127 Matching Annotations
  1. Apr 2016
    1. Last week California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a controversial bill that makes it legal for doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients.

      Doctors obviously signed the controversial bill because they believes it would help people. Yes, it seems the poor are the ones getting hit, but in reality, it costs less to have assisted suicide than healthcare. The government, with costs of healthcare raging, is trying to provide the best possible option for these people. Some of them may have problems beyond the scope of help. Assisting death in no way precludes giving the best care possible but rather integrates compassionate care and respect for the patient's autonomy and ultimately makes death with dignity a real option. These people may want to die, to make it simpler for themselves. Doctors wouldn't agree to sign the bill unless they believed it would help. Considering the way we finance healthcare in the United States, it would be hard to make a case that there is a financial imperative compelling us to adopt physician-assisted suicide in an effort to save money so that others could benefit.

    2. reasons people choose assisted suicide in the state are losing autonomy (91.5%), decreasing ability to engage in enjoyable activities (88.7%), losing dignity (79.3%), losing control of body (50.1%), and becoming a burden on others (40%). Only 23% named physical pain or fear of possible physical pain as a reason.

      These are indeed reasons and percents that are scary that show people's stupidity sometimes. But, some people are looking to end their lives because they aren't enjoyable. And, one of the things listed in the Declaration of Independence are Thomas' Jefferson's life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. If people don't want to live because they no longer pursue happiness, and there is no mending them, it may be best for them to die. They have the right to it by law. In addition, the right to an ill person dying is liberty. All these activities listed are health issues, and, if blown out of proportion, may be mental health issues worthy of euthanasia.

  2. Feb 2016
    1. This time, lawmakers identified a problem and worked together to pass legislation to deal with it, and then the president signed it.

      Others can make a point saying that they did in fact work together and (miraculously) came to a compromise, which you said they still need to do.

    2. Every once in a while, though, Congress can surprise, whether because lawmakers experienced a collective, bipartisan moment of clarity and decided to act sensibly, or because some powerful constituency became impossible to ignore. In September, it seems a little of both happened.

      Someone could argue that even though they were against it, Republicans finally admitted defeat.

    1. "A lot of Americans are struggling with medical bills," said NerdWallet Health Vice President Christina LaMontagne.

      People who are ignorant will think this is a bias comment and will not listen even with the evidence presented.

    2. Meanwhile, NerdWallet found, 15 million people will deplete their savings to cover medical bills. Another 10 million will be unable to pay for necessities such as rent, food and utilities because of those bills.

      Some people do not care about what happens to others. As long as they are doing well, they will not believe there is a problem until it is their turn to be debt.

    1. But again I am thankful to God that some noble souls from the ranks of organized religion have broken loose from the paralyzing chains of conformity and joined us as active partners in the struggle for freedom.

      The descriptive word paralyzing creates imagery that portrays a life vs. death situation. He has been so courageous in defending himself and others in order to gain freedom.

    2. I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith.

      He uses the technique of leaving a personal connection with his audience. A nice way to close it off but also get the audience hooked in before a big statement is made.

    3. There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed.

      Clearly exclaiming that the church is no longer at the place it used to be. I believe he is trying to imply that if they were in the same state of power they wouldn't let the people of God suffer.

    4. Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it.

      He is using a sort of technique of questioning himself, by this his audience has a tendency to question as well. He then continues with a reassurance to himself as well.

    5. disease of segregation.

      To his audience segregation seems like a normalcy, but he utilizes the word "disease" to emphasize it is not a normal thing. He emphasizes that it is something that is spread, but it can be stopped.

    6. But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust.

      This uses cause and affect within the writing. Especially by giving the example of meeting "young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust." It not only relates to the church, but it also relates to the future generations, those who will be running the country.

    7. Peace and Brotherhood

      He signs this letter Peace and Brotherhood, trying to show he is attempting to reach a common understanding with his audience. He is trying instill a sort of trust and understanding, but at the same time he is trying to bring conclusion to all the points he was making.

    1. It was signing free trade agreements that threatened to devastate the region’s corn market and the community’s main subsistence crop.

      This article states that they want complete independence from their government and in result have to deal with poverty, yet is this article a little one sided? Looking at other sides of this issue articles state that the Zapistas (though wanting to be independent) are actually wanting government aid to help their poverty and illiteracy (https://www.globalenvision.org/library/3/721). Can the Zapistas and the government come to a compromise?

    2. An operation in the autonomous hospital can cost one-tenth that in an official hospital.

      How is this possible and what is meant by an autonomous hospital? A Zapatista one or a privately owned one?? How is it that they can be so much cheaper? do they work with natural remedies or discounted supplies? do they simply charge less then "typical" hospitals?

    3. “Up north,” I’d later tell Mexican friends, “we don’t have as many speed bumps, but neither do we have as much social resistance.”

      Is there really a connection between these two things or is it just a clever observation?? Yes there is more social resistance but does that mean it affects everything down to a persons driving?

    1. He said the term "is well-defined: intimidating somebody physically, following them, doing it at night, doing it in ways that make someone fear for their safety, obstructing somebody. All of that is illegal."

      There should be a middle ground solution. Instead of panhandling or no panhandling near kids. There should be a solution that meets in the middle that not only supports children's safety but the well being of the homeless as well.

    2. He said children's safety was paramount.

      What about the homeless? They have the right to be able to get the little change/food scraps that they can.

    1. As a result, taxpayers are contributing $7 billion per year to pick up the cost of supporting these fast-food workers.

      Due to the large cost of supporting these fast-food workers, even if the minimum wage was raised, tax payers would most likely still be supporting public programs like food stamps and Medicaid; the raise would not get rid of these programs.

    2. Therefore, raising the minimum wage would pump billions of dollars of consumer spending into the American economy.

      It is possible that people would save their money that they made instead of spending it.

    3. This August, workers protested at nearly 1,000 fast-food restaurants in more than 50 cities, demanding $15 per hour

      If the minimum wage were raised to be this high, then CEO's of big companies would likely counteract the improvement by cutting back on jobs.

    4. over the past 40 years, the purchasing power of the minimum wage has fallen sharply. If Congress had kept the minimum wage in pace with inflation over this period, it would today be $10.74. But, in fact, it is $7.25 -- about two-thirds of its previous purchasing power.

      This is compelling factual evidence to support the theory that not only is the minimum wage not enough, but that it has actually declined from its previous state in which it was enough.

    5. $15 per hour.

      This is the same rate that EMS personnel, workers who have gone through years of medical training, are paid. Do people who flip burger's at Mc'Donald's deserve the same rate as people who save lives?

    6. McDonald's fast food workers remained abysmal.

      Some people argue that working in industries like fast food is supposed to be a "stepping stone job" and that increasing minimum wage encourages people to remain there instead of seeking out real work.

    7. raising the minimum wage would lead to a loss of jobs

      Raising the minimum wage has consequences not only with job loss, but it would also cause the cost of many previously cheap products to rise. For example, the Dollar Menu at McDonald's with a $15 minimum wage could change to the $5 Menu.

    1. 3.8 million American workers -- most of whom were out of their teens

      How many of the teenagers need a raise to survive or do most of them have financial help from their parents?

    2. A higher minimum wage might also decrease turnover and thus keep training costs down, supporters say. 

      Are these workers, which happen to be mostly teenagers, likely to keep the job for a long time or do many of them come and go? If people continue to change jobs often, the training costs will still be there, even if the wage is higher.

    3. Multiple studies have demonstrated little to no relationship between a higher minimum wage and reductions in poverty," the institute says, in a policy brief.

      The wealthy will always find a way to stay in power at the expense of the poor.

    4. Supporters of increasing the minimum wage also contend that such a move would act as economic stimulus. When low-income households earn more money, they are likely to spend it, pouring more dollars into the economy, the argument goes. 

      This is an optimistic thought, but the result would likely be a significant job loss as companies decrease the number of employees in order to counteract the increased amount of money they have to spend on them, and this would be negative for the economy.

    5. "By increasing workers' take-home pay, families gain both financial security and an increased ability to purchase goods and services,

      Another popular argument is that if the minimum wage is raised people will lose jobs. In this case does that mean people will be able to spend more, but that there will be less people to do the spending?

    6. An employee working a 40-hour week at the federal minimum wage would earn $15,080 per year. This income would leave a two-person household -- say, a single parent with one child -- just below the federal poverty threshold of $15,130. 

      Some would say that these people simply need to get more jobs or find a better one.

    1. The Republican lawmakers who are leading the fight for the restrictive legislation say they are doing so in the name of stopping election fraud -- and, really, who's in favor of election fraud? But the larger purpose and effect of the laws is to disenfranchise Hispanic voters, other minorities, and the poor -- most of whom, let's also be clear, vote for Democrats.

      The author is implying that Republicans are creating voter ID laws strictly to hurt the number of votes that the Democratic party will get.

    2. But the larger purpose and effect of the laws is to disenfranchise Hispanic voters, other minorities, and the poor -- most of whom, let's also be clear, vote for Democrats.

      the author is implying that voter ID laws are really preventative of Democrat votes on the republican party's part.

    3. But the larger purpose and effect of the laws is to disenfranchise Hispanic voters, other minorities, and the poor -- most of whom, let's also be clear, vote for Democrats.

      How has this been allowed to continue for so many years if it is clearly wrong, and what is going to be done to stop it?

    4. If voting fraud is the third oldest profession, and if it is somehow rampant in all these states that have Republican leaders at their helm, then there should be reasonable ways to combat it

      if voter laws truly are the third oldest profession, how realistic is it that we'll actually see an end to it?

    5. You can do the math. You can be stupid and vote in America. You can be drunk and vote in America. You can be mentally insane and vote in America. You could vote in America for Snooki or Rod Blagojevich. Or, like tens of millions of your fellow citizens, you can choose not to vote at all. But if you don't have the means to get a driver's license, or if you cannot afford the time and money it takes to get certain other forms of government ID, you are out of luck? What a great country this is. p.caption2{width:595px;color:black;background:white;text-align:right;padding:7px 10px 7px 10px;line-height:11px;text-size:8px;margin:-5px 0px 5px 0px!important;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;}

      By making this argument, would you be pushing voting laws to be even more strict and restrain even more people? Is it easier to level the playing ground, making voting equally as hard for everyone, or to try to make things easier full?

    1. According to University of Cincinnati assistant professor Dr. Erin Winstanley, Narcan is non-addictive and is not harmful if you give it to someone not experiencing an opioid ovedose.

      Where is the evidence to prove it is non-addictive? Obviously heroine is addictive so drug users keep using it, but how do we know Narcan isn't addictive if Heroin over-dosers have to use it? There needs to be a lot more evidence to support this statement.

    2. "Experts believe that it is safer than ibuprofen," she told FOX19

      How do you know experts feel this way? Where is the evidence to prove this statement and are there studies to prove that ibuprofen is safer? Although this statement may seem true at first, there needs to be further research on your part to see if there is evidence to support all of this.

    3. In the last two weeks, the Hamilton Fire Department has responded to 18 drug overdose calls and five heroin overdoses on Tuesday alone.

      How do you know that this wasn't just an odd week where there were 18 drug overdose calls. On could argue that this isn't substantial proof that drug overdoses occur often. If there can be 18 drug overdose calls one week whose to say there can't be zero calls the next week?

    4. "Eventually there's going to come a time when we're going to be tied up and we're not going to be able to make it to that person who thinks, ‘They're there every time so I'll be OK'," EMS worker Tony Houston told FOX19.

      Perhaps with the legalization of illegal drugs, even more hard core drugs like heroin, more education around the topic can be generated. For example when, where, and how to appropriately use a specific drug and the possible consequences of using these drugs. Most of the problems that come from using drugs is not using them correctly or not understanding what could go wrong. Also, this problem could be prevented by having an age limit for those who wish to purchase drugs and regulations on how much a person can purchase during a set amount of time. However, the real point should be that drugs isn't the biggest threat to the human population. Out of the top 19 health concerns in the world having childhood where they're underweight is the highest and alcohol (some may argue a legal drug) is ranked 3rd. While illicit drugs are ranked 18th. (https://ncadd.org/blogs/in-the-news/2-5-million-alcohol-related-deaths-worldwide-annually)

    1. Police have historically used marijuana prohibition as an excuse to intrude on the lives of law abiding civilians.

      Could the police really just be using the use of marijuana to potentially get a criminal for another offense? I don't think they are intruding on the lives of citizens, it was most likely used to arrest criminals for an offense because they couldn't yet be arrested for another, not to just intrude on their lives.

    2. The early returns after a year of decriminalization in 2013 are favorable showing a slightdecline in youth use rates.

      Where is the evidence about the decriminalization? I also don't think they are favorable, and just because there was a decline in youth use rates doesn't mean it is completely gone.

    3. As a former police accountability advocate, I'm reminded that plenty has changed since ending marijuana prohibition in our state. Police are now forced to change their ways and simply focus on whether or not there is imminent public safety harm due to marijuana use.

      Could the public's safety be at risk though? If you are driving high, or operating machinery while under the influence of cannabis you could hurt other people. Being high at any place besides your free time where you are safe can be dangerous to the public.

    4. Also, traffic fatalities are near historic lows, and slightly lower than what we saw in 2013. I'm not claiming a direct causation to marijuana legalization, but marijuana legalization certainly has not hurt Colorado.

      I for sure know this isn't true because I was reading an article about how people in Colorado are getting laid off because they are failing drug tests at their jobs. State law may let people use pot, but private organizations are the ultimate decider for their employees. Marijuana may have done a lot of good for Colorado, but it also has hurt it.

    5. Colorado also has seen an economic boost since legalization. Colorado is ranked as one of the the fastest growing economies. The unemployment rate is at its lowestsince 2008, well below the national average.

      Considering the unemployment rate is at its lowest since 2008, progress in the economy has been happening quite a few years before the legalization of marijuana. I just think it's not safe to say that the legalization is the reason for the fast growing economy. There are clearly other reasons.

    1. scientists saying the only way to stay below the 2 degrees C redline is to phase out all fossil fuels by roughly the same date, there is only one force big enough to do that — to take on Mother Nature at scale — and that’s Father Greed, a.k.a., the market.

      Do we believe that our society and each country will choose the environment over their own market or greed? And if they won't, what should be the actions taken against them if any?

    2. But the fact that the lowest common denominator is now so high — a willingness by 188 countries to offer plans to steadily and verifiably reduce their carbon emissions — means we still have a chance to meet what scientists say is our key challenge: to avoid the worst impacts of global warming that we cannot possibly manage and to manage those impacts that we can no longer avoid. That is a big, big deal.

      The fact that there are 188 countries is promising and indicates a chance at actual progress towards making real change towards our world's carbon emissions, but do you think that these countries will all take the necessary steps to make the change we need?

    1. GMOs, a term that's thrown around all the time but rarely understood, have been taking a lot of flack lately

      Many people have opinions about GMO's, and in general about things without having the necessary background and education.

    2. "We're consuming foods that contain, in simple terms, unnatural DNA,

      Sounds concerning to our health.

    1. Cole-Turner goes on to argue that the charged religious context is responsible for the failure in the U.S to develop a regulatory framework concerning embryonic research

      Could it be a good thing that religion has curbed the research? Does it in some ways protect religion freedom?

    2. Scientists believe that continuing embryonic stem cell research will lead to two things: the cure to various deadly diseases and a further understanding of human development. Stem cell lines grown in the lab

      How would the people who do believe life starts at conception (which is a large portion of the population) be able to accept this form of research?

    3. In order for stem cell therapy to become an effective form of disease treatment, scientists will have to first figure out a way to bypass that stem cell through each person’s individual immune system. The science behind stem cell research seems hopeful and in the future, stem cells could cure spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, poor circulation, hemophilia, Muscular dystrophy, sickle cell disease and fanconi anemia. The science behind stem cell research is politicized because of the use of the embryo, but it seems that future stem cell treatments may save more people than stem cell research “kills.”

      This scares me. This is because first it goes against the laws of religion just a little too far. God gave each person a gift. This gift is Parkinson's disease, strokes, ect. By using stem cells, we are playing God. Think about it. If we have control of people's lives, whether they live or die, doesn't that make us God? In addition, this is leading to the point of cloning. Cloning is defined as to propagate an organism as a clone. Stem cell research allows for therapeutic cloning. Therapeutic cloning occurs when an adult undergoes a cloning procedure to duplicate his own cells in order stop personal disease, illness or the effects from sudden and serious injury. This procedure also begins by creating a clone of the adult through somatic cell transfer because you are using someone else's cells. Cloning has always been a controversy in the Catholic church. If we are injecting cells from other people into ourselves,doesn't that make us clones of them? If this doesn't stop, we could get to the point in the book Unwind, where people cannot control their ligaments because they have been infused with other people's cells.

    4. On one side of the controversy is the religious issue. For some religious groups the use of embryonic stem cells hits a nerve because embryonic stem cells are four day old fertilized eggs and to those who believe that life begins at conception using a fertilized egg for research is murder.

      This is a controversy, but only if embryonic stem cells are used. I would agree there is a problem with embryonic stem cell research because so many unborn fetuses are killed by being frozen. This also violates the Catholic Church. However, if adult stem cells are used, those aren't unborn fetuses. Those are cells that do not yet have one designated purpose. It hurts no one to use adult stem cells, and they have the same effect as embryonic stem cells. In addition, there has to be a balance between religion and science. The catholic church should concede that the killing of unborn fetuses is okay especially if they would be unborn anyways. However, science has to concede they aren't going to get every unborn fetus, and that they must dispose of the fetuses in a respectable manner.

    1. While Trump has called for deporting all of the undocumented immigrants in the United States

      Why could deporting illegal immigrants from the country be a good thing?

    2. While most of Trump's brash rhetoric has focused on ending illegal immigration peppered with charges that immigrants coming from Mexico are "killers" and "rapists," Trump has also advocated for streamlining the legal U.S. immigration system.

      Trump's claim that immigrants who come here are immigrants are false. Most people who immigrant to America are looking for work and a better life for their family. This is an example of nativism.

    3. He also calls for suspending the issuance of any new green cards, writing, "there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers."

      I just wonder how effective this tactic would be and if it's worth the time he would need to put into it and worth the pause he'll put on the work force

    4. He also calls for suspending the issuance of any new green cards, writing, "there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers."

      Maybe he's attempting to shut it down because he cares for our people, and not because he doesn't like immigrants.

    5. that immigration laws must be fully enforced and that "any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans."

      Maybe the reason border debacles happen are because Americans are much too aggressive, so those people crossing the border feel so threatened they end up defending themselves which ends up in American deaths.

    1. The kids loved it — and so, more or less, did the lunch ladies. The food industry made their programs hum, made it possible to serve hundreds or thousands of meals, often without working kitchens, in lunch periods as short as 25 minutes. Big food companies became partners in every way: Most held associate memberships in the School Nutrition Association and helped finance it with industry advertising and membership fees.

      If the government were to put more regulations on the nutrition of school lunches how would they combat the angry students and lunch ladies that like things the way they are?

    2. Michelle Obama started Let’s Move!, her campaign against child obesity, in 2010, the members of the School Nutrition Association were her natural allies.

      How would those who oppose the First Lady's movement react to their children having to follow her guidelines at school? Would there be protests? How would 'Let's Move' counteract the protests?

    1. The same condition holds for hard drugs. Media accounts focus on users who experience bad outcomes, since these are dramatic or newsworthy. Yet millions risk arrest, elevated prices, impurities, and the vagaries of black markets to purchase these goods, suggesting people do derive benefits from use.

      I don't think that people are receiving benefits from these drugs I think that they are addicted and our willing to risk their quality of life for it because they feel like they can't live without it.

    2. In a society that legalizes drugs, users face only the negatives of use.

      I think that the negatives of using hard drugs is enough for people to realize that legalizing all drugs would turn out to be a very reckless society.

    3. suggest U.S. governments could improve their budgets by at least $85 billion annually by legalizing — and taxing — all drugs. U.S. insistence that source countries outlaw drugs means increased violence and corruption there as well (think Columbia, Mexico, or Afghanistan).

      This would be impossible to tax. There would still be a black market with other countries that people would use in order to evade the tax imposed by the government.

    4. But perhaps the best reason to legalize hard drugs is that people who wish to consume them have the same liberty to determine their own well-being as those who consume alcohol, or marijuana, or anything else. In a free society, the presumption must always be that individuals, not government, get to decide what is in their own best interest.

      I would agree 100% that people should be able to choose what's best for them, but not when their choices could hurt others. I can see the benefits to marijuana in a few instances, but there is no benefit for hard drugs like heroine or cocaine. All these drugs can offer people is a brief period of relief from life, but then reality sets back in and they've only hurt themselves (and possibly others).

    5. if hard drugs carry greater health risks than marijuana, rationally, we can't ban them without comparing the harm from prohibition against the harms from drugs themselves.

      Anti-smoking campaigns have been airing for years. Legalizing marijuana just sets that back further. No smoke is the best smoke no matter what is behind the smoke.

    6. Black markets increase violence because buyers and sellers can't resolve disputes with courts, lawyers, or arbitration, so they turn to guns instead. Black markets generate corruption, too, since participants have a greater incentive to bribe police, prosecutors, judges, and prison guards. They also inhibit quality control, which causes more accidental poisonings and overdoses.

      Some might argue that the black markets might also be a result of unstable individuals who are simply looking for unconventional ways to retrieve something at a possible better deal or circumstance. Someone could be stealing cigarette packs and selling them for a cheaper price, yet cigarettes are legal.

    7. In fact, many legal goods cause serious harm, including death. In recent years, about 40 people per year have died from skiing or snowboarding accidents; almost 800 from bicycle accidents; several thousand from drowning in swimming pools; more than 20,000 per year from pharmaceuticals; more than 30,000 annually from auto accidents; and at least 38,000 from excessive alcohol use.

      With the exception of alcohol, these deaths do not accompany serious side effects, addiction, and all the other horrors that accompany drug related issues. This is very hard to compare with the only similarity being a fatal ending for the person involved.

    8. Marijuana, for example, appears incapable of causing a lethal overdose, but cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine can kill if taken in excess or under the wrong circumstances.

      While Marijuana cannot cause a lethal overdose, some might argue that being in an impaired state could cause harm to yourself or others without being fully aware.

    1. In the journal it was said that the experiments were done on mice, and that marijuana lessened the bruising of the brain, and helped with healing mechanisms after a traumatic injury.

      According to the title of this benefit marijuana protects the brain from concussion, and trauma but states here that it only lessened the bruising of the brain. This experiment has also only been done on mice. How can that guarantee that it will have the same effect on humans?

    1. Caplan said the procedure needs to be conducted many more times on animals before it is applied to humans, adding that if the technique is feasible then Dr. Canavero should be trying to help paralyzed patients before attempting whole body transplants.

      The question that I find isn't stressed enough is: if the head transplant is not considered "ethical" in humans, why is it considered "ethical" on animals?

    2. estimates

      I feel like this article lacks further explanation in the doctors' thinking process and strategy. Elaborating more on what exactly it is that made the doctors "estimate" that the patient would be able to walk after a year would be helpful in engaging the audience more.

    3. needs to be conducted many more times on animals before it is applied to humans

      Any medical practice needs to go through a huge variety of trials before it can be considered. This is clearly not done which would need to change.

    4. new body

      This procedure requires that the whole donor is transplanted. More people facing serious conditions could be helped if the organs were donated in other bad situations, (25 lives could be saved or improved as opposed to the one that the head transplant could aid) and scientists question its feasibility. It does not seem worth it.

    1. Current Utah law permits instruction about, but not advocacy for, contraceptives and sexual intercourse,

      There are families that are concern that a sex education class that teaches only these things assume that kids will engage in sex no matter what and that it makes it sound okay for them to have sex. The classes hardly teach that abstinence is another choice kids have.

    2. Throughout the course of the legislative session he said that sex education should take place in the home and was pleased to see the bill pass in the Senate.

      Parents have the right to decide how they will raise their children and what they (under the adult legal age) can or can not be taught. An abstinence only sex education would perhaps serve as a foundation and further education if wanted can take place in the household.

    3. Current Utah law permits instruction about, but not advocacy for, contraceptives and sexual intercourse, but requires parents to give permission for their children to take the class.

      Such a requirement may be necessary to give parents the option to opt out their children due to strong religious beliefs.

    1. The Obama administration has previously announced plans to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees next year.

      Once we let in 10,000 refugees, what is to say we won't let even more as Europe gets overwhelmed with refugees. Allowing a large amount of refugees can pose an economic burden in communities.

    2. "American humanitarian compassion could be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger," referring to Friday's deadly attacks in Paris.

      People feel that terrorism in the U.S is a very real threat. Even though America should have compassion towards Syrian, at the end of the day people feel that America needs to do what is best for the nation and its citizens to protect them before we we allow avenues for a terrorist attack.

    1. .

      But if college was tuition-free how high do you think taxes would rise?

    2. Today, there is universal access to free, public schools across the United States for kindergarten through 12th grade. That didn’t happen by presidential decree. It took populist pressure from the progressive movement, beginning in the 1890s, to make widespread access to free public schools a reality. By 1940, half of all young people were graduating from high school. As of 2013, that number was 81 percent. But that achievement is no longer enough. A college degree is the new high school diploma.

      I didn't realize lower education wasn't always free. Very interesting.

    1. If a car breaks the law, the driver would be responsible.

      The driver would be responsible, but does that mean we shouldn't have them? What about a self-driving taxi service? The company would be responsible but companies are already responsible in today's taxi world. There are many alternatives to just selling them to the public.

    2. *DMV attorney Brian Soublet said the agency appreciates the potential benefits for disabled people, but its focus has to be on the safety of the entire motoring public.**

      I don't really understand how self-driving cars would be more dangerous for public as a whole? There's no chance of the car drunk driving or falling asleep.

    3. If a car breaks the law, the driver would be responsible.

      This is another huge issue that is going to take years of writing regulation and debate.

    4. Google has concluded that human error is the biggest danger in driving, and the company wants to remove the steering wheel and pedals from cars of the future, giving people minimal ability to intervene.

      Although a majority of the time self driving cars will be more accurate as the engineers at Google have determined there are going to ethical dilemmas are still present if the car must crash how does it determine the who is put in danger.

    1. So, while African American juvenile youth is but 16% of the population, they are 28% of juvenile arrests, 37% of the youth in juvenile jails and 58% of the youth sent to adult prisons. 2009 Criminal Justice Primer, The Sentencing Project.

      In her essay, Amanda Geller explains that paternal incarceration often results in high rates of juvenile delinquency. So high African American arrests will likely have an effect on family dynamics and influences children of incarcerated parents to alter their behaviors.

    2. Two. The police stop blacks and Latinos at rates that are much higher than whites. In New York City, where people of color make up about half of the population, 80% of the NYPD stops were of blacks and Latinos. When whites were stopped, only 8% were frisked. When blacks and Latinos are stopped 85% were frisked according to information provided by the NYPD. The same is true most other places as well. In a California study, the ACLU found blacks are three times more likely to be stopped than whites.

      I read in another article, that the police claims that one of the reasons why they stop blacks so often is because if they live in higher crime neighborhoods, their actions often trigger the police's "suspicion instinct".

    1. The U.S. is hearing a lot of the "'us' versus 'them'" arguments lately

      While it is important not to fall into the "us" vs. "them" mentality, it is equally important to remember that there are two sides to an issue, if not more.

    2. Especially when it's hard. Especially when it's not convenient. That's when it counts. That's when it matters. Not when things are easy, but when things are hard."

      The immigration system needs to be reformed even though doing this will be difficult. To do this, the history of immigration in America needs to be considered.

    3. "We are Americans," he said. "Standing up for each other is what the values enshrined in the documents in this room compels us to do

      True, but we are also human so shouldn't we take in all the people we can to help them because it's the right thing to do?

    4. If people did watch, though, they saw a president urging the U.S. public to look at immigration through the lens of history. "In the Mexican immigrant today, we see the Catholic immigrant of a century ago," he said. "In the Syrian seeking refuge today, we should see the Jewish refugee of World War II."

      President Obama looked at this through the eyes of history. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to repeat history, so we should look at immigration objectively, and we might be able to think of better reform ideas.

    1. Most unauthorized immigrants will not choose this path, but the option of citizenship will be open to those who want it the most — at a price

      The immigration system should not be structured so it is impossible to gain citizenship without paying a hefty fee, they should have the option to gain citizenship if they want it.

    2. Conservatives are skeptical of a blanket amnesty for obvious reasons, so why not try a multi-tiered legalization

      The immigration system needs some way to allow people to enter the country legally. There need to be some restrictions but the current system needs to be changed.

    3. Instead of inviting just workers at any skill level or education, states could also set up visas for entrepreneurs and smaller-scale investors — categories that don't currently exist. A state-based visa could also prompt experimentation on enforcement techniques and strategies.

      I agree with this statement. In your piece of writing it would be nice to show alternatives or new ways that we could help the illegal immigrants.

    4. Speaker Ryan will have some difficult immigration challenges ahead of him; these ideas can help him get ahead of them.

      I like that you had opinions on both sides. I think you should back up both your sides with others' opinions on the topic.

    5. Fixing our legal immigration system is the key to stopping unauthorized immigration and allowing our economy to attract the workers it demands

      There is a need to fix our legal system from both perspectives. It is clear that what we have now isn't working.

    6. Worse, there are no visas available for yearlong work in almost all occupations and thus little labor market flexibility.

      This shows the little options that immigrants have to legally move here.

    1. In just three months, the sites went from dirt to hundreds of rows of solar panels generating enough energy to power 1,300 homes annually.

      What if instead of funding these renewable energy programs, we could find a way to reduce our carbon emissions with our fossil fuels. That way we wouldn't have to add entirely new infrastructure and we would be starting with something we already knew.

    2. New solar facilities provide innovative, local alternative energy source for benefit of PVREA members

      I realize that solar energy is much cleaner than fossil fuels, but today don't you think that solar energy isn't very feasible, due to the incredibly high cost.

    1. Lastly some believe that by increasing the amount of loans, students, especially the large number who drop out of college, could put themselves in a bigger financial hole than the current loans would allow.

      Will every student be able to pay back these loans, even with a good job?

    2. raising costs is the price needed to stay competitive, as many prospective students and their families equate higher price with better quality. (NYT)

      This raises a good point, competition is needed in our economy.

    1. anybody who uses that excuse is obviously a bit racist.

      the author of this article is definitely pro-voter id laws and is very much against people who are against them. She thinks they are ignorant.

    2. not need identification

      The issue isn't specifically if someone "needs" identification, but if they are actually able to attain it.

    3. 120 fraudulent voted.

      but how much of a significiant difference does 120 votes really make in an election?

    1. aising the minimum wage will kill jobs or make it harder for businesses to hire new workers

      You could argue that this isn't true, however another consequence of raising the minimum wage is that it would result in an increase in the cost of prices of many simple retail items. Where does the money to pay these workers come from? CEO's aren't going to cut their own wages to pay some 17 year old more money, they're going to charge the consumer more money for their products.

    1. Increases in college tuition at public colleges, particularly in recent years, have really been unacceptable.

      In an article I recently read, there was talk about how much it has increased and how much it will continue to increase. If it's clearly a problem, why can't we all come up with a way to reduce the cost.

    2. This sudden, enormous demand, Thelin adds, could have pushed college costs higher — but didn't, because states embraced the idea. The booming postwar economy allowed them to spend unprecedented sums of money to expand higher education

      Should the states have costs higher?

    3. I think about it all the time, because I realize [how] it has limited me, by not having that piece of paper," he says.

      Why do you think college costs so much if it's so necessary

    1. Both sides will just want to let the (right) people vote.

      How can you actually define this since all citizens of the United States have the right to vote??<

    2. here were only 26 substantiated cases of voter fraud in the entire nation. Indeed, voter fraud is an extraordinarily rare occurrence.

      This proves that there are indeed more issues with the negative affects of voter ID laws rather than the positive affects of them stopping voter fraud which rarely occurs.

    1. I actually did the same topic, but this article brought up something I didn't even think about. I never thought about the ethics behind the cars and what that could mean. Such a tough question to answer. Another question that is important to think about is who would decide. This moral question is super deep and brings up a lot of really good information about this new technology.

    2. "We have a technology that potentially could save a lot of people, but is going to be imperfect and is going to kill.”

      Autonomous Vehicles moral questionJean-François Bonnefon, Azim Shariff, Iyad Rahwan

      Business Insider reached out to Google to see if its researchers have been tackling these ethical questions and will update if we hear back. Example of narration

    3. A recent study called "Autonomous vehicles need experimental ethics," highlighted by The MIT Technology Review explores these questions, and more. An example of exemplification

    1. The huge Central States Pension Fund, which administers retirement benefits for some former and current Teamster truckers, said the reductions are the only way to save the plan from insolvency.

      This cannot be the only way to deal with insolvency, there will also be a lot of opportunity costs in doing this, and it may hurt many people.

    2. Under the proposal, pensions for Central States’ 407,000 participants would be cut by an average of nearly 23 percent. But the pain would be distributed unevenly. Some participants, including the disabled, would not be subject to reductions. Older retirees would generally receive smaller cuts, while those who worked for defunct companies that did not keep pace with their pension funding obligations would face steeper reductions.

      I don't agree with this, because there is no way to say who needs a pension most. Therefore it would be unfair, and someone who really needs it may not get one.

    3. If some of the larger multi-employer plans are allowed to collapse, the federal insurance fund that protects them could also collapse. Given that, a coalition of plan trustees and unions said the only way to salvage the most distressed pension plans is to allow them to cut retirement benefits before they run out of money.

      Again, I don't believe in this idea but how many more people would be hurt if Central States didn't reduce retiree benefits? If they had to sepnd more money, then they would be a greater risk of failing which would force them to lay off tons of employees. Isn't it better to harm the benefits of a few employees for the sake of keeping a lot more people employed?

    4. The measure for the first time allows the benefits of current retirees to be cut in order to address the fiscal distress confronting some of the nation’s multi-employer pension plans.

      I don't believe in this line of reasoning myself, but for the sake of argument, I would like to know that if Central States is a business functioning in a capitalist economy, then isn't its primary goal to make as much money as possible? Therefore, is reducing the pensions and retiree benefits of its employees for the sake of making a larger profit a bad thing? Isn't that just a sign that the company is intelligently playing the "game of capitalism?"

    1. Is ISIS a Threat to the U.S.?

      Some people do not think ISIS is a threat to the U.S., because they have not had any direct attacks on the U.S.

    2. While extremist groups are generally amorphous organizations, ISIS can trace its history directly back to the Sunni terrorist organization al Qaeda, specifically the Iraq faction, al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). AQI, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was responsible for scores of bombings, kidnappings and

      Most people think the terrorists came from the Muslim religion. However, this shows that they are not true.

    1. Over the decade from 2001-2011, the share of expenses devoted to "student services" rose from 17 percent of the average school's budget to 20 percent

      A change in the budget means they have to be able to pay for the new amenities they provide for us.

    2. Researchers who study the question of the rapidly rising financial burden of American higher education say it's important to understand that very different forces are driving the cost of delivering that education and the price students and their families have to pay.

      They seem to be arguing that colleges are trying to give us the most value for our money.

    3. It was the first time since 1949 that the school, which was chartered in 1650, had boosted tuition two years in a row.

      I think this shows that maybe tuition hasn't gone up that much. If this is only the first time since 1949 that the tuition has increased two years in a row, then maybe that's not as often as we think.

    4. Despite the annual sticker shock, millions of American students and their families still believe it is—and many experts concur, pointing out that college graduates, on average, do still make considerably more than those with just a high school diploma.

      Maybe the costs of college are outweighed by the benefits to a person's future career.

    1. addiction

      Why are veterans the only people with drug addiction listed as a possible cause? Drug addiction is the cause of many problems especially chronic homelessness, individual homelessness, and the continued cycle of homelessness and poverty.

    2. relatively little public assistance.

      Many families must spend time in a shelter and although they may be able to get back into housing quickly that does not entail that it doesn't have lifetime effects.

    3. the main reason people experience homelessness is because they cannot find housing they can afford.

      What about drug addiction? and the cycle of poverty? What about those who choose to be homeless and those who may only be unable to find housing because they have no education and cannot qualify for a job?

    1. Jon Boeckenstedt disagrees.

      What does Jon Boekenstedt think we can do to resolve this problem, do you have any suggestions that you (we) could propose?

    1. How the US compares: The number of gun murders per capita in the US in 2012 - the most recent year for comparable statistics - was nearly 30 times that in the UK, at 2.9 per 100,000 compared with just 0.1.Of all the murders in the US in 2012, 60% were by firearm compared with 31% in Canada, 18.2% in Australia, and just 10% in the UK.

      It's notable that firearm accidents represent thousands of deaths, a very high number that would easily be reduced with better gun safety.