The State of Union

The State of Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. In which the President address his overall plans in the next year before he is up for election again. This year the President addressed the Congress last tuesday at 9pm and this year the Congress all sat together to show the U.S. that we were getting along during the hard times since the shooting that happen in Tucson, where Jared Lee Loughner shot U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords on January 8,2011. Usually the Congress is split up and they sit apart but luckly they weren't. But the President had many plans that he says will set up the United States to become a better country in the next couple years. These are the main things the President went over in his address:

Revenue/Savings:

• A 5 year freeze in domestic spending projected to save $400 billion over the next decade
• Elimination of billions in tax breaks for oil companies
• Reductions in health care costs, including Medicare and Medicaid
• Reform for Social Security
• Ending the Brush-era tax cuts
• A proposal to "merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government
• A ban on congressional earmarks
• a proposal to lower the corporate tax rate.

Expenses:

• Pledge to provide 80% of Americans with high-speed rail access in 25years.
• Pledge to have 1million electric vehichles on the road by 2015.
• Pledge to have 80% of the country's electricity come from clean-energy sources by 2035.
• New investment in biomedical research, information technology and clean-energy technology.
• A call to make a $10,000 tuition tax credit permanent.
• A continuation of the $4.35 billion Race to the Top incentive program offering competitive federal grants to local school systems.
• A call to "redouble" efforts to repair America's aging road and bridges.

Other:

• A challenge to pursue innovation in "our generations' Sputnik moment."
• Replace the No Child Left Behind reform.
• Raised the bar for the schools in the states and wants the schools to meet the bar.
• Creating new jobs for Americans.
• Expects to be out of Afghanistan by July2011.

The Republicans wore a red tie and respond only to some of President Obama's proposal and only claped sometimes while the Democrats wore a blue tie and clapped alot when President Obama talked about all of his proposals. The House Speaker introduced President Obama and sat behind him with the vice president. This has to do with everything in our gonvernment.

My opinion about the State of Union, for this to be the first one I watch, it was good. I think President Obama made alot of good points about what America needs to improve on when it comes to the problems and issues that we are going threw. I also think that the Republicans should of have been more supporitive when it came to the President making  his proposals. But it is to be said that the since President Obama is Democratic then the Republicans don't support that much and rather see a Republican as the Head of our Country. Well i believe we need to stick with a Democratic President like Obama. What is your opinion when it comes to the State of Union??

http://www.whitehouse.gov/state-of-the-union-2011

Skins:

It is to be said that MTV is now in hot water with the Parents Televison Council due to MTV showing Skins. Skins is a show, that is aried on MTV on Mondays nights at 10pm. The PTC is upset due to the show showing too much skin, sex, drugs, and other scandalous things that have executives and advertisers wondering if the show goes too far. The series has already lost five of the largest advertisments which include H&R Block, GM, Subway, Wrigley, and Taco Bell. All of the companys said that they will not be advertise during the airing of Skins. Skins is based off of British BBC series with the same name and has drawn considerable media attention as the next new hot thing that MTV is hoping will strike gold. But if it's anything like the British version - which it seems to be - parents are in for some eye-covering moments.In later episodes of the show, teenagers will be running through the streets with drug-induced erections, girls will flash their breasts and engage in underage sex if it is anything like the British show - or the first episode of the American version.

The Parent Television Council has complained to the U.S. Deparatment of Justice, the U.S. Senate, and the  House Judiciary Committees. The PTC complained, due to them saying that it is child pornography that MTV is showing. They consider it child pornography because of the sexual content and the having cast memebers as young as 15. Also the PTC considers it the most dangerous show on TV now. MTV responded by "saying the show addressed real-world issues confronting teenagers in a frank way"."We review all of our shows and work with all of our producers on an ongoing basis to ensure our shows comply with laws and community standards. We are confident that the episodes of 'Skins' will not only comply with all applicable legal requirements, but also with our responsibilities to our viewers."





This controversy has to due with child pornography which relates to Obscenity which connects to the ammendments. Which it has long held that child pornography is illegal even if it is not obscene because of the government's interest in protecting children, it would not let Congress ban pornography.
My opinion when it comes to Skins is that the show comes on at 10pm and it says it is for MA people(which is 17 or order). If your child is watching this show then it is the parents fault and they shouldn't let them watch it. If the PTC is upset then they should be talking to all the parents and telling them to turn off their childrens tvs. Everyone should let it be shown because it shows how teenagers act in the real world and it lets the parents know what they should watch out for their children and what their children are doing. Also, before you become a parent, you are a teenager and a child so the parents should know that tennagers do these things and the parents might even have done some of the things shown. Also the show also helps tennagers and it shows the danger to some of the things that can happen to a tennager if they try any of the things shown on tv. This is my opinion. What do you think about this controversy??




http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2011/01/21/2011-01-21_mtv_show_skins_may_be_in_hot_water_for_alleged_child_pornography_depictions_of_t.html