What's Wrong with America's Economy?

It's no secret at all that America's economy is, and has been for recent years, falling. The majority of American's think that Obama and Congress are not doing a good job in handling the economy, and that we, as a nation, are on the wrong path to recovery. One of the reasons people may feel this way towards Obama is because he states the problem as a need for competitiveness with China. As much as that could help, it is not the main issue and we should not soley be focusing on that. Another big issue, is the job market. The current unemployment rate is 9%, and about 40% of those people have been out of work for longer than 6 months. This is because jobs are not available to them unless they have a college degree. Reform needs to be made for lesser skilled men in the job market if there should be any hope for reform. College prices are continuously rising, and the amount of Americans that can afford it is declining. Having a job market where only college graduates can receive jobs is a huge issue that needs to be looked at and reformed. Another problem is, workers see this, and they get discouraged. A lot of out-of-work men have simply given up on the job search simply because it offers no hope for a stable future. The percent of "prime-age" males in work has dropped 15% this decade, but the lack of oppurtunity will keep the percentage there, unless reform is made. And even if these low skilled men did get jobs, a lot will be taken out of their pay, like money toward EITC, or Child Support (if valid to them). Kids in high school are becoming more likely to drop out because the amount of hope that they will be able to find a job with a high school degree only is not very high at all. Some are suggesting trade-barriers for jobs, and others to improve skills. Whichever is the better, I don't know, but I do know that something needs to be done soon, or else the unemployment rate will rise, and the economy will fall.

The People's Will: California's Direct Democracy

In almost all of the states in America, there is a representative democracy that is put into place. This means that although people do not have a direct say in what goes on in government, they elect representives that they feel will best go along with their opinions. In California, however, there is a direct democracy. The people vote for certain propositions on ballots, and their vote directly effects the decision in the end. This makes California one of the most, if not the most, democratic states in the entire country. But the question has to be asked: are they right?
In my opinion, no. The reason why we have representitives in our government is because not everybody is qualified, so these people pass on their opinions to their representitives, and these representitives make decisions based on their professional opinion. It is important to have this because we cannot count on the everyday person to make crucial decisions for our state. The reason we have this is because it works. Massachusetts is a state with a good economy, but is California? Absolutely not. California is known to have areas, such as South Central, Haight and Ashbury, etc., where educated enough people to make crucial, law making decisions are just as hard to come by as a non-white student at Medfield High School. They let the people have direct impact, and it has failed them. We can still let the people have a voice, and that voice is picking their representitives. But until the majority of the population proves that they are educated enough to have such an impact, then maybe things can be reconsidered. But as of now, the majority of the population cannot be trusted with that power.

Gadhafi accepts terms of agreement

It was announced today that Gadhafi is in agreement with the African Union in a plan to end the conflict in Libya. The specifications of these terms are unknown, but it is guessed that a ceasefire would be put in place in Libya that would end the attacks on Libyan rebels made by Gadhafi's forces. South African President Jacob Zuma also mentioned that the agreement would put an end to NATO's no-fly zone. As African Union delegation members are set to meet with opposition leaders this week, they remain skeptical that the African Union will be aimed towards benefiting the oposition in a large enough way, after Gadhafi has been so beneficial to the Union. As the issue continues on without any resolve officially made, people are still dying across the country. NATO's airstrikes appear to be making some impact, killing a good amount of pro-Gadhafi fighters, while rebels are being killed by these supporters on the ground.

I think that it's about time that something be done with this issue in Libya, it has clearly stretched out for long enough. The dillusions of Gadhafi are surprising, but what is even more surprising is that it looks like he might be ready to end the fighting and make resolve. However, you never know with someone as crazy as this. The opposition leaders may be right in that any agreements made by Ghadhafi with the African Union will not help both parties. But I think it is time for Gadhafi to step down, and understand a losing battle; with the UN against him, it would hard to hold them off for much longer. If it is just another set back, it's going to be frustrating to watch this go on for any longer.

Burning of the Koran

There was an article in the Boston Globe today about a priest in Florida who burned the Koran, and the reaction of the Afghani people on American troops. Unsurprisingly, they did not react to the news well, and have so far killed over 20 people. The question raised is whether or not the government needs to step in and take action to arrest him, or does his first amendmnet right of freedom of speech protect him in this instance. In my opinion, I do not believe that the man should be arrested. Yes, I completely disagree with his actions, but there is a bigger issue. We cannot allow Afghanistan, a poor, corrupt, backwards country to control our actions and our misuse of the Constitution. America has prided itself on always adhering to these rights, and if we start to put them aside now, it will create a downward spiral that would lead to these rights not being protected. On another note, it is not this one action for which Afghanis hate us. Sure, it was just adding more fuel to the fire, but the fire was started by many of the actions of America, most importantly the war we began in Afghanistan. We cannot blame this one man for these murders, but the actions taken by this nation as a whole, and the bias that it fed through the media by the government in Afghanistan to the Afghani people.

Germany Shuts Down Reactors as Europe Plans Safety Test

In light of recent events involving the earthquake and tsunami that took place in Japan last week, countries are taking note and acting accordingly. Germany announced recently that they are shutting down 7 of the plants that went online before 1980, while the European Union stated that they will be testing all of their 147 power plants. Chancellor Markel of Germany is taking heat for this decision, being accused of acting on fear and not rationality. The European Union will be testing the plants for anything from a flood or tsunami to a terrorist attack. With what happened in Japan, countries are taking note so they do not make the same mistake. It comes at a bad time, because countries, like the US, were planning to expand their nuclear energy, but now have to act cautiously on this. President Sarkozy is holding a summit for the Group of 20 so that European nations can discuss this issue of nuclear safety. It will be difficult to make decisions involving nuclear energy safety, cause most nations use this as their primary source of energy. France gets about 70% of their electricity from nuclear energy. But regardless, no other nation can afford to have the same issue that happened to Japan happen to them. Other nations, including the US, has been given the opportunity to learn from the mistakes, or misfortunes, of Japan. It would be ridiculous to take this chance and run with it.

Security Forces Attack Protesters and Doctors in Bahrain

According to witnesses yesterday, security officials in Bahrain attack a local hospital, beating both protesters and doctors, with these officials even going as far as to using ammunition. Bahrain officials deny the account, claiming the extent to their weaponry was using tear gas, and it being because they were first attacked by protesters. The only reported fatalities were 2 police officers who were run over by protesters, who now face charges. Doctors claim that officials formed a "ring" around the hospital, and then stormed in and beat anyone in their path. While most doctors were able to hide, many other staff members were attacked. The most confusing part of the situation was that this all happened in a government hospital, which is weird because its government attacking government, not protesters. With doctors in hiding and unable to work, 2 patients reportedly died. A similar incident also happened in Salmany Hospital. In light of recent events, the UK has closed their embassy in Bahrain for the time being, and troops from the UAE and Saudi Arabia have moved in to protect the citizens.

I think its terrible what government officials are doing. Attacking unarmed protesters is severely unfair, and I can't see all of this working in the long run. I think Bahrain will lose the trust of other nations if they continue to act this violently and irrationally. At some point, I see other nations stepping in to help these unarmed citizens and overthrowing the government. This just simply cannot go on any longer.

Answering the Public, Egypt Names New Cabinet

The current interim Prime Minister of Egypt listened to the people, and announced a new political cabinet who were, in no way, tied to Hosni Mubarak. Even still, protesters rampaged into a state security officeand Interior Ministry after catching wind that they were burning incriminating documents that could be used as evidence against Mubarak, or just simply confidential information about other government leaders. These protesters were warded off within hours using sticks, knives, and gunshots. It was the first time since February 11th that the military, who is now running the country, had used force on the people, and their most recent outburst is not a sign of change in the way they plan to act in the future. After all of this mess, it was revealed who would be filling the government positions. UN Ambassador Nabil Elaraby will be taking over the position as foreign minister (he already has many ideas, including pursuing Israel for not holding up obligations, to put into effect); Mansour el-Essaway will be Minister of the Interior; and Mohamed el-Gendy will become the new justice.
It is nice to see that the Egyptian government is going to become less and less corrupt, and is filling up it's cabinet with fresh, relatively new faces as leaders. What does worry me is the recent outburst by the people. To me, it's a sign that the people will get violent for any small issue that is brought up, and not just complain and let it die down. But hopefully with a new cabinet, the people will feel more comfortable, less corrupt, and overall, more content, to keep them from needing to act this way again. It will definately be interesting to see how this all pans out.