Are Americans Overtaxed?

When comparing the United States to the rest of the world, no we are not overtaxed. The United States is about the 50th highest taxed country in the world. Compared to the top three taxed countries which are France, Belgium, and Italy we stand in an average position. Another indicator that Americans are not overtaxed is the progression of United States income tax. During the early to mid 20th century, U.S. income tax is the highest that it has ever been. Since that time, income tax rates have been slowly lowered by a margin of five percent.

The issue of taxes has long separated conservatives and democrats. Conservatives take a strong stance on lowering taxes, while liberals believe in a steady tax rate. This issue will probably never be solved as people will always have different opinions. Personally I believe that the tax program that we have now works, and if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

5/12/16 Unit 4c

DEET Seen as Safe for Pregnant Women to Avoid Zika Despite Few Studies

Link - http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/health/zika-virus-deet-pregant-women-safety.html

Summary - As the Zika virus continues to ravish South and Central America, pregnant women are turning to controversial ways, such as the use of DEET, to protect their unborn children. DEET is used to repel the mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, and while it is effective, the use of DEET may prove to be as harmful as the Zika virus to the unborn child. The EPA and the CDC are running tests to see if the use of DEET is harmful to the fetus. These tests are few and show few results yet pregnant women continue to protect themselves with DEET.

Analysis - The bureaucracies part in this crisis is extremely important. The more the EPA and CDC learn to prevent and control the Zika virus the safer we, as Americans will be when the virus comes to our shores. As these agencies run more tests we will learn safer ways to protect ourselves from the mosquitos that spread it. It would be highly recommended for Congress to increase the budget of these agencies.

5/4/2016 Unit 4d

Merrick Garland to Meet With More Republicans

Links - http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/04/01/merrick-garland-to-meet-with-more-republicans/?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FCourts%20and%20the%20Judiciary&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection&_r=0

Summary - This article focuses on the nomination process of Judge Garland. He has been meeting with several Republican Senators such as Susan Collins of Maine and John Boozman from Arkansas. Garland is attempting to gain support from Republican Senators so that he will be appointed to SPOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States). Senator Collins believes that Garland deserves consideration, while Senator Boozman is skeptical. Garland is willing to meet with more Republican Senators willing to support him.

Analysis - This article is important because it shows the difficulty in gaining support to be approved for the Supreme Court. Judge Garland is the best choice President Obama has given the Republican Senators so far. They can either approve this centralist judge, or roll the dice and hope the Republicans win the next presidential election. Judge Garland is going to try to convince the Republicans that he’s the man they want.  

4/1/2016 Unit 4b

As Obama Hosts Nuclear Security Summit, the Focus Is China

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/01/world/nuclear-security-summit-obama.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FObama%2C%20Barack&action=click&contentCollection=politics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=7&pgtype=collection&_r=0

Summary - The subject of this article was the recent nuclear security summit held by President Obama. The main party there was Chinese president Xi Jinping. The two leaders discussed many issues, but mainly focused on decreasing enriched uranium, and the nuclear issue of North Korea. Both presidents were also joined by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and South Korean President Park Geun-hye to discuss the issue of North Korean. This nuclear summit will probably be the last in President Obama’s career, and it is unclear if the current presidential candidates will follow in his footsteps.

Analysis - This article was an excellent example as President Obama’s skill as Chief Diplomat. While China and the United States have never been on the friendliest terms. Both countries knew there were important issues to be analyzed. Nuclear weapons are the deadliest weapons humans ever created. We know first-hand the dangers of nuclear warfare from the end of WWII, and I applaud President Obama for trying to quell these deadly weapons.

James French Hill was elected to the House of Representatives in 2015. Previously he acted in President George H. W. Bush’s administration as Executive Secretary to the President’s Economic Policy Council and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Corporate Finance. His main financier in his campaign was Stephens Group, a private investing firm which donated $40,700. He is currently in his first term as representative of the 2nd District in Arkansas, which contains its capital Little Rock.

Encrypt Act - I believe that French Hill as a Republican and his strong belief in defeating terrorism would vote against this bill.

Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Re authorization Act - I believe that French Hill would vote for this bill seeing that it would privatize air traffic control

Sentencing Reform Act - While Senator Hill is not as interested in prison reform I believe that he would vote against this bill.

3/2/2016 Unit 3

Trump wins big on Super Tuesday, but rivals fight on

Link -

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/01/super-tuesday-gop-results-latest-news.html

Summary - The subject of this article was the republican results for Super Tuesday. Super Tuesday is the first time that several states have their primaries on the same day. The article starts off stating that Trump is looking to be the Republican candidate for the 2016 election winning most of the states. However, the article then covers Cruz and Rubio’s results in the primaries as well.

Analysis - Super Tuesday is an important day when picking the party candidate. It is a way to view the opinion of a lot of states in a short amount of time. It also can either strengthen one candidates lead or have another pull ahead. In this case for Donald Trump he has only strengthened his lead. While Ted Cruz made an effort, it is sad to say that it looks like Donald Trump is going to be the Republican.

2/21/2016 Unit 2

Nevada and South Carolina Primary Winners and Losers

Link - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/20/winners-and-losers-from-the-nevada-caucus-and-south-carolina-primary/

Summary - The subject of this article is the results of the Nevada and South Carolina primaries. The article also demonstrates the “winners” and “losers” from polling results during the primaries. The article lists the candidates that were the “winners” in the primaries. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both took first in their respective parties. The article also take into account the candidates that did not win but showed surprising results such as Marco Rubio. The article then covered the “losers” in the primaries. They pointed out candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Jeb Bush, and Ted Cruz.

Analysis - After reading the article one can clearly review the results from the recent primaries. The use of polling covers how candidates were doing before and after the primaries. The article also gives clear analysis of who the winners and losers of these primaries were. Not only does it show the actually winners it covers the people who still gained from the recent primary. The coverage of the losers is also good. The article explains why Jeb Bush dropped out when he did and how Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz are going to have a tough time coming back from the loss. However, this article only covers one of the many primaries to come.

 Is making one feel the sensation of drowning constitutional? That is one of the questions being asked today in America over the subject of waterboarding. According to current U.S. law waterboarding is illegal form of interrogation. This law was only past in 2009. The eighth amendment states that “excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted”. Wouldn’t one consider the sensation of dying cruel and unusual? Many politicians in the upcoming election are facing questions such as this. Several Republican candidates believe that the U.S. should bring back waterboarding as a method of interrogation. One the Democratic side candidates consider waterboarding as a form of torture and is unconstitutional. So one must ask, is waterboarding unconstitutional?

Waterboarding is a form of water torture or interrogation in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the individual to experience the sensation of drowning. The process can lead to both physical and psychological pain. Under the the definition of torture  ‘the action or practice of inflicting pain on someone as punishment or to force them to do or say something, or for the pleasure of the person inflicting the pain” one can determine waterboarding is a form of torture. Cased closed since waterboarding is torture it is constitutional, but then why has it been practiced in America up into the Bush Administration? After the 9/11 attacks the CIA waterboarded three prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.The CIA says they gained valuable information, but was it worth it?

Waterboarding has been happening as far back as the Spanish Inquisition. It was used for punishing and forcing confessions. The tactics were later used during World War II as well as the Korean War. Information gathered in this manner was usually not reliable. In the Korean War a U.S. airman “confessed” that the U.S. planned to use biological weapons against the North Koreans. After the 9/11 attacks prisoner Khalid Shaykh Muhammad fabricated his stories so that his interrogators would hear everything they wanted to hear. At the time vice president Dick Cheney claimed that waterboarding produced phenomenal results. However, there is no evidence proving that the techniques used to interrogate the prisoners prevented any attacks or saved any lives.

So is waterboarding constitutional? Legally speaking no, but was still used throughout American history up to the 21st century. The practice of it is clearly a form of torture and the results from its use prove to be ineffective. Although the Obama Administration has banned the practice of waterboarding in the military, it has a possibility for coming back once a new president is sworn into office. This may become a serious issue in the future of the country.

Resources - 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/10/AR2005121000934.html

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/john-mccain-waterboarding-liar-interrogation/2016/02/08/id/713308/

The Ukrainian Revolution took place in February 18th to 23rd in 2014. The revolution took placed in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. It resulted in the ousting of the Ukrainian president Viktor Yanokovych, a change in the Ukrainian political system, and a restoration of their constitution. The problems that led to this revolution began with the disbandment of the Soviet Union. When Ukraine became an independent country again it was faced with many hardships such as corruption, mismanagement, and lack of economic growth. In the 2000’s Ukraine began to have a closer relationship with the European Union. Ukraine hoped to achieve an association agreement that would fund Ukraine if they would liberalise reforms. While president Yanokovych initially agreed to sign the agreement, he refused to do so last minute, and instead signed a treaty along with a multi-billion dollar loan with Russian. This caused many protests in the capital of Kiev.

The protest were at first were relatively calm. However that abruptly ended when protesters and police clashed on February 18th. 20,000 protesters made their way to the Ukrainian Parliament in hopes of revising the Ukrainian Constitution. Police officers dressed in riot gear blocked the way. The confrontation became violent and the once peaceful protesters became revolutionaries. The city became a warzone as the protesters made their way to the Parliament building, and the police trying to bring the protesters under control. The police at first used rubber bullets to stop the protesters but soon changed to live ammunition as well as tear gas and flash grenades. The police had snipers in buildings and on the streets to pick off protesters armed only with makeshift shields, crude weapons, and makeshift explosives. The violence only got worse from that point.

The next day the police began to set up checkpoints, set up restrictions on public transportation, and closed schools. The city of Kiev was put into a state of emergency. The violence among police and protesters only increased. Protesters built barricades to shield themselves from the constant fire of the police. Many buildings along the streets of Kiev were turned into hospitals managed by volunteer doctors. The number of killed, both police and protester  vary from 70 to 100. The number that were injured was over 1,000. Various news teams on the scene gave coverage of the turmoil that was happening at the time. By February 22nd the protesters had control of Kiev, and Yanukovych had fled the city into eastern Ukraine. The Parliament then unanimously voted to impeach president Yanukovych.

The aftermath of the revolution was met with many obstacles, most evident the pro-russian separatists in the south-eastern region of the country. A stand-off with the Russians over the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol, which ended with the Russians gaining both territories. However the newly appointed leader of the Ukrainian government signed the European Union association agreement and agreed to reform the country’s judiciary and political system, and its financial and economical policies. Rebuilding Kiev was also a challenge that faced the Ukrainians but over time the city looks just as it has been. Ukraine now has a second chance to be a country that is much less corrupt and better for its people.

For More Information Check Out These Videos - http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26248275

Resources - 
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26248275
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Ukrainian_revolution#Casualties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan

The Stanford prison experiment was a psychological experiment conducted at Stanford University from August 14-20, 1971. The purpose of the experiment was to study the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or a guard. The experiment was led by the psychology professor Phillip Zimbardo and a team of researchers. Participants were told they were to take place in a two-week prison simulation and would be paid fifteen dollars a day. Out of the seventy-five volunteers twenty-four were chosen due to them being the most psychologically stable and healthy. The participants were split into two groups of twelve. Half of the participants would be prisoners and the other half would be guards. A makeshift prison was made in the basement of Stanford’s psychology building complete with small mock cells and a hallway serving as a prison yard.

On the first day the prisoners were subject to a fake arrest and taken to their new prison. They were stripped and given uncomfortable smocks with a number, caps to cover their hair, and a chain around their ankle. Guards were outfitted with clothing similar to prison guard uniform and given wooden batons and sunglasses to show their authority. Guards were instructed to address prisoners by their number to take away their individuality. The rest of the day was uneventful with little problems. However on the second day the prisoners of one cell began to revolt by blocking the door to their cell by using their mattresses and mocking the guards. The guards subdued the revolt by bringing in more guards and using fire extinguishers to attack the prisoners. Once the rebellion was crushed the guards decided to use psychological tactics to control the prisoner. The guards set up a privilege cell and allowed the prisoners who were not part of the riot to stay in this cell, and they also received better meals.

Conditions only worsened for the prisoners. After only thirty-six hours prisoner #8612 began to act crazy. He screamed, cursed, and went into a rage. It took several hours before the research team was convinced he was suffering and let him go. Guards became more abusive to the prisoners. They wouldn’t allow prisoners to use the toilet, and provided them with a sanitary bucket in their cell. They would make the prisoners give up their mattresses and make them sleep on the concrete floor. Some prisoners were forced to be naked and suffered degradation. It became evident that some of the guards exhibited sadistic tendencies. Prisoner #416 was a newly admitted to the prison and was concerned about the state of the other prisoners. He began a hunger strike which angered the guards. He was sent to solitary confinement and the guards told the other prisoners if they gave up their blankets they would release him. All but one prisoner refused.

Zimbardo ended the experiment early when a graduate student showed major concern about the condition and the treatment of the prisoners after she was added to the experiment to conduct interviews. Out of the fifty observers of the experiment she was the only one who questioned the morality of it. The entirety of the experiment lasted six days. The research from this experiment has greatly affected the prison system in America. For example juveniles accused of federal crimes are no longer housed before trial with adult prisoners. We can learn a lot from the experiment. We can ask ourselves what will happen when one is given absolute power, and what will happen when you take away human individuality.

For More Information Check Out This Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_LKzEqlPto

Resources  - http://www.prisonexp.org/the-story/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment

http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-real-lesson-of-the-stanford-prison-experiment