Students in Ms. Aucoin's class should please read the following article:

http://michaelmoore.com/words/latest-news/fortune-500-profits-bounce-back

Students should choose one quote they find most interesting, and then add commentary.

And be glad you're not my students taking 6 days worth of 6 hour exams that start at 5 am so they can be in sync with students in Europe :)

DIY Government

The UK is having elections on May 6, 2010 and this article examines some of Conservatives' proposals namely Do It Yourself government.
Read this article http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/apr/14/election-2010-conservatives-big-society
Then in order to decide how much autonomy is really good you might reflect on the following areas. Do you generally feel favorably or unfavorably about doing the following:

1. Planning your own vacation on the internet


2. Using self check-out at the grocery store

3. Figuring out your own taxes

4. Doing your own banking online

5. Taking/Developing/Sharing your own photos

6. Voting in local elections

7. Voting in national elections

8. Deciding how your h.s. is run (repairs, hiring, activities)

9. Using the local libraries

10. Participating in community activities

11. Watching tv on the net

12. Dividing your own trash and recycling
13. Providing your own transportation to get where you are going

14. Cleaning up your neighborhood

After you think about that you should decide which areas of daily life should be taken care of by you, by the government or by a private company. For those students studying economics you might consider what the fiscal implications are to having or not having DIY governement. How much do we really want the government to take care of and how much are we willing to pay for it?

I thank all my dedicated students who came to class on Thursday. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. And I look forward to reading your responses.