An Issue That Matters

I take a look back at my life, and ever since the 19th Century, I have noticed a drastic change in the economy. I can’t imagine what peoples lives will be like in the next ten years. Now that the prices are rising, who knows how everyone’s lives will be currently, and from then on.

It seems as if the economy is going down the drain. And honestly, I believe it is. The cause of food and gas prices going up has affected my family’s life immensely. I remember when gasoline only used to be 99 cents. As I take a look at what it is now, I am absolutely speechless.

There are many problems that are going on today dealing with this economic crisis. I was reading USA Today’s newspaper, and there was an article that caught my eye. This article was describing the struggle families are dealing with today. Many families are unable to pay their bills due to the skyrocketing prices of food and gasoline. And the cause of this happening is that these families’ utilities are being cut off.

Electricity and natural gas shutoffs are up at least 15% in several states compared with last year. Totals for some utilities have more than doubled. Another serious problem going on today is cancer patients are skipping their radiation treatments because they can’t afford the gas to get there. Now shocking gas prices, high food costs and a generally tight economy are making it even more difficult for some people to see a doctor or pay medical bills.

A problem that really disappoints me is that the 2008-2009 University of Nebraska Annual Budget has just been released. Because of the economy dropping, hundreds and thousands of dollars have been cut. And one of the programs to be cut due to this budget is the Summer Scholars Program.

This upsets me because many other juniors will not get the opportunity to take a part in this excellent program, and this program has been around since 1989. Summer Scholars has always been very successful at attracting students of different races to UNO’s campus, and to think that no one will ever get this opportunity again is very upsetting, and I think everyone should get the chance of joining Summer Scholars.

To me, this is an issue that matters the most and needs to be taken care of immediately. This is a very serious issue that is causing problems in all areas. I hope in the future things will gradually change because the economy is really affecting families from all over the world. There absolutely needs to be a stop in these terrible rising prices and a definite fix to this economic crisis.