Chapter+9+TWIF

Chapter nine talks about the five action areas of flatism which he defines as the way to restructure the skills and education that we need to compete with the rest of the flat world. These five actions are leadership, muscle building, good fat, social activism and parenting. Friedman expresses his concern about our country. “How do we go about maximizing benefits and opportunities of the flat world, and providing protection for those who have difficulty with the transition?” (pg. 378) In this chapter, he basically calls out our government to equip the American workers with more tools and social support to reduce the new pressures of global competition. Leadership had to do with his belief that American politicians must get serious about the flattening of the world. He argues that politicians must be able and willing to inspire and explain, not to actively encourage stupidity. He concludes by asserting that George W. Bush could have secured his legacy if he made energy independence a serious goal. “If President Bush made energy independence his moon shot, in one fell swoop he would dry up revenue for terrioism, force Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia onto the path of reform… he would have also created a real manget to inspire young people to contribute to the war and America’s future by again becoming scientists, engineers and mathematicians.” (pg. 382)

Muscles building had to deal with the fact that people who will not stay with the same company their whole working life. Friedman gives examples of universal pension plans (401k’s that accrue when changing jobs), more stock options (make it easier to obtain stocks from the company you work for), portable health-care programs (take burden off companies to carry the load and give employer choice of coverage) and increase education expectations (require at least two years of college). This in turn will promote employment with muscle and take away the fat of lifetime employment.

Good fat deals with wage insurance for those who have lost their jobs and will not make as much money when the get a new job. This is due to a shifting economy. He explains that there would be three criteria for someone to qualify to wage insurance which are When a new job is found, they could collect ½ of the difference between their new and their old job. Also, the government would pay half of the worker’s health insurance premiums for two years. He sums it all up by stating, “Take good care of the losers and left-behind. The only way to be a flatist is to be compassionate flatist.” (pg. 394)
 * 1) lost their job due to displacement
 * 2) must be employed for at least two years
 * 3) can not collect on insurance until another job is found

Social activism explains how global corporations such as progressive companies and moral conscience groups like environmentalists can work together to make the world more livable and profitable. Friedman says that advocates of compassionate flatism need to educate consumers about how their buying power is ultimately political. Every time a consumer makes a purchase, he or she is ultimately making a political decision. Finally, Friedman discusses how parents have to do a better job of teaching their children the values of hard work and that they are not owed anything, they have to earn it. He touches upon the topic of allowing children to play hours of video games and TV and not challenging them to make something of themselves. “The sense of entitlement, the sense that because we once dominated global commerce, the sense of delayed gratification is a punishment worse than a spanking, the sense that our kids have to be swaddled in cotton wool so that nothing bad, disappointing or stressful ever happens to them at school is quite simply a growing cancer in American society.” (pg. 394)

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After reading Chapter 9, “This is Not a Test,” I have found that I agree with Friedmen’s overall belief about the world going flat and that something must be done for America to keep up. More specifically, I believe that imperative aide, explanations, and strategies for change need to come from our government and politicians. In the words of Friedman, “It is to embrace globalization and understand that a fairer, more compassionate, and more equalitarian society lies in a web of policies aimed not at strengthening the old welfare state- or abolishing it and letting the marker rip- but at reconfiguring it to give more Americans the outlook, education, skills, and safety nets they will need to compete against other individuals in the flat world (p.378).” ======

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Under the first of the five areas of what Friedman calls “compassionate flatism” is Leadership. I agree that the leaders of America need to become more publically aware and accepting of globalization. However, I also believe that Americans need to be more educated about globalization in order to elect politicians that will carry out the changes they would like to see. If as Friendman’s intuition states, “…but the flattening of the world is going to be hugely disruptive to both traditional and developed societies,” than our government must take responsibility and begin a competitive action plan for survival. I believe employers, employees, and schools need to begin transformations now. Schools, in general, will need to adapt their curriculums to fit the needs of a new society; and in due time, strengthen their mathematics, engineering and science curricula. ======

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Friedman’s second area of compassionate flatism, Muscles, has both positive and negative effects on working individuals in America. In agreement with his universal portable pension scheme and portable health care plan, I believe that workers can become more flexible, mobile, and eventually productive. However, if the health plan is incorporated into the system, it will need to offer the individuals different investment strategies (e.g. aggressive to conservative). Another difficulty I foresee in about ten years, would be the difficulty in managing such a large amount of money in one fund. ======

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Another point Friemand raises in this chapter is the concept of students attending a minimum of two years in a tertiary school. While the results would have the potential to yield workers with higher valued skills and decrease the number of low skilled workers, I question where the funding, loans, and scholarships would come from for these students to receive further education. If this idea prevailed, there would be an increasingly higher need for more teachers, professors, doctors, administrators, and deans thus creating more job opportunity in the field of education. ======

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Good Fat, Cushions Worth Keeping, Friedman’s third thought on compassionate flatism, makes a valiant effort to assist the unemployed through the concept of wage insurance. I completely agree that as our world flattens, that we take care of, encourage and support the unemployed in order for our nation to compete and prosper. More specifically, I highly regard Friedman’s third criteria which states, “…the wage insurance would not be paid until the workers found new jobs, which would provide a strong incentive to look for work quickly and increase the chances that they would get on-the-job retraining” (p. 392). While Freidman predicts this concept is affordable based on a five percent unemployment rate, how will the government afford wage insurance when unemployment meets increase to where they are today at 9.8 percent? What if unemployment rates increase even more? ======

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As an educator, not a parent, I agree with Friedman’s last theory, Parenting. Friedmen concedes, “Education, whether it comes from parents or schools, has to be more about cognitive skills” (p.397). He continues by stating that education must also include character building. In agreement with this idea both parents and educators must shift gears and focus on teaching and parenting the students of this century in a new way. A way that will help prepare them for a competitive, challenging 21 st century. As Friedman states, “…I am suggesting that we do more to push our young people to go beyond their comfort zones, to do things right, and to be ready to suffer some short-run plain for longer gain (p. 397).” ======