Even if you don't agree with my radical views on the Republican Party, my point was to open the eyes of the youth and to show truths among times that seems to be characterized as free and whimsical. We are the future and in MY future I want a better life for all even if that includes some struggling along the way.
As the 2012 Presidential election comes up, I hope the youth this time around actually reads up and does research on the candidates, so as not to make the mistake we did before. I am not flat out saying that Obama was a mistake to our country (that is for you to determine), but the way our country went about electing him. We were so focused on a fresh face that we did not know or care to know what he was all about.
It is evident that neither Republicans nor Democrats have the right answers, but I think we as conservatives are trying to undo the generation of entitlement because I think that problem overall is really hurting our economy and future as productive citizens.
After doing more research about the Republican party and what they are all about, I stick to what Glen Beck is determined to do for or country, Restore Honor. As someone who stands for personal responsibility and the freedom to make my own choices, it baffles me when others would go against that by asking for more government assistance. I want more students of voting age to make the right decision this time around and restore our country back to what our Founding Fathers wanted.
This blog is about the Conservative point of view on issues such as education, healthcare, taxes, and illegal immigration.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Pee In A Cup For Free Money
Governor Rick Scott signed the law that requires all Welfare applicants to take a mandatory drug test. If the applicant fails the test they do not receive government assistance for up to one year. It is to be affective July 1, 2011.
This law is to safeguard families who misuse the money on drugs instead of spending it on food for their children. Scott recently told CNN's TJ Holmes, "I want to make sure our taxpayers are not subsidizing drug addiction. Studies show people who are on welfare are higher users of drugs than people not on welfare," he said. I believe he is trying to do the good and honest thing for all Floridians because it is unfair for everyone in the long run if welfare recipients are receiving funds and using them for drugs.
Although some people oppose the law, such as The Miami Herald, who writes:
How is this unconstitutional? If someone who is in need and is asking for money, I believe there should be some sort of agreement. It's like asking to take a loan out and refusing to tell the bank what it is for. You can't do that. Many recipients agree with the law themselves and to me if they didn't agree then they pretty much just agreed to be without assistance.
Many Democrats in office are calling it "downright unconstitutional," but in Scotts defense it does create moral responsibility as well as personal accountability.
This law is to safeguard families who misuse the money on drugs instead of spending it on food for their children. Scott recently told CNN's TJ Holmes, "I want to make sure our taxpayers are not subsidizing drug addiction. Studies show people who are on welfare are higher users of drugs than people not on welfare," he said. I believe he is trying to do the good and honest thing for all Floridians because it is unfair for everyone in the long run if welfare recipients are receiving funds and using them for drugs.
Although some people oppose the law, such as The Miami Herald, who writes:
"Requiring job applicants to 'pee in a cup' to test for drugs and randomly selecting current public employees to do the same is unconstitutional, attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union said Wednesday after filing a federal lawsuit to stop the practice ordered by Gov. Rick Scott [R]."
Many Democrats in office are calling it "downright unconstitutional," but in Scotts defense it does create moral responsibility as well as personal accountability.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
UNplanned Parenthood
Most young girls don't dream of starting out their high school years altering their homecoming dresses to fit the 30 lbs. of belly weight they gained all because they had a one night stand with Billy in fourth period and now they are strolling a new born to the football games. At least, that isn't what most girls have planned during their teenage years.
The problem in today's society is this scenario is all too familiar. 1/3 of all girls in the U.S. will get pregnant in their teen years and more than 2/3 of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school as reported by Pregnancy Statistics. This is a troubling thought considering getting an education and obtaining descent grades already seems to be a daunting task to students in the U.S. today.
The problem is that billions of dollars are going towards unwed mothers to support both themselves and their babies. According to The Wall Street Journal, as mentioned by Blog Heritage, noted that “Unintended pregnancies likely cost the federal and state governments more than $11 billion a year,” based on research published by the Brookings Institution. This has led to many troubling futures for the children born to these uneducated and adolescent mothers. They are at risk for living in poverty and being trapped in the low-income bracket because they become dependant on welfare and in turn hurt our economy. Taxpayers are pumping their money into the mouths of children who obviously were unplanned instead of back into our economy. Instead of flourishing our nation, we are hurting it by enabling young unwed teens to become codependent on the government; therefore, almost glamorizing teenage pregnancy.
Another main factor is that morals are not advocated in households today and parents are not speaking to their children about the importance of being married as well as financially stable before becoming a family. With sex being glamorized in the media now more than ever before, it is easy for even parents to be more lenient with their children on core values because it is becoming the norm to have one night stands advertised in Cosmopolitan or the term "hooking up" in Seventeen magazine.
According to a new federal study as reported by Christian Science Monitor, women with a college education are much more likely to be married than are women who have never graduated from high school. And men and women who married after the age of 25 have lower divorce rates than couples who were married at younger ages. This again goes back to teenage pregnancy and the threat it posses to our communities and economy. With television shows such as 16 and pregnant it almost makes the whole process look easy. It shows teens getting engaged and the new parents being supported in two different households by their own parents and 9 out of 10 times the teen father usually backs out of the emotional and financial support he is supposed to provide to his partner.
Without the promotion of waiting until marriage and talking to your child, we will continue to have a growing nation and a growing problem. Divorce rates will continue to sky rocket because teens will see how hard it is to raise a child while trying to attend school and work. Until more campaigns are featured in school to stop this epidemic then communities and our economy will continue to struggle.
The problem in today's society is this scenario is all too familiar. 1/3 of all girls in the U.S. will get pregnant in their teen years and more than 2/3 of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school as reported by Pregnancy Statistics. This is a troubling thought considering getting an education and obtaining descent grades already seems to be a daunting task to students in the U.S. today.
The problem is that billions of dollars are going towards unwed mothers to support both themselves and their babies. According to The Wall Street Journal, as mentioned by Blog Heritage, noted that “Unintended pregnancies likely cost the federal and state governments more than $11 billion a year,” based on research published by the Brookings Institution. This has led to many troubling futures for the children born to these uneducated and adolescent mothers. They are at risk for living in poverty and being trapped in the low-income bracket because they become dependant on welfare and in turn hurt our economy. Taxpayers are pumping their money into the mouths of children who obviously were unplanned instead of back into our economy. Instead of flourishing our nation, we are hurting it by enabling young unwed teens to become codependent on the government; therefore, almost glamorizing teenage pregnancy.
Another main factor is that morals are not advocated in households today and parents are not speaking to their children about the importance of being married as well as financially stable before becoming a family. With sex being glamorized in the media now more than ever before, it is easy for even parents to be more lenient with their children on core values because it is becoming the norm to have one night stands advertised in Cosmopolitan or the term "hooking up" in Seventeen magazine.
According to a new federal study as reported by Christian Science Monitor, women with a college education are much more likely to be married than are women who have never graduated from high school. And men and women who married after the age of 25 have lower divorce rates than couples who were married at younger ages. This again goes back to teenage pregnancy and the threat it posses to our communities and economy. With television shows such as 16 and pregnant it almost makes the whole process look easy. It shows teens getting engaged and the new parents being supported in two different households by their own parents and 9 out of 10 times the teen father usually backs out of the emotional and financial support he is supposed to provide to his partner.
Without the promotion of waiting until marriage and talking to your child, we will continue to have a growing nation and a growing problem. Divorce rates will continue to sky rocket because teens will see how hard it is to raise a child while trying to attend school and work. Until more campaigns are featured in school to stop this epidemic then communities and our economy will continue to struggle.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Alien Attack!
Illegal immigration has been a hot topic since Arizona and New Mexico had a falling out about ways to control the issue. Arizona follows the laws by checking each immigrant that tries to cross their border, while New Mexico allows immigrants to freely cross their border and live openly without much trouble from the police. As they continue to be divided by immigration, as stated in this article, New Mexico vs. Arizona on immigration, our nation too seems to be torn on the issue.
Obama made a political speech at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, and stated that immigration reform is a 'moral imperative.' He wants to pass immigration laws that would allow over 11 million of them to gain citizenship in the U.S. He wants us to 'love thy neighbor,' and see these illegal residents as one of our ancestors with hope in their eyes for a new beginning and better means of living.
More information on Obama's reform is in this blog, Obama on immigration.
I, however, have a problem with the way he is going about allowing immigrants freely into our country.
They seem to pose for hurt on our country than good. Although I do sympathize with their wants to a better life, I think they should do it in a legal way because they in turn hurt our resources as a taxpayer.
When a business hires an illegal, they drive down wages. It hurts the tax payer all in the name of low cost labor, and it winds up that our already hurt unemployed are out of work and can't find a job to feed their families, while the illegals are working (if even not for much) and are able to send the money back to their families in their home country.
This is yet another problem for our economy. We obviously are still in a recession and need spending to stimulate business as much as we can. If illegals are sending money back to their families, we are not circulating it through our own economy and it’s causing us to dig a deeper hole in our already failing businesses.
The biggest concern I have has to do with treating the illegal residents in an American hospital with not cost to them, but it falls on the tax payers, so not only are we paying for it out of pocket, but hospitals are losing money from charity work. I heard a story the other day about a woman, who happened to be an illegal resident, who gave birth in a U.S. hospital and was able to walk out at no cost to her. I think this is absolutely absurd! I hate when residents of our country live off the government and have children scott free because of Medicaid, so I become even more infuriated when illegal aliens do it. It isn't right at all!
Then, on the basis of education, we are spending money we don't have, because of budget cuts to teach non-English speaking students. I am an English education major and I think it's ironic how now ESOL is endorsed for my classes I need to take in order to get my degree. It isn't fair to our students who were born and raised in this country and we now have to alter our system because the government deems it necessary to turn our school system into charity work!
I feel if we stuck to the laws this country was founded on and the immigrants came about it the just way then we wouldn't have so many people upset and our country could prosper again. I understand this country is based off the 'American Dream,' but to what extent do we put a limit on the means of obtaining it?
Obama made a political speech at the National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, and stated that immigration reform is a 'moral imperative.' He wants to pass immigration laws that would allow over 11 million of them to gain citizenship in the U.S. He wants us to 'love thy neighbor,' and see these illegal residents as one of our ancestors with hope in their eyes for a new beginning and better means of living.
More information on Obama's reform is in this blog, Obama on immigration.
I, however, have a problem with the way he is going about allowing immigrants freely into our country.
They seem to pose for hurt on our country than good. Although I do sympathize with their wants to a better life, I think they should do it in a legal way because they in turn hurt our resources as a taxpayer.
When a business hires an illegal, they drive down wages. It hurts the tax payer all in the name of low cost labor, and it winds up that our already hurt unemployed are out of work and can't find a job to feed their families, while the illegals are working (if even not for much) and are able to send the money back to their families in their home country.
This is yet another problem for our economy. We obviously are still in a recession and need spending to stimulate business as much as we can. If illegals are sending money back to their families, we are not circulating it through our own economy and it’s causing us to dig a deeper hole in our already failing businesses.
The biggest concern I have has to do with treating the illegal residents in an American hospital with not cost to them, but it falls on the tax payers, so not only are we paying for it out of pocket, but hospitals are losing money from charity work. I heard a story the other day about a woman, who happened to be an illegal resident, who gave birth in a U.S. hospital and was able to walk out at no cost to her. I think this is absolutely absurd! I hate when residents of our country live off the government and have children scott free because of Medicaid, so I become even more infuriated when illegal aliens do it. It isn't right at all!
Then, on the basis of education, we are spending money we don't have, because of budget cuts to teach non-English speaking students. I am an English education major and I think it's ironic how now ESOL is endorsed for my classes I need to take in order to get my degree. It isn't fair to our students who were born and raised in this country and we now have to alter our system because the government deems it necessary to turn our school system into charity work!
I feel if we stuck to the laws this country was founded on and the immigrants came about it the just way then we wouldn't have so many people upset and our country could prosper again. I understand this country is based off the 'American Dream,' but to what extent do we put a limit on the means of obtaining it?
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Don't quit, take a stand with Mitt!
Former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, seems to be the top contender in the upcoming 2012 presidential election.
Although he lost in the 2008 primaries to McCain, he is back and ready to take on Obama.
Romney is out to prove that he is the man for this position and his track record does prove as a positive reinforcement for him.
One of his main strengths that pulls him to the front line is his 30 some odd years of being a successful businessman. After graduating from Harvard Business he went on to hold executive positions in various offices as well as leading his own establishments.
The main con I see in his comes from his past as governor and the heath care reform he passed in his home state of Massachusetts. Many conservatives, like myself, see it as a spin off of Obama's health care plan. But in his candidacy he made a pledge by stating that, "Our next president must repeal Obamacare and replace it with market-based reforms that empower states and individuals and reduce health care costs. States and private markets, not the federal government, hold the key to improving our health care system." I personally hope that he sticks to this promise because I would like to see him bounce back from the mistake he made before. I think that would show America that our potential future president can fix what he has done wrong and provide for the good of the people.
Another main strength was his views on higher education that I read about in this article, Mitt Romney on Education. He proposes to have families save for their children's future instead of relying on government assistance. According to Alex Burgos, Mitt Romney's campaign spokes person, “He wants to empower families to save for their children's education by making money earned on savings interest, capital gains and He wants to help the middle class realize that saving will be better in the long run, so they won't be struggling when the time comes to send their kids off.dividends tax-free for all middle class taxpayers.
In the months that follow, if Romney continues to to show true care and responsibility to once and for all get American back on track I think he will prove to be the man for the job.
For more information check out his website, Mitt Romney Website.
Although he lost in the 2008 primaries to McCain, he is back and ready to take on Obama.
Romney is out to prove that he is the man for this position and his track record does prove as a positive reinforcement for him.
One of his main strengths that pulls him to the front line is his 30 some odd years of being a successful businessman. After graduating from Harvard Business he went on to hold executive positions in various offices as well as leading his own establishments.
The main con I see in his comes from his past as governor and the heath care reform he passed in his home state of Massachusetts. Many conservatives, like myself, see it as a spin off of Obama's health care plan. But in his candidacy he made a pledge by stating that, "Our next president must repeal Obamacare and replace it with market-based reforms that empower states and individuals and reduce health care costs. States and private markets, not the federal government, hold the key to improving our health care system." I personally hope that he sticks to this promise because I would like to see him bounce back from the mistake he made before. I think that would show America that our potential future president can fix what he has done wrong and provide for the good of the people.
Another main strength was his views on higher education that I read about in this article, Mitt Romney on Education. He proposes to have families save for their children's future instead of relying on government assistance. According to Alex Burgos, Mitt Romney's campaign spokes person, “He wants to empower families to save for their children's education by making money earned on savings interest, capital gains and He wants to help the middle class realize that saving will be better in the long run, so they won't be struggling when the time comes to send their kids off.dividends tax-free for all middle class taxpayers.
In the months that follow, if Romney continues to to show true care and responsibility to once and for all get American back on track I think he will prove to be the man for the job.
For more information check out his website, Mitt Romney Website.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Action Against the Affirmative
The next time you fill out and application pay close attention to the section where it asks about your race/ethnicity.
Do you ever wonder why it asks that? And perhaps, do you wonder what would happen if you chose the box that indicated that you would rather not answer. I used to wonder the same thing until I realized it all went into statistical data that generated who was making the race quota for the year. This all goes into account for the debate on affirmative action.
Affirmative action refers to measures to achieve non-discrimination generally in schools or the workplace.
Because it stemmed from the civil rights movement by trying to gain equal oppurtunity for the minority, it did have a good moral standing, which I agreed with.
But I believe the government has taken it too far. It is argued that affirmative action actually hurts minorities because they get accepted on th basis of making a quota and that discredits their actual work ability. When the work place and schools accept minorities this can be back lash on them because most of the time they are ill-equipped for the position or institution and in turn only hurt themselves. This can lead to skewed statistics that can indicate the monority being worse off then if they had been accepted in the first place.
In an article against affirmative action David Sack and Peter Thiel from Standford Magazine state:
The fundamental unfairness and arbitrariness of preferences -- why should the under-qualified son of a black doctor displace the qualified daughter of a Vietnamese boat refugee? -- has led supporters to shift rationales in recent years. Instead of a remedy for disadvantage, many supporters now claim that preferences promote "diversity." This same push for "diversity" also has led Stanford to create racially segregated dormitories, racially segregated freshman orientation programs, racially segregated graduation ceremonies and curricular requirements in race theory and gender studies…What's gone wrong? The basic problem is that a racist past cannot be undone through more racism. Race-conscious programs betray Martin Luther King's dream of a color-blind community, and the heightened racial sensitivity they cause is a source of acrimony and tension instead of healing.
Although it is argued against anti affirmative action activists that “for every dollar earned by men, women on a whole earn 74 cents, African American women earn 63 cents and Latina women earn 57 cents. According to the Census Bureau, only 25% of all doctors and lawyers are women. Less than 1% of auto mechanics are women. And women are only 8.4% of engineers.” Because these statistics might very well be true I do think that this could pose as a problem to our nation. In regards to the pay rate, yes that is a problem especially if a person of a different race or perhaps a woman can do the same job just as well if not better. But regarding the workforce itself, wouldn’t you think the reason why there are only a certain amount of minorities in specific fields means they obviously were not qualified?
http://www.now.org/issues/affirm/talking.html
http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/1996/sepoct/articles/against.html
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Best Friends Means ...
If you know me personally, you know that I am one of the most opinionated and up front people there are. I can be very hardheaded and bitchy to say the least. Unfortunately, that has lead to my now strained relationship with my best friend, Kayla.
I tend to offer my advice even when it isn't asked for. I like to think it's because my assessment of my
friend's lives are important.
I have now realized I can no longer voice my opinion unless it is for the greater good of the person I care about.
This is a formal and heartfelt apology to the one person who I should have treated with kindness because she is the kind of person who would go out of their way for a friend and poses no judgment on me whatsoever.
Kayla,
I am sorry. Your decisions and actions you have taken over the last couple months are your business and as your best friend I should not have abandoned you like I did. Although I do not agree with
the choices you made and the life you are about to bear, it is my duty as your best friend to hold your hand, and hair back, along the way
You gave me a place to lay my head when I was being a spoiled brat and ran away from home. You answered your phone and let me cry your ear off when I had boy problems. And most of all, you
have never once asked for anything in return.
You are the most giving person I have ever met and I am so lucky to have you in my life. I was selfish to leave you in the midst of troubles that were coming down on you and to turn my back meant I was a coward instead of lending you a helping hand. If anyone knows you it's me, and I know you have a loving heart and have so much love to give.
I can't wait to meet your bundle of joy and I know they will be just as caring and loving as you are. I only hope that you will allow me to partake on your journey of motherhood.
Love,
Venessa
I tend to offer my advice even when it isn't asked for. I like to think it's because my assessment of my
friend's lives are important.
I have now realized I can no longer voice my opinion unless it is for the greater good of the person I care about.
This is a formal and heartfelt apology to the one person who I should have treated with kindness because she is the kind of person who would go out of their way for a friend and poses no judgment on me whatsoever.
Kayla,
I am sorry. Your decisions and actions you have taken over the last couple months are your business and as your best friend I should not have abandoned you like I did. Although I do not agree with
the choices you made and the life you are about to bear, it is my duty as your best friend to hold your hand, and hair back, along the way
You gave me a place to lay my head when I was being a spoiled brat and ran away from home. You answered your phone and let me cry your ear off when I had boy problems. And most of all, you
have never once asked for anything in return.
You are the most giving person I have ever met and I am so lucky to have you in my life. I was selfish to leave you in the midst of troubles that were coming down on you and to turn my back meant I was a coward instead of lending you a helping hand. If anyone knows you it's me, and I know you have a loving heart and have so much love to give.
I can't wait to meet your bundle of joy and I know they will be just as caring and loving as you are. I only hope that you will allow me to partake on your journey of motherhood.
Love,
Venessa
Thursday, June 2, 2011
When I realized the truth
I can vividly recall the day I became a Republican.
My boyfriend’s mother was consistent with trying to convert me to see the ‘right’ side of social and political issues. So one day when I was sitting in the upstairs room with my boyfriend, she slipped a stack of papers underneath the door for me to read. Now she would usually send me emails of articles about the right wing party for me to read, but I would brush it aside because I wasn’t really interested. But she said that this particular article would spark my interest because it was on something I was passionate about: my education.
The main premise of the article was a about a girl just like me who had no interest in politics until someone explained it to her in a way in which would get her attention. She was an honor roll student in school with a high GPA and took it upon herself to study tediously everyday and work hard towards her goal of getting into a good college. It was when the topic of politics got brought up that she didn’t understand how it would correlate with her doing well in school. Her friend said, “Since you work hard in school and believe in sharing with others who didn’t work as hard as you did, then just give them half of your GPA. You’re alright with that aren’t you?” The girl replied, “That wouldn’t be fair to me because I earned the grades and the other person didn’t, so why would I have to share my GPA.” And the friend replied, “You have just become a republican.”
Now of course more goes into becoming a Republican then that, but that is what grabbed my attention because I didn’t look at it from the perspective of giving handouts to people who so easily take advantage of the social system and think they are entitled to something someone else worked so hard for.
It was then that I became aware of how important politics are around me and how they initially affect your entire life. It was then that I became adamant about spreading the word of what is fair and just, and I knew I was conservative.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
New! Jobs: Coming Soon!
Unemployment rates are through the roof and the meaning of 'living paycheck to paycheck are more relevant than ever.
Fred Barnes, a blogger for NPR writes,
"Employment dipped to 137,960,000 in December 2009. That may seem like a lot of Americans with jobs, but it happened to be the low point in the recession that began before President Obama took office the prior January. Now jump to last month. Employment had risen to 139,573,000, an increase of 1,613,000 people in the workforce in 14 months. That's pretty impressive, right? Quite the contrary. By the standard of earlier economic recoveries, that rate of pickup in jobs is very poor."
I do agree with Barnes when he spoke of Reagan Vs. Obama's plan of action for restimulating our economy. Reagan had the right idea to reduce spending and taxes. Obviously spending more then we have and handing out stimulus checks might boost our economy in the short run, but what happens when that money runs out and there is no more to pump into businesses or even our gas tanks? I agree that if we as a nation reduced our spending and cut taxes then we would eventually get our economy back on balance. It's really a simple PPV chart. The more the government tampers with the economy, the more we end up in a bigger bind.
But is it because we are scarce in the job field? Some such as POP, an anonymous blogger for Pop Economics. He classifies this job market decline as 'structural unemployment', which is a form of unemployment resulting from a mismatch between demand in the labor market and the skills and locations of the workers seeking employment, as defined by Wikipedia. The jobs we have today are reinventing themselves to adjust to technology takeover. The types of jobs that used to be in demand are no longer a need and a we as a a society have a new set of demands. Some types of jobs that are newly in demand are biomedical engineers, software engineers, and market analyst for corporations to name a few.
The problem isn't just that there aren't enough jobs, but that they are rapidly changing to what our society demands. I also agree on this basis, but at the same time, will these jobs continue to be in demand for years to come? Would it be worth getting a degree in some of these fields, or will something better come along now that technology is rapidly changing day to day?
Articles:
http://www.popeconomics.com/2011/01/05/2011s-job-market-the-separation-of-the-haves-and-have-nots/
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/22/134759150/weekly-standard-reagan-versus-obama-on-jobs
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Obama'don't'care
Is basic healthcare a right? This is a controversy politicians are arguing today more than ever.
Have you ever heard of the saying "If it's not broken then don't try to fix it." I would think this pertains to our healthcare system. Many would argue that America's healthcare is the best in world. Besides, not many countries get to decide what doctor they would like to see, nor do they get the freedom of choosing to have the best care money can buy. I thought America was all about choice, and if I want to have the best primary I can afford without having to wait in lines to receive my annual check up then I will.
The problems with Obama's health care proposal are contradictory to what he is trying to accomplish. Senator Chuck Grassley urges "by having government run the health care industry, this would drive private insurers out of business and lead to a government takeover of the health care system." Simply put, driving out the competition in turns causes people to lose jobs, and all this time I thought Obama's plan was to open more job opportunities for people hurting in the recession
Professor Regina Herzlinger of Harvard Business School makes this correlation to a car dealership by stating, "the high-cost cars and absence of entrepreneurs and competition will skyrocket costs and force government to ration cars." This rationing of health care is kind of like the rationing that was done back in WW II with butter, gasoline, and bread to insure the soldiers were prepared and taken care of. “The government, through Medicare or state Medicaid or other programs, keeps costs lower as much as possible in order to keeps taxes lower, or to expand care to others, both considered to be the greater good,” argues Trisha Torrey, About.com Guide, What Is Healthcare Rationing? But the problem with the healthcare bill is that it imposes new fees and taxes directly onto the consumer in turn causing the premium to increase well before the bill is even established. The problem is that the with the new health bill is that consumers don’t have the choice of receiving a procedure even if they have the money. Who says that expanding care to others is for the greater good? “Some of us want to reduce the overall cost of the legislation, try to reduce the government’s role, make it harder for illegal immigrants to get benefits, allow alternatives to the individual mandate and harsh penalties, and reward states with extra Medicaid dollars if they pass medical malpractice reform,” explains Senator Grassley. And I agree 100% with this new bill still does not fix our health care system it just creates a bigger mess along with making more people, such as myself angry, because people who make over $100,000 are taxed more which means they have to compensate for those who still don’t have health care.
Senator Grassley also goes on to point out that "The bills will cause insurance premiums for scores of people, especially those who are relatively young and healthy, to go up, not down... after forcing premiums to go up, the legislation makes it mandatory to buy health insurance." This again goes back to choice, if we as Americans don't have a say on the healthcare we receive and are forced to pay for something the government deemed ' fair for all ' then we are not practicing the constitution our forefathers stood for. We ultimately will become a socialist nation.
Have you ever heard of the saying "If it's not broken then don't try to fix it." I would think this pertains to our healthcare system. Many would argue that America's healthcare is the best in world. Besides, not many countries get to decide what doctor they would like to see, nor do they get the freedom of choosing to have the best care money can buy. I thought America was all about choice, and if I want to have the best primary I can afford without having to wait in lines to receive my annual check up then I will.
The problems with Obama's health care proposal are contradictory to what he is trying to accomplish. Senator Chuck Grassley urges "by having government run the health care industry, this would drive private insurers out of business and lead to a government takeover of the health care system." Simply put, driving out the competition in turns causes people to lose jobs, and all this time I thought Obama's plan was to open more job opportunities for people hurting in the recession
Professor Regina Herzlinger of Harvard Business School makes this correlation to a car dealership by stating, "the high-cost cars and absence of entrepreneurs and competition will skyrocket costs and force government to ration cars." This rationing of health care is kind of like the rationing that was done back in WW II with butter, gasoline, and bread to insure the soldiers were prepared and taken care of. “The government, through Medicare or state Medicaid or other programs, keeps costs lower as much as possible in order to keeps taxes lower, or to expand care to others, both considered to be the greater good,” argues Trisha Torrey, About.com Guide, What Is Healthcare Rationing? But the problem with the healthcare bill is that it imposes new fees and taxes directly onto the consumer in turn causing the premium to increase well before the bill is even established. The problem is that the with the new health bill is that consumers don’t have the choice of receiving a procedure even if they have the money. Who says that expanding care to others is for the greater good? “Some of us want to reduce the overall cost of the legislation, try to reduce the government’s role, make it harder for illegal immigrants to get benefits, allow alternatives to the individual mandate and harsh penalties, and reward states with extra Medicaid dollars if they pass medical malpractice reform,” explains Senator Grassley. And I agree 100% with this new bill still does not fix our health care system it just creates a bigger mess along with making more people, such as myself angry, because people who make over $100,000 are taxed more which means they have to compensate for those who still don’t have health care.
Senator Grassley also goes on to point out that "The bills will cause insurance premiums for scores of people, especially those who are relatively young and healthy, to go up, not down... after forcing premiums to go up, the legislation makes it mandatory to buy health insurance." This again goes back to choice, if we as Americans don't have a say on the healthcare we receive and are forced to pay for something the government deemed ' fair for all ' then we are not practicing the constitution our forefathers stood for. We ultimately will become a socialist nation.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Higher Education
After reading an article titled: “Well, Naturally We’re Liberal,” by Jere P. Surber, he goes on to explain why liberal arts professors are, well, liberal. His first point goes into an explanation of the correlation between professor’s level of education and their income. He claims that liberal arts instructors are paid the lowest despite their more advanced study in their subject than their science and business counter parts. He also states “there are few opportunities for liberal-arts scholars to supplement their incomes by serving on government and corporate boards, filing patents and licenses, and, of course, obtaining generous research grants.” He summarizes his argument by saying that “Those who have less and want more will tend to support social changes that promise to accomplish that; those who are already economic winners will want to conserve their status.
I found this argument quite entertaining because I found a counterargument from Professor David Rubinstein from the University of Illinois at Chicago. In his argument he states “The life of a professor is far more attractive than that of most government employees.” He emphasizes on the fact that his life as a professor has worked to his benefit because what others deem as “work” he sees as something he had been doing since grad school that interested him. He also continues to explain that his “benefits nearly doubled his salary,” which include a paid semester off to conduct research, 3 months of summer off, holding his classes on his own schedule, being able to show up in jeans, and seminar lectures where he can kick back and let grad students do the talking.
When speaking in terms of the pay rate, Professor Rubinstein found that “compared with professionals in the private sector, college professors are underpaid, though according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “by rank, the average [salary] was $108,749 for full professors.” I don’t know about you, but making over $100,000 average to do what I love sounds like a win to me.
I would say the latter of the two seems to be headed more in my direction. Although not every University professor has the exact same benefits and pay rate across the board, the benefits of becoming a teacher/professor are about the same, especially when talking about vacation time.
Professor Rubenstein also included a statistic in his findings that I thought was interesting. He found “The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the quit rate for government workers is less than one-third that of the private sector. Applications for federal jobs exceed those for the private sector by at least 25 percent, and when workers move from private to federal employment their earnings, according to Princeton’s Alan Krueger, increase by 12 percent.” It seems to me that working for the government does actually pay off. As my great grandfather said, “always try to find a job within the government because they will take care of you.” I think the reason why quit rate is so high in the private sector is because there are less opportunities as well as benefits to keep individuals happy and families fed.
Because I am one of the brave souls determined to become a high school and some day higher education professor, I think that reading both views on the point lead me to the direction of the conservative side yet again. It is so easy to blame the government for not getting enough out of the system, but I think if more people were educated and knowledgeable on educational views and the actual facts, then more people would see the government is actually taking care of higher education professors.
Articles: http://chronicle.com/article/Well-Naturally-Were-Liberal/63870/
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/fat-city_567621.html?page=1
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/fat-city_567621.html?page=1
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
What Liberals Think Conservatives Think On Education
Since the 1790’s the Republican and Democratic Party has had differing views on who is actually right on the matter at hand. This has led to today’s misconceptions each party has on the other. Liberals tend to think us Republicans are racists, against the government, don’t care about the environment, and think only the wealthy should attend a higher education institution.
And on the topic of education, while the last statement might not entirely be untrue, I, as a conservative, have an explanation that follows.
Democrats believe that conservatives want to keep the rich wealthy and the poor in the slums when it comes to disagreements on an education perspective. I agree that education is almost the only way to advance in one’s life. Unless you have prospered off a get rich scheme watching a late night infomercial, you need education to advance in your professional life to gain a respectful as well as a financially stable position in society. According to OnTheIssues.org, a Democratic website that defines it’s standpoints, stated that, “Democrats know that the key to expanding opportunity is to provide every child with a strong foundation of education. We will also help expand educational opportunities for college by making college tuition tax deductible, expanding Pell Grants, and cut student loan interest rates.” According to The National Center for Education Statistics, “Sixty-six percent of all undergraduates received some type of financial aid in 2007–08 and in 2007–08, federal Pell Grants were awarded to 27 percent of all undergraduates at an average of $2,600.”
I’m sorry, but expand Pell Grants through financial aid? The federal government should in no way impose with who gets into college because of the money a student is granted. According to the book Academically Adrift, higher education institutions are now looking at the money students receive and compete for those students. Which is ironic because I thought college was about getting accepted based on the grades you received in high school?
The statistics on the amount of students who receive at least some form of financial aid, to me, is astronomical. According to the number, that means more than HALF of undergrads receive financial aid. I mean, I know we are in an economic slump, but you’re telling me that more than half of all students qualify for some type of award?
Maybe I’m being cynical because I didn’t qualify for anything but loans this semester, but then again, I am also one of those rare students who work my ass off to pay for my own tuition and books because I don’t have the privilege of mommy and daddy handing be a blank check to give to the bursar. Either way, I still believe that education should be rooted from personal responsibility and accomplishment, not the amount of money the government deems you necessary because your parents didn’t make enough money or because you didn’t get high enough grades.
Sources: 1. 2006 Democratic Party Congressional Promise Nov 1, 2006
2. http://www.ontheissues.org/celeb/Democratic_Party_Education.htm
3. http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=31CLICK LINK TO WATCH VIDEO: <iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FiQJ9Xp0xxU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Sunday, May 22, 2011
From Where I Stand . . .
Politics: I know, it’s the first thing on everyone’s mind at 11:47 after we realized we are still alive and have yet another day to carry out. But even if it was on the backburner for just a minute, I think it would be safe to say that this is a hot ticket issue especially with the upcoming 2012 presidential election.
I understand that for young people today, this might not be the first thing they care about especially when they have alcohol to consume and college exams to take, but I think the problem is the youth is uneducated, confused, and more prevalent, intimidated by the understanding of the word politics and how it directly affects them.
This is why I made this blog. I want people to realize the importance of having a voice, and most importantly, knowing where you stand.
I am a Conservative.
This can be disheartening to some and others might see me as selfish and coldhearted, but either way this is where I stand.
And how do I like my tea? I like it made from a strong foundation of hard work this country was built on and of course, tax-free. I have gone to the Washington D.C. Tea Party Express rally on September 12, 2009 for the Healthcare protest and Glen Beck’s “Restoring Honor” on August 28th 2010 and from what I have witnessed, I am a Republican for the shear fact that I believe in individual responsibility, the free market, and the right to order a Big Mac with all the extra Mac sauce I’d like.
This is my voice to the youth to understand my point of view and rhetoric to influence and have others understand the crisis the United States is facing because our increased sensitivity and wanting to be equal.
I understand that for young people today, this might not be the first thing they care about especially when they have alcohol to consume and college exams to take, but I think the problem is the youth is uneducated, confused, and more prevalent, intimidated by the understanding of the word politics and how it directly affects them.
This is why I made this blog. I want people to realize the importance of having a voice, and most importantly, knowing where you stand.
I am a Conservative.
This can be disheartening to some and others might see me as selfish and coldhearted, but either way this is where I stand.
And how do I like my tea? I like it made from a strong foundation of hard work this country was built on and of course, tax-free. I have gone to the Washington D.C. Tea Party Express rally on September 12, 2009 for the Healthcare protest and Glen Beck’s “Restoring Honor” on August 28th 2010 and from what I have witnessed, I am a Republican for the shear fact that I believe in individual responsibility, the free market, and the right to order a Big Mac with all the extra Mac sauce I’d like.
This is my voice to the youth to understand my point of view and rhetoric to influence and have others understand the crisis the United States is facing because our increased sensitivity and wanting to be equal.
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