The Final Stretch

My classmate’s blog on the risk of salmonella from tomatoes was very insightful and thought provoking. The outbreak was reported on June 9, almost a month ago, and so far 36 states and the District of Columbia have had reports of illnesses. But unfortunately, "The tomato trail is not getting cold, rather other items are getting hotter," a news article adds. I strongly agree with Ruben's opinion dealing with the government. Sometimes we need to take a step back and really think, are we as safe as we think we are? Could this relapse of government action prove to be a simple terrorist attack in the future? One of the most simple and smartest answers is to buy local because it costs less money to transport and it is healthy. "Most of the foods in the markets are imported and the government does not have an efficient “trace-back system”, we don’t know exactly where our food comes from." To not know where our food comes from, can be very scary. But the $125 million to hire more inspectors is reassuring. I strongly agree with Ruben's comment on, "We need much better protection and the government should not wait until the next food scare before taking action in this issue." 

Issues

With this Presidental election we are watching history made before our eyes. Hopefully our future President will be the first black man to ever be in office. After reading this current news story, my respect for Obama and his wife increased. "Barack Obama will fight for equal rights for gays just as he fought to help working-class families overcome poverty, the Democratic presidential hopeful's wife told a gay Democratic group Thursday." For Obama, who does not support gay marriage to come out and say that he still believes same-sex couples should be allowed to enter into civil unions was very daring, since he could possibly gain or loose votes. On the other hand McCain still does not support gay marriage, even through our world is changing so much. "Michelle Obama also drew a connection between the struggles for gay rights and civil rights." On other issues Obama was interviewed by Willamette Week and asked questions including, "Would you stop the DEA's raids on Oregon medical marijuana growers? I would because I think our federal agents have better things to do, like catching criminals and preventing terrorism. The way I want to approach the issue of medical marijuana is to base it on science, and if there is sound science that supports the use of medical marijuana and if it is controlled and prescribed in a way that other medicine is prescribed, then it's something that I think we should consider."

Classmates

To start off I strongly agree with Brennan Wilson's thoughts on environmental conservation. He always points out that you should walk, bike, skate, etc to save the environment, and I think that is wonderful. Instead of being concerned about $3.00 gallon of gas, we should be concerned about our children's and grandchildren's future. On the other hand, the criticism, is that I feel Brennan should focus more on government not economics since we are taking government. Your last editorial was not about national government at all. But you could easily tie government back into your article. You could research and find out what Bush's thoughts about gas prices are or what he plans to do. Keep up the good work!

Domino Effect

The recent floods in the Midwest are devastating to say the least. With the water levels at 31.8 ft above flood stage all throughout Iowa, many of the essential crops have been destroyed. Since the Midwest does not have a very long summer, the time to cultivate new crops of corn and soy beans has passed, resulting in far less resources to the consumer. The latest dates to plant are June 15 through 30, and sadly, Iowa will still be under water on those dates. Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you will most likely feel the effects of higher gas prices, too, because of this shortage of corn and the impact on ethanol production. Another effect of the destruction of crops will be higher food prices, just what we needed... But if you take a step back, the people hurt by this shortage can be seen near and far. People struggling to survive off a diet of grains in developing countries who can hardly afford to live now, will more than likely starve because of rising food prices here in the U.S. A blog also points out another effect of the rising prices. "Many seniors have recently found that Social Security is no longer enough to cover their food expenses." Prices have been rising the fastest in 17 years. Now that we start to see some of the consequences, the major question comes up, what should we do? Shouldn't our national government step in and help us in our crisis?  MSNBC explains that, "In an election year, a large majority of lawmakers, including many Republicans, backed the farm bill rather than stand with an unpopular president." Will our next President step in and help offset some of the effects? Why has our government not done much to relieve this situation? It all goes back to the standards and beliefs of the different parties. I feel Democrats will have more support in this upcoming election because they believe in more governmental support for national needs, which is especially urgent during this time period. 

Criticism #2

In my opinion, one of the biggest news stories other than Tim Russert's death, is McCain's thoughts on social security. McCain's goal is to have private accounts for Social Security, if he wins the election. Did he not learn his lesson from Bush? There are so many problems that come about with private accounts. This website brings up some very valid reasons why private accounts dont work. Some of the examples include, "Reason #7: Wall Street would reap windfalls from your taxes." and "Reason #11: African Americans and Latin Americans also would become more vulnerable under privatization." Allan Sloan also brings up a good point in this article, "Last year, even though Bush talked endlessly about the supposed joys of private accounts, he never proposed a specific plan to Congress and never put privatization costs in the budget". I'm also extremely annoyed how the Republicans will say something and then deny it. On the other hand, Obama has supported Social Security the whole time. So many elders depend on the Social Security for their income, that taking it away or changing it would be a terrible idea. Now days you have to be really careful when we support certain politicians, because some are notorious for going back on their words.

Commentary #1

After reading this blog entry from a left-leaning blog, Think Progress, I was annoyed at how much media will stretch the tiniest little things. E.D. Hill, the Fox News host, referred to Barack Obama's fist tap with his wife Michelle, as a "terrorist fist jab". I strongly disagree with her thoughts on the terrorist fist jab. Some reasons I think Barack Obama and his wife performed the fist tap were not as big as it has become. I think news reporters jumped to conclusions way too fast. It could possibly be an "inside joke" between the two, or a way to market his campaign to the younger population, since the gesture can been seen mostly between teens. Back in 2004, we witnessed John Kerry snowboarding as a way to market to youth vote. Even thought the fist tap was probably not scripted, you never know now days. In the news video, Janine, the body language expert, proved very valid points and insight about the fist tap. If we start to analyze every detail now, I feel Hillary would have shot herself in the foot many times, too. I think certain news reporters are so desperate nowdays to bring Obama down, they will try anything. I think you need to consider the source of the news before you establish an opinion. 

No Easy Answers

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know about everyone's complaint about the energy crisis and our dependence on nonrenewable petroleum-based products. On June 3 oil prices fell below $124 a barrel, resulting in the fall of stocks also. Questions arise about why we don't develop more efficient forms of energy. But there is no easy answer. Some believe we should switch to renewable wind, water or solar power, but critics say, "Basically, wind power has a number of advantages and provides an inexpensive, self-reliant method of generating electricity with relatively little maintenance. However, there are some disadvantages with regard to birds, thunderstorms, and the appearance of turbines. It is not always windy, so a combination of solar and/or hydroelectric with wind power can provide a more consistent supply of renewable energy." 

http://hubpages.com/hub/advantages-disadvantages-wind

While some people support nuclear power because it promises to be readily available and contributes very little to greenhouse gases, what do we do with the waste that has been collecting for 10 years in barrels? Recently, the government has continued with the pursuit to place to nuclear waste below the Yucca Mountains in Nevada. Since it is only 90 miles from Las Vegas and scientists think it might leak into public water, there are many who oppose this repository site. The debate continues on where we should place this waste. Our generation is going to face these issues, including where to store nuclear waste, how to mitigate the effect of wind turbines or migratory birds, and how to make it possible for the average american to purchase solar panels. Hopefully our government will come up with resolutions that will be the lesser of the evils and wreak less damage to the environment. We have to lessen our dependence on oil but we have to be willing to make compromises, because there are no easy answers.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91121903