Joy Response

From Bill Joy's piece "Why the Future Won't Need Us," it is clear the author's primary concern is the future extinction of, or irreparable harm to, the human race caused by advancing technology. Specifically focusing on the potential devastating impact's of nanotechnology, Joy provides the reader with an array of negative scenarios of this micron-technology in the future world. Namely, Joy worries that the human race will become dependent on the intelligent, and reproductive, robots to survive. In one of his many theories he predicts that this dependency will destroy the human race as we know it, as our race has done to countless others we have displaced.

To set up the problem to his audience, Joy employs a heavy use of ethos by establishing his immense credibility on the subject matter. When he says, "I may be working to create tools which will enable the construction of the technology that may replace our species. How do I feel about this? Very uncomfortable" it proves to the reader that the author is very much a key player in the concern. From there, he utilizes a logos approach to set up the problem by listing the opinion of many brilliant scientists on the matter. A couple examples of the many would be when he reference Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman's speech or Eric Drexlers Engine's of Creation. This adds to the piece because it proves to the audience this threat is not some mythical fantasy. Joy proves by using countless examples that the world's brightest minds are hard at work inventing technology that could end our planet as we know it in the next 20 years. The last method to set up his article, and most effective in my opinion, was when he compared a potential takeover by robots to the takeover of other species, and provided examples of how this is already happening today. By explaining the extinction of marsupials from South America, and revealing the statistics on how much of our agriculture is "genetically modified," it made the topic a lot more real to people who aren't keen with technology.

In my opinion these problems are just as relevant, if not more, today. We carry computers in our pockets and depend on them heavily for our daily function (checking weather, directions, new alerts, etc.) This dependency is frighteningly similar to Joy's dark predictions. I believe that technology is a huge asset and power to modern society, but like all great powers it needs to be kept in check. While I am not personally concerned about a robot takeover in the near future, I do understand Joy's point on how the human race's insane dependency on technology could have significant adverse effects. We need to be very careful on how much of our lives we let technology control, before it gets to the point it is out of our control. 

Proposals from Current Events

Friday
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-03-17-food-costs-world-hunger.htm
-Problem is that there are soaring food costs this past year due to many economic reasons. This soaring food costs have put millions of people around the world into poverty. The scary thing is that these prices aren't expected to rally, but only get worse.
-Exigence- This is happening right now and affecting a huge number of people. A proposal is needed immediately to either limit the damage of these high food prices.

http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/2011-03-17-kidney-transplant_N.htm
-This article already has a proposal in it, but I feel it could be expanded upon. The problem is that a patient receiving a kidney transplant contracted AIDS after the surgery. It was found that while the donor tested negative 11 weeks before the surgery, he contracted AIDs shortly after. This is the first documented case of its kind since 1980.
-Exigence- With the unbelievable science and technology the health care system has today, there is no way a error like this should be made. It was proposed that the donors should be tested right before the surgery to be absolutely certain they're clean. The exigence for this proposal is that this man's life has been ruined by a mistake that could, and should, have been avoided entirely.

Saturday-
http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/healthcare/doctorsnurses/2011-03-19-nurses_N.htm
-Problem. The less nurses that are working due to hospital economic issues, the more people that die.
-Exigence. In the dire economic times we are in, this is a very scary and important statistic. I would propose that we use more of the "robot" nurses that hospitals are beginning to use to do the mundane tasks nurses do that do not require human skills (carrying pills, ect.)

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/03/bill-nelson-2012-senate-race-joe-biden/1
-Problem. In my opinion it is a problem that Vice President Joe Biden is taking time off from his duties as V.P. to raise money for a democratic candidate running for election to the Senate.
-Exigence. This is happening right now and needs to be taken care of so that in the future our countries leaders actually do their jobs. I would propose that current members of all three branches (legislative, executive and judicial) not be allowed to campaign (verbally or physically) for someone else's election to another political office. Rather than spending their time and resources helping one of their friends get a job, they should be doing their own.

Sunday

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/health/policy/20health.html?_r=1&ref=health
-Problem. President Obama passed the "Affordable Care Act" last March making healthcare more affordable to millions across the U.S. The problem is that many states are requesting special waivers for lower standards (as many as 20 states are considering applying for one.
-Exigence. National health care insurance is a major strife in our country today, and clearly this law is not what the people and states wanted. Rather than try to keep track of millions of waivers and applications, I propose Obama's government amend the bill to what the people want.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/us/20budgets.html?ref=us
-Problem. In my eyes, this article brings to light a serious problem in the U.S. The article illustrates how historically, and today, we use the price of cigarettes as a chip to fix budget holes or increase spending. This shows that the governments real reason for not banning cigarettes is not public health, but because they get so much money from it.
-Exigence. Cigarettes directly and indirectly kill thousands in the U.S. every year because they are an addictive toxic to the body.  My proposal is a ban on cigarettes, which is not a new proposal but could be validated in a whole new light when the true motives behind its regulation is analyzed.

Modest Proposal Blog Entry

I believe the major issue that Swift is trying to bring to life through his peace is the extreme numbers of homeless beggars in poverty, especially children. He states that in the current time in Ireland there are beggars crowding the streets, commonly accompanied by three or four children in rags. He also emphasizes the negative impacts of these poverty issues have on society. Swift states that because this people simply beg for their money and do not count in the work force, they drag down on the nation of Ireland as a whole. With 120,000 children in poverty at the time, Swift contemplates the astronomical funds that will be needed to raise them, and where the money will come from.

The satire employed by Swift is very supporting to his piece because it helps him accomplish his difficult purpose. His purpose was to raise the country's awareness about very serious social issues that are having a major negative impact. Rather than using a typical, boring informative style, with real statistics and a logical approach, Swift broke the barriers by using the "awe" factor. His proposal was so radical and obviously satirical that it drew major attention, thus successfully achieving his purpose of gaining attention for the social issue at hand. If the author had instead had written the social proposal the way they usually are, with a formal tone and serious demeanor, he would have received a lukewarm response. Take a moment and think about all the social movement pieces that are written in this manner everyday about problems across the globe. In general, few people really read them and rarely is there something done to stop the social injustice. Swift's piece was extremely popular, and therefore successful, because he broke this normal chain by using heavy satire. By proposing such an absurd suggestion, he conveyed his message of the importance of something being done to end this poverty issue.

My Modest Proposal:

The American nation is torn on the issue of securing our southern border from illegal Mexican immigration. Many citizens cry that the numbers of illegal aliens are crippling our economy and exploit our health care systems. Others claim that these illegal aliens have a right to the American dream as well.

I propose a solution to end this issue once and for all: turn all the citizens on welfare in America into ruthless bounty hunters for illegal aliens. Not only would this rid our nation of illegal Mexican intruders, but would also provide a steady stream of employment and income to the nation's poorest. They would be paid $1,000 for each illegal that they find, and $2,500 if it is a pregnant Mexican woman. This would save the nation money it would have to reinvest into securing our borders, all the while employing an entirely new workforce. We could get the same result of far less illegal aliens, and turn a great cost into a gain for the American economy. This modest proposal would lift the crushing stranglehold of illegal Mexicans in this country, and provide thousands of new jobs for those in need.