Budget Deal Passes

After last week, when the government shut down do to the Congress not agreeing to a deal. The Congress final came to a agreement , and know sending it to President Obama for his signature. The measure cuts $38.5 billion in spending while funding the government for the rest of the current fiscal year, which ends September 30. With its passage, the White House and Congress will now focus on what are expected to be more rancorous battles over a budget for fiscal year 2012 and the upcoming need to raise the federal debt limit. A final-hour agreement last Friday in talks involving Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and House Speaker John Boehner included the spending cuts demanded by Republicans as a step toward controlling America's skyrocketing debt. In the House, the vote was 260-167 and the Senate vote was 81-19. 
With the deal passing the Congress, took the $38.5billion cut and cut:
-funding a wide range of domestic programs
-service for high-speed rail
-emergency first responders
-National Endownment for the Arts
-de-fund Planned Parenthood
-de-fund President Obama's Health Care Reform

I believe this has to do with the whole check & balances. The Congress as in the House and the Senate has to come to agreement and once they come to agreement. They then send it to the President for him to have his imput on it and then he signs it and it becomes a bill/law. My opinion about this is im glad that the government finally came to a agrrement because if they didn't many of the people who work in the government wouldn't of got paid. Also, now that there is a agreement, the government can continue to reduce our major debt problem. Whats your opinion about this situation?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/14/house.budget.vote/index.html?hpt=T2

U.S House Speaker Speaks....

The U.S House Speaker John Boehner, told our country that our nation's mounting debt is a moral threat to us which  is $14.1trillion debt. John Boehner remarks where apart of his speech he gave in Nashville at the National Religious Broadcasters annual convention. He is pushing towards a short-term plan that would cut $4 billion from the debt.The proposal would extend for two weeks the continuing resolution authorizing government funding, which expires at midnight Friday. Without a deal, the government will have to shut down Saturday for the first time in more than 15 years. Boehner said that the Republicans and the Democrats need to work together and figure out cut spending and rein in government instead of shutting it down. The Republican-led house already passed a spending messure that cuts $61billion from current levels for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends on September 30. However, Senate Democrats consider those cuts draconian and won't pass them.They want to negotiate a more targeted plan that allows for some new spending in key growth areas such as clean energy. Alot of the Republican say they will pass the two week extension to allow continuing negotiations without a shutdown. While other Democratics believe that the plan is "acceptable" but not preferred. Also the $4 billion in spending cuts would come from program terminations that President Barack Obama included in his proposed budget for fiscal year 2012, which begins October 1. It is to be said from a source that the $1.3 billion in cuts would come from eliminating six federal programs and $2.7 billion in savings would come from getting rid of earmarks in the continuing resolution that's currently keeping the government operating.

I believe this has to do with the Office of Management and Budget which prepares national budget and is the largest office for it. This also has to also do with the Congress and the President dealing with check and balances. My opinion upon this news with the governement is that if the Congress cannot set a budget for the U.S then we will be in serious trouble and instead of trying to cut down our debt it will continue to grow and grow. I also believe that since John Boehner is the U.S House Speaker he should stand up and set a certain budget that is good enough for us to continue maken us a better and stronger country. What is your opinion upon the U.S House Speaker speaking upon the budget?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/27/us.spending.cuts/index.html

President Obama + Health Care

President Barack Obama tried to seize the political middle in the continuing fight over health care reform Monday, telling a group of governors that he's willing to give states earlier flexibility in how they implement the overhaul signed into law last year. President Obama set up a proposal that would allow states to apply for " innovation waivers" which will be starting in 2014 which is 3 years ahead of schedule with pushing the health care reform bill. A state could seek an exemption waiver beginning in 2014 if it comes up with an alternative for the provision requiring everyone to obtain health coverage unless they can't afford it. To get the waiver the state must meet four criteria:
-- Provide coverage plans at least as comprehensive as would have been available under health insurance exchanges in the bill;

-- Provide coverage at least as affordable as would have been available under the bill;

-- Provide coverage for as many people as would have been covered under the bill; and,

-- Budget neutrality, meaning they cannot increase the federal deficit.



This topic relates to our class because it has to do with federalism. Which we learned in class, federalism has to do with the government because it connects the government to our federal spending and other federal things. My opinion upon this topic is that, President Obama did the right thing by creating this because it helps people that don't have coverage in the health care area and also it helps the people who can't afford help care. Also it's helping the states with building up their health care coverage. what is your opinion upon this topic???

 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/02/28/obama.health.care/index.html

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

Threaten School District

On Tuesday in Texas, a small school district had roughly half the students out of school due to the school district recieving threats about the school district not coming down on its discipline hard enough. The school cancelled the outdoor activites, changed the bus routes, and posted higher profile guards in the city's eight schools. The Superintendent and his family was personally threatened in the letter. He stated that he wasn't going to "allow terrorism in Matagorda County, and we're going to fight this and have our community members help us solve the crime,". The Superintendent put the letter in the public for the public to help find the person who wrote the letter.But nearly 3,800 students weren't in class on Tuesday. Also theletter, riddled with profanity and misspellings, demands that Bay City schools enforce quiet in their classrooms and stiffen detention and suspension policies. The author, who claims to be facing a terminal illness, said his or her child was attacked after telling "some kidds to shut up in class one day." Also the letter states:
"You (expletive) bleeding heart Liberals have let the pice of (expletive) kidds run your schools. Now here are my rules. Break one and see what happens," reads the letter, received December 28. The letter also threatens to kill a random child due to the Superintendent children being already protected.But the person who sent the letter chose to come at the situation wrong in the first place and probly won't be able to solve the problem now.







I believe that the person who sent the letter was in the wrong for stepping at a school district over discipline. If the person was that upset, he or she should of went to the Board of Education and talk it over with them instead of senting a threat letter which is putting alot of people in danger. I hope the person get caught and get they get help. They need to go see a therapist about their personal problems and their problems they have with the school district. I believe this has to do with bullying and the person is becoming a bully threw letters that they are sending in the mail which came from a fake address.Bullying has came to new levels and bullying causes more people to kill themselves.


http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/01/04/texas.school.threat/index.html

Food & Safety Bill

On Tuesday, President Obama is suppose to sign a American's food safety system. The last food safety system created was in 1938. This would give the Food and Drug Admistration authority to impose new rules to prevent contamination and allows the agency to order, rather than simply suggest, the recall of tainted foods. It is also said that this is the first time the FDA will have this much power due to the science based policies. It also will would authorize the creation of a food tracking system to quickly pinpoint the source of outbreaks.The legislation requires producers to assess ways in which their products could be contaminated and to take steps to prevent such problems. It also requires importers to verify the safety of all foods they bring into the country.The result will be a fundamental shift in the FDA's approach to food safety from reacting to foodborne illness outbreaks to preventing contamination. It is mostly said that it will make breakfast, lunch and dinner safer for Americans but it will create higher food prices for people.





My opinion upon this bill is that I am glad President is signing this Bill. This bill is going to help save more people lives and the more people we have alive, the better it is for more things to be solved in this world. I also believe that this bill can sorta help shape American to become more healthier and to be more in shape and out of the "fat area".

This is my opinion and what is your opinion?

This was started off as a Public Opinion and had enough voices to be created into a bill. But it mostly has to do with the Food and Drug Administration.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/01/04/obama.food.safety/index.html