Mr. Knot & Robert
Our group's progress is pretty smooth right now, no major problem or thwart in our issue,and even find a foreigner that is willing to help us.
2013年12月29日 星期日
2013年12月26日 星期四
Annotation1: Securing social stability before economic development (Revised)
Dynamic Social Security: Securing social stability and economic development
ISSA’s Social Security ObservatoryChapter 1 and Chapter 6
We can see from the report that, if a country faced global economic downturn, the problems of unemployment and poverty will increase violently, and the government had to spend money on the social security program such as tax reduce and health insurance in order to maintain social stability in the country. But when the level of unemployment and poverty had increased so violently that the country’s financial foundation couldn’t hold them anymore, this country’s economic system might eventually crumble. As we see from this paragraph:
“As we arrive at the end of 2010, global economic recovery and exit from the crisis remains slow and uncertain. Despite signs of recovery in global markets, in many countries unemployment is not falling. Higher levels of unemployment continue to restrain social security income from contributions while simultaneously requiring ongoing increased expenditure on benefits.”
The expending on social security is like an endless money-burning vortex, as long as the number of the unemployed remains high, this vicious spiral will ends up becoming the great hole of the country ‘s economy. And as the report suggests, among Asia country, “Social security systems are integral to the management of the social, economic and political dimensions.” (Page 7) Our economic system are bounded with the social security systems, the over-expense of social security will eat up our money which we are going to spend on improving the country’s economic structure.
The expending on social security is like an endless money-burning vortex, as long as the number of the unemployed remains high, this vicious spiral will ends up becoming the great hole of the country ‘s economy. And as the report suggests, among Asia country, “Social security systems are integral to the management of the social, economic and political dimensions.” (Page 7) Our economic system are bounded with the social security systems, the over-expense of social security will eat up our money which we are going to spend on improving the country’s economic structure.
from page 7
The economic policy in Asia and Pacific area
Note 1: 自由時報: 明年總預算 社福支出占最多
http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2013/new/aug/23/today-p1-2.htm
http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2013/new/aug/23/today-p1-2.htm
Annotation 2: ECFA issues (Revised)
Source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1746-1049.1966.tb00493.x/pdf
The Developing Economies
Volume 4, Issue 4, Article first published online: 6 MAR 2007
“THE MODERN INDUSTRIES AND THE TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES -at the Early Stage of the Japanese Economy”
Wrote by NAKAMURA TAKAFUSA
In recent years, Taiwanese government is struggling to change the agricultural nature of Taiwan into something that is more export-oriented and has more value reflecting on the market. Does our agricultural income not important enough to have an impact on the foundation of Taiwan economy? Here is a passage from the article which I found, “not only did Agriculture supply the food to support the nation but it supplied a large part of the labour force which was indispensable for the development of the economy.(Page 568)” When our government trying desperately to make Taiwan become an export-oriented country, we always forgot or intentionally ignore the foundation of our economy. How can we say that our government ”ignore” the agricultural industry in Taiwan? Look at the signing of ECFA (Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement) and the answer will reveal itself.
My co-worker, Robert, mentioned a man who point out the problems that might come after signing ECFA, Professor Kenneth S. Lin of the department of economics at National Taiwan University, says that the signing of ECFA means the decrease of job opportunities and the increase of unemployment rate. These unemployed people are mostly farmers and traditional industry worker, these people’s social status are near the lower part of our society. People always view them with an economical judgment, conceiving them as a not-so-profitable group in our economic system, agriculture had always been thought as an industry that is doomed to be eliminated. But in the article, it mentioned that “it must be taken into account that many of these agricultural people had side-jobs in manufacturing and commerce.” Although this article is writing about Japan’s economic development, it can also be applied on Taiwan’s working class. A survey(*1) done by the Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, shows that compared to Professional farmers, Part-time farmers had now become the major group of Taiwan’s agriculture system. And so this points out an important concept, farmers and workers, they might have other side-jobs in their life, one cannot define their economic position only as farmer and worker, we have to take account of their side job’s economic value and contribution.
from “The Survey of Taiwan’s social Transition”
An image of the proportion of Taiwanese farmers' career decision
In my last annotation I mentioned the raise of unemployment will cause our social security expense become too high for our country to afford, and as Professor Lin said, signing of ECFA means the decrease of job opportunities and the increase of unemployment rate. These unemployed people were mostly farmer and workers, when our country is already having troubles with these people’s social security expenses, Taiwan also has to deal with the problem of losing a large part of the labour force. These two major cracks in Taiwan economy are what we are going to face when signing ECFA, since our government didn’t even consider these problems, how can we trust them to decide the next decision for Taiwan’s future economy?
Note 1: “The Survey of Taiwan’s social Transition” by the Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica http://www.ios.sinica.edu.tw/TSCpedia/index.php/%E7%84%A1%E7%B1%B3%E6%A8%82%EF%BC%8C%E6%A8%82%E5%A6%82%E4%BD%95%3F%E8%BE%B2%E6%B0%91%E8%88%87%E8%BE%B2%E6%A5%AD%E7%9A%84%E8%95%AD%E7%91%9F
2013年12月25日 星期三
Annotation 4, The Freeway To Corruption (Revised)
Recently, Taiwanese government announced that the freeway toll stations will all change into the Electronic Toll Collection System(ETC). Now called eTag system, which is an electronic system that, as its owner Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co. (FETC) proclaimed, will increase passing volume of toll stations, save the time of payment, improve convenience and safety, reduce air pollution, and reach truly financial equality. And because of this, Taiwanese government decided to lay off nearly 800 toll collectors, making them wondering for their future.
However, the eTag system now faces great deficits, as the company itself claims(note 1), FETC has already lost 3 billion NTD. Also from the static of current operation of eTag system, provided by Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, indicating that the rate of usage had risen nearly 20 % between the year 2012 and 2013(the chart), which is the time that Taiwanese government announced the total change of freeway toll stations. The great leap of eTag appliance is not because Taiwanese people favored it, it's because the government forced us to do it. We can even consider this act of government as a violation to our freedom of choice in the Constitution, because we have no other options to choose but eTag system.
 |
| The chart of ETC(eTag) usage rate |
As for those toll collectors that were laid off by the government, their rights and treatment are certainly not guaranteed by Taiwanese government and FETC. On August, 2013, FETC and the government once promised that they will assist the toll collectors for future transference of their career, but there were only 30 people successfully change their jobs, and the number of the laid off collectors were 244 and more. Now, there are near 800 people waiting for job transference, although FETC still promised to assist the transference, the future of these people lies in darkness. They are mostly low-educated and aged people, it is hard for them to find another stable job in nowadays society. The job of our government is to protect and support our living, and if all these people don't find their jobs, the expense of social security that are going to spend on them will surely be a great burden for Taiwanese government.
In addition to the aforementioned problems, here is a bigger question lies ahead. Why does our government be so persist in collaborating with FETC, the company which had been suffering great deficit from the time Taiwanese government announced the presence of ETC. And just after FETC got the open bidding of ETC, almost immediately burst out the news of SONG,NAI-WU(note 2), the ex- confidential secretary of Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau, accepting the bribe from the tenderer, and try to leak out bidding information to the tenderer. He had been sentenced by Taiwan Supreme Court to serve 12 years in jail. With such flagrant Bribery present in front of their eyes, instead of finding another company, Taiwanese government choose to let FECT keep working on the ETC project. Until now, FECT is still operating on the ETC project, and our government is still trying to pursuade us into believing this company is the best choice for us. How can we trust the government if corruption had brazenly rooted in? How can we depend on our government to protect us if it kept ignoring our right for living and freedom?
Note 1. FECT's claim of deficit
Note 2. Taiwan supreme court sentenced SONG, NAI-WU to serve 12 years in jail because of bribery
References
Development, Toll&Service Div.
Special Report on Electronic Toll Collection --「Public Participation in Build and Operate Project for Electronic Toll Collection System on Freeways」Toll&Service Div.201311/04
Annotation 3: Does Taiwanese Government Suitable Enough For Practicing Capitalism? (Revised)
Government is Good, A web project of Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College http://www.governmentisgood.com/index.php
“Without a whole host of government rules, capitalism could not exist. Even regulations and social programs help sustain a market economy by fixing many of its serious social and economic problems.” - Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, “Capitalism Requires Government, page: 1 of 7”
Capitalism and Socialism, these two economic theories are both based on the condition of “good moral behaviors.” Capitalism relies on a well-functioning and impartial governing system, if the government was prone to corruption, Capitalism could not be fully practiced in that country. The authority makes rules and regulations to interfere with the so-called “free market” and it also bear the duty to accelerate the economic structure by providing job opportunities, maintaining a good market system, and bring us both economic and social justice. In short words, we need a stable and fair government to protect our rights and our wealth, providing the resources we need for building the economic foundation.
However, can this idea be fully practice in the real world? Is our government really untouchable enough that we can rely anything on them? Will people in the world be so morally disciplined that any kinds of corruption are eliminated in front of our eyes?
Looking through the history of human race, the answer is certainly not.
From the article Government as the Primary Protector of our Rights and Liberties, the author, Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, wrote “We depend heavily on the tools of democratic government to protect people’s rights…democratic governments have constitutions and institutions that enable us to effectively protect our rights and freedoms.” But in recent days, Taiwanese government appeared to have gone backward with this idea, for example, the Da-Po incident(note 1.). We can see that our own government ignores the rights and interests of the people it should protect base on some nonexistent and forceful reason, and in the end the company (InnoLux Company) which need the land most said they don’t need these land anymore(note 2.) Then what’s the economic profit in collecting these lands? There is no economic contribute to our country, so what’s the reason for the government sacrificing our right? It is clearly that there is corruption in our government, and this corruption clearly held the economic development of Taiwan, farmers lost their land so they couldn’t contribute anything for the economic, the collected land also had no economic value since the company didn’t need them. If the government didn’t fulfill their function as a protective shield, but to become a shiv that strike back on its own people, Capitalism became a broken theory and the country will fall.
Capitalism requires the government who practice it to take control of the economic system, but it also requires the government to be pure enough to do nothing but for the interest of people. It seem that morally, our government is not “pure” enough to practice this system, the corruption obviously block our economic development. When the government turned against us, how can we contribute to the economy?
Capitalism Requires Government
http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=13&p=2
Government as the Primary Protector of our Rights and Liberties
http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=19
(Note 1) Da-Pu Incident
http://kalamazoo.pixnet.net/blog/post/25455015-%E5%A4%A7%E5%9F%94%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6%E6%87%B6%E4%BA%BA%E5%8C%85
(Note 2) InnoLux claims the need of Jhu-Nan science base was no longer pressing
http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2010/new/jul/13/today-life11.htm
“Without a whole host of government rules, capitalism could not exist. Even regulations and social programs help sustain a market economy by fixing many of its serious social and economic problems.” - Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, “Capitalism Requires Government, page: 1 of 7”
Capitalism and Socialism, these two economic theories are both based on the condition of “good moral behaviors.” Capitalism relies on a well-functioning and impartial governing system, if the government was prone to corruption, Capitalism could not be fully practiced in that country. The authority makes rules and regulations to interfere with the so-called “free market” and it also bear the duty to accelerate the economic structure by providing job opportunities, maintaining a good market system, and bring us both economic and social justice. In short words, we need a stable and fair government to protect our rights and our wealth, providing the resources we need for building the economic foundation.
However, can this idea be fully practice in the real world? Is our government really untouchable enough that we can rely anything on them? Will people in the world be so morally disciplined that any kinds of corruption are eliminated in front of our eyes?
Looking through the history of human race, the answer is certainly not.
From the article Government as the Primary Protector of our Rights and Liberties, the author, Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, wrote “We depend heavily on the tools of democratic government to protect people’s rights…democratic governments have constitutions and institutions that enable us to effectively protect our rights and freedoms.” But in recent days, Taiwanese government appeared to have gone backward with this idea, for example, the Da-Po incident(note 1.). We can see that our own government ignores the rights and interests of the people it should protect base on some nonexistent and forceful reason, and in the end the company (InnoLux Company) which need the land most said they don’t need these land anymore(note 2.) Then what’s the economic profit in collecting these lands? There is no economic contribute to our country, so what’s the reason for the government sacrificing our right? It is clearly that there is corruption in our government, and this corruption clearly held the economic development of Taiwan, farmers lost their land so they couldn’t contribute anything for the economic, the collected land also had no economic value since the company didn’t need them. If the government didn’t fulfill their function as a protective shield, but to become a shiv that strike back on its own people, Capitalism became a broken theory and the country will fall.
Capitalism requires the government who practice it to take control of the economic system, but it also requires the government to be pure enough to do nothing but for the interest of people. It seem that morally, our government is not “pure” enough to practice this system, the corruption obviously block our economic development. When the government turned against us, how can we contribute to the economy?
Capitalism Requires Government
http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=13&p=2
Government as the Primary Protector of our Rights and Liberties
http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=19
(Note 1) Da-Pu Incident
http://kalamazoo.pixnet.net/blog/post/25455015-%E5%A4%A7%E5%9F%94%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6%E6%87%B6%E4%BA%BA%E5%8C%85
(Note 2) InnoLux claims the need of Jhu-Nan science base was no longer pressing
http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2010/new/jul/13/today-life11.htm
2013年12月24日 星期二
Annotation 4, The Freeway To Corruption
Recently,
Taiwanese government announced that the freeway toll stations will all change
into Electronic
Toll Collection System(ETC). Now called eTag system,
which is an electronic system that, as its owner Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection
Co. (FETC) proclaimed, will increase passing volume of toll stations,
save payment time, improve convenience and safety, reduce air pollution, and reach
truly financial equality. And because of this, Taiwanese government decided to
lay off nearly 800 toll collectors, making them wondering for their future.
However, the eTag system now face great deficit, as the company
itself claims(note 1), FETC already lost 3 billion
NTD. Also from the static of current operation of eTag system, provided by Taiwan
Area National Freeway Bureau, indicating that the rate of usage had risen
nearly 20 % between the year 2012 and 2013, which is the time that Taiwanese
government announced the total change of freeway toll stations. The great leap
of eTag appliance is not because Taiwanese people love it, it's because the
government forced us to do it. We can even consider this act of government as a
violation of our freedoms of choice in the Constitution, because we have
no other options to choose but eTag system.
|
| The charts of ETC(eTag) usage rate |
As
for those toll collectors that were laid off by the government, their future
and their treatment are not as bright and stable as Taiwanese government and FETC
claimed to be. In the August, 2013, FETC and the government once promised that
they will assist the toll collectors for future
transference of their career, but there were only 30 people successfully change
their jobs, and the number of the laid off collectors were 244 or more. Now
there are near 800 people waiting for job transference, although FETC still
promised to assist the transference, the future of these people lies in dark.
They are mostly low-educated and aged people, it hard for them to find a stable
job in nowadays society. The job of our government is to protect and support
our living, and if all these people didn't find their jobs, the expense of
social security that will spend on them will surely be a great burden for
Taiwanese government.
In addition to the aforementioned problems,
here is a bigger question lies ahead. Why does our government be so persist in collaborating with FETC, the company
which had been suffering great deficit from the time Taiwanese government
announced the presence of ETC. And just after FETC got the open bidding of ETC, almost immediately
burst out the news of SONG,NAI-WU(note 2), the ex- confidential
secretary of Taiwan Area National
Freeway Bureau, accepting the bribe from the tenderer, and try to leak out
bidding information to the tenderer. He had been sentenced by Taiwan Supreme
Court to serve 12 years in jail. With such flagrant Bribery present in front
of their eyes, instead of finding another company Taiwanese government choose
to let FECT keep working on the ETC project. Until now, FECT is still operating
on the ETC project, and our government is still trying to pursued us into
believing this company is the best choice for us. How can we trust the
government if corruption had brazenly rooted in? How can we depend our
government to protect us if it kept ignoring our right for living and freedom?
Note 1. FECT's claim of deficit
Note 2. Taiwan supreme court sentenced SONG, NAI-WU to serve 12 years in jail because of bribery
References
Development,
Toll&Service Div.
Special
Report on Electronic Toll Collection --「Public Participation in Build and Operate Project for Electronic Toll
Collection System on Freeways」Toll&Service Div.201311/04
2013年12月18日 星期三
Transcription 2
Robert talked about that the corruption will affect on the efficiency of the capitalism system. There is someone, or wait a minute. Someone named Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College. She said the capitalism relies on the government because capitalism is only a tool and government is the guys who use it, who practice it on the very people it protects. And it should be like provide economic shelters, and justice, because that’s the function of the government. They should be protect our market system, and the government should protect our rights, they provide us job opportunities, they provide us the justice, social justice, the economical justice. And they gave us protection, what protection? For instance, when we are buying stuff, maybe we’ll be cheated by others. So the government gave us protections form these cheating and something that will harm our rights, our very rights. But can our government be really, fully trusted? We see that Taiwan has a clean government, do you guys think that? No I don’t think so. Da-Pu incident is recently happened, I think it a great example to prove our government maybe corrupted and we cannot trust them anymore. I will introduce you the Da-Pu incident. Da-Pu incident is that, 苗栗 city government want to take the lands of some farmers, their houses are still on the land but the government still want it anyway. And their excuses is that they want to build a science park, a science park for InnoLux. InnoLux is a technology company, and it said that it want to build a science park, and 苗栗 government said OK, I will give you the land. But they take the land from our people, and they ignore our very right. You know that it’s our houses, it’s our land, it where we’re living at. So, they take our homes, they take our lands. And that’s the proof that maybe there is corruption behind it, because you see the red parts, the red parts are the lands that are used to build science park, and the yellow part is used to build houses, big buildings, skyscrapers. It’s used at urban plan, and what urban plan can profit the government? Government can sometimes take commissions from those urban plans, because they gave lands to the company and company will gave the commissions back to the government. Our government promise that they will keep our house, our lands, but NO, they didn’t. They lied to us, they are like, a bunch of liars, they are corrupted. How can we trust our government to protect our rights if they are corrupted? So can our government be trusted? No because there is corruption in this government. And because of capitalism relies on a clean and functional government to help us build the society, so when the government is corrupted, the capitalism cannot be fully functional.
Annotation 3: Does Taiwanese Government Suitable Enough For Practicing Capitalism?
Government is Good, A web project of Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College http://www.governmentisgood.com/index.php
“Without a whole host of government rules, capitalism could not exist. Even regulations and social programs help sustain a market economy by fixing many of its serious social and economic problems.” - Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College, “Capitalism Requires Government, page: 1 of 7”
Capitalism and Socialism, these two economic theories are both based on the condition of “good moral behaviors.” Capitalism relies on a well-functioning and untouchable governing system, if the government was prone to corruption, Capitalism could not be fully practiced in that country. The government makes rules and regulations to interfere with the so-called “free market” and it also has the duty to accelerate the economic structure by providing job opportunities, maintaining a good market system, and bring us both economic and social justice. In short words, we need a stable and fair government to protect our rights and our money, providing the resources we need for building the economic foundation.
However, can this idea be fully practice in the real world? Is our government really untouchable enough that we can rely anything on them? Will people in Taiwan be so morally disciplined that we won’t see any kinds of corruption in this country? Looking through the history of human race, the answer is certainly not.
However, can this idea be fully practice in the real world? Is our government really untouchable enough that we can rely anything on them? Will people in Taiwan be so morally disciplined that we won’t see any kinds of corruption in this country? Looking through the history of human race, the answer is certainly not.
From the article Government as the Primary Protector of our Rights and Liberties, the author wrote “We depend heavily on the tools of democratic government to protect people’s rights…democratic governments have constitutions and institutions that enable us to effectively protect our rights and freedoms.” But in recent days, Taiwanese government appeared to have gone backward with this idea, for example, the Da-Po incident. We can see that our very government ignores the rights and interests of the people it should protect base on some nonexistent and forceful reason, and in the end the company (InnoLux Company) which need the land most said they don’t need these land anymore(note 1) Then what’s the economic profit in collecting these lands? There is no economic contribute to our country, so what’s the reason for the government sacrificing our right? It is clearly that there is corruption in our government, and this corruption clearly held the economic development of Taiwan, farmers lost their land so they couldn’t contribute anything for the economic, the collected land also had no economic value since the company didn’t need them. If the government didn’t fulfill their function as a protective shield, but to become a shiv that strike back on its own people, Capitalism became a broken theory and the country will fall.
Capitalism requires the government who practice it to take control of the economic system, but it also requires the government to be pure enough to do nothing but for the interest of people. It seem that morally, our government is not “pure” enough to practice this system, the corruption obviously block our economic development. When the government turned against us, how can we contribute to the economy?
Capitalism Requires Government
http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=13&p=2
Government as the Primary Protector of our Rights and Liberties
http://www.governmentisgood.com/articles.php?aid=19
Da-Po incident sources
http://kalamazoo.pixnet.net/blog/post/25455015-%E5%A4%A7%E5%9F%94%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6%E6%87%B6%E4%BA%BA%E5%8C%85
(Note 1) 大埔「徵」議／新奇美：竹南基地 需求不再迫切
http://www.libertytimes.com.tw/2010/new/jul/13/today-life11.htm
Reflection (1)
Group
reflection
1. Tony & Alison
I think this group they faced a problem
that they didn't have a clear future for their topic. Their topic is on human flesh search, but now they are struggling to
link their issue with the debate of Politic and Economic. We are asked to give
them some idea for the topic, and our group said that they can associate their
issue of human flesh search with the national law. What we mean is that
one cannot directly judge a suspect of a crime as a criminal, this man should
remain protected by the law as long as he's not been convinced. The reason for
this to happen is to protect the privacy of investigation and the privacy of
the suspect. If they decide what to do, maybe they will have a bright
future.
2. Phoebe
& Niki
This group's topic
is about the problem of showgirls, in both annotations we can clearly see what
these two want to say, and I think the foundations of their argument are solid
enough to help them with future annotations. However now they face the same
problem as Tony's group had, they have to find a link with the category of Politic
and Economic. I think they can see show girls as a kind of merchandise and use
the aspect of economy to start further argument.
3. Vivian &
Lisa
This group did the
same topic just like our group did, but I think they are more formal then us.
They collected various data then we did, they found many professional
information to support their topic. They did a great job to support their
argument, and I think they have a bright future to go.
4. Double Tim
I think I still
having a hard time understanding what you guys wanted to talk about, even after
the meeting I still don't know. I feel deep guilty so maybe next time I will
try my best to understand your argument.
Self-reflection
Mr. Knot and Robert
I think we had a great time arguing with
each other, because as we debated deeper into our topic we had stronger
understanding for each other's argument. Maybe sometimes our topic didn't
relate much with each other's, but in future time we will try our best to link
each other together. As for future plans, I think we should start with a more
practical aspect for our economic, not just theories and issues, we need proofs
from the world to help us build the further argument.
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