The More the Merrier???

So is it really the more the merrier? After looking at the party system in Europe i couldn't help but think, would it be better for us to adopt the European system and have a multiple party system? Well, although it works in Europe, i believe that we should stick to our two party system with other smaller parties. When there are too many parties there are so many options for people to choose from. I think that everyone has their own idea how to run our government. Even though i call myself a Republican, I definitely do not agree with other Republicans on all levels. The more parties we have the more diversity, however whomever is chosen to rule our country would not represent a majority of the populations beliefs. It is important that a lot of people agree with the leaders of a country, or else the leader does not adequately represent their nation. Therefore when we have two parties, a larger portion of the nation will agree with the leader chosen. However, i do think that it is great that in European countries representatives are not just from one party, but divided based off of how many votes they got. Instead of winner take all, if someone got 20 percent of the votes, they would have 20 percent of representation. Yet, Sean brought up an important argument in class. The more parties we have the harder it is to come into agreement. Making compromises would be very difficult and would take a really long time. So basically, when it comes to political parties....the more is not the merrier.

Forget Smokers, Tax snackers

This article is about obesity in the United States and how it attributes to high health care and demands for people who get diabetes and need a lot of medical attention because of obesity. It also talks about how we should tax snack foods and make them less desirable for people to buy. It states, “According to oft-cited research published in the journal Obesity, the annual cost to the state of medical care attributable to obesity is estimated to be almost $7.7 billion. If every man, woman and child in California put $200 into a fund on a yearly basis, that wouldn't be enough to cover that tab. And that's just what the state spends.” It also furthermore goes to explain, “I have a motto: Alliteration makes for good legislation. So we can sell the snack tax like this: Tack 10 cents onto anything beige, battered or bite-sized.The obesity epidemic is a serious health crisis. Even cockroaches are coming down with Type 2 diabetes. And it's all from -- surprise -- the food we eat. Fast food. Fried food. Sugary food. High-fructose corn syrup. It's in abundance, and its super cheap. We've overindulged, and it's driving up healthcare costs each year.”
Over all, I think this is a bad idea. If people want junk food, that means they are addicted to it and will eat it no matter the cost. They will do what it takes to buy the extra bag of cheetos and the box of donuts. Furthermore, obesity is most common amoung the poorer people who do not have enough money as it is. If we want to help, we should promote better eating habits and lower the cost of healthier foods.

Clinton Energy Plan Includes Push for Higher Gas Mileage

This article is about Senator Clinton wanting to push for higher gas mileage. This would in turn increase energy efficiency and help the environment. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday released her plan to combat climate change and to increase energy efficiency, which includes raising fuel standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030 and creating five million jobs through renewable energy advancements. Furthermore, Clinton’s idea would include, “Mrs. Clinton called for reducing carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. She also called for a “cap and trade” auction system in which businesses would buy allowances to pollute, creating incentives to reduce emissions or to limit energy use.” (1).Over all, I like what I am hearing. Even though I am a Republican, Hilary Clinton is doing a good job appealing to a lot of different people. I am a firm believer in protecting the environment, especially from global warming. I think that if we have a President like Clinton who actually cares about the environment, unlike Bush, then we will make more laws helping save the earth. Carbon emissions are polluting our atmosphere and something needs to be done about that, and very soon.

Make No Child Honest

I recently read an article called, "Make No Child Honest." It is about education and how we definetly need to improve it in our country (i agreee). The author talks about how the No Child Left Behind Act has helped draw the light on education and the schools we have in the United States. A really interesting question he asked was, ” Still, how can one like a law so badly framed and rigidly constructed that it erects unfair and unreachable standards, encourages schools to ignore the children most in need of help, labels many a fine school as failing, and has the perverse effect of shrinking history, science and arts education and badly cutting into programs for gifted kids?” I agree with this! Even though the law is really bad, there are some things good with this. He also mentioned this, “There's one other essential flaw in the act that Miller does not address: It still aims to bring all students up to proficiency by 2014. Let's face it. The nation will never make all of its students academically proficient, as long as proficiency is a reasonably high standard. That's like saying all Americans will be above average. Continued growth is realistic; so is narrowing the shameful gap in achievement between white and minority students. Academic stardom for all is not. The public will not trust this law until it at least is honest.”Over all, I believe that we do need to make the NO Child honest. This was a really good article and I think that education needs to be fixed. Children are the future of our country and if we are not well educated, then our coutry will fall apart. It is important that we fix our public school system and make sure that everyone is getting adequate education and the proper materials needed.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-nclb28oct28,0,5805070.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail