The Hitchhiker's Guide to National Affairs

13,000 Jobs to Be Lost at American Airlines

2012-02-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

Recently, American Airlines has filed for bankruptcy after having huge losses in revenue over the last decade. In order to save the company, American Airlines proposes to eliminate 13,000 jobs--about 15 percent of its workforce--and reduce its employment costs by 20 percent by ending its current pension plans and ceasing to pay for retiree health benefits. Affiliated unions and American Airlines workers are outraged and are currently attempting to fight the airline company by refusing to agree to change.

In 2001, American Airlines, along with the rest of the airline industry, was bailed out by the federal government in response to the huge revenue losses that occurred after 9/11. This prevented the entire industry from imploding for a while, but over the last decade, airline prices have skyrocketed, ridiculous fees have been incorporated into the price of travel, airline service has significantly declined, and several major airlines have once again declared bankruptcy. So this proposes another issue other than job loss. It is apparent that there is a vicious cycle of bankruptcy and bailout that is occurring in the airline industry, but is it worth it? Since they were bailed out in 2001, American Airlines, U.S. Airways, and United have all suffered sever economic losses and have had to declare bankruptcy again. That kind of track record makes it easy for me to believe that government bailouts are ineffective. They interfere with our free market and create a state of dependency nationwide by deterring competition, a key component to a productive free market. In capitalism, businesses that makes good decisions are rewarded with success, while those that make poor decisions fail and are replaced by others. Why should a failing business be allowed to continue making poor decisions at the taxpayers' expense?

A Strange Region Outside Our Own Solar System

2012-02-01T22:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft, which was launched in 2008 has finally discovered something very interesting.

The spacecraft has gotten a glimpse beyond our own solar system. Scientists are very puzzled because as David McComas, of Southwest Research Institue, said, "...that the matter just outside of our solar system doesn't look like the material inside."

It is said that it will be months or years before Voyager 1 exits the solar system. When that happens, it will be the first manmade probe to ever cross into interstellar space.

I think it is fascinating to discover that there really may be something beyond our solar system and I am very curious what we will discover in the future. Maybe more habitable planets that humans can begin to live on will be found. If we did find another planet out there, what would that mean? How would that change the way people live? Even though the chance of finding another habitable planet (if there is one) is very far away, I still believe there is more out there. What do the Aragon Hitchhikers think?

No matter what we do, at the rate we are living and how much we waste and destroy our world, our resources will deplete and our world will fall apart and although we may figure out a way to produce more resources and save our world, what if that isn't found? Would you be willing to leave earth and inhabit another planet?

Downturn and Upstarts Transform Nevada’s G.O.P. Caucuses

2012-02-01T21:59:00.002-08:00

The Republican contest in Nevada this weekend is anything but insignificant. Mitt Romney emerged as the victor in the Nevada primary in 2008, winning with 51% of the votes, but the political climate in Nevada has changed drastically in the past four years.

Unemployment in Nevada has increased to 13%, up 7.5% from where it was in January 2008. The housing market in Nevada is doing poorly, with nearly one in 175 houses in foreclosure. And where the Tea Party did not exist in 2008, it is now extremely popular in Nevada.

Romney is expected to well in Nevada, in part due to the fact that close to 25% of the electorate are Mormon. But Tea Party conservatives who see Romney as an establishment Republican might be able to successfully block out Romney. Gingrich and Santorum certainly hope so, as they have been fiercely campaigning for the conservative vote.

What do you guys think? Any predictions on who will win? Any thoughts on on how Nevada will affect the rest of the race, including the general election, as it has become an important swing state?

Obama's Got Talent

2012-02-01T21:59:00.001-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, Obama revealed one of his secret talents: he can sing. During his speech at a fundraising event, the charming President unexpectedly began singing as his way to thank Al Green, who had performed earlier that night. Even if you don't agree with Obama's policies or approve of his job in office, it's difficult to watch this video and not like the guy.

Then just recently, Mitt Romney took it to the next level (the presidential level) by singing "America the Beautiful" at a Florida rally. Satirists like John Stewart and Stephen Colbert, from whom young people get much of their political news as we learned in our textbook reading, have pointed out how Romney quotes the song almost too frequently at his public events, apparently appealing to the patriotic, America-loving GOP constituencies. In their most recent episodes, Stewart and Colbert did poke fun at Romney since he was no comparison to Obama. To be frank, it ended up being a vain and embarrassing attempt to one-up Obama, although it definitely wasn't terrible (hey, the high notes are tough to hit).

Michelle Obama went on Jay Leno the other night, where the host asked for her opinion of Romney's musical performance. She replied (with what seemed like very subtle sarcasm) that "it was beautiful" and that "that should be a song sung by every American," a very respectable comment indeed.

What effect will this have on his campaign/image, if any? Will some people take Romney less seriously now, and will others respect him more for his courageous expression of patriotism?

Budget Deficit Tops $1 Trillion, but Is Falling, Report Says

2012-01-31T20:05:00.000-08:00

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the national deficit will surpass the one trillion dollar mark for the fourth year in a row. While it is projected to be 200 billion dollars less than last year, and predicted to fall in the next few years due to mandatory tax increases and spending cuts, economists say that the last quarter of 2012 until the end of 2013. The unemployment rate is estimated to rise to 9.2% during the last quarter of 2013.

Despite, these dismal job predictions, economists predict a 2 percent increase in GDP this year, followed by a 1.1% increase next year. But as we learned in econ, GDP is not a complete indicator of a country's health.

The Bush tax cuts, which are due to expire at the end of this year, would add 5.4 trillion more dollars to the deficit if continued for ten more years. Another topic is Medicare. Paying for Medicare is part of the federal government's mandatory budget, and many from both parties are urging Congress to prevent cuts that would drive up health care prices even further.

Both parties have been spinning this news to their advantages. Republicans use the bleak projections for this year and next year as proof that president Obama's policies have failed. Democrats have been citing these projections to say that increasing revenue, presumably by taxing wealthy Americans, would strengthen the economy, which they believe in the long run is the best way to fix the economy.

So what do you guys think of the news? Is the small decrease in the deficit a cause for at least some celebration, or do all of the other projections make the next few years seem grim? How should and how can Congress try to solve this problem? What effects will this information have on the ongoing 2012 election campaign?

Romney clinches Florida, focuses back on Obama

2012-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

As you have probably heard, Mitt Romney is the projected winner for Florida's GOP primary.

1144 delegates are required to win the Republican nomination; after today, Romney will have 80, Gingrich 18, Santorum 13, Paul 3, and Huntsman 2. Looking at these figures, do you think any of the other candidates will begin considering suspending their campaigns?

The Romney team has declared that he will almost certainly win the GOP nomination and that it would take an incredibly dynamic event (or series of events) to reverse this course. It was also stated that Romney is in a comfortable enough position to take his focus off of Gingrich and concentrate his rhetoric on Obama. On the one hand, if Romney really does have the nomination in the bag, I can see why he would want to focus on Obama: to minimize the division within his own party and get a headstart on uniting Republicans against the incumbent president. However, it might also be wise to continue keeping Gingrich at bay so as to shorten the competition and secure the nomination as quickly as possible. What do you guys think?

The Trickery of Freddie Mac

2012-01-31T14:19:00.000-08:00

According to a recent investigation, since at least 2010, the mortgage giant Freddie Mac has ironically been betting against homeowners by investing billions of dollars in securities that lose value when homeowners refinance. To state it conversely, Freddie makes money by actually keeping homeowners trapped in higher-interest loans. Considering that Freddie Mac was created to help consumers secure mortgages, there is clearly a conflict of interest between its purpose and its investments.

Due to these newly discovered securities, the enterprise profits as borrowers continue to pay their high-interest payments from their original mortgage. When these individuals refinance into cheaper loans, they pay off their first loan early, causing Freddie to lose this source of revenue (the valuable interest payments). To hinder refinancing, Freddie has implemented a number of new rules and regulations, including "high introduction fees and strict requirements on who qualifies for a Freddie-insured mortgage."

It is definitely not in Freddie's interest (no pun intended) for the borrowers to default on their loans, yet, as briefly aforementioned, it also does not benefit Freddie when borrowers shift to less expensive mortgages.

I think this revelation will cut deeply into the public's trust of such groups, which may translate into increased distrust of the government. It may also be used by the GOP candidates as ammunition against Obama, for not only did this happen under his watch (--> retrospective voting), but he did also promise reform in this area during his SOTU address.

If you'd like to learn more in detail about how Freddie Mac works or its questionable investments, here's the URL upon which I based this post: http://www.thenewamerican.com/economy/sectors-mainmenu-46/10713-freddie-mac-bets-against-homeowners-and-refinancing.

Gingrich labels Romney a 'liberal'

2012-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

As we discussed in AP Gov last week, George H. W. Bush used the word "liberal" to negatively portray his opponent, Michael Dukakis, during the 1988 presidential campaign. Bush Sr. used this label to depict Dukakis as weak, not proactive, and detached from those he would serve. Bush tried to expose these weak qualities by creating the Willie Horton Ad, which detailed the story of this criminal who had been released, only to go and commit more crimes. Bush hoped to employ this example to prove that Dukakis' policies were to lenient and he could not effectively and safely govern America. This attack was detrimental to Dukakis. Dukakis tried to invert the term, and compare himself to the liberals such as JFK and Roosevelt, but by that point it was too late. Bush won that election.

Now, as the 2012 Republican contest has become bitter and brutal, Gingrich is reviving this term, and beginning to use it to characterize Romney. While he formerly referred to Romney as a "Massachusetts Moderate," Gingrich has recently used the term "liberal" to try and invoke the same detachment and weakness that Bush aimed for over twenty years ago.

The most recent polls for tomorrow's Florida primary show Mitt Romney in front of Gingrich 42 percent to 27 percent, a full 15 percentage points. Gingrich was once ahead, and this new label surely is intended to take some of Romney's support and regain his lead.

Another interesting comment from Gingrich is his assertion that he is the "legitimate heir to the Reagan movement," evoking the image of one of our nation's most conservative presidents in the hopes of getting more support from conservatives. Interestingly enough, Rick Santorum has been polling fairly well amongst conservatives. I think Gingrich hopes that if the two of them can hold on to enough votes, they can eliminate Romney's lead.

So, on the eve of the Florida primary, what do you guys think will happen in the next twenty-four hours? Will Gingrich's use of the"liberal" label cost Romney enough votes to lose? Will Romney be able to effectively refute these allegations and assuage voters that he will not be weak? Predictions for tomorrow?

90 Days Without Technology??? INCREDIBLE!

2012-01-30T20:03:00.001-08:00

James Reilly, a 24-year-old copywriting student at the Chicago Portfolio school decided to go 90 days, or 3 months without any form of social media communication, such as Facebook, Twitter, Emails, and even Cell phones.

While doing so, James exclaimed, "I would sit in the park a lot, throw the football with my friends, go ice-skating, and all that kind of silly stuff that you take for granted. It's all around you. I think that was the best part and most people really overlook that." Without social media, James really got out and did active things that most people wouldn't even think of doing because they are inside and on the computer all day. This quote, for me, really sums up what Facebook and social media blinds people from seeing, "...silly stuff that you take for granted." Being outside, playing sports, running, are all things that we forget about doing because we spend so much time on our phones or computers.

Reilly, after being asked this question, "Do you think that those who rely so heavily on social media to interact with others are training themselves to communicate only at the most superficial level?" answered, "...it's superficiality on top of superficiality. You never get to see the real parts of people." I think that communicating through social media, although very convenient, does take away the "real parts of people" and is a place for people to be in some ways fake.

I have to say, even though I agree with Reilly and think that life would be so much different, quite possibly in a good way, without Facebook and other social media tools, I would have a difficult time living without my phone or computer. It kind of makes me sad to think that the society we live in is ALL social media based. Facebook is the newest place for artists, celebrities, products, and TV shows to attract and sell their products. People now don't ever need to leave the house to learn about the outside world. My life after school sort of revolves around Facebook and my phone and after reading this, maybe I'll try and change that! What do you think? Could you go 3 months without any contact with friends or family other then hand-written letters and face to face interactions. I haven't written a letter in maybe 10 years, and after reading this maybe I will. Receiving a letter would be cool!

Second Year In, Republican Governors Moderate Tone

2012-01-30T19:47:00.000-08:00

According to this New York Times article, many of the governors who were swept into office in the 2010 election cycle have not been as extreme or as aggressive in their policies as they promised to be before they took office. Governors who sought to eliminate collective bargaining rights have become less aggressive and "confrontational" in their pursuits, the product of both the citizens' unhappiness with specific policies and of their re-election hopes in 2012.

Additionally, a handful of the governors have been undoing some of the policies they enacted. The Republican Governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, has chosen to add back days he cut from a Pre-K classes, and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has urged the state to re-purchase the Capitol building complex. Some of these reversals can be credited to the economic improvements and increase in tax revenue, but I wonder if any of the decisions are driven by political reasons.

Do you guys this this trend could continue once the Republican nominee is selected, and if he eventually takes office? Will the Republicans running in the primaries right now actually enact the policies they promisee, or are they just trying to appeal to as many as they can, regardless of what they have to say to get elected?

Digging into China's Nuclear Tunnels

2012-01-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

Since 2008, Georgetown University professor and former top Pentagon official, Phillip A. Karber, has been working diligently with some of his most dedicated undergraduate students in order to uncover what is really going on in the Sichuan province of China. After a massive earthquake struck the Sichuan provice, Karber's committee, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, was intrigued by news reports of a large response of Chinese radiation technicians, who rushed to the areas struck most by the earthquake. But what do earthquakes have to do with radiation technicians? These reports sparked a large amount of curiosity amongst Karber and his committee, leading to the beginning of his extensive research. Since then, he has introduced the scenario to his students and, with the help of their persistent efforts to find the truth, has uncovered a myriad of Chinese military documents which have provided substantial evidence that suggests China has been secretly building up their nuclear arsenal right under our noses.

It is unknown how many nuclear warheads China may currently possess, for the estimate ranges anywhere from 80 to 3,000. Regardless, any amount of nuclear weapons outside the United States is concerning, and the fact that China is covertly increasing their weapon supply is equally alarming. My biggest question regarding this article is why China feels the need to increase their arsenal of nuclear weapons now? Are they preparing for an attack or a war? China's population is over 1.3 million people, roughly four times the population of the U.S. That alone puts America at a huge disadvantage if conflicts with China ever arose. Factor in the mysterious amount of nuclear weapons that may be hidden underground in the Sichuan province of China, which could possibly be as many as 3,000 warheads (the U.S. currently has 5,000), and that seems to pose a highly dangerous potential threat.

So Aragon Hitchhikers, what do you think?

SOPA, ACTA, and now PCIP

2012-01-30T01:26:00.000-08:00

PCIP, the Protect Children from Internet Pornography act, basically attacks internet freedom in the one way SOPA doesn't (But ACTA does); it requires internet service providers to record everything you do online. "The firm that sells youInternet access would be required to track all of your Internet activity and save it for 18 months, along with your name, the address where you live, your bank account numbers, your credit card numbers, and IP addresses you've been assigned... (It may even be made available in civil matters like divorce trials or child custody battles.)" - Atlantic Times

The data could then be accessed by government officials - they need only ask to see it.

The bill has been growing in popularity, having 40 congressmen signed on as co-sponsors, and has a similar bill by the same name in the Senate.

"There is an alternative: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has been a leader in ensuring an open Internet. Last March, Wyden introduced a bill that would protect children from sex trafficking and support victims of sex crimes. The bill does not, however, require the tracking of individuals' online activity or financial transactions, essentially making it a safer alternative to the Protecting Children From Internet Pornographers Act.

Known as the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act, it has 12 sponsors but has been tied up for months in the Senate Judiciary Committee."

PCIP was written by Lamar T. Smith, who also drafted SOPA.
Personally, I can't believe the type of BS our government is willing to consider in congress, and I hope there is another wave of progressive reforms once everyone realizes what's going on. It will have to come fast though - once freedoms have been taken away, people can grow used to them being gone.

Democrats' strategy for taking back the House

2012-01-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

The Democratic Party has started a campaign to take back the House majority in its "Red to Blue program" targeting Republican held seats that are identified as potential swing districts. The Democrats need 25 more seats to gain control in the House.

The Democratic Party is making use of new candidates for their "Drive to 25." The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is backing or has plans to back Democratic candidates in three dozen swing districts. Most of the candidates currently receiving backing have not held elected office before. The GOP also had a lot of new candidates when the took the House in 2010.

The message the new candidates are trying to convey is not that of a politician but one of a problem solvers who can break partisan gridlock. They are trying to get at independent voters who voted Republican in 2010. A new candidate California and former astronaut Jose Hernandez stated, "I'm an engineer. I'm trained to solve problems, unlike lawyers, which most of our Congress folks are; they're trained to litigate, argue, and I'm trained to solve problems."

I think that it is possible that the new-elects, if successful, will be used primarily as padding for the Democratic Party to get its items through while the districts of the new representatives get effectively less representation than their representative should in theory provide since the new representatives may not be able to hold the floor as skillfully when trying to direct funds to their districts. What are your thoughts, AP Gov folks?

Libya tortures pro-Ghadaffi prisoners

2012-01-28T01:53:00.000-08:00

In case anyone was harboring idealistic notions that the Libyan revolution would be the end of trouble in Libya, such a belief should be reconsidered, as many prisoners in Libya have recently accused Libyan officials of torture.

It seems like many revolutions follow this path - they have a great revolutionary spirit, but have trouble putting it away and accepting differences once they've won the war, as happened in the French revolution and ensuing Reign of Terror.

Still, given the international aid that the Libyan rebel movement received, I was hoping for something a little better than this. But then again - who're we to talk. The US has plenty of its own torture on record.

Obama on rising tuition

2012-01-28T01:08:00.000-08:00

A point Obama made in his SOTU speech and again in a speech at the University of Michigan was to put pressure on colleges to keep tuition from rising by threatening to remove federal subsidies. University of Washington President Mike Young said that Obama doesn't understand public university budgets and dismissed Obama's plan as "political theater."

Obama's plan is focused on increasing campus-based aid and will not affect the vast bulk of federal grants and loans. Since there is no central authority for higher education, the federal government has a very limited control over the real costs and significant gridlock in Congress.

University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman said that tuition increases are needed to make up for drops in state funding. Obama wants state governments to be more helpful, which Coleman agrees with.

Young said that the cost of educating students has actually gone down and that the state authorized tuition increases are only to make up for the state cutting their subsidies.

Obama's speech at the University of Michigan was part of a campaign to promote his SOTU agenda in competitive states.

I did not understand what University of Washington President Young meant about university costs. Were his university's state subsidy cuts greater or less than decreases in the cost to educate? And if they were lesser, what was the point of the tuition increase?

This does seem like a pre-campaign season campaign targeted at younger (college age) voters who are a growing demographic among registered voters. And young people were more likely to vote for Obama in 2008.

I am doubtful that any federal plan to keep tuition from rising can make it through the gridlock of Congress, but I have my fingers crossed for an effective plan to be enacted within the next several months. What are your thoughts, AP Gov folk?

Hillary Clinton announces that she will leave job at end of term

2012-01-27T21:44:00.000-08:00

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced at a town hall forum with State Department employees that she will leave her job at the end of President Obama's current term, regardless of whether he wins re-election or not. She described her decision as stepping off "the high wire of American politics" after 20 years.

She stated that she plans to work as hard as she possibly can until the last minute.

Her announcement was a response to a question at the forum, which was held to mark the anniversary of the Department's "Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review" which Clinton considers to be one of her major accomplishments while Secretary of State. She has said that she had planned on only serving one term in her current position.

However, it has been noted that she is one of the most popular politicians there is a lot of speculations regarding her plans.

I think that this may have some effect on Obama's campaign when the time comes. Clinton is a popular figure around the world, and unless he announces a new replacement with similar acclaim, he may be looked at negatively.

What are your thoughts AP Gov folks?

Afghanistan makes agreement with France while still arguing with US

2012-01-27T00:21:00.000-08:00

France has made an agreement with Afghanistan where French troops will continue training Afghan troops beyond the end of combat operations in 2014. Similar agreements have been made with Britain and Italy. The US has been able to make a similar agreement after a year of negotiations.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that he does not want to make such an agreement with the US unless "NATO-led night raids" are stopped. He holds the US responsible for the civilian casualties such operations cause, despite being NATO-led. Karzai also wants a handover of US detention facilities.

"The U.S. is our largest and most important ally. What’s important for Afghanistan is the quality of the document, not how fast we can rush the signature," said Janan Musazai, a spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry.

Blaming the US for civilian casualties of NATO operations seems like an attempt to appear strong and sovereign on Karzai's part while still leaving other means of support open. Kabul needs foreign aid to be able keep its influence in the country.

Republican Debate Occurs in Florida

2012-01-26T22:45:00.000-08:00

This Thursday, 4 republican presidential candidates entered a debate in Florida in which they talked about investments, health (specifically Ron Paul's), investing in health, and moon colonies, among other things.

The debate turned out well for everyone besides Gingrich, who had been losing the momentum gained by his South Carolina win.

I'm not going to summarize the linked article and video, but here's some additional information:

In one instance, Gingrich mentioned his belief that it is critical that the US invest in a colony on the moon. In response, Romney said "I spent 25 years in business. If I had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, 'You're fired.'" Though Romney and Santorum both agreed that the private sector needs to be more explored in space, Santorum agreed with Romney that it is not a good time for the government to be paying for such an endeavor. He also called the proposal an attempt to get local votes from Florida's space-related constituency, and argued that they candidates should be focused on larger issues than arguing for local votes. Ron Paul did not believe that space exploration should be government funded for anything more than possible defense opportunities.

In response to an episode where Gingrich called Romney the most "anti-immigrant" candidate, Romney responded saying that he found the charge repulsive and that such over-the top-statements have characterized politics for too long. Santorum and Romney then agreed that blocking immigrants form jobs would get them to "self-deport," while Ron Paul though a better economy would keep out illegal immigrants (Though this seems counter-intuitive), but that we should patrol the borders more anyway.

I think that, as recent GOP debates go, this debate was more legitimate than some of the other ones, likely due to the lack of less-popular candidates. I also liked the fact that the candidates were open and willing to criticize the appeals to local votes and extreme statements that have made national political debates and campaigns less... intellectual... than they should be.

Also, I particularly liked Ron Paul's defense of his health status.

Budget cuts to the Pentagon

2012-01-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

After consistently growing since 1998, the US military budget for 2013 will be about one percent smaller--about $525 billion. This is significant in that the military has been receiving large budget increases after the 9/11 attacks. The proposed budget involves cutting the size of the Army and Marines (though they will still be bigger than they were before US involvement in Afganistan and Iraq), reducing the amount of Air Force tactical squadrons, the Navy retiring seven old cruisers earlier than expected and cutting back production on other ships, and spending more on unmanned vehicles and Special Operations forces.

Still, the military budget cuts have been called a "rounding error" compared to total government spending. There will need to be further cuts as the Pentagon is trying to cut projected spending by $487 billion. The cuts can possibly be expanded by $600 billion depending on how things work out between the White House and Congress.

A defense analyst Thomas Donnelly said regarding relations between the President and Congress, "Either it will get worse for the Department of Defense if Obama gets reelected or Newt Gingrich gets elected, or it will get better for the Pentagon if Mitt Romney gets elected."

Defense Secretary Panetta said he will ask Congress to reduce retirement benefits and pay increases. President Obama has asked for less money to fund the military actions in the Middle East this year as the Iraq War closes.

I think that these budget cuts are a step in the right direction. The large budget of the US military is a vestige of the Cold War, and it is no longer necessary to be responsible for 45% of the world's military spending. As the US finally pulls out of Iraq, there are less excuses to keep spending up (unless the government comes up with evidence/"evidence" to get involved in other countries or the South China Sea). What are your ideas on this matter, AP folks?

Poland signs ACTA - That's all of them

2012-01-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Poland was the last European Union member state to announce its decision to sign ACTA, but has now decided to do so, much to the chagrin of many protesters.

For those of you that don't know, ACTA is an anti-piracy treaty similar to the US's SOPA which has been debated since 2008. The treaty will be signed by the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and as of now, every country in the EU.

In some ways, ACTA is even harsher than SOPA, as it requires internet service providers to monitor the packages sent and received by their users to check for copyrighted information.

All that's left is for the British parliament to pass the final decision on the treaty.

You probably haven't heard as much about this in the US due to the more well-known SOPA and PIPA, but ACTA is every bit as powerful/dangerous

Increasing US military presence in Asia-Pacific

2012-01-26T00:07:00.000-08:00

Officials from the US and the Philippines are undergoing talks to expand US military presence in its ally and former colony. This is in addition to agreements to station 2500 Marines in Australia, which was discussed on this blog last November, as well stationing warships in Singapore.

The reason? China. And probably oil.

The US is increasing its military presence in Asia to counter China's increasing ability to assert itself (rightfully or not) in the international affairs of the region. This is also a move at supporting the claims of US allies to oil rich parts of the South China Sea. The Philippines is currently in a dispute over the oil-rich Spratly Islands with several other countries. The ability of the the US to assert itself (rightfully or not) in the region is gaining importance as the US military presence in oil-rich Iraq decreases.

The stated priority of the Philippine officials is to strengthen maritme defense, especially along the South China Sea. A Philippine official mentioned increased US military presence in Australia, Singapore, and Japan. He stated “We’re not the only one doing this, and for good reason. We all want to see a peaceful and stable region. Nobody wants to have to face China or confront China.”

Robert Scher, a deputy assistant secretary of defense said that the US is focused on developing stronger ties with allies over developing bases for US use only.

The plan is for the Philippines to host periodic rotations or temporary assignments of US troops and battleships. The wording regarding temporary assignments can elastic though. Since 2002, there have been 600 US Special Operations troops assisting the fight against al-Qaeda sympathising rebels in the southern islands. The Philippine government has also been working to aquire US military equipment such as 16 fighter jets.

I think that as China expands its power, other countries in the region feel the need to do the same. There is already a bit of tension regarding claims in the energy rich South China Sea. We may be looking at an arms race. The US now has a greater ability to participate in this as more resources are removed from Iraq. What do you think, AP Gov people?

GOP response to SOTU 2012

2012-01-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels delivered the Republican Party response to the president's Syaye of the Union speech Tuesday evening. He mirrored Obama's opening, saluting him for taking down Osama bin Ladden and other Al-Qaeda officers and talked about other political things before denying the positive messages of Obama's speech. Daniels said Obama was not responsible for the economic problems the US has faced, but he did allege that Obama has done nothing that improved economic conditions durring his three years in office. Daniels also announced opposition to the growing gap between the top and bottom of the income ladder before saying the US was likely to follow the economic path of Greece and Spain if no new action is taken.

A notable political point Daniels made regarding helping his state: "First, make money. Be successful. If you make a profit, you'll have something left to hire someone else, and some to donate to the good causes we love."

Daniels talked about opposition to "extremism" regarding energy policies and called for greater private sector activity to create jobs and a simplied tax code to minimize loophole abuse and be less favorable to the rich. He called for Medicare and Social Security reform. He also blamed the Democrats of the Senate for all the gridlock in Congress and said that the Republicans were responsible for anything Congress managed to accomplish.

He ended his speech saying that Republicans can restore America from the damage done and make "our 'city on a hill' shine once again."

I was bothered that there were no details regarding Social Security and Medicare reform. I also feel that he was too extreme in saying the US could follow in the footsteps of Greece and Spain. Both this spreech and Obama's seriously bothered me as they both projected American exceptionalism.
So AP Gov folks, what do you think of the GOP response?

Campaign Contributions Gone Wild

2012-01-24T22:47:00.000-08:00

We learned about the court case Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed for SuperPACs to donate unlimited amounts of money in undisclosed fashions, potentially allowing for all sorts of corruption and crony capitalism shenanigans to take place.

Given the option for anonymity, it seems strange that Chris Dodd, head of the Motion Picture Association of America, has decided to openly threaten cutting funding for congressmen should they fail to pass the MPAA's favorite laws, SOPA and PIPA.

This seems to be pretty strong evidence that something shady is going on in our congress. But it also makes me wonder: if he felt this sort of thing was acceptable to talk about on national TV, does that mean that crony capitalism goes on enough to delude him into thinking it is well accepted as the norm?
What do you enlightened scholars think?

State of the Union 2012

2012-01-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

This year's State of the Union speech was particularly important for President Obama as it is an election year, and he was bound to portray the state of the country as improving. He opened the speech talking mainly about political things like the end of the Iraq War and the death of Osama bin Ladden before talking about the military as a bridge to talking about national unity and what the country previously accomplished before neatly segueing into talking about policies. The first policy related things Obama brought up regarded the deficit and Wall Street regulations, both of which would be recurring themes through the speech. He also mentioned throughout that he wanted manufacturing and clean energy to be major economic focuses and talked about related goals like providing job training and discouraging outsourcong. All of his policy talk was punctuated with political things like both parties coming together to get legislature through in a timely manner and equal opportunity.

What bothered me about the speech was its lack of depth, but details of so many issues can't be discussed in only an hour. I was left wondering if such plans were possible and could survive Congress, and, if they do, how effectively they can be executed. A specific detail that bothered me was what Obama said the Iraq War money would now be headed: half to infrastucture and half to paying off debt. Since the government is sustaining heavily on borrowed money, doesn't that mean that the government would just be borrowing half the cost of the war less per year? And that the rate of debt increase only slows, not reverses?

I would also like to note how this speech seemed to be partly a rebuttal to any negative predictions the Republican candidates were saying about policies made durring the Obama administration, as Obama kept saying positive predictions about the future and stressed any accomplishments in the present.

Romney and the flat rate investment income tax

2012-01-24T16:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a flat invesment tax rate, Republican candidate Mitt Romney paid 13.9% of his 2010 income in taxes. His income for that year weighed in at about $21.6 milion and he paid $3 milion in taxes. His estimated figures for 2011 have his income at $20.9 milion and a tax rate of 15.4%. His average weekly income is equal to the yearly income of those near the bottom of the top 1%.

Possibly acknowledging the contrast in income tax proportion, Romney has "gone pretty light on his deductions,” according to tax attorney Ken Breir. It seems that Romney does not want to bring any attention to his tax record.

Romney has paid $7.5 milion less in taxes for 2010 and 2011 than what he would have if President Obama's tax plans had been enacted. Paying $7.5 million more in taxes over two years would double his tax rate.

How should investments be taxed? Is it fair that the rich can pay a much lower proportion of their income in taxes?

Would They Call Adam Smith A Socialist Today?

2012-01-24T12:22:00.000-08:00

By this point in the year, all my students have been assigned chapter 3 of Heilbroner's _The Worldly Philosophers_ regarding Adam Smith, and I introduced it by asserting that Smith's actual beliefs have been oversimplified and misrepresented over the years. In case you weren't convinced, follow this link to additional context and supporting quotes. It's always nice to see my analysis replicated by a professional...

Also of note, the previous post on that blog questions the role the State of the Union speech has, especially during an election year. Well, I've assigned it every year regardless of who happens to be president, but if you agree with the critique, I imagine you will place your notes in the "politics" rather than the "policy" column.

Slavery + Chocolate

2012-01-22T17:33:00.000-08:00

Chocolate in the United States is something that is enjoyed by many as a reward, a dessert, and a hobby but no one would ever guess that it is produced through the child trafficking, labor and slavery. Recently, a group of CNN reporters went to the Ivory Coast to investigate the cocoa industry following several reports of the exploitation back in 2001. Ever since, lawmakers have been trying to get it to change. After a lot of pushing, the Harkin-Engel protocol was developed and signed by major companies in the cocoa industry committing to bring an immediate end to child labor within the chocolate industry. UNICEF, a major non-profit organization, estimates that half million children within the Ivory Coast are within the ruthless cycle of child labor of the cocoa industry, many of who have tasted chocolate. Many of the children stuck in child labor are there due to family needs, having to help provide for their siblings. Others just know to work. Without schooling, many of these children find that life is just this way. They don't know about regulations, protocols, or even the idea of how to escape. The cocoa industry is just one of the many industries that exploit child labor in order to maximize profits. Now with this story out there and the protocol in place, hopefully change will happen. What are your thoughts on this? How does this affect the economy of the Ivory Coast and our own economy?

Anonymous Web Attacks Recruited Unwitting Participants

2012-01-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

In protest of SOPA and the shutdown of Megaupload, a file-sharing site, "hacktivist" group Anonymous launched a series of DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks last Thursday on government and entertainment sites, including those of the Department of Justice and the Motion Picture Association of America. While this may have been a justifiable demonstration, technology consultants have found that many participants unknowingly joined by simply clicking a link.

Through links on sites such as Twitter and Facebook, Anonymous distributed a method that, using JavaScript, automatically targeted sites with an application dubbed the "Low Orbit Ion Cannon". This method not only allowed some 5,600 users to join the web assault, but made it difficult to trace their origins.

Many of the links, however, did not even mention attacks on anti-piracy organizations. Thus, accidental or curious clickers may have unwittingly and innocently participated in an illegal attack. Even if their message was justified, is it right for Anonymous to take advantage of Internet users to further their campaign?

How Gingrich Won the Evangelical Vote

2012-01-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

How did a candidate, with a reputation of infidelity, garner the votes of so many religious conservatives in South Carolina? About two thirds of the electorate in South Carolina were Evangelicals, and Gingrich took an impressive 44% percent of that (CNN Polls) while Mitt Romney only garnered 27%. This is surprising given Romney's strong faith and family values. Gingrich, on the other hand, has converted to Catholicism only a few years ago in 2009. So to get to the bottom of this issue, lets take a look at the modern Evangelical.

Evangelical is sort of a blanket term used for Christians who believe that faith plays a very important factor in their lives. They can be liberal or conservative (they tend to largely lean towards the latter), but the defining factor is their belief in the importance of religion. Moreover, Evangelicals have a strong belief in redemption and forgiveness, which partially explains Gingrich overwhelming victory in the aforementioned demographic. In an Evangelical gathering of 3,000 in Iowa during Thanksgiving, Gingrich had this to say about his past and his reform: "all of that has required a great deal of pain, some of which I have caused others, which I regret deeply," Gingrich said, "all of those required having to go to God to seek both reconciliation, but also to seek God's acceptance, that I had to recognize how limited I was." Another factor that gave Gingrich the edge over Mitt Romney is "'One of the things that Newt Gingrich has going for him is that he's not Romney,' says pollster Robert Jones". According to the article listed below, there is a discrepancy between Evangelicals about Mitt Romney's Mormon faith. It states that "half of white evangelicals don't believe that Mormons are Christians" and that many are dubious about Romney's inconsistent position on "social issues like gay rights and abortion". In light of this information, it is interesting to see how Gingrich and the other candidates will fare in the upcoming primaries where Evangelicals play a large role. It seems as if the GOP race has been blown wide open... again!

Special thanks to: http://www.npr.org/2011/12/08/143361304/why-some-evangelicals-back-thrice-wed-gingrich

Romney Agrees to Release Tax Returns

2012-01-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

After a clear defeat by Gingrich in South Carolina's primary, Mitt Romney agreed release his tax returns this upcoming week.
He considers his delay in release "a mistake" and "a distraction." Romney is one of the most affluent presidential candidates in history, and of his pledge to release his tax returns, Gingrich comments "I think that's a very good thing he's doing," and "we can go on and talk about other bigger and more important things."
The two candidates now face the Florida primary on January 31st.

Record Highs for Gas Prices

2012-01-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Although there is "ample" supply and decreasing demand for gasoline, gas prices are at "their highest levels ever for this time of year." Gas prices are predicted to remain high until tensions in the Persian Gulf are relieved, where Iran has threatened to "close the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. and other countries impose more sanctions on its nuclear program." Although Iran provides 2.2 million barrels per day to other parts of the world, Iran imports are prohibited in the United States, and such stress has left crude oil prices at about $100 per barrel.
National gas averages are up approximately $0.17 from last month, and locations such as California pay the highest prices while portions of the Midwest boast the lowest prices.
Due to such increased prices, demand for gasoline and oil has declined. This week, Hovensa LLC "announced plans to close a major refinery in the U.S. Virgin Islands next month that produced about 350,000 barrels per day" due to losses of "$1.3 billion over the past three years" and predicted continual losses.
Although paying more and more at pumps is not something people enjoy, perhaps increased gas prices harbor a little good news as well. Because the cost of driving is becoming more expensive, people are finding ways to consume less gas, whether it be by switching to a more fuel-efficient vehicle, carpooling with others, taking public transportation, or the likes. These all have positive impacts on the environment and our pollution emissions. Also, because of decreased demand, the closing of refineries, such as the one in the Virgin Islands, holds positive impacts for the environment as well.

The South Carolina Primary Results

2012-01-21T21:16:00.001-08:00

RESULTS: South Carolina

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES/CAUCUSES

President Barack Obama is running unopposed in the South Carolina Democratic primaries and will likely receive all delegates.

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY January 21, 2012

Open primary: 25 total delegates* (reduced from 50 delegates due to RNC penalty)
All 25 tied to January 21 primary

Barack Obama

Awarded all delegates

Democratic candidate President Barack Obama is running uncontested in this race, and is expected to receive all delegates.**

Race	Status	Candidate	Votes	Vote %	Del*	Est. % In
South Carolina Updated 8:58 p.m. EST, Jan 21, 2012 County: Table \| Map Exit Poll		Gingrich	243,398	40%	23	99% reporting
		Romney	167,957	28%	0	99% reporting
		Santorum	102,213	17%	0
		Paul	78,093	13%	0

Full South Carolina Republican Exit Poll »

VOTE BY GENDER

VOTE BY AGE

51%	49%	9%	19%	45%	27%

Men	Women	18-29	30-44	45-64	65 and Older

Republican Results by County

Newt Gingrich Crawls Back

2012-01-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Despite his poor rankings from the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary, it appears candidate Newt Gingrich has pulled back to the forefront of the race following his victory in the South Carolina Primary.

Gingrich attributes his win to his performance in recent debates. Though attacked by negative ads from other candidates, in subjects including his controversial "open marriage" proposal to his ex-wife, he pulled through with cheers and applause. As he remarked, he did not need to spend sums of money in advertising to win a primary; it was his ideas that counted.

Endorsed by Rick Perry and Sarah Palin, the former Alaskan governor, Gingrich attracted votes from many conservatives and religious citizens. In addition, exit polls indicated that he was backed by those concerned with the economy: 42% who picked Gingrich to the 28% who voted for Romney. It appears economic policy is just as important as the moral and ideological values candidates wish to bring to office. This game-changing victory may well aid Gingrich in Florida, where he next prepares to embark upon a series of campaigns.

Legislative Immunity: Necessary Protection or Unfair Advantage?

2012-01-21T15:20:00.000-08:00

In Arizona, repeal of a little privilege called legislative immunity has been brought up. Essentially, legislative immunity bars "the arrest of legislators during, and 15 days before, legislative sessions," with the exceptions of "treason, felony or breach of the peace."
Last year, then-Senator Scott Bundgaard was involved in a fight with his girlfriend on the side of a freeway. The fight left both of them with cuts and bruises. When police arrived and handcuffed Bundgaard, Bundgaard asserted his position as a legislator and, alluding to the constitutional provision of legislative immunity, insisted they remove his handcuffs. Bundgaard spent that night at his house, free from arrest, while his girlfriend spent that night in jail. Although his girlfriend was later deemed the victim in the case, Bundgaard would have been "arrested on possible domestic violence charges and suspicion of DUI on the night of the incident if not for the immunity law."
There have been other cases, too. A legislator in Arksansas leads officers on a "high-speed chase through two counties and doesn't get taken into custody." A Georgia lawmaker says he "couldn't be prosecuted on a DUI charge."
However, some believe reaction to legislative immunity has been too quick and impulsive. Does legislative immunity protect our legislators and help ensure their best performance in sessions or does it give them an unreasonable privilege?

What to Expect for the State of the Union Address

2012-01-21T13:59:00.000-08:00

President Obama's State of the Union address is scheduled for Tuesday of next week, and it is intended to not only address the country's primary issues, but to also create some political momentum for the presidential race. In his presidential preview, President Obama states that the "central mission we have as a country" is to "rebuild the economy." This issue was mentioned before in the last State of the Union address and the main focus was on creating jobs. In this address, President Obama seems to be stressing equality, and making equal opportunities for individuals to succeed in the current economy, "not just the wealthy few". The address is stated to discuss President Obama's "blueprint" for creating such opportunities, which will consist of more "made in America" jobs, "homegrown" and "alternative" energy, "skills for American workers," and a "return to American values". Expect these topics to be mentioned for the better part of the address, especially the "return to American values," which President Obama cites as the most important topic.

3 Important Numbers

2012-01-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

As the talk regarding elections, candidates, and the next president continues, I came across this article that I found to be very interesting (link is the title). In essence, this article addressed three numbers that are play prominent roles in determining the next president.
The first of the three numbers is the unemployment rate. Citizens will want to keep a president in office for a second term if he seems to be doing great things in terms of reducing unemployment and creating jobs and will perhaps want to more carefully consider other candidates if there seems to have been stagnant growth or even negative growth under the rule of the current president.
The second number is the price of gas. As someone who drives, I can relate to the importance this number plays in many people's lives. For some, commute is inescapable and perhaps a daily undertaking. This number directly impacts our lives on a day-to-day basis, so increased prices throughout a presidency can potentially foreshadow changes in the way citizens vote.
Finally, the third number is the Dow Jones average. I remember a mention about how the president has very little control over the economy, but what happens to the economy directly impacts the way voters view the president.

Southern Republican Debate

2012-01-20T22:19:00.000-08:00

The four remaining GOP presidential candidates, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul face off at the CNN debate in Charleston.

It is said that this years S.C primary set a new standard for the backhand attacks towards each runner of the Presidential election. Mere hours before the voting was to occur, major news hit. As stated in a previous post, Rick Perry withdrew and started backing Gingrich while Gingrich's second wife, Marianne, unveiled a story of how Gingrich initially wanted an "open" marriage. This then led to Gingrich attacking the media. All this within hours of the S.C. primary. While Republicans are typically and hastily labeled as conservative, it's a whole new game when the presidency is on the table. This all goes back to how candidates are portrayed by the media and by the limited speeches and interviews shown to the public. With all this in mind, I wonder who's going to win the primary. I guess we shall see the results soon enough.

iPad 2 Scam

2012-01-19T21:13:00.001-08:00

In Vancouver, up to ten fake iPads have been sold in Best Buy and in Future Shop stores. Investigations are beginning, but as of now, it is believed that the robbers bought the original iPads, replaced the iPads with carefully measured clay amounts, resealed the packaging, and returned the fake products to the stores to be in turn sold to other customers. Spokesman for Future Shop Elliott Chun expresses the seriousness with which Future Shop approaches this matter, as it diminishes the company's integrity and reputation.
Why do you think people have chosen to resort to such measures to gain some money? Does the economy have anything to do with it?

Bye Bye to Mega Upload

2012-01-19T20:08:00.000-08:00

The beloved MegaUpload, a popular file-sharing site, has been taken down as the Department of Justice attempts to curve the amount of piracy that goes on as well as put a stop to the not-so-hidden copyright infringements that go on within the internet. MegaUpload is just the beginning of the shutdowns to occur. Thus far, there have been 4 arrests, 18 domain seizures as well as a recovery of $50 million dollars worth of assets. Out of the 7 MegaUpload operators, 3 are still being searched for as well as speculation that popular rapper Swizz Beatz is the CEO of MegaUpload.

Personally, I believe this takes away much of the appeal of the internet. Slowly more and more sites will go down. No longer is everything within a click of the mouse. I suppose we should have seen this coming; there were signs. Within the past year, YouTube, a popular video sharing site, has also cracked down on copy right laws with many videos being taken down due to improper crediting of music, video clips, etc. Perhaps they foresaw this occurring. What's going to happen to Limewire? Torrent? What are we going to do now guys?

2012-01-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

Rick Perry Is Out, Backing Newt Gingrich

Deuces!!!!

Governor Rick Perry has recently suspended his campaign for the GOP presidential nominee. His decision is no surprise in light of the dwindling support he has garnered over the past months. Based on recent polls, Perry was projected to have around 6% of South Carolina's votes, behind Romney, Gingrich, Santorum, and Paul. Although Perry will no longer make an impact on the GOP nomination, he had his fair share of noteworthy moments and controversies while his campaign was still active. In remembrance of the Texas governor, here are some of Rick Perry's most memorable moments.

Colbert to Run for President

2012-01-18T22:34:00.000-08:00

Following the successful transfer of his super PAC to Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert announced last Thursday his intention to run for President of the United States of South Carolina.

Comedian and host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," the inspired candidate decided to join the race after polls revealed he could potentially trump Huntsman in the South Carolina GOP Primary. To do so, however, he was first required to relinquish control of his super PAC, a Political Action Committee capable of raising unlimited amounts of money for advertising candidate ideals and values. As lawyer and former Federal Election Committee Chairman Trevor Potter explained, so long as Colbert does not "coordinate" with Stewart, the "Definitely Not Coordinating with Stephen Colbert Super PAC" may legitimately operate.

Under Stewart's leadership, the super PAC, also dubbed "Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow" ran ads attacking the negativity of other campaigns and endorsing a presidential candidate, one of which included a clip of Colbert slowly smiling to patriotic music over a period of twenty seconds. Through these ads, Stewart and Colbert effectively satirized other super PACs, which have contributed millions of dollars for GOP candidacies and sparked a controversy over their unlimited funding.

Unfortunately, as the state of South Carolina does not allow write-ins on the ballot nor accept candidates later than the November 1st deadline, the super PAC instead extended endorsements to Herman Cain, whose name shall appear on the ballot despite his earlier withdrawal from the race.

U.S Involvement in Syria?

2012-01-18T21:39:00.002-08:00

Bashar al-Assad, Syria's leader, slowly dwindles as the war against the Syrian government rages on. For about a year now, people all over Syria have been protesting against the Syrian government calling for change. Leader al-Assad has been beside himself about what to do; many calling him "as delusional now as when the protests began". With a scarce number of loyal people left, al-Assad has turned to increased violence and oppression toward the increasing number of protesters. The international human rights organization states that it's "to be one of the worst in the Middle East."

After 10 months al-Assad continues in attempt to save what is left of his regime, his recent speech called on loyalists to continue their support and not to lose faith.

"Assad will fight to the end simply because he cannot even conceive of his end."

As the oppression continues, U.S as well as the international community question what role they should take in this. So far, they have continued their economic sanction, not getting directly into the middle of things which is surprising as that seems to be a trend of the United States, getting in between the affairs of other countries. Although the sanctions have lowered the Syrian economy, it has not lowered the violence or oppression.

Do you guys think U.S. should get more involved?

The South Carolina Primary-- Game Changer?

2012-01-18T21:28:00.000-08:00

With just days 'til the South Carolina primary, many are questioning the lead Mitt Romney has on the other GOP candidates. A recent poll shows that, although Romney does still have his lead, his days are numbered. Newt Gingrich is catching.

"A CNN/Time/ORC International poll indicates that 33% of likely South Carolina Republican primary voters say they are backing Romney, with 23% supporting Gingrich. The former Massachusetts governor's 10 point advantage over the former House speaker is down from a 19 point lead two weeks ago. According to the survey, former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is at 16%, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is at 13%, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry stands at 6%."

Many say that Newt Gingrich has a new momentum unlike the others. What do you guys think? Will this primary be a game-changer?

Tpumps Raises Prices

2012-01-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

As many of you may know, the popular drink store in San Mateo downtown, Tpumps, has increased its prices. From a previous $2.00 price for a regular sized 24-oz drink and a $2.50 price for a "pumpbo" 36-oz sized drink, Tpumps now charges $2.50 for the regular and $3.50 for the 36-0z, $0.50 and $1.00 price increases respectively.
So why the increase in price? One explanation may stem from the business perspective. Since opening in the summer of 2011, Tpumps has become a largely popular destination. The unique drinks they boast combined with their relatively cheaper prices as compared with other stores downtown has earned Tpumps lots of business. Perhaps due to the vastness of demand and the limit of supply, increasing prices could maximize profits for the store.
Another explanation could be the need to increase prices due to costs of supplies, ingredients, and other operating costs. At $2.71 (with tax) for the 36-0z drink, Tpumps was relatively inexpensive for the size of beverage offered. Raising prices may have been necessary to maintain the revenue generated by the store.
With this new price increase, will customers continue to support Tpumps? For some, the dollar increase on a drink previously only $2.50 could perhaps serve as an incentive to no longer purchase from them. However, the question may boil down to elasticity of demand. Is Tpumps a necessity or a luxury? Are there substitute goods? What proportion of income does it constitute? Is demand elastic or inelastic? The answers to these questions will most probably differ for each person. For some, demand will be elastic, and for others, such as Alice Zheng, demand will range more on the inelastic side.
Personally, I will most likely continue to buy drinks from Tpumps but perhaps with a little less frequency. How do you think Tpumps's new prices will affect its business?

Leap Seconds: An Inefficient Use of Time?

2012-01-18T15:38:00.000-08:00

For years, governments have debated eliminating leap seconds, seconds added at inconsistent intervals in order to compensate for the wobble in Earth's rotation. Leap seconds prevent atomic clocks from surpassing solar time. However, critics are increasingly advocating for the elimination of these seconds.
First off, critics argue that eliminating leap seconds would allow for a more "steady" time and would strip systems such as air traffic control systems and financial markets of the hassle of having to stop their clocks for a second or two every few years. Judah Levine of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Colorado insists that while clocks may be paused, "the world doesn't stop." Critics also reference world time differences in support of the eradication of leap seconds, arguing that leap seconds occur at varying times throughout the day based on geographic location, rendering them even more cumbersome. GPS systems do not calculate leap seconds, and leap seconds are difficult to predict more than six months ahead of time.
However, countries such as China and Canada have voiced concern regarding the elimination of leap seconds. Others worry about detaching the connection between atomic time and solar time. In fact, elimination of leap seconds would cause atomic time to advance ahead of solar time at a rate of approximately 90 seconds per century. After thousands of years, atomic and solar time would be severely disconnected from each other.

2012-01-18T00:17:00.000-08:00

Romney part of the 1%

Under pressure from the public and media, Romney disclosed his tax return rate was somewhere around 15%. "By his own admission, Mr. Romney ranks among the tiny percentage of very wealthy Americans who have benefitted enormously from a broad shift in federal tax policy that began in the 1990s and accelerated under President George W. Bush, in which income from investments began to be taxed at much lower levels than the wages and salaries that constitute most earnings for the vast majority of people." This admission doesn't bode well for Romney as he is sure to lose any support he had from individuals that identify with the 99% group and probably many people who are unhappy with paying taxes. President Obama, on the other hand, "paid an effective federal tax rate of just over 26 percent on his 2010 returns." This admission could turn the election in Obama's favor for what is predicted to be a close race. Is this the start of Romney's downfall?

2012-01-17T21:25:00.000-08:00

Wikipedia Closes its Doors for the next 24 Hours
I apologize, sort of, for my flurry of posts today, but the past 24 hours has been quite a noteworthy day for news. In light of the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act), Wikipedia has chosen to raise awareness about the bills, which will be voted on by the senate on January 24, by blocking access to its vast database for the next 24 hours. Concern among these acts is quite apparent online, and even Google has attempted to raise awareness by fashioning a black censorship banner over its flagship logo. While these acts are meant to crack down on piracy, there is concern that the passing of these bills will give government power to censor the web and take down websites on a whim. Personally, I applaud Wikipedia for taking a stand in this issue, which reveals the massive influence of the web and how it can greatly affect government and politics. Unfortunately if you want to learn more about SOPA and PIPA, you may have to dig around a bit since, you know, Wikipedia is not operational...Oh wait Wikipedia conveniently provides a link explaining the acts and its effects (along with the artices on SOPA and PIPA) here!

Here is another reading on the Wikipedia shutdown:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/with-sopapipa-blackout-some-rest-for-the-wikied/2012/01/17/gIQATE6Y6P_story.html?tid=pm_lifestyle_pop

Wikipedia Blacks Out

2012-01-17T21:09:00.001-08:00

In a world where information is freely distributed and accessible, it is difficult for a majority of Americans to imagine life with a censored Internet. Wikipedia is but one of many sites to demonstrate such an inconvenience. For 24 hours from now, it intends to black out along with Reddit and more in protest of two Congressional bills, SOPA and PIPA.

The Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act were intended to combat the piracy of movies, music, and other intellectual property, a continuing problem that has cost the entertainment industry billions of dollars. Unfortunately, critics claim, the bills may not do as much good as harm. Not only would websites that shared digital content, including Youtube, Tumblr, and other social media sites, be subject to lawsuits, but search engines could be required to remove links to offending sites, effectively wiping them from the face of cyberspace.

Internet giants from Wikipedia to Google have voiced their concerns. Even White House representatives, including the U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, have responded to petitions: “While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.”

Despite the attacks, authors of the bill made statements against the protest. As Rep. Lamar Smith claims, “It is ironic that a website dedicated to providing information is spreading misinformation about the Stop Online Piracy Act.” He criticized Wikipedia for “promoting fear instead of facts.”

Are Wikipedia and information sites truly doing a disservice to the world, or is their message worth spreading?

"The Obamas"

2012-01-17T21:05:00.001-08:00

"Daily Show" host Jon Stewart commented on the very controversial book "The Obamas" by Jodi Kantor. There has been much controversy over the accuracy of the things mentioned in the book. Having no interviews with the Obamas' themselves, people are skeptical when reading the book.

Jon Stewart, having recently read the book, comments on his show saying that "I'm surprised at the controversy because the book seems to portray Michelle Obama as a complex yet human individual struggling with this unbelievable situation yet remaining the moral compass and center of an administration trying to find its footing."

Again, due to the convoluted ways of the media, they have, once again, twisted the book into an un-needed controversy about the relationship between husband and wife, as well as husband, wife, and aides.

My question to you is would you read this book? If so, would you find it credible in it's claims?

2012-01-17T20:45:00.000-08:00

"Helpless Asian Man Attacked and Jumped by 7 others"

If anyone has been on youtube or facebook lately, you might have heard of or seen this video which has actually been removed by many sites due to the vulgarity and violence depicted. Pictured above is just a glipse of what occurs in the video, which consists of 7 delinquents mercilessly beating up an Asian student targeted because of his race. To make matters worse, the original upload date of this video was yesterday, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a time where equality is meant to be recognized and celebrated. Now reportedly, at least one of the perpetrators has been arrested, as depicted here. Based on many youtube and blog comments, the hate directed towards these malicious individuals is quite apparent, but in light of MLK day do you think we should be a little more forgiving? Martin Luther King Jr. chose to take the high road during the civil rights movement, a time of much violence, tension, and hate. By stooping down to the levels of these delinquents and wishing harm upon them, it shows that we are no better than them, which seems to be a disservice to the late reverend. In light of MLK day, I hope this video will unify us as a nation under the goal to end hate and bigotry rather than to incite more anger and alienation.

This is the only working link to the "Helpless Asian Man" video that I am aware of.
Warning: NSFW. The images in this video may be disturbing. There are also abundant profanities and racial slurs.

U.S. Drone Returned...But Miniature-Sized

2012-01-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

In December, the United States' RQ-170 Sentinel drone was captured by the Iranian government. The U.S. government insisted the drone was in operation over East Afghanistan and came down only due to "technical malfunction."
President Obama called for the drone to be returned, but on December 11th, the Iranian government made it clear they would not comply with President Obama's request with regards to the United States' "hostile act" of impeding upon Iranian airspace.
Now, the Iranian government has agreed to return the drone but only a miniature version that is 1/80th the size of the original. The miniature version will also be available for Iranian customers to purchase at stores for the United States' currency equivalent of $4.00.
Hillary Clinton, the United States' Secretary of State, admits that even with the formal request, "we do not expect [Iran] to comply."

2012-01-17T15:26:00.000-08:00

South Carolina Republican Debate Debrief: Gingrich's Janitor Comments Racist?

Newt Gingrich received a standing ovation at yesterday's South Carolina GOP debate for his comments about poor individuals, sparked by Juan Williams, one of the moderators for the debate. Williams questioned whether Gingrich's assertion that poor people lack worth ethic and should work as janitors seemed "at a minimum, as insulting to all Americans but particularly to Black Americans." Gingrich then fires back by explaining that his daughter worked as a janitor at 13 years of age and viewed the job as rewarding. He also elaborates by explaining that New York janitors receive an "absurd amount of money because of the union" which could be given to 30 kids who would pocket money, learn responsibility, and become much less likely to drop out of school. Gingrich concludes his argument by promising to truly aid the poor so they can "learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn someday to own the job."
However, Gingrich's statements such as calling president Obama, the "food stamp president" and that the poor "lack work ethic" seem to be insensitive, as pointed out by Juan Williams who points out that Americans are concerned that his comments appear "intended to belittle the poor and racial minorities." Although Gingrich won the support of the South Carolina Republican crowd, it seems far less likely that his views will win as much support in less conservative regions. Based on his comments, is Gingrich coming off as an insensitive,stereotypical conservative or a realist who genuinely wants the poor to succeed?

French Couple Prosecuted For Naming Their Son After A Vampire

2012-01-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

French Couple Sued For Naming Son After A TV Character

This is just an interesting tidbit I found while browsing the web. To sum it up, a French couple was sued for naming their newborn son after Damon, a character from the CW series The Vampire Diaries, on the grounds that the name was satanic and "contrary to [the child's] interests". Fortunately for the couple, the charges were dropped.

I found this story pretty amusing, and insightful to the differing definition of 'acceptable actions' in foreign societies. I also thought this story was a good example of the varying levels of governmental interference in citizens' personal lives.

Rising Gas Prices Have A Silver Lining

2012-01-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

According to AAA Motors, America has rung in 2012 with record high January gas prices, with some areas pricing gas reaching nearly $5/gallon, though the national average remains well below $5, at $3.39/gallon. With Iran's recent threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, a "critical shipping lane" which passes millions of oil barrels a day, countries of high demands of oil, like China, India, and Brazil, have been on edge. Kyle Cooper, director of research at IAF Advisors, does not expect gas prices to fall in the coming months.

Yet, there may be a silver lining in this gas price dilemma. Some experts believe that this recent increase in gas prices is a reflection of the slight reprieve in the U.S economy. Where there is economic recovery, there is increased spending/travel, and where there is increased travel, there is a increase in demands for gas. (Higher demand tends to hike up gas prices.)

Although these rising gas prices may reflect positively on the American economy, it's unnerving to think of how gas-dependent our country is. Even though car companies are working to develop more effective electric/hybrid cars, the fact of the matter is, the majority of American transportation runs on gas. Hopefully we'll become less gas-dependent in the near future..

Evangelicals Support Santorum

2012-01-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, the evangelical leaders met in Texas to deliberate and decide whom they are going to support. At first, the religious leaders were divided among Perry, Gingrich, and Santorum. However, Santorum’s group persuaded the leaders that the former senator from Pennsylvania has been defending their religious values and that unity is important.

While opponents questioned the support for Santorum, the religious leaders explained that they chose him because they believed he could beat Romney and Obama.

Upon learning the religious leaders’ support, Santorum wanted to turn their support into concrete votes. He also wanted to use this endorsement to raise more funds. This evangelical support would help his team plan future efforts and ways to approach the South Carolina Primary. This would allow them to spend more in South Carolina without worrying on running out of money in Florida.

Many of the evangelical leaders are planning to join and bring in volunteers to South Carolina to help Santorum. Local church leaders would also ask their parishioners to seek support by doing phone calls and sending out emails. Hogan Gidley, senior advisor to Mr. Santorum, said, “Once that switch is flipped, the conservative community activates like no other.”

However, other conservative candidates especially Gingrich continued to seek support. He argued that he is better than Gov. Romney because he has more experience and would represent a break with status quo. He said, “If you want peaceful, pleasant managing the decay, I’m the wrong person. What I stand for is such a disruption in the Washington establishment.” Santorum and Gingrich are now competing to get the full support of the conservative block. Gingrich tended to dominate debates with his one- liner arguments, while Mr. Santorum until recently was ignored.

Santorum is planning to connect to South Carolinians in a more personal way. He is also going to use a class- based argument against Gov. Romney. He said that he has “a much better chance of winning those states than an executive from Bain Capital.”

Now, all they have to do is to convince the voters to unite behind Santorum. But as long as Gingrich and Perry are in the race, Santorum will have a problem achieving unified conservative voters.

What do you guys think about this new support for Santorum? Can this help him win South Carolina and other primaries? Or the conservative group is too dispersed to bring him votes? Will Gingrich and Perry quit the race?

Zappos Hacked

2012-01-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Last night, (1/15) some 24 million accounts from the online shoe store Zappos were exposed after a mass hack. However, the company reported that it would be unlikely for the hackers to take the time to unlock all the password encryptions. Fortuneately, however, the hackers did not access the database that stores customer credit card information.

Although this hacker-scare isn't serious in comparison to other hacking events cited in the article, like the Sony hack which led to 77 million stolen credit cards, this incident acts as a clear reminder of the dangers of stored information. With all that information stored in a single database, the ramifications of a leak in security are immense. In fact the article states that "despite recent ramped-up efforts to protect against unauthorized entry into companies' systems, hacks have only increased in number and in scale."

The article also mentioned the negative PR affects of hacking incidents. Imagine working hard to gradually build trust and respect among customers, only to have your business' reputation marred by a single incident. In this way, security-breach incidents can destroy a company's image, effectively reducing business and, in severe cases, driving a business to extinction. Once an event like a hacking incident is announced to the public, it's impossible to take back. And because hacking events aren't common, customers are more likely to remember the few incidents they are aware of. (The reputation effect is comparable to that of the Wendy's finger chili incident.)

http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/16/technology/zappos_hack/index.htm?iid=HP_LN

2012-01-16T01:10:00.000-08:00

Spin in the Presidential Race

A report by economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman talks about how presidential candidates and the media can spin data into their favor, in this example, Mitt Romney. Romney claims that under Obama's term, there has been a net loss of 2 million jobs. While this technically may be true, Romney fails to take into account the fact that Obama was handed a nation that was rapidly losing jobs. After Obama passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, job loss in America began to slow and eventually in the spring of 2010, jobs began to be created. Romney uses spin to try to gain the upper-hand, hoping his spin reaches the uneducated individuals in America. Personally, I find the use of spin and unfair attacks during presidential races both disgraceful and disgusting. Is there any way to stop this sort of spin? Are people just going to have to start getting more curious and do more reading and researching?

One man down in the GOP race

2012-01-16T00:54:00.000-08:00

Jon Huntsman Jr., former governor of Utah, has withdrawn himself from the race for the Republican presidential nomination today. It is no surprise that Huntsman has not been doing very well at the Republican presidential race especially after finishing third in the New Hampshire primary. Huntsman had spent lots of time in his campaign in New Hampshire, but still his efforts were not enough. Even in South Carolina were he tried to get a boost, he still placed at the bottom of the South Carolina polls.

Coming into the Republican presidential race, Huntsman had already a disadvantage since he entered the race in June, much after many of his Republican rivals. Huntsman was forced to compete with rivals like Romney who had already created campaign organizations and fundraising networks. It did not help that he served as Obama’s first ambassador to China either. Even though he resigned, some Republican voters viewed his work in the Obama administration skeptically. In addition, Huntsman was behind his rivals in fundraising; his campaign had around $3.1 million debts by September.

Since the beginning of his campaign, Huntsman had tried to differentiate himself from the other candidates. Later he tried to draw sharp contrast between himself and Romney. Which is why I find it curious that after his announcement that he will drop out of the race, his spokesman stated to The New York Times that Huntsman will endorse Mitt Romney at an event in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Now that the Republican candidates will have to split the vote, who do you think will most benefit from Huntsman dropping from the race? Will Huntsman support for Romney help him win South Carolina?

Scientist Killing Blamed to U.S. and Israel

2012-01-15T21:01:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday, a magnetic bomb attached to his car killed Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and his driver. He was the third Iranian scientist to be killed in the last two years.

A top Iranian general accused the U.S. and Israel of these killings and promoting “state terrorism.” Brig. Gen. Massoud Jazayeri, deputy chairman of Iran’s Chief of Staff, said, “Iran will hold the U.S., Britain and the Zionist regime accountable for their actions.” He also added that these assassinations would not stop their progress on creating strategic technologies.

The top cleric, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was blaming the CIA and Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency. He said that the scientist’s death showed “the global arrogance spearheaded by the U.S. and Zionism has reached a deadlock in confrontation with the determined, devout and progressive nation of Islamic Iran.” He warned, “We shall persist in punishing the perpetrators of this crime, as well those supporting them behind the scenes."

Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also accused Israel as “agents of imperialism and international Zionism.” Other top officials also blamed the U.S. and Israel. Both of these countries have charged Iran of making a nuclear bomb, which the latter denied.

Moreover, a newspaper aligned with Khamenei argued that Iran should be able to use its power to retaliate. They are calling for the government to respond to these assassinations, suggesting of targeting Israeli officials.

Iran’s ambassador to UN, Mohammad Khazaee believed that these killings are a way to stop Iran from using nuclear energy. Iran insisted that they are producing civilian energy and not some deathly weapons. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency, UN’s nuclear watchdog, reported that Iran conducted weapon related research and that they cannot assure its stability.

On the other hand, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded to these accusations by denying that U.S. was “categorically” behind the killings. Furthermore, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assured the troops that U.S. was not involved.

I think that both countries are in a brink of conflict right now. The negotiations and peace talks between the U.S government and Iranian government have not been going well. U.S. has imposed economic sanctions to Iran, resulting to high inflation. I hope that this war of words would not turn into something bigger and more serious.

Titanic in Italy?

2012-01-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you've all heard about the Costa Concordia's crash, which has now been spread all over the web. The ship was on a trip around the Mediterranean when it hit a reef near the Isola del Giglio off the coast of Italy. The crashed cruise ship is being compared to the Titanic, which I found to be interesting. Although, the results were not nearly as catastrophic- 8 people were found dead, less than 50 missing people and around 30 injured people. However, the captain of the cruise ship was charged with manslaughter for abandoning ship, locals had to house many of the cruise ship passengers, 4,000 people on the coast of Italy had to be evacuated and total costs have not been determined. What do you guys think about the crash? Do you think the costs will at all effect us, that the captain should have been charged for manslaughter?

Racing Ron Paul

2012-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

The big posing question right now regarding Ron Paul, is why is he still in the race if his chances of winning or so extremely low? Despite Paul's has development of a solid following as a result of running for president four years ago and considerably higher polls than in '08---it is nearly impossible to imagine Paul gaining a lot of support across the nation he needs to take over Romney in the upcoming primaries and caucuses because of his extreme right views. For example, similar to Thomas Jefferson, he won't pass any laws unless it's explicitly allowed in the constitution. So again, why is he still in the race? Well for one, Ron Paul certainly has a better chance to win the nomination at this point then, say, Rick Perry or Jon Huntsman and those two candidates remain in the race. In addition, Paul seems to find himself making arguments that other GOP candidates didn't make - eliminating 5 cabinet level departments, and cutting defense spending, so either way in the end, nomination or not, Paul seems to have real conviction, and obviously, hopes he will have influence in changing the status quo in American politics. Personally, I think that Paul should drop out though, since he doesn't have very much national support and since he is already 76 he won't be running again anyway. There's also speculation that he's going to tamper with the race, which personally I'm not in favor of---there's been rumors that he might dump the Republican Party and run as a third party president, given that he ran as a member of the Libertarian Party during his 1988 campaign (which was a bust). Or, maybe he really is a Libertarian, but is just running with the G.O.P so he can have more ideological influence, and so Obama doesn't win a second term-if he ran in a third party would benefit Obama. So what are your opinions?

Russian Space Craft Crashes in Pacific

2012-01-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_RUSSIA_FALLING_SPACECRAFT?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

A Russian space probe launched on November 9th and destined for one of Mars' moons, Phobos, became trapped in Earth's orbit and crashed crashed across a large portion of the Earth, centering around Brazil and the Pacific Ocean. According to the article, this $170 million craft is reported to be "one of the heaviest and most toxic pieces of space junk ever to crash to Earth". However, researchers claim that much of the probe dissolved in the atmosphere during its descent. (When I read this portion of the article, a red flag went up immediately. Sounds like a massive understatement to me.) Who knows what type of long term damage space debris will cost the planet.

My questions are, how will space technologies affect the quality of life on Earth in the future?/What are the long term effects of space crashes on the environment? And are space programs really worth the time, effort, and resources we allot to them? Just food for thought.

Seeking Hispanic votes

2012-01-15T00:08:00.000-08:00

As the primary in January 31 is nearing, many of the republican candidates are shifting their attention to the Hispanic voters in Miami. Even though Rick Romney’s hard line on immigration may appear to cause him to have a disadvantage, he has already had endorsements from Hispanic-Republican leaders in Florida that can help him get support from the Hispanic voters. Although, his stance on immigration may hurt him especially with his plans to build a fence along the Southwest border and declaring to veto the DREAM ACT. In comparison, Perry has supported lower in-state tuition rates at universities in Texas for illegal immigrants. Gingrich has also stated that illegal immigrants that have worked, paid taxes, and made families in the US should be permitted to stay. Romney, however, still has an advantage because Hispanic Republicans tend to support Romney like many elderly Cuban-Americans who are voting by absentee ballot.

"Our main concern is not immigration, it's job creation and making sure the country is safe," said Nancy Acevedo of Winter Springs, chairwoman of the National Republican Hispanic Alliance, who backs Perry but also likes Romney. "There is huge support for Mitt Romney because people know him. He has been here before, and it makes a difference when people can put a name and a face together."

Obama, who is already preparing for his re-election campaign, has been attracting Hispanic leaders and revising rules to make it easier for family members of US citizens to avoid deportation and work legally in the United States. These new rules will save illegal immigrant relatives from having to return to their native country while trying to get permission to enter again on grounds of family hardship. The immigration issue is important in Florida since the state has the third largest number of illegal immigrant residents in the US with an estimate of 825,000.

The majority of Hispanics in Florida are Puerto Ricans and Cuban Americans who are either citizens or legal residents. Many of these voters are not affected much with the immigration debate and some are even resentful of those who enter illegally. Although, polls demonstrate that they tend to favor proposals that will provide a citizenship path for illegal immigrants.

I personally think that the fight over the immigration issue will be bigger in the general-election campaign, when whoever wins the republican nomination will face against President Obama.

Will Obama stand on immigration get the support he needs from the Hispanic voters? How much do you think the immigration issue will affect the republican candidates in Florida? Who do you think is likely to win the January 31 primary?

Economy expands, but slowly

2012-01-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

The Fed said the economy grew at a modest rate from late November to December due to holiday sales, increased demand for services, and oil and gas extraction. However, permanent job remains limited, while no sign of improvement in the housing market.

Although the economy continues to fair slightly better than last year’s, that is still not enough to create a strong and quick change on employment. The unemployment rate dropped from 9.4% to 8.4% in December. William C. Dudley, New York Fed president, said, “outlook for unemployment is unacceptably high.”

However, the Fed said, “The combination of limited permanent hiring in most sectors and numerous active job seekers has continued to keep a lid on general wage increases.” This limited inflation and decreased pressure to raise prices. The Labor Department reported that 200,000 jobs were added last month and unemployment rate declined to its lowest since February 2009.

The Fed released a report late last November showing that economy grew in 11 of 12 districts due to gains in manufacturing and consumer spending. The Fed does not feel complacent with this modest surge in the economy as they consider more easing measures to monetary policy. The Federal Open Market Committee will meet this month in Washington to discuss whether to try new actions to lower borrowing cost. The policy makers will publish projections for federal funds rate and forecasts for economic growth, inflation, and unemployment.

On the other hand, the residential real estate market remained at low levels, with the rental market tightening in some areas. Most businesses also borrowed money for commercial mortgages.

Moreover, more consumers are borrowing money. “Credit increased by $20.4 billion, the biggest jump since November 2001, to $2.48 trillion.” Commercial and industrial loans have also increased to $1.34 trillion.

This continuing progress in the economy is encouraging, but it is still too early to celebrate. The economy seems to recover at a moderate pace in 2012.

Titanic Part II?

2012-01-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

Cruise Ship Runs Aground Off the Coast of Italy

Yesterday evening, a cruise ship called The Concordia crashed near the coast of Italy. The cruise was supposed to stop in Mediterranean ports, Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cagliariand Palermo, but the journey was cut short by a titanic-esque capsize. Officials are looking into the exact logistics behind the crash. Specifics are unclear at the moment, but prior to the crash, the ship was dangerously close to the shoreline and hit a sand bar, leaving a gaping 90 meter hole in the hull of the ship.

3 passengers have been reported dead, with several missing and several more injured. Fortuneately, however, the hospitable islanders are now housing the passengers. Nautilus International, a maritime employees union, calls this crash a "wake-up call to regulators", alluding to the massive increases in passenger capacity in luxury cruise ships. Meanwhile, the Italian captain of the boat has been arrested and is being accused of manslaughter abandoning ship.

I personally think this ship is a reflection of poor regulations and blind desire for glittering luxuries. People are so engrossed in modern technologies and luxuries that they aren't aware of/don't bother to care about the possible negative outcomes, such as this crash.

Food for thought: How will this crash affect future regulations in the cruise industry and beyond?

Casinos = new revenue for states

2012-01-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

Many eastern states are embracing gambling as a way to lure tourist into their states and raise revenue. In New York, a Malaysian company plans to build a convention center worth $4 billion and a casino on the border of New York City. Andre Cuomo, the New York governor, has declared that he will be working with the Genting Group, one of the world’s biggest and most profitable gambling companies, to transform the Aqueduct horse track into a megaplex that will include the nation’s largest convention center, numerous hotel rooms, and an expansion of a casino that began operating in October. Just last week, Genting’s new gambling parlor at the Aqueduct has made about $13 million, which puts the casino-race track on its way to making $ 676 million per year.

Other states are also excited about their casino plans in their state. Ohio is excited to see its first commercial casino this year that had been approved by the voters in 2009. Pennsylvania’s first casino that opened in 2006 is threatening to surpass Atlantic City as the nations’ second largest gambling center. States have accepted casinos for two reasons: the promise of new revenue and the possibility of more tourism.

"They are faced with tough decisions. They are in recession ... And we pay taxes far over and above normal taxes," said Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association.

However, experts are questioning whether the larger revenue bonanzas are realistic. They advise the states to be careful about giving up too much to bring casino projects in their states. In Nevada, its larger casinos have lost $4 billion in 2011 according to the state’s Gaming Control Board. Since the east gambling options have increased, Indian tribe owned casinos in Connecticut have declining revenues and there is a 30% decline in Atlantic City, which has lost many of their customers to new casinos in Philadelphia. This trend could deepen with new casinos being built New York and Massachusetts, since most people will travel less to gamble. This could also mean that the promise of new tourists could be unfulfilled since most of the casinos clients will come from locals taking revenue from other parts of the economy like recreation.

Governor Cuomo has said that he agrees that many convention centers have lost their money and that he has doubts of using public money for casinos since there is no assurance that they will bring new tourism. However, he also stated that in New York, the buildings will be funded and operated privately. As for competition, Genting is discussing possible grants for exclusivity.

Privacy Controversy Over High-Tech Police Scanners

2012-01-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

Here in the computer age, technology is changing every day. New GPS devices are invented, scanning technology is updated, and computerized databases ease our transition into the twenty-first century. But what if a technology that jeopardized your privacy was invented? According to G.W Schulz from the Center for Investigative Reporting, technologies such as these have already begun violating privacy rights of American citizens.

By using a high-tech scanning device, police are able to compile an electronic database of 550 million license plates that record both innocent and criminal drivers. (The scanning device is placed on the exterior of police patrol cars and snaps photos of passing cars' license plates, automatically inputting the plate, the time, and the location into the database.) When a license plate of interest is scanned in, the policeman/woman on duty is alerted by the database. In the past, police needed a solid reason to pull over a vehicle. But with this new technology, when any plate "of interest" is scanned, the police have the right to "take an interest in the vehicle" (which I assume means pull over the car.)

Although this new crime-fighting technology has the potential to stop wanted killers, bank robbers, drug suspects, and kidnappers, along with finding stolen cars, license-plate recognition software also has the power to violate the public's privacy--a highly sensitive and controversial issue. People like their privacy, which is understandable. But does the luxury of privacy really outweigh its opportunity cost? (The opportunity cost, in this situation, being an increase in efficient crime fighting.)

Personally, I'm on the fence on this one. On the one hand, nefarious criminals could be identified and apprehended more easily. But on the other hand.... it's a little shady, and slightly alarming, to have a huge compilation of innocent (and criminal) records floating around somewhere in the ether-world.

What do you guys think about cops using plate-recognition?

(here's the post I based this article on)

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/12/local-police-use-of-crime-fighting-scanners-arouses-privacy-concerns.html

U.S. Marines' Scandalous Video Sparked Outrage

2012-01-13T17:25:00.000-08:00

An amateur video taken with a cell phone showed four Marines urinating on dead Afghan bodies. Wearing their combat uniforms and carrying weapons, the Marines laughed and urinated on the three corpses, who were either Taliban fighters or civilians. One Marine in the video said, “Have a great day, buddy.”

Pentagon officials and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta vowed to investigate the incident. They said that the video was authentic and identified that the Marines were from the 3^rd battalion, 2^nd Marines, which is based at Camp Lejeune North Carolina. The men were scouts or snipers, members of an elite unit and served in Afghanistan last year.

Secretary Panetta called Afghan President Hamid Karzai to promise him of a scrupulous and comprehensive investigation. Karzai called the video “simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms."

The NATO- led coalition in Afghanistan also expressed their rage over the behavior of the U.S. Marines. They said the behavior “dishonors the sacrifices and core values of every service member representing the 50 nations of the coalition.”

Meanwhile, the scandalous video could jeopardize the prospective peace talks between the U.S. government and the Talibans. The video undermines the efforts of U.S. to quell the rebellion and win the support of the civilians. Although the Taliban spokesman condemned the video, there was no sign that they would disrupt the talks.

Panetta already ordered Marine Corps Gen. John Allen to start a thorough investigation. Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James Amos said that he had already ordered for a preliminary investigation.

Those who would be proven accountable could be prosecuted under Article 134 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for discrediting the Armed forces. They could also be charged of violating Article 92, which includes failure to obey an order and negligence of duty. Moreover, under military justice code, the four Marines’ commander could also be charged and punished if it is proven that the actions were tolerated.

This is not the first time that actions like this were done. In 2004, images of troops abusing prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq came to public attention. Furthermore, last 2010, American troops were charged of killing Afghan civilians and keeping their bodies as trophies.

Supreme Court: Ministerial Exception

2012-01-13T01:33:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court extended the principle of church-state separation in order to protect religious schools all over the nation from being sued for discrimination from teachers and school workers that are “ministers” of the faith. It was a unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court that confirmed that the Constitution included a “ministerial exception” which protects churches and church schools from unnecessary interference from the government and its courts.

Since the first amendment preserves the right to freely practice a religion, the Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. stated that a state will violate religious freedom if it forces a church and/or its schools to keep an undesired minister. Law Professor Rick Garnett from Notre Dame agrees saying that this ruling was an important church-state decision in decades. According to Garnett, the ruling protects religious freedom and prohibits governments from second guessing decisions from the religious communities about the teachers, leaders, and minister they hire. However, the ruling only applies to some of the church’s employees; specifically mostly applies to teachers that teach the faith.

In the case of Cheryl Perich from Michigan, she was fired from the Lutheran school she taught in. In 2004, she was diagnosed to have narcolepsy and so she took a break from teaching do to medical reasons. When she came back to the school she had a dispute with the school because they told her she was fired and had replaced her. Perich sued on allegations of violation of the American with Disabilities Act. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) agreed with her claims and sued the Lutheran church on her behalf. The EEOC and the lower courts took her position because there was no ministerial excerption in her case since she mostly taught math and reading and 45 minutes of her work time included religious activities.

However, Chief Justice Roberts disagreed, saying that Perich was indeed a commissioned minister since she received a special housing allowance that was only for employees that minister the faith. In addition her duties included guiding chapel services.

We conclude that Perich was a minister covered by the ministerial exception,” Roberts said, and therefore, she may not sue the church. “The 1st Amendment has struck the balance for us. The church must be free to choose those who will guide it on its way.”

Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Elena Kagan added that the “ministerial exception” also included Catholics, Jews, Muslim, and other religious faiths. In past years, the court had called upon the separation of state and church to force down laws by state that aided religious schools, but in this case, the court used the “free exercise” clause to rule against government interference with religion.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june12/scotus_01-11.html

No more Twinkies?

2012-01-12T15:31:00.000-08:00

Hostess Brands has return to chapter 11 bankruptcy. Hostess is a privately held company that sold numerous sweet treats which include the famous Twinkies, Drake’s snack cakes, and Wonder’s Pride bread. Just yesterday, the company filed for bankruptcy after three years of coming from a restructuring. Although, the company’s net revenue is about $2.5 billion on May 28, 2011, the net loss was posted to be $341 million. Now Hostess is struggling with their $860 million and higher expenses. In the court documents, Hostess states that the burdensome debt and labor cost, along with the weak economy, are some of the reasons they filed for bankruptcy.

Hostess has 100,000 creditors, which are composed mainly from labor unions and pension funds that represent the employees of the company. Around 80% of the employees belong to 12 separate unions which include particularly: International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Confectionery, and Grain Millers International Union. Hostess has stated that the pension, medical benefits, and “restrictive work rules” are cutting into the profit. They add that in May 28, 2011 they paid around $52 million in employees’ compensation claims.

The company wants to reach an agreement that will allow them to change the labor contracts so that they can get out of bankruptcy and provide secure jobs to their employees. If unable to reach an agreement, Hostess will have to ask the court to stop the existing agreement.

Twinkies lovers do not need to worry about no more Twinkies because even though the company filed for bankruptcy, they are still not disrupting the sale of the baked goods. A group of lenders, Silver Point Finance, has secured the financing of the bankruptcy of up to $75 million which will permit the company to continue operating its bakeries.

“With generations of loyal consumers, numerous iconic products and a talented and experienced work force, Hostess Brands has tremendous inherent strengths to build upon,” Mr. Driscoll [company’s president and chief executive] said.

This is not the first time Hostess has filed for bankruptcy. In 2004, the company filed for bankruptcy because of the rising labor cost and fluctuating prices of their ingredients. The management has wanted cuts, but they never made a deal with the unions. Now the company seeks to obtain new capital investment so that they can update their production and remove the multi-employer pension plans.

Guantanamo’s 10th Anniversary

2012-01-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

Under the Bush administration, the detention center at Guantanamo Bay was opened in 2002 to hold terrorism suspects. Since then, the camp has been bombarded by many controversies especially the issue on torture and the rights of the detainees. Ten years later, the center is still open and continues to operate.

To mark the facility’s 10^th anniversary last Wednesday, a coalition of human rights groups wearing orange jumpsuits and black hoods marched from the White House to the Supreme Court. The protestors wanted to represent the 171 detainees still held in Guantanamo’s detention camp, which once had 779 detainees.

Most of the protestors are affiliated to advocacy organizations such as Amnesty International USA, Center for Constitutional Rights, and Witness Against Torture. They demanded that the facility be closed. Omar Farah, one of the protestors from New York and a lawyer, said, “Most people don’t know who these people are. Part of this protest is getting their names out there, helping people to realize that it’s been 10 years for specific people.”

The protestors also condemned President Obama’s actions regarding the detention center. They were disappointed on the president’s failed efforts to close the camp. Tom Parker, policy director for terrorism for Amnesty International, said, “President Obama has failed to keep his promise. More people should be upset by this, more should be here.” The administration argued that Congress did not want to cooperate and blocked the transfer of the detainees.

On the last day of 2011, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for year 2012. This law, which is enacted every year, specifies the budget and expenditures of the Department of Defense. This year, it contains a provision entitled “Counter Terrorism,” which deals with detentions of suspected terrorists. It states that the Congress affirms the Presidential authority for indefinite detention. This has generated controversy as to the meaning of the act and the potential abuse of power. The demonstrators worried that this will add more detainees and deny them legal rights.

President Obama initially planned to veto the bill but failed to do so. Since the military spending due date was about to expire, he signed the bill after Congress made last- minute revisions. He said, “I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.”

Ten years after the first detainees were sent to Guantanamo, there is still no sign that the center will close.

Obama supports EPA

2012-01-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Obama supported the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which has been under attack by Republicans in Congress who declare that the EPA regulations are crippling the economy and killing jobs. In his first time visit to the EPA agency, Obama stated that he did not believe that one must choose between having clear air or clean water or a flourishing economy. Instead he called the EPA’s mission “vital.” According to Obama, protecting the environment is the right thing to do and it can in fact put people back to work. Obama reminds people of the years before EPA was established in 1970 as a time where rivers caught fires and were empty of life.

“When I hear folks grumbling about environmental policy, you almost want to do a ‘Back to the Future’ reminder of folks of what happened when we didn’t have a strong EPA,” Obama said, adding, “You have a president who is grateful for your work and will stand with you every inch of the way.”

During the Obama administration, the EPA has raised fuel economy standards for new cars and trucks, applied rules to curb mercury from coal fired plants, and even started regulating the heat trapping gases. Just last year Obama delayed the decision to build pipelines to bring tar sands oil from Canada and finalized the first standards to control toxic mercury pollution from power plants. However, Obama has had a lot of pressure from Republicans and industry groups to scale back his goal on the environment. There has been lots of political resistance from the GOP which was seen on the House of Representatives when the Republicans took over. The House has passed numerous bills to stop EPA rules, but all have failed in the Senate led by the Democrats. Faced by critics, Obama decided last September to go against strengthening the standard for the main ingredient in a lung damaging smog which went against what the EPA administration, Lisa Jackson, had advised.

Now that Obama is trying to get himself reelected, many of the Republican candidates have attacked Obama for the agency’s actions that are burdensome to business and diminish the chances of economic growth. Newt Gingrich has already proposed abolishing the EPA agency and replacing it with an “environmental solutions agency.” Rick Perry has also criticized the EPA for taking over the Texas air pollution program. Mitt Romney, on the other hand, has stated that he plans to remove carbon dioxide from the pollutant’s list and has proposed amending the environmental laws.

Will Obama continue defending the EPA mission even if it looks bad in a weak economy? Can Obama achieve courting both environmentalist and independents who share the GOP concerns without alienating one or the other?

2-0 for Romney predicts a victory in South Carolina?

2012-01-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

Being attacked as not a pure conservative and a heartless “corporate raider” did not stop Romney from finishing first, with a big margin of victory, in the New Hampshire Republican Primary. Speaking before the crowd, Romney declared, “Tonight, we made history.” Focusing on Obama, as always, Romney said to his opponents, “In the last few days, we have seen some desperate Republicans join forces with him [Obama]. This is such a mistake for our party and for our nation. This country already has a leader who divides us with the bitter politics of envy. We must offer an alternative vision.”

Days before the Primary, his Republican opponents seemed to have united on bringing him down. They questioned his work in Bain Capital, the private investment firm he co- founded and source of his wealth, and took out of its original context his remark: “I like to be able to fire people.”

Nonetheless, Romney garnered 39.4% of the votes last Tuesday. Santorum, Gingrich, and Perry were trailing far behind. With all the money he spent, Huntsman only finished third. On the other hand, Ron Paul continued to show a strong standing, with 22.8% of the overall vote.

However, many Republican candidates are hoping to turn the tides in the upcoming South Carolina Primary. Compared to Iowa and New Hampshire, this is a larger and more conservative state. Romney’s moderate views and Mormon faith may not be appealing to the voters. Only “14% of those who voted Tuesday said being a "true conservative" was the most important thing to them.” South Carolina is comprised of a large bloc of evangelical voters, who may pose some resistance against Romney. He also does not have a home- field advantage like in New Hampshire. Moreover, his rivals are more eager on attacking him than ever before. None of them are likely to back down. Huntsman, who is not fairing well, said, “I’d say third place is a ticket to ride. Hello, South Carolina!”

Still, Romney has some advantages. He has an edge in terms of funding, which is necessary as the primaries move toward larger states. Furthermore, most of his rivals only represent portions of the Republican base. For example, Paul appeals to independents while Santorum and Perry attract social conservatives. No one offers a “complete package.” Romney can also benefit a lot if the evangelicals and the tea party spit their votes.

Winning in South Carolina and Florida will be a great victory for Romney and will help him in moving ahead of the pack. But, it all depends on how he handles his opponents and uses his strengths.

Do you guys think that Romney will capture South Carolina? Will his not very conservative views and religion give him a tough time? Is his sole focus of removing Obama in office enough to carry him until November? *

*He said, “Nothing unites Republicans like these two words: Beat Obama."

Santorum ready for South Carolina

2012-01-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

After the close call in the Iowa caucus, Santorum seems to be betting his chances that he can win the votes in South Carolina. Sure, he disappointed Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary, but Santorum is pretty confident that he can regain the momentum he had in the Iowa caucuses when he almost won. Santorum may not have spend large amount of money in advertisements in New Hampshire which may explain part of the loss, however, Mitt Romney had a great lead in there even if Santorum had done television advertisements. His campaign guessed that even if Santorum had gained some percentage points, it would still not be worth spending money on advertisements in New Hampshire.

Since Iowa, Santorum has raised $3 million and has already put $ 1.5 million of the money in television ads in South Carolina where he feels he has a greater shot than he had in New Hampshire. Santorum top adviser and media strategist has said “the moderate voters of New Hampshire were not a natural constituency for Mr. Santorum… the campaign decided to compete [in South Carolina] because doing so offered priceless national media exposure without draining scarce resources.” The campaign has also stated that Santorum potential voters would go to Newt Gingrich if he did not compete in South Carolina. Gingrich already is the main competition for Santorum since he is the conservative alternative.

Santorum conservative messages come to his advantage in South Carolina while Romney and Huntsman Jr. explicit comments to appeal the moderates in New Hampshire will hurt their chances of winning by making it harder for them to appeal to conservative voters in South Carolina. Santorum definitely has a great advantage over the Romney in South Carolina because of the doubts that many evangelicals and Tea Party adherents have on Romney. In addition, Gingrich and Perry are calling Romney a “heartless job killer” in South Carolina that may hurt Romney chances, but may solidify Santorum possible win.

Do you believe that Santorum campaign has a bigger presence in South Carolina strong enough to beat the other candidates? Can South Carolina strong stand on the Mormon issue not be as strong as it once was enough to give Romney a chance to win? Can the economy issue prevail over the faith issue?

Romney beats Santorum by 8 votes

2012-01-04T00:29:00.000-08:00

In the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney won by an 8-vote victory over Iowa's Republican presidential caucuses. Romney had received 30,015 votes vs. Santorum's 30,007 votes. More than 122,000 straw ballots were cast which is a new record for Iowa Republicans. Coming in third place was Ron Paul, and fourth was Gingrich. Also, coming in fifth was Texas Governor Rick Perry, who told supporters he would "return home to reassess his candidacy." In sixth place was Minnesota Representative Michele Bachman who told reporters she would continue her campaign.

With results like this, my question to you all is do you think from this point that certain candidates like Bachman and Gingrich should drop out of the presidential race now? Or, do you think if they continue their campaigns, they still stand a chance to win the Republican Presidential Candidate race?

Cuts In Military Spending

2012-01-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

Leon E. Panetta, the Defense Secretary, is going to present his strategy to cut the Pentagon’s budget by hundreds of billions this week. He is expected to propose to shrink the size of the military to only be large enough to fight one ground war and conduct multiple other smaller operations. Pentagon officials are still debating on where the cuts will be made in almost every important area of spending. The idea is to eliminate $450 billion over the course of 10 years, which is about 8% of the current budget.

On top of the obvious concern of how the cuts will affect the future of the American military, the real issue being faced is not the cuts themselves, but where the cuts are coming from. A large chunk of the funding, about a third of the budget, is spent on military personnel costs. It goes to pay for salaries and allowances, health care, retirement, and additional costs. Mr. Panetta himself acknowledged that the personnel cost is unsustainable and the “generous retirement benefits may have to be scaled back to save crucial weapons programs.” On the one hand, spending a huge portion of our defense budget on “generous” benefits is irresponsible, but on the other is it fair to “break a promise to those who risked their lives for the country?” Despite the ethical debate, taking away from the Pentagon’s health care and retirement funds would potentially save billions in the coming years.

Although most of the Pentagon’s budget is put to good use, there is also a lot of government oversight as usual. Hopefully Congress will come up with or approve a way to decrease the spending over time. But, as the article said, “nowhere is balancing budget and strategy more challenging than in deciding how large a ground combat force the nation needs and can afford.”

Consumer Market Not Looking Up

2012-01-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

Economists have projected very little, if any, growth in consumer spending in the New Year. It has been apparent in the economy that people have been stretching themselves to pay for holiday gifts, not to mention necessities such as food and rent. Because consumer spending is about 70% of the economy, the projected stagnation does not look promising for growth in general. The reasons for the slow movement have been as a result of static incomes, the tough job market, and the minimal growth in job opportunities. The turmoil in the stock market also seemed to contribute, resulting in a “household wealth decline by $2.4 trillion.” Along with the aforementioned factors of the slow moving market, “buyers distress” also seems to be playing a role, with people still paying back debt from loans and not being able to borrow more money. Allen Sinai, the chief global economist at Decision Economics, even forecasted that there would not be growth “anywhere near our growth in previous post recession periods.”

The consumer market seems to be a vicious circle, with people being more and more frugal with their money and yet scraping savings to pay for necessities. What will it take for us to get out of this slump?

NASA's new mission to the moon

2012-01-02T14:29:00.001-08:00

Over the New Year's weekend, NASA's twin Grail spacecraft - sent to the moon to map the lunar gravity field - arrived safely at their destination and began their healthy orbit of the moon. The goal of this particular space project is to use Grail's gravity measurements to investigate the matter below the moon's surface in order to determine the history of the celestial object and its possible interaction with the Earth. Because of budget cuts, the washing machine-sized Grail probes were squeezed onto a small rocket and took 30 times longer to reach the moon - a trip of 3 1/2 months - than the Apollo astronauts. Scientists expect to retrieve a lot of new data from the Grail probes, including detailed maps of the moon's gravitational field and insight into its core interior, and some are already thinking of extending the $496 million mission. However, manned trips to the moon are still a long ways off, as the Obama administration recently dumped a plan to return astronauts to the moon in favor of landing on an asteroid as a stepping stone to Mars, about which scientists surprisingly know more than the moon.

Many criticize NASA exploration as "child's play" when so many current world problems such as hunger and warfare are plaguing our lives. But, it's important to view things in perspective - space travel and research amounts to only .1% - .15% of the US budget each year, the cutting of which will not make many drastic changes on the US fiscal distribution. What do you guys think about the legitimacy and importance of NASA's new project?

Shortage of ADHD drug Adderall

2012-01-02T13:26:00.000-08:00

Adderall is a medical drug prescribed in treating ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - and narcolepsy. Because of its highly addictive nature, the Drug Enforcement Administration regulates the amount of API - the drug's active pharmaceutical ingredient - that may be allocated to Adderall producers per year. This system was implemented to prevent stockpiles that could be consumed for illegal use. However, with the increasing popularity of Adderall among students, who use it not to treat ADHD disorders but as a "study drug" to maintain a high level of energy and focus during tests or term paper cramming, the amount of Adderall consumed by actual ADHD patients is being rapidly depleted. Concerns are now rising among ADHD patients and their doctors regarding the potential shortage of API for Adderall production reserved for their legitimate medical need, and the DEA is looking to up the quota for the 2012 year.

This article is a shocking reminder of our country's increasing reliance on drugs and pills to support our frantic lifestyle. So much Adderall is being abused among students that the amount needed for patients' medical treatment is insufficient. What do you think should be done about the alarming shortage of Adderall and the potential future shortages of other medically prescribed drugs?

The New Year celebrates the recognition of same-sex civil unions in two more states

2012-01-02T13:05:00.001-08:00

On January 1, 2012, Hawaii and Delaware joined the group of states allowing same-sex civil unions, bringing the listed number to 5 states. In addition, 6 other states and Washington D.C. currently allow same-sex marriage, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. As of 10 AM on Sunday, the new law became effective, uniting several same-sex couples who waited to be the first in Hawaii's history to enter into civil unions. However, the passage of the law was not without after heated discussion. In both Hawaii and Delaware, the language of the law emphasizes that "it is not the legislature's intent to revise the definition or eligibility requirements of marriage." However, groups including the Hawaii Family Forum heavily opposed the law, stating that "civil unions are a desperate and honest attempt to force same-sex 'marriage' on Hawaii." In Delaware, the Delaware Family Policy Council argued along the same lines and expressed their concerns that civil unions "are a springboard to redefining marriage."

That being said, it seems that the states allowing same-sex civil unions but not same-sex marriage are playing somewhat of a political game. Obviously, the nation as a whole is becoming more accepting of LGBT rights as time progresses. As seen by this Gallup poll, we saw for the first time in May of 2011 that the majority of the American population favored legal same-sex marriage: http://www.gallup.com/poll/147662/First-Time-Majority-Americans-Favor-Legal-Gay-Marriage.aspx

Do you think Hawaii and Delaware's passage of the new law will encourage other states to follow suit? Or will our nation soon become entangled in debating the nuanced distinction between same-sex civil unions and same-sex marriage?

Iowa Caucus Begins Elections

2012-01-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

As their time runs out, Republican candidates are making final efforts to campaign in Iowa before the caucus. The Iowa caucus is the first “contest” to determine who will be running against President Obama for the White House.

It appears that Romney, Paul, and Santorum are in the lead, although there are still many undecided voters on the fence about the election. Despite opposition to Romney in the 2008 election because of his inconsistencies and being Mormon, he currently leads the state with 25% of support.

While Jon Hunstman skipped Iowa completely to focus on campaigning in New Hampshire, an estimated $12.5 million has been spent on “largely negative” political advertising in Iowa from the other candidates. The next primary will be held in New Hampshire on 10 January.

SOPA: Protecting or Infringing?

2012-01-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

SOPA, which stands for Stop Online Piracy Act, has been a recent topic of discussion in Congress. The bill has been generally received as bi-partisan, as its noble intentions are to prevent and punish websites that host infringed or copyrighted material. The act is in fact addressing a pressing issue, as piracy costs the U.S. $58 billion annually. Despite its goal, there has been some backlash from Internet users. While large media companies are supportive of the act, as they lose millions of dollars due to piracy and copyright infringement, Internet users are complaining that it could be destructive to the Web and is bordering on intrusive regulation.

Other dissent about SOPA stems from its potential effects, such as the possibility of thousands of new lawsuits. Instead of granting immunity to Web sites showing good faith by taking infringed material down, the House version of the act allows private companies to sue Internet providers for merely hosting illegal content. The way the bill was written would also subject “law-abiding U.S. Internet and technology companies to new uncertain liabilities” and monitoring of the sites. Even Laurence H. Tribe, a noted First Amendment lawyer, said that it would “undermine the openness and free exchange of information at the heart of the Internet. And it would violate the First Amendment.”

Another area of discussion surrounding SOPA is the general lack of knowledge and experience that Congress has with using the Internet. The article states “debate has highlighted how little Congress knows about the Internet they are proposing to re-tool,” bringing up the good point that maybe they are not fit to change the rules about something they are unfamiliar with. Of course not all of Congress is unversed in the world of the Web, but such a strong backlash from Internet users nationally would suggest that there is truly something wrong with the wording or effects of SOPA.

So, is it just the wording that needs to be fixed? Or is the whole idea a violation of the First Amendment?

What To Expect From Jobs in 2012

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000-08:00

With the recent recession and economic downturn, there has been much discussion over how to improve the job market and get people back on their feet. This article highlights a few of the issues that are projected to arise within the new year.

As the article mentions, the rapidly growing impact of technology will definitely have an impact on the workplace. From the distractions of smartphones to the need for training to work with new devices, technology does pose a bit of a challenge for workers in the years to come. On the other hand, the rise of technology and the “independent worker” has also made it easier for “people to find projects and projects to find people.” As a result, people can work from home while spreading their work globally.

Also mentioned in the article is the overall unemployment rate, at 8.6%, while the correlations of levels of education vary drastically. So, with the apparent rise in college educated youth and the maturing generation that has grown up with technology, will the future job market improve based on those factors alone? What else will we need to take into account?

Iran: reopening nuclear talks?

2011-12-31T17:46:00.000-08:00

After the last round of nuclear program negotiations between Iran and the six world powers - the US, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany - ended in failure last January in Istanbul, Iran has again proposed a new round of negotiations. During the last attempt for compromise, the US and its allies accused Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover for developing atomic weapons, but Iran denied such alterior motives, stating that it was simply used for peaceful purposes and to generate electricity.

Perhaps this round of nuclear talks will be just as futile and ineffective as the last. After all, the US and Iran have been playing this game for many years - is this just a cover for both sides to simultaneously maintain integrity and plot their own political and military strategies? Or do these talks have the slim potential (considering the shaky relationship between US and Iran) to actually reach some sort of compromise?

Obama signs defense authorization bill

2011-12-31T17:24:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, December 31st, 2011, Obama signed the defense authorization bill despite having some "reservations." Originally, the White House threatened to veto the bill due to the language requiring mandatory military custody for al-Qaeda suspects, even those captured in the US. However, after a compromise that included some changes in the language involving detainees, Obama lifted his veto threat. "Ultimately, I signed this bill not only because of the critically important services it provides for our forces and their families and the national security programs it authorizes, but also because the Congress revised provisions that otherwise would have jeopardized the safety, security, and liberty of the American people," says President Obama.

Many Democrats and personal-rights groups have blatantly expressed their disapproval of this bill, foreshadowing potential future conflict over the provisions of this bill. What do you think signing this bill will do Obama's reputation and chances for re-election? Do you think this bill will stay intact much longer, or will there be further negotiations or discussions held to amend or overturn the bill? Was this an act of desperation or did Obama perhaps do the right thing?

Two Maryland abortion doctors charged with murder

2011-12-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

On August 13, 2010, doctors Steven Brigham and Nicola Riley brought a woman into an Elkton hospital due to a "complication resulting from a medical procedure," which turned out to be a botched operation on the abortion of a late-term fetus. After further investigation, Maryland police discovered nearly three dozen aborted fetuses "in a freezer" in Brigham's Elkton clinic. Since then, the two have been imprisoned and were recently indicted on Friday with identical murder charges - five counts each of first-degree murder, five of second-degree murder, and one of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. This appears to the first time that the Maryland fetal homicide law - involving medical professionals performing surgery - has been put to use.

Since the initiation of this investigation, the validity of Maryland's current abortion law has been questioned. The fact that it is less restrictive than those of nearly states - for example, New Jersey's law mandates that pregnancies after 14 weeks cannot be ended at a doctor's office - explains the large number of abortion patients that showed up at Brigham's clinic. The issues that arise from this incident exceed that of just the morality behind abortion - many are also looking into the efficacy of state medical regulations or even the validity of medical licenses. What are your thoughts on the consequences or concerns that should be addressed? Is this a matter of pro-life vs. pro-choice or does this call into question the regulations regarding medical practices?

Immunity for Telecoms in U.S. Wiretap Cases

2011-12-29T21:43:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, A United States appeal court stated that the 2008 law which granted legal immunity to telecommunication companies that aided the National Security Agency in email and telephone eavesdropping was constitutional.

Thirty three lawsuits were filed against various telecommunication companies by customers that had accused the companies of violating the customer's first amendment right. The case was brought into question because in 2008 Congress passed laws that included protection from legal liability for telecommunications companies that "allegedly helped the U.S. spy on Americans without warrants."

"In its unanimous ruling, the court noted comments made by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence regarding the legal immunity’s role in helping the government gather intelligence." Furthermore, in the past, government lawyers have argued that in stopping such cases, that "defending the program in court would jeopardize national security."

What do you all think of this? Do you think it was right for the courts to rule this law constitutional? Or, do you think by allowing this law to be constitutional, that we create a whole series of loop holes in our laws that our government can't afford to have?

Kim Jong-un: Following in his father's footsteps?

2011-12-29T18:53:00.000-08:00

On December 29, 2011, Kim Jong-un was declared North Korea's "supreme leader" at a huge rally in a central square in Pyongyang, the North's capital. Although the ceremony was partly performed for the formality of passing on the title from his deceased father, it was also symbolic of strengthening his position as North Korea's leader. Although much speculation is given to the fact that Kim Jong-un, as 27, is too young to take on the role of his father, it seems that the country has - as of now- accepted his position as the Supreme Leader of North Korea.

Very little is currently known about Kim Jong-un, including his personality as well as his political beliefs. His uncle-in-law, Jang Sung-taek, now serving as the Vice Chairman of the National Defence Commission, is predicted to act as a regent to the young Kim Jong-un, who for now will only nominally serve his position as leader. From the little information known, it seems that Kim Jong-un will be a more fragile and less "effective" ruler than his father, which - as many predict - may lead to a more powerful and possibly dangerous North Korean military. What do you guys think? What will happen under the regime of the Great Successor Kim Jong-un?

Super PACs To The Rescue

2011-12-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

Outside groups campaigning for candidates, called "Super PACs," have been gaining importance in the upcoming election. While the groups are prohibited by law to coordinate with their specific candidate, the Super PACs are allowed to accept donations of any size, whereas candidates can receive only $2,500 from individual donors. This is legal because of court decisions that have struck down many limiting restrictions on spending money for elections, and also because the groups are legally separate from the campaigns.

The tactic of choice for the interest groups has been mud-slinging and attacking opponents, which leaves the candidates more money and time to spend on spreading positive messages as the Super PACs are doing all of the dirty work. Of late, the candidate receiving the most help from the new tactic has been Mitt Romney. According to data from the Republican media buyer, Romney has only spent $287,000 on TV advertising starting this week on Monday, while his independent support group has spent $780,000. This huge difference goes to show just how much the support and money of the interest groups have been playing a role in campaigning. And, as if the side-committees didn't seem unfair enough on their own, many Super PACs are being run by "political strategists with longstanding ties to the candidate." So despite the legal obligation to be separate from the official campaigns, it seems suspicious that major candidates know their Super PAC founders all too well.

So with the new frontier of campaigning, how will these major money-funded techniques bode for the smaller, less funded candidates? Is it even a fair race anymore?

(*this information is from an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled "New Funding Rules Fuel Ad War, Shape Race." Unfortunately the full article is not online, sorry!)

Latino voting bloc still going strong for Obama and the Democrats

2011-12-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

While drama ensues among the Republican presidential candidates, Obama and the Democrats have been pushed away from the limelight. However, a recent CNN poll shows that Latino registered voters favor Obama over Republican presidential hopefuls by a margin of more than 2-to-1, similar to the 67% Democrat, 31% Republican voter results for Latinos in the 2008 presidential election. The Latino voting bloc seems to continue its strong support of Obama despite dissatisfaction with the new deportation policies of the Obama administration. However, it seems that "ignorance is bliss" does play a part in this political game, as the survey results found that around 41% of the Hispanic respondents were aware that more deportations were occurring under the Obama administration than the preceding Bush administration. It's also interesting to note that although Hispanic voters have traditionally identified with the Democratic Party, "among the Latino voters, there is a lot of support for the Democrats, but also for Barack Obama. (Mark Hugo Lopez, executive director of the Pew Hispanic Center)

What are Obama's chances for the 2012 presidential election? Do you think that the coalition of political constituencies will remain the same for him this time around, or has the novelty of his Democratic platform rubbed off since the 2008 election campaign? Perhaps the wild goose chase to the White House exhibited by the Republican Party has given him a leg up in this year's campaign?

In-the-line-of-duty deaths of law enforcement officers jumps 13% in 2011

2011-12-29T11:06:00.000-08:00

In 2011, statistics show that 173 law enforcement officers were killed while on duty - and the year is not quite over yet. This marks a 13% jump from last year's numbers and a 15% jump in calculation of only gunfire deaths (68 officers total). This proves to be the deadliest year for gunfire police deaths since 1973, when 156 officers were shot and killed.

This striking increase in police deaths brings to question the current laws regarding gun control. As Attorney General Eric Holder says, "Each of these deaths is a tragic reminder of the threats that law enforcement officers face each day -- and the fact that too many guns have fallen into the hands of those who are not legally permitted to possess them." Despite the handful of laws that have sought to regulate possession of guns - including the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, we Americans still generally hold the second amendment in the highest regard - "the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." A recent 2010 Gallup poll shows that people are favoring less strict regulation over the sale of firearms and the possession of handguns. http://www.gallup.com/poll/144887/Continuing-Record-Low-Support-Stricter-Gun-Control.aspx

What do you think should be done, if anything, about the quick rise in the yearly deaths of in-the-line-of-duty police officers? Is this a testament to the fact that our current gun control laws are, in fact, not as strong as they should be? Or could there be some confounding variables that are skewing the correlation between gun control regulation and police officer deaths?

Wealth gap between Congress and Voters continues to grow

2011-12-28T17:43:00.001-08:00

According to both the New York Times and Washington Post, the wealth gap between members in Congress and Americans continues to go up in comparison to last year. The New York Times states that Congress member's median wealth has grown to "$913,000, compared to $100,000 for the rest of America households." While, according to the Washington Post , "that number drops to $725,000 when excluding home equity (and adjusting for inflation), but the same median figure for American families is just $20,500."

Obviously, it makes sense that people in Congress would on average make more than the average American. How else would they plan on getting money to run for election and campaign? But, do you think that this big financial gap still allows Congress to stay in touch with the "average Joe?" Or, do you think that the wealth gap can never allow Congress to accurately represent American citizens?

Shoppers Paying with Credit?

2011-12-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

This holiday season, credit card purchases have jumped 7% in November and early December. A survey by Consumer Reports found that on average, Americans are planning to spend 6% more on the holiday season then last year.

All of this extra spending can help boost our economy by consumers spending more than their incomes. Also, because of a decrease in the unemployment rate, consumers have increased confidence and are more likely to borrow.

However, spending by credit cards is a very risky move for our economy. If consumers spend more than they can handle, it can cause a significant increase in American debt which contributed to the first financial crisis in 2008. The article even goes on to say that "about 6 percent of consumers, or 14 million Americans, are still paying off credit card bills from last Christmas."

So, my question to you all, is it better that Americans are spending more on Christmas this year than they did last year? Or, do you think the fact they're spending on credit is significantly more dangerous and thus will actually harm our economy more than help it?