Blog Post 8: Commentary #2

It's just one thing after another with this government. First the banks, now our government... pretty soon we're going to have a global economic collapse and be stuck back in the dark ages. I mean really people, $700 BILLION dollars? Does anyone grasp the concept of that amount of money? I think I've won the lottery when I get a $700 paycheck in a week. What does that kind of money even look like? It's too bad that we couldn't have figured out this budget crisis years ago: putting it off till now only makes it harder and harder to bear living in this country. Pretty soon we're going to have an entire nation of people on welfare, no one can afford to live decently these days. I'm only hoping that next time around we can elect someone who can actually solve problems, not approve band-aids to patch them up. Congress needs to wake up and stop padding their pockets with corporate incentives and solve the economic crisis for the good of us all!

This is in reference to Shane Young's Blog Post.

I'm pretty sure pizza isn't a vegetable...

What is congress thinking? Making tomato paste legally a "vegetable" so that it can be left on school lunch menus? Simply ridiculous. As the article says "poor nutrition in school lunches [is] a national security issue because obesity is the leading medical disqualifier for military service". How scary it would be if our nation was too obese to defend itself? Congress wants to make it legally acceptable to leave fatty and unhealthy foods in school meals because they are cheaper and more easily made than whole grain or organic foods. Children eating school lunches don't have much of a choice on what they eat, and if all they are offered are junk foods, then obesity is sure to follow. Children are easily manipulated to do things, and if congress passes this bill, it only reinforces the idea that these foods are healthy and acceptable to eat on a daily basis. Congress should do the right thing and impose stricter laws and regulations on foods served to children in the public school system. Fruits and vegetables may be a little more expensive to provide for public school meals, but the high cost of medical bills and possibly losing national security outweigh the temporary budget fix.


Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45306416/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/pizza-vegetable-congress-says-yes/

Editorial Comment on "Also in shock"

I agree that we are to blame in the high infant mortality rate. For such a civilized country as we claim to be, we are lacking in our ability to fund and alleviate the health care problem. Short staffing at hospitals and overcrowding in areas causes long wait times for ER visits, health care and health insurance is so expensive and jobs are hard to come by.

I am lucky that my employer offers low cost health insurance for me, but many people go without, which in effect, affects their children. Pregnant women go without pre-natal care, infants go without doctor visits when they are sick and women are under-educated in how to care for their new child. Not only that, but we have environmental factors to contend with. Pollution and availability of food, water and shelter become a factor in the lives of infants when their parents are unable to afford basic necessities for their children. Parents become stressed and can (most unfortunately) take their stress out on their young child, which could eventually lead to death.

I like the way Nate wrote his piece, although I think it could have had more substance to it. It addresses the main point of the article, but doesn't flesh out anything more. Good job though! :)

Occupy America!

I was reading the ThinkProgress blog post titled "Over 1,000 Americans Have Been Arrested Protesting Wall Street, While Bankers Have Dodged Major Prosecutions" and I was then very intrigued by the Occupy Wall Street movement. I've been hearing about it for weeks now and it finally came to Austin.

I don't have much of an opinion on the protest, really. I can appreciate the meaning behind the movement, but I don't feel like it's getting anywhere. People are being arrested left and right because of this movement. People are upset that more bankers weren't prosecuted and sentenced, that banks got a bailout but individuals didn't, that one percent of the population holds 42% of the nations wealth and many other reasons. Yet, as the blog clearly shows, the majority no longer have the right to protest or speak out against the minority that is governing us.

This blog post doesn't have much opinion in it, it's more factual than anything, but I can sense that the author didn't write this post because he agrees with it, but because of how unjust the results of this protest are. I agree. I feel like the amount of people that have been arrested because of this protest is ridiculous... insane almost. I'm pretty ashamed of our government and the way this protest is being handled.

What happened to freedom of speech? Freedom of assembly?

I'd love to call this "chump change".

In the article "Ron Paul's chump change" Paul Whitefield writes about private and public funding for current 2012 presidential candidates. In this article, he outlines the different types of funding and how much each candidate has managed to raise so far. He pokes fun at Ron Paul's "chump change" of 8 million dollars. Comparing him to Rick Perry's 17 million, Mitt Romney's 14 million and President Obama's 55 million.

I find it ridiculous that a presidential campaign costs so much. People are shelling out money for a candidate to live like a king (or queen as the case may eventually be...) in the months leading up to the presidential election. Like I've stated previously, I'm not an overly political person, I'm not registered to vote and I don't know enough about the American political system to really make a fair judgment on it, but that seems very excessive to me.

Mr. Whitefield has a very sarcastic tone when it comes to looking seriously at Ron Paul's chances at success in the upcoming elections next year. He jabs at the statistics, ending his facts with "And the Tooth Fairy brings me $1 every time I lose a molar". I feel that Mr. Whitefield intended this article for the average person, it was more of an informative article, but with his sarcastic twist. Ron Paul just doesn't have the monetary support that the other candidates have. Ron Paul appeals to the masses of underpaid and under-appreciated minimum wage workers. (And anyone that uses "munchies" as a part of their every day vocabulary... ha.) Obama had his chance with "Yes We Can", but has failed so far to put that into action.

I just think that Ron Paul should have just as much of a fighting chance as the other candidates. It doesn't seem very fair that Ron Paul would miss out on the vote because he was only a few million short.

Big Brother is killing... I mean watching.

I read this article earlier today and I found the debate contained within very interesting. Friday, the U.S military authorized the drone killing of al-Awlaki, a natural born US citizen, who was also heavily involved with Al-Qaeda. I chose this article because the debate is an interesting one: Is it morally right to kill a citizen of this country even if they are involved in terrorist actions? Also, where and when is it appropriate to conduct such an assassination?

I believe that a terrorist is a terrorist, natural citizen or not, if you are targeting a country with terrorism, you are the enemy. What I don't believe in is the manner in which the assassination was conducted. I agree that it was inappropriate to kill him in a non-conflict area, and I feel that in a way, the government has overstepped its boundaries. I feel that this action makes America look worse, and as a side effect, makes me look bad as a citizen of this country.

No sense in pretending...

The president's platform statement "Yes We Can" really has no meaning to me. I've never cared about politics and I've arbitrarily formed my own opinion on public policy from my own views growing up. I've traveled the world and lived overseas for most of my life, so until recently, American politics was of no concern of mine. I'm hoping this class can teach me more about the government that my passport has stamped on the front of it and teach me about how to make more informed decisions about the people I elect into office. My Political Typology result, "Disaffected", was a surprise for me because I always considered myself to be conservative. Apparently, only 11% of the American public is considered disaffected and I'm interested in learning more about my political ideologies! I know this semester will teach me a lot, as I have a lot to learn!