The Death Penalty

In 1972 the US Supreme Court ruled that the federal and state death penalty laws were "arbitrary and capricious" and they constituted cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.  Historically there has always been problems with the use of the death penalty.  For example, you are more likely to be executed if you are a black person and killed a white person. There is always the possibility that innocent people are executed, however I do believe that the death penalty should not be abolished because there are people out there that deserve to be killed like murderers,rapists, and child molesters.  It is sad that these kind of people get a life sentence while innocent people get executed.  There needs to be a change in this system so that innocent people don't die.

      Executions started again in 1977 and as of 2011, 1271 inmates have been executed in the U.S, according to Death Penalty Information Center.  The Death Penalty Information Center has some disturbing facts that question several of the pro death penalty advocates main beliefs.  " Since  1973, over 130 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence".  I find it disturbing that many people spent years on death row only to find out that years latter that they were released.  Another pro-death penalty belief is that the death penalty is a deterrence to crime.  However the facts don't seem to prove this idea. "The 2010  FBI Uniform Crime Report showed that the South had the highest murder rate.  The South accounts for over 80%  of executions.  The Northeast, which has less  than 1% of all executions, tied with the West for the lowest murder rate".  These facts make me concerned whether the Death Penalty can ever be fair.

     From my research I found out that rapists and child molesters are exempt from the death penalty.  I was surprised and it made me question my ideas about punishment.  I had a neighbour whose twenty-six year-old son was murdered over a argument about a girl.  She's a very religious person and she and her family have not sought vengeance.  I hope that there are more people like her who do not want to have vengeance for their family member.



   Facts:
 All of the facts were from deathpeanaltyinfo.org
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/FactSheet.pdf
                             

Climate Change isn't a big issue for Americans

  Our planet may be getting warmer and the weather becoming more extreme but it seems that the issue of climate change is not a big concern to many Americans at this time.  According to a gallup.com poll in 2008 global warming was second to last among concerns of American voters, while the economy was first.  While I agree that it's a big issue  it is not something I feel that I can do much about.  Maybe that's what other Americans are feeling too.

       There are people out there that strongly believe that the science behind climate change is flawed and not credible.  Repbulican presidential candidate Rick Perry told his voters that "I don't believe man-made global warming is settled in science enough."  There is a website called gloabalwarminghoax.com which carries many articles and news stories that global warming isn't real.  Bryan Walsh for Time Magazine said "That's deeply troubling. It's one thing when people disagree on the effectiveness of different approaches to fix a problem; it's worse when they refuse even to believe that a problem exists."

     Americans are dealing with an economic crisis right now and they don't have time right now to think about what they can do to save the planet.  They are worrying about jobs, taxes and if they can keep a roof under their head.  The government would have to take a leading role to start these issues of climate change so that Americans would be more focused on it.
  
 Facts: 
1.A gallup.com poll was done in 2008.
2.Globalwarminghoax.com is a website that doesn't believe in global warming.
3. Bryan Walsh is a writer for Time Magazine. 
      
   

           

Stop whining and pay your fair share!

Where's the evidence that tax cuts for the wealthy will fuel the economy?  This is a big issue that is being debated in Congress and in the media.  President Obama introduced the "Buffet Plan" on September 19th,2011 which would prevent millionaires from taking advantage of lower tax rates on investment earnings than what middle-income tax payers pay on their wages.  Warren Buffett is the chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway INC.  He wrote  in a New York Times Sunday article that "While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega- rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks".  Joel Slemrod a professor of Stephen Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan  said that "there is no compelling evidence that high taxes impede economic growth".

           
   
     Republicans will always argue that if you tax the "job creators" then they wouldn't be able to create more jobs.  Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis, chairman of the House Budget Committee told Fox News on September 18th, 2011,"If you tax something more you get less of it.  If you tax job creators more you get less job creation.  If you tax their investment more, you get less investment."  However when you try to look into this statement, it is hard to find the evidence that tax cuts for the wealthy create jobs.  Ronald Regan was the first Republican president to say that tax cuts for the rich would "trickle down" economic benefits to the rest of the country.  Some of the  increases in the federal deficit can be traced to Republican presidents who reduced taxes.

 

     The richest one percent of Americans now earn almost a quarter of the country's income and control 40 percent of its wealth,said Michael Keegan of the Huffington Post.  Americans are fed up that the rich aren't paying their fair share.  When most Americans are facing cut backs in services, higher payments for health insurance and job lay-offs, it's hard to feel sorry for the top one percent who don't pay taxes.  According to a CBS news/New York Times poll 56 percent of Americans said that wealthier Americans should pitch in and pay higher taxes to help reduce the deficit.  Tax cut will never create jobs and they don't help the economy.

Facts:
1. President Obama introduced the " Buffet Plan on September 19th, 2011.
2. Joel Slemrod was quoted in a MinnPost.com article by Myles Splicer.
3. Paul Ryan was on Fox News September 18th, 2011
4. Michael Keegan does opinion articles on the  Huffington Post.
   
      

I can buy whatever I want!

Personally it is hard for me to get really excited over the question of what the government can or cannot tell us what to buy.  It does not damage my personal liberty when the government restricted cigarette smoking in public places or requires nutrition labels on food packaging.  It seems that many times that the government is forced to act on a safety or health issue only after years of research and debate.  The government has a responsibility to protect the health and safety of it's citizens.

      In July, the Republicans in congress and Rupert Murdock's Wall Street Journal  tried to draw a line in the sand over the "government nanny state".  The BULB Act became a rally call in the conservatives battle against government intrusion on personal liberty.  Representative Joe Barton, Texas Republican, said "The 2010 elections demonstrated that Americans are fed up with government intrusion.  The federal government has crept so deep into our lives that federal agencies now determine what kind of light bulb the American people are allowed to purchase".
       It is interesting that the Republicans and Fox News have picked this issue.  The 2007 Energy Bill(Passed under George W. Bush) raised energy efficiency standards for light bulbs that go into effect in 2014.  However from the hysteria I can almost picture light bulb police knocking on my door.  It seems that the Republicans are more interested in raising the fear of "socialist" government than in discussing issues facing our country.

Facts:

1. BULB Act failed to get two-third majority in the Republican- controlled house, in July 2011.
2.  Joe Barton quoted in Enviome Magazine, September 2011.
3.  Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 was under George W. Bush.
4.  Light bulbs must be 25 to 30% more efficient by 2014. 
     

     

9/11 : The Propaganda Machine

It's been 10 years now.  We still remember the Two Towers collapsing and people screaming in terror.  We also remember the First Responders who risked their own lives to save a thousand others.  However, this tragedy has bought upon us two of the longest wars in American history.  The First Responders have also been fighting medical issues after the 9/11 attack. I was 9 years old when it happened.  I grew up with George Bush and the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I have now come to realised that all of this remember 9/11 is mainly propaganda.  I'm concerned that they're using this anniversary to encourage people to sympathise with the wars.

On 9/11/11 Jeff Jacoby wrote on the Boston Sunday Globe an opinion piece entitled After 10 years, it's still a Fight for Freedom.  Jacoby wrote "That as part of George W. Bush's war against terrorism, Bush had a "Freedom Agenda" that was a campaign to democratise the Middle East".  Jacoby states "That this "Freedom agenda's" goal was based on the idea that dictatorships and theocracies breed terrorism".  While I agree that freedom and democracy are what is needed in the Middle East, I am confused as to why some of our strongest allies are dictators and theocracies.  In Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 911 he describes in detail that the Bush family were long time friends of the Saudi royal family.

      In December 2010 Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show had four First Responders as his guests to talk about the 9/11 First Responders bill.  He was frustrated that the Republican Party that was using  9/11 as a "catchphrase" was turning it's back on it's heroes.  The First Responders talked about how they now have cancer, heart disease, and brain damage because of 9/11.  After this show he shamed congress so much that they had to pass the bill.  I find it disgusting that it took a comedian to help pass a bill.  I sympathise with the dead family members of millions of Americans but 9/11 did not have to bring us ten years of two wars.

 

      

   

Factbox: *On 9/11/11 Jeff Jacoby  wrote an article in the Boston Sunday Globe called After Ten Years it's still a fight for freedom.

* In Michael Moore's documentary: Fahrenheit 911 he talked about how Bush had good connections with the Saudis and how he used 9/11 to start the war in Iraq.
* In December 2010 Jon Stewart had four First Responders come on his show.