QUESTION OF THE WEEK #4

If not the biggest, than one of the biggest political issues facing Virginia right now is the question of energy and whether we should continue off-shore drilling on the coast of our state.  Ever since the BP oil spill in the Gulf, environmentalists and Democrats alike have been very anti-drilling.  They are readily trying to prevent drilling from happening to protect the environment and people along the coast.  President Obama has actually supported their position and has made moves to halt drilling on the Virginian coast.  The Democrats have provided a plan for new energy that Republicans argue will hurt the coal-mining industry.  Republicans disagree with the Democrats on issues of drilling on the Virginian coast.  They believe that Obama is making a mistake by trying to halt oil drilling, because the price of oil will raise greatly.  They believe that safe and carefully planned drilling that won't harm the environment or the people of the region is completely acceptable.  The search for new sources of energy continues, and as they're found they're more increasingly judged on how their affect the different industries of our nation.  Virginia is just one example of a state that's facing controversies over oil drilling, especially with environmentalists all over drillers because of the havoc wreaked by BP on the population of aquatic life in the oil spill.

Current Event #4

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/31/us/politics/31obama.html?scp=1&sq=obama%20and%20the%20student%20loan%20plan&st=cse

Today in the U.S., student loans have become a cumbersome load to pay off after exiting college.  Students coming directly out of college and newly entering the work force would most likely have pretty low-paying jobs, which become further low-paying due to the 15% they would have to pay the bank to chip away at their debt.  This has become a real issue for some kids, who struggle to pay off debts.  Obama just signed a bill into law that revamped federal student loan programs.  Students now have to pay only 10%, at a time, and their debts can be forgiven earlier if they pay on time.  Obama also put more money into community college education programs.  For students, this bill is an obvious plus.  However, not everyone is happy about this bill passing.  Companies like Sallie Mae who are huge student lenders have started saying that they will be forced to fire thousands of employees due to this new bill, which means more unemployment, definitely not a good thing on Obama's record, as he enters into campaigning season this year.  Personally, I think the bill is an excellent idea.  I think it's ridiculous for kids just out of school to have to pay incredible sums of money, when they're probably just making enough to pay for rent and a little to save up.  Banks have been benefitting way too much, at the disadvantage of the students.  If this bill means a little more unemployment, to help education, then so be it.  Plus, I believe those companies that are complaining are overexaggerating a little on how much they'll have to cut back on, because they just don't want to see all that money go away. 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #3

I give Obama a B.  In terms of his health care ideas, I do think he's making the right call.  As the beginning of the baby boomer cohort are going into retirement soon, health care is a very valid issue, and it is really important that as many people have it as is possible.  He's made that possible with the Affordable Care Act.  Insurance companies are held responsible more, health care costs are to go down by a lot, which is really good with the ridiculous prices that they are today without coverage from your employer, and everyone is able to enjoy the benefits.  He really hasn't done much to help the economic downtown.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was passed to not let unemployment rise above 8% was obviously a waste of time and money because it's been at 10% for the last two and a half months.  In terms of the war on terror, I think Obama is doing an okay job.  He was against the war in Iraq and has made moves to pull our of Iraq but all for the war in Afghanistan and against Al Queda and intends on continuing to pursue it, which is a good move in my opinion.  He's also made certain things focus points for improvement and attention in the U.S. like chemical plant security, nuclear waste, and terrorism risk insurance.  He's dealing well with the mess that the Bush Administration left over.  In terms of his reelection bid, Obama is doing outstanding at raising money for the cause.  He's raised over 70 million dollars for the campaign.  He calls himself the underdog in the upcoming presidential race, but his reelection is really depending on whether we swing out of this economic downturn soon enough to benefit him in the race.  He faces competition for the position for sure.

Current Event #3

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/us/hydraulic-fracturing-brings-money-and-problems-to-pennsylvania.html?_r=1&ref=us

Oil companies have made their presence known in Pennsylvania in recent years.  3,000 wells have been drilled there in the last three years and thousands more have permits to be drilled.  The presence of the oil companies has had both positive and negative outcomes in the counties, especially Susquehanna County.  With their presence, the entire area has expanded and grown more industrious.  Hundreds of jobs have been created to adjust to the companies being there.  Hotel and restaurant chains have expanded, as well as house rental agencies. Jobs have also been created to supply the gas companies with equipment they may need.  Cabot, a gas company, also donated money to the Red Cross to build a hospital there soon.  Their presence turned the area into a booming place.  The negative drawbacks however are the strain that the companies have placed on the local people and businesses.  The residents of the counties lack the skills for the high-paying drilling jobs, housing costs have increased and many people are going homeless, and small roads are crumbling under heavy trucks.  The gas companies also don't pay a local property tax.  In my opinion, the presence of the companies is a good thing for the counties.  Their presence has created a booming industry that's been able to rapidly expand to accomodate further needs of the gas companies.  Perhaps as the gas companies stay, more money will be put into education and other communal needs so that those high-paying jobs won't be things that the locals can't partake in.  I think that the counties should be scared of anticipating the day when the oil companies won't be in their state, because all of those jobs that help keep the oil companies running will go away.  They need to establish a balance between the gas companies and the local people because that's the real problem here. 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #2

One issue that I'm particularly interested in is the issue of prayer in school, and in general the separation of church and state.  I'm interested because I'm in school, and I see this issue come into play sometimes.  I also have opinions on the matter because of this fact.  In the issue of schools and religion, I believe that the school is a learning institution, and it should remain just that.  Students should be able to be taught all of the different views on religion and life.  They should be taught about the views of every religion and they should be taught evolution as well.  We could look at evolution as the religion of the scientists.  Children should learn all about religion because it is a pertinent issue in the world we live in today.  On the other hand, it should only be about learning it.  Prayer time should absolutely not be forced upon students.  That is a violation of the right of freedom of religion.  In the case of the Pledge of Allegiance, the word God does appear there.  I believe that students who do not wish to say the Pledge because of that word should still say the Pledge but just omit that part.  The Pledge should still be necessary because it promotes nationalism and country unity.  For students who do wish to be very open about their religion in school there are religious schools that they are able to attend.  Though, I believe that students should be allowed to profess their faith in school if they want to, such as praying, as long as it does not directly effect or involve other students, or their own personal religions.   

Current Event #2

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/world/middleeast/secret-us-memo-made-legal-case-to-kill-a-citizen.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Anwar al-Awlaki was an American-born radical Muslim who was hiding in Yemen.  He was suspected of being involved in the dealings of Al Queda, and was directly involved in the war between the U.S. and Al Queda.  There's been a huge controversy over his case, because the U.S. killed him in a drone attack over Yemen.  As a U.S. citizen, some argue that it was against the law in many ways that he was just killed and not given a fair trial.  However, in recent days it's been revealed that a secret memorandum was passed by the government last year that made it acceptable to kill Awlaki alone, as long as it wasn't feasible to capture him.  The President of Yemen also gave the U.S. secret permission to bomb on Yemen soil to eliminate Awlaki.  However, another American citizen was also killed in the bombing, a man named Samir Khan, who was not an authorized kill.  Khan was also a radical Muslim.  He'd written a magazine promoting terrorist activities in the Arabian Peninsula.  The U.S. is in a lot of trouble for his death because now the families of both the killed men are suing the government.  I believe that the government was alright on this count though.  Both men were dangerous to the U.S. and if the government created a memo that did allow for their deaths than I think it's acceptable.  There was no feasible way that the U.S. could have landed in Yemen and tried to take him on land.  The air strike was completely necessary.  The government was right in not landing in Yemen.  That could have produced a whole slew of other issues for the U.S., much more than the families of the two men being angry.  Yes, they were U.S. citizens, but they betrayed the country when they participated in the activities of Al Queda and I believe that that fact alone should make their citizenship null and void.  Whether or not they were citizens, they were a constant threat to the security of the country, and their elimination was necessary.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK #1

I'm definitely more closely aligned with the Democrats, based on their views.  In terms of health care, I don't necessarily believe that the government should be able to force people to buy health insurance, but I do believe that health insurance companies should not be able to discriminate on who they sell to, and that health insurance should be cheaper and more readily available to a wider group of people, in order to encourage use of it.  I'm also very big on environmentalism.  We should be trying as hard as we can to conserve our resources and keep our companies environmentally safe.  I also believe that everyone should have equal opportunites despite race, sexual orientation, or gender.  I believe that women should absolutely have a choice in reproduction rights.  The government should try to reduce abortion as much as possible by educating the masses more on reproduction and contraceptives, but the choice should be left to the woman actually having the child.  I'm not a huge supporter of the death penalty, and I don't believe torture should be used.  I do not agree with the gun control views of the Democrats, however. 

Current Event #1

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/us/lawmakers-want-to-end-tax-breaks-if-they-can-agree-what-they-are.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

In recent times, during the recession that the county's been in over the last couple years, the government has been giving tax breaks to certain businesses in order for them to make more money and also to create new jobs for hiring.  It's a nice idea, but frankly the tax breaks are not helping our 1.2 trillion dollar national debt that we're trying to reduce.  This article pointed out some industries that are benefitting from tax breaks which are really taking away from money that we could be using to lower our debt.  The article points out that multiple congressmen and senators have supported the tax breaks, and that Obama's party has supported the breaks overall.  Some symbolic ones exist, such as breaks for oil companies and corporate jets.  While these kind of breaks look to be benefitting our economy, there are some companies that are benefitting from tax breaks that seem excessive.  For example, the beer industry has been benefitting a lot, as well as NASCAR tracks.  These industries seem like luxurious things to be gaining more money when we have such a large debt to pay off.  Senator Tom Coburn pointed out some ridiculous things that are recieving tax breaks, like cat food, toupees, and breast implants for exotic dancers.  These seem ridiculous in comparison to President Obama's opinions on possibly eliminating loopholes for oil companies in order to put teachers back in their jobs, as he explained in one speech.  We should be getting rid of tax breaks for the seemingly unecessary companies mentioned above before even touching oil companies profits.  Republicans are especially against reducing tax breaks because to them it's the same as increasing taxes.  Tax breaks need to become more of a serious venture only used for industries who can actually use them to help.  Otherwise, tax breaks should be eliminated to help decrease our national debt.