Smoking

Smoking, particularly of cigarettes, is a major cause of death and therefore loss of income. Nicotine is known to be as or more addictive than the hard drugs that come across the border from Mexico, the drugs that hundreds of people lose their lives for. Why is it legal then? Tradition is the key reason that tobacco is legal, while it is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the U.S. The banning of tobacco would have far reaching effects; people would suddenly be more productive, people would live longer, and people would have more money in their pockets. This is also a place where the United States could prove that it still has some leadership value in world politics. The United States has the highest minimum age of all the worlds countries (except Bhutan, a small Himalayan nation who has banned tobacco with the exception of foreigners and diplomats) (The vaults of Erowid-tobacco). If our politicians can step up to the plate, quit bickering, and ban tobacco, the U.S. could gain immense political face on the world stage. Not only would our government be better respected, our workforce would find ways to drive the economy forward and put us far beyond that of China, despite our severe population disadvantage. Savings rates would jump, and retirees could live their lives in relative luxury. Banning tobacco is an excellent option for boosting our slipping country out of recession and into leadership.

Teenage fatherhood

The side of teenage pregnancy most often overlooked is the emotional stress put on the father. While it is seen as "macho" to be sexually active to teen guys, it is extremely bad for the image to get a girl pregnant. Teen boys often joke around about sex, and they make it seem normal. Sex is almost a necessity for teen guys to maintain popularity. For a girl, the pressure is usually from one person, a boyfriend. This is a result of guys wanting to achieve or maintain the macho image that teen guys think is so cool. The pressure gets even higher when drugs and alcohol are added to the equation. Drinking causes a lack of inhibitions, making the possibility of sex much higher, and when a person does something once, it becomes expected of them. Decision making is an important part of the entire process, as the decision not to be in a situation where drinking is an option can lead to a whole string of better life choices. By letting your decisions be made by habit, you become a follower. You become the human guinea pig, because you have lost your self-esteem. When you actively think about how your decisions will affect you and your life, the chances that you will make a better decision skyrockets. When you decide not to be like the rest of the macho guys, and lead rather than follow, you avoid drugs and alcohol, you avoid premarital sex, and you increase your quality of life.

Drugs

The war on drugs that has consumed so many lifes and so much money is something that every American wants to see ended. The problem is far from simple, however, and there will be no magic bullet that can end the fight for illicit drugs. Unless there is no such thing as an illicit drug, by either making nothing illicit (legalization) or by ending the making of drugs. The idea of legalization has a lot of proponents behind it, but it is the wrong decision. Dangerous drugs cannot be simply bought and sold like candy, so the regulations must stay. This brings up the question about what to do about the war? This war cannot be won. There is always someone that has something new on the street, it's just human nature. We are a curious species, and we will always experiment with new and possibly dangerous substances, and we just need to continue to attempt to stamp out the illegal drugs. One avenue that the United States needs to pursue in the battle against drugs is defense through offense. We need to stamp out the cartels in Mexico and beyond, along with the continued efforts at home. Despite the best efforts of world authorities, illegal drugs will be distributed and consumed.

Pharmaceutical waste

The disposal of pharmaceuticals, which is unregulated, can be terribly harmful to any life form that uses the water source the drugs were dumped in. However, some drug companies have found a way to take drugs that have outlived their expiration date and make them into energy (http://www.gazetteextra.com/pillstopower072707.asp). By incinerating almost six and a half pounds of pills, a company in Milwaukee created enough electricity to power 220 homes for an entire year. When done correctly, the inceneration procces leads to the release of no emissions at all, but the blessing of the federal government, a necessary step for this form of energy to be approved, could take years. This alternate way of disposing of unwanted drugs is needed desperately, because studies have shown that flushing the pills down a toilet can lead to the pill being ingested by a wild animal, often with severe physical consequences. The failure to get rid of your drugs also provides an opportunity for abuse, as pills just laying around provide an easy way for addicts to get their fix (http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/). However, animals arent the only creatures consuming the drugs when you flush. Seeing as we get our water from natural sources, we are ingesting the drugs as well as the fish. The particles are too small for filters to catch, and they lead to excessive amounts of toxic materials in our drinking water. If you need to get rid of some pills, look online for safe deposit sites in your area. The fish will thank you.

Industrialized Farming

Last month, a salmonella scare raised by unsanitary conditions at a peanut butter plant in Georgia caused widespread panic and ended in a recall of millions, if not billions of products that contained the dangerous peanut paste. The fact that this scare affected as many people as it did is the way we farm now. Industrialized farming is the way of the future when it comes to farming, because the concentration of resources is the best way to make a profit in a free market economy. However, this does not mean that it is the perfect way to make food for purchase. As demonstrated by the peanut butter scare, if one plant of farm has a problem, it affects the entire country and economy, which is like putting all our eggs in one basket, a proverbial no-no. However, with enough trucks to transport california strawberries all the way to Erie Pa, it would seem like a waste not to use the countries infrastructure to diversify the food at the local supermarket. It also means that if one community is in drought, the rest of the country can pick in and send them food to eat so they don't starve. However, everyone has a niche, so try to buy from the local farm. Usually the food will be fresher anyways, and you could be saving a local job. 

Soy in food

I believe that soy will make you healthier- in moderation. Like anything in life, even food which seems harmless at first can quickly become a serious problem if it is abused. Everything is good in moderation, no matter how good it seems at first. This is why the diets that claim you can lose weight by eating nothing but carbs, which is very unhealthy. Also, your body really doesn't know what protein it's breaking down. However, soy does contain some rather unhealthy substances, and was listed as an industrial product not a food in the 1913 USDA handbook. Soy baby food is also very unhealthy for babies to eat, as a days worth of soy baby food has enough phytoestrogens to mimic giving the infant 5 birth control pills a day. The soy plant is also very susceptible to any metals in the soil in which it grows, so if it is grown in a field with a lot of aluminum, there will be excess amounts of aluminum in the end soy products. However, eating about 25 to 50 grams of soy a day can reduce your LDL, or bad cholesterol by 10%.  Soy also fights the narrowing of blood vessels, which leads to heart disease and hypertension, the silent killers of America. Like I said, in reasonable amounts, soy improve your health and improve your life. In excess, however, it can be dangerous. 

Conflict Resolution

Resolving conflicts effectively is almost as important as making good decisions, but it is much more difficult because there are two people involved, and not everyone thinks in the same ways. However, in many ways, conflict resolution is very similar to decision making. Conflicts arise over pretty much anything, a spot on a team, a girl or boy, or something that happened over the summer. One way to make sure you resolve your conflicts without violence, and ensuring that you get what you want out of the discussion. In order to resolve your conflicts, use this method.
Step One: Set the Scene
Step Two: Gather Information
Step Three: Agree the Problem
Step Four: Brainstorm Possible Solutions
Step Five: Negotiate a Solution
Using these steps, you and the other party in the conflict will find a good compromise without violence or anything nasty like that. Remember, whenever you have a conflict, violence is never the answer. It will only inflame the problem, and make you seem like a bully. Fighting is never the best way to solve your problem.