"This must of been made by a democrat. There is no way Hillary is holding up that well."
Well isn't everythingPolitical?
Everywhere we turn, we can almost always identify a sense of politics. Just having an opinion or stance on a particular issue has a political nature. Politics can be seen at a very small level, such as in the decision making process of who makes sports teams, to the passage of controversial abortion and immigration laws. Either way, politics is everywhere. In the recent headlines, the political landscape has included changes to policies regarding women in the Navy, abortion, immigration, the school budget crisis, and the current struggle several soon-to-be college students are encountering regarding paying tuition for college (many have applied to SUNY schools—what does this mean for the selective nature of public institutions?)
The issue on Immigration in America
As Obama stated, “our immigration system is broken.” While that may as well be a huge understatement, Arizona now strongly believes that they are helping the immigration system a small amount with the passage of the new Arizona Immigration law sb1070. The passage of this law will ultimately lead to the stringent regulations of identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants from Arizona. What this essential means is the increased opportunity for harassment and social profiling. As a Latino or Hispanic individual residing in the state of Arizona, I would be fearful in August when this bill becomes effect as law for how I could potentially be treated in suspect of illegal immigrants.
Above to the right, I a video clip of Reverend Al Sharpton lashing out against the passage of senate bill 1070 in Arizona. As seen from above, Sharpton strongly believes that the effects of this bill will only be detrimental to various minority groups, specifically Latinos, and cause a surge in racial profiling in Arizona. For more on Sharpton's intense viewpoints, see here here for reference.
For more on businesses that are challenging the law and the constituationality of the law, refer to this article .
The Abortion Debate
The abortion debate has gone on for forever it seems. For years and years, doctors, patients, women, mothers, liberals, conservatives, state governments, and federal governments have gone back and forth on the issue of abortion and its legalization or illegalization. Just recently, the state of Oklahoma enacted an abortion law that requires women undergoing an abortion to provide eight specific pieces of information before receiving an abortion. Information that must be provided includes:
1) Date of abortion
2) County in which abortion is performed
3) Age of mother
4) Marital status of mother
5) Race of mother
6) Years of education of mother
7) State or foreign country of residence of mother
8) Total number of previous pregnancies of the mother
Those that are supporters of this legislation believe “women should not be concerned over their privacy since no names or ‘personal information’ will be reported.” However, those that disagree believe “the first eight questions that will be asked and reported could easily be used to identify any member of a smaller community."
The legislation is expected to be enacted as of November 1, 2010, and will cost approximately $281,285 to implement and $256,285 each subsequent year to maintain.
Obama's take on abortion, spoken at the Notre Dame commencement ceremony:
for more on his speech, see here Policies transform women in the navy
In regards to women being legally allowed to work on submarine ships for long periods of time alongside men, Army Chief of Staff General, George Casey thinks “it's time.” Just recently, the Pentagon has begun to shift towards removing a policy that prevents women from working aboard submarines. This means, a reconsideration of roles of women in the military. While women have always been placed on the “backburner” in terms of what they are capable in the military, many of them have held crucial roles as pilots, drivers, and medics that place them right alongside men that have held “combat” positions. Casey made final remarks regarding the change stating, “I believe it's time that we take a look at what women are actually doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. And then we take a look at our policies."
It is sad to state that with this current economic down-slide that the educational aspect of society may be taking the hardest hit. With current school budget cuts nationwide as a result of more national funding for foreclosures and stimulus aid, along with continual job losses that need to be restored, education is take a backseat. Here at Guilderland alone, we have watch positions get cut, wages of teachers to take a hit, and the burden of possibly losing several clubs and sports that we all enjoy participating in. Guilderland Central School district has had several economic factors to deal with including a slash to the stock market, economic recession, the governor’s budget plans, and affordability. Many schools at this time are facing similar problems in how to balance the economy with the goals and aspirations of providing a rich education for all of the students.
The Political Landscape
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Well isn't everything Political?
Everywhere we turn, we can almost always identify a sense of politics. Just having an opinion or stance on a particular issue has a political nature. Politics can be seen at a very small level, such as in the decision making process of who makes sports teams, to the passage of controversial abortion and immigration laws. Either way, politics is everywhere.
In the recent headlines, the political landscape has included changes to policies regarding women in the Navy, abortion, immigration, the school budget crisis, and the current struggle several soon-to-be college students are encountering regarding paying tuition for college (many have applied to SUNY schools—what does this mean for the selective nature of public institutions?)
The issue on Immigration in America
As Obama stated, “our immigration system is broken.” While that may as well be a huge understatement, Arizona now strongly believes that they are helping the immigration system a small amount with the passage of the new Arizona Immigration law sb1070. The passage of this law will ultimately lead to the stringent regulations of identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants from Arizona. What this essential means is the increased opportunity for harassment and social profiling. As a Latino or Hispanic individual residing in the state of Arizona, I would be fearful in August when this bill becomes effect as law for how I could potentially be treated in suspect of illegal immigrants.
Above to the right, I a video clip of Reverend Al Sharpton lashing out against the passage of senate bill 1070 in Arizona. As seen from above, Sharpton strongly believes that the effects of this bill will only be detrimental to various minority groups, specifically Latinos, and cause a surge in racial profiling in Arizona. For more on Sharpton's intense viewpoints, see here here for reference.
For more on the new Arizona law and controversies, refer to the [[http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.html |New York Times article]] .
For more on businesses that are challenging the law and the constituationality of the law, refer to this article .
The Abortion Debate
The abortion debate has gone on for forever it seems. For years and years, doctors, patients, women, mothers, liberals, conservatives, state governments, and federal governments have gone back and forth on the issue of abortion and its legalization or illegalization. Just recently, the state of Oklahoma enacted an abortion law that requires women undergoing an abortion to provide eight specific pieces of information before receiving an abortion. Information that must be provided includes:
1) Date of abortion
2) County in which abortion is performed
3) Age of mother
4) Marital status of mother
5) Race of mother
6) Years of education of mother
7) State or foreign country of residence of mother
8) Total number of previous pregnancies of the mother
Those that are supporters of this legislation believe “women should not be concerned over their privacy since no names or ‘personal information’ will be reported.” However, those that disagree believe “the first eight questions that will be asked and reported could easily be used to identify any member of a smaller community."
The legislation is expected to be enacted as of November 1, 2010, and will cost approximately $281,285 to implement and $256,285 each subsequent year to maintain.
Obama's take on abortion, spoken at the Notre Dame commencement ceremony:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
for more on his speech, see here
Policies transform women in the navy
In regards to women being legally allowed to work on submarine ships for long periods of time alongside men, Army Chief of Staff General, George Casey thinks “it's time.” Just recently, the Pentagon has begun to shift towards removing a policy that prevents women from working aboard submarines. This means, a reconsideration of roles of women in the military. While women have always been placed on the “backburner” in terms of what they are capable in the military, many of them have held crucial roles as pilots, drivers, and medics that place them right alongside men that have held “combat” positions. Casey made final remarks regarding the change stating, “I believe it's time that we take a look at what women are actually doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. And then we take a look at our policies."
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Recent article, regarding the policy change: women in the navy
The crisis in Budget Cuts
It is sad to state that with this current economic down-slide that the educational aspect of society may be taking the hardest hit. With current school budget cuts nationwide as a result of more national funding for foreclosures and stimulus aid, along with continual job losses that need to be restored, education is take a backseat. Here at Guilderland alone, we have watch positions get cut, wages of teachers to take a hit, and the burden of possibly losing several clubs and sports that we all enjoy participating in. Guilderland Central School district has had several economic factors to deal with including a slash to the stock market, economic recession, the governor’s budget plans, and affordability. Many schools at this time are facing similar problems in how to balance the economy with the goals and aspirations of providing a rich education for all of the students.
Budget cuts in regards to the economy