Issue #1: All Things Being Unequal

Links to other issues:

Boosting the Minimum

Putting Welfare to Work

Between 1979 and 2004, the share of national income going to the wealthiest 20 percent of households increased from 45.4 percent to 53.5 percent, while the share for the bottom 20 percent decreased from 5.8 percent to 4.1 percent.

Although they agree that some inequality benefits the economy by offering increasing incentives for hard work, advocates for government efforts to reduce income inequality say that the current gap is unfairly wide.

Ultimately, say free-market supporters, the forces of supply and demand, if left alone, will eventually— and more effectively—reduce income inequality.

I agree with the side that wants to tax the people with the most money more heavily. It is their right to make all the money they want but it is the governments right to tax that money as much as they want. The class gap cannot continue to grow. Obama's health care plan is just one form of how our system is moving more towards the service of everyone.

Security a Thing of the Past

A Georgia couple arrived at the White House on the wrong day for a tour recently and got much more than they bargained for.
After being screened by the Secret Service, Harvey and Paula Darden of Hogansville, Georgia, were led into a lavish invitation-only breakfast where they met the president and the first lady.
How the couple was able to get into the White House event without being on the guest list was called "dumb luck" by the Dardens. The White House is calling it a "nice gesture" and has been explaining how this incident is nothing like the breach of security that took place when Tareq and Michaele Salahi infamously crashed the Obamas' state dinner.
The Dardens got into the White House on Veterans Day, weeks before the Salahis' infamous party crashing. The couple mistakenly arrived a day early for a tour that was booked by their congressman.
The White House says it put the Dardens through the appropriate screenings and criminal background checks before allowing them to go to the Veterans Day breakfast because there were no tours scheduled that day.

So I guess anyone can get into the White House now without proper clearance? Well, it's okay I guess. They were a veteran family and had the proper background checks but this really doesn't make me feel secure about the job being done in the White House that all of our tax dollars go to. When people can just slip through the gaps there might as well be a door that says, "Please don't enter under punishment of the honor system." Because people will start intruding where ever they are able.
All in all security is going well though. People are able to feel safe enough about our country and even if the wrong kind of person slips through there are enough blockades of guards and such that can protect and defend our nation.

Source

H1N1 Virus complications? Or Just Plain Complicating?

"800,000 H1N1 vaccine doses for young children recalled; safety not a concern" reads the headline on one of today's most recent articles.
The potency of the H1N1 vaccines is falling short of what it should for one of the 5 companies manufacturing vaccines.
The French manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur is voluntarily recalling about 800,000 doses of vaccine meant for children between the ages of 6 months and 35 months.
The company and the CDC emphasized that the recall was not prompted by safety concerns, and that even though the vaccine isn't quite as potent as it's supposed to be, children who received it don't have to be immunized again against H1N1.
The CDC emphasized that there is no danger for any child who received this type of vaccine.
When asked what parents should do, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner said, "absolutely nothing." He said if children receive this vaccine, they will be fine.


So here's the deal... They recall a vaccine. And at the same time they say everyone immunized with it is fine.. And yet they have to recall the remaining doses because they aren't strong enough? I call Bullshit... These companies have to start telling the truth about their products before people get hurt.
Kids lives are at risk and telling the public that the doses aren't potent enough to protect their children and then turning around and saying they don't have to get another shot is just pure wrong... You can't argue logic verse logic using different facts. That's a fallacy.

Source

Capable of Killing

The man convicted of killing British student Meredith Kercher has given an interview from his Italian jail cell, insisting Amanda Knox is a "sweet girl" incapable of murder.
Raffaele Sollecito, who was sentenced to 25 years for his role in Kercher's death, told an Italian newspaper that he was struggling to come to terms with the verdict and feared going "insane" in prison.
Asked if his former girlfriend Knox -- also convicted of Kercher's murder and jailed for 26 years -- was capable of killing, Sollecito told Il Messagero: "It is absurd and inadmissible. She is a very sweet girl."
He also rejected claims he and Knox had acted inappropriately by shopping for underwear after Kercher's murder -- an incident that was cited as an example of Knox's lack of emotion following her roommate's death.
"We went shopping for underwear because Amanda had everything sequestered. All of which was said was wrong," he said.

Are you kidding me!?@ These people are being persecuted for this crime and a peice of evidence used was whether or not they felt guilty.... Sad! Of course they can go shopping and they shouldn't feel guilty or bad because they didn't kill the person. Maybe they did? They were found guilty, so I guess I can't judge; but, can they?




Source

Sanctions Against Iran

Secretary Robert Gates said he expects Iran to face "significant" new sanctions over its nuclear program. Gates held a town hall meeting with about 300 soldiers and airmen in Kirkuk. He arrived in the country Thursday after a two-day trip to Afghanistan. At the meeting, Gates discussed Iran's nuclear program.
"I think you are going to see some significant additional sanctions imposed by the international community," he told the troops.
His comments came a day after the United States and other envoys warned that Iran faced tougher sanctions if it did not comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions. The envoys slammed Iran for transporting arms and ammunition to Syria, saying the clock is ticking for the Islamic republic.
"Patience is running out," said Mark Lyall-Grant, the British ambassador to the United Nations. "If there is no change of approach, then clearly the Security Council will need to look again at further sanctions against Iran in the new year."
Iran shocked the world in September with the revelation of a nuclear facility it had been building secretly in the holy city of Qom. Since then, it has allowed inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency to visit the plant.

Well, this article poses the same threat we've been dealing with for about 50 years now. Nuclear weapons. And the thing is this will not go away, today it is Iran, tommorow, who knows?
The one thing we can be certain of is for the U.S. to maintain its grip on the world politically, economicly, and power wise we will do anything we can to keep the smaller countries from creating nuclear devices that would endanger our status as the head hancho in the world.
Regulations are never bad but when they impose on the rights of a nation watchout, there will be feedback, and it isn't always pretty.

Source

Indian prime minister makes state visit to Washington

President Obama will welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for an official state visit Tuesday. The two leaders will discuss a range of global, regional and bilateral issues, the White House said. Those discussions are likely to center on Afghanistan, climate change and nuclear energy cooperation. Singh has been quoted as saying that a Taliban victory in Afghanistan would be disastrous for Central and South Asia. Singh's visit will be the first state visit hosted by the administration, the highest honor extended to a foreign dignitary. It will be Singh's second visit to Washington; he has also met with former President George W. Bush. Grammy- and Oscar-award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson will entertain the black-tie crowd, several sources involved in the planning outside the administration said.

I agree with what Obama is doing with our nation. Opening up his doors to foreign officials will eventually lead to better relations and hopefully change the world one person at a time. Obama targetsthe leaders of this world who can make a difference in this world and in our economy and he will eventually make this country a better place.

Article found at.

Medical Issues

Issue Number 1
Comprehensive Verse Incremental Health care Reform

Most people who would agree with the government taking care of health care make the argument for equality and say that the government would be able to keep a high standard of care while reducing cost where ever they can. Others say that by having competition in the market people keep costs low and production high. This competition is seen by some people as a better thing than the government taking control.

I like the health care system the way it is and would disagree with changing it. The ability of our health care system to grow and take punishment is very great with independent parties controlling it. If we are going to reform the care it would take many many tax dollars to do and the overall effect would be detrimental.



#2 Issue

#3 Issue