Quotes I might use

R.G. Prince says, "Despite the fact that the flood of new and cheap products into America...has delighted consumers, its hard to consume anything if you don't have a job."(rationalrevolution.net)

"Foreigners are getting the short end of the economic stick," and "It is as if Americans regard the rest of the world as slaves in their global plantation." (safehaven.com)

"We've become the biggest fools in the world," Roemer said. "Adopting global free trade while other countries impose trade barriers against our products." (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)

the American tax policies benefit corporations that move operations overseas to places like China, a country known for low wages, minimal child labor laws, poor working conditions and high pollution. (politicalticker)

Proponents of free trade argue that it lowers prices of goods and provides economic growth for developing countries. (politicalticker)

"There are no jobs. Our jobs are in China," Roemer said.(politicalticker)

“By changing just a few simple buying habits, usually at little or no cost or inconvenience to the consumer, we can re-direct literally thousands of dollars out of hands of foreigners and into the hands of Americans.” (freemanonline)

the $5,000 saved by purchasing the less-expensive foreign goods results in the creation of additional jobs in the software, restaurant, entertainment, publishing, and other industries where the money saved would be spent.(freemanonline)

Consider the $15,000 spent on the foreign goods. This money is now in the hands of foreign producers. ...[most likely] the money will be spent on American goods or services, or invested in the U.S. economy, either directly or indirectly. (freemanonline)

The best thing Americans can do to save American jobs is to be smart shoppers and purchase goods that offer the highest quality at the lowest price—wherever they are made. (freemanonline)

Real Thesis Statement

So... I guess all this time I thought this was supposed to be a persuasive paper. But I guess not. It's supposed to be a research paper, with no opinions. So, my actual thesis statement is this:

Some may argue that Americans consumers should try to stop buying foreign products because it hurts our country's economy, yet others believe that it aides our economy in the long run. 

Thesis Statement

I am assuming that the purpose of the paper is trying to persuade readers to take your side on an issue. In that case, this is my thesis statement:

Americans consumers should try to stop buying foreign products because it hurts our country's economy and society as a whole.

American Consumption a "Sacrifice?"

Schiff, Peter. "CNBC Redefines the Word "Sacrifice"." safehaven.com. N.p., 11 Feb. 2005. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.

This article is criticizing a person who told CNBC that American consumption is a "sacrifice" and Americans are "bearing the brunt of world consumption," and have the "obligation to consume." He goes on to say that it is not Americans who are bearing a burdon but the foreign countries who produce our goods for us. This article is trying to inform people that it is truly the people who produce goods that are making a sacrifice, not the people consuming them. He says that "foreigners are getting the short end of the economic stick," and "It is as if Americans regard the rest of the world as slaves in their global plantation." The author does not mention anything about buying American products, but he seems to be against foreign countries producing all of our goods. The article was short, interesting, and informative, though some parts were hard to understand. This may be a good article for me to use because it is against foreign countries producing goods for America. However the article mostly talks about how consuming is not a sacrifice but producing is.  

Americans Shouldn't Buy Foreign Products

Man, Sprinkler. "Americans Stop Buying Foreign Products." sprinklerman.hubpages.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 25 Oct. 2011.

This article was mostly the authors opinion on buying cars made in China. He says that Americans should buy vehicles that were made in the U.S., saying that buying foreign cars only hurts our economy. The author is trying to convince people to buy cars from America and the audience may be people who agree with his argument. This article is totally biased towards buying cars in America and never says any possible benefits of buying cars from China. The author does not make a very effective argument because he does not use elevated language or give support for his argument. This article is very short and is not very informative; it is just someone's opinion. I don't think I'll use this article for my paper becuase a quote from this article would not be very "official," I would just be citing some guy's opinion.

Politician that favors american-made products

Killough, Ashley. "Roemner Slams China in front of Chinese Embassy." politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com. N.p., 1 Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.

This article is about the politician Buddy Roemner's opinion about foreign-made products. It says that Roemner is against products made in China. This article is informing people about Roemner's stand on the issue of china-made products. The audience is most likely people who are interested in politics and want to see more american products and american jobs as a result of those products. This article isn't biased but simply states Roemner's opinion. The article mostly concerns politics and it was not very interesting to read. I do agree with some of the things this article has to say and I might use quotes from it for my paper.  

Article that favors foreign products

Carreira, Robert. "Buying Foreign Goods Saves American Jobs." thefreemanonline.org. N.p., June 2004. Web. 13 Oct. 2011.

This article is convincing people that buying foreign products boosts the american economy rather than hurting it. It states that foreign products are cheaper, and therefore, the money that people save buying foreign products can be used to support local american businesses such as theatres and restaurants. This author is trying to inform people as to why buying foreign-made products can save jobs in America. The audience may be people who are interested in the topic and are curious as to how foreign products can be a benefit to America. This article is biased in that it favors foreign products and disagrees with people who advocate for american-made products. The article is very informative and interesting to read, and the author makes his argument without insulting the opposition. I don't really agree with some of the things this article says and I believe I can make a strong enough argument against it.

Reflection on Six Blogs

I'm not going to write my paper on electric cars or wind energy. I am not very passionate about those topics and may not be controversial enough. It may be hard to find unbiased information about euthanasia or same-sex marriage. Also, the opposing side for these topics have some strong points. The arguments for my side may not be strong enough to persuade readers of my essay against the opposing side. It will probably be hard to find a lot of information about fast food. I've decided that my topic will be America's use of foreign products. It's easy to find information both for and against this topic, and I think I can make my argument strong enough to persuade people to take my side.

Arguments Behind Electric Cars

Bell, Claes. "Pros and Cons of Electric Cars." bankrate.com. N.p., 18 Jan. 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2011.

Electric cars run on cheap fuel, require less maintanance, and are clean for the environment. However, they are more expensive to buy, and there are hardly any mechanics who can fix electric cars. The author is informing people about electric cars, and his audience is people who are interested in electric cars and want to know their advantages and disadvantages. This article is not biased as it lists both the pros and the cons. A fallacy is that there is termonology in this article that only people interested in cars would understand. This article is very short and to the point, but it doesn't give a lot of information. I don't think this is a good topic for me because I'm not that interested in this argument. This may be a good topic for people who are interested in electric cars and either strongly support them or don't support them.

Wind Energy

"Pros and Cons of Wind Power." windturbine.me. N.p., 2008. Web. 4 Oct. 2011.

Electricity produced by wind turbines is a "green" alternative to fossil fuels. Wind energy is a renewable resource that does not put pollutants in the air. However, wind turbines can effect migrating birds and television reception. The author's purpose is to educate people on what wind energy is and why it is beneficial. The intended audience may be people who are interested in having their own wind turbine or want to know more about wind energy. This article was very biased towards wind turbines. Even though the article listed some disadvantages, the author wrote that,"The advantages of wind power are obvious and they far outweigh any of the disdvantages." This article was very informative about wind energy and the benefits of using renewable resources rather than fossil fuels. This may not be a good topic for me or others because I don't think it's controversial enough. There is not a lot of information against wind energy. I favor wind energy, but it would be hard to find information opposing wind energy.

Arguments Behind Same-Sex Marriage

Messerli, Joe. "Should Same-Sex Marriages be Legalized? ." balancedpolitics.org. N.p., 30 July

2011. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.

This article did not give the author's own opinion, but listed the reasons why people say "yes" or "no" to the question, "Should same-sex marriages be legalized?" Some reasons that people say "yes" are: all couples should have the same marriage benefits, it doesn't hurt anyone in society, adoption rates could increase,  and denying same-sex marriage is discriminating against minorties. The points on the "no" side of the argument are: it would weaken respect for marriage, it would weaken traditional family values, it would confuse children about their role in society as a man or woman, and it could make way for other forms of marriage such as having multiple wives. The author is trying to educate people on the argument behind same-sex marriage in an un-biased way. His audience is people who are interested in the topic and want to know why people say "yes" or "no" to gay marriage. This article was not biased but some of the points he listed seemed far-fetched. The author says that if gay marriage is legalized, then people will start thinking, "well, why can't I marry my dog, then?" However, this may not be the author's idea, he may be simply stating what people are saying about gay marriage. This article does have many good points on both sides of the argument. I think this is a good topic for me because  I strongly feel that traditional marriage between a man and a woman should be preserved. This may be a good topic for others because it is a current topic and highly controversial, and there are plenty of good points on both sides of the arguement.

Should Euthanasia ("Mercy Killing") be Legal?

Webster, Bobby. "Assisted Suicide/Voluntary Euthanasia." idebate.org. N.p., 14 July 2009.

Web. 20 Sept. 2011.

The pros of euthanasia are that people have the right to make a choice whether they want to live or die, and doctors should be able to act upon their patient's wishes to die. A terminally ill person risks losing their dignity and worth, therefore euthanasia should be acceptable. The cons of euthanasia are that it may be someone's choice to live or die, but once they make that choice they cannot turn back. If one sees a person trying to commit suicide, it is their moral duty to try and stop them, instead of assisting them, which is what euthanasia is. Euthanasia also goes agaist everything a doctor works for, because doctors are meant to better the lives of their patients instead of harming them. The author's audience is people who are interested in the arguments behind euthanasia. The audience may also be people interested in debating since the website focused on many different debatable topics. The author of this article was not at all biased and the "pros" side of his argument had equally good points as the "cons." The author is not trying to persuade people to be for or against euthanasia. He is just stating the arguments about euthanasia and lets his readers be the judge. My opinion is that every life has dignity and doctors should not be able to take it away. I don't think that this is a good topic for me because it was hard to find information about it. Most of the sites I found argued more about their religious beliefs about euthanasia than the pros and cons. I think that this is more of a religious arguement; the reason that people support or disapprove of euthanasia is because of their beliefs. This may be a good topic for others who are interested in euthanasia and feel passionate about it.

America's Use of Foreign Products.

Prince, R.G. "American Prosperity: Made in China." rationalrevolution.net. N.p., 13 Sept. 2003. Web.

           14 Sept. 2011.

America's reliance on foreign industries is taking away American jobs. People in foreign countries who produce products sold in America are not under the same labor laws as America. Therefore, foreign industries don't have to follow child labor laws and can pay their workers a lot less than minimum wage. The author is trying to convince American consumers to buy American-made products. The author is against foreign labor because American jobs are being taken away and foreign workers are treated unfairly. One could argue that foreign products are cheaper; therefore, the money that the consumer saves is used for American theatres and restaurants, which helps the American economy. However, as R.G. Prince says, "Despite the fact that the flood of new and cheap products into America...has delighted consumers, its hard to consume anything if you don't have a job." This is a good topic for me because it is controversial and current. Though this article was biased toward buying American products, I easily found another article that favored foreign products. This is a good topic for others because it is a serious problem. We are buying products that are possibly made by underage workers who are being paid unjustly. The American industry used to have underage workers and low wages. Now that we have laws against those things, we are relying on foreign countries to make products with as little cost as possible. Since America can no longer pay workers unfair amounts of money, we rely on poorly paid foreign workers to make our products cheap. Americans can respect American workers, but what about workers in other countries? Are they not just the same as us?

Pros and Cons of Fast Food

Pros and Cons of Fast Food." mrswolfgang.edublogs.org. N.p., 13 Mar. 2009. Web. 13 Sept. 2011.

Fast food causes obesity becuase it has unhealthy amounts of calories and fat. Fast food is full of unnatural substances such as growth hormones in hamburgers, pesticides on the lettuce, and refined sugar in soft drinks. Some benefits to fast food are that it is constant, convenient, and inexpensive. The author's intent is to persuade people not to eat fast food in saying that it is unnatural and unhealthy. People who prefer fresh produce or organic food to fast food would agree with this article. The author of this article seemed bias towards fresh, organic food and is against unnatural chemicals such as pesticides. The author is trying to educate people on the harmful affects of fast food on the body. The article says that not only does the fat and sodium in fast food harm the body, but the unnatural ingredients as well. I think that this is a good topic for me becuase I agree with the article that fast food is unhealthy and unnatural. Many people like fast food because it's convenient, it's unchanging, and it tastes good! However, I believe that the negatives outweigh the positives because of the affect that fast food has on people's health. I think that this is a good topic for others because fast food is something that a lot of people don't want to go away, and to change fast food would be contriversial. My opinion is that fast foods should start to serve healthier, more natural foods so that there can continue to be convenience, but the food would not take such a large toll on people's health. It is possible for food to be healthy, convenient, and delicious at the same time.