Is a change for Florida on the horizon?

According to Huffington Post, Charlie Crist is ahead of Rick Scott in the most recent polls. This has come with little surprise, due to the fact that Scott's approval rating has sunk since his last election victory in 2010. This may be in response of a Democratic wave surging through the country. The overall approval of the Republican party has been steadily declining this year; the process was ultimately sped up with the government shutdown. I believe there is more to it in the case of Florida, however. Rick Scott has been involved in very controversial situations in the past such as his actions with Columbia/HCA and being a venture capitalist. Floridians have also taken notice with budget cuts to education over the past few years. Overall, things are looking up for Charlie Crist and his endeavors may soon pay off. This will be Crist's second round being Governor of Florida.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/charlie-crist-rick-scott-poll_n_4317235.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

One Small Step for Equality

     During the past to weeks we have seen the effects of Hawaii, the state tht first began the argument for same-sex marriage, finally passing a law legalizing same-sex marriage. The gay marriage debate began in Hawaii 2 decades ago in 1990 when two women applied to become legally wed. The rejection of their application was ultimately shot down by the Supreme Court Decision in 1993 that not allowing them to amrry was a violation of their rights to equal protection. There had not been, however, a bill fromt he state signed into law allowing same-sex marriage. That milestone finally arrived when Governor Neil Abercrombie signed the bill into law at an invitation-only Hawaii Convention Center. The law allows gay couples living in and visiting Hawaii to get married as soon as December 2nd. Barack Obama himself praised the passage of the bill. This is not the most positive aspect of the passage of the bill, however. The main aspect of the bill that is extremely appealing to the Hawaiian economy is the significant boost that Hawaiian tourism will receive from the influx of tourists looking to get married on the island chain. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/13/governor-signs-bill-to-legalize-gay-marriage-in-hawaii/

FCC wants to Expand the E-Rate Program

The FCC’s wants to expand the E-Rate program that will provide almost universal access to high-speed broadband with an emphasis on widespread wireless capability. The desired short term goals are a minimum of 100 megabits per second per 1,000 students in all schools and for the long term 1 gigabit for the same number of students. The proposal is very ambitious and everybody wants it but the debate is how to pay for it. Currently, “schools and libraries apply for a cut of $2.25 billion in annual discounts for telecommunications services, Internet and internal connections.” They get the money from the “Universal Service Fund, created to help pay for expanded access to telecommunications services in rural and low-income areas and for schools, libraries and rural health care providers.”

            It is very important foe the country to invest in human capital so they should really try to reach a compromise. Schools have suffer a lot with all cut during the recession and this going to help improve education. It’s sad that they want this program to improve the poor and rural schools but they are ones that are less likely to apply because of the paperwork. If they already know that is going to be an issue they should also try to fix that.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/schools-internet-subsidy-education-100015.html

In an article from Fox News, it details how Republican congressman are issuing a bill to avoid basically another bailout to insurance companies. Further details indicate that the plan to help insurance companies offset losses has always been in Obamacare, but that it is now being challenged because it was not talked about and seen as something the American people would not; a "blank check for the industry" as one Congressman calls it. I would have to agree with this bill proposal. Though I would probably not be considered a Conservative by any means, I do not want in my future taxes raised further because we bailed out the insurance companies. Obama's aids and analysts should have seen this as a possible risk and should have changed something around. I do believe that healthcare should be available to all, however telling the insurance companies that they can be repaid money they are losing is like telling somebody that committed insurance fraud that they don't have to face the consequences.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/20/senators-push-bill-to-prevent-insurance-industry-bailout-over-obamacare/

House Representative Radel pleads guilty.

One of the House of Representative members is facing a disappointing, but true, headlining story.  The Republican Representative Trey Radel plead guilty to cocaine possession after he was caught buying 250 dollars worth from an undercover FBI agent.  Radel is now faced with probation for one year, 180 days in prison and a max fine of 1000 dollars. Although this is not a "serious" or felony crime it is still a misdemeanor which does not look good for our public officials. This kind of news, if it was not a Representative, would never make headlines.  But, since Radel is a public official he is held to a higher standard and these type of actions are unacceptable. He is supposed to represent the American people in a positive manner. The FBI got word from the dealer, that was earlier arrested, that his buyer was a Congressman, given that information the FBI could not let this go and needed to get to the bottom of it.  I understand that people make mistakes and having a drug addiction and/ or an alcohol addiction is a disease, it's just disappointing to hear that American's elected this man and he let us down.  Getting caught by an FBI official and being a public figure does not give a good look to himself, the House of Representatives and his family.  He is manning up and becoming a better man for himself, his wife and his young child by seeking counseling and getting help for his addiction.  As an American I hope he get's better and gets the help he needs. 

Representative gets caught with drugs

In Stance on Renewal of Old Health Policies, States Run the Gamut

   President Obama said a few days that millions of consumers should be able to keep their old insurance plans for another year, even if they did not meet the requirements of his health care law.
Obama has been finding supporters from other states although they aren't much allies in this health care plan. Four states that are led by Republican governors have opposed the health care law and eight states that also said that they will not carry out the plan six are Democratic states. The new plan is being offered under the affordable care Act require that insurers cover a wider rang of benefits than many of old plans. The insurers are prohibited from turning down people with  existing medical problems. Mr. Obama announced last week that after the political uproar  prompted by millions of consumers' receiving notices that there health plans were being discontinued because they no longer complied with the law. Many states with low numbers such cancellation were those that had let insurers temporarily avoid the laws requirements by offering early renewal of existing though next year. The goal was to smooth the transition for consumers, commissioners in those states said.
   Mike Chaney an insurance commissioner in Republican- led by Mississippi, who said "it turned out to be a good decision." He also mentioned that fewer than 500 people in his state received notice of discontinued policies because he encouraged the major insurers to offer the option of renewing for an additional year. The next thing he mentioned that insurers could have chosen to cancel policies in his state but also mentions that he would have harmed them.
Florida's largest insurer, decided to discontinue the plans of about 300,000 people including 40,000 whose coverage will end by January 1st. Now it is working to offer those customers the option of extending their plans for an additional year under president Obama's proposal. Proponents of the healthcare plan including several states that have most enthusiastically embraced it, have argued that renewing old plans will undermine the success of fledging insurance marketplace. They also asserted that some of the plans have fewer benefits than new ones devised to comply with the new law.
New York said that it did not plan to allow the estimated 100,000 canceled policies to be renewed.

DoD to Tighten Defense Contractor Cybersecurity Standards

The Department of Defense has recently tightened cybersecurity rules for its defense contractors. These contractors will have to maintain a security standard set by the DoD when handling sensitive military information. This is a step in the right direction for our nation’s military. It’s about time we prioritize cybersecurity and realize that it’s becoming one of the most important fields of defense for us to focus on. The current threats to America do not involve symmetrical warfare. The executive branch does not need to allocate hundreds of billions of dollars to aircraft that will never come face to face with a threat that is anywhere close to being on the same level of technological capability. I understand that it is important to maintain an advanced fleet and be prepared for any possibilities for the future but the amount of money we spend on new hardware is ridiculous. Meanwhile, cybersecurity is one of the most pressing threats right now and it only gets only a sliver of the defense budget. The Department of Defense functions for just that purpose, defense. So why not focus on the current threat of cyber-attacks on America? As of now the only direct attacks on the US occur online. Hackers from China and other areas are reported to be stealing important corporate and military secrets. It’s the White House’s responsibility, as well as the responsibility of DoD, to address these attacks and prepare tools to prevent them. We need to focus on attacks that are happening right now and give this issue the attention it deserves. 

Former President George W Bush appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno with his wife Laura. During the interview, he stated that his younger brother Jeb should run for the presidency in 2016. Jeb Bush served as the Florida Governor from 1999 to 2007 and he could possibly run for the GOP. Jeb Bush has not personally stated that he will be running but rumors say that he might and George W Bush said that he would make a great president. Other possible candidates that may consider running to represent the GOP in the 2016 presidential election include Chris Christie (NJ governor), Marco Rubio (FL senator), and Rand Paul (Kentucky senator).

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/20/george-w-bush-says-brother-jeb-should-run-for-president-if-wants-to/

Taxpayer money to bailout Insurance Companies?

According to a recent Fox News article, Republican senators have introduced a new bill that would prevent taxpayer money from being used to prop up the industry. Florida senator Marco Rubio, along with a half-dozen other Republican senators, introduced what they call the “ObamaCare Taxpayer Bailout Protection Act”. The article states that “It would strip a provision in the Affordable Care Act pertaining to so-called "risk corridors," which could allow the government to pay insurance companies to offset financial losses.” Senator Rubio reported to Fox News, "The idea that the federal government should be bailing out insurance companies in order to make ObamaCare work, that's not something a lot of people are aware of… And I haven't taken a poll on it, but I guarantee you it would be hugely unpopular." I agree with Rubio, the President should not be using taxpayer’s money to help bailout insurance companies because he is the main reason ObamaCare is in effect. This issue would not have arisen if there weren’t a national healthcare in place. We do not pay taxes so that the Government can bailout companies. We  should be paying taxes for things that benefit us, such as protection, education, and highways, and not using the money for things such as bailouts. Perhaps the Government should spend our taxpaying dollars to something more useful.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/20/senators-push-bill-to-prevent-insurance-industry-bailout-over-obamacare/

"Don't check the weather, we're flying anyway."

  30-40% of Obamacare website is still being built, which leaves the site completely useless several weeks after its debut.  Mr. Chao, the deputy chief information officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, describes exactly what is left to be completed, “we still have to build the financial management aspects of the system, which includes our accounting system and payment system and reconciliation system.”  Many are curious to why the site was released if these bugs were known- but not many have the answer.  Chao reported that the site was pushed to use before it was ready by a group of the Obama administration, including the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mary B. Tavenner.  While many are quick to dump the blame on President Obama, he explained in recent reports that this problem is widely due to the "gap between the private sector and the public sector than I.T."

  History clearly shows that the president is either getting the glory for the success of something or receiving blame for something terrible that happened, and this situation is no exception to that rule.  While it is clearly easy to blame Obama for his ignorance to the overwhelming issues with HealthCare.org, the more specific pieces within the executive branch's cabinet help Mr. Obama make his ultimate decision by relaying information over to him.  It is clear to America that someone dropped the ball, and I'm curious to see who will be "resigning" or losing their job over it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/20/us/politics/health-insurance-marketplace-is-still-about-40-percent-incomplete-official-says.html?ref=us

Top court ruling pave a way for Franklin to be executed

U.S. Supreme Court decided early Wednesday to not postpone the execution of white supremacist serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin. This means Mr. Franklin will be put to death soon.Franklin's execution was scheduled for 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, but two federal judges granted stays of execution on Tuesday. The Supreme court decided to decline Joseph Paul Franklin request. Joseph has been on death row since 1977 for the murder of Gerald Gordon. But he has killed a total of 22 killings between 1977 and 1980 in a bid to start a race war .He was challenging Missouri's decision to use lethal injection saying that it would violate Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. I feel like he shouldn't have been able to push off his death this long. I really hate that he is trying to argue and say it violates the constitution, you killed 22 people you shouldn't have any rights or input. If someone has been put on death row, they shouldn't have the chance to appeal it. Death row was your punishment. Joseph has been rescheduled to be executed Wednesday. I fill like this is what he deserves.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/20/justice/missouri-franklin-execution/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

George Zimmerman Arrested, Again

     On Monday afternoon, George Zimmerman who is known for the shooting of Trayvon Martin, has been arrested for assaulting his girlfriend. He allegedly pointed a shotgun at her and was breaking items in her house, threw her outside, barricaded the door, and put his weapons away acting like nothing happened. He was arrested and today posted the $9,000 bail in return for giving up all his weapons and ammunition.
    
     This is clearly a man who cannot control himself and likes his guns. It was pretty obvious that he was guilty in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, but he somehow got off innocent. For him walking on thin waters and then to go and assault a woman with a gun, goes to show his lack of innocence. Trayvon Martin was an innocent teenager, up against a man with a criminal history. It is obvious who the guilty one is, and it goes to show the injustice in the American justice system. People like George Zimmerman need to be taken off the streets as we do not know what people like him are capable of doing. If he can shoot an innocent teenager, and assault a woman with a shotgun, then what is to stop him from committing a mass shooting? He needs to be taken off the streets, as it is people like him who make it unsafe to walk the streets.


http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/19/justice/florida-george-zimmerman-arrest/index.html?hpt=ju_c1

Medicare Deputy CIO: Somewhere Between '30-40%' Of Obamacare's Exchange Software Has Not Yet Been Built

The article Medicare Deputy CIO: Somewhere Between '30-40%' Of Obamacare's Exchange Software Has Not Yet Been Built talks about how a large portion of the healthcare website healthcare.gov still needs to be built.  During a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee deputy chief information officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Henry Chao stated that "'30 to 40 percent' of the federal exchange had not yet been built—despite the fact that the site was launched seven weeks ago".  He initially stated that the percentage was between 60 and 70 percent but then retracted this statement and said 30 to 40 percent which is even more troubling because it gives the impression that he isn't even sure about the percentage and there is a big gap between 30 and 70.  This portion that still has to be built includes "the accounting systems and payment systems that protect taxpayers against waste, fraud, and abuse—systems that also ensure that insurers get paid, and that premium subsidies are accurately doled out".  Since these systems still have to be built and the insurers haven't been paid technically no one has officially registered for a health insurance policy even though the Obama administration came out the other day and said that "26,794 people had enrolled on the federal exchange".  This statement by the Obama administration is also troubling because since technically zero people are enrolled on the federal exchange and they did not specify whether insurance companies had been paid this statement could be made up and illustrate yet another lie the Obama administration has told over the past weeks.  Obamacare launched on October 1st and now about 50 days later it is coming out that at a minimum 30 percent of the website still has to be built, a major problem caused by the Obama administration being careless and rushing, I think so.

Obamacare technology chiefs grilled by Congress as support dwindles

Obamacare technology chiefs grilled by Congress as political support dwindles

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/13/obamacare-technology-chiefs-grilled-congress-website

President Barak Obama's healthcare reform called Obamacare is losing political support. Last Wednesday, Obamacare technology chiefs were the talk of Congress. The complaints from Congress members stated that they were angry with many technology problems and the policy itself. The technology chiefs replied by stating that the website is not ready yet and they want it to reach its full capacity before releasing it. This project of Obamacare was proposed and grown by the Democrats , so the fact that it is not doing as well as it should is troubling them. They know this could cost them votes and seats in Congress. Will Obamacare be the cost for eliminating some Democrats in Congress?

" The Need to Know"

   The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported to the senate that the designations of security clearance for federal employees and government contractors is not clear or consistent with regular reviews and reassessments. Today, according to the article, 5 million people have security clearances. Senator Jon Tester, chairman of the Senate
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee said " It only takes one individual to slip through the cracks". The ineptness of the Government today is astounding. As the Government grows in size, the problems keep increasing. It sounds almost criminal not to review and reassess who is holding a secret or top secret clearance in the Government on
a regular basis.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/11/19/report-security-clearances-need-regular-review/

Cokeheads in Congress

In case you haven't heard the news, Florida Republican and U.S. Representative Trey Radel has been charged with a misdemeanor possession of cocaine in which he will be facing a six month prison sentence and/or a $1,000 fine. The "or" part of his sentence is what strikes me as odd as a $1,000 fine is mere chunk change to a member of Congress, and as a Representative he should be held to a higher standard including more severe punishment. However it seems to be the case that in several instances, Government officials are often given a slap on the wrist instead of the punishment they truly deserve. It is an embarrassment to this country that citizens allow politicians to get off with minimal consequences for their actions. It is even more embarrassing that such officials are even elected in the first place. Our politicians are busy pointing fingers, fighting like idiots, and snorting cocaine rather than working together to create effective legislation necessary to run the country. Thats just not the kind of government any citizen should want! I urge those voters out there to start doing more extensive research on political candidates, and vote for Representatives based on merit, not name recognition.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/19/congressman-charged-with-cocaine-possession/

Hatocracy

Thousands Protest Rape Culture In New Zealand, Saying It’s Become ‘A National Health Crisis

18 November 2013
         
In New Zealand there is this gang called the "Roast Buster" they go to parties and get girls so drunk that cant control their self and they gang together & rape the girls. They target teenage girls after they are finish they upload the evidence to a social media site, like instagram, Facebook,. The people of New Zealand came together and protested because the police weren't doing anything. they told one of the girls that she didn't have enough evidence, and she shouldn't of wore what she wore to the party. The problem about this situation is that the police get paid to protect and serve us and their not doing there job. Getting raped is not fun its bad for your health. you can catch a disease, mess up your inside where you cant have children for the rest of your life you can get also get pregnant by somebody you don't know at all and your stuck with it or killing it for abortion. Also it will just effect your life in different ways. People are signing petition's because the police wont take this serious. You have the right to have control over you own body. Its a crime to rape a female, The police should think about what if it was one of there daughter being attack by the "Roast Buster". Justice should be serve and they should do something before more stuff get out of head. This is an health crisis and its need to be addressed. The crime of being rape is going up and that needs to change. They need to stop looking a rape crimes slow and take them more serious I believe they need fix it and as a child they should talk to you about sexual boundaries I really do because you will look at sex differently and crimes would go down. I disagree with the police they shouldn't of been took this serious and did something about it right away.

Obama in Bind Trying to Keep Health Law Vow

The president had an incorrect healthcare plan for the American people. He told them that they could retain their health plans if they wanted to. Hundreds of thousands of people had received cancellation notices from health insurance companies because their plans do not comform with minimum standards set by the new law. The plan for president Obama is to find a workable and politically practically way to address the issue to the satisfaction of those have lost policies. The people in the White house didn't say anything on what options president Obama would take. Former president Bill Clinton told Obama to except the change in the health care law and allow.The idea was to allow legislature to show, so that all Americans can keep their coverages.

 

Obama's Approval rating dropping

The presidents approval rating among Americans voters has fell dramatically. As Obama goes between the Health Care and questions over his promises about the Health care Act. 39 percent voters approve how Obama is operating, 54 disapprove how he handle his job. One factor that has help his approval rate drop is Affordable Care Act. Only 19 percent of people think that this new act will help improve the Health Care in the United States. People believe that he is not trustworthy. This is probably due to the governmental shut down, Health care act, and other recent  events. I feel like this shouldn't be a reason for his approval rate to drop because he is trying to help Americans, we the people selected him to be our leader. Why would we select and the reelect someone we don't trust? I am on that 39 percent approval side. I understand that he could be doing more things to help the government, but i believe he has done a fairly good job. In my opinion he's doing better than other presidents during their time in office for example Woodrow Wilson, and Millard Fillmore. His disapproval isn't going to change how he governs the country, this is his last term.




http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/12/poll-obama-approval-ratings-drop-americans-say-hes-not-trustworthy/?hpt=po_t1

Milestones in Marijuana Legalization

       The polls have officially shown that Americans no longer support the prohibition of marijuana. Although Colorado and Washington are the only two states to have legalized recreational marijuana statewide, many cities are showing support of legalization. In Portland, Maine, there was an ordinance passed making it to legal to possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana on private property. "A majority of Americans now agree that marijuana should be legal for adults, and this was reflected at the polls,” said Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project. Almost 70 percent of voters in Ferndale, Michigan voted to pass legalization. Also, in Lansing, Michigan, unofficial polls show that 8,550 voters are supporting it and 5,339 are opposing it.

       In my personal opinion, it is the job of the government to pass legislation according to what the people desire. Similar to gay marriage, a majority of Americans do not see an issue with it; however, there are still a majority of states that do not allow it. This is undemocratic on many levels. Americans elect officials to vote on the legislation of the people. If the people vote for legalizing marijuana, then the proper legislation to have it passed should be enacted. Period. Cigarette smoking is legal and it is the number one cause of preventable death in the US claiming 393,000 lives a year. Consumption of Alcohol is legal and it is responsible for approximately 2.5 million deaths worldwide. Marijuana is illegal and it has caused 0 recorded deaths in all of it's history. Obviously, there is an abundance of confusion about the dangers of marijuana compared to alcohol and cigarette smoke.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/07/us/measures-to-legalize-marijuana-are-passed.html

Statistics on Deaths:
Alcohol:
http://www.ncadd.org/index.php/in-the-news/155-25-million-alcohol-related-deaths-worldwide-annually

Cigarettes:
http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/smoking.html

Marijuana:
http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Causes_of_Death#sthash.JHGNI3bl.dpbs

Clinton 2016?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/09/hillary-clinton-2016-formidable-frontrunner     All signs are pointing towards Hillary Clinton handily capturing the Democratic nomination for president in 2016. In fact, Clinton appears to be the most formidable non-incumbent runner in the modern era. The latest public polling numbers show her to be at 67% of the vote among democrats nationally, comparing to 61% in December 2012, which only menas that her numbers are actually inflating if anything. It appears that Clinton will be one of the frontrunners for the presidential campaign in 2016, and her health problems leading to her resignation of the Sec. of State position might have just been a ploy to put herself into position to run in the presidential campaign. The only candidate anywehre close to Clinton's numbers this early was Al Gore in 2000 who cruised to a primary nomination in which he crushed the opposition with 76% of the votes; again, nowhere close to any numbers that non-incumbents have ever posted. Furthermore, Clinton's numbers in the caucus states of New Hampshire and Iowa are in the high 60s and even the low 70s. Basically, Clinton will have the jump on the rest of the candidates in these states as well as in the national elections. She also has much of her establishment still set up from when she ran in 2008. All in all, if Hillary Clinton chooses to run for the democratic nomination in 2016, she will be a far and away favorite to win the nomination.

Hawaii becomes the 16th state to legalize same sex marriage

Hawaii becomes the 16th state to legalize same sex marriage. This make four states who have just within a couple months and weeks of each other, legalized same sex marriage. This makes me wonder if we are seeing a rapid shift here or if these few progressive states are where it will end for now. However, this shows that times are changing and this movement is swiftly progressing for the better. Lesbian and gay individuals are starting to gain their rights that they shouldn't have lost in the first place. History repeats itself and this is just the next civil liberties issue in which rights were taken away that are slowly being given back. After this issue is over, I presume there will be another group of minorities who will be discriminated against. I'd hope not, but seeing the way history has gone, it's very likely.









http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/12/us/hawaii-same-sex-marriage/index.html?hpt=us_c2

Cheney and Clinton agreeing?

As Obama-care is still a major headlining issue, former President Clinton came out with a statement earlier in the week telling President Obama that he needs to stick with his word. President Obama's "word" was saying that if American's already had medical insurance Obama-care would not stop you from keeping it. This was a bit of a shock to some since Clinton has constantly and publicly supported President Obama in most everything that he has done. Clinton is not the only political figure telling President Obama he needs to fix the issues ASAP.  After President Clinton came out with this very shocking statement, former Vice-President Dick Cheney told Fox News reporter that "I'm inclined to agree with Bill Clinton". Cheney said the real solution to the problem is abolishing the health care law.With Obama-care constantly being negative in the media, it's not that shocking to me that some Democrats are saying that some issues need to be fixed and promises need to be kept. Republican's during the shut down kept telling Democrats that the "fine lines" weren't fixed and that we didn't need to implement it just yet.  Now that statement is becoming true. Personally, this Affordable Care Act is causing more issues than its really worth and it almost caused a loss for Democratic Gov. of Virginia. It's clear that the only way for Obama to keep his word on American's keeping their medical insurance is to kill the ACA all together.  Now President Obama is faced with loosing support of his own party or keeping Obama-care and the baggage that comes along with it.


Cheney agreeing with Pres. Clinton

Education Elongation

    Improving education has always been kept in mind in American government, but new measures have been taken by 5 states stress its importance more than ever. Countless schools in New York, Tennessee, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Connecticut recently decided to extend school hours in high-poverty schools.  The 300 extra curriculum hours will be used to introduce students to new topics, such as culture, health, and foreign languages, that are usually outside of the standard curriculum.
    I think that the new stress on education will be a positive step for the American government, and it is a shame that education has been put on the back burner to recent issues.  Instead of all the recent emphasis on a federally ran health care, it would have been much more beneficial to address the problems in today's educational system.  As our primary and secondary schools rapidly decline in the world rankings, I feel that the government should force states to take actions such as these 5 did.

http://nation.time.com/2013/11/13/students-in-5-states-get-longer-school-days/

Crist coming back

As seen on the popular blog Florida Politics, Charlie Crist plans on running for the Governor of Florida against Rick Scott in the upcoming midterm election.  Crist, elected as Governor of Florida in 2006, stepped down in 2010 and pursued a spot in the U.S. Senate, leaving a clear path for current Governor Rick Scott to step in.  Crist is now representing the Democratic party, and has already begun receiving negative heat from the Scott campaign.  Although Crist was seen as a coward by some Floridians by leaving office in poor economic times, he will surely make the election a close one.  Crist still holds much support from Florida residents and with his desire to be liked by all, may be able to return back to office.

http://flapolitics.blogspot.com/
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/10/3744315/charlie-crist-is-back-but-he-doesnt.html

In a brief blog post on CNN.com, Dan Merica talks about the Congress approval rating and how it is at a new historic low. I thought it was interesting that there was this post after we talked about it on Monday that Congress has a horrible approval rating, yet a large number of them will still get reelected. The basic average is around 9% between the poll given to citizens and the poll given to the average citizen.

I don't understand how we can be so lazy as Americans. If we don't like something in the real world, we get it changed as soon as possible. Yet, even with a government shut down and the lowest approval rating ever, a majority of the incumbents will be reelected. If we keep reelecting the same people, nothing is going to change. I am not saying that people must vote for the opposite party, however maybe get a new candidate in the same party that is a little more towards the middle, that way we can have more successful bipartisanship. This country was founded on compromise, not on winning and losing.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/12/poll-disapproval-of-congress-at-historic-high/?hpt=po_c2

Rush Limbaugh: Bill Clinton undercuts President Obama

I read the article, Rush Limbaugh: Bill Clinton undercuts President Obama.  This article talks about what Rush Limbaugh, a Republican, thought about Bill Clinton saying “I personally believe even if it takes a change in the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got”.  During his show on Tuesday November 12th, he told his listeners that this Bill Clinton quote shows “how the mighty have fallen” meaning that the problems surrounding Obamacare are so strong and are bring about so much bad press and PR for the Democratic party that big members of it are now turning on the current president in hopes of helping the Democratic candidate in 2016.  He also talks about how it is really a kick in the gut to Obama that he is “being lectured to about honesty and integrity from a convicted perjurer".  The last thing Rush Limbaugh discussed on his show was what is the point of Bill Clinton now coming out and inserting himself into a conversation that he should of just kept his mouth shut in.  Especially since he is "basically [acknowledging] that the president, Barack Obama, lied to people" and how "now it’s up to the president to honor his commitment [and] change the lie?”  The only possible explanation is that he is trying to support Hilary Clinton, who is discussing a white house bid in 2016, which doesn't even make sense since she will not be running against Obama since this is his second term.  Bill Clinton is just one Democrat on a list of many who have recently come out in favor of legislation that would allow people to keep their current coverage, which in the end makes the future look very troubling for work that President Obama hopes to accomplish.

Investigation: Fair or Foul?

            The oversight committee in the House is investigating the problems with the ObamaCare rollout. Mr. Issa, the chairman of the committee, is deemed as political and aggressive because he is demanding that Todd Park, the Obama administration chief technology officer testify under subpoena. The Republicans are highlighting the very low number of people signing up and the loss of thousands, possibly leading to millions of people that will lose their insurance coverage, and the threat of fines for not signing up, as reasons to investigate. Some unproven comments are that the Obama Administration caused the problems because they set up the website so that people had to sign up first before they browsed the website for prices. The insurance coverage under ObamaCare will cost more for many people.

            The Democrats and the writers of the article suggest that the Republicans are just being political and trying to cause damage to the health care reform. However, Democrats are joining with the Republicans to delay tax penalties for people who do not have insurance in 2014. Some Democrats fear not getting elected. Sander M. Levin, Democrat of Michigan, said the "This hearing will help Republicans in the November 2014 elections."

            It seems worthwhile for an oversight committee to investigate the problems with ObamaCare to me. The government spent millions of our tax dollars to set up a program that does not seem to be working at all. Although they are trying to fix the problems, I do not think that any fines should be charged to people and the required plans that cost people more does not seem fair to me

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/us/politics/health-law-rollout-provides-rich-target-for-oversight-chief.html?hpw&rref=us&_r=0

Obamacare promises

A recent New York Times article discusses Obama’s attempts to keep his healthcare law vow: let people keep their old insurance coverage. Americans were told that they would be able to keep their current healthcare plans when Obamacare came out, yet many were notified that their plans had been dropped. The President apologized for wrongly assuring Americans that they could keep their health plans if they wanted to. Former president Bill Clinton supports a bipartisan legislation that would allow people to keep their current plans even after the changes in Obamacare take place: “I personally believe even if it takes a change in the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got,” I believe Americans should be able to keep their current coverage. It is unfair to boot them off a plan that they are paying for because it does not meet certain specifications. Let the people pay for what they want. I think its only fair to allow citizens to keep their current plans if they chose to. If they are paying for it I feel they should be able to control or have a say in what it is. I also find it interesting that Clinton has become Obama’s latest critic, considering they are from the same party and both are for government healthcare. That just goes to show that something is not right and it needs to be fixed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/us/bill-clinton-urges-obama-to-yield-on-health-law.html?ref=politics

Hatocracy

Obama in Bind Trying to Keep Health Law Vow

Obama is trying to keep his promise to the people about keeping their own insurance but he is having a hard time to do that.  Obama apologized last week for wrongly assuring Americans that they could retain their health plans if they wanted to. The White House aides said the president wanted to ensure that people who were forced off older policies with less comprehensive coverage were not stuck with higher monthly premiums to replace their insurance. My problem with this whole piece is I feel if you have a good insurance and you love your plan and been with the company you shouldn't be forced to get the Obama Plan, because it might cost more then your other plan & and he shouldn't promise anything if you cant keep it. I feel that if you are in need of insurance plan and you don't have one at all that's when the Obama plan should step in and take over because a lot of citizen cant afford insurance. I don't think its right that Obama or who ever is working for him to force people to get a new plan because they might have that is really cheap and can afford it. The Obama plan might be different they might have it set up so you can only go to certain places to get checked and taken care of. We all have freedom if I don't want to join Obama health plan I shouldn't have to even if I'm older or younger I still have rights. If he is going to make a promise he needs to keep his promise you want the people to love you not hate you. So I disagree with this all keeping promise thing because he needs to fix this before it gets out of hand and handle the right way. I'm pretty sure people are going to appreciate the Obama plan because everybody really does need insurance.  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/13/us/bill-clinton-urges-obama-to-yield-on-health-law.html?ref=politics

Is Clinton Obmacare's New Critic?

The Obamacare roll out has already experienced enough problems with its faulty website but now, new laws may have to be passed to allow Americans to be able to have the chance to keep their current health care plans. President Obama promised Americans that if they liked their current health care plans, that they would be able to keep their plans. Americans started having their plans cancelled and it looked like the President was not keeping his promise. During an OZY.com interview with former President Bill Clinton on Tuesday, November 12, Clinton criticized the President by saying that he should do whatever it takes to, whether it means a change of law, to honor the promise he made to the American people. Clinton also stated that the country will be better off with Obamacare than without but the way the White House has handled the start up has been poor. We can deal with a faulty website for now which is only a minor issue when compared to the President keeping his promise to us Americans. He needs to live by his promise that he made to us. How are we supposed to trust him as a leader if he is not going to tell us the truth from the beginning and he will not live by those promises he made to us?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/12/clinton-to-obama-keep-obamacare-promise-let-americans-keep-what-got/

Senator planning to block White House nominations until Benghazi information is released

Senator Lindsey Graham has stated his intentions to impede nominations from the white house until more information is released about the Benghazi attack last year.  The Republican from South Carolina is demanding that congress be allowed to question the survivors of that attack, and until then he plans on blocking the process to approve the new nominees to the head of the Federal Reserve and the head of the department of homeland security. Actions such as this seem to be a growing trend in contemporary politics. Politicians won’t get there way on a certain issue, and instead of accepting defeat they’ll hold another, completely unrelated, government function hostage. The obvious recent example of this is the government shutdown earlier this year. And now we’re having a similar stubbornness on a smaller scale. The nomination of someone to the head of the Federal Reserve has absolutely nothing to do with an attack on a US ambassador over a year ago. The fact that these two events are even being related together right now is absurd.  Our government leaders need to focus on the issues at hand. You don’t get to bring unrelated issues to a standstill because you aren't getting your way. I understand that we need checks and balances and measures to keep government from changing too drastically. But these measures shouldn’t be used in inappropriate ways such as this. The Framers put the Appointments Clause in the constitution so that the Senate could approve of nominees and make sure the president put forth fair and qualified candidates. It was not added in order to let a disgruntled senator negotiate over the ability to speak to witnesses from an international incident.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/10/us-usa-fed-yellen-graham-idUSBRE9A90DG20131110 

Sen. Paul footnoting his speeches after plagiarism controversy

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/12/sen-rand-paul-is-footnoting-his-speeches/


Sen. Paul footnoting his speeches after plagiarism controversy

    A Tuesday morning address at the military college, The Citadel would become the talk of all. Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky gave a speech to the military college that morning but, before his time on stage, Fox News found citations and word from word excerpts from fellow websites. The websites included, The Washington Post and Reuters. Paul in the past has had many incidents and accusations of plagiarism in his speeches. In order to fix his previous behavior, Paul said he will start adding footnotes to his speeches. "What we are going to do from here forward, if it will make people leave me the hell alone, is we're going to do them like college papers. We're going to try to put out footnotes." Will Paul's rash comments and misleading behavior of plagiarism cause him to step down as senator of Kentucky?

Are Political Elections too Dynastic?

A recent blog post from CNN titled "All in the (political) family" brought attention to the many prominent family names on the 2014 ballot. Although this is nothing new to American politics, it cannot be ignored as a possible problem, as it makes grassroots candidates nearly invisible during elections. These candidates have the biggest pockets and the most connections allowing them to secure elections; is that really how Americans want elections to be conducted? In a nation that fought so hard against a Monarchy, the American people are falling victim to the control of very powerful political families that mirror dynasties. There is no hard evidence to support that political families are detrimental to American Politics, in fact the blog post even suggests it might be a good thing, but further investigation should be conducted to see the effects of this dynastic dominance.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/politics/politics-family-carter-bush/index.html

First Public Apology by Obama regarding

A few days ago, Obama came out and publicly apologized for the trouble people have been facing trying to get healthcare online via the Obamacare website. This is the first time he has personally made a statement about it, all in an effort to reassure the American people. He has been under much scrutiny with Congressional Republicans as well as the Republicans in the general public regarding the healthcare law, especially since millions of people have not been able to access it properly. There is also much debate about whether or not the enrollment period should be extended past its March 31st deadline due to the delays. Obama believes it will be not be necessary because it will begin functioning properly soon.
This healthcare bill has negatively affected Obama's approval rating to a degree and it was a necessity that he came out and publicly apologized. It is important to have the American public backing you, as we discussed in class. And Obama can certainly feel that need in times like these.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/obama-apologizes-health-care_n_4236017.html

GOP civil war will be brutal in 2014

There's a fight going on between republicans. The Grand Old Party has failed miserably in the last five out of six elections to get Americans to vote for its presidential candidates.  The indecisive voter in Alabama are showing that the same thing may happen for the 2014 election. The GOP doesn't want a repeat of the 2010 election. In 2010 they did take back the House. The only way a republican can take the lead his by using his money. LaTourette decide to put together a group and take a campaign armed at fighting some financed cooperation's such as Club for Growth. The fiancé groups will basically pay for a very conservative republican.I feel that the problem the have, they will over come. I feel that a republican will win in 2014.  I believe that it should be stop because the past two elections have left them with loses, so why would you continue doing the same that caused you to lose.

Felons as ObamaCare "navigators".

Felons could have been hired as ObamaCare 'navigators,' Sebelius tells Senate panel

Felons could have been hired as ObamaCare 'navigators,' Sebelius tells Senate panel


         On October 30th, 2013 in Washington D.C. , the Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius confessed on the Senate Panel that Felons could obtain personal information from millions of American Citizens. This could happen due to a possible "ObamaCare Navigator" program, felons could be hired to help sell Obamacare. Sebelius was confronted by Senator John Cornyn about this issue. She admitted that there would be no background checks on the possible employees. The Federal System would not ask for them , but if a state wants that implemented it could be. The Obama Care program is new and still has some loop holes that need to be confronted. Sebelius admitted that she knows she is responsible for these slip ups and knows there should be change before the laws are implemented. Hopefully, through admitting her mistakes on the project will show some improvement with the loopholes in Obama Care.

Black America's Great White Hope

In light of the presidency discussion that we have been having in class, I would bring up a discussion about presidents from the black american standpoint. According to Lee A. Daniels, a longtime journalist based in New York City, Black America considers John F. Kennedy to be the best post-slavery president to ever live. All Americans were excited by JFK's vibrant persona and his promise to the people to bring America to a "new frontier". I believe Black Americans saw this as an opportunity to make sure that their civil rights were the focal point of his plans for the country. Sit-ins, non-violent protests, violent protests, and freedom rides made it impossible for JFK to ignore the aspirations of african americans without the country going into complete turmoil. I'm not trying to take anything away from the great commitment that John F. Kennedy made to Black America to make a change for the betterment of this country. I just want to make sure that it is understood that the amazing struggle that black activists, such as Ralph Abernathy, Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvey went through, then civil rights for African Americans may not have been of too much importance of the time. John F. Kennedy's use of his executive power made the black power movement powerful on another level, and that may be the very reason that he is considered the Great White Hope of Black Americans. The President's commitment on either side of significant social issues is no doubt the most important part of his job. No matter what, if the president can pick a argument that he truly believes will solve the issue, he can say that he did his job: Make tough decisions.

http://www.newpittsburghcourieronline.com/index.php/opinion/19289-jfk-black-america-s-great-white-hope

Illinois becomes the 15th state to legalize same sex marriage

 On Tuesday night, Illinois's house approved same-sex marriage. It becomes just the 15th state to recognize marriages between same sex couples. Within the past month, 3 states have legalized same sex marriage which just goes to show how fast this movement is progressing. I can't understand how in 2013 that this is even in the news and it's still a state by state case. Of course I'm happy that more states are legalizing it, but it shouldn't have been something that was illegal in the first place. I think that there should be a law that universally "legalizes" same sex marriage. It's unconstitutional for marriage to be denied to two people just because of their sex, and the Supreme Court even said that. So, for states to still deny rights to a minority after the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional, is very wrong and very un American.
http://news.msn.com/us/lawmakers-approve-gay-marriage-in-illinois

One Year Anniversary of the Implementation of DACA

In August for the one year anniversary of the implementation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) the president, vice president and other Administration officials met some of the recipients. DACA has 430,000 recipients as of July 31; these young Americans want to better their families and communities. Barack Obama realizes this is not the solution because it does not provide a path to earn citizenship and is not a permanent legal status. The white house released a report to highlight the economic benefits of a comprehensive immigration reform, arguing that in a course of ten years the U.S. GDP would increase by $1.4 trillion, “increase total income for all Americans by $791 billion, generate $184 billion in additional state and federal tax revenue… and add about 2 million jobs to the U.S economy.”

This memorandum was passed because Obama promised the Hispanic community that he would pass an immigration reform and had failed. It was a political tactic to maintain his popularity among the Hispanic community in the presidential elections of 2012. Nonetheless, it is helping thousands of young Americas to accomplish their dreams. As a recipient I agree with Obama that “‘[t]he time has come for comprehensive, sensible immigration reform. We are making progress, but we’ve got to finish the job.’” I strongly believe some undocumented people have earned the right to be recognized as U.S. citizens. For example, to eligible for DACA you had to be between 16 and were 30 before June 15, 2012, lived in the United States for at least the past five years without leaving the country, currently in school, graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, or obtained a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States, and -very importantly- you do not have a criminal record or minor misdemeanor like a traffic ticket. These are good and young people who want to be productive citizens.  

 Undocumented immigrants are stereotyped as poor and lazy but there are structures in the government that don’t allow us to reach the American dream because it turns into a nightmare. This is why only 5 percent of undocumented student attend college. I was fortunate enough to make it into the five percent because I had a teacher, Mr. Jackson who cared enough to do everything he could to get me into Stetson. It is very hard because I don’t know whether I will be her the next semester or if I will graduate and if I do, whether I would be able to get a job. I think it’s time for a comprehensive immigration reform because there are hundreds of mix-families. “Nationwide, there are approximately four million U.S. citizen children with at least one unauthorized‐immigrant parent, and policies that target their parents have grave effects on the children ("Breaking Down the Problems…”16).” It is morally wrong to separate families.      

 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/08/15/one-year-anniversary-implementation-deferred-action-policy-dreamers

"Breaking Down the Problems: What's Wrong with Our Immigration System?"

            /immigrationpolicy.org. N.p., Oct. 2009. Web. 16