18 Should be the New 21

After reading, Alex Cheyenne's blog "21 is Less than 18," I feel as though I completely agree. No matter the reason the law of 21 and up could drink legally, it has actually made matters worse. More accidents involving alcohol and long with teens binge drinking.

Now also, why would we, America, give 18 year olds the right to vote, smoke, drive and take part in state lotteries, yet not give them drinking. Smoking is a conscious choice to harm your health. Voting decides our country's fate. Driving has it's harmful consequences, too. And well waste or spend your money on something you may not even have a good chance on winning the jackpot.

Ultimately, why not give them the choice to drink? And as Alex mentioned, it gives them a more public way of drinking, where others can show/teach/assist in good drinking habits. Drinking responsibly is what needs to be taught.

Paying for War

To better elaborate on my side of paying or not paying for a war you believe or do not believe in, here are a couple of things.

Why would anyone who does not support the cause have to be responsible in paying for it? Because supposedly they were protecting us? I understand 9/11 was an important date and incident, yet we should have been keeping our soldiers here and protecting us here. Not miles away.

Now ultimately come tax time or come voting time -- there should be a little box that you check stating whether or not you support the war. If you check yes, then you're taxed a percentage for that cause. There should not be any reason why all of us are taxed or are paying for something we do not agree with.

Nothing has come out of this Iraq war to benefit us, and it has been 10 years.

Who Pays for the War

As we have already heard, the soldiers in Iraq are to be coming home before
the end of the year. I think we are all a little wary of this announcement
by President Obama. The nation has been told this before by George W. Bush.
But does that really mean the war is over? How much did this cost us, as
Americans? For some it isn’t over. For others, it is.

As always, we are going to debate whether or not this war was necessary.
Did it do what they said it was for? No one can really say that it did or
did not; just like they have been for almost 10 years, if not longer.
I have overheard a lot of people talking in cafés or in the street, that
even though some did not want this war, they are paying for it. For if the
war is OURS. We all pay for it whether we agree or not. We pay for everyone
else’s unemployment and welfare, while we are working our butts off to feed
our own families/households.

I do not agree with how we have to pay for this, even if we did not support the reason for the war.

Slim Pickings for the Next Republican Presidential Candidate

It is 2011, which only means that elections are around the corner. Every party is rearing up to put their best candidates on panel and show us, as voters, what they can do. But as a Democratic strategist who also serves as a contributor to CNN, James Carville, let's us know how it is for the Republicans in his latest opinion piece, "Republican Field for 2012 is Pathetic."

I agree with the point of his opinion of what we have coming from the Republicans, which is not a lot compared to the past. Carville takes Romney and compares him to Reagan, and the rest with others, pointing out that the past Republicans were successful. They were competent, decorated veterans, or just down right smart.

For example, comparing Rick Perry to George H. W. Bush – Bush was director of CIA, an entrepreneur, and not only vice president but president. Perry is practically sleeping through debates and speeches.

Carville points out how poorly the newer Republicans stand up to the past. Obama actually might have a shot at re-election. Well maybe.

Ultimately, the pickings are slim and no one is coming up to bat. We are waiting for that right person to help us out of this funk. And we are all just hoping and wishing for our knight or lady in shining armor to rescue us, who actually cares about America’s future.

Why is the U.S. government so broken?

Well, one opinion in, “Stupid voters enable broken government” by LZ Granderson, is that it is the voters fault. We, as voters, choose the “idiots” that are currently in office. Granderson brings up a few “exhibits” for us to consider to prove or argue his belief, which I agree one hundred percent.

Granderson writes weekly for CNN.com, a senior writer and columnist for ESPN the Magazine. Also, he has received many awards on his writing.

In this particular column, he is writing to the voters of America; showing them that these are the choices they have made for their government. An example given by Granderson was DC’s mayor, Marion Barry, who had video documentation of him smoking crack and who has done prison time, yet still elected as mayor of DC.

Another example was Michele Bachmann and her falsehoods in her speeches. One of her speeches she stated the HPV vaccination causes retardation. Yet scientifically, it does not.

Just as Granderson states, “…if you're the kind of person who likes to say ‘I don't follow politics,’ let me remind you that no one lives in a vacuum and that sentiment epitomizes what is wrong with our government. I don't blame Sarah Palin for thinking she can still toss her hat in the ring. I blame us voters for creating an environment in which a Palin or a Gingrich or even a reality TV star like Donald Trump can feel as if they can run and even be taken seriously.” Ultimately this just means, if we leave it to those who just hear keywords in speeches like, “green economy” or “family values,” and vote just based on that, we’re going to keep going through this perpetual cycle of idiots running our country.

So stay informed and vote for people who genuinely give a crap about our country’s future.

For another way to Granderson's article, copy and paste:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/opinion/granderson-broken-government-voters/index.html?hpt=op_t1#

Unemployment and Politics

With the recent speeches from our President and other presidential hopefuls, the topic that usually keeps coming up is the unemployment rate and the nation’s budget. Where should we cut and where should we add. We hear promises of tax breaks, but are these tax breaks warranted.

Obama has promised us a “stimulus package,” yet he has fallen short. At some point, we need to create jobs. We need to stimulate our economy. Why not with stimulate the economy, create jobs and make American “green.” 

Lisa Margonelli states her opinion on this topic with facts and ideas that have already been implemented by California.  Ultimately, California has done a good job with making the state cleaner and creating jobs. This is what should be happening across the nation and would ultimately help.

Click below for:

Lisa Margonelli's "Why a Green Economy is Still Part of Jobs Solution"