To tax or not to tax?

      I find it interesting that the republicans that while they were running screamed about the huge federal deficit are now the ones that seek to extend the Bush tax cuts to the rich. I mean, I realize that no one wants to pay taxes. I get that. I resented the chunk of taxes removed from my pay check every two weeks this summer. I dread dealing with my parents during tax time. Taxes put everyone in a bad mood. But the fact of the matter is that our government has no other way of raising revenue to run itself.
      When Bush came into office, we had a surplus. Thus, at that time, some tax cuts made some sort of sense. If the government has more money than needed, why not give American tax payers a little break? Now, in the midst of a recession with unemployment rate at 9.8 percent, now does not seem like the time to give those rich people a tax break. In fact, I would much rather use government money to help resinstall unemployment benefits than to allow some rich person to buy their second jet. Just saying.

Wikileaks

      So, the website wikileaks continues to release confidential cables of US diplomats saying unfavorable things about foreign countries. I am sure they think they're doing the world a favor, and that these things should be released. I, personally, could not disagree more. In a world where the US is already viewed disfavorably, these cables stand to seriously endanger American diplomatic relations with foreign countries. Some things should be kept private, and I think US diplomats should be able to frankly and honestly discuss foreign diplomats, leaders, and policies without fear of having the information leaked.
               In the meantime, the U.S. military has tried to close the security gaps that it believes allowed a low-level military intelligence analyst to steal hundreds of thousands of classified documents and ultimately give them to the WikiLeaks website. A U.S. soldier who served in Iraq, Manning has been charged with illegally transferring classified data onto his personal computer and adding unauthorized software to a classified computer system. The 22-year-old is suspected of having downloaded thousands of other documents from a server in Iraq. Hopefully, after this incident the US government will institute measures to keep such documents more classified.

TSA debate

Something very difficult for the U.S. to balance is the saftey of its citizens with the rights and freedoms we have all come to expect. The fact is, the more protection, the less freedoms can be granted, but the safer one is. I am sure most Americans want their government to protect them from future terrorist attacks. However, Americans also like to complain about the augmented security at airports that is aimed at this goal. While I do find security measures at airports exasperating, I would much rather go through a full body scan and know that the other passengers on my plane have to if it decreases the danger risk. The problem is, the moment the TSA fails to catch something, and it results in a dangerous situation, they are basically screwed and subject to lengthy investiagtions. To prevent this, the must tighten security, understandably.
  The best part of this whole thing is that it is not really as big of an issue as the media is making it seem. In fact, most travelers will not even be subject to the measure this holiday season.  80% of security lanes will not have the full body scanners or intrusive pat downs. In addition, 78% of Americans actually approve of the full body scanners., no matter how invasive they may be. I have to say, while I would not mind a full body scan, I would feel very uncomfortable with an aggresive pat down. However, if I had to chose to be on a plane with people who had not done the scanners and those who had, I would defintiely go with those who had.

Obama returns from Asia

   Today ends Obama's 10 day diplomatic and econimc trip through Asia. this trip has had mixed results. He recieved a warm reception in India but criticism in South Korea. Mr. Obama's last stop was with Mr. Medvedev, the prime minister of Russia. He hopes to forge friendlier relations with the country by ratifying an arms control treaty, which is stalled in the Senate. Rekations between the two leaders seemed good, taking on a chummy tone. The two leaders will meet later next week at the NATO summit in Lisbon, where they will continue to discuss a variety of issues.
   The Asia Pacific leaders' gathering, though friendly, did not seem to produce much in the way of concrete results. The twenty leaders there agreed to work towards creating a free trade zone in the Asia Pacific region but set no timetable for this to happen. There were also pledges to move toward rectifying global economic imbalances. Over all, it was a typical diplomatic trip.

New Congress members settle in

    Before they can change the direction of the country, new members of Congress must first learn the tricks of the trade. All this week they will be attending seminars and social events educating them on how to do their new jobs. Most will be searching for places to live, possible roomates to live with, and deciding whether they can handle a commute or want to be in walking distance of their workplace. The week is full of appointments and meetings with prospective staff members. Each new member must assemble the entourage of staff members that will aide them for the next two or six years.
  All in all, this reminds me quite of bit of what will be instore for me next year as I enter college as a freshman. These rookies, soon after election, are even sent out a thick manual going over the nuts and bolts of being a Congressman giving advice on how to hire staff and please constituents. Today the freshmen will be hearing from Nancy Pelosi and taking a tour of her Congressional suite. Later they will hear from John Boehner. Overall, these new members have quite a busy week ahead of them.

History may be kind to Mr. Bush

     George W. Bush left office with the lowest approval ratings of any modern president. Many people view him disfavorably and resent his decisions regarding Iraq. After two years of solitude, he has decided to remerge on the public scene however. He has just released a new memior detailing and defending major points in his life and presidency. He has also reemerged on the television circuit, even making an appearance on Oprah.
      With Obama's approval ratings sinking, this is the perfect time for Bush to release his new book. After two years in office, Democrats can no longer blame George W. Bush for the country's problems. Souvenir stores in Washington D.C. have begun selling shirts with Mr. Bush's face on it with the caption "miss me yet?" Bush, however, has been veering away from the political arena, and does not seem to want to rub the Republican win in Obama's face. In fact, he has had only gracious things to say about the current president, and commented very little on his policies. I think this is quite wise of Mr. Bush. It is probably best to just step back and not say much at all. He's probably just grateful Obama's in the hot seat now, instead of him. 

Even if proposition 19 passes, people may still be charged for lighting up.

       There's an interesting proposition on the ballot in California. Next month Californians will vote on Proposition 19, which would change state law to allow adults to possess and grow small amounts of marijuana. The state would then be able to tax the selling of distribution, hopefully helping to relieve the existing budget deficeit. Though this issue seems like a state issue, if the proposition passes, it will most likely turn into an issue for the national government.
         The real question is, when power is shared between the national government and the state, what happens when states pass laws violating national law? Supporters of the national government cite the supremacy clause, while state's rights activitists claim they're protected under the tenth ammendment. The department of justice says it will enforce marijuana laws in California, whether the proposition passes or not and many other law enforcing bodies in California say they will do the same. Many of the supporters of the proposition say, bring it on. They are apparently unafraid of the consequences. No matter what this issue threatens to plunge California into a murky fight with the federal government.