Shut it Down?

I really enjoyed reading As American as apple pie's post on whether Wikileaks should be shout down or not. I enjoyed it mainly because its always interesting to see someone else's view on the subject getting a lot of coverage. After pointing out the opinions on both sides Danielle mentions the very same question which we all should be thinking, is shutting down this website a violation of the first amendment which we all love?  I most definitely think that government shutting down this website is going against the first amendment and as she mentions later on the post if this case goes all the way to the Supreme Court, which most likely it will, Wikileaks is bound to come out a winner.
On the other hand I can understand why government is trying so hard to shut down a website that contains potentially harmful information, but they must realize the consequences of their actions. If they shut down this website what's to stop them from shutting down any other website that contains sensitive information? Hopefully this whole ordeal will be over soon and a verdict will came forth. On the mean time all we can do is wait and hope our rights won't be overpowered by politics.

Hope In Turmoil??

Ever since those mysterious and unnecessary bombing attacks on South Korea I haven't been able to help myself to always keep an ear out to any updates on the possible outcome of this messy situation. The latest update which really caught my attention was on the talks of the latest agreement between the United Stated and South Korea which could ultimately help the American Economy. 
Recently the United States has reached a free trade agreement with South Korea which even though it hasn't been ratified by congress yet this agreement would ultimately strengthen the economic ties between Washington the capital of South Korea, Seoul. This agreement if ratified will in a period of 5 years eliminate about 95 percent of the tariffs on industrial and consumer goods with the South Korea. Most importantly it would eliminate all tariffs on the auto industry by lowering them over a period of 5 years until it was completely eliminated. Some of the Critics believe that eliminating these tariffs will only welcome the Korean auto industry into the U.S and allow them to compete in our market. But I tend to disagree with all the critics because even though this would potentially allow them easier access to our market, this is still a chance for the American market to grow in the expanding Asian market, and not to mention that these tax cuts goes both ways meaning American exports could increase by almost 10 billion dollars employing thousands in the process.
This to me seems like a brainless win-win situation, in which we scratch our allies back by giving them easier access to industrial and consumer goods to help deal with their unstable neighbors, while in the process they help us with our economy. This I believe is the right formula to a good alliance, and the results will only strengthen both economies.

Obama's Numerous TV Appearances Offer Another Kind Of "Change"

Classmate Amanda Garibay wrote an article on her blog titled "Obama's Numerous TV appearances Offer Another Kind Of Change". In the entry she talks about how Obama has been reaching out to different audiences by using an array of television appearances to do so. The President has hit nearly every key demographic and appeared in time slots ranging from "The View" to "The Daily Show" in a campaign effort to keep Democrats in Congress after this year's mid-term elections.
This was a really interesting article and one that I tend to agree with 100%, regardless of what critics may say about the President using such tactics. Critics go as a far as saying that doing this could be considered the use of "irresponsible media", and I could not disagree more. I mean most of the American population one way or another spends most if not all of their days tuned to what the tube has to say. A large amount of these people acquire their news from watching television. But since not everyone watches the news channels why not use this multi-billion dollar stage and campaign on as many channels as possible, Presidents Included.
As Amanda mentions "it is very important that we keep our society's political involvement and interest up". I believe that using the most common technology to reach the masses should be a great way in keeping everyone's interest on the rise.

No Tax Breaks For YOU!!!

It seems that no matter what election is coming up the issue of taxes is always in the hot seat, whether someone is trying to lower or raise them. I have always been intrigued by the different ways to help boost the economy, and the latest plan that I have been hearing about may just be what we need. Why not avoid lowering or raising taxes all together? And with the unemployment rate still soaring I believe it is safe to say that creating jobs has not been an easy task and that perhaps we should be looking at other ways to help our economy.   

This new plan being put forward is not going to be a walk in the park; as a matter of fact it might even be characterized as an upcoming "dogfight". Tax experts are urging Congress to rethink the almost 200 tax-breaks in place right now. Some of these 200 tax-breaks involve deductions for charitable contributions, deductions for state and local taxes and tax breaks for retirement savings. Some breaks more than others would hit closer to home, such as the mortgage interest deduction which in my opinion only promotes those with money to buy expensive homes instead of investing that money elsewhere.

Lowering these tax-breaks might seem harsh or maybe even unnecessary but it may be the final push we need to get out of this ditch. Most tax-breaks are categorized as savings, but most experts agree that in reality it is a form of spending. This "Spending" on tax breaks average almost 1 trillion dollars a YEAR!!! That's close to one-third the latest federal spending budget. Although we might have some difficulties adjusting to this new idea, I believe it is something this economy needs!

California: Say Hell No on Prop 23!!!

In the blog I read recently named California: Say Hell No on Prop 23 - Tell the Koch Brothers to keep their dirty money in Texas, John Amato sheds a light on those involved in the funding of almost 80% of the "say yes to Prop 23" campaign. As forward as the name may be, it is in my opinion clearly what anyone living in California should be thinking about and very much likely the authors intended audience.

Proposition 23 is a very deceptive initiative to try to stop all the efforts done by California in the fight to make this world a greener place. In other words if it gets passed it will abolish California's Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 which set up a timetable to bring California to compliance with a worldwide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions named the Kyoto protocol. Anyone in this world that can willingly devote any money to do such horrible things deserve to be arrested. John Amato refers to the Koch brothers in outrage and how they are using their wealth from the Texas stronghold in oil, to not only manipulate and misguide voters but to also fund most of the "Say Yes to Prop 23" campaign. Amato is trying to motivate and urge all Californians to get out there and vote Hell No!!!

I agree with what he says 100 percent. Over a million dollars in donations from foreign-out of state donors who are obviously doing this out of greed are going to help abolish an amazing law that is doing nothing but trying to make this country better. I think this is his attempt to wake up Californians who have been out of the loop and need to get informed...quick!!!

Watching China Run

           While looking through the Opinion Pages of the New York Times I came across an article by Rob Herbert titled Watching China Run. Since I have always been intrigued about most things involving china I wonder what this super power of a country is going to do next. Rob Herbert now a columnist on politics and urban affairs for the New York Times gained much of his credibility while reporting regularly for TV shows such as the "Today Show" and NBC "Nightly News".

           Herbert claims that ever since Ronald Reagan took down the solar panels from the roof of the white house in 1982, which had been put there by Jimmy Carter mostly as a symbolic gesture, we have missed the opportunity to be the leaders in this race to a new form of energy. In this column Rob Herbert is speaking out to all those who are passionate about this subject but mainly to as he puts it "our esteemed leaders in Washington who can’t figure out how to do anything more difficult than line up for a group photo".

           His argument is that China has leaped past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United Sates last year to become the world's largest maker of wind turbines and they are not stopping there. China also has become the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels and is pushing hard on other forms of clean energy. Herbert mentions that it is "stupid" to allow china, a country with nothing comparable to the tremendous research, industrial and economic resources of the U.S to be blowing us out of this race.

          While the U.S seems to be stuck in this "never-ending-story" that we call recession, other countries such as china are moving full speed ahead in developing new energy. Herbert makes a great point in saying that the U.S is losing a great deal of opportunities since many leaders and investors of large companies who want to be a part of this new flourishing market, are all taking their interests overseas.

           The new era of energy is coming no matter what. We in the United States have the choice of either being dragged by another country to this new generation where the world is powered by a newer/greener energy or we can take back the reigns and lead the world to a new form of energy ourselves.

Obama kicks off effort to double exports

     Obama is being faced with a hefty recession along with one of the highest unemployment rates in decades. A recent CNN article shows how Obama kicks off effort to double exports over the next five years, a plan designed to not only invigorate our diminishing national market but to also stimulate the economy and create millions of jobs in the process. Obama claims this as one of his top priorities and says this is "The best way we know to compete and win in the global market place." The initiative report was developed by the Export Promotion Cabinet(made up by several cabinet agencies) and in this report it shows how exports in the first six months of 2010 were 18 percent higher than exports in the first six months of 2009. Meaning the more American companies export, the more they produce, and the more they produce, the more people they hire. And that means more jobs!!!
 This is a great article to read and be informed about because it shows just one of the many initiatives being put forward to try to get the U.S out of this recession. Plans of this magnitude will not only stimulate our economy but will also improve global economic growth.