Weighing In

The major controversy over same sex marriage is being put to the test again, this time in North Carolina . It has been decided that North Carolina residents will vote next year on a constitutional amendment to ban-same sex marriage on a state wide ballot. Currently, North Carolina is the only Southern state that does not ban same sex marriage. Six other states and the District of Columbia proudly recognize it. So how is it that some states cannot come to accept and respect the rights of others? Honestly, what way of thinking or lack of thinking makes American citizens prohibit and deny other American citizens a choice of how they live? If this amendment gets passed, I'm sure that we will shamefully reflect on this travesty of justice, as we did when looking back on our cruel treatment of African Americans and our denial of women's rights to vote. If heterosexual people have the right to marry and create a life with the person they love, then why can't gay people? They should not be denied the right to form the same legal commitment. Imagine if you could not marry and care for the person you love. Awful thought, isn't it?

The poor just get poorer.

A record number of of Americans now live below the poverty line, up from 46.2 million last year. That figure factors in the 9.6 unemployment rate and has reached levels comparable to the levels seen during President Johnson's "war on poverty". The different times seem laughably similar; both times were characterized by harsh economic troubles and public outrage toward wars that the government had duped the public into participating in. But America recovered to an extent.
Now, the median household income has also slipped to $49,445. With the poor just getting poorer, and more middle class families joining them, a plan needs to be put into immediate action to stop the chain reaction. The more that are unemployed, the less people there are to pay government taxes. More unemployment means less consumerism and demand for goods and services. Less demand calls for less demand for labor, and the cycle continues. If the government can't raise enough funds to help the unemployed, the downward trend traps the government in a deadlock. Will Obama's vastly expensive job plan really be the solution to this ridiculous and complicated issue?