RS Interview Project

Interview Project

Over Easter Break I conducted an interview with two relatives of mine, along with myself. I first interviewed my father, Paul Powers, 49, then over the phone my grandfather, David Powers, 88, and finally myself, Mason Powers, 19. I was intrigued by the stories and history of economics from the past century through the eyes of my family. I thought it would be cool to do the Powers side of my family because my grandfather was a well-known man in his days, and raised nine sons one being my father.

My father, Paul Powers, is a man that is all about business. He is a hard worker with labor and behind the desk. He is a bus salesman and on the side he runs a trophy/engraving business out of the house. It was an enjoyment because I love to hear his stories from when he was a kid and how he looks at the world. He had a lot to say about economics because he is the man that always is thinking of a way to make a dollar reading business weekly. As I stated before he comes from a family of 8 brothers, him being the youngest of all. The interview was a great reflection about his outlook of society, which I found rather surprised with a few
responses of his such as how he views the value of a dollar.

My grandfather, David Powers a.k.a. Bumpa, comes from a past full of the wildest, oddest, and coolest memories. He was raised in Connecticut also with a large family with old money. He was first a young pilot in World War II, and came close to death when he was shot out of the air over field in Germany while allied with British forces. He claims this is when he “started”to live, as he went on to be a post man and a political figure with my grandmother who was a powerful women of politics at a state and national level. I believe this is why his views differ my fathers who is a man of business and had stories that blew me away with facts of history.

Now for myself, a young adult that cuts down trees for a job when I am out of school. I am a student of business and follow American business frequently as I tried to start my own online business talenttrailers.com. I am always thinking about how I can make a dollar and be successful from an economic view. I found this interview helpful in a sense along with surprising because I was exploring my mind with memories and ideas that reveal how my outlook about America is somewhat radical but exciting at the same time.

 Overall this project was a good time. I hear stories from the past 3 generations of the Powers family that made this family how it is because economics shape this world with a way of living. The information that was revealed will remain a part of me forever because it made me look at life with a more serious approach. It was funny at one point because my "Bumpa" was completely sidetracked at one point when he was talking about the war and was telling me how he used to go down to New York for training and would drive through every stop sign and speed, and then one time he didnt speed or break the lawand it was only 5 minutes longer. He is always looking out for me, because he knows I have some what of a lead foot from my father. Thepart I enjoyed most was the bonding time between my family. I havent seen my Bumpa in a while and it was nice to see him again. I used to love his stories, hearng them brought back memories and refreshed how times used to be. Also, it was interesting to hear what my father had to say because you never know with that man, but this inteview lead to more questioning of economics and government later at diner that night. I would have to say if I could do this again I deffinatly would. 

 

 RS The Interview Project

Those who answered the Likert Scale Questions:

P1 Bumpa, 88,

P-2 Father, 49,

P-3 Myself, 19.

Likert Scale Questions: 1 – 10

1.   The government should regulate the economy.

P1 – Disagree

P2 – Disagree

P3 – Disagree

2.   Politics has a major influence on the economy.

P1 – Agree

P2 – Agree

P3 – Agree

3.   Everyone should take an Economics class in high school.

P1 – Agree

P2 – Agree

P3 – Agree

4.   Banks should be government owned.

P1 – Disagree

P2 – Disagree

P3 – Disagree

5.   The government bailouts worked.

P1 – Agree

P2 – Neutral

P3 – Disagree

6.   Local government should have more control.

P1 – Agree

P2 – Agree

P3 – Agree

7.   We should invade Iran.

P1 – Disagree

P2 – Disagree

P3 – Disagree

8.   In 6 months the economy will be better than today.

P1 – Disagree

P2 – Disagree

P3 – Agree

9.   I am well informed about economic news.

P1 – Agree

P2 – Agree

P3 – Agree

10. The recession personally affected me.

P1 – Agree

P2 – Agree

P3 – Agree

Regular Questions: 1 – 10

1.   In your lifetime, what city that you are familiar with has changed the most (positive and negative)?

P1 – Positive: New Britain, Connecticut was a city that used to be nothing but crime and factory workers that were immigrants from Poland and Mexico. The city was trashed but over time cleaned up as the Earls and Lords, two local gangs, diminished and government was no longer corrupt.

       Negative: Detroit has changed the most for the worst. I recall when I was there for Air Force work seeing the downtown with a live energy. The city has darkened and became a place where only half the people work because of the car market crashing.

P2 – Positive: New York City has changed the most that I have seen. I remember when I was dating your mother 30 years ago walking down 42nd Street being offered all sorts of drugs every 5 feet! Now New York has a large increase of crowd control and is a fun place to experience

        Negative: Detriot because all there is there are people who are broke, cannot pay their rent and a city that is in such poverty a bailout cannot even help them.

P3 – Positive: New York City because I remember as a kid my parents would not take me there because the crime was very bad. Since I was in third grade and 9/11 the city has been on the rise for the better. When I lived there for a short time with my father, I saw first-hand how the city is a safe place to live.

         Negative: Hartford, Connecticut is a place where I would go when I was a kid to see AHL hockey and play in the park. I had great memories there, but now strolling through the city it is a ghost town, as well as a city that you do not want to walk alone at night because crime has increase as the police squad was decreased.

2.   In your opinion, what president had the biggest positive impact on the economy?  Why?

P1 – I think that FDR had the most positive impact on the economy because he gathered the nation as one to fight the war over seas along with back home raising money which later benefited society with an economic boom after the war.

P2 – I would have to say that Teddy Roosevelt has had the greatest impact because he bailed out the nation in the great depression, which was when America was at its worst. This is not something that can be done overnight, but he did it in a timely fashion.

P3 – I agreed with my father on this one because Teddy Roosevelt boosted the nations morals as well as economy with great plans that he exercised such as going after the monopolies that ran America at the time.

3.   What is your first memory of a major economic event impacting your life?

P1 – When I was a young boy I remember the great depression coming down on my family hard. My grandfather, the owner of the Powers Car Museum in Southington, Connecticut had to sell the museum along with nearly all his cars besides his favorites in his collection. My family now could not live off of the wealth, and became hard workers.

P2 – The first economic event impacting my life was in the early 80’s when I bought my first stock which I still have today. Stocks were something I always was interested in but when I was offered Apple stock when I worked at the printing company and then the stock market when crazy in a good way. I tried to learn patterns in stock but I was not always right and didn’t like to gamble my money like that.

P3 – The recession was the first major economic event impacting my life because it first started when I was around 16 years old and it was difficult to find a typical “high school” job, because everyone and their brother we trying to find any job they could to put food on the table. Therefore I worked for a tree service company and business was not at steady as it once was because there was an increase in landscapers and those that work in a tree service type of business.

4.   How do you get economic news?  How has this changed over your life?

P1 – I usually get my news through the newspaper, primarily the Hartford Courant. This has not changed much over my life because I have always read the paper since I was in the service because I liked to know what was going on in the world.

P2 – I get most of my economic news through T.V. programing and my business weekly subscription which I try to read throughout the week. This has changed because there never really were any magazines about business like it is today.

P3 – I get my economic news through online articles and videos on youtube. This has changed because when I was younger the internet was not as complex and there weren’t online newspapers making it easier to access and read.

5.   What is your definition of economics (When you hear the word economy or economics what do you think about)?

P1 – What is going on with money and government around the world.

P2 – The situations that go on now and the past dealing with money and business.

P3 – How to make money and how business is functions in a good or bad way.

6.   How do you deal with rising prices e.g. substitute for cheaper brand, stop buying?  Any examples?

P1 – I really do not worry about rising prices because I buy the same brand of what I need and do not really need much anymore such as gas T.V. and such because I do not use them as much.

P2 – I am always careful with how I spend my money because I like to buy a cheaper brand for instance when I went out the other week to get shirts I just went to walmart instead of some main stream name because they do the same job.

P3 – I do not deal with rising prices well because I have a tendency to spend money freely, but I am like my father because I do not need the expensive brands because it doesn’t do you any better.

7.   What product or service has most changed over your lifetime?

P1 – Television has changed the most over my lifetime. I remember watching it with only 3 channels, then color T.V. came out and now there is high definition.

P2 – The telephone has changed the most over my lifetime. It went from being only in your home to your car and then you had cellphones that were the size of bricks, to now where the cellphone has the same features as your computer.

P3 – I think that the internet has changed the most in my lifetime, because it went from something that was a service mainly for stores and business to a household item and then a way of life where you are addicted with high speed internet.

8.   How do you handle savings and how has this changed?

P1 – I have always saved my money in the bank and never had to worry about managing my money because I had a good grasp on my spending.

P2 – I have my savings in 4 separate bank accounts, along with a CD account because of interest, it changed within the past 10 years because interest rates were going down and I was worried about the money that was in the bank when banks began to shut down.

P3 – I do not deal with my savings well because I do not have a job that pays enough to where I can save up a large amount of money because I enjoy to go out with my friends and spend money freely.

9.   What was your wage at your first job?

P1 – 5 dollars a week.

P2 – It was $7 a week when I was 5 years old working the paper route.

P3 – It was $ 8.25 an hour at Dairy Queen

10. What was the price of gas when you got your first car?

P1 – I remember when I first filled up the jeep in the service the military discount at a gas station as 5 cents for a gallon. 

P2 – The first time I pumped gas ever I think the price of gas was about one dollar for a gallon.

P3 – When I first got my license it was $3.50 which drained my pockets.