Comments on: Does Congress represents us?

     My classmate Hira wrote an article called "Does Congress represents us?" that I tend to agree with on a lot of points. She touches on the cultural make up of Congress and gives a link to show the break down by race. Then her articles goes into how much more members of congress make that the average American citizen. I also agree with her solution which is the expanding of Congress. The current number of members is far too low. It should be at least double what it is now. I'm sure there is a government program that can be cut to cover the increase in payroll.

immigration

    The fact that most democrats and moderate republicans are for immigration reform, but it cannot get passed the House is a disturbing thing. In an article by Maeve Reston in the LA Times, he talks about how Jeb Bush is takes shots at both side for not getting it passed. No matter how long and wide you build the border wall, an illegal alien need only succeed in crossing the wall once to get here.  Illegal immigration is a symptom of the disconnect between government policies and economic reality, and until those two come closer together, border walls will continue to not work. The plan will produce a plan for undocumented immigrants already in the United States and reform the legal immigration system to encourage economic development, including giving foreign math and science graduates green cards. Those undocumented immigrants without criminal records will have to pay a fine and back taxes, and will then be placed at the end of the green card waiting list. They must also pass another background check, learn English and American civics, and show they have an employment history.  These are terms that have a wide range of support and would pass if it were not for a few tea party republicans who place saying no to Obama above all else. The good of the country should be placed above the political differences of a few.

Comments on: Desegregating Schools

    My classmate Skye wrote an article about "Desegregating Schools". I found this article to be written from a young persons perspective. She likens the brown v board of education case to one of pure economics. As if, being rich or poor was the only factor at that time. That is not the case and I'm sure she knows that. During that time, If you were anything other than white, you were not going to get to go to whites. It didn't matter how much money you had. If you were not white, you could not attend.
    Skye also makes reference to the difference in expectations between rich and poor schools. On this she is absolutely correct. My experience in high school is similar to hers. I had moved from Hawaii back to Texas and needed a tutor because I was so far behind. It is hard to set expectations for the nations children if there is such a huge disparage between schools and districts. Many states have minimum standards test and most school just teach to meet those minimum standards. We should be look to surpass those standards.

The loss of Privacy

           Last night, I turned on the TV in my game room and there was a popup in the middle of the screen. My first thought was "what the heck is this". Then I remembered I had updated the software the day before due to another popup that said there was a new update available. So, I read what this new popup says and it mentions a privacy notice. So, I click the "OK" button to try and make it go away. A large caption opens explaining to me that if I do not agree to the Privacy notice, that I will not be able to use some of the apps on my smart TV. This was very alarming to me because, I usually say no to the sharing of my information. However, I did not want to lose the use of any of my apps, so I agreed. To my displeasure, there was a second box that popped up for a another privacy agreement with the same threat. Even though I agreed to this one as well, I am not happy that I had to make these agreements in order to use my product. Consumers around the world are facing this everyday.  It doesn't seem like we really have a choice in the matter.
        The same thing happens when people surf the web. Many Internet users cannot identify the most basic tracking tool on the Internet: the cookie. In an August 2000 study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 56% of Internet users could not identify a cookie. It remains unknown whether individuals can identify more sophisticated tracking tools, such as "web bugs" or "spyware." Your internet usage is being tracked weather you want it to be or not.

New NRA President Jim Porter Knocked ‘Fake President’ Obama

On May 3, 2013 an article was written about the soon to be president of the NRA Jim Porter. The author Abby Phillip, lays out her claim of how the new NRA president knocks that President of the United States. She uses several quotes to back up her statements. The quotes that she cited showed that Porter does not and never would have a favorable view of President Obama. However, the author doesn't give the read much about the back ground of Porter. She states that his father was president of the NRA in the late 50's, which is good information for the reader. To me, that just highlights the fact that there is a lot to this mans background that she could have touched on in this piece. Which would  give the readers more incite in to what this now 64 year old man  has been up to before getting this position. She does state that he was the NRA's vice president before getting the position and is a attorney by trade. To me, more detail of what he has been doing in his adult life is relevant to this story and would benefit the reader. They are many quotes in the piece that are eye opening, but that is no surprise for someone who has been put in that position. Information about his history would make this story intriguing in my opinion. The NRA's talking points have been out there for some time. Time for readers to learn more about what these guys have been up to.

Time for a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations

In an article published in the LA times, the author "The Times editorial board", expresses how we are long over due for a change in relations with Cuba. They site how studies have shown that the majority of Americans are in favor of easing sanctions. A poll, commissioned by the Washington-based Atlantic Council research group, found that 6 in 10 Americans favor normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba. They do however show both sides of the argument by stating that  a Florida International University survey just three years ago found that 53% of Cuban Americans in Miami-Dade County opposed ending the 1962 embargo, even though a similar percentage believed the embargo had not been effective, and a majority supported easing restrictions on traveling to and investing in Cuba. The article is well written and tells the story down the middle. Cuba's human rights record will continue to be a problem with any change in relations.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-cuba-20140216,0,3354954.story#axzz2u1Rb7PBU

On Feb 7, 2014 the New York Times published an article about congress's inability to pass an immigration law. As House Republicans embarked late last month in luxury buses for their retreat on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, their ears were already ringing with angry phone calls. Heritage Action, the political arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation, was imploring its members to flood the Capitol with warnings to accept “no amnesty.”

The day before, the Tea Party Patriots group set in motion 900,000 automatic phone calls in 90 Republican House districts, connecting tens of thousands of voters to their members of Congress. The hashtag #NoAmnesty blazed across Twitter. About the same time, FreedomWorks, another anti-tax, limited-government group, was pulling in signatures on its “fire the speaker” petition against the House speaker, John A. Boehner.

When House Republicans gathered on Jan. 30 to actually read and discuss Mr. Boehner’s principles on immigration reform, his was already a losing battle.