The Winter of Our Top Banana

According to the article by James Pethokoukis, America is economically thriving but its happiness is stunted. The search for happiness and the need for economic growth tend to be at odds with each other because Americans tend to be easily dissatisfied. James' writing titled "Why I’ll take economic growth over ‘happiness’ any day" claims that the reason behind the United State's discontent is "the entire idea of drawing broad, cross-country conclusions from these subjective, survey-driven happiness indexes".

I was on my school's cross country team. I was required to run a long distance- everyone in the race is. But what if you are not happy with your race results? Not to sound like a Disney movie but when it comes to some long-term goal such as this, happiness comes from within... follow your heart. Just kidding, that is waaay too Disney. Happiness comes from reaching your personal goals and being genuinely content with your own personal growth, despite the fact that you might not be top banana in the eyes of other competitors. You have to be your own top banana.

In paragraph one I touched on the idea that Americans tend to be easily dissatisfied. Is that inherently a bad thing? I would argue it is actually good for our economic growth, despite it being not so great for our happiness. Since we live in a capitalistic country, dissatisfaction in one product means satisfaction in another because we have options and competition! Being "unhappy" in an economic sense is not a big deal (unless you are actually living in poverty). Being unfulfilled with a product simply paves the way for a better one. WOO CAPITALISM! So, unhappiness in the economic world should not be portrayed as "The Winter of Our Discontent" but rather as an opportunity or motivation to make that better product, get that promotion, sell that car, get that job or nail that interview.

So, does capitalism leave us room to be comfortably miserable and constantly wallow in our discontent? UH OH SPAGHETTI-O'S! If you answered "yes" you are missing the point of capitalism and self-improvement... better luck next time, kiddo. Dissatisfaction should not be treated as an excuse for melancholy, but rather, it should be seen as a big ol' light bulb going off in your head saying "heyyyy... maybe I should stop buying this crappy product" or "oohhh... maybe I should not work at McDonald's all my life."   

So, as the artificial James wrote addresses discontent as "unhappiness" I would say that it is, in fact, a beneficial thing to be unsatisfied in certain moments. I draw this conclusion due to the fact that being unhappy with your circumstances is a big push to change for the better. So, 'not being happy', although it does not seem entirely good at first, can be used as a helpful tool in order to drive the economy up in a healthy way by means of self-advancement. You can not live a stagnant, dull, unfulfilling life and still be happy with yourself because we are made to have dominion over the earth, rather than mope around. Our instinctive drive to keep on pushing to be the top banana is what makes capitalism so successful. It is the cherry on the banana split. Heh. Now I gotta split. Heh. I'm not peeling too well. Heh. But seriously I need to eat lunch.

ARE YOU bREADY FOR MORE???

There are several motivations for investing in Panera bread. Ryan Derousseau, an investment journalist, elaborates on why to invest by announcing that "Panera is riding a wave of health-conscious consumers in order to maintain its edge." I predict that the Panera Bread restaurant that will be opening soon in Yuba City will be successful because, aside from regular orders, they provide catering and online ordering opportunities. Although there are several restaurants in Yuba City to compete with the newly opening Panera, it stands a good chance in the competition due to its healthy menu options.

Panera Bread's success can be accredited to its genius franchise model. This franchise model helps increase profitability by offering a steady stream of revenue in the form of rent and royalty income. Franchsiment of the company is always boosting it further because in order for any company to franchise Panera, the company is required by its partner, Panera, to open at least 15 bakery-cafés within a six-year period in any given market. This means that more successful bakeries are being opened regualarly which is a great boost for Panera's shareholders.

Now, something that may seem to be a barrier for this restaurant will actually put it at an advantage over its competitors- raising of the minimum wage. Raising of the minimum wage will without a doubt raise prices of restaurants. This puts Panera Bread at an advantage over other companies because it has healthy and high quality eating options such as organic and gluten free foods that are worth paying the extra money for; opposed to a competitor whose options are not worth the extra cost.

Panera Bread is also one of the highest in quality fast food places in the United States. Aside from making large strides in its catering business, Panera has better increased the superiority of its restaurant by means of expensive kitchen revamps and technological improvements.

In fact, Panera has been so successful that it became a temporary problem in 2014 known as the "high class dining issue". People would walk in the restuant, see the long line and fancier dining and leave thinking it was too long a wait to linger around a while. Rather than lose customers, Panera acted fast by improving its services by means of more catering options, better technology and more efficient services.

Due to Panera's 15 bakeries a year franchising plan, it has become incredibly widespread with the quality and efficiency to keep up with higher demands and a much larger amount of customers. Plus Panera Bread offers garlic bread in their store, which is the best form of bread. It is beauty. It is grace. I say that not as an opinion, but as a fact. For example, it's about 60 degrees right now, i’m wearing a black shirt and duck pajama pants and garlic bread is the best form of bread known to mankind. These are undeniable facts. It is for all these reasons why you should strike while the iron is hot and invest in Panera. Fun fact: The Ivestopedia stock has been up since I got it.

The Educated Spouse Powerhouse

You are not wasting your education doing something you love. People who say that women are wasting their education on staying home and raising kids is horribly mistaken if the women’s passion in life is to raise children. Traditionally women are the ones to stay home and take care of children not because they are lesser than men but rather because they can better play that home-maker role than most men.
 

 The term “homemaker” makes one think of someone who just babysits buys groceries and cleans the house. This alone is important for a functional home but a homemaker can always be more than that.

If a women is to get an education and end up becoming a “house spouse” is she wasting her time, money and life? Not necessarily. A homemaker can be so much more than society's cardboard cutout of what they appear to be. Simply because someone does not get a salary, does not mean they are unreliable. In fact, I would trust a volunteer, for example, at a Sunday school more with kids than someone who is only willing to do the job to get paid. Why? Because they are passionate enough to take care of kids regardless of their “position”.

If people think that women who got educations should be reserved for paying jobs, then who do they expect to raise children? This just leaves us with uneducated people raising our youth. Would it not be better for society and the economy for an educated mother to be raising kids? The children will grow up in a nurturing and well-rounded environment with both mom and dad as educated role models for them. Now, since these children are a being raised so well, they are more likely to get an education themselves, especially with both parents being able to guide them through college, having both been through it.
 

Homemakers should be encouraged in their choice to use their education as a tool to raise their children, rather than be discouraged because their position doesn't pay. They are making a wise decision in better mentally equipping themselves before raising the very kids that will be our next generation of homemakers and paid workers.

These articles reminded me of the preacher that came to our school to speak Friday. He explained to us that pastors are in place to better equip the congregation to spread the gospel. So, if pastors get a bible education are they wasting their lives if they are equipping people to go on missions trips and not attending the trips themselves? No. They are educating, helping and encouraging others. This is something that would be extremely difficult without an education. Both the job of the pastor and what each person in the congregation chooses to do with his message is irreplaceable.

So, should women be discouraged from raising children and get jobs instead? Absolutely not! Women should have a choice. Educated mothers open a realm of possibilities for their children which will, in turn, be even more beneficial to the economy and the value of family. The mentality that women with educations should be bound to getting jobs rather than raising children because they should be “free” is the very idea that strips them of their freedom. HOUSE-SPOUSING WITHOUT SHAME! DESTROY THE ANTI-PATRIARCHY!

Freedom to Fail

Freedom is the ability for a person to act as they want without hindrance or restraint. When read or spoken this word often displays an image of a bald eagle soaring through the sky or an American flag waving in the wind in my mind. Freedom is always a good thing, right? Up until recent events, the last thing I would think of when someone mentions 'freedom' is 'car crash'.  Yes, the package of self-rule comes with an ugly bow of responsibility that is often tossed out when the gift is received.

According to road crash statistics, nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year. That is a total average of 3,287 deaths a day! Road crashes are the leading cause of death among young people ages 15-29. Everyone can agree that car accidents are tragic and we want to prevent them.  The real question is: "what can we do to actually reduce wrecks?"

Will regulation prevent car collisions? We all know there is an excess amount of restrictions for drivers. Abiding by these laws are simple enough but that does not necessarily mean we follow them. When was the last time you went over the speed limit or answered a text while driving? I am not trying to guilt-trip anyone. Reasons for breaking these seemingly irrelevant laws are justifiable. Maybe someone will speed to work in order to not lose their job or they will answer an important text while still on the road. It is the fact that breaking these safety rules seems innocent that makes distracted driving such a  dangerously common cause of injuries and death. Rules will always be broken when the value of breaking them at first seems to outweigh the cost.

Technology is a great way to minimize motor vehicle impact, right? After all, 90-93% of car crashes are caused by human error. Autonomous cars have already been created, they are just not street legal, yet. It seems that crashes will be nearly impossible when such advanced technology is in charge! Yet, we need to be reminded that it is humans that are developing these new technologies. Not only that, these new cars are also extremely expensive and will not be owned by the common driver.




Distracted driving is the number one cause of accidents on the road. A few months ago, my dad and older brother were involved in a car crash only to find out the lady who hit them was doing her makeup while driving. March 1, 2017, my mom and four younger siblings were rear-ended by someone not entirely paying attention to the backed up the highway. The day after, a friend of mine was also hit by a distracted driver. Thankfully, all of these people survived the crash, yet many cars were destroyed and my little sister is still in the hospital.

Will there ever be an end to driving accidents? The truth is, the roads will never be danger free because everyone is bound to break rules and make mistakes. Traffic will be the safest when people realize that their actions can affect other driver's lives. Of course, nobody intends for their texting while driving or reckless speeding to harm anyone, but by the time they are impacted enough to really learn that lesson a crash has already occurred. The high cost of cleanup, medical bills and lives simply are not worth it.