With all the different colors, makes, models, and types out there, one would have never thought there would be a shortage of cars. Although dealerships might still look full now, potential buyers struggle to find the vehicle of their dreams. There is a low stock amount regarding what is being produced, so many people have turned towards used cars, which in return, are hard to find as well.
The global chip shortage is causing chaos within the auto industry. New cars, with advanced technology, are built with these microchips. Microchips control almost everything that makes the car function, and manufacturers are struggling to make the consumers happy. The global chip shortage began because of the pandemic and the need for electronics as we were living our lives through a computer screen, spending most of our time in the house, and needing to find new ways to keep ourselves occupied. Consumers bought more electronics than the market was ready for. The same chips used in laptops, monitors, and other electronic devices are inside our cars. Production was slowed as the manufacturing companies assumed the economy would take a hit and they wouldn’t need to make as many chips. They were making chips for consumer goods while ignoring that people would soon be back shopping for cars. As a result of the global chip shortage, the used car prices are extremely high, people are buying colors that they would have never thought of before, and being forced to look into all different types of cars, including models they would never have even considered. As a result, the US manufacturing companies are estimating that their product amount might be 1.5 to 5 million less than in the past. This will, for sure, cause an issue among all those who are searching for a car. Although we hope this is not the case, some are even saying that it may take a few years for the car industry to get back to where it once was and catch up with the demand for the product. Reported by Annie Heischober Each October, high school seniors across the country start submitting college applications to the schools of their dreams. All students have a particular college or two that they hope to gain admission to, and the application process can be one of incredible excitement combined with a feeling of understandable uncertainty. One reassuring factor that students have during the admissions process is that they will be judged on their own record of merit and that there is a fundamental fairness in the section practice that places everyone competing for the same coveted spot on equal footing.
Unfortunately, we now know that a group of wealthy parents plotted and schemed to illegally trade money for college recruitment spots for their children. In short, they sought to cheat the process and “buy” a ticket into top colleges for their high school student when they did not deserve the spot. In total, forty-seven defendants have pleaded guilty in one particular recent plot known as “Operation Varsity Blues.” This case included the “fixing” of SAT and ACT scores, and the bribing of sports coaches to sneak applications into the school under the guise of making certain college athletic teams. For example, one parent allegedly paid millions to have their student admitted to a college water polo team. Another parent, a wealthy casino executive, paid $300,000 for their child to make a top college basketball program to help them get admitted when the student was not even on their high school varsity team. Of the thirty-three parents that pleaded guilty, two included tv actors Felicity Huffman and Lori Louglin, better known for her role on Full House. Many parents served prison time for these crimes. Eventually, the scandal was broken up when the FBI wiretapped phone calls between the center of the plot, “admissions consultant” Rick Singer and the various scheming parents. Hopefully, these convictions will make others considering the same sort of actions pause before taking these drastic unfair steps. Every high school student knows that college admissions is a high stakes process. All a prospective student can do is ask that everyone in the race begins at the same starting line. With the FBI’s broad investigation into this high level cheating scandal fueled by overambitious parents, authorities have done an excellent job in restoring fairness and equity to the process so that someone's money can not buy the last seat in your dream school that you yourself deserve. Reported by Jesse Ray Sheps |