The automobile has undoubtedly changed the world in countless ways. From creating millions of jobs to making travelling highly convenient for humans, it is hard to imagine life today without a car. It is not solely just a means of transportation, but is also a status symbol, or some might say a “fashion accessory”. It is safe to say that since the beginning of the twentieth century, car use has only been increasing across the globe. However, in the rich and developed countries people seem to have been driving less than they used to, hence car use may have peaked. A number of factors have caused this, such as rising fuel costs and insurance premiums and the internet which has made it possible to shop, work and socialize all from home (without the use of a car). So what does this mean for our society? Surely, this will hurt the government in rich countries whose revenue relies heavily on fuel and car taxes. Carmakers can also expect to face tough times. Environmentalists, however, should celebrate. Declining car use should significantly cut pollution, and decrease traffic congestion in cities. I see this a benefit to our society, the government needs to start looking into other ways, that are less harmful to the environment, to generate revenue.

A visual to help people realize the congestion cars create on the road.

Wal-mart, the largest private employer in the United States, recently announced that they will be cutting back the coverage for part-time employees while raising premiums for full-time workers. In depth, all future employees who work less than 24 hours a week on average will not meet the qualifications that they need to be covered in any single one of the company’s health insurance plans. Furthermore, employees who work on average 24 to 33 hours a week normally would be able to include a spouse as part of their health care plan, but this will no longer be the case. For employees working these many hours a week, only their children will be covered. Greg Rossiter, a Wal-mart spokesman explained that these changes on their health care offerings were mainly due to rising costs.

The main ethical issue in this case is the lack of consideration towards employees. Not only will they have to work more hours to be covered, they also will have to face the burden of increasing premiums and deductibles which sometimes exceed 20 percent of their annual pay. These changes will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the vast number of senior employees working there.

Read the article here 

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