Thursday, July 3, 2008

Last Entry

On a religious view i disagree with Go-Getter for Government's statement completely, however on a governmental view i couldn't agree more. If our government is going to declare things "separate but equal" it should apply to everything. All people want is to be happy. If our government is going to try to take that away from people because of who they are attracted to, then they are wrong for doing so.
Discrimination as been a recurring issue in the United States. Every time people are fighting for their rights and the government pushes them down. This is one of those times. People should not be discriminated against for any reason. Blacks got their rights, women got their rights, when will gay's get theirs?

Friday, June 27, 2008

Presidential Campaigning gone too far?

Spreading awareness about the Presidential election is extremely important. The people need to know whats going on. A majority of the US citizens who dont vote are younger. I understand that the government is just trying to reach out to the younger crowd but it seems they have taken it to an extreme. Political campaigns have now seeped into the world of Facebook. I know because i have one myself. Facebook was meant to help students keep in touch with their friends and to be used as a social utility. With the candidates posting polls and all sorts of news feed o Facebook, the campaigning as become a bit overwhelming. Can the government really not come up with a better way to reach out to the younger crowd then to invade Facebook? In my opinion, having the information in my face all the time doesn't make me want to go out and vote. If anything it makes me want to avoid the subject at all costs. It seems as if i can not get away from it. Not even on Facebook.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Predictions

After reading Common 2 Cents article on polls, I couldn't agree more. Predicting the outcome of anything doesn't do anyone any good. It only send false messages to the public and opinions can often be swayed.
In my article about gas prices rising i talked about the "futures market". The entire reason that prices have risen is because people are making false predictions. and what is the outcome? Higher gas prices and a hole in most peoples pocket. If people would stop trying to predict the future things like this wouldn't happen.
I don't support the polls either. The tallying should take place after the votes are in. Predicting the outcome is only rising peoples hopes and causing problems.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Gas Prices

Driving anywhere these days has become such a hassle in that the price for gas is rising higher than expected. Everyone is being effected by it and something needs to change. The republicans have the right idea but the democrats are holding everything back. Bush is currently trying to lift the moratorium his father set out that made it illegal for the US to drill for oil on our own land until 2012. That alone would make the price for gas drop.
The cost for one barrel of crude oil last year was about 70 dollars. This year it has gone up to 140 dollars. Has the cost to produce the oil gone up? No it hasn't. The reason the price is so high now is because of "gamblers". People that are buying and selling oil that they will never even touch in the futures market. Since people think the price of gas is going to go up, they are buying the oil futures which in turn causes the price to go up. These speculators are guessing about the future and that drives the price up.
If Bush were to drop the moratorium then all of that oil we haven't been able to drill would then become available. Since it is available, all the people who have futures in oil are going to think that the price for gas is going to go down. If they think its going down, they sell all of their futures and the price does go down.
All this being said, the rising gas prices might actually be a good thing. The SUV dealerships are unable to sell their gas guzzlers and electric car companies now have a reason to improve the making of their cars. I know the rising prices are a hassle and dropping te moratorium is an easy solution, at what price would it be worth it?

Friday, June 13, 2008

Dying in Detention

The unfair treatment of illegal immigrants has become such a heated topic and the article Dying in Detention discusses it. It wasn't until i read it that i realized how cruel and neglectful our governments immigrant detention system really is. Many are sick and have already died terrible deaths from being in these detention facilities and deserve to be remembered. The government should be doing something to improve the standards of the facilities but the progress has been slow. The Detainee Basic Medical Care Act is in the process of being passed at the moment. "The bill would impose more rigorous standards on the network of more than 300 publicly and privately run prisons that make up the federal system — current rules are voluntary, not legally enforceable and not uniformly followed. And it would require that all deaths be reported to the Justice Department and Congress." I am strongly in favor of passing this bill. It doesn't matter who you are. a human is a human and i fell it to be cruel to treat them poorly just because they are in custody. they should still receive the same health care as anyone else.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Women's Work

According to the editorial Women's Work by an unknown author, many of the domestic workers today do not receive the rights they deserve. Many are cheated of their money, overworked, isolated, and abused. They are unable to receive time off when sick and are not given the recognition they deserve. In New York City a national meeting for domestic workers was held and many of the workers and standing up for their rights. One goal of theirs has been to push for passage in Albany of the Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights, which would guarantee health benefits, paid time off, overtime and cost-of-living raises, among other things. The bill has yet to go far, but if passed, it will give the deserved rights to the millions of domestic working women and men who have been victims of this workforce.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Corporate Tax Problems

At some point during their campaign, all the presidential candidates propose some sort of tax cut. Some of which the public like, others the public doesn't like. According to N. Gregory Mankiw's article "The Problem with the Corporate Tax" Senator John McCain has too many ideas and one is almost laughable. His idea of a "gas-tax holiday" has received the most attention so far however many economists think it best to raise the tax on gas in hopes of resolving problems from global climate change to local traffic problems. On the other hand McCain does have one idea that just might be a good one, cutting the corporate tax from 25 to 35 percent. Why offer help to someone other than your voters you may ask? Although many voters don't know this, cutting the corporate tax will in fact benefit them. "A corporation is not really a taxpayer at all. It is more like a tax collector.' Therefore a cut in the corporate tax boost after-tax profits and stock prices, as well as lead to more capital investment. More investment would lead to greater productivity. Greater productivity would lead to higher wages for workers and lower prices for customers. Other factors go into it as well but for the most part every body seems to benefit from the idea. To learn more about McCain's tax-cut ideas or to learn more about the outcome of a corporate tax cut visit the following link. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/business/01view.html?_r=1&oref=slogin