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Show www.dailyutahchronicle.cor ► 5 OPINION Monday February 3, 2014 Minimum wage increase not the answer Check yes: Government should focus efforts on the ballooning inflation rate BAKHAN organs can save lives BARZANGY Columnist NAFISA MASUD M y other boss presented a brilliant idea that we should decrease inflation rather than increase wages, so we don't lose monetary value. It appears on inflationdata.com that inflation rates have been relatively low. From 2000 to 2013, the rate of inflation varied from one to three percent and throughout the year of 2009, we experienced this deflation anomaly at the rate of .34 percent. The consistency in the numbers was a bit unnerving; how can we trust this system when there is no set number and it can fluctuate at any rate? What will happen to the United States dollar 20 years from now? How successful will this generation newly entering the workforce be? This problem not only affects the U.S. but has spread to other countries, like Turkey. The New York Times reports that in Istanbul, the Turkish lira — which is equivalent to .44 of the U.S. dollar — has lost over 14 percent of its value over the last two months. Merchants in Istanbul who are buying merchandise from the U.S. are trying to balance their purchasing price with their selling price and are finding it difficult to keep their businesses viable with their increased prices. The Federal Reserve needs to put out a systematic way of handling the economy where we work towards decreasing inflation, not increasing wages. This would devalue the U.S. dollar in that more consumers will have more dollars and more merchants will be competing for those dollars by raising their prices. In this way, consumers lose purchasing power (e.g. a loaf of bread will cost $5 and gas will climb to $8/gallon). Ultimately, this will lead to a depletion of the middle class leaving us with only the extremes of rich and poor. Mybudget36o.com further supports this "dismantling of the Columnist T LINDSAY SCHURING/The Daily Utah Chronicle middle-class" idea; the average household that made an income of $52,029 in 2008 saw a 3.6 percent drop in their income in 2009. Middle-class Americans or those just above the poverty line make up to $35,000 whereas the top five percent of the wealthy class are making just around or above $313,000 according to CBS News. "Cruel Tax" certainly does not have as a significant impact on the top five percent as it would for a family barely scraping by working on minimum wage. Why it is that Americans cannot live comfortably only making minimum wage? Because the value of our monetary system has dropped, and if it continues this way even if those in the "middle-class" make 20 percent more in zo years, they would still have trouble making ends meet. The changes need to be with the value of the U.S. dollar, not with increasing minimum wage. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Students must learn art of personal finance BAILEY CARVER I 4kirt frf.1. Columnist n a time when society is extremely concerned about money, it is astonishing how little the majority of people actually know about finance. There is the common cliché of a college freshman getting their first credit card and going crazy buying items which they cannot afford and then having to pay off the debt for a long time. Unfortunately, this is a cliché for a reason. On top of credit card debt, college students also have loans that they matriculate with. In many cases, there is a need for some debt especially when it comes to college, but there is also a way to manage this debt. It has become increasingly clear that stet more students are leaving college with massive amounts of debt. According to American Student Assistance, 6o percent of college student takes some kind of loan. In the United States, there is around $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt. These numbers are astounding and seem to be creating a cycle because once you are indebted, it becomes increasingly difficult to get out. However, there are underutilized preventative measures to keep this kind of debt from surfacing. The majority of high school students graduate with little to no knowledge of real world financial education. Yes, we take algebra, calculus and geometry, but there is a lack of understanding regarding personal finance. According to ABC, only 14 states offer personal finance as a high school class while at the same time parents are saying, "U.S. kids aren't learning enough about how to manage their own money." There is no denying the fact that there is a need for a better understanding of personal money management, there is just the question of how to implement it. A year long class on personal finances could drastically shape how a new graduate would approach the financial side of college. Although there is a need for stronger educational backing, there are a few easy rules to live by. First of all, you probably don't need what you are thinking about buying. Think about it could that $20 be spent on something better? Second, if you don't have the money don't even think about purchasing it. Just because you have a credit card doesn't mean you should buy things because you can, it will harm you in the long run. Lastly, a job helps pay the bills. It is easy to say you don't have time, but if getting a part time job will keep you out of debt and possibly allow you to graduate without piles of loans to pay off, take the job. We need to stop approaching college with the expectation that with a degree we will pay off that loan, and start thinking realistically that we must live within our means. letters@chronicle.utah.edu LUIGI GHERSI/The Daily Utah Chronicle he process of applying for a driver's license involves several mundane steps — endless forms, having your height and weight measured and taking an eye test in which you stare at rows of letters until you're convinced you're blind. It may also seem that the "yes" or "no" so effortlessly checked with regards to organ donation seems like just another formality but this isn't the case. Organ donation, while a huge decision, sounds more daunting than it is due to misconceptions. By agreeing to donate organs we save countless lives, both in our country and across the world. Today there are more than 120,000 Americans awaiting organ transplants according to DonateLife.net , but in 2012 only 14,000 Americans donated organs. Every io minutes a name is added to the waiting list, and each day 18 Americans die from not receiving organs in time. While most Americans know of organ donation, few truly understand the process, and it's this lack of understanding that is the problem. The process of organ donation is only possible when strokes, aneurysms, or automobile accidents create massive trauma to the brain. After all efforts have been exhausted and the patient is declared brain dead, harvesting their organs is considered. Doctors then refer to the state donor registry to see if the patient had consented to donation before their death, family members consulted if this isn't the case. Few Americans are aware of the conditions in which organ donation is possible. Some of these misconceptions are brought to light by the Mayo Clinic, the first being that doctors won't work as hard to save a patient's life if they're a donor. A doctor's responsibility is to save the life of their patient, not to sacrifice it for the greater good, and in many cases the doctors aren't aware of a patient's donor status until a situation arises that requires this information. Many also believe that age or health issues make them unsuitable donors but these issues are factored in and a decision will be made whether the patient qualifies or not. There isn't a cutoff age when it comes to being too young to donate — 2,000 children in America are currently awaiting organs and their bodies often require smaller sized organs. And with regards to open-casket funerals there are no discernible signs of organ or tissue donation. Consenting to donate would save countless lives since bone and tissue can also be harvested along with larger organs. Doing so also prevents a greater misfortune: the illegal organ trade. The organ most often "sold" is the kidney since we can survive with one and though this hasn't yet become a large problem in the U.S.. According to The New York Times, Israel ranks low on organ donation because of a Jewish law that's been popularly interpreted to prohibit organ donation and rabbinic issues surrounding "brain death." As a result, many wealthy Israelis look to developing nations, bribing and tricking impoverished people for their organs. These nations include Brazil, Indonesia and Egypt. Donors usually paid a fraction of what they were promised or not paid at all. One man was only paid for his journey one-way and then forced to work seven months in a strange city to make enough money to go home. In Egypt this is often done to pay off debts, while many Brazilians do so in agreements with employers to ensure job security. The World Health Organization revealed that a kidney is purchased on the international black market once an hour and children are often victims, like Brazilian io-year-old Paulo Pavesi who was kidnapped and murdered, his heart, lungs, kidneys and corneas removed by doctors active in the illegal trade. The global demand for organs is inevitable, but simply checking "yes" could make all the difference. letters@chronicle.utah.edu |