etc., it is another form of “Benefits”, long
story short, it will pay for everything (medical, dental, vision) that
the normal benefit plan will not cover (it picks up the tab), it
usually includes cosmetic surgery, 100 pairs of prescription glasses
(bi-focal, tri-focal contact lenses, over the counter medications
etc., including but not limited to car insurance, life insurance and
this includes spouses and their children, including children in
college no matter what age. It will give them stock options, bonuses,
stocks/shares, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP), may include 100%
match of 401(k) no matter the amount and whatever else they throw into
Golden Parachute Plan. In an article by Warren Buffet (2009)
published in his New York Times article “The Green Back Effect”, “the
United States economy is now out of the emergency room and seems to be
on a slow path to recovery”, “after actions taken by both the bush and
Obama administrations kept the financial system from a complete
collapse into a severe depression.” Buffet believes that the bills
passed to help the financial crisis may be temporary, but have long
term effects that we have to deal with now or America will collapse.
As Bacevich states “the foreign policy implications of our present day
penchant for consumption and self indulgence are almost entirely
negative” (p. 16).
First Americans wanted bigger and faster cars, and the American dream
to own a home. Then they wanted a bigger house and a more or more
houses. Americans are never satisfied and wanted to keep up with the
Jones’. More and bigger seemed to be the appetite for most
Americans. What ended up happening over the past six decades are more
Americans becoming wealthier, and what was considered middle class,
which was most Americans, has gone away. Because of this penchant for
consumption and self indulgence. The middle class American is almost
non-existent, it appears we have become a country of the very wealthy
and the very poor.
It is imperative that America live within its means and if we can come
up with some alternative energy solutions. Also, make health care
affordable for all Americans, and putting caps on CEO’s and Executive
salaries will also help. Bacevich is right on what he says about
“Educating America”, this will be foundation to any and all children
for future generations to come; everyone should get the same
education. Public School students deserve a private school
education. It may be hard to change America the Greedy and help the
Needy, but I believe in America, all good things in life take time.
There is hope in this great Nation, and this hope must come from
within, it also must come from concerned parents and family. Our
churches (no matter what religion), our communities etc. It will have
to be we the people. We must make our public schools a priority as
well as the teachers and professors who educate. It is time for our
great nation to come together and unite. Everyone has a voice and a
vote, we should all participate and work together as Americans no
matter our political affiliation.
References:
Andrew Bacevich 2008. Limits of Power: The End of American
Exceptionalsim. New York: Hold Paperback. October 2009.
http://www.afscme.org/members/24430.cfm
Adams, 2007. June 22, 2007. NewsTarget.com/Truth Publishing, Straight
to The Source
http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:2:/temp/~mdbsrdLEyf::
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi/gin/query/C?c110:/temp/~c110CWXXIs
Buffet, W. 2009, August 31. The Green Back Effect. New York Times.
December 18, 2009
Joe Omar Gonzales
Bonus Option E.2 with Short Story
English 101, Section 3226, Fall
Professor: O’Connell
When I arrived at mom’s house that dark and dreary night, the house
was full of her Mexican, El Salvadorian and Guatemalan friends. There
were drinking (which was normal), beer and dancing. The music was so
loud and everyone was speaking in Spanish. I only dropped by to find
out that my brother Andrew (the one I always worry about since he has
been HIV+ and has been for about 25 years now), was in a horrific car
accident, mom always gets the details confused. He was a passenger in
a car, lost in Pomona (the driver was lost) on a dark street, don’t
know too many details. The car he was riding in was hit so hard and
when the cops arrived Andrew was a bloody mess. They didn’t think he
would pull through, he had after all, five blood transfusions, he was
told he would never walk again. Disappointing, since he was a dancer,
he had surgery on his entire left leg. There were screws and pins and
some type of long (maybe titanic plates). I didn’t go see him in the
hospital till the next day and wasn’t’ sure what to expect. When I
saw him, his leg was lifted in traction. He was unrecognizable. They
had not had time to wash or clean all the blood from his face and
body. He had no front teeth, and he had bandages everywhere. Andrew
is very vain and loves money, clothes and thought his party friends
were real friends. The hospital was a bit creepy, with large rooms,
quiet and old. Even the people who worked there were strange. I only
knew of hospitals that I grew up around, like the one where I lived
and grew up in Pasadena, CA, the Huntington Memorial Hospital, (didn’t
realize that Pasadena was beautiful, with big homes, landscape and
trees), the real world is different. The Huntington Memorial is clean
and sweet with beautiful landscape and orderly, the employees are kind
and helpful. I lived and worked by Cedars Sinai in West Hollywood.
And Cedars is like the diamond of all hospitals in southern
California, nothing but the best.
After six months of grueling intense physical therapy, Andrew pushed
himself harder than most people. You see he was a dancer and
flamboyant to boot. In 1976 when I was honorably discharged from the
U.S. Navy, I stayed with my dad and Andrew (he was in high school).
The Vietnam war was over and no one gave a shit about us anyway, so
who cares, threw away my uniform (it meant nothing, maybe someone
would spat on us). I was usually loaded, high on pot, LSD and or
drunk, (LSD was a big deal in the early 70’s and in the Navy). I
never drank or used drugs until the Navy. Our whole family was
alcoholic: mom and dad, too. Today Andrew can walk and dance, he is a
survivor, and he still loves money and loves to spend it on his so
called friends. He loves to buy silk ties for work. He works hard,
but where does his money go? Why does Andrew try to keep up with the
Jones’, is it because Americans