"He Said, She Said"

A few recent statements from Obama recently have sparked republican retaliation in a childish way. Recently President Obama made a few statements using the words “soft” and “lazy.” Out of context using these words might stimulate hostile reactions for many Americans. But when reading them in context Obama is simply trying to allow Americans to see through his eyes through a few issues that he sees. The context of these words comes from multiple speeches from the President. At a during a CEO business summit Q & A hosted by APEC, Obama was referring to collective efforts in promoting foreign investment in the US. He said, “But we've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades.”

In another recent speech is where we hear the word “soft” come into play. “The way I think about it is, this is a great, great country that had gotten a little soft and we didn't have that same competitive edge that we needed over the last couple of decades.” Some might say it was a negative notation towards Americans, but he is respectful in his delivery and, in my opinion, I don’t think he has any negative intentions what so ever. He then follows his statement up with this statement: “But I still wouldn't trade our position with any country's on earth. We still have the best universities, the best scientists, and best workers in the world…” Obviously America has many problems and kinks it needs to work out, having a leader that sees issues and wants to help with success is a good thing in my eyes; but apparently not in Rick Perry’s.

Perry used these words as a weapon against Obama. He made a commercial replaying these speeches and calling Obama out, saying “That's what our president thinks is wrong with America? That Americans are lazy? That's pathetic. It's time to clean house in Washington." I’m not opposed to one man calling another out for something that he doesn’t agree with, but it’s his intent that I have a problem with. He is using these to get a leg up in his presidential campaign against Obama. I am outraged by the childish “he said, she said” TV and radio commercials during elections. I think candidates should be focusing on more pressing issues outlining their stance on issues, rather than feeling the need to “tattle” on the opponent for irrelevant information. 

Reaction to Voting ID Laws, Long Over Due

This blog is in reaction to Voting ID Laws, Long Over Due

I think that enacting a law where voters would have to show their photo id or drivers license is very practice. It would prevent fraud would ensure that the correct person is voting and not an imposter. I don’t understand why it is such a big issue, the simple fact is that you get one vote per person as a United States citizen. This law would prevent illegal immigrants from being able to vote in another person name. By enacting this law, it would cause very little if at all any inconvenience to voters.

I’m not sure that I agree with what critics say about this proposition. As you pointed out, critics think that it would be a burden for voters. I think that is ridiculous. Most people are required to show their ID many things that they do throughout the day such as going to the bank, or showing ID for a package at the bank, or showing an officer an ID when getting pulled over. Its not like they are asking people to get a new identification card or anything, its something that everyone carries, or should carry, on a daily basis. It does not provide any new inconvenience for voters. There is absolutely no reason this law shouldn’t be passed. It is good to keep the right people voting on election day. The controversy over this proposition is ridiculous to me. I agree with you when you say that this law should have been enacted a long time ago. It ensures that the right people are voting- the people that are registered and American citizens.

Student Relief Attempts

Lately I’ve been getting a little worried about funding for my future education that possibly takes me to an out of state university, as I should finish my pre-requisites this summer. I saw a news story that helped me stay positive about paying back student loans when the time comes.  Obama introduced a plan that will accelerate a Congressional measure that reduces maximum payments on student loans from 15 percent to 10 percent.  The plan will go into affect in 2012, 2 years earlier than the previously proposed plan. Also, the new plan changed the amount of time in which loans will be cleared from 25 years to 20 years.  These changes affect a huge amount of people and will help students in their initial journey from college into the real world. The savings from lower monthly payments will help graduates better budget for things like mortgages and savings for future children.  In an economy like todays, any relief is helpful.

Student loans are a huge contributor to debt in the U.S. According to an article on Student Aid Figures, “86.3% [of students] borrowed to pay for their education and the average cumulative debt was $24,651.” In some cases, students accrue a much higher debt than this figure.  Most loans are to be paid off 6 months following graduation. Many graduates are having trouble finding employment after graduation. These problems are few of many that are making life after graduation difficult. With all of these factors adding up students are often overwhelmed.  Taking steps and producing plans like Obama’s helps to improve and alleviate stress for graduates.

Passing this type of plan not only helps students and graduates, but it also helps Obama as well. Gaining support  from young Americans through plans like these help his chances for re-election. As a student I have benefited from previous education plans that Obama has passed, including his tax return policy for receiving extra sums for enrollment in college courses. Also, through his policies and agendas, it has made financial aid easier to deal with and increased funding compared to previous years. Although it is appreciated, there is still a long way to go to make the education process an easy process for all. 

Why Not Pot?

I chose to critique an article called California Medical Association Says Legalize and Regulate Marijuana. This article revealed a new development in the support of legalizing marijuana. It revealed that California's largest physician group officially stated that they support the legalization of marijuana. It outlines many medical and rational points on why the group made their decision to support legalization of marijuana. I think the author does a good job of presenting and summarizing the information that is relevant to his point to the reader and then fallows it with a his commentary and support. He says, “for marijuana to be legalized people need to stop thinking of prohibition as some unchangeable fact of life and start thinking of it as another government policy that can be amended, changed or reversed depending on what is best for society.” I think the author makes a valid point, like any other regulated substance or good, marijuana could be regulated very similarly and used for medical purposes. After all, alcohol was once prohibited and is now regulated successfully in a way that allows responsible adults to purchase at their will. Of course it is not always consumed responsibly but there are other laws and enforcement to help regulate how people act while it is consumed.

I agree with the point of view of this author. I think that legalizing marijuana could not only be beneficial for medical needs but also for economic reasons as well. The government could employ more people for the production, distribution, and sale of marijuana. That in itself would provide job opportunities for the outrageous amount of people unemployed in this country. In addition, the government could tax and sell marijuana for a profit. Any profit in this market would be huge in this economy. In addition, farms and stores would be operated in the United States for a good boost for local markets. The author says, “The CMA is calling for the issue to be examined like any other public health issue with the pro’s and con’s weighted against each other.” If food, prescription drugs, and alcohol can be successfully regulated why can't marijuana be the same way? In many peoples eyes it seems that the pros outweigh the cons.

Immigration: To Be or Not To Be

Immigration laws are among one of the most heated topic in national politics today. Alabama's immigration laws are proving to be strict and affective and therefore raising concerns for residents. While a sad situation, the reality is that these people are here illegally. We count on our government to protect our borders and enforce laws for those who are found living illegally in our country. The author in this article raises a valid point in the fact that a huge percentage of our workers are illegal, and is concerning that once these aliens are deported, who will fill the gaps they leave in the workplace. These immigrants often fill jobs that Americans don't want and the author hints that once immigrants are gone these gaps will not be filled. What Americans that will do this kind of work? The fact is that 9.1 percent of Americans are unemployed and I'm willing to bet a good portion of these Americans would be happy fill the void for the right wage. Companies might have to increase wages to compensate for the change of employment but doing this would help unemployed Americans and solve immigration issues. Hitting two birds with one stone if you will.

It boggles my mind that enforcing a federal law has become so controversial. Illegal immigrants make it inside our borders everyday and its becoming an issue. Some say these immigrants are taking American's jobs but I think that's selfish and ignorant. The bottom line is that it is against the law for immigrants to enter this country undocumented. Its not that we don't want immigrants, its just that we want the immigrants to pass through the proper channels when entering our country. Doing this will ensure safety for American citizens so that the wrong types of people, like the drug runners and cartel members, don't make it past our borders. I disagree with the point of view of the author in this article. We shouldn't worry where the immigrants go after deportation as they are here illegally and shouldn't have been here in the first place. If Alabama's laws are effective enough to drive out illegal immigrants I think the laws should be considered in more states in the United States. 

Reference Article: http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20111007-editorial-alabamas-flawed-immigration-law.ece

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

In the article “Obama: Don't stand silent when soldier is booed” a political issue is unraveled at a Republican presidential candidate debate in Orlando last month when an American soldier was booed publicly after asking about the 1993 law that banned gays from serving openly in the military. President Obama criticized the republican participants because they did not defend the gay American soldier. This article references one of the bigger political issues we face today and shows partial gay rights views of President Obama and many other parties involved in the upcoming presidential election. The article briefly outlines some other policies that Obama is pulling for in his current term. For me it gave me a strong starting point on some policies to pay attention to for the upcoming election. This article is relevant because it gives perspective to conflicting political policies and gives characteristics to the party member's view of these policies. It helps us better understand who the candidates are and what they stand for. Click the link below to see the article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44744458/ns/politics-white_house/#.TonlS3KyBds