RE: Twitter Users vs. Trump

On July 24, 2017, Emily DiMego posted an article titled "Twitter Users vs. Trump" on her blog. I do not have the same opinion as her about President Trump. She stated that Trump should not use Twitter that much if he does not want others putting their opinions out there. I would oppose to that because he has the same rights as we do. He is a citizen who should be allowed to use social media in any way he desires. She also stated that Trump is violating our rights stated in the First Amendment by blocking people from viewing his Twitter account. However, we would be violating his Fourth Amendment privacy rights if we did not let him keep his Twitter account private. If people are expressing insensitive opinions on his social media accounts, then Trump should be able to restrict those people from making those comments.

Stage 7: Death Penalty

      In the United States of America, people who commit the most atrocious crimes get the death penalty. However, why are we able to decide when to take a person's life away? This is and immoral act. For those who are strong in their faith may believe that only God has the right to give and take away life. I am strong in my faith; and I believe that the death penalty should come to an end. Whether or not someone has committed a sin does not mean we are allowed to take his or her life away. Instead, we should give them a life sentence in prison. The eighth amendment of the Constitution states that we are not allowed to inflict "cruel and unusual punishments".  The government somehow found a loophole through this amendment and the death penalty happens often. This is not right morally. This is not right constitutionally.
      There have often been cases where the court has ruled against someone who has not done anything wrong. People simply get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is not right to punish people with the death penalty if there is the slightest chance that the person may be innocent of the crime. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind". We should not punish a murderer with a death sentence. By doing this, we are no different than the murderers. We cannot be held responsible for taking away lives of human beings.

Stage 6: RE: Abortion

On July 19, 2017, Caitlin Burnette posted an article on her blog titled 'The "A" Word'. She expresses her opinion on when abortion should be legal and when it should not. She stated that abortion should not be illegal when a woman has been raped or if the fetus is causing some sort of harm to the mother. I could not grasp on to the idea of abortion being legal half of the time or illegal half of the time. If abortion is legal, then women can claim they have been raped even if they may not have been. They could possibly lie so that they could have an abortion of an unwanted child due to unprotected sex. However, I think it should be legal 100% to have an abortion if a fetus is causing the mother harm. The sole purpose of not allowing abortions would be to save someone's life. However, if the fetus could potentially cause the mother to die, then why not let the mother decide who she wants to save. In a situation like this one, one life must be chosen. I believe that someone who has made goals in life and plans for their future should be able to continue living their life. A fetus, on the other hand, has not necessarily made any plans yet because it is not even fully aware of its own presence yet. I believe an issue like abortion can be debated over a long period of time. People have different opinions and should be able to live by their own decisions.

Blog Stage 5: The Electoral College

      During the elections, many United States citizens register to vote for our next leader. However, do the popular votes even matter? Do they make a difference? Does the popular vote decide on who will become the next President? I believe the answer is unclear. The Electoral College is the group that ultimately decides on who will become the next President of the United States of America. Even though each state has a certain number of Electoral votes and the popular votes of the states have a large impact on the Electoral votes, the Electoral College has the last call. The Electoral College is made up of representatives from the states. These people ultimately hold the power to choose the next leader. The Electoral College was created because our founding fathers thought the citizens did not have enough knowledge about politics in order to be able to choose our leaders. Though this may be true for a lot of American citizens, this is not fair for those citizens who indeed are aware of what is going on in the United States government. In 2000, George W. Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore; however, George W. Bush won the majority Electoral College votes. Therefore, George W. Bush became our 43rd President. This is an example of how the Electoral College has the upper hand over the citizens. Do we need the Electoral College to decide for us, or will we as the citizens of the Unites States try and expand our knowledge on politics and decide for ourselves who will govern us?

Blog Stage 4: Climate Change

      On Monday, July 17, 2017, CNN issued an article about the intensity of climate change. The article is titled "It's Time to Fire the Polar Bear". I agree with the author of this article and believe that people need to start taking actions leading towards a better climate. According to the author, the sea levels in New York have risen by about a foot since 1990. Across the globe, this is a large change in sea levels and must be taken seriously. Whether people believe it or not, climate change is happening. The intense floods in certain areas are a proof of climate change.
      The amount of rainfall and flooding has been increasing over the years. Eventually, there will be nothing we can do to save our world. In Venice, the shop owners along the canals have been struggling with the floodwater rushing into their shops and ruining their merchandise. In other areas like the Arctic, the Inuit people are noticing a lower amount of prey they can hunt due to the climate change. Everyone has already been informed over and over again about the wildlife species being endangered. Now our human species are starting to see the struggle as well. I agree with the author of this article once again in the matter that people truly need to start making a change and it needs to happen now. The issue of climate change is not something that can be handled in the distant future, it is happening now and must be taken care of now as well. Otherwise, we will be the ones dealing with the consequences.

Blog Stage 3: Transportation Issues

   On Thursday, July 13, 2017, The New York Times published an opinionated article in their editorial section titled "Help Fix Transit, Mr. de Blasio, and Be a Hero". I believe it is the mayor's duty to fulfill the city's needs. Many times mayors get sucked into completing tasks from the previous mayor and fixing up their mistakes. However, the public's concerns should be taken seriously. Public transit has become a big concern in cities that are becoming overpopulated. Many high-rise buildings are being built in order to squeeze everyone in. However, most Americans work a typical 9-5 job. Fixing their housing situations does not fix their transportation. I agree with the author of this article because transportation has become a big issue. If a city offers a transportation system, then they should provide it well. Having a transportation system which gets you late to where you need to get is useless. Funding is also necessary in order to fix transportation issues. Instead of putting tax money towards unnecessary causes, the city should fix more important issues like transportation first. More bus lanes would definitely be more beneficial as the author stated. With more lanes for buses, people using public transportation services would not have to get delayed through traffic. Many cars on the road do not even let buses switch lanes easily. This delays buses and increases traffic. However, I am not sure if the technology to turn signal lights green for buses would work. That solution seems slightly excessive. I do not think that would be easily implemented and also it would be time-consuming and costly.

Blog Stage 2: The Economy

   On Thursday, July 13, 2017, USA Today published an article titled "Nest egg Nation: Americans are hoarding money in their checking accounts". This article describes how the money in banks has risen substantially over the past decade. Americans are not spending big sums of money because of the weak stability of the economy. Even with a stable job, Americans are reluctant to spending money. Instead, their bank accounts are getting larger and larger. Many small retail businesses are staying away from any capital spending until Americans decide to begin shopping again. Due to holding back on capital spending, the small business owners also have some money stored in their checking accounts. At this rate, banks will be able to give out more loans and in larger amounts.