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Old 04-11-2011, 06:36 PM
 
12,733 posts, read 21,629,218 times
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Yaaaaaaaaay! I'm done with my research paper! Thank all of you who helped me make this paper a success. It would have bothered me if I didn't let you all read my paper.
Let me explain the purpose of this paper.
Besides researching, of course, we had to share a topic about something that interests us. Obviously, I choose to do a research paper on Texas's job growth. In this paper, we had to choose a side: FOR and AGAINST. I choose the FOR side. To make Texas look better than what it ia, I compared its advantages to another sate's disadvantages. You know that there is always two sides to a story, so I choose the good side and didn't showcase the bad side to avoid contradiction to my line of argument. As a result, when y'all read it, I don't want y'all to think that I think Texas is this fabulous place without any mishaps; basically, I did what I was told so I can get an A. I've really ENJOYED learning more about Texas and I'm glad that I had taken out the time to do so!

Even though I'm a pain in the ass sometimes, I'm truly sorry; I'm just so curious about Texas and what it has to offer since I haven't even really studied Texas since the last 2 years. I really apprecite you guys' patience and kindness towards me and wish you all the best in everything that you do! Enjoy my reading!

Quote:
The Texan Advantage: America’s Job Growth Leader during Tough Economic Times
Quote:

The Great Recession has taken a brutal toll on America. This recession was established in 2007 and still hovers over Americans like a big black rain cloud ready to burst into streams of tears. While traveling through this unfortunate stage of life, an abundance of people have lost their homes to banks. Several people have lost their jobs resulting in a soaring unemployment rate. Besides being jobless, inflation has caused families to move closer to poverty and lose a great portion of their total incomes. Other predicaments such as high gas prices, depression, bank bailouts, proration, and even death are worsening the livelihoods of millions of citizens. Even though the recession has affected America, there is a shiny star, whose parts are somewhat covered by the “black cloud,” that is shining its light like a lighthouse on a moderate foggy beach. That shiny star is the Lone Star State of Texas. Texas, the second largest state in population and in land area, has been blowing the charts with its opportunities for people during tough times. No, it’s not just the land for cowboys roaming the open range, it is the land of opportunity for families, businessmen, and individuals; it symbolizes growth, prosperity, and affluence. It is a state in which people can take pleasure in a low cost of living and no state income tax. In addition to such great aspects of Texas, what is really giving it the fuel to lead the nation in job growth? Texas is creating the most jobs due to its massive economy, prime location, and national recognition.
To begin with, Texas’s economy is a major factor in helping it to lead the nation out of the economic downturn. It has one of the most diverse economies in the nation. Its economy consists of manufacturing, mining, fishing, engineering, service, energy, medical, and technology sectors as well as other industries. Most of these industries weren’t greatly affected by the recession causing Texas to see positive job and employment growth compared to states such as Georgia (Winans 2). Georgia, whose economy greatly depends on the performance of the Atlanta metropolitan area was hit hardly by the recession. Before the recession, Georgia had an over-saturated construction industry and had a multitude of manufacturing companies that were tied into the construction industry. The collapse of the financial system, due to a high concentration of construction development caused Georgia, especially the Atlanta region to suffer more judged against Texas (Dodson 1). As a result, there was more damage done to Georgia's banks than to Texas’s financial sector.
The collapses and falls of some of Georgia’s industries and the growth of most of Texas’s industries are shown in both states’ unemployment rates. Texas has the lowest unemployment rate of large states at 8.3% compared to 10% nationally. Its employment figures, in return, have outperformed several states. Texas’s two largest metros, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, are huge sources of the state’s outperformance by gaining 63,000 and 56,000 jobs respectively from January 2010 to January 2011. On the other hand, Georgia’s underperformance has sent its unemployment rate into the double digits; its unemployment rate stands at 10.2%, which is slightly above the national average. Unfortunately, Georgia’s high unemployment rate can be linked to Atlanta’s loss of 12,000 jobs from January 2010 to January 2011 (Press Office 1).
Besides the different economic responses from the recession, Georgia’s and Texas’s gross domestic products (GDP) differ by a huge margin. Despite being populated more than twice as large as Georgia (25,145,581 to 9,687,853), Texas’s GDP stands at $1.24 trillion, while Georgia has a $395 billion economy. Texas’s economy is only second to California, America’s largest state in population. However, if Texas was a country, it would have the 12th largest economy, ahead of economic powerhouses such as Mexico. If the state of Georgia was a country, along with Texas, its economy would rank between 23 and 26 (Winans 1). Accordingly, Texas’s extremely diverse economy, which has led to dramatic job growth, has given the state a huge domination over states, like Georgia, that are still struggling to make efforts to experience positive job growth.
Additionally, because of its desirable location, Texas has enjoyed a dynamic job growth rate. The huge state is 267,339 square miles, composing 7.4% of America’s total land mass (McNally 105-107). Yes, everything is big in Texas. It is home to the nation’s largest inland port located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The great advantage wouldn’t be feasible if it wasn’t for the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. This airport is the second largest airport in the nation, encompassing more land than Manhattan, which stands at about 22 square miles. It’s also the third largest airport in the world in terms of cargo traffic. Besides the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Texas is home to other major airports including George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, and San Antonio International Airport in San Antonio. Each one helps drive the economy (Winans 4).
Because of its large airports, Texas has become a major cargo center trading with a plethora of countries across the world including China. Texas helps speed the flow of goods between ships and the land transportation system of trucks and trains. As a result, it is a transportation hub for trucks bringing goods to and from the multiple distribution centers that dot the state’s landscape. Texas’s south central location makes it accessible to the rest of the nation within 48 hours, which is very easy for trucks to arrive promptly at trading centers (Winans 1).
Aside from being a commerce and transportation hub, Texas is also a seaport hub along the Gulf of Mexico. The Port of Houston is the second largest seaport in the nation. It is the largest port for foreign tonnage. Wal-Mart and Home Depot are two of several companies with gigantic warehouses located at the port. Furthermore, Texas’s location to the water gives it other advantages. The current expansion of the Panama Canal will result in a surge in the importation and exportation of goods at the Port of Houston, which will result in a big boost to the economy. Thus, Texas will have a direct route to Asia, a goal that Christopher Columbus wanted to succeed during the European colonization of the 15th century (Winans 1).
Last but not least, Texas’s overabundance of flat terrain is ideal for its important industries such as the oil and energy industries. Its flat land support large oil refineries that produce a large amount of oil for the world. The flatness also gives the state the opportunity to produce its own energy and power as a result of its several wind power farms.
What state can compete with Texas’s important location? None of the remaining 49 states can, especially Arizona. This large land-locked state obviously doesn’t have direct access to a prosperous seaport. It’s close to the Port of Los Angeles in California, but the benefits aren’t as fantastic as a state such as Texas which has its own seaport. Arizona’s location away from a huge body of water, in contrast to Texas’s location on the Gulf of Mexico, can result in a lack of water for a growing population. Secondly, Arizona’s desert terrain and monstrous mountains are huge disadvantages for it to support wind power farms on the same scale as Texas. Its location in the desert can result in uninhabitable regions, which equates to jobs being able to locate in certain areas mainly in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Compared to Texas’s numerous large international airports, Arizona is the location of two, with its largest airport ranking third if it was located in Texas. Last of all, contrary to Texas, Arizona is located in the West, which gives it a long access from major commerce centers in New England and on the East Coast (McNally 25). Hence, location plays a key role in major job creation.
Additionally, Texas’s worldwide recognition helps keep its economy moving forward. It is renowned for having more Fortune 500 companies than any state in the nation. The state has 118 companies. Such companies include Exxon Mobil, JCPenney, RadioShack, Texas Instruments, AT&T, Waste Management, Continental Airlines, and Sysco. A state such as Vermont currently has no Fortune 500 companies, which makes it inferior to Texas in this category (Winans 1).
According to the newly released 2010 Census, Texas had the largest population growth than any other state, growing by 1,000 people daily. It grew from 20,851,820 in 2000 to 25,145,581 in 2010 representing a 20.6% growth rate. On the other hand, Vermont grew slowly by 46 people a day. The state grew from 608,827 in 2000 to 625,741 representing a 2.8% growth rate (Caspio 1).
To add another point, Texas dominated the fastest growing cities lists with Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Fort Worth rounding out the top 10. Oppositely, due to Vermont’s much slower growth, it has no cities that are listed on the fastest growing cities lists. Texas’s biggest four cities have also been named, by Forbes, “Best Cities to Buy a Home” and have been recognized as the top “Best Bang for the Buck” cities. Unfortunately, Vermont doesn’t have any cities toping the above lists (Winans 1).
Moreover, Texas has been ranked as the top state for exportation for more than 5 years straight while Vermont has been ranked in the forties. Texas exports 16.2% of America’s total exportations, thanks to the Port of Houston. Vermont’s share is just 0.3% (Winans 1).
Currently, Texas has the largest medical center in the world. Texas Medical Center (TMC), located in Houston, has 5 million patients annually and employs 50,000-80,000 people. In contrast, Vermont’s largest hospital, Fletcher Allen Health Care, employs 6,000 people and has less than one million patients annually (Winans 6).
Obviously, Texas’s well-known status gives it an upper hand to several states, especially Vermont, when it comes to job growth.
On the other hand, some people are ignorant of the current subject and will refute Texas’s success. Initially, several people have concerns about all the growth and traffic congestion that have resulted and will be effects of the state’s growing job rate. They emphasize that several minutes will be unnecessarily added to their daily work commute. However, several cities and metro areas across the state, including Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, are undergoing massive public transportation expansions which will give residents, both new and current, other alternatives to get to and from work. Also, Texas is so large and has such a low population density that it can withstand its current growth for many years to come. Additionally, due to Texas’s extreme proximity to Mexico, it presently contains a huge Mexican population. Some citizens argue that the Mexicans will take all of the available jobs, which is a personal issue that is present in America. To justify such an uninformed concern, jobs depend on personal skills, education, determination, and experience, not race and ethnicity. Texas’s economy has such a reasonable job growth that there is an adequate amount of jobs for almost every person of any demographic.
Lastly, several people who are interested in becoming future Texans may have concerns over Texas’s chance of being susceptible to another recession. Nevertheless, Texas’s economy is so diverse that if one of its many industries is affected by a future recession, the state will not be greatly affected compared to several states across the nation.
In conclusion, Texas, the Lone Star State, has come on top of the nation in terms of job growth. The state’s multi-sectored economy, location, and recognition have all played vital roles in making Texas a success story. In economics, Texas has dominated the majority of states, especially Georgia whose economy was and still is overwhelming tied into the construction and housing industries. Those industries were two of several economic sectors dampened by the recession. Texas’s location in the center of America and along a body of water compared to a state such as Arizona’s western land-locked location gives Texas a multitude of economic advantages as well. Matched with an unpopular state similar to Vermont, Texas has no competition due to its many inspiring accolades that help bring fortune, wealth, growth, and jobs to the state. In order for a state to weather a recession, it should take notes from Texas to improve its performance economically and to share what it has to offer to humanity. It should also promote its economy and statehood just as Texas. Texas maybe the land of cowboys and ranches, but it has effectively become the land of opportunity for families, businessmen, and individuals and symbolizes growth, prosperity, and affluence. Now, that is called a Texan Advantage.

Last edited by SouthernBoy205; 04-11-2011 at 06:45 PM..
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:09 PM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,101,157 times
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Hmm...are you in high school or college? May want to sign up for some critical writing courses so you can make a more clear & substantiated argument. It's kind of weak to compare one state's advantages with another state's disadvantages, you know?

Where do Vermont and Georgia rank on economic output? Probably would have made a stronger case to compare Texas with real economic powerhouses like New York or California.

Lastly, for the love, please edit out the terrible similes ("the recession hovering over America like a big black rain cloud ready to explode into tears"). Gag. Any professor worth his salt will rip that to shreads.

Better brush up on critical thinking and writing skills if you want a good job after graduation. Sorry for the harsh criticism, but it's for your own good.
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:22 PM
 
12,733 posts, read 21,629,218 times
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OK. I'm in college, and my teacher likes it. I guess it's left to the individual. My argument is clear because I had too much help with proper administration. Also, my intent was to compare Texas to a different state in each point, and the professor said to pick a side. Because I picked the FOR side, I wanted to just compare the state to other states that can't even hold a candle to it in categories that it is superior in; I did that to back up my line of argument. Thanks for the criticism even though it was pretty serious , and I got a high score on it.
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:24 PM
 
239 posts, read 636,435 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80 View Post
Sorry for the harsh criticism, but it's for your own good.

That's what mean people always say as a way to excuse their behavior.

The OP didn't ask for a writing critique, he was simply thanking his fellow posters and sharing the results of his work. He didn't deserve a response like that.
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:29 PM
 
12,733 posts, read 21,629,218 times
Reputation: 3768
Quote:
Originally Posted by GettaClue View Post
That's what mean people always say as a way to excuse their behavior.

The OP didn't ask for a writing critique, he was simply thanking his fellow posters and sharing the results of his work. He didn't deserve a response like that.
Thanks!
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:35 PM
 
12,733 posts, read 21,629,218 times
Reputation: 3768
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80 View Post
Hmm...are you in high school or college? May want to sign up for some critical writing courses so you can make a more clear & substantiated argument. It's kind of weak to compare one state's advantages with another state's disadvantages, you know?

Where do Vermont and Georgia rank on economic output? Probably would have made a stronger case to compare Texas with real economic powerhouses like New York or California.

Lastly, for the love, please edit out the terrible similes ("the recession hovering over America like a big black rain cloud ready to explode into tears"). Gag. Any professor worth his salt will rip that to shreads.

Better brush up on critical thinking and writing skills if you want a good job after graduation. Sorry for the harsh criticism, but it's for your own good.
Also, this paper was intended to be in the lines of an advertisment. I wanted to kind of inform and persuade my imaginary readers. I'm leaving out the bad parts and comparing Texas to states that aren't on its level to bring out the GOOD points. Remember, I said that I am FOR it. Just comparing it to Vermont and others help support my argument. That's all.
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:41 PM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,101,157 times
Reputation: 13124
Quote:
Originally Posted by GettaClue View Post
That's what mean people always say as a way to excuse their behavior.

The OP didn't ask for a writing critique, he was simply thanking his fellow posters and sharing the results of his work. He didn't deserve a response like that.
Yes, he did, and I've already gotten about 8 "rep" comments in support.

I am only about 10 years out of college, but if that is considered an acceptable writing ability in college today, it is no wonder recent graduates are having a hard time finding employment....much less landing the $50k starting salary jobs they "deserve."

If my boss asked me to compare my business' performance to competition (a similar exercise to OP's writing prompt), he would fire me on the spot for sending a write-up comparing our company's performance with the lowest ranking market share competitor. My job is to defend and grow- and one does that by winning against the closest competitors, not someone we left in the dust 50 years ago. Comparing Texas' economy with Vermont is laughable. It's like picking on the 70 pound 7th grader at recess. If you want a 6-figure job someday, you need to become 6-figure quality. That includes strong critical thinking skills and the ability to write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar.

I didn't even touch the numerous grammar errors or the fact that he actually wrote that "death is worsening the livelihood of millions of Americans." Seriously?!
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:47 PM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,101,157 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg View Post
Also, this paper was intended to be in the lines of an advertisment. I wanted to kind of inform and persuade my imaginary readers. I'm leaving out the bad parts and comparing Texas to states that aren't on its level to bring out the GOOD points. Remember, I said that I am FOR it. Just comparing it to Vermont and others help support my argument. That's all.
You are not understanding that by deciding to defend your stance by throwing wimpy Vermont under the bus, you left the reader thinking you didn't have a stronger argument. You could have made a stronger case by comparing the port of Houston with the other major ports- Long Beach (CA), Charleston (SC) or New York and tracked how much volume each handled during the recession. If Houston beat those, then that's a legitimately strong argument. But you chose to contrast with Arizona, who has no shoreline. Bizarre. You could have compared Texas' Fortune 500 HQ's with the other states/cities of similar population...not Vermont, which doesn't even have 1 city with a population over 1mil.

You could have still proven your point that the Texas economy is very strong, yet built a bullet-proof case.
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Old 04-11-2011, 08:50 PM
 
12,733 posts, read 21,629,218 times
Reputation: 3768
Quote:
Originally Posted by TurtleCreek80 View Post
Yes, he did, and I've already gotten about 8 "rep" comments in support.

I am only about 10 years out of college, but if that is considered an acceptable writing ability in college today, it is no wonder recent graduates are having a hard time finding employment....much less landing the $50k starting salary jobs they "deserve."

If my boss asked me to compare my business' performance to competition (a similar exercise to OP's writing prompt), he would fire me on the spot for sending a write-up comparing our company's performance with the lowest ranking market share competitor. My job is to defend and grow- and one does that by winning against the closest competitors, not someone we left in the dust 50 years ago. Comparing Texas' economy with Vermont is laughable. It's like picking on the 70 pound 7th grader at recess. If you want a 6-figure job someday, you need to become 6-figure quality. That includes strong critical thinking skills and the ability to write clearly and concisely, using correct grammar.

I didn't even touch the numerous grammar errors or the fact that he actually wrote that "death is worsening the livelihood of millions of Americans." Seriously?!

I didn't, but 8 of those points are probably from people who don't care about me anyway. Hey, it's left up to your opinion. I was just sharing what I had a couple of people to help me with. I didn't ask for critiques. If I had known this, I would never have posted this. Thanks, but my paper has already been proof read numerous of times by the professor and now graded!
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Old 04-11-2011, 09:08 PM
 
13,194 posts, read 28,101,157 times
Reputation: 13124
Your professor should be fired.
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