The Last Call To Battle Pol106

It is not hard for someone to look around America and find something to say needs improvement. Yet, when one looks at our country on the whole, we have a descent hold on economy and land overall. The issues we find to be most grating, are the ones we know we can not change ourselfs. We complain about the taxes, but we can not change them. We complain about few jobs and more unemployment, but we do not give up our job to help someone else. it is these issues that we focus on, instead of making sure our children get a good education by being on PTA's or cleaning up our highways once a month to allow for the beauty of our land to shine through. We never complain, nor do these things and it's a wonder why Americans are having problems with all issues now. If you don't make a stand in the begining, there is no foundation to build a better idea on later. So we all need to get up and do something. Like write to our congressmen, or at least be knowledgable with current political events.

Polling in races Pol 106

We had a debate about the polls and how well they are at showing the true outlook of Americans. Even after all the debate, the question was still, What would we do without them? The uncertainty they bring along with the annoyance of misjudgments allow for a dimmention of political races that we have no other way of creating. Hopefully in the future we will be able to move away from the polls, which do influence the votes of some people. And on that note, it is those people who should know why they are voting for their canidate and not for the public favorite. Anyway, as we have all seen, political races tend to bring the worst out of people, so sit back and relax and watch the fur fly as the events unfold.

Win-win Pol 106

The coming election is of the most interest due to the current situation in the middle-east. Depending on who is elected we will see different outcomes...but who are we kidding? We care about what is happening at home more. Our economy is dropping and money is so short people don't know what to do. The good news is that either of the canidates will allow for a more liberal progression in the White House, and either canidate will be good for this country...thank you America, we have a win-win situation finally. Granted all us from Illinois will probably vote for the home-town boy obama, but who can really complain if the other guy wins?

Religion to Politics

Recently a gay bishop was barred from attending an Anglican event. While he was barred for the right reasons, to prevent the focus of the event being removed from focus, the fact that he was barred is an obvious sign that the issue deserved the time it would have taken to deal with it. As seen in many events such as this, the religious overtones are followed quickly by the political events. In this case, it brought up a new protest against the church for allowing an openly gay bishop and against the church for not allowing him more of the same rights. It is a far cry from hate crimes and public protest, but the fact remains that what the church allows will be seen in the political world in the near future.

Corn and how it rules us Pol106

It is one of the worse case scenarios for many farmers in the Midwest. There is devastation to crops and homes alike. Many farmers do not have enough money, seeds, or equipment to last and continue farming once the waters recede. Yet, there seems to be a push to ignore the Midwest by the news media. I’m not saying it should be head-line news everyday, but a blurb here or there once a every few days would be nice. I believe the major wake-up call will come when the rest of the nation expects Midwest corn, the sweet taste of home grown gold, and they are going to get corn imported from South America and other countries who can produce this cash crop still. We are going to see a spike in prices and with the economy already doing poorly; there will be many unhappy people. Why do I bring this up, because in the Midwest corn does affect politics. Not much unless it is negatively, but it plays a role and I feel that we are going to see just how much it can do when fall rolls around. And I plan to hide in a very deep hole when the rest of the US finds out over 60% of the corn that’s grown for human consumption is not there.

Religion...how does it play a role? Pol 106

Religion is the single most abused system of mass belief ever known to man. Not only has religion been used for centuries to allow atrocities to occur throughout the world, the Crusades and the invasions during Imperialism, but it has also been kept strong in politics. This is not to say that countries who use religion law as their civil laws are wrong, but when a country like the United States says it will have separation of church and state and it doesn't, there is a major problem. Firstly, no matter how the morals of the various religions in the world tell us to think, if we have separation then it is the current trends and times that set presidents for laws. Secondly, religions should not be used as a scapegoat for bureaucratic screw-ups, note the death penalty cases and their multiple over turns throughout the court systems. This means that it is not our morals, but our understanding of the current times which should set policy...no using the idea of an "eye for an eye" to gain support for wars and invasions. Thirdly, no matter what, there is never, ever a good reason to say that a law is not right because it does not agree with what a certain religion says, note gay marriage and posting of religions objects on public ground. All in all I believe the country needs to wake up and understand that the times are changing, and if we continue to use religion as a false base for the way we run and govern our nation, we will eventually fail and fall.

Natural Course of Events Pol 106

As Tropical Storm Bertha strengthens, Miami residents scramble to make sure their homes will survive this latest storm. it is in these moments we remember the horrible events that occurred in Florida in '02 and '03 and the Catrina events in New Orleans and the bayou. How is it that these events occur and the people are still not back to living in their homes and going on with their lives? Why is there such a disconnect in the systems that while the Midwest floods, there is aid only trickling in from sources around the US? I believe the answer is that communication between levels of government are not up to par and lead to finger-pointing instead on actual work being done. There is very few set and stamped, non-grey areas in the emergency management system, and most of that is in who gets paid for what. Having a cousin running a crew in southern Indiana, I hear first hand how higher officials disregard local input on procedures, and are themselves ignored by national level offices which deal with what they belive is the correct course. In my opinion there needs to be a complete overhaul of the EMS system. Because if you didn't know, Illinois' EMS is currently not run on proper funds or by enough people...just nameless chairs and a very over-worked secretary.