The Middle Class Act; Has the American Dream Become A Nightmare?

The current recession that America is facing has put the middle class under brutal attack, with new casualties everyday. The dream of a good career and raising a family in a good neighborhood, is no longer within reach for many Americans. Middle-Class neighborhoods were viewed as "incubators" for the American dream, according to the Washington Post report "U.S. Losing Its Middle-Class Neighborhoods".

A large percentage of former middle income Americans are now living in poverty. Many of them are having problems dealing with their reversal of fortune. "It's very sad," said Maria Chavez, who was a middle-class citizen a year and a half ago. "I cry sometimes because I don't want to come here for food", she said as she tried to find dinner for her family at a local food pantry.

This CBS report states that the recession and slow recovery are causing the Chavezes and many other Americans to slip into poverty.
"The most important anti-poverty effort is growing the economy and making sure there are enough jobs out there, "President Obama said Friday at a White House news conference. He stressed his commitment to helping the poor achieve middle-class status and said, "If we can grow the economy faster and create more jobs, then everybody is swept up into that virtuous cycle."

Who is at fault for these grim prospects? Some would say the U.S. government, while others would say that greedy CEOs are to blame. Many will argue that it's due to bad personal financial decisions. Is the American dream now just a facade or can we overcome these obstacles and continue the pursuit of happiness.

Are Pro Athletes on Steroids still Role Models?

Every child has a hero or wants to look up to someone.Not every child wants to be disappointed by their hero.I'm a huge sports fan, softball being my number one sport. I love softball because I love baseball but after my role model [Mark McGwire] was accused of doing steroids I stopped watching baseball. All athletes want their fans to look up to them. With McGwire, he started hitting so many homeruns which made me want to be a better player. After Mcguire Confessed to using steroids for many years he immediately lost my support as a fan. http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4816921 If I could look past his mistake of doing the drugs, maybe he would still be my role model. The only conflict is that he put his life in danger when he decided to do those drugs. I wondered did he know that he could have liver damage from taking steroids. http://www.isteroids.com/steroids/Effects%20of%20Steroids.html Did he understand that steroids can cause psychological effects. http://www.steroidabuse.com/steroid-statistics.html What message was he truely sending to his fans? What if some of his fans started to do steroids because he was? He was no longer a positive influence for my life. Although I continued to play softball for the passion I had left, McGwire was no longer my hero.

Competition Among Citizens and Illegal Immigrants

Immigration is the foundation of the United States of America. In 1607, individual English settlers came to America to seek religious freedom and personal fortunes. The English immigrants journeyed to the land of the states and made thirteen colonies. The new settlers created jobs that strengthened what we know today as the U.S.A. As decades passed, people from all over the world with different ethical backgrounds immigrated to the United States. Mexicans, Africans, and Asians are some immigrants that journeyed to the United States.
Today illegal immigration has become an economic issue with American prosperity. Americans with low-skills, often high school drop outs, have to compete with illegal immigrants over low-skills jobs. There has been massive debt in the United States over the past years. The Total Public Debt Outstanding was approximately 93 percent of the annual GDI (gross domestic income). This massive debt has caused plenty of job loss and has also caused citizens to settle for low-skilled jobs. Illegal Immigrants are taking low-skilled jobs such as: carpet layers, plumbers, and construction workers. According to The American Resistance, between 40 to 50 percent of wage losses of low-skilled Americans is due to the in-immigration of low-skilled workers. FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, states today, more than 15.4 million Americans are without a job and are actively looking for work. At the same time, estimates conclude that 8.3 million illegal aliens are part of America’s workforce despite their employment being a violation of U.S. law. Is this fair? Should illegal immigrants be able to come to America and take the jobs of rightful U.S. citizens?
I don’t oppose immigration because immigration is the reason the United States is so diverse today, but I do believe illegal immigration is not fair. An immigrant coming to the U.S. should take the proper steps to becoming a citizen. Proper citizenship will make fair competition with low-skilled American workers. This could promote Americans to accept immigrants in society today.

photo from flickercc.bluemoutains.net

Should Gay Marriage Be Acceptable?

Usually, families consist of a male,

female, and a child. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more common to see same-sex marriages surround society. Homosexual marriages are becoming increasingly acceptable. Many people believe that gay marriage is wrongful or considered a sin, but many also believe that marriage should be a sacred commitment between two individuals who are in love. Nobody should be denied the right to wed based on sexual orientation. Individuals, based on some scientific research studies, are born gay and can't help the way they are. Others choose to be homosexual, which is their way of living, which should be acceptable. Then again, most gays are determined by a hormonal switch! Nobody wakes up one morning saying, "hey I'm going to be gay and be discriminated against." It's something in their hormones that tell them to behave they way they do. Nobody should refuse the right to wed, no matter gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual preference. Denying homosexuals their right to wed is minority or reversed discrimination.

Gay marriage has it's advantages and benefits. The number of adoptions would increase dramatically, reducing the number of foster kids and orphans. This is a good look because many male-female households have children out of wedlock and there are many teenagers who have kids and neglect them. Gay couples seem to have a genuine commitment to raising a loving family because they cant produce with one another. Gay marriage should be allowed mainly for the aforementioned reason. God's intention of marriage was supposed to be between a male and a female. Really, marriage should be between two lovers, regardless of sexual preference. . . as long as it isn't between objects! P.S: Love Makes the World Go Around.

Hero or Accomplice? 14 year-old charged on total of 44 counts.

Bullying. Everyone has been bullied by another, whether it be physical or verbal, while others have been the bully. There have also been others on both sides of that fence. For the past year, a 14-year-old teen girl has been struggling with getting prepared for a trial for bringing a gun on the school bus. In the article by a WAPT reporter, "Athlete Disarms Girl on School Bus" it gives us a brief overview of this teen's story. If you would also view the video to get a more vivid image of what happened, Caught On Tape: Girl Pulls Gun On Bus.
As stated in the article and video, she is being charged with 22 counts of kidnapping and 22 counts of aggravated assault. Should she be tried as an adult? I strongly disagree that she should for the simple fact that she is fourteen and that she acted out of fear. In no way do I condone any kind of violence, but I do not believe she should be tried in this way. To my knowledge as well as witnesses on the bus and other school officials, she had reported to the bus drivers that several students had been picking on her, but the cries went ignored. The main bully in this case is the "hero" Kaleb, the football star that tackled the young woman. Kaleb was allegedly verbally abusing the young lady, while his younger sisters attributed to more physical bullying. Being that I am from Yazoo City, I have family members that attend that school and ride that same bus (the little girl jumping over the seat is a relative of mine). So should Mr. Kaleb be considered a true hero? Or an accessory to the crime?
My opinion is very biased on the entire case. I am eternally grateful that he was able to risk his life to save those of others, however, he was also the "mastermind" behind the entire plot. If he know he is guilty of such bullying accusations, he should not have accepted all the glory he had been given. He should have come clean. But he knew better. A senior football star bullying a fourteen year old girl, looks great on a college transcript eh? If you knew you were the main contributor to such a crime, would that not eat away at your conscience? It would definitely eat away at mine knowing that I put 22 people in danger, 23 if you include the young girl with the gun. Some kids have a low tolerance to being picked on and if complaints went ignored, something drastic was bound to happen one way or another.
As a criminal justice major, I am very intact with the law and fair punishment. I do believe she should receive a harsh punishment, yet not the same as an adult. If you listen closely in the video she says she's tired of being picked on and that she doesn't give a damn anymore. All she wanted was to be left alone. She went about it the right way at first and when that didn't work, she chose a more elusive scapegoat which eventually caused her her freedom.
If parents are not even letting their children testify on their behalf, not letting them make statements, or having anything to do with that day, should the young lady be charged with ALL 22 counts of aggravated assault and ALL 22 counts of kidnapping? If more parents truly gave a damn about the situation then they would have their children saying and doing things to make sure she is not released from jail because she is a threat to society. If it is true she was being bullied, in which I strongly believed she was, Kaleb and his sisters should deal with the guilt that they are the driving causes of the madness.
The young lady on trial happens to be a relative of mine. Kaleb happens to be a former playmate of mine. In no way am I taking sides because I was not on the bus, and the fact that I know both parties personally does not shape my opinion in any way. If I were just reading the article for the first time about two completely different teens, I can guarantee my opinion will be the same.
It is situations like these that drive kids to kill and cause harm to others. In this case, this is no regular hate crime. They weren't picking on her because she's gay or her parent's are gay. Hell her parent's aren't even involved in her life. They weren't picking on her because of where she is from. They weren't picking on her because she is black or because of her religion. They all lived lived along the same dirt road. They all went to the same school. They all wore uniforms to school. So what was the purpose in all of this? There isn't one. Just senseless mistakes and wrongdoing towards many.

During an interview with a mother that heard the chaos due to a call made to her by her 10-year-old daughter, the mother tells the interviewer that her children witnessed Kaleb and his sisters picking on the young girl on multiple occasions. It has been a year since this incident happened, and to date this woman is the only parent that allowed her children to stand up for the fearful young lady. The only mother that agreed to tell her kid's side of the story. In no way did she jeopardize her kid's lives. She simply took matters into her own hands to give statements for the simple fact that what she believes in and her morals in that right is right and wrong is wrong. You don't pick on someone because you never know how far you will push them. The 14-year-old could have committed suicide in front of all 22 of her "victims", scarring them for life. Leaving on their conscience that they could have prevented it in any kind of way, directly or indirectly.

So in conclusion, I do not feel the young lady should be charged as an adult, but she shall be punished severely. Weapons nor violence is ever the answer to anything. Kaleb is not to be considered an actual hero, but the guy that saved the day. There's a difference. A hero doesn't provoke situations and then take credit for saving the day. Kaleb, in my opinion, just happened to be there at the right place and time. He too acted out of fear. He knew the gun was for him and his sisters and he had no choice but to protect them. Fear makes people do crazy things. She should not be tried on all 22 counts of aggravated assault and kidnapping, in my opinion. She could be looking at a minimum of 36 years in prison if tried as an adult. Knowing the Mississippi justice system, she will be given the maximum sentence. The Mississippi system has a habit of giving unjust punishments, such as the the trial of the Scott Sister's back in 1993. Punished? Yes. As an adult? No.

Hybrid Cars: Good v. Bad

I'm sure many individuals have heard of or seen a hybrid car and thought to themselves "hey I need one of those, gas prices are sky high"; however these vehicles are not what they appear to be at all. Although there are many positives about these cars, there are plenty of downsides to these "small gas saving cars."

A few of the pros about hybrid vehicles, as indicated on suite101, are 1) the most obvious it saves on gas, which also reduces the amount of pollution in the air. 2) They perform better in cooler weather than gas powered cars. 3) People that purchase a hybrid car receive tax incentives . 4) Also some insurance companies, such as Geico, will offer discounts for hybrid drivers in some states.

The many cons that come with the hybrid cars are: 1) they are far more expensive, than non-hybrid cars. 2) You ONLY save gas if you are a careful driver; for instance if you accelerate too quickly, the gas engine will kick in, this will eliminate your gas savings. 4) there is a high risk of being exposed to a high-voltage battery or its wires during a crash, which was brought to my attention while reading a Buzzle Article. 5) most importantly, some insurance companies will not cover hybrid cars because they are more likely to need repair because that are still fairly new. Now that everyone has been exposed to what a hybrid car really is, are they still worth buying?

Drinking Age

From (CBS)

The drinking age should never be dropped. It would result in more deaths, teenage pregnancies, and depression issues. Many teens are going to want lower age limits on every drug and adult privileges because they are immature and will want to try new things regardless on the effects that they'll have on them. Younger drinkers will binge drink making them more vulnerable to alcohol abuse. Many drinkers think it makes them feel better but in reality it distorts reality and shows your stupidity. Alcohol mixed with teens is a recipe for disaster. There was a debate on lowering the drinking age last year in which John McCardell, the president of Middlebury College in Vermont, started the movement of trying to lower the drinking age to 18. Many groups opposed his movement, including MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). Even though McCardell wants the law to be changed, he only believes it will help save minors. Either way if the law were to be passed and more fatalities began to occur, he will feel the guilt and the blame, so I believe he hasn't thought that far ahead. Others that are on McCardell's side are agreeing because law enforcment techniques are not working. But even so, there has only been one police chief which is Mark Beckner, chief of police in Boulder, Colorado. The executive director of MADD, Chuck Hurley informed CBS that "When the United States reduced its drinking age in the seventies it was a public health disaster. Death rates in the states that reduced their drinking age jumped 10 to 40 percent." If this was true I can hardly see why someone would think this change would or could be a good idea.

 As I wrote last week, the drinking age is 21 and should stay that way for everyone's safety. There are some postings of reasons the drinking age should be changed and they are implying that if you can vote at 18 it should also make you able to drink at 18. This sounds like pure stupidity to me. I believe that some people can be subtle while drinking at the age of 18, but no matter what, that age group is overall wild when mixed with alcohol. None of these reasons people give have a positive reason why it would be better.

 Continuing from last week, people insist on coming up with ways to get the drinking age lowered. I believe if they want it changed so badly they should move somewhere where it is legal. Canada for instance has a legal drinking age of 18 in some territories. There's no reason for us to make America a more dangerous place to live just because some kids feel it's unfair. I know people can wait a couple years until drinking is legal for them, some act like it's is a necessity more than the dangerous poison it is in reality. 

Apple = Success

It is safe to say that Apple has become a popular company for technology. When thinking of the recent technology, most would consider IPods, IPhones, IPads, or other Apple products somewhere in their thoughts.
Without a doubt, the IPod is currently the most dominate mp3 player on the market; with the variety of models to choose from, there is an IPod model made for everyone. Currently phones are generally being made to do more than the normal, make and receive phone calls. Now almost all phones have the ability to browse the Internet and run applications, not just Blackberry phones. Apple, making an extension into the phone market, released the IPhone which was a huge success.

The Pew Research Center has done a recent poll showing that Apple has the most press appeal among technology companies, even passing Google, at about 15%; Apple has come a long way. Microsoft used to be very dominate, according to the article “Apple Outpaces Google in Media Attention – Both Get Positive Play” done by journalism.org, just 5 years ago it was considered by many as the most important technology company, ran by the richest man in the world. In the poll done by The Pew Research Center, Microsoft came in 5th behind Twitter and Facebook for the most media coverage.

Although I am a loyal Microsoft user, there is no denying the success of Apple products. The article “Apple reports record sales, profits for the holiday season,” done by Philip Michaels, writer for MacWorld, provides proof of Apple’s increasing popularity. According to Lance Ulanoff, Editor and Senior VP (Vice-President) of content for PC Mag, “In almost every category measured, Apple rated well above the average for tech support, reliability and repairs,” and Apple was considered to “reestablish its brand with the release of the IPhone in 2007.” Ever since then Apple has continued to increase in popularity with the release of products considered to be “innovative and superior in quality (journalism.org).”

KEEP YOUR HANDS ON THE WHEEL!!

(http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/)






When the luxury of texting was brought about it was something everyone had and wanted to learn to do. I wouldn't know what I would do without it. It really comes in handy at times. Texting has made communication so much more conveniant and easier with its many different abbreviations. Be honest, it was the best thing anyone could have ever thought of, we all love it.

However, by it being so much more time consuming, this started people to text while driving without knowing the many dangers. This is the cause of the many accidents and deaths that occur today. According to International Business Times, 16,000 were killed in the US between the years of 2001 and 2007, all due to texting while driving, according to federal data. (http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/66405/20100928/texting-while-driving-road-accidents-in-us-texting-and-driving-road-accidents.html)

Many people put themselves, along with others at risk when texting while driving. People also feel the need that the message received is much more important than their lives, as well as others. Well they are wrong, it is a serious distraction. Texting while driving impairs your ability of being alert and focused on the many things around you. For this reason, you should wait until you have reached your destination or even put you phone on silent to avoid the urge of looking at the message.

So, the next time you are on the road think about the many people lives you are putting at stake. Keep your hands on the wheel and off the phone. Is the message so much more important than your life and others?

Get Granny From Behind The Wheel

Let's be honest, how many times have you driven down the road and was stuck behind a slow moving car? You immediately have to stomp on your brakes to keep from hitting the car. That's when you realize it is a little old lady or man just poking along on the road. There is a required age to recive your driver's license and I feel that there should be a limit on the age when your license can be revoked. There are a lot of older people that can barely see or hear, but are quick to get behind the wheel of a car. According to an article, Older Drivers, Elderly Driving, Seniors ar the Wheel, "Research on an age-related driving concerns has shown that at around the age of 65, drivers face an increased risk of being involved in a vehicle crash." Their reflexes and response times are at a slower rate. They don't realize all the harm and danger they are putting themselves and others in. There is a joke from a website that supposedly interput the risk elderly people but themselves in. In the joke the old lady thought that the high way signs were the speed limit signs. This right here should be evidence enough of why we shoul "get granny from behind the wheel".

College Life vs Military Life

There comes a point in time where you have to make that life base decision after high school. The choice you make will be a decision you have to live with for the rest of your life and can affect your career and also how you want to live in the future. Most senior high school students are eager to graduate and see what life is about after those long twelve years of non-stop school, bu the road has not ended yet. Majority high school seniors will choose to either further there learning in college or the military after graduating high school.Both, college and military, supply very useful benefits and the long run.

With the military, the benefits of serving can be tremendous: training, honor, education, travel, pay, and self-discovery. (You can find out more about military benefits at http://www.militarybenefits.com/) However, military service is not for everyone. It requires self-discipline, intense physical work and time away from family and friends while protecting America and its citizens at home and more. For some, these commitments are too difficult to endure.

With college it can be intimidating, the work can be extremely hard, and meeting all new people seems overwhelming. On the other hand, when people find themselves realizing the benefits of a college education, they look back to a time when they first met lifelong friends. In college, your most important task is to learn and begin to take charge of your life by making your own choices. In fact, what you are expected to do is more than likely exactly what you would like to do, which is learn more about intriguing subjects and spend lots of time with your friends.

Both college and military are jampacked with benefits and outstanding possibilities to better your future and make you a better person as a whole. Which would you choose and why?

Pictures Do Lie!!!!!!!!

When people want to know “what’s in” the first place they go is where? When people want to see what all the celebrities are wearing now where do they look? When people are searching for validation on how they look where is the first place they look? I’m pretty sure that the answers to these questions are magazines! Magazines are every where. The grocery store, the airport, walking down the street on news stands, and even in school. Magazines are where we get most of our information from pertaining to celebrities and “what‘s in”? Celebrities are our validation for a lot of things we do. Some people dress like their favorite celebrities and do their hair like someone famous they see everyday on television but, how far should people allow ourselves to go in hopes of looking their favorite celebrity? Everyone has noticed that actresses and models are becoming taller woman they give you steps on how you can get become her. Magazines like Stars have titles such as WORST BIKINI BODY, then next month “How I Lost 10 pounds”. Magazines have ads and photo shoots of celebrities and models who are very thin and tall with clear skin and perfect bodies ,but is that the truth? Most photos we see are not the actual pictures of our favorite celebrities but, airbrushed photographs to show them with a “perfect body”.

In the photo above we see Kim Kardashian’s picture had been airbrushed to make her look thinner, more shapely, and lighter. Technology in this time makes the models in the pictures look thinner, taller, unblemished, with brighter eyes and whiter teeth. Some airbrushed pictures defies how a human body is naturally constructed.
What is this saying to women and young girls? When we look in magazines we see the picture on the right. The way the fashion industry says your body should look but, that is sending the wrong message. “Heartless retouching, should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.” Mr. Lindbergh one of the top image makers told the New York Times.

Women and young girls strive to gain these unattainable bodies. They are taking major risk with their health and when that image is not achieve then they can start to take other alternatives. Research have shown that by being exposed to false, airbrushed pictures of young celebrities can be linked to depression, low self-esteem, and development of an eating disorder. One in every one hundred teenage girls may develop an Eating Disorder. Women and young girls are comparing themselves to women in the media and women around. Is media to blame for low self esteem? Or is it a deeper problem? “To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are.”- Unknown

Being Gay is Okay!!!!

Same sex marriage is a very controversial topic. People should be able to have the freedom to whatever it is they want to do. Even though it is morally wrong, The United Sates prides itself on giving people to freedom to do whatver they want as along as it isn't hindering society. Compared to how gay relations were in the past, it is more widely accepted now than it ever was in the past. Twenty years ago, you couldn't be seen with the same sex romantically involved. Those who were strong belivers of it faced many consequences. Some were black-balled from getting jobs, they couldn't eat in public places, and some were even killed by radical opposers.

I grew up in a religious household, so at first my views on homosexual marriage was very judgmental, but as I grew older that perception started to change. Homosexuals are not creatures, they are human beings, they do everything that a noraml everyday American does. One thing to remember is that God made everybody different, so people may not have the same ideals as everybody else, and it would be wrong of us to judge them for doing so. In the article Four Reasons to Support Gay Marriage and Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment by Tom Head, he uses statistics to show that the support for gay marriage is steadily increasing each year. Society may actaully be warming up to the idea of gay marriage. As time has progressed, the radical opposers against gay marriage has passed and the disdain for it has substained.

If you fall in love with someone, no matter their race, religion, or gender, you should be able to spend the rest of your life with that person without any kind of ridiculing, or possibly fearing of your life. Most people reason for their disdain for gay marriage is the interpretation of the Bible. It is true that God made man and woman but you can't tell people what to do with their life. It also mentions to never judge anyone, and as a society we need to do better with that.

Bundle of Debt or Bundle of Joy for All

Bundle of Debt or Bundle of Joy

"Mom can I have this?"."Dad can I have that?" and it begins. By "it" I mean the constant spending of money that parents don't have to spend on $300.00 IPod's or $80.00 shoes. But, do people really know what their getting into when they have children? With the price of: diapers, wipes, milk, bottles etc. Who can really afford babies? Everyone says they cannot wait until their 18 but, at 18 parent's are still taking care of their young adults.

Whether it's paying for college or changing diapers, children are expensive. As humans we don't think about the cost children. According to "Maternity leave, Bundle of joy shouldn't call for bundle of debt", an article, states "Mothers before or after maternity leave have done no financial planning at all". Thus meaning, no one every really thinks about the cost of children. Although, the cost is a very important aspect when having babies. Research shows that children cost anywhere from $125,000- $250,000, aging from baby to 18, this price is not including college unfortunately. A shocking $9,000- $11,000 is spent on babies their first year alone. This $9,000-$11,000 is simply spent on diapers, formula, furniture, clothing etc. This information can be found at http://www.surebaby.com/costs.php.

Which brings us to the topic of teenage pregnancy, if adults can't afford children, then can teenagers afford children? Sadly, no; with teenage pregnancy you're not only giving up money you don't have but, your also giving up an education, and your chance at enjoying being a young adult. "People who have children in their teens are less likely to get a high school diploma or go on to college. They tend to earn less in the working world, and children born to these teens struggle to keep up with their peers. For many, beating back poverty becomes the overriding concern". This is information from an article titled "A baby changes everything: The true cost of teenage pregnancy's uptick" at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35448556/. People of all ages should think about the cost of children before having them, or even planning them. Children stick with you past 18 years so, getting prepared to have children can come in handy. When I say getting prepared I mean getting financially stable, this can benefit all mothers in the long run.