http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/21/news/colorado-marijuana-candy-food-ban/index.html?iid=SF_E_River
In Colorado, Marijuana is legal. With the legality of recreational Marijuana, a lot of pot-related products have emerged, prevalent among them being Marijuana-laced candy bars. Health officials have dealt with over twice last year's amount of Marijuana-related illnesses in pediatric care centers. They are urging the state to ban, or at least more clearly label, and make less accessible the pot products because kids are vulnerable to accidentally eating them.
This is another case of interest groups with different agendas conflicting. The businesses of the pot industry do not want excessive government intervention or prohibition of their products. Health officials, however, want the Marijuana products off the shelves, as a danger to children. This is an interesting case, as the legalization of pot is an experiment, and only in Washington is it also legal. It will be interesting to see the outcome, as the pot industry has brought in a lot of tax revenue in the past couple years, and the health officials have quite valid reasons to require better regulations, especially with Halloween approaching. Although the majority of Utahans would probably never vote to have legalized Marijuana, it would be a great tax generating source, and would save millions in police resources now used in convicting and arresting Marijuana users and distributors. It would also allow all Marijuana to be state--regulated, and give the ability to pass laws concerning its use and put restrictions on its sale and production, meaning less of market for illegal trade. It'll probably never happen, but it's just a thought.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Is the U.S. holding too much oil in reserve? (10-24-14)
http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/24/news/u-s-oil-reserve/index.html?iid=H_E_News
The United States has an enormous emergency stock pile of oil, enough to sustain the country for 106 days. Debate has risen as to whether we should tap into that particular supply, as the USA is producing more oil than ever before.
I think that the strategic reserve is undoubtedly vital in protection of America in case oil becomes more difficult to get. If we are producing more than ever before, why would we risk using some of our emergency stockpile of petroleum oil? Prices are going to slowly decrease anyway. There's a point that we we could lower prices even more, but there'd be serious consequences later in case of a shortage of or inability to get oil, like in 20011 we used some of the supply when there was war in Libya. It is far better to have a prepared nation than one that risks a fatal energy shortage in times of crisis. We talk in class about special interest groups, and this is one example, companies who use or sell oil certainly want a piece of the reserve, while others oppose it. It's great the USA is growing again in oil production and moving away from foreign oil dependence, but, lets not get too hasty and get rid of reserves now, we never know when another recession will hit.
The United States has an enormous emergency stock pile of oil, enough to sustain the country for 106 days. Debate has risen as to whether we should tap into that particular supply, as the USA is producing more oil than ever before.
I think that the strategic reserve is undoubtedly vital in protection of America in case oil becomes more difficult to get. If we are producing more than ever before, why would we risk using some of our emergency stockpile of petroleum oil? Prices are going to slowly decrease anyway. There's a point that we we could lower prices even more, but there'd be serious consequences later in case of a shortage of or inability to get oil, like in 20011 we used some of the supply when there was war in Libya. It is far better to have a prepared nation than one that risks a fatal energy shortage in times of crisis. We talk in class about special interest groups, and this is one example, companies who use or sell oil certainly want a piece of the reserve, while others oppose it. It's great the USA is growing again in oil production and moving away from foreign oil dependence, but, lets not get too hasty and get rid of reserves now, we never know when another recession will hit.
Slave labor in America today (10-24-14)
http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/21/pf/labor-trafficking/index.html?hpt=us_bn5
Basically, immigrants to the united states, whether illegal or legal, are being deceived and abused. Recruiters come to their home countries, offering promises of money, benefits, and perks. When the immigrants arrive to work, they are coerced into signing agreements they do not understand, making them pay huge sums of money as "recruitment fees," and effectively making them indebted, and forced to stay on for years and years.
This article is somewhat eye-opening to hardworking people being taken advantage of by American farmers and businesses. It's a disgusting thing that in our free society, we still have to deal with these kind of situations. The kicker is really that 70% of the immigrants were legal, and should have been, and should be protected. While fighting against illegal immigration so hard, I think we have overlooked a serious problem in America. No one living here should be so indebted to their employers to the point they can't get away. The ability to quit a job is a luxury we take for granted, even when we need the money to survive, we can still quit, but not everyone even has the option. Law enforcement needs to worry less about illegal immigrants, and focus more on the human injustices and abasement committed in widespread mockery of the laws of the land. The fact people give up so much to come here, and are so desperate to be in America, is one that deserves consideration. It should be easier to immigrate legally, and with registered citizens at work, they can be better protected, and not lost in the cracks, and illegal immigrants are still people, and even if they came across the border illegally, they deserve fair treatment too. This issue goes way deeper than meets the eye, mistreated workers are only the top of the ice burg in abuses committed against mainly Hispanic immigrants. The people who use these people and abuse them in such ways are going to have to pay.
Basically, immigrants to the united states, whether illegal or legal, are being deceived and abused. Recruiters come to their home countries, offering promises of money, benefits, and perks. When the immigrants arrive to work, they are coerced into signing agreements they do not understand, making them pay huge sums of money as "recruitment fees," and effectively making them indebted, and forced to stay on for years and years.
This article is somewhat eye-opening to hardworking people being taken advantage of by American farmers and businesses. It's a disgusting thing that in our free society, we still have to deal with these kind of situations. The kicker is really that 70% of the immigrants were legal, and should have been, and should be protected. While fighting against illegal immigration so hard, I think we have overlooked a serious problem in America. No one living here should be so indebted to their employers to the point they can't get away. The ability to quit a job is a luxury we take for granted, even when we need the money to survive, we can still quit, but not everyone even has the option. Law enforcement needs to worry less about illegal immigrants, and focus more on the human injustices and abasement committed in widespread mockery of the laws of the land. The fact people give up so much to come here, and are so desperate to be in America, is one that deserves consideration. It should be easier to immigrate legally, and with registered citizens at work, they can be better protected, and not lost in the cracks, and illegal immigrants are still people, and even if they came across the border illegally, they deserve fair treatment too. This issue goes way deeper than meets the eye, mistreated workers are only the top of the ice burg in abuses committed against mainly Hispanic immigrants. The people who use these people and abuse them in such ways are going to have to pay.
The parasite keeping millions in poverty (10-24-14)
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/21/world/africa/the-parasite-keeping-millions-in-poverty/index.html?hpt=wo
A small parasite in Africa is disabling people, inhibiting their ability to work, and to go to school. It's enough to cause families, already poor, to sink deeper into poverty, and to damage the kids' ability to get an education to get out of poverty. The consequences of this tiny parasite are far--reaching and catastrophic to millions of people in Africa. The thing is, it's easily curable, but most Africans do not have adequate medical treatment facilities.
This article is quite depressing, especially considering how great of health care we have, and how much a little, easily treatable parasite can destroy lives in impoverished nations. Not saying it takes enormous sums of money and an enormous influx in donated resources in order to help Africa, but we should help more than we are. These people live in poverty, they rely on their ability to farm to provide less than enough to live on. One little infection or sickness, or parasite, and their livelihoods are in jeopardy. We, as Americans, should make helping impoverished Africa a higher priority. The poorest of the poor in our country lives with far more wealth, comfort, protection, and hope than any of the poor families in Africa. We send doctors, we can send more. We can do better, and those people deserve better. When we are in an age of heated toilet seats, several-car families, and mass possession of electronics, no country should still be sitting in puny, rough shacks, barely able to eat, and where the most basic of diseases can debilitate an entire village, we, as Americans, need to put emphasis on helping out Africa more, and have the U.N. help too.
A small parasite in Africa is disabling people, inhibiting their ability to work, and to go to school. It's enough to cause families, already poor, to sink deeper into poverty, and to damage the kids' ability to get an education to get out of poverty. The consequences of this tiny parasite are far--reaching and catastrophic to millions of people in Africa. The thing is, it's easily curable, but most Africans do not have adequate medical treatment facilities.
This article is quite depressing, especially considering how great of health care we have, and how much a little, easily treatable parasite can destroy lives in impoverished nations. Not saying it takes enormous sums of money and an enormous influx in donated resources in order to help Africa, but we should help more than we are. These people live in poverty, they rely on their ability to farm to provide less than enough to live on. One little infection or sickness, or parasite, and their livelihoods are in jeopardy. We, as Americans, should make helping impoverished Africa a higher priority. The poorest of the poor in our country lives with far more wealth, comfort, protection, and hope than any of the poor families in Africa. We send doctors, we can send more. We can do better, and those people deserve better. When we are in an age of heated toilet seats, several-car families, and mass possession of electronics, no country should still be sitting in puny, rough shacks, barely able to eat, and where the most basic of diseases can debilitate an entire village, we, as Americans, need to put emphasis on helping out Africa more, and have the U.N. help too.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Who shouts 'Ebola' in a crowded theater?
(10-23-14) https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=882484085261576332#editor/target=post;postID=8550389805139875592
Basically, a bunch of pranksters have decided it'd be funny to "cry wolf" so to speak, telling people "I have Ebola," yelling it in crowded environments, pretending to be legitimately sick. It clears a room, for sure, but the authorities and people in the situations are not impressed, to say the least.
The article, though seemingly insignificant, does speak to how we, as Americans, do give in to mass panic occasionally. Sure, Ebola is a dangerous, nasty, virus, but why aren't we freaking out and fearing diseases that are actually deadlier, kill more people every year, and are more infectious? Diseases that really need widely distributed vaccines, and effect thousands more people, diseases like the flu, malaria, and tuberculosis. Sure, they sound more common to the reader, but each is far more likely to be spread to someone than Ebola, and more likely to kill someone too. But, the media has its mass-story to publish, and the fear of Ebola that has spread is almost palpable at times. Ebola is a disgusting virus, no one wants to catch it, but, it is far more likely we get sick from influenza or another disease. The reaction people display is a bit ridiculous. The free press, and the media are extremely vital in the retention of democracy and in protection of rights, but, the media is always about finding the best story, typically regardless of what really needs to be said, and the media is biased--you have to look at lots of viewpoints to get the real story. What we need to worry about is not being scared to the point of mass panic, but rather the fact that all it takes is one small virus and a huge, embellishing media coverage collection to cause us to act in such fear. There has been talk that yelling Ebola in a public place, i.e. an airport, could be an act of terrorism. We shouldn't scare so easily, rather we need to worry about what actually poses a legitimate threat, and look up the facts and statistics before plunging ourselves into self-induced chaos.
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