Reflection of Class

This class has both been a blessing and a curse to me. A blessing because it has taught me better techniques to write and has improved my writing; a curse because it has made me write so much. But otherwise the class was not bad. Even though we did not do much with the text book, all of the passages read out of it were relevant and helpful in some way at the point in time we read them. They were also helpful during the writing process as a resource to go back to and make sure that we were following the correct steps. Class time was fun. I did enjoy the YouTube videos that we watched. The in-class discussions and activities also helped me learn in the class as well. Although I did read the homework every time it was assigned, it was helpful to go back through and recap what was read. Sometimes certain things that I read were brought to my attention in a different way and widened my scope of thinking. The projects that we did were also beneficial. I will probably be using rhetorical strategies when I get a job, so having tons of practice will prepare me for the future. Writing the resume and cover letter was also very beneficial because I had never written either of them before. It helped me focus in on what my skills were and how to persuade my possible employer to consider me as a serious applicant. The skills I learned in this class will help me as I excel as a student at Clemson. I expect that my writing will only get stronger from here as I enter higher level writing classes. I only hope that my writing will become more effective and that I will become as successful at communicating as future employers expect.

Project 5

Alicia Wideman Ms. Stephanie Beard English 1030 12 November, 2013 Unnecessary Transportation The first thing people notice when they come to Clemson is how beautiful the campus is. The next thing they notice is that Clemson is just as big as it is beautiful. After the first couple of weeks of class, incoming freshman and transfer students start to feel the impact of walking to class on such a vast sized campus. As time goes by, some students get used to the walk, but others decide to take the Clemson Area Transit (CAT) buses. CAT buses give students the choice to ride the bus to class instead of walking and can save time. But are CAT buses really necessary for students to get around campus? Clemson’s campus is big, but the campus is nowhere close to impossible to make it on time to class by walking. CAT buses are not needed for transportation around Clemson’s campus because campus is not vast enough for people to not be able to walk, walking is healthier and contributes to improving the health of students, the fumes that are emitted from the buses harm the environment by contributing to global warming, and the fumes are also not healthy for the students and employees to inhale. Although Clemson’s campus seems big, it’s not as big as people perceive. From the farthest points on campus, the walk is only about 2 miles. The distance seems like a long way to walk, but students should be acclimated to the walk after being on campus for a while. Depending on how fast one walks, it only takes about twenty minutes to get from the parking lots to class, or even less if the student lives on campus. According to the CAT bus website, CAT buses have three routes and about twenty-two stops all together on these routes. It takes about seven to twelve minutes for the bus to get to the stops, so a student could possibly wait about thirty minutes for a bus to get to the stop they are waiting at. By the time a student waits for the bus to come to its designated stop, they could already be in class. Almost all of the academic buildings are centrally located on campus, so it does not take long for students to walk from class to class. Walking to class can possibly be faster than waiting for the CAT bus to take students to class, especially if the student got an early start and has more than enough time to walk to class. Walking around Clemson’s campus can greatly improve one’s health because there are plenty of health benefits that come from walking. Some people may think that walking is overrated, but it can really impact one’s health in a positive way. Walking can help people maintain a healthy weight and improve people’s balance and coordination. It also helps prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, and type-two diabetes (Mayo Clinic). Walking Clemson’s campus is the perfect way to improve the health of both the students and employees because of the miles there are to be walked. Walking is the least strenuous of exercises there is and it strengthens the heart, lungs, and increases muscular endurance ("Fitness"). The average student probably walks about four miles a day going from dorms and parking lots to classes and dining halls. All of this walking, even though it can be a pain, will improve the health of many students and employees. Riding the CAT bus will take away from the health gains people make from walking around campus which will contributes to the not-so-healthy lifestyle that college students are already living. “According to a study done by researchers at Ohio State, as many as fifty-two percent of college students do not exercise” (“Encouraging Your Student to Exercise in College”). The only exercise most college students get is walking around on campus. It’s hard to make time to go to the gym or do something physically active because of all the work that college entails. There is a gym on campus, but depending where a student lives on campus, it can be quite far away. After walking from class to class all day and finishing up the large amounts of homework that has been given, it is easy for students to dismiss the idea of going to the gym because of all the walking and work they have already done. According to the New York Times article about the American College of Sports Medicine, “college students who regularly engage in vigorous exercise get better grades” (Parker-Pope). Although walking is not considered vigorous exercise, it does count as physical activity and could possibly help boost the grades of students. With CAT buses providing rides, students may have more energy to go to the gym, but most will not because of the work that is put into homework. CAT buses should not provide rides around campus so that the students who do not go out to the gym get exercise daily. Now that there is more technology, existing technologies are becoming more efficient. Electronics and automobiles are among the most popular to be labeled as energy efficient. According to an article on the Optima Bus LLC website, Optima Bus has provided Clemson with many Opus model buses, which have been in use by Clemson since 2003. Opus buses have a “modular bolted aluminum system” which makes the bus lighter in weight while adding strength; the light weight adds to “a better fuel economy and less pollution” (Optima). Although these buses might be more environmentally friendly than others, the fact is that the buses are still going to emit a great amount of pollution. Transit buses are fueled with diesel fuel. “Diesel fuel is one of the nation’s most persuasive sources of toxic air pollution” (Diesel). Diesel fuel is known to cause a variety of health issues such as nausea, heart burn, numbness, light-headedness, wheezing, bronchitis, and reduced lung capacity (Tox Town). These effects may seem minor, but if CAT buses did not provide transportation around campus, people would not have to be bothered with these symptoms or sicknesses because of the emissions from CAT buses at all. Diesel exhaust also makes it seven times greater for people to develop cancer than all other air pollutants combined (Diesel). It’s a big risk that people take walking around behind transit buses or any automobile at for that matter because of all the sicknesses one can develop from them. Not only do the fumes have an unpleasant odor, but they are irritating to the lungs and eyes. If CAT buses were eliminated from transporting in the interior of campus where most people walk, there could be a huge decrease in how much pollution students and employees are subject to breathing. A major component of diesel fuel exhaust is carbon dioxide which contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming ("Partial List of Chemicals Associated with Diesel Exhaust"). Carbon dioxide is a heat trapping gas; the more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the warmer the Earth gets. Since carbon dioxide is produced by the burning of fossil fuels, CAT buses are contributing to the carbon footprint on the atmosphere ("Greenhouse Effect"). Not to say that all other cars do not contribute, but the CAT buses are a luxury. Students and employees do not need them for transportation around campus. Imagine how much gas it takes to fuel a CAT bus. It’s a waste of gas for them to be driven around campus just to transport students to another point on campus that could be easily attained by walking. The atmosphere already has a large amount of pollution and gets more pollution on a daily basis; CAT buses do not need to contribute to all of the harm that is already inflicted on the atmosphere. Although CAT buses provide unnecessary transportation around campus, they also provide transportation for the handicapped. There are many people on campus that use wheelchairs or find it challenging to walk around campus. CAT buses help alleviate the walking that the handicapped face because they are specially equipped to board these passengers. Even though the CAT buses are a huge help to the handicapped, there are also golf carts that go around Clemson’s campus that give people rides to class. The golf carts are a great alternative because some are electric and others do not run off of as much gas as it takes to fuel a CAT bus. Those who have electrically charged wheelchairs do not need much help getting around campus because the wheelchair is their mode of transportation. Often the electric wheelchairs go faster than most people walk. CAT buses are not the only modes of transportation that the handicapped can use. If there were to be no CAT bus transportation around campus, everyone is accounted for and can find transportation if it is needed. Another argument that people can make is that there are no close parking spaces on campus for commuters, and this argument is correct. There are parking spaces in the interior of campus but most are only thirty minute parking spaces or employee parking. The commuter lots, even though they are not as far as the resident lots, are still quite a distance from campus. The approximate distance is about a half a mile from the location at which most of the academic buildings are located (around Cooper library). This distance can potentially make students who commute to class late, but this dilemma can be easily fixed. If commuters left their houses or wherever they are coming from early, there would be no problem getting to class on time. Leaving early would alleviate students from having to rush and can take away from the stress that the student feels because they are rushing to class. Most students who live off of campus made the decision to not live on campus. Students knew the consequences of living off campus; the distance from the commuter parking lots to the academic buildings was one of them. Nothing is going to be perfect and not everything is going to be easy, so students have to learn to deal with how things are. CAT buses are still not needed in these cases because as mentioned before waiting for the bus can possibly make the student even more late than they would have been if they just walked in the first place. Students could also say that there is not enough time in-between classes for them to get to class on time. This argument could be valid, but as was mentioned earlier, the academic buildings are close to each other. There are changes that could be made in order to avoid this issue as well. Changing the pace at which one walks could be a solution to the problem. Walking faster cuts down on time and could help people get to class on time or even early. Another solution to the problem is that the time between classes could be extended. This could be a complicated process but it would give students more time to get to class. Arriving on time could contribute to better grades which could lead to a higher GPA. Most students do not have a problem getting to class with the amount of time already given, so this excuse, although it could be legitimate, can be seen as invalid. Overall, CAT buses do more harm than good. Why put student’s and employee’s health at risk just because they choose not to walk? The issue of being late can be eradicated if students are willing to address and fix the problem. The obstacle of being handicapped can also be fixed because of the other transportation available on campus. CAT buses are unnecessary for transportation around campus and contribute to an unhealthy environment. Walking Clemson’s campus is sometimes the most exercise a student gets while they attend Clemson University, why take this exercise away by providing the option of riding a CAT bus to class instead of walking? Works Cited “Clemson Area Transit.” Clemson Area Transit. Clemson Area Transit. 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. “Diesel.” Clean Air Task Force. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. “Diesel.” Tox Town. U.S. National Library of Medicine. 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. "Encouraging Your Student to Exercise in College." College Parents of America. College Parents of America, n. d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. . "Fitness." The Volume Library. 2. Nashville: 1995. "Greenhouse Effect." The Volume Library. 2. Nashville: 1995. Kratzer, Steve. “Clemson Area Transit adds new low-floor Opus buses to its current fleet.” Optima Bus, LLC. Optima Bus, LLC. 21 Aug. 2003. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. . Mayo Clinic Staff. "Walking: Trim you waistline, improve your health." Mayo Clinic (2013): 1-2. Mayo Clinic. Web. 10 Nov 2013. . Parker-Pope, Tara. "Vigorous Exercise Linked with Better Grades." New York Times. 03 Jun 2010: n. page. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. . United States. Department of Labor. Partial List of Chemicals Associated with Diesel Exhaust. 1990. Web. .

Project 4

Cigarettes have become hugely popular around the world since the growth of the tobacco plant in the New World. At first, cigarettes were not popular at all because of the amount of work it took to make them, but in 1883 a machine was invented to roll thousands per day. This helped the popularity of cigarettes rise in the early twentieth century. The cigarette was beginning to be accepted by society and was more sociably acceptable to smoke in public. Now, cigarettes are everywhere and places are beginning to accommodate to smokers. There are smoker’s sections in many public places like restaurants, school campuses, and even airports

When cigarettes first came out, they were thought to be harmless, but later on people became to know that cigarettes are far from healthy. Most people know that cigarettes contain many chemicals, but how many, and how harmful can they be? Well, before a cigarette is burned, there are five hundred ninety nine chemicals in them. But when cigarettes are burned, over four thousand compounds are made, sixty nine of which are known to cause cancer. Among these chemicals are carbon monoxide, arsenic, and ammonia.

As the label says above, smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease, and emphysema. But cigarettes can also cause mouth cancer, leukemia, pancreatic cancer, sudden infant death syndrome, and many other sicknesses. How can people look at this label and still want to smoke cigarettes? There are no health benefits to smoking and the common stereotypes about them making people look cool and making people lose weight are not true. Every time someone picks up a cigarette they increase their chances of getting one of these sicknesses which will lead to death.

Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug used in America. It’s surprising to know that marijuana was legal and widely used in America from 1850 through 1937. It could be bought in many pharmacies just like any other drug. The drug’s attraction arose when the prohibition of alcohol was passed by Congress.

Marijuana causes psychological effects on the brain which create a “high”. Along with becoming high marijuana causes relaxation, heightened sensory perception, and an altered perception of time. Marijuana also causes anxiety, depression, and a lower the ability of a person to form new memories. Although these effects seem minor, marijuana also has bad side effects. Frequent smokers have the same problems that tobacco smokers have, for instance coughing and lung infections. Frequent marijuana smokers also have more health problems than tobacco smokers.

Every one in five deaths is related to the use of tobacco smoke. So why are cigarettes legal? Marijuana has proven to be much safer and healthier. Works Cited "A Complete Social History of Cigarettes." Web. 21 Oct 2013. . Cox, Lauren. "Marijuana: Facts About Cannabis." live science. (2012): n. page. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. . "Drug Facts: Marijuana." National Institute On Drug Abuse. NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health, n.d. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . Elliott, Richard. "The Early History of Cigarettes in America." Cigarette History. n. page. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. . "Harms of Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting."National Cancer Institute. NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health, 12 Jan 2011. Web. 21 Oct 2013. . "Smoking & Tobacco Use." Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. N.p., 05 Jun 2013. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . "The Harmful Effects of Marijuana." Foundation for a Drug-Free World. n. page. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. .

Project 3

Alicia Wideman 4008 Atalaya Place Myrtle Beach, SC 29579 9/28/2013 Stealz, Inc. 840 Handsworth Lane Apt 307 Raleigh, NC 27607 To whom it may concern, It has come to my attention Stealz Inc. offers internships and I am very interested in interning at the company. I am currently a junior at Clemson University who is looking for job experience within my major and I believe this company will have a great impact on me. I have enclosed my resume to outline my skills and experience for you to read. I have heard about this company through the internet and I am compelled to learn more about how the service works. It is important to reward the customer for their loyalty, and no one does it better than Stealz, Inc. I believe I would be perfect for this internship because through my experience as a sales associate I have acquired the skills to be able to make sales to customers. I also possess the skills to provide excellent customer service and I have learned to be a part of a team. My major with an emphasis in accounting has also prepared me for this internship. I would appreciate a chance to be a successful part of this company. My sales experience and field of study may be of interest to you and would be appropriate for this position. I look forward to communicating with you about a possible interview within about two weeks. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Alicia Wideman Alicia Wideman 4008 Atalaya Place, Myrtle Beach, SC 29579 Cell: 843-457-5667 Home: 843-903-4088 Email: awidema@g.clemson.edu Job Objective: To be a part of a growing and successful company that will enhance the lives of those it serves. Education: B.A. Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC August 2013-May2017 Carolina Forest High School, Myrtle Beach, SC August 2009-June 2013 Work Experience: Data Entry Clerk July 2013-August 2013 Myrtle Beach, SC Waccamaw E.O.C., Conway, SC • Input data into Microsoft Access • Worked diligently to input data quickly Monitor June 2013-July 2013 Myrtle Beach, SC Waccamaw E.O.C., Conway SC • Oversaw different site locations to ensure that company policies were being followed • Corrected sites when policies were not being followed • Worked with others in a friendly matter Sales Associate May 2011-June 2013 Myrtle Beach, SC P.S. from Aeropostale • Provided quick and efficient customer service in a friendly manner. • Trained other employees in order for them to succeed in cashiering, providing customer service, following company policies, and selling to customers. • Arranged store in an attractive and orderly manner • Consistently made sales to customers Skills and Interests: • Efficient in using Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and Microsoft PowerPoint. • Can type 80 words per minute

Project 2

Abuse of Government Programs. America’s government has proven to be proactive in regards to combating poverty. There are a variety of government funded programs that are designed to provide assistance to those that do not have access to basic necessities. These programs bring a sense of relief to recipients who are in tough situations trying to provide for themselves and their families. The assistance provided is meant to be temporary, and beneficiaries are expected to be able to provide for themselves after a certain period of time. However, recently more selfish Americans have began to abuse this source of government aid to create a form of personal income. Unqualified people begin to swindle the system and receive unneeded government aid instead of working for an honest wage. This problem has been occurring in many specific government programs and has shown to affect taxpayers wallets. The burden on taxpayers caused by the abuse of Unemployment, Social Security, and Medicare, is an evident reason why the United State’s Government needs to increase the regulation on receiving tax funded financial aid. Unemployment Unemployment, sometimes called worker’s compensation, emerged in the 1910s. It entails a conglomerate of different features. One of the major benefits of this program is unemployment restitution, which gives compensation to victims of injuries sustained while on the job. “Unemployment also entail strict liability, imposing liability on employers for harms caused during employment” (Schwartz, 1). According to the Huffington Post, the U.S. government spent billions in “unemployment benefits to people who were actually working.” So, this raises the question, is unemployment,a service intended to provide cushion for struggling Americans who couldn’t afford to pay the bills, being abused? Are the checks intended for the needy in actuality being distributed to those who are quite comfortable on their own? The Huffington Post published data detailing where the unemployment money is being spent. The statistics support the statement that unemployment is, indeed, being abused. Taxpayer’s money is being used and wasted. According to a CNN article, “The top 10 percent of taxpayers paid over 70% of the total amount collected in federal income taxes in 2010,” but they are not the ones collecting the majority of the benefits. You can see from CNN’s line graph, as years pass, the upper and middle classes are being taxed more and the lower classes are being taxed less. This tax money is being redistributed to people who are taxed less and attempt to “cash in” on government checks using fraudulent methods. These are not hardworking people that have been dealt a bad hand in life. Instead, these people are abusing the system. They are people who want their way of life paid for by others. Instead of working and sustaining a living for themselves, these citizens are a leech upon society, and in turn are corrupting a once beneficial service. Unemployment is not a bad thing. It’s an incredible service that the government does for people who actually need it, though it should be reserved solely for people who do. Citizens who choose to pad their checks with government money are abusing the system and corrupting it for those that actually need it. The money that could and should have been used on people that need it most is being thrown away, and the system is being made a mockery of. The government should propose stricter regulations on who gets unemployment. Money shouldn’t be taken from the poor and needy and given to the rich and undeserved. Social Security The Social Security Disability Insurance Program, or SSDI, is yet another great example of a government welfare program, originally established with good intentions, that has been manipulated and abused by the common people. The discussion of implementing a disability program funded by the federal government began in 1936. The government did not enact the SSDI until late July of 1956, following “a long period of discussion both in the executive agencies and in Congress” (Berkowitz). This idea of formulating disability welfare was inspired by all of the people who were in great need of aid following the great depression, which swept through America during the 1920’s, putting millions out of work and in severe financial situations. When the program was established, it was intended to be used to provide financial aid for people who could not hold a job, due to physical or mental illness, so that they could afford basic and essential living needs for themselves and their families. When the SSDI administration established this, they stated, “the funds should be spent on the beneficiary’s current and reasonably foreseeable needs. The needs should be immediate and essential” (Office of the Inspector General). This program has good intentions, but a major problem as well. How does the SSDI enforce qualifying for Disability Insurance and dictate who receives it? When the program was created in 1956, it had one major problem. Instead of creating a set of rules and regulations as to how to qualify for the program, the Social Security Administration declared that SSDI benefits could last for the rest of a person’s life. The Actuary Council realized the problem with this and stated, “unless a highly qualified medical staff examined each applicant, the cost of the program would be higher than anything that can be forecast” (Berkowitz). The problem that the Actuary Council had foreseen over half a century ago has begun to unfold today. The abuse of Disability Insurance rose to an all time high at the start of the 21st century. “According to Social Security Administration data… SSDI rolls have swollen to a bloated 10.9 million” (Finger). The amount of people who are on disability today is astronomical. An even scarier fact is that 5.9 of the 10.9 million people on the program have been added since Obama took office in 2009. The recent increase of Americans on disability raises a striking question. How are more people disabled today than in the past? Of course, the answer to this rhetorical question is, obviously, there is not. The fact of the matter is that people are realizing that obtaining free government handouts is easier than working. The fact of the matter is that the SSDI hands out a better paycheck than most minimum wage jobs “averaging $1,111 per month and $300,000 over the course of a lifetime” (Trueman). With that type of money, people are realizing there is no real incentive to go back to work when they can comfortably live on government money. In fact, statistics show that of the roughly 650,000 people that stopped receiving aid from the SSDI in 2011, “Only 6% returned to work and 3.6% exited the program due to medical improvement” (Finger). The other 90% either received the disability funds until the day they died, or even worse, reached retirement age and are now receiving more social security pensions from other programs. These figures go to show that the abuse of the current SSDI program is both evident and real. I propose that the SSDI benefits should be regulated even further due to the burden that abusers put on the taxpayers of America. Heritage expert David John also believes that this program is being abused and feels that “modest changes will not fix the current system”. The need to stop fraud and freeloaders is a must in order to save the incomes of the hard working American men and women. Currently the federal money used to pay for this government program is generated from a 1.8% payroll tax on all paychecks. This means that unemployed people who are receiving disability checks are not paying the taxes required to furnish the program. These abusers of the system are receiving free, untaxed, money for the hard work of others. If this program is not more heavily regulated, the taxes on the working class will continue to rise. The Heritage Foundation believes that by the year 2035, the abuse of SSDI will put the federal government in over $344 billion deficit. This, unfortunately, will continue to be a heavy burden on taxpayers of the future. Although The Social Security Disabilities Insurance program was created with good intentions, it has been abused in such away that it is no longer beneficial as it once was. A program that was once proposed to help out Americans in physical need has turned into a free source of income for many con artists and crooks. In order to not further burden the hard working and tax paying citizens of America, the SSDI needs to enact stricter regulations. Medicare and Medicaid In 1965, Medicare and Medicaid were created in order to make healthcare more accessible to people who are financially challenged. They were created as an expansion of the Social Security program, which originally stemmed from the aftermath of the Great Depression. Both programs were enacted as a part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s great society along with many other domestic programs to combat poverty. Medicare was constructed to provide a government-funded health program for people over 65 or people with certain disabilities. It has four parts that cover various health care services. Part A covers hospital services, Part B covers services from doctors and other healthcare providers, Part C encompasses Parts A and B, and Part D helps to cover the cost of prescription drugs. Medicaid is another government-funded program that helps people with low income pay for medical assistance. Medicare and Medicaid have proven to be beneficial to many families throughout the nation because they provide citizens with medical insurance that they otherwise would not have because of their limited incomes. These programs help provide over a hundred million people with the resources they need to survive. Although Medicare and Medicaid provide relief to low income families, many people take advantage of the help these programs give. One of the problems is that the programs have become much bigger than its original intention which makes them hard to regulate. Of the twenty-one percent of the federal budget that went to finance assistance with health insurance, Medicare alone took up $472 billion (two-thirds) of it. Another problem is that the Medicare claims are processed by computer and are not often proofread. This makes it easy for its abusers to make false claims and receive unneeded benefits. In 2008 a high school dropout was able to receive benefits by simply filling out 140,000 claims, which took $105 million from Medicare. That’s $105 million taxpayer’s money. Not only do average citizens cheat these programs, but doctor’s offices abuse them as well. Many offices overbill, submit duplicate bills, bill for unnecessary services and make other fraudulent claims in order to increase their personal paychecks. When talking about the abuse of medical billing by doctors, Malcolm Sparrow, a professor of public management at Harvard, stated that “It’s an inflated procedure, or one that wasn’t done, or an entire medical episode is being created and a completely fake diagnosis has been put on the patient’s record” (Abramsky). All of these counterfeit claims are cheating taxpayers out of their hard earned money. It is estimated that $85 billion a year is being distributed to people who are abusing the system. Since these programs are overwhelmingly abused, it should be impossible to make false claims and receive the benefits of Medicare and Medicaid. Lawmakers should assess the situation, close all of the loopholes that enable people to abuse these programs, and enforce more severe punishments for those that are caught filing false claims. Taxpayers shouldn’t have to fund the lifestyles of con-artists who cheat their way to a better life. Closing Remarks The evidence that shows the negative effects from the abuse of the American welfare systems clearly displays the need for stricter regulation. The selfish acts of individuals who are taking advantage of a well intended program is directly affecting the hard working and honest members of society. As taxes continue to rise on Americans, this matter needs to be resolved now in order to stop the continued growth of the issue. the solution is simple. Stronger regulation on who qualifies for government aid, as well as how long they may receive it, will restore the integrity of these programs and rid the stress that is placed on taxpayers. Works Cited Abramsky, Sasha. "Stop the Bleeding: An Interview With Medicare Fraud Expert Malcolm Sparrow." Nation.. 10 05 2011: n. page. Web. 19 Sep. 2013. . Berkowitz, Edward D. "Statement before the Subcommittee on Social Security of the Committee on Ways and Means." Social Security Website. Social Security Administration, 13 July 2000. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. . Dehaven, Tad. "Social Security Disability Benefits Unsustainable." Cato.org. Cato Institute, 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. . Edwards, Chris, and Tad DeHaven. "Fraud and Abuse in Federal Programs." downsizing The Federal Government. Cato Institute, n.d. Web. 15 Sep 2013. . "Policy Basics:Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go?." . Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 12 04 2013. Web. 19 Sep 2013. . Finger, Richard. "Fraud And Disability Equal A Multibillion Dollar Black Hole For Taxpayers." Forbes Magazine. N.p., 14 Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. . Hargreaves, Steve. "The Rich Pay Majority of U.S. Income Taxes." CNN Money. Cable News Network, 12 Mar. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. . HuffPost. "Fraudulent Unemployment Benefits Payments Totaled $3.3 Billion In 2011: Paper." Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 28 Apr. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. . Trueman, Laura. "Able-Bodied People Defrauding Social Security Disability Program." Web log post. Heritage.org. The Heritage, 12 Oct. 2012. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. . United States Of America. Social Security Administration. Inspector General. Social Security Administration. By Office of the Inspector General. United States Government, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. .

Project 1

Alicia Wideman Ms. Beard English 1030 05 Sept. 2013 The Effect of Political Cartoons. The situation in Syria is posing a question in other country’s governments over if the Syrian rebels should receive help from NATO and what kind of help they should be given. Many people are voicing their opinions about what should be done is Syria, especially Americans since they have a reputation to be the country that keeps the peace in other countries. People voice their opinions through many mediums such as commercials, magazine columns, and blogs. A political cartoonist, Daryl Cagle, created the political cartoon “Send Message to Syria” which touches on this current issue in Syria in order to voice his opinion. It was published on the website caglecartoons.com on September 2, 2013. The cartoon features President Obama and Uncle Sam. The purpose of the cartoon is to portray President Obama as someone who supports the attack on Syria and portray to portray Uncle Sam (who represents Americans) as against the attack on Syria. Cagle’s cartoon is a very effective rhetorical device because of the firm stance he takes, the hasty generalization effect it gives off, and the emotional appeals it makes with the reader. Taking a stance is the first major step one should make when authoring a piece, and Cagle demonstrates this very well in his cartoon. It is clear that he is trying to depict Obama as someone who supports war and who is in favor of the attacks on Syria because of the way he worded the quotes he has Obama saying. The quote, “Nobody is more war weary than me! Really!”, portrays that Obama always anticipating to get involved in a war. This could persuade the reader into thinking that Obama wants to get involved in Syria just to be a part of a war. The quotes, “Gotta go go go blast Syria!!”, and, “Hey! C’mon! Let’s go attack Syria!”, may sway the reader to think that Obama is ready and willing to attack Syria. The straight-forward language of these quotes toward the situation makes Cagle’s point clear in the cartoon and translates well to the reader. This cartoon also leads people to make hasty generalizations about the debated air strikes on Syria. Cagle drew Obama running, smiling, and pointing to portraying that Obama is excited about the attacks. The excitement of Obama makes one infer that he wants to air strike Syria and possibly get involved in a war. Cagle also gives the impression that America is against the air strikes. He illustrates this by drawing Uncle Sam slumping with an unpleasant, tired face. Uncle Sam’s posture and facial expression represent that America is tired of Obama going to war with other countries. This leads people to assume that most of America is against the attacks on Syria and could sway people that are undecided about the attacks to not support them because of this representation. Daryl Cagle has his own website as well as many other political cartoons which would lead most people to believe that Cagle seems very credible. He also sells his cartoons which supports his credibility. These facts make his cartoon easier to accept and agree with. Although the civil war in Syria has been going on for years, this cartoon makes emotional appeals because of the new question of whether to help the Syrian rebels in overthrowing their government. The question becomes significantly harder to answer because of the war threats other countries have made against the United States if America provides support to the Syrian rebels. Americans are unsure and uneasy about what could happen, and this cartoon could frighten some people or push others to believe that the United States is going to attack Syria. Cagle’s cartoon is a very persuasive political cartoon that utilized rhetorical devices very effectively in order to make his argument that Obama is ardent to attack Syria. This political cartoon presents a huge point-of-view on this current issue and the rhetoric of this cartoon enforces Cagle’s point-of-view. Cagle’s cartoon proves true because Obama does want to air strike Syria, but the way Cagle presents the topic makes the issue seem less serious that it is. In my eyes Cagle is trying to show Obama as a person who likes to get involved in war, when in reality Obama is trying to do what he feels is morally right. Obama feels that Syria is “violating our common humanity” and feels like missile strikes are the right thing to do (Rucker, Englund). Over the years America has gained a reputation for being the country to impose when other countries cannot solve their own problems, Obama is only carrying on the tradition. Some people may feel like other’s have no right to intervene in other countries civil wars, but when the fight is unfair, something has to be done.   Works Cited Cagle, Daryl. "Send Message to Syria". 2013. Graphic. Cagle CartoonsWeb. 2 Sep 2013. . Rucker, Philip, and Will Englund. "Obama, in Stockholm, says that on Syria, 'the internation community cannot be silent'." Washington Post. n.d. 3. Web. 5 Sep. 2013. .

Critical Blog Post 4

I interviewed Erin about school. My questions were: “What is your major?”, “How/why did you choose your major?”, “Have you started taking any classes in your major?”, “Do you think you’ll be able to get a job in your major?”, and “What are you going to do after you graduate college?” It was pretty difficult to take notes and listen at the same time just because people talk faster than people write. It was challenging to try to remember exactly what she said at times, but I think I was pretty accurate in capturing what she was saying; if I did not catch all her words, I summarized her answer. You can learn first-hand accounts from interviews; it serves as a primary source in a way. Observing the interviewees environment can show you what affects them on a daily basis. It can also help you see why the interviewee thinks the way they do and makes decisions the way they do. This research can add others people’s opinions or support to your argument. It’s always nice to have someone who agrees with you a supports you in your paper, it makes it your argument easier to be considered and accepted by other people. I haven’t done an interview for this paper (I might in the future), but I’ve interviewed people before. The process of interviewing can be a little intimidating, especially if you don’t know who you’re interviewing personally, but the information collected in the interview is well worth the awkwardness. Interviewing people leads me to think about my subject differently or in a way I have not already considered it. It makes my subject more well-rounded and can lead me to include more information about my subject in my paper. Interviews have always been an asset to the papers I have done in the past.