Bug List

1.  There is a humming sound in my apartment that is extremely annoying.  It seems to be an electrical problem but even after an electrical inspection, the issue remains unidentified.

·         A home should be comforting and secure.  It bothers me that I am stuck in a lease and paying a great deal of money while having to endure this unavoidable nuisance.

2.  My GRU electric bill.  I am a single person living in a modest apartment and yet my electric bill last month was $145.00.

·         There is no way that I am using that much electricity.  There are an unprecedented number of miscellaneous fees on the statement that are completely unreasonable.  I wish that the people of Gainesville would unite and protest GRU and their utility fees and surcharges.  Before moving to Gainesville my bill in Melbourne, Florida was less than half of this amount.  This is exploitation.

3. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  Travelers must endure ridiculously long airport lines, being patted down to the point of groping, and having items confiscated such as candles, nail clippers and other legal personal items, all in the name of security.

·         Passengers, customers, even concert-goers should not be treated as potential criminals.  Security is an illusion and while this scrutiny may deter some illicit activity, it can never guarantee safety.  In Texas people can carry a concealed weapon into a store or a restaurant.  This is not viewed as a threat for some reason.  However, if it is an airplane then the person carrying the same weapon is now a terrorist that can be detained indefinitely.  Double standard at its finest.

4.  American Idol.  This is by far the most generic, cookie cutter, assembly line method of discovering talent.

·         I am glad that American Idol did not exist when Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Prince or David Bowie were beginning their careers because we would run the risk of never being exposed to their musical genius.

5.  The proliferation of Walmart stores in every town.

·         Walmart has systematically destroyed small businesses across America.

6.  Strict and unfair Condominium Association rules and regulations.

·         My family owns a condominium in Jacksonville, Florida.  I went home to visit my family over Christmas break.  I have an official parking decal with no expiration date.  At some point the parking decals were updated, but I was unaware since I live in Gainesville.  On my second night visiting home, my car was towed and impounded. 

7.  The overemphasized requirement to arrive at work on time.

·         The employer’s focus should be predominately on an employee’s job performance, work ethic, and quantity and quality of work produced.  Instead, if an employee arrives at 8:03 instead of 8:00, they are placed on probation and then potentially fired.  Since a person dedicates 40 hours of their life per week to meet the demands of a company, the company should acknowledge the needs of an employee as well.

8.  The unfair system of using delegates to nominate our presidential candidates.

·         Each state has a different method of selecting delegates that is confusing to nearly everyone and often does not reflect the popular vote.  Trump overwhelmingly won the popular vote in Arizona but Cruz was awarded almost all of the delegates.

9.  Trump supporters.  Over 10 million people have voted for Trump.

·         I simply cannot understand how any person could vote for an individual who has repeatedly proven himself to be ignorant on foreign policy, immigration, the American legal system, and the US Constitution.  He has also proven himself to be racist, misogynistic, and a pathological liar.  The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees religious freedom, yet he is interested in banning all Muslims from entering this country.  Why anyone would support these traits and hateful philosophies is beyond me.

10.  Fox News presents the news in a biased and opinionated format that is usually factually incorrect.

·         The news should be fact based, reliable and informative.  At Fox News, however, the anchors use inaccurate, inflammatory statements that are geared toward manipulating their viewers from a fear based perspective.  They have taken it upon themselves to interpret the news for us and tell us what they want us to hear.  I ask, inform me don’t manipulate me.

11.  Global warming being considered a myth or a hoax.

·         Everyday there is growing quantifiable, factual scientific evidence proving the existence of global warming.  Rising sea levels alone can prove this theory and yet our very own politicians dispute the fact based findings of our scientific community. 

12.  The Patriot Act that was signed into law by President George W. Bush, facilitates the government’s ability to spy on civilians at their discretion without warrant or notification.

·         Benjamin Franklin stated "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." 

13.  People’s lack of desire or unwillingness to organize themselves to bring about change.

·         Social media connects us all instantly and every day it becomes more available and accessible to people as a whole.  It gives us the ability to continuously unify ourselves to protest, boycott, petition and bring attention to serious issues that are in dire need of change.  This seems like one of the easiest, quickest and most efficient ways to literally change the world one issue at a time.

14.  Having to pay for parking at the beach.

·         I believe that natural sanctuaries provide wellness and well-being to the mind, body and soul of every person.  These sanctuaries should be made accessible and available to all at any time.  As a taxpayer I am already paying for parking and maintenance of these natural preserves.  It seems redundant and excessive to be charged money to visit something that belongs to no one and was made for all, especially when it does no harm but benefits everyone.

15.  The fact that GMO foods are not labeled.

·         We as taxpayers are financially supporting and maintaining the FDA.  As consumers we are financially investing in the production of food and its distribution.  I believe that if I pay money for an item that I will physically consume, then I have every right to know what I am consuming and more importantly to not be poisoned by chemicals from food producers simply so they can cut corners to make a profit that serves themselves only.  This problem continues to exist because people will not come together as a unified group demanding full disclosure and labeling for genetically altered foods.

16.  Exams in my opinion are an antiquated and fear-based system that sets students up for failure.

·         Learning should be engaging, exciting, challenging, and fulfilling.  Exams are meant to educate and test a student’s understanding of a concept.  Instead, exams generate extreme stress and fear of failure.  Exams are designed to specifically mislead and confuse students which undermine the effort invested in studying and preparing for the exam.  This leads to a scenario in which the student may feel devastated and demoralized by the experience.  This is the greatest adversary of education. 

17.  The power and wealth held by “the one percent”.

·         Christy Walton, who is a part of the Walmart family, has $22.5 billion dollars.  I am in favor of boundless potential and achieving extraordinary results; however I believe that with tremendous wealth and power, there is a responsibility.  Currently there is no balance or equality.  Mrs. Walton has her $22.5 billion while Walmart employees dedicate 40 hours of their week often spending more time at work than with their families, all while struggling to make ends meet living paycheck to paycheck.

18.  Corporations have more rights and people do.

·         According to USA Today, 27 major profitable corporations paid no taxes last year.  Corporations are protected by law and they have rights as if they were living, breathing individuals.  The difference between a corporation and an average individual is that a corporation has millions of dollars at its disposal to maintain a team of lobbyists that can influence the drafting of laws, and a team of lawyers that can defend those laws leaving corporations in an almost untouchable state.  It is the average person that should be protected by the law. 

19.  The militarization of police.

·         The police are a civil force that has become militarized to supposedly “protect” the state. With the exception of Northern Ireland, the police of the United Kingdom do not carry firearms and are still able to maintain peace and order while serving the people.  Contrary to popular belief, guns cannot guarantee safety or keep the peace.  The United Kingdom has found a way to successfully protect the state without the use of guns.  

20.  Due to the fact that I was employed full time to make ends meet before enrolling in college, I am not eligible for financial aid and will not be for a year and a half. 

·         While I had full-time employment to meet my living expenses, I feel that I am being penalized for returning to college to complete my degree.  For this reason, I am having to pay all my living expenses and tuition for 5 semesters out of my own pocket.  Moving from my home to Gainesville would have been tax deductible if I had moved here for a job, but because I moved here for my education, it was not tax deductible.  Legislation does not encourage students to return to school to finish their education.

This was an extremely challenging assignment but it was also surprisingly revealing.  This assignment has caused me to alter the way I view myself.  I simply did not realize how strongly and frequently I felt or thought about issues specifically pertaining to liberties, freedom, safety, security, and the illusion of control and ownership.  I was unaware of how passionately I felt about certain issues.  One area that I had particular difficulty with was in determining the root cause for why the problem exists.  I had the tendency to dive deeper into what bothered me about the problem rather than address the cause itself.  I attribute this to the fact that I, along with almost everyone else, simply do not have a voice.  This is literally the first time that someone has ever asked me what is bothersome to me and wanted to hear the answer.  All of a sudden having a voice made me want to start using it.  I also had some difficulty identifying the problems themselves.  As a society we discourage complaints and criticism and look down on negative perspectives.  It was difficult to look at the world and ask myself what is wrong with it and what bothers me about it.  It would be interesting to go beyond this assignment and explore each problem further.