On Tuesday Faisal Shahzad was arrested and charged with being the maker of the car bomb found in Times Square. There were five federal charges against him. He is thirty years old and is a naturalized citizen of the United States. He still has extensive connections with his homeland of Pakistan, and had been making calls to there up until three days before the bomb. Attorney General Eric Holder said that"It is clear that this was a terrorist plot". He claimed that he went to Pakistan to visit family for five months, but later admitted to training with the Taliban. He also admitted, after more questioning, that he drove the vehicle into Times Square and attempted to detonate the bomb. The bomb did not detonate because the materials used were nonexplosive.
Opinion: I think that he has all the evidence against him and he should be charged immediately, because they found he had bought the car, he confessed to working with the Taliban and driving the car to Times Square, and attempting to detonate it. I also think it is a little ridiculous that he didn't use the correct kind of fertilizer to ensure it is explosive. I am sure he thought that much of the evidence linking the bomb and car to him would be destroyed in the blast. This had the potential to be big headline news, surely killing several and hurting many others. They should crack down on security in high-traffic and toursit-y places to make sure another 9/11 incident does not happen again.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/05/04/new.york.car.bomb/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Greece promises harsh cuts in exchange for bailout
Greece is in debt and is now accepting a 110 billion euro (US $146 billion) package of aid from the international community. The country made a promise to its citiziens and the world to cut its budget deficit to 3 percent of gross domestic product by 2014, according to the country's Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou. The first wave of the money from the aid package is planned to go out by May 19th. Right now there is not much stability in their government, and they want to correct that, to save the country. President Barack Obama called and talked to the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou about the whole situation and also spoke of "the two leaders discussed the importance of implementation going forward." Greece is going to cut most of their money to meet the defecit through the public sector. This has caused much upset and there have been many protests and riots. Seven police officers were injured and nine people were arrested -- three for attacks on police and six for theft from stores.
Opinion:
I think that although this is a terrible situation for the country of Greece to be in, they are at least working towards becoming a stronger nation by reducing their debt and paying back the loans. However, like most Greeks, I do not think they should be using money from the public sector to pay back their debts because this will only be taking more money away from the people in a time when they need those institutions most. I think the they should cut spending on military or government, and start passing new policies such as lower interest rates on loans, etc. to encourage the citizens to trust the government again. I think the protesting is bitter-sweet because while it has gotten out of hand, it still has created worldwide attention to the problems they are experiencing, and also allowed the citizens the chance to express their opinions.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/05/02/greece.bailout/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
Opinion:
I think that although this is a terrible situation for the country of Greece to be in, they are at least working towards becoming a stronger nation by reducing their debt and paying back the loans. However, like most Greeks, I do not think they should be using money from the public sector to pay back their debts because this will only be taking more money away from the people in a time when they need those institutions most. I think the they should cut spending on military or government, and start passing new policies such as lower interest rates on loans, etc. to encourage the citizens to trust the government again. I think the protesting is bitter-sweet because while it has gotten out of hand, it still has created worldwide attention to the problems they are experiencing, and also allowed the citizens the chance to express their opinions.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/05/02/greece.bailout/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Man with knife attacks kindergarten in China
This past Thursday morning, when a class of 28 kindergarteners were in school, a man came into their room while the teacher was out and stabbed all of them. Most of the children were just four years old. Only three survived, but were in critical condition. The stabbing occurred in the city of Taixing, in the Jiangsu province. There is a suspect, a 47 year old man who fits the description given, who has been arrested for the stabbings. Just a day ago, there were 18 stabbed at a primary school in southern China, and earlier still there were 8 children killed and 5 injured at an elementary school in eastern China. In the latter incident the man, Zheng Minsheng, was executed. He admitted that he carried out this horrendous act because of "failures in his romantic life", according to Xinhua.
What I want to know is HOW? How could someone walk into a classroom of 28 now-panic-stricken children simply kill them all? That seems like the most absurd and terrible type of crime. It was a horrific massacre- and though I feel really displaced from the incident, both because of the physical difference(half-way around the world) and because it is such an uncommon situation; I still feel sorrow over this incident. It is difficult, however, to imagine what the families of these children must be going through- especially knowing how their children watched their classmates' deaths, knowing they would be soon to follow... It's hard to imagine.
Picture: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-03/01/xin_51030301125171323661.jpg
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/28/china.knife.attack/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
What I want to know is HOW? How could someone walk into a classroom of 28 now-panic-stricken children simply kill them all? That seems like the most absurd and terrible type of crime. It was a horrific massacre- and though I feel really displaced from the incident, both because of the physical difference(half-way around the world) and because it is such an uncommon situation; I still feel sorrow over this incident. It is difficult, however, to imagine what the families of these children must be going through- especially knowing how their children watched their classmates' deaths, knowing they would be soon to follow... It's hard to imagine.
Picture: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-03/01/xin_51030301125171323661.jpg
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/28/china.knife.attack/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
Issue # 2- Boosting the Minimum Wage
There is a controversy over minimum wage. Those who were for an increase in the minimum wage wanted it moved from $5.15 to $7.15 an hour. These people supported the Democrats, and their efforts to raise the base wage. They argue that raising it would help millions of Americans, pulling many above the poverty line. In May 2007 the Iraq war funding bill was passed, and that increased the spending provisions in the country, and also provided $4.8billion for small business tax breaks. Those who support the minimum wage increase say that this will boost the economy and also, that the tax cuts issued shouldn't have been combined with the minimum wage increase. Those who are against the minimum wage increase argue that doing so would be "counterproductive" for the economy, and that it is not an effective way of dealing with poverty. This is because the base wage increases will most likely affect teenagers more than anyone else. Also, raising it will cause prices to rise, and therefore will cause more people to lose jobs--contributing to unemployment. They feel that the laws of supply and demand-in a market-based economy- are what should determine the minimum wage. Along with this, they feel that there should be less protectionism, because there would be less government and the economy would follow its natural pattern.
I agree with the second argument, that there should be less government involved with the economy and that the minimum wage should not be raised. If the minimum wage is raised, then the prices of all goods and services will increase, and thus more jobs will be cut. This is a more conservative view because there is less government controlling the market. By keeping the minimum wage constant, we will allow the economy of the United States-and even the world- to follow its natural course, and will keep people afloat in the economy. Someone else who agrees with me is Alex Adrianson of The Heritage Foundation, who stated that "Raising the minimum wage increases the prices of goods produced by minimum wage workers. Consumers respond by buying less, and employers respond by making less, which means fewer jobs. Employers also respond to relatively more expensive labor by investing in labor-saving technology, which again means fewer jobs."
http://www.nationalcenter.org/WCT010207MinimumWage.html
I agree with the second argument, that there should be less government involved with the economy and that the minimum wage should not be raised. If the minimum wage is raised, then the prices of all goods and services will increase, and thus more jobs will be cut. This is a more conservative view because there is less government controlling the market. By keeping the minimum wage constant, we will allow the economy of the United States-and even the world- to follow its natural course, and will keep people afloat in the economy. Someone else who agrees with me is Alex Adrianson of The Heritage Foundation, who stated that "Raising the minimum wage increases the prices of goods produced by minimum wage workers. Consumers respond by buying less, and employers respond by making less, which means fewer jobs. Employers also respond to relatively more expensive labor by investing in labor-saving technology, which again means fewer jobs."
http://www.nationalcenter.org/WCT010207MinimumWage.html
Issue #3- Welfare
Isssue #1-All Things Being Equal
Friday, March 26, 2010
Democrats send Obama final health measure
The last part of the healthcare legislation was sent to Obama just recently, and was met with much opposition by an unruly crowd who waited outside for the vote. This new piece had many 'fixes' to Obama's proposed plan, and includes more benefits for seniors and the middle-class. After being put to a vote, it came out 220-207, for the bill. The reason this bill was under scrutiny again is because there were a few minor changes made to it, and it needed to go back to Senate to be reviewed again. Republicans have been strongly against the bill, wanting funds to go towards something they deem more useful, such as creating jobs. The bill will cover 32million uninsured Americans and will take away some unpopular insurance ploys, such as dropping coverage after a major illness, or rejecting those with a pre-existing conditions.
Republicans want less central government, and more individual rights, whereas the Democrats want a stronger federal government to insure everyone is taken care of, working towards the common good. My opinion on this healthcare bill is that it would be better to have everyone choose what's best for them, choose their insurance, and how much coverage they want. A good analogy is to compare universal health insurance with "grocery insurance", because it demonstrates how people might take advantage of the coverage. This is especially true when people realize they won't have to pay for extra minor expenses, which costs the government more money, and will put America further into debt. I believe in the concept of rugged individualism- though not to the extreme-because it would mean no one would be lazy about searching for the best health insurance deal and would perhaps think twice before spending extra money on minor doctor check-ups that are not always necessary. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul
Republicans want less central government, and more individual rights, whereas the Democrats want a stronger federal government to insure everyone is taken care of, working towards the common good. My opinion on this healthcare bill is that it would be better to have everyone choose what's best for them, choose their insurance, and how much coverage they want. A good analogy is to compare universal health insurance with "grocery insurance", because it demonstrates how people might take advantage of the coverage. This is especially true when people realize they won't have to pay for extra minor expenses, which costs the government more money, and will put America further into debt. I believe in the concept of rugged individualism- though not to the extreme-because it would mean no one would be lazy about searching for the best health insurance deal and would perhaps think twice before spending extra money on minor doctor check-ups that are not always necessary. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Intriguing People- Najibullah Zazi
Najibullah Zazi was a terrorist suspect who recently pled guilty to the charges of conspiring to detonate explosives in the United States. He admitted that the terrorist group Al Quaeda recruited him along with several others. These were the three accounts that he was charged with: conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction, conspiracy to commit murder in a foreign country and providing material support to a terrorist organization. Zazi also confessed in court that while they had been training in Pakistan they had "had discussions with al Qaeda about targets including the New York City subway system." Officials have said that this is one of the most severe accounts of conspired terrorism since the tragedy of 9/11.
I think that it is shocking that such a large-scale terrorist conspiracy, training, and operation had been going on and so few people realized it. Many countries have been working hard at securing their borders and tightening security and procedures in general to keep terrorists at bay- especially the United States. I believe that most of this, and the new attitude towards terrorism has changed greatly since the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. However, because the US had such a significant crackdown on security, I think most people didn't worry anymore about another incident like that happening again. Are we still living under a false sense of security?
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/23/mip.tuesday/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
I think that it is shocking that such a large-scale terrorist conspiracy, training, and operation had been going on and so few people realized it. Many countries have been working hard at securing their borders and tightening security and procedures in general to keep terrorists at bay- especially the United States. I believe that most of this, and the new attitude towards terrorism has changed greatly since the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. However, because the US had such a significant crackdown on security, I think most people didn't worry anymore about another incident like that happening again. Are we still living under a false sense of security?
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/23/mip.tuesday/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Issue #3- Social Insecurity
Many Americans believe the social security program of America needs to be reconfigured. The Bush administration has already made some changes to the system, including private investment accounts. One argument is that the social security system is going bankrupt, and is hurting the economy of the United States. They feel that the system has become the solely the "national retirement program", and is making promises to American citizens- especially retirees-it cannot follow through on. They realize that this is their entitlement, and that if they don't take precautions there's a possibility they won't be able to enjoy that right. The other side of the arguement is that the social security system is still strong and, in fact, has a surplus. According to this arguement, the system could be easily fixed with only a few simple changes. Some of these might include raising the earning cap for social security taxes, and raising the retirement age.
I stand with the former arguement for several reasons. First, it is obvious that the baby-boomers will take up a much larger portion of the social security budget- meaning there will be significantly less for the following generation. This means less financial security. Another reason why I believe the system is in economic trouble is because so many Americans have become solely dependent upon social security to take care of them once they have retired, instead of working to create a solid nest egg to rely on. I believe that America should impose at least small earmarks on products in order to increase the social security budget, thus planning ahead for future generations and avoiding "social insecurity".
Here is an interesting article from CNN about the social security debate:
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