Tiime For A Raise

 

In he article "Time for A Raise" by Patricia Smith talks about how President Obama wants to raise federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.00 an hour, this would be the first increase since 2009. "This single step would raise the incomes of millions of working families," Obama said during his state of the union address in February. "It could mean the difference between groceries or the bank, rent or eviction, scraping by or finally getting ahead." Obama wants to raise minimum wage because inflation keeps getting higher and things are costing more, so to even it out he putting more money in people’s pockets. Obama wants to pass a law that ties medium wage to inflation so when inflation keeps raising so will minimum wage and they won’t have to pass so many laws. People also think that higher minimum wage can be a bad thing saying it could raise unemployment because store owners won’t be able to afford to keep people and will have to fire them. If not fire people they might cut back hours so even with the new wage it’s just going to even back out with the old wage. Nineteen other states already have minimum wages above the federal rate.

I’m all for the new minimum wage if it does happen because I plan on working as soon as possible but mostly in the upcoming summer and I can use all the money I get. I do see how this can hurt companies, small businesses, or even employees but I think it’s going to be good in the long run because most of the money is going back into the economy any way. I hope Obama does get the law pass but in the interim I be working and waiting

Give Lance another chace

A recent article by CNN called "Give Lance another chances" that was compose by  of six people ( Frida Ghitis, Randy Cohenm, Roxanne Jones, Jeff Pearlman, Kevin Powell, and Shawn Klein), they all make some excellent points whether Lance Armstrong deserves another chance after admitting to using performance enhancing drugs. Lance admitted it to using performance enhancing drugs on his interview with Oprah after constant denying, not being able to cycle again and being stripped of his seven tour De France titles. Ghitis says "Lance Armstrong's story of triumph over adversity captured the imagination of millions around the world, that's because Armstrong's achievements -- recovering from cancer and then breaking records in the cycling world -- made him a source of inspiration, an icon of hope." which i completely agree with he did most good then non and didn't really hurt no one. Lance is 42 probably wasn't going to do much more racing anyway and many other cyclist were also using performance enhancing drugs as well, "If many cycling fans are right, most of the top riders engaged in doping. You simply can't compete against them without doing the same. What was Lance to do? Quit the sport? And who inherits his Tour titles? Some other cheat?" said Randy Cohenm. I think Armstrong deserves another to make to make up for his wrongs and still be a good role model. Now that secrets come to let light we'll see who he really is when the cameras off.

Marijuana law just creates criminals

In the article "Marijuana law just creates criminals" by Hakeem Jeffries talks about how it’s expensive and racist to arrest people for small amounts of marijuana. As Jeffries points out to help that cause is "50,000 people was arrested in 2011 for small amounts of marijuana, the majority of them were black and Latino." New York City spends about 75$ million dollars a year arresting people for marijuana possession. Most of the people are being stop under the "stop and frisk" policy which can be unjustified. It’s really a waste of time and the police have better things to worry about then people smoking weed. The people who are getting arrested didn't have it out in the open, and wasn't selling it so I don't see the problem.The problem is not going away but I'm not saying we should encourage it. As Jeffries say "Despite this change in law, arrests for small quantities of marijuana over the last decade have skyrocketed, with more than 400,000 people arrested and unceremoniously run through the criminal justice system. Marijuana possession is now the No. 1 arrest category in New York." I think they probably going to legalize it soon away, they already have certain laws about it so just save the money we could use it. Its getting legalized in other states recently like Colorado and Washington.

Fourth man accuses ex-Elmo puppeteer of sex abuse

In the article "Fourth man accuses ex-Elmo puppeteer of sex abuse" by Kell Kennedy talks about how  Kevin Clash resigned from Sesame Street last month after voicing the puppet Elmo for 28 years after another man sued for sexual abuse allegations. The victim is the fourth man to accuse Kevin for under age sexual activity. The three legal actions filed so far have been civil cases seeking financial compensation but the latest victim could involve criminal charges because the lawsuit claims Kevin transported him across state lines for sexual activity. "These are all vulnerable boys. None of them had father figures in their lives and they were looking for that father figure," said Herman, who represents three of the alleged victims.Herman said he's been contacted by several other possible victims and is vetting their cases. "We're confident in the actions that we took, but because this is now an issue between litigants, we're not going to comment further," said Ellen Lewis, a publicist for Sesame Street. I think this is fake and they all just want some money, one of them was suing for more then a million dollars. all the victims are at least 21 years old and older so why wait so long to finally report it. If it did happen they all knew what they was doing when engaging in those sexual acts. Why are all the victims represented by the same person. I do think Kevin Clash quitting and not responding yet is a little suspect. I just wondering who their going to get to puppeteer Elmo now.

Should 16 year-olds drive?

 

 

In the article "Should 16 year olds drive?" talks about 16 teen year olds driving because it’s a lot of teens dying in vehicle crashes every year. The state reforms included doubling the number of adult supervised hours required behind the wheel to get a driver license and tripling the length of the time a new teen driver must possess a learner's permit. Some credit those changes for significant declines in teen driving deaths in the first seven month of the year. "This is kind of the next logical step" he said of the insurance institute's push to raise the minimum age. The institute contends research shows "that licensing at later ages would substantially reduce crashes involving teen drivers. “I don’t think it matters what age you are," the Hinsdale Central High School sophomore said Monday before hitting the road for her driver's education class, "as long as you have the practice and experience." But "were still losing a lot of teens on the roads each year" Lund said. Motor vehicle crashes kill more than 5,000 teenagers every year. The example the institute uses most prominently is New Jersey, the only state with a minimum driver's license age of 17. The report cited a study from 1992-96 in which the rate of crash-related deaths among 16- and 17-year-olds was 18 per 100,000 in New Jersey, compared with 26 per 100,000 in Connecticut, which had a minimum driver's license age of 16 and 4 months. I picture myself 16 going to Dmv to get my driver license. Teen drivers can be irresponsible and distracted easy sometimes with emotional problems and constantly on their cell phones. But I do agree that you should be able to drive if you pass your test then your obvious classified. Older people get in car accidents all the time doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able not to drive. A lot of teenagers are losing them life on the road though so I think they should find a compromise.

Marijuana legalization doesnt necessarily protect workers

In the article "Marijuana legalization doesn't necessarily protect workers" talks about how marijuana use can be dangerous for the work place. This month Colorado and Washington state agreed to make marijuana legal for recreational use. Marijuana is still a banned substance so their no rules to protect employees  in the work place. If marijuana shows up in employees system even from weeks back they still can get in trouble. some employees might not have to worry per-employment testing is rare and random testing is rarer but transporting jobs, public safety, and national employ is unlikely to flex politics. Courts across the country have upheld the right of employers to drug-test and fire workers with THC in their urine, even those with valid medical marijuana authorizations. "The issue of marijuana impairment is a really difficult issue," said Jarris. "But that's not what the federal DOT cares about, and it's not what most employers care about." "The unintended consequences are pretty worrisome at this point," said Rahr. "I've told my son and his friends: 'Don't consider it a green light on Dec. 6 unless you know what you're doing with the rest of your life.' "when I heard about this, it effecting workers was the last thing on my mind. I do think getting high before any job can be dangerous for you and everyone around you. they should have some real consequences about it though especially depending on what job you have. people should have the common sense to not show up to work depending on circumstances.

Yay! Boo! So? Reactions to Obama win vary

In the article "Yay! Boo! So? Reactions to Obama win vary" is about how voters and non-voters felt about Barrack Obama beating Mitt Romney and becoming president of the United States for four more years.

Most the people in the article were unhappy about Obama winning or didn't care who won but as you know there was people who was happy that Obama won. Chuck Rhil age 51 said "I'm not happy; I haven't had a job in over a year." Some people are worried about Obama winning because claims of empty promises, Obama care, and the Economy.

61 year old flight attendant Barbara Drucker says "I'm thrilled to death" and "I would never have voted for Romney on women's issues alone." Most voters were unhappy with Romney's opposition to funding for Planned Parenthood and PBS.

The undecided non-voters played a big part of this election too. Lisa Pierce, 30, a medical research coordinator said "Either way, they need to get their act together," and politicians are out of touch with "real life, real world" issues.

I'm happy Obama won, the first black president to be re-elected. Things personally don't really change to me no matter who's elected, if it do I just don't notice it. The main things presidents focus on is taxes, economy, and health care. I don't pay taxes, I'm not working, and other countries have free health and do fine so I don't know why America don't. I do think things would have changed if Romney won but not much.