Trump in the Dump

     It is becoming increasingly alarming how there seems to be a majority of the general public backing Donald Trump and for what appears to be a hate campaign for anyone non-American, or rightfully American but with cultural difference. Donald Trump can only be described as a spiteful man with no concern for the rights and freedoms of specific ethnical groups. In recent weeks he has mindlessly accused muslims of celebrating the terrorist attacks of 911, which could result in people backing his unconstitutional claim to ban mosques in the United States. Trump also claims that he will "put a stop" the any muslim entering the United States, and an that he will also stop immigration from Mexico.
     I completely agree with my fellow student Kayla Troiani, in her blog post, We Just Might Be Entering a Dystopia in 2016, she wrote of Trump's tactics to scare the American public into supporting his need to outcast muslims, African American's or Hispanic. Like Kayla, I find it unjust and completely absurd that anyone could follow or support Donald Trump. I believe that Trump could cause more of a disturbance within our society by further causing animosity between the races, and possibly causing more people to turn to radical groups to rebel against him and his unethical ideas.
     I live in hope that the population of the United States will wake up and realizes that Donald Trump and his immoral ideas for what makes America great, completely goes against what this country has been striving for. Our founding fathers fought to enable everyone to have the freedom of life, liberty and happiness, not to mention the freedom to practice their religion. Donald Trump should be shunned, and disqualified for his trying to implement unconstitutional laws, that will only further cause hate and hostility.

Ban Military Type Fire Arms!

     How is it that the general public are still able to legally purchase fire arms that should be reserved for the purpose of the military or police force only. There seems to be a  large portion of the American public that are pushing for the right to bare unnecessary weapons and many government officials are backing it? A large majority of American citizens are willing to jeopardize the safety of the public in order to secure a law which was written over 200 years ago. When this law was put in place, the writers may not have condoned the right to bare fire arms to those with mental illnesses and such.

     The government really should really push for stricter rules and regulations for obtaining and owning firearms. It seems to be extremely easy to purchase a fire arm, regardless whether the individual has a mental illness or not. the public needs to wake up and realize that by allowing anyone to own assault riffles for instance is putting innocent peoples lives at risk on a daily basis. We as a society should be urging the government to implement stricter regulations on the purchase of any firearms, and a ban of any assault type weapons being sold to civilians. 

     

     After reading my fellow students blog, "Should we Fight Global Climate Change", by Jennifer Patel,  I am inclined to absolutely agree with her on this subject, and feel very strongly that it is an issue that must be taken more seriously. I too feel that there are too many people that disregard this issue and are unwilling to take the matter seriously. I don't suppose most of the non-believers of climate change will be willing to admit that their carbon footprint is having any effect on the warming of the earth, or their unwillingness to recycle their household waste is causing a bother for landfill. I am not entirely sure how this percent of the population can be persuaded otherwise, since we have scientific proof that global warming is a very serious issue indeed.
     It is shame that there are many people that are unaware of this issue, it leads us to believe that perhaps not enough media coverage is being allotted for the effects of climate change. Or, perhaps we could include the subject of global warming into school programs, so our children can be better educated and may be more willing to support the recycling efforts and lessen their carbon footprints. I assume that most of the people that dismiss the effects of global warming, because they are unwilling to accept that they are directly contributing to the problem and that they are unwilling to make adjustments to help the cause.

                               Should we Expand the House of Representatives?

     I have to be completely honest and admit that i know very little on this matter, however, after reading a number of different articles, it is evident to me that some adjustments are in order to ensure a fair number of members in the House to accommodate the citizens of the United States. I am led to believe that there were originally only 65 members, but that number of members was adequate for the total population for that time. The number of members increased for every decade thereafter. According to, Brian Frederick, in 1913 there were 435 members of the House and that number has been set in stone since 1929—although todays population is three time as large. 

     In one article I read, "Do We Need A Bigger House Of Representatives?" from the website, Outside The Beltway, the author, Doug Mataconis,  suggested that the optimum number of members to meet the needs of todays population should be 680, that would mean that this amount of members would provide representation for every district population of 460,000. And, although these numbers do not coincide with what was originally suggested in the early history of the United States, they represent a realistic number to suit the needs without causing too much of a bother to the system. Brian Fredercik, says that the general public has lost faith in Congress and feel that they are being let down and unheard. This has created a distaste for the our current system based around the century-old law. 

     I believe that it is important for the citizens to be fairly represented by adopting a system that allows the Untied States to progress forward, while creating a balance that ensures that the population has a say in what powers and regulations are enforced upon them. Informed citizens will always be skeptical of the political system while there is an unequal number of members per population. Although I can agree that there is a need for more member of the House, I don't think that adding more members will completely satisfy the entire population, as some will most probably feel that their tax is being wasted on the wage required for the increase of staff. 

     Having observed how the government officials are conducting their campaigns to appeal to the public for their support is rather alarming. I personally feel that there are too many conspiracies among the parties and too much emphasis is going to the least important issues, like judging other candidates based on their appearance. This behavior is embarrassing and not to mention that it is also promoting bullying. I feel that the government's standard is being lowered dramatically and is beginning resembling that of a reality show, highlighting drama.
     I feel that government should try and work together instead of creating a battle that only hinders the progress of our country. Many issues need to be addressed, but with the constant interference of political pride slows any progress down, and the citizens are the ones that suffer the consequences of their actions. While I can understand that one party favors the protection of tradition and constitutional rights, I feel that society is moving very rapidly and some changes are much needed to ensure a safe and prosperous future.
     Perhaps the introduction of more political parties are needed to ease tensions between the rival parties. I feel that both parties do indeed have some very important issues that need to be addressed, but then there are also some issues that I find unimportant or absolutely absurd. I can only hope that our politicians can put their own self-importance aside and work on whats best for fixing our declining country.

     I was looking through links posted to Free Republic and came across the article "Finding My Place In the Fight for Social Justice and Health Equity” written by Jasmine Burton. Burton tells a story of how her professor had asked the class to line up, sided by side, at the end of the hallway. The professor then went on to instruct his students to take a step if they had books in their home, and another if their parents told them that they were loved on a daily basis, and so forth. Jasmine Burton recalls feeling alarmed and overwhelmed with guilt when she realized that she had taken quite a few steps ahead of her peers, and as a result of her emotions she questions her place in society and feels that she has no place in a fight for social justice because she is not oppressed as the others are said to be. Is it right that Jasmine was made to feel this way? Does it make her privileges responsible for the lack of privileges for others? or vice versa? 

     I am not entirely sure why this kind of experiment is carried out or why it is necessary to promote or demote any students based on their upbringing, of which they do not entirely have control. Why should Jasmine Burton or those in the same situation be made to feel that they are guilty of having a privileged upbringing? Why should the students that are left behind in the experiment be made to feel bad because of their lack of privilege. It doesn’t make sense to assume that because one’s parents tell them that they are loved or having books in the home makes one privileged. Many homes own books and the family members of that household are loving towards each other; that doesn’t mean they have money, access to healthcare, or are considered equal within society--regardless of their race or cultural backgrounds.

     What defines a privilege in a household anyway? I was brought up in a single parent household, with six siblings and not much in the way of material items such as books, nor did my mother tell me on a daily basis that she loved me. However, I would consider myself  privileged to have had a bed to sleep in and food to keep me from starving. I have never harbored any ill feelings towards anyone that may have had a more privileged background than myself. I consider it a privilege to have many opportunities available to everyone today, including: healthcare, equal opportunity employment, educational grants, welfare assistance, and much more. I believe we must stop accusing each other of social segregation  which is creating hate, and treat one another with the respect and dignity that we all deserve. We must concentrate on healing our society and progressing towards a happier future for all. 

The Internet Could Make Us Smarter

     I am astounded by how we are so easily distracted by technology that could be a benefit to education and our general knowledge. We must pull our heads out of the sand and take responsibility for our own engagement in the distractions. The internet could provide us with many valuable sources of articles, videos, surveys, etc. that could make our knowledge of politics much more comprehensive. Instead, most of the entire population uses the internet for alternative purposes, such as gaming, social networking, and other useless sites that distract us from becoming involved with the welfare of our country and political agendas.
     Studies being conducted by National Democratic Institute have discovered several countries' usage of the internet to make the citizens aware of current events and the availability of civics education to allow the citizens to become more actively involved in political issues. These efforts, NDI finds,  have allowed some to evolve a democratic ideology and create a relationship between the government and the citizens. Had they not promoted these valuable education policies, the citizens of those countries would have been unaware of their rights and would most likely would not have voted.