Good Ol' American Innovation

America is deep in the heart of a recession at the moment, and times like these are when the creative American population begins to show why America is such a great country. There are various profitable business opportunities available in this country and this newest line of dry cleaners from Tide shows exactly that. Andrew Martin, a writer for the New York Times, explains in his article "Smelling an Opportunity" that:

 Where other dry cleaning entrepreneurs have tried to come up with clever business models for dry cleaning, P.& G.’s primary innovation is in the brand name itself: Tide Dry Cleaners, named after its best-selling laundry detergent.

These new dry cleaning locations offer fast service, the refreshing scent of Tide, and an environmentally friendly alternative.  In this new era of instant gratification and the now, places like this that you can get in and out quickly are becoming increasingly popular. The American population, and the world population at large, has become obsessed with obtaining goods and services as quickly as possible, and places that can provide fast goods and services are sure to become popular and profitable. This is the reason why these Tide dry cleaners are becoming popular and why Netflix, IM, Facebook, and other things have become popular and things like e-mail have lost their luster.

The U.S. Now Pressuring China--Oh, How the Tables Have Turned

While China has been and still is in complete control over the United States ever since our economy plummeted and we started to move jobs offshore and borrow money from China, the new, rising world superpower, President Obama is taking a bold step by turning the tables on China, now making them feel the pressure that the U.S. does. In the September 23, 2010 issue of the New York Times, David E. Sanger explains in his article, "With Warning, Obama Presses China on Currency," that Obama is now taking a position confidence and power, even though America may have even tougher times ahead, and may be headed for more trouble as a result of the failing economy.

 President Obama increased pressure on China to immediately revalue its currency on Thursday, devoting most of a two-hour meeting with China’s prime minister to the issue and sending the message, according to one of his top aides, that if “the Chinese don’t take actions, we have other means of protecting U.S. interests.”

Obama is turning up the heat for China, who has basically sat back and watched the U.S. lose most of its money to them, and his threat demonstrates exactly the type of leadership and confidence that needs to be exhibited by every single American. Obama, with this risky move, is really becoming a leader now, and he is coming into position, whereas, at this same time last year, he was solely trying to please the world. Obama's bold, confident and almost arrogant attitude is an attempt to boost U.S. morale and comes at a time when the U.S. and its people truly do need a significant morale boost. I admire this move that Obama has made because it demonstrates to China, and the rest of the world, that, although the U.S. is in a recession of considerable size, we are still one of the world's superpowers, and that until we finally return as influential as we were in the 90's and previous, we will continuously keep fighting. It will be very interesting to examine China's response to this issue, because they will either see this as an act of showy arrogance by an extremely weakened country, or they will take us seriously because, in spite of everything, the U.S. remains an influential and significant power in the world.

Drugs and Crime in the Recession

In the September 23, 2010 issue of the New York Times, columnist Abby Goodnough explains the increase in specific illegal activities. Goodnough's article, "A Wave of Addiction and Crime, with the Medicine Cabinet to Blame," describes the new crime wave as a result of increased drug consumption, and explains the proposed buy-back day for prescription and over the counter drugs.

In 17 states, deaths from drugs — both prescription and illegal — now exceed those from motor vehicle accidents, with opiate painkillers playing a leading role. The number of people seeking treatment for painkiller addiction jumped 400 percent from 1998 to 2008, according to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. And from rural New England to the densely populated South, law enforcement officials are combating a sharp rise in crime tied to prescription drugs.

Both of these rises in illegal activity, crime and drug consumption, can be partially traced back to the feeling of cornering and hopelessness that the recession brings to many people of the lower classes. There is a direct correlation between the bad economy and the increase in people looking to use drugs because, for the most part, drugs are and have been a means for people to escape the world, forget about their problems, and feel better. I find it quite surprising that deaths from drugs is quickly approaching deaths from motor vehicle accidents because motor vehicles are abundant and are used by the majority of adults, which means that the use of drugs may also be used by a large majority of the entire population of the United States. While the buy-back day for handguns may have been successful, I have a feeling that the buy-back day for drugs will not be as successful because drugs allow people to fully escape many of their problems during their "high," whereas handguns improve security, or sense of sense of security, just one of the many problems that people are dealing with.