Hate harboring tea party

With the recent addition of the tea party to politics, Americans show their true colors. The party as a whole is not represented by the actions of some of its members, but some of its members are blatantly racist conservatives. The movement showed its true colors after President Obama passed his healthcare bill. Preceding the passing tea party members protested outside of the capitol and proceeded to verbally abuse the democrats passing through.

The protestors yelled racial slurs and derogatory slurs for homosexuals at congressmen when they passed. At other rallies they made controversial signs that are too obscene to even mention. These rallies bring back memories of the 1960s for many older citizens. My question is this. If these protestors were all minorities, would this type of behavior be allowed on Capitol Hill? I think not. These so called tea party members are showing how blatantly racist and closed minded some Americans can be. If signs like these were supported at democratic rallies people would be outraged.

It is clear to see that by allowing their members to display their negative and racist signs that the Tea Party isn’t against what the government is doing. They are hateful and are mad that it is not a white person in office. It is sad to see America in 2010 with this type of behavior going on in public. Is it for attention or are they actually serious? When Bush dragged our country into a $trillion deficit, you didn’t see black people with racist signs rallying at the capital. It is a sad day for American politics when the new movement of conservatives shows their true colors.

Green Cars

A year ago today the American auto industry took a huge hit. In order to recover they looked to the government to bail them out. It has only been a year and GM has paid off their $6.7 billion debt to the government and is now working to produce more efficient green cars to meet the new energy standards. During their hard times many jobs were lost , but since they are rebuilding and taking a new approach 450,000 new jobs have been added. That’s quite the change for the industry.

Since the Department of Transportation has been given new fuel economy standards, car companies have been researching and creating new vehicles that emit less toxins into the air and gain much higher gas mileage. The age of the gas guzzling SUV is over. GMC has come out with a line of hybrid Tahoes which improves fuel economy by 25%. Gm also released a line of Hybrid Escalades. These V8 powered SUVS run on gasoline power 75% of the time and can switch to 4 cylinder mode or one of its electric engines during highway cruising in order to increase mileage.

The escalade bumps city fuel economy up 50% from 12mpg up to 21mpg city. If our American car companies keep coming up with more innovative ideas like these, then soon hybrid cars won’t be out of reach for the everyday worker. The cost of current hybrid vehicles is out of the price range of the average American. With the addition of the hybrid engine to more suvs, cars, and trucks, sooner than later we will start seeing more green cars on the road and the air will have much less toxins from our overconsumption of fossil fuels.

The frail state of Mexico

Mexico has come a long way historically and is currently the holding the 11th spot for GDP worldwide. One would think that a country generating steady revenue would up their militia to protect its citizens. Mexico is in a state of turmoil and they are at an all out war with the Cartels in the region. The problem is that the cartels have more fire power and heavy artillery to deal with anyone standing in their way. It is sad to see a government doing their best to stop the problem, but they are also allowing corruption to penetrate the top tiers of government.

I’m sure the people would like to see nothing more than the government prevail over the ruthless cartels. They move drugs like Heroin, Marijuana, and cocaine, with marijuana accounting for 60% of their revenue. If the US legalized Marijuana it would cause these cartels to take a huge hit and lose billions of dollars. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton supports Mexico’s war on drugs, but when asked about marijuana she refuses to legalize it thinking it will violate moral norms and hurt our society as a whole.

Our society is currently hurting. The states neighboring the Mexico border are having to put up with all of the criminal activity that the cartels are getting away with. Marijuana legalization is just a small step. These cartels smuggle anything from drugs to guns to humans and they have a very efficient network to spread their product across the US.

Something needs to be done about this. The cartels strike fear in anyone that opposes them. It is time for Mexico to take control of the situation and take down the leaders of the cartels. This is easier said than done, but in order to stop innocent humans from being smuggled and sexually abused, you have to take down the leader of the operation and put a stop to the toxic trade routes in the US.

Legalize it

Medical Marijuana just like any other drug can either be used correctly or abused. With the legalization of the plant for medicinal use, it would solve a lot of problems in the drug war. Medicinal grade marijuana, not to be confused with the dirt brick weed being shipped in from Mexican cartels, cures peoples ailments and helps chemo patients deal with their feeling of nausea after treatment.

If Marijuana was made legal and taxed like alcohol or cigarettes it could create a large profit margin for the seller. It would also eliminate the underground drug dealing and drive a lot of drug dealers out of business. So what is the problem? Instead of the trade being dangerous and under the table it would be administered at a shop that has a license to sell.

DC is the most recent state to join the list of states to legalize medical marijuana. If the bill is passed they would be the 15^th state to allow the plant to be administered to patients. This is a plant we are talking about. Not a manufactured drug like cocaine or heroin. If adults are allowed to drink themselves into oblivion in public and make a fool of themselves, than they should also be allowed to ingest whatever type of substance they like, knowing that they are responsible for whatever actions take place.

The legalization would stop crooked policemen from raiding legal dispensaries, and would put a halt to violent crimes that are linked with under the table drug dealing. If people are allowed to be prescribed pills that can alter their mind state and ultimately make them a risk to the public if abused, then why can’t people, in the comfort of their own homes, consume some marijuana to help relieve whatever ailments they may have? It’s a vicious cycle and I believe that keeping the plant illegal puts money in a lot of people’s pockets.

Illegal Immigrants in Arizona

The United States is currently the leading country in the world with legal immigration. We allow 750,000 to enter the country legally with a 5 year period to make them eligible for citizenship. Those 750,000 are legally permitted to work and earn a living. In Arizona there are currently 500,000 illegal aliens living in the state, and in 2009 the border patrol arrested some 240,000 immigrants trying to cross the border illegally.

With these numbers I can see why Governor Brewer decided to implement SB1070. With the ongoing war on drugs going on in Mexico, some of these illegal aliens crossing are Cartel affiliated and are bringing violence into the state. In order to stop a wormhole from opening and nipping the cartel activity in the bud, Governor Brewer put her neck on the line by passing the controversial immigration law. If these illegal aliens want to be here so bad then they should push for amnesty or seek to come to the country the legal way.

I believe Governor Brewer is doing the right thing by putting this law in place. For those citizens that feel they will be profiled negatively, if you’re a legal citizen then why should it matter? The main reason most of these immigrants come here in the first place is to earn money for their families and send it back home. This process does not help America. The law pushes the limits by allowing police to stop and question individuals that they deem suspicious. This is what has sparked outrage among Hispanic citizens. Instead of allowing the police to bully Hispanics, they should take it directly to the employers. Put in a system that checks to see if the employees are all of legal status, if not then the employer should be punished directly, not the person wanting work.

In order to build a better America we need honest immigrants coming in to live, work and earn an honest living just like the rest of us. If they want to stir up trouble then they deserve to be sent packing.

Washington to move forward with cleaner more efficient energy?

Since the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, it’s a surprise to see that Washington is taking no action to implement a new energy policy. Obama’s response to the situation was clear but in no way pushing for an alternative source. “I continue to believe that domestic oil production is an important part of our overall strategy for energy security.’’ The United States relies too heavily on fossil fuels. This accident which by day is growing into a disaster should be an eye opener for Washington. They should use this disaster to drive the point that we need to invest in cleaner energy so that accidents like this can be prevented in the future.

Both democratic and republican party members agree that we need to cut our ties with foreign oil and do something more on the home front. With the addition of offshore drilling and advancements in Nuclear energy we can slowly transition to becoming less dependent on foreign oil suppliers. If this incident is not proof enough for Washington, that oil altogether is dangerous for the environment than I’m not sure what else can be. Our officials need to wake up and make a push for the expansion of green energy.

If we continue to rely on these volatile fossil fuels than more incidents like this can occur. There was no need for the 29 miners in West Virginia to lose their lives or for the 11 workers on the rig to face death in the explosion. Although these are both freak accidents and things like this do not occur often, when they do it should be an eye opener for Washington. It is apparent that our country as a whole needs energy reform. And hopefully Washington will soon push us in the right direction.

Cash Crops Causing economic problems

With the BP oil spill expanding by the day, we are losing money in many areas in the gulf coast. BP says they are doing all they can to cap the spill and currently we are approximately losing 5,000 gallons per day. Based on current oil prices that is roughly $320000 lost per day and worst case scenario that 5000 could turn to 60000.

For companies with such a high profit margin one would think that they would be prepared for a spill of such high caliber. This oil spill is the worst thing the gulf coast has seen since Katrina. The oil company and the environment are not the only ones taking a loss. For those in the fishing industry who just managed to bounce back and rebuild since Katrina, this is a economic blow. If they don’t stop the leak soon all of the wildlife in the gulf will be wiped out or contaminated by the toxic mineral. When the wind blows on the spill the sludge expands more and more inwards towards shore.

In order to aid the financial losses for the fisherman, BP is offering high hourly rates to help the cause and try to stop the flow of the oil. The compromise is that they would be taking they’re high priced vessels into the sludge with the possibility of damaging the rigs. It is unsafe and the fishermen are untrained in this area. BP has come up with a plan to funnel all of the oil into ships but this plan is not efficient and will take time. Time is something the wildlife in the area do not have. If this lasts for another week it will wipe out the seafood industry much of the flora in the area.

Race Wars

Why is it that certain words can cause an uproar among certain groups of people? In class a couple of weeks ago we discussed the use of some of these demeaning words and how people feel about their use. The words I speak of are derogatory racial slurs that are used to make people feel inferior. I think that by allowing these words to offend us that we are only giving them power. From my point of view I believe sticks and stones. I could care less what an individual calls me, it just shows that individuals level of ignorance. Now if I was in a situation where it was coming from multiple people simultaneously then I might feel uncomfortable and want out.

Now in the case of how the "N" word was used in class, I feel that he was trying to make a point and not being blatantly racist. The word does have different spellings and each of different meanings, but some people will be offended regardless if someone without the right skin tone uses the word period. I guess it depends on the generation you come from. The current generation will probably feel less pain from racial slurs because everything is so mixed now. Although racism still exists, if we don't allow it to get to us personally, then these slurs will lose power all together.

Many people will probably disagree with my views, but I believe words are words and depending on how you use them they can be offensive or they can prove a point. When trying to prove a point, if choosing to use strong words, there better be a strong argument to back up the use of such words.

Haitain struggle

At the gym today I was watching CNN to see recent updates on Haiti. One of the major headlines was talking about a Haitian citizen that had been shot by a police officer and left in the street for 2.5 hours because he was suspected of looting and stealing a bag of rice. A bag of rice? This is utterly ridiculous, these people have already lost so many and this particular police officer feels the need to kill someone over a bag of rice. The worse part is that the store owner knew about it. a couple of items out of his inventory fell off the truck when he was unloading and a passerby(our victim) actually stopped to help him pick it up, this is when our heroic policeman decides to save the day and fire at the innocent. I know that I can't even fathom the destruction down there and how most of these people are feeling, but I don't care if it was bigger than a bag of rice. None of these people deserve to die, if it is food you want, then take it. Too much has already been lost.