Current Issue - December 12 - AP US Government and Politics

Current Issue - December 12

11/28/2011

The assignment is under 2nd Marking Period Assignments - Nov./December. Please post your first blog by December 12.

Each week, include the following information on the blog post: (a) news sources (author, date, headline, web site if applicable) – 3 required and 1 additional source; (b) summary (who, what, where, when, why/how) based on ALL of the articles; (c) any changes from the previous week (starting December 19), and (d) how the issue / events during the week relate to themes in the course.

Themes / topics in the course include:

Federalism         Civil Rights / Liberties    Civic Action
Federal separation of powers/ checks and balances
The Media                Human rights         Congress
Policy-making (laws)    Interest groups     The Presidency
Economic policy     Non-governmental agencies/organizations
The Courts            Social policy    Military policy
The Bureaucracy (government agencies)
Environmental policy   Political parties   Campaigns / Elections
Citizenship      International relations    Pluralism/diversity

The blog post is worth (a) news sources – up to 16 points (4 points each)   (b) summary (15 points for each component of a summary and evidence that all the news sources are synthesized) (c) change from the previous week (9 points),   (d) paragraph explaining the issue/event’s connection to the course theme (identify at least one theme and give explanation - 10 points) . The post will count as a writing assignment and is worth a total of 50 points each week except for the week of Dec. 12 (41 points since to (c)

EXAMPLE:
Issue: Clean Air policy
(a) New York Times, "A Futuristic Plan for NJ," 12/1/11
       CNN, "New Jersey Leads the Way," 12/3/11
       Christian Sci. Monitor, "Is NJ First?" 12/5/11
       Phila. Inquirer, "NJ Leaves PA behind," 12/2/11
(b) New Jersey's new environmental policy, lead by the NJ legislature and environmental organizations such as the Clean Air Council , have agreed to a ten year plan to decrease air pollution. The plan includes cutting car and power plant emissions and a surcharge or tax on anyone with a car more than 5 years old and power plants with emission levels above 1.7. The decision to improve NJ's air quality was in response to a federal report which listed NJ as the 38th state for air quality.
(c) Last week I also researched clean air policies. NJ's policy is different from Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania legislature refuses to pass laws to decrease car emissions.
(d) This issues is related to "Environmental Policy" and federalism. Car emissions are regulate by both the state and federal government but are primarily a state issue. Air quality is an environmental issue.

28 Comments

Thuy Vuong link

12/11/2011 11:17:10 am

Author: Editorial
Date: June 4, 2010
Headline: Jeffrey Conroy

Jeffrey Conroy was 17 when he stabbed an Ecuadorean Immigrant in Patchogue on 2008. Conroy was convicted on 2010, of manslaughter as a hate crime, gang assault, and attempted assault on other Hispanic men. Conroy and other six friends of his used to beat up the Mexican guys; one day they attacked Marcelo Lucero and stabbed him on Nov 8, 2008. Conroy refused to admit and proclaimed his innocence by blamed on one of the gang member for the stabbing. On the trial, Conroy said that Christopher Overton, 17, told him that he had stabbed Lucero and asked Conroy to take the knife. At that point, Conroy said that he didn't know Lucero had died and that was why he admitted stabbing Mr. Lucero to protect Overton. The other four teenagers in the gang pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted assault as a hate crime and other charges. The other two, including Overton, have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial. Overton's lawyer had denied that his client stabbed Lucero. Conroy was sentenced on May 26 to 25 years in prison.

-Will post the rest LATER or Not-

Thuy Vuong

12/12/2011 04:53:59 am

Author: Adam Reiss
Date: Fri December 9, 2011
Headline: Rutgers student rejects plea deal in cyber-bullying case
Website: CNN

"Ravi is a citizen of India who was studying in the U.S. legally." Ravi had set up a camera in their dorm and used it to stream his roommate's sexual encounter with another man. Ravi's roommate, Tyler Clementi killed himself the following day by jumping off the bridge between New York and New Jersey. The plea deal offered Ravi, 19, to complete 600 hours of community services.

*The first article is from the New York Times

Thuy Vuong

12/12/2011 07:56:22 am

Author: Patrik Jonsson
Date: August 12, 2011
Headline: Wisconsin State Fair mob attack- Police seek hate crime charges
Website: Christian Science Monitor

Black teenagers joined together and beat up white people outside the gates of the Wisconsin State Fair on Aug. 4. The police in West Allis, Wis., said that the crime happened because of racially motivated and so the charges should be prosecuted as hate crimes. One African-American confirmed the statement; he said he picked on the white people because they were "easy-targets".

Author: Evann Gastaldo
Date: Nov 22, 2011
Headline: Teen in Gay Murder Case Gets 21 Years
Website: Newser

A teenage boy named, Brandon McInerney,17, shot one of his classmate, Larry King, to death because King was gay. McInerney pleaded guilty to second-degree and voluntary manslaughter and he have to go prison for 21 years.

A civil rights violation may become a crime if it involves the use or threat of use of force. Hate crimes are intended to hurt and intimidate someone because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religious, sexual orientation, or disability. Therefore, hate crimes are related to Civil Rights.

*No more ^_^

Dany Chhun

12/12/2011 08:36:18 am

Author: MIREYA NAVARRO
Date: December 7, 2011
Headline: A Master Plan for N.J.’s Energy Needs
Website:New York Time

The final version of Gov. Chris Christie’s master plan on energy for New Jersey is in, reflecting only minimal tweaks since a draft was released over the summer.Governor Christie had called the lower amount more realistic.He said, energy as part of a broader emphasis on renewable sources of energy and economic growth,” he said in a written statement.
The plan puts a greater emphasis on electricity powered by natural gas, which has become an issue in parts of the Northeast because of the increasing use of a controversial extraction process known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing. Although New Jersey, unlike New York, will not undergo such drilling because it lacks natural gas reserves, it is seeking to build three new plants powered by natural gas.
The state has set an overall goal of meeting 70 percent of its electricity needs with clean energy sources, but it defines such sources not just as renewable but also nuclear power, natural gas and hydroelectric plants. Record to above this issue is relates to
to Environmental Policy, Economic Policy, and Social Policy.

yingying huang

12/12/2011 11:00:33 am

Author: the Monitor's Editorial Board
Date: December 12, 2011
Headline: After climate talks in Durban, a more truly global solution
Web: Christian Science Monitor

The big breakthrough at the Durban climate talks was that India, China, and other big carbon emitters agreed to seek a legal pact with the West by 2015. A global problem needs a global solution. The Durban meeting also made progress on saving the world’s forests.

Author: Mark Tutton
Date: December 5, 2011
Headline: How climate change has affected your favorite landscapes
Web:CNN

Owning to increased greenhouse gas emissions have already increased maximum global temperatures.In some areas of the world, climate change has begun to threaten natural habitats, such as the village of Shishmaref, Alaska, where rising temperatures have been melting away ice on the coast, threatening wildlife and livelihoods.

Author: MIREYA NAVARRO
Date: December 7, 2011, 3:24 pm
Headline: A Master Plan for N.J.’s Energy Needs
Web: New York Time

The Gov. Chris Christie’s master plan on energy for New Jersey is in, reflecting only minimal tweaks since a draft was released over the summer. He said that the plan would manage the state’s energy needs in a way that saves money, creates jobs and protects the environment.The state has set an overall goal of meeting 70 percent of its electricity needs with clean energy sources, but it defines such sources not just as renewables but also nuclear power, natural gas and hydroelectric plants. The energy master plan is subject to revisions at least once every three years.

Author: Robert S. Eshelman
Date: November 19, 2009
Headline: Where's the Clean Energy?
Web: The Nation

The assistant manager at Gainesville Regional Utility (GRU) was out looking for ways to boost his city's renewable energy capacity.With the feed-in tariff, Germany boosted its renewable energy production from 1 percent of its total output in 1995 to 12 percent in 2005. By 2007 renewables supplied 14 percent of Germany's electricity. Denmark and Spain also have successful feed-in tariff programs.So this past March, Gainesville rolled out its own feed-in tariff. GRU now pays twice the retail cost for every kilowatt of solar power-generated electricityCalifornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently increased his state's standard from 20 percent by 2010 to 33 percent by 2020. Several other states are shooting for 25 percent by 2025, with Hawaii aiming for 70 percent by 2030. And California, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Vermont all have feed-in tariff legislation.

Those events relate to the environmental policy and economic policy.

LaV'yona Andrews

12/12/2011 11:32:00 am

Current Issue: The Economy

Today, the economy of the US isn’t at it’s best. Much of this has to do with the United States’ huge debt amount. In the summer of 2011, Standard & Poor downgraded the Nations credit rating from “AAA” to “AA”. And that following Monday, there was plunging stock numbers. According to the US National Debt Clock ( http://www.usdebtclock.org/ ), The United States National debt total is $15,109,287,941,213 and counting by the milliseconds. Majority of the Nation’s debt is from the war in the Middle East, specifically Afghanistan. Since the Nation’s recession a few years ago, social security and unemployment funds were decreased tremendously. Also, millions of jobs were lost. Which caused people to not be able to pay bills, taxes and pay off debts. This also contributes to the Nations debt.
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SOURCE: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/obama-details-his-balanced-plan-to-reduce-the-deficit/
AUTHOR: N/A
HEADLINE: Obama details his balanced plan to reduce the deficit
DATE: Sep 19, 2011 11:08am

Barack Obama plans to decrease the United States government by a whopping $2 trillion dollars. The bulk of the savings in the president’s plan come from $1.5 trillion in deficit-reduction through new taxes for high-end earners and $580 billion in cuts to entitlement programs, including $248 billion to Medicare and $72 billion to Medicaid. The Republican party opposes to this plan.

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SOURCE: http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/how-much-is-the-us-national-debt-0813/
HEADLINE: How Much is the US National Debt
AUTHOR: Life's Little Mysteries Staff
DATE: 26 July 2011 3:00 AM ET

On Feb. 14, while announcing the 2012 budget request, President Barack Obama projected that by Sept. 30, the end of the 2011 fiscal year, the U.S. National Debt projects to be $15.476 trillion, or 102.6 percent of the gross domestic product. That works out to $49,762.06 for every man, woman and child.
There are just under 311 million people in the United States. But because most children don't pay taxes, the debt to each taxpayer will hit $139,632.24.
Today, July 26, though, the debt sits at $14.539 trillion, or about $130,020 per tax payer (or $46,621 per citizen).

SOURCE: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-19/politics/politics_obama-debt_1_obama-outlines-taxes-on-job-creators-spending-cuts?_s=PM:POLITICS
HEADLINE: Obama outlines taxes on job creators
AUTHOR: CNN Wire Staff
DATE: September 19, 2011
President Barack Obama released his long-awaited debt reduction plan Monday, outlining a roughly $3 trillion savings blueprint that was immediately criticized by top congressional and other Republicans.
The president's plan includes $1.5 trillion in new revenue generated largely by higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans, a proposal strongly opposed by GOP leaders who insist that any tax increase will undermine an already shaky economy.
The measure -- which would add to nearly $1 trillion in savings signed into law under the debt-ceiling deal enacted in August -- does not include changes to Social Security. It would increase Medicare premiums for individuals with higher incomes starting in 2017 -- the year Obama leaves office if he wins a second term.

"We are not going to have a one-sided deal that hurts the folks that are most vulnerable," Obama said at the White House, offering a defense of tax hikes on the highest earners.
Spending cuts alone "will not solve our fiscal problems. We can't just cut our way out of this hole," he added. "It's going to take a balanced approach. If we're going to make spending cuts -- many of which we wouldn't make if we weren't facing such large budget deficits -- then it's only right that we ask everyone to pay their fair share."
Obama explicitly promised to veto any debt-reduction legislation that cuts benefits while failing to include higher taxes on the wealthy.
iReport: What do you think about Obama's plan?
"I will not support any plan that puts all the burden on ordinary Americans," he insisted.
Republicans responded by dismissing the plan as little more than a cheap political gimmick.
It's "a thinly veiled attempt to score political points," said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. "By raising taxes on job creators, Obama may win back some support from disgruntled liberal voters, but America will lose even more sorely needed jobs."
"Veto threats, a massive tax hike, phantom savings and punting on entitlement reform is not a recipe for economic or job growth ? or even meaningful deficit reduction," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky.
"Pitting one group of Americans against another is not leadership," added House Speaker Joh

LaV'yona Andrews

12/12/2011 11:38:02 am

The issue of the economy relates to the economic policy. It also has something to do with federalism. By showing the power and contribution each level of government has. For example, here in this issue, the President is in charge of creating a plan to make the US economic situation a whole lot better. But he still has to go through the House to get votes on it.

Xiaou H.

12/12/2011 12:12:04 pm

Author:ADAM LIPTAK
Date:December 12, 2011
Headline: Supreme Court to Rule on Immigration Law in Arizona
Website:New York Time

The court announced Monday that it would decide whether Arizona was entitled to impose tough anti-immigration measures over the Obama administration’s objections. Arizona enacted its immigration law last year, and the Obama administration promptly sued to block four parts of it, saying they could not be reconciled with federal laws and policies. In May, the court upheld a different Arizona law, one that imposed harsh penalties on businesses that employed illegal immigrants.

Author:Lisa Rathke, Associated Press
Date:December 11, 2011
Headline:State, local policies emerge on illegal immigrants
Website:Christian Science Monitor

More illegal immigrants moving beyond the border states to follow jobs and a lack of federal immigration reform has some states and communities coming up with their own enforcement policies – written or not.

Author:Rafael Romo, CNN Senior Latin American Affairs Editor
Date: 6:14 PM EST, Mon December 12, 2011
Headline:Feds: Arrests of illegal immigrants decrease dramatically
Website:CNN

The number of arrests made by U.S. Border Patrol agents decreased dramatically in the last three years, according to new statistics released Monday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
During fiscal year 2011, which ended September 30, agents made 340,252 arrests. That number represents a 53% decrease from fiscal 2008's 705,005 arrests, and is only one-fifth the number of arrests when they were at their peak with 1.6 million in fiscal year 2000.
The number of yearly arrests made by U.S. Border Patrol agents is seen as a key indicator of illegal immigration in the United States.

Author:Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff
Date:Oct 24, 2011 9:59 AM CDT
Headline:New Illegal Immigration Problem Looms for Romney
Website:Newser

In last week's angry debate, Rick Perry resurrected allegations that Mitt Romney hired a lawn service that used undocumented immigrants—and that may not be the final illegal immigrant discussion Romney gets pulled into.

Last year, Romney’s former state health and human services secretary says the governor did not intend for the program to serve illegal immigrants, but other officials tell the LAT it was understood that some undocumented immigrants would indeed benefit. The law explicitly prohibits illegal immigrants from some of the benefits (like receiving government subsidies to purchase insurance), but does not bar them from Health Safety Net.

I think the illegal immigration might relates to social policy because it's all about people. it is also relates to military policy because of the military is strong enough, the illegal immigrants would be reduced.

Xiujuan Wang

12/12/2011 02:33:29 pm

Author: Dana Blanton
Date: December 09, 2011
Headline: voters Back Path to Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants
Web site: http://www.foxnews.com

Most American voters believe illegal immigrants should be given a chance to apply for citizenship -- if they meet certain requirements. Sixty-six percent think there should be a path to citizenship, but only if the individual meets requirements such as paying back taxes and learning English. Nineteen percent of voters believe all illegal immigrants should be deported, and another 13 percent take the middle ground of a guest-worker program that would allow immigrants to remain in the U.S. for a limited time. Republican presidential candidate Gingrich has suggested letting local boards determine whether illegal immigrants can stay in the U.S. Those boards would consider how long the person has lived in the U.S., whether they have a job and pay taxes, and whether they have a family here or other ties to the community.

Author: James Vicini
Date: December 12, 2011
Headline: Supreme Court to rule on Arizona's tough immigration law
Web site: http://www.csmonitor.com

The Supreme Court's decision to intervene in the Arizona immigration law was a setback for the administration, which sued to challenge the law and urged the justices to reject Arizona's appeal. The law requires police to check the immigration status of anyone they detain and suspect of being in the nation illegally. About 11 million illegal immigrants are believed to be in the United States and immigration is a major political issue, especially in states such as Arizona that border Mexico. Obama and other opponents, including many Democrats and civil rights groups, have criticized the Arizona law and said it could lead to harassment of Hispanic-Americans.

Author: Michael Finnegan
Date :December 11, 2011, 6:57 p.m.
Headline: Protecting illegal immigrants, state by state
Web site: Los Angeles Times ---http://www.latimes.com

Most recently, a bipartisan group in California has drafted a November 2012 state ballot measure aimed at allowing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to come forward and pay income taxes without fear of deportation. Organizers of the California ballot measure campaign were inspired largely by conservatives' success in pushing the tough enforcement measures in Arizona, Alabama and Georgia, where, among other steps, police were authorized to check immigration papers. Alabama's law requires public schools to check children's immigration status.

I think the illegal immigrants issue is related to Citizenship and Social policy because it about how US. Government treats the illegal immigrants issue and how people who illegal immigrants to apply citizenship and get a legal residence status in the United States.

Jian Huang

12/12/2011 03:50:14 pm

Author: Pete Spotts
Date: November 28, 2011
Headline: The climate news is bad, but prospects for climate talks may be worse
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Web: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2011/1128/The-climate-news-is-bad-but-prospects-for-climate-talks-may-be-worse

Summary: Delegates from 191 countries and the European Union opened UN-sponsored climate talks in Monday in South Africa amid grim news on global warming and deeply divisive questions over how, or whether, to expand or extend the Kyoto Protocol. For countries that have ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the key issue to be resolved is whether or not to adopt a second five-year enforcement period.

______________________________________

Author: John M. Broder
Date: December 7, 2011, 11:33 AM
Headline: On Climate Change, a Gloat and a Warning
Source: The New York Times
Web: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/on-climate-change-a-gloat-and-a-warning/?ref=globalwarming

Summary: At the United Nations climate change conference that was held in Durban, South Africa, the committee’s Democratic chairman, Senator Barbara Boxer of California urged that the delegates to take strong action and said the United States was taking steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through regulation of factories and vehicles. She said to those climate deniers that they are endangering humankind. It is time for them to face reality. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has recently confirmed that climate change is real, human activities are the primary cause, and the warming planet poses a significant risk to people and the environment. Problems do not go away by pretending they do not exist. Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma stated that tossing out any remote possibility of a U.N. global warming treaty is one of the most important things we can do for the economy. He said a new batch of hacked e-mails from climate scientists had undermined their work and bolstered his case that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by an insular group of experts.
________________________________________

Author: The Monitor’s Editorial Board
Date: December 12, 2011
Headline: After climate talks in Durban, a more truly global solution
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Web: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/the-monitors-view/2011/1212/After-climate-talks-in-Durban-a-more-truly-global-solution

Summary: More than 190 nations agreed to begin treating every country as an offending contributor of greenhouse gases – with every country also a contributor to solutions in like measure. The agreement merely promises that nations will negotiate a legally binding agreement by 2015 that would impose cuts in carbon emissions starting after 2020. But the bigger breakthrough is that India, China, and other big emitters among developing nations finally accepted that they must join a pact with legal force alongside the West. Climate scientists say carbon pollution needs to begin dropping by then in order to keep the average global temperatures from rising by 4 degrees Celsius – a level seen as highly disruptive.A global problem needs a global solution.
_______________________________________

Author: John Blackstone
Date: December 12, 2011 6:52 PM
Headline: Pollution from China alters weather in U.S. West

Source: CBS News
Web: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57341838/pollution-from-china-alters-weather-in-u.s-west/?tag=mncol;lst;8
Summary:
A U.N. conference on climate change ended Sunday without a major deal to cut toxic emissions. No country emits more carbon dioxide than China -- a byproduct of its booming economy. The Chinese pollution is carried by the jet stream across the Pacific. In the atmosphere over this country, it can stop the clouds from producing rain and snow. Chinese emissions are having a big impact in the U.S.
________________________________________

These issues are relate to environmental policy because the United Nations Climate Change conference in Durban, South Africa was a conference that was talking about how environment changes these years and how does it impact human health.

________________________________________

These issues are related to environmental policy because the United Nations Climate Change conference in Durban, South Africa was about how environment changes these years, how does it impact the earth and human health and what do we have to do to protect the earth and the people. Global warming, air pollution, and green gas are the top issues today. Due to global warming, the polar bears were less and less, it becomes an endangered species. As Ms. Boxer stated that, human activities are the primary cause. We cannot pretend problems didn’t exist; we have to take actions in order to protect the earth. If we take a little bit of action, even put the trashes into the trash cans and stop smoking can make the environment better, and we have to stop cutting so many trees because can happened ever

Dairu

12/12/2011 04:37:33 pm

Author: Ron Scherer
Date: November 29, 2011
Headline: Rising child poverty rates could be a 'taste' of what's ahead
Web site: Christian Science Monitor

Of all 3,142 counties in the US, 653 counties saw significant increases in poverty for children ages 5 to 17. The Department of Education uses the data in its formula for allocating more than $14 billion a year in federal funds, of which a significant amount is directed to school districts with high concentrations of poor students.

Author: Associated Press
Date: December 12, 2011
Headline: $1T-plus spending bill taking shape in Congress
Website：Fox News

lawmakers agreed to sprawl $1 trillion-plus spending bill that chips away at military and environmental spending but denies conservatives many of the policy changes they wanted on social issues, government regulations and health care.

Author: Peter Crawford
Date: December 12, 2011
Headline: Wealthy Politicians are Getting Wealthier
Website: Economy in Crisis

The majority of Americans oppose the trade policies, yet members of both major parties are forging ahead with more disastrous trade pacts. The American realized that North American Free Trade Agreement style trade pacts do nothing more than lead to the loss of millions of jobs. The majority of Americans believe that free trade has hurt the nation overall， but the average American does not stand much of a chance against those corporate politicians. Many of America’s campaign finance laws that prevented the richest Americans and corporations from completely dominating the political landscape with their money.

Author: Nancy Folbre
Date: December 12, 2011
Headline: Welfare Reform Revisited
Web site: New York Times

Many Republicans now advocate similar restrictions and cuts in other forms of assistance to the poor on the grounds that they discourage work. Employment for poor children would improve their work ethic. The poverty rate among children now closely follows the unemployment rate, because many parents depend more heavily on paid employment but are unable to find it. The combination of child care and other work-related costs, including transportation, further reduce the net benefits of public assistance. Many families may conclude that these benefits are not worth the time, and effort required to get them. This harsh treatment doesn’t help them find a job.

I think those issues are related to Economic Policy. Government should make up appropriate policy for economy and money management. The government has to decide the best choice for spending money and the best action to get the economy going.

bunralin nheb

12/12/2011 11:07:27 pm

-Headline: Fox News Poll: Voters Back path to Citizenship
for Illegal Immigrants.
Author: By Dana Blanton
Date: Published December 09, 2011
Web: FoxNews.com
-Most American voters believe
illegal immigrants should be given a chance to apply for citizenship if they
meet certain requirements. Republican presidential candidate Gingrich is the
one who has suggested letting local boards determine whether illegal immigrants
can stay in the U.S. Sixty-six percent of the voters favor the plan but only if
the individual meets the requirement. However, nineteen percent believe that
all the illegal immigrants should be deported. There are Republicans,
independents and Democrats that involved in the poll which released the result
on Friday. At the end, by a 51-44 percent margin more voters favor than oppose
local boards making the decision.

-Headline: Poll shows Age Cap in G.O.P on Immigration
Author: By Julia Preston
Date: Published December 6, 2011
Web: nytimes.com
-With immigration issue in the
Republican presidential contest, a new poll shows a substantial age gap among
Republican voters over whether there should be a path to citizenship for
immigrants who are in the country illegally. According to the poll, Republicans
as a whole were about evenly divided between those who want only border
security and tough enforcement and those who want both enforcement and
legalization for illegal immigrants. And
only little percent of Republicans that said the priority should be only on creating
a path to citizenship.

-Headline: Gingrich defends immigration policies
Author: By CNN’s Ashley Killough
Date: November 25th, 2011
Web: CNN (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/25/gingrich-defends-immigration policies/)
- Newt Gingrich, GOP president,
sought to stand strong against illegal immigration Friday after rivals blasted
him this week as a supporter of amnesty for millions of undocumented
immigrants. He said that “I am not for amnesty for 11 million people. I’m
actually not for amnesty for anyone. I’m not for a path to citizenship for any
people who are out here illegally,” Gingrich even drew fire at Tuesday’s CNN
Republican National Security Debate when he said he was “prepared to take the heat”
for arguing that the GOP should take a “humane” position on longtime illegal
immigrants by finding another way to “legality” that avoids breaking up
families.

RELATION TO ANY THEMES IN COURSE:

This issue is related to the Citizenship and Immigration issue. All of the above
issues are all about a poll voting to decide a path to citizenship for illegal
immigrants. This poll is suggested by Newt Gingrich who is a Republican
presidential candidate. By voting to
decide on the government policy on illegal immigrants, it shows the relation to
the immigration. Also it is related to citizenship issue in which they are voting to whether or not government should give citizenship to illegal immigrants who have been living for long time.

Dante Barkley

12/13/2011 07:33:58 am

Headline:Poll: Voters want to throw 'em out
Author: Rebecca Stewart
Date Published: 12/09/2011
Website: CNN(http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/09/poll-voters-want-to-throw-em-out/)

Based on the results of the Gallop Poll, three quarters of voters believe most members of congress should lose their jobs. Voters believe that the congressmen are not doing their job as well as they should. More than half of voters do not want their own members of congress to be thrown out.
As of last 2010's midterm election, 63 seats turned over from Democratic to Republican congressmen. This gave the Republican Party more power in the House.

*This relates to the debate and conflict between both parties. It morely relates to the power in the people's beliefs, and the effect it has on federalism.

Dany Chhun

12/13/2011 07:54:18 am

Author:N/A
Date:July 11th, 2011
Headline:Burning Season
Website:Wide Angle

One of the primary mechanisms for reducing carbon pollution is a system of emissions trading. Countries that have signed the treaty are entitled to an assigned amount of emissions, and if they manage to use less, they can sell the excess to countries that have surpassed their limit on the new carbon market.
Every hour in Indonesian rainforests, an area the size of 300 soccer fields is mowed down and burned. Often this clearing is done to make way for oil palm plantations. The resulting palm oil is used for cooking, cleaning and even as a biofuel. But the fires farmers set to clear their land have helped to make Indonesia the world’s third-largest emitter of carbon dioxide — exceeded only by the U.S. and China. This issue is relate to the Environmental Policy which government and people should make the decision to cut down the burning of the areas in the dry season.

Author: Kevin Donohoem
Date:July 22, 2011
Headline:Why Aren't Governments Dealing With Conflicts Caused by Climate Change?
Website: The Nation

At the Security Council, Western nations clashed with Russia and some developing nations over the adoption of a statement asserting the threat of climate change to international peace and security. The Nation's Christian Parents, author of Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence, joined the BBC to explain why such a basic assertion has become such a sticking point for international negotiators.
A hot, gritty wind carries the stench of pit latrines across a refugee camp on the western outskirts of Karachi, on Pakistan’s southern facing coast. In the sky, vultures and eagles circle. At its peak, this camp held 1,400 families, all poor farmers displaced by the Indus floods of 2010, which inundated an area the size of England and affected more than 20 million people. These issues is relate to the Environmental Policy, social Policy, and Economic Policy. This issue is the effect from the pollution and government should find the ways to decreasing this problems because if this happen often, the economic in the country will face the big issues and its lead to affect that live in that country.

Author:N/A
Date:Oct 10, 2011
Headline:Housing, environment top Yukon election issues
Web site: Word News

Residents of the Yukon will go to the polls and the reigning Yukon Party is hoping for a third straight majority.A proposal to save 68,000 sq. km. of land in the northern part of the territory has emerged as a major election issue.
Housing has also emerged as an election issue. The average house price in Whitehorse hit a record high between April and June, sitting at $427,000.
The people camped on the lawn in Whitehorse are protesting the lack of affordable housing and the extent of the city’s homelessness. These issues are relate to the Environment( Policy which relate to the area of the land),Political Party (what people believe),Elections(whom vote on for those area land), Social Policy(people argument in this society), and Economic Policy(people can't afford and become homeless .

Dante Barkley

12/13/2011 07:58:11 am

Headline: California to endure nearly $1 million in midyear budget cuts
Author:Michael Martinez and Zohreen Adamjee
Date Issued: 12/13/2011

California Governer, Jerry Brown has issued a $1 billion budget cut. This budget cut will result in reduced spendings for universities, schools, prosecutions, and other things. It's a very crucial decision which- according to the governor- is mandatory for the sake of the state's economic structure.

Sang Nguyen link

12/13/2011 10:34:42 pm

Headline: Boy, 13, Shot By Police Charged With Assaulting Officer
Date: August 1, 2011 4:49 PM

Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

A 13 year old boy name Jimmell Cannon was spotted by the cops on July 26 and was shot it. The boy was shot several time due to aggravated assault to a police officer and criminal damage.
Jimmel was loaded with a BB gun and had a hearing on August 15.*The boy’s mother, Kenyata Cannon, said her son was shot eight times: four times in the right leg, once in each shoulder and twice in the right hand. As he was in the hospital for the gun shot, he had handcuff around his ankle and there was a police officer at all time. His mother said that he's a good child and fighting for his life because the police shot him 8 times and she can't believed it happened.

I think this connect to human rights because due to misunderstanding he was shot and his family and people who cares for him trying to prove the law that he's a good kid and the cop should be the one in trouble. Jimmel could die to eight holes in his body and pain he have to take because of what the cops always mistake from. This isn't the first time cops does stuff like this, it always happens.

I choose this topic because cops always tend to shot at someone especially for no reason. My friend cousin was shot in the head because he was reaching for license and registration.

Jian Huang

12/14/2011 01:53:35 am

Author: Nkeplle Mabuse
Date: December 5, 2011
Headline: Is South Africa addicted to coal?
Source: CNN
Web: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/05/world/africa/south-africa-coal-climate-change/index.html

Summary: South Africa is host of the United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP17. South Africa is the world’s fourth largest coal exporter, selling some $10 billion worth in 2010. Coal is one of the worst polluters on the planet; SA under pressure to reduce its use. Government says it has plans to use ore sustainable energy.

yingying huang

12/14/2011 01:59:39 am

relation:
those issues are related to the environmental policy and economic policy. The government had to spend lots of money reduce the carbon dioxide and pollutions. Also the government have to make rule for the environment pollution limit.

Dante Barkley

12/14/2011 09:02:44 am

Headline:Marijuana Use Growing Amongst Teenagers
Author:Anahad O'Conner
Date Issued:12/14/2012
Source: NYTimes (http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/14/marijuana-growing-in-popularity-among-teenagers/?ref=health)

According to a new governmental report, in spite of the fact that teenage use of cigarettes,alcohol, and cocain have lessened in the past 30 years; studies have found that on out of every 15 high school student smokes marijuana on a daily basis. Reporters believe say that they notice marijuana is used even more by teens now that medical marijuana has been prescribed to others. 21% more of 8Th, 10Th and 12Th grader use marijuana now than in the year of 2007.

Theme: Health

Dante Barkley

12/14/2011 09:14:43 am

Headline: Small Businesses Plan to Increase Hiring
Author: Catherine Rampell
Date Issued: 12/13/2011
Source: NYTimes (tp://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/small-businesses-plan-to-increase-hiring/?ref=economy)

Small businesses are employing more people. This is good news for the job industry. This indicates that, after 38 months of unemployment, some improvement is beginning to surface for the US.

Theme: Economy; Employment

Xiujuan Wang

12/14/2011 10:55:32 am

Author: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Date: December 12, 2011
Headline: Judge Blocks Part of Immigration Law
Website: www.nytimes.com

A federal judge in Mobile issued a preliminary injunction on Monday that blocks a provision of Alabama’s immigration law that would have forced illegal immigrants to leave their mobile homes. The ruling by Judge Myron Thompson of Federal District Court replaces a temporary ruling in effect for the last two weeks. It means that people paying for their annual mobile home registration tags will not have to prove their legal residency for now. The registrations are needed to reside in a mobile home. Attorney General Luther Strange, who is defending the law, declined to comment.

Bunralin Nheb

12/15/2011 04:35:09 am

a. Christian Sci. Monitor, “Supreme Court to rule on Arizona's tough immigration law”
By James Vicini, Reuters / December 12, 2011
b. The Supreme Court decides to intervene in the Arizona immigration law. Arizona State wants to regulate the immigration law over the Congress. The states that support Arizona’s appeal said that the state need to take action since the Congress has failed to do enough to stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. However, Obama and other opponents have criticized the Arizona law and said it could lead to harassment of Hispanic-Americans.
d. This issue is related to “Federalism and Immigration”. The immigration law should be regulated by the federal government according to the Federalism in which powers are shared between states and congress. However, now Arizona State wants to take action in regulating immigration law because they believe the Congress did not go enough jobs.

Paul

12/15/2011 11:24:45 pm

Issue: Penn State Scandal
"Skandusky prepared to fight child rape charges, attorney says"
From Ann O'Neill and Lena Jakobsson, CNN
updated 6:53 PM EST, Tue December 13, 2011
"Center of the Penn State Scandal, Skandusky tells his own Story"
By JO BECKER
Published: December 3, 2011
"Why Did Jerry Skandusky Waive his Right to hearing on Sex Abuse Charges"
By Mark Guarino, Staff writer / December 13, 2011
"Penn State Abuse Scandal: A Guide and Timeline"
by Bill Chappell
December 13, 2011

The article from CNN was very interesting. The article stated that Skandusky is going to be ready to go up against the prosecutor. However im not sure how prepared the defense is because from what i read the prosecutors have built a very strong case. Skandusky will be fighting 50 counts of child molestation. Aside from that there will be 11 witnesses testifying for the prosecutors. In my next article i think that Skandusky hurt himself. Reason for that is because he talked about many things that can be misinterpreted. He talked about how he bought presents multiple times for a ten year old. Also he said that he would always have students over and he would help them with their homework. both of these statements can be thought of in negative ways. My next article it talks more about the case thoroughly. It stated that the prosecutor thinks the reason for the defense waving the preliminary court because Skandusky will take a plea. However, the defense says that the reason they did this was to avoid any prejudging before the case. Im not sure what to guess will happen in this case. In my opinion this is the best of the articles. It talked about everything that has happened since 1977. I read up more about the allegations and im not sure what the defense is ready to fight with. All over these four articles talked about the man Jerry Skandusky and what he is being charged with. In early 2012 when he gets prosecuted i would love to see the defense.

Brianna Williams

12/20/2011 11:55:26 pm

Current Issue: Philadelphia School Board
“State Takeovers of Other Districts Have Had Mixed Results” (Ney York Times)
“Not enough bang for the buck?” (CNN)
“School Reform Commission Has New Chairman” (CBS News)
“A city's schools test a new way” (Christian…Monitor)
In the four articles I read each article described the issues revolving around the Philadelphia School District. Each spoke of how the Philadelphia school district was troubled due to their budget crisis and thought a state takeover was the answer. So the school board was replaced with a School Reform Commission. Also a new chairman was put in place on the board name Pedro Ramos who was nominated in June by Tom Corbett but they didn’t act on it until the last possible day. To determine the SRC board; One was appointed by the government, and two by the mayor. These articles also talked about how it wasn’t a surprise due to school’s current low tests scores, and high truancy rates. The schools are now in the hands of The School reform commission. The SRC plans to give management responsibility for dozens of regular public schools to a private company. There is still anger among parents who established protests. The district made other changes like a new curriculum however it still faces budget problems.
This connects to federalism because they are taking the rights of the states and giving It to the government due to a few problems.

Chaquille Evanson link

1/30/2012 08:48:40 am

Bullying is a issue that was very serious but has taken a very vague approach due to schools and government until news, parents and others were informed of this scandal. The government can make all the rules they want but only the schools can make sure that anti bullying rules are obeyed instead of taking a vague traditional approach.

Chaquille Evanson link

1/30/2012 08:53:59 am

There is many signs that someone could be bullied even though there is some symptoms that stand out more than other, instead of taking the minimal action required to solve the problem that doesn't help in any way possible it just makes them feel like their life is meaningless and that alone makes it hard to deal with.
omes home with damaged or missing clothing or other belongings
Reports losing items such as books, electronics, clothing, or jewelry
Has unexplained injuries
Complains frequently of headaches, stomachaches, or feeling sick
Has trouble sleeping or has frequent bad dreams
Has changes in eating habits
Hurts themselves
Are very hungry after school from not eating their lunch
Runs away from home
Loses interest in visiting or talking with friends
Is afraid of going to school or other activities with peers
Loses interest in school work or begins to do poorly in school
Appears sad, moody, angry, anxious or depressed when they come home
Talks about suicide
Feels helpless
Often feels like they are not good enough
Blames themselves for their problems
Suddenly has fewer friends
Avoids certain places
Acts differently than usual
symptoms by http://www.stopbullying.gov/topics/warning_signs/index.html

Chaquille Evanson link

1/30/2012 09:01:23 am

It has a video that explains teenage bullying and the way that it affects people. The story was about a 13 year old boy that was bullied by 7 kids in Philadelphia and the family of the victim moved to escape the war in Liberia in 2000. http://www.philly.com/philly/video/BC772559255001.html can't get the video in the comment box so yea here's the video.

Chaquille Evanson link

1/30/2012 09:09:10 am

this story is about 10 year old that had lived in Ridge Farms Chicago and hanged herself the girls name was Stacy Conner and she told her mother that she was being bullied in school and in the neighborhood. Stacy was a honor student that told her parents and they thought that wisdom would become their strength to stand up to bullying but, we learned that she couldn't handle the bullying but the school said that they're going to have counseling for the kids tomorrow and other services. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/11/13/family-blames-bullying-for-10-year-old-girls-suicide/ there's the link

Current Issue - December 12

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