Open Prompt #2: Progress in the Last Two Years

Many people don't see the advances that Detroit is making. It's astounding to be honest and I believe that it should be recognized. This video below shows a small glimpse of the outlook on the city back in 2013.

After seeing that, it seems as though there is a lot that needs to be done with the city. While, obviously we haven't fixed every issue at hand, the next video is from 2015 and President Obama tell us some good news.

The second video is for sure a refreshing look on the city's state. Just a couple of weeks ago the president was praising all of the positive movements being made throughout Detroit. The biggest information that I took away was the ending of the saving of the auto industry. It's incredible to hear that all of what was owed to the taxpayers was returned. In just two years there are already a number of problems fixed. Who knows what else Detroit will accomplish in the years ahead.

Open Prompt #1: The Beauty of Detroit

I get it. I really do understand. It's such an easy target to focus so much negative feelings about. Detroit, in many people's opinion, is a wasteland that's better off being used for a never ending post apocalyptic theme park idea. GANGS GANGS VIOLENCE GUNS FIGHTING DRIVE BY'S MURDER. I get it. Honestly though, I can't stand hearing about everyone complain, especially when most of the people haven never even been into the heart of the city.

"I've seen '8 Mile' and I read those Buzzfeed lists about the most dangerous cities and Detroit is always at the top! I'm so informed!!1!!"

I hate these kinds of people.

Walk into the hear of Campus Martius, look me straight into my eyes, and lie to me about how unsafe you feel. It's just not something that can be done with a clear understanding of someone's true setting. I've walked around the city plenty of times, wearing my best clothes, with money in my pocket, and without my knife, and never was I worried about being in trouble. Then again, I have seen Gangland. I have had countless amounts of conversations with my mother about her time she spent there. (She worked at Sinai Grace Hospital, where I was born. Several times she had run into gangs and if it weren't for her street smarts, she would've been a victim to many crimes.) People's perceptions on a city with a size greater than Boston, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland, should not all be about sad streets like Gratiot Ave. and 7 Mile.

Yes, ok I didn't live in downtown Detroit my entire life. I grew up in Macomb county, which is Metro Detroit. Yes, I know this bothers people when people like me say they're from Detroit, but I believe that since I was born in the heart and grew up only twenty minutes away from my birth place, I have the right to say I'm from Detroit. I also think I have the right as a human being and a Michigander to take pride in what used to be our state's capital.

This was just a disclaimer before I write about Detroit and why I care about it so much. It's my home and I love to see it grow back into the safe and thriving area it used to be.

Prompt #1: Asking Questions and Breaking Assumptions

While I'm confident that I know enough about my major to be well off in succeeding in my goals, it's true that there are some things that I'm not exactly well informed about. Along with questions that should be answered, there are also assumptions that should be covered and corrected as well. Things like:

1. How versatile is a degree in economics?
2. What careers could it potentially lead to?
3. Economics involves a lot of calculus.
4. Economics only exists with money and policy making.

Economics is actually very versatile. What I mean by that is that there are many different ways that economics is used in todays society. This also covers the fourth point that people may be mistake about. If you read books like "Freakonomics," you can learn the economics doesn't always have something to do with money and policies. I've learned things from decreasing crime rate because of abortion to the deceiving world of sumo wrestling, all through books about economics.

As I should say up front, What I want to be in life is an intellectual property lawyer. Why? Law has always been an enticing career path and I believe that intellectual property is an interesting and relevant field of study. Although, I have a path I want to follow, who knows exactly where I am going to end up? In the case of not becoming a lawyer, I want to make sure that my major can set me up for future success. In my current textbook, "Microeconomics" by Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, there are many situations present of the possibility of using my major for several areas. Also, leading into the second question, econ is used EVERYWHERE. Almost any field will have positions and careers related to economics, so hopefully I'm in luck.

One of my weakest points in school is calculus. I have to be brutally honest, I'm not very good at it. So far in my studies however, I have not come across a large amount of calculus. I understand I have a long way to go, but many things in economics can be found out just by using simple algebraic equations.

Prompt #2: Defining Ethics

The beauty of economics is that there are some topics where there is no concrete right or wrong answer. There are many different opinions that go into economics. It's not like medicine where a certain dose of something can save or end someone's life. That's why ethics is subjective in this field. Depending on what kind of economy you favor, your ethics can/will be different from someone else.

Capitalists may see that it would be ethical to keep the government out of economics as much as possible. On the other side, a communist may disagree and say it would be ethical for the government to keep it all centralized.

When it comes to people being aware of the ethics, it's hard to just state that, yes they are aware. To be aware is to have an opinion. No matter what a person's opinion may be, it all falls under them being aware that ethics is present in their choices and preferences. Do professionals always follow their ethics? I would say not always. There are times where someone may go against their core group of beliefs to find another answer to a problem. Even the most radical capitalist could find at least good use of the government in the economy.

More than just opinions being ethics based, there are actual operations in an economy that involves critical thinking and the applying of ethics. For example, in the article Ethics and Economics, there is a portion that talks about a woman inheriting a large fortune, then donating almost all of it to charity, then living on the only necessary money she had left. This is compared to another woman who worked her whole life to make the same amount of money, yet lives a comfortable life. The question is who is more ethically admirable?

As I grow older and more knowledgeable in this field, my ethics may change, but it will always play a significant role in economics.