First Debate of the Season!

Tonight marks the first Republican debate for the upcoming election. 10 of the 16 candidates will battle for nomination tonight in Ohio. With so many qualified and interesting candidates, the debate is sure to be a hit. Among those who will be speaking include Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, and Rand Paul. Despite Trump’s unexpected comments and actions within the past few weeks, many GOP primary voters have had a change of heart. Many think that he will run the show tonight, but more will be revealed.

Popular topics that will likely be discussed include immigration, which is a hot subject in the Republican party. Rand Paul will surely have something to say about immigration given his stance on increasing legal immigration, as well as his foreign policy opinions. Although many Americans, 47% of them, support allowing undocumented immigrants a means to citizenship, very few of those are Republicans. More often than not, Republicans feel they should be deported, rather than granted citizenship or legal status. Also a major issue that will be addressed is that of tactics- tactics of dealing with Planned Parenthood, and the Iran deal. And of course, it wouldn’t be a debate if someone didn’t promise to repeal Obamacare.

Are these topics that America really wants to hear about? What about minimum wage, something that plagues many Americans struggling to make ends meet. 70% of Americans agree with minimum wage increases, as well as Democratic candidates, and Obama. Republicans won’t give it the time of day. Or even improving trade strategies to try and reduce the $500 billion trade deficit that belongs to the United States. This could also be beneficial to wage increases. Education and student debt are other subjects that have been controversial in the past, along with fair taxes. Maybe even more pressing is the monumental climate change that is currently underway. The Pentagon has deemed it a threat to national security, a statement with which 62% of Americans agree. Scientists are pressing the issue of global warming with intensity. However, Republicans have felt that addressing the challenge of climate change would mean disaster for the economy.  

Perhaps the debate tonight will just be a fame game. Millions will watch to see what Trump has to say. Maybe he will have the stronger argument. Mike Huckabee has already participated in a presidential debate, and brings his experience to the podium. Jeb Bush has had a rough week, being the receiving end of Hillary Clinton’s punches, but with a famous name will he be the favorite? We will find out tonight.

How Big Brother Helps Out

Food poisoning happens on a regular basis. Food poisoning, or foodborne illness, in its simplest form is illness caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Contamination can occur during any portion of food production and processing, or even at home by handling and cooking food incorrectly. Usually an illness caused by contaminated food will resolve itself after a short time, but in some instances the outcome can be deadly. Every year 48 million people will suffer from some form of food poisoning. 128,000 will be hospitalized as a result of their sickness, and 3,000 will die from it. Food poisoning costs almost $15 billion each year, which includes cost of medical care and missed time from work. The most common foodborne illness pathogens are Salmonella, Norovirus, Campylobacter, and E.coli just to name a few. Salmonella and Toxoplasma gondii are the most deadly forms for foodborne illness, and are also very easy to contract.

For the most part, food poisoning can be avoided by cooking, cleaning, and storing food properly. It is important to keep raw foods separate to avoid cross-contamination. Likewise, it is equally important to cook meats and poultry to the recommended temperatures to kill any bacteria that might be in it. Proper refrigeration of foods is necessary to make sure they don’t linger in the “danger zone”. This is important during these hot summer months when food, like deviled eggs and potato salad, sit around outside all day. Many cases of Salmonella occur this way. But what happens when these contaminations occur on a much larger scale, like in a food processing facility?

For example, around 2008-2009 there was a major Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter. 700 people were sickened from this contamination, and 9 people died. This outbreak was linked to a peanut butter plant in Georgia, where two workers at the plant lied about the quality of their peanut butter. These two men claimed that the peanut butter was safe, without disclosing whether it had been tested for pathogens and if those tests came back positive. As a result, hundreds of people were sickened as their food safety was compromised. Luckily, we have government agencies that deal with major outbreaks like this one.

When the CDC receives information regarding a foodborne illness outbreak, its first task is to link cases of similar outbreaks from different areas of the country. They do this using various tools including FoodNet, which helps public health officials gain information about the cause and spread of foodborne illness. Another helpful tool is PulseNet, which uses DNA fingerprinting to link foodborne illness pathogens from different outbreaks. The FDA then gets involved, and issues recalls on contaminated items. The FDA also tries to find out how the contamination happened, and takes action to modify processing of foods to prevent future contaminations. The FDA developed a group called CORE (coordinated outbreak response and evaluation) to manage response to an outbreak, and monitor post-response activities related to the outbreak. In addition to handling responses, the government also regulates and inspects food production facilities to ensure that they are following guidelines for making quality food. The government may not be able to control poor employee attitudes, but it can help to keep our food safe.

Abortion

In my opinion, the decision to have an abortion should be any women's right to choose.  Regardless of the circumstances.  Whether the pregnancy is the result of a rape, incest, or an unplanned pregnancy. No one should be in a position to decide or make that choice for a woman especially politicians.  In some cases, babies have been killed by the mother,  or abandoned , especially underage girls, due to the fear of enduring the responsibility of motherhood, their parents or the babies father.  Other factors could be financial or medical.  When and if a woman does decide to abort a child, she has to live with that decision for the rest of her life, that in itself is punishment enough. 
 Abortion is a woman's right that should not be limited by governmental or religious authority, and which outweighs any right claimed for an embryo or fetus. They say that pregnant women will resort to unsafe illegal abortions if there is no legal option.http://www.salon.com/2015/04/24/i_am_pro_abortion_not_just_pro_choice_10_reasons_why_we_must_support_the_procedure_and_the_choice/

About 11 million immigrants live in the United States. Immigrants come to the United States for better opportunities. They leave their families back home so they can come here to work and provide for them. Because they are not a citizen they do not get jobs that can actually provide enough. They work long hours just to provide for their families. There are some immigrants that have filed for citizenship, but have paid tons of money and waited so long for a response back. The US News reported that there are signs hope for immigrants. Our president has tried to help the immigration by passing the Dream Act. What is the Dream Act? The Dream Act helps kids who are immigrants go to college.  Why does the United States discriminate immigrants so much?

Donald Trump has said some disturbing comments about immigrants. The Washington Post reported on Trumps speech about immigrants. Saying really disrespectful comments. But why dies he dislike immigrants so much? He referred them to as rapist. Like I said before some immigrants come to the United States for a better place. There are some who come here and do terrible things. But why do the ones who work have to struggle the most?

Lower the Drinking Age

Our current policy attempts to prevent underage drinking by criminalizing youth who consume alcohol before they are 21 years old. This is the highest drinking age that exists among all countries in the world.Yet today, alcohol is “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain. I feel that the age should be lowered to at least 18 years old. If you are considered an adult at the age of 18 then you should be able to drink. Also your allowed to join the military and go to war at the age of 18 so why aren't you able to drink. Not allowing to drink only made teens adapt and now there are more things out there to drink besides alcohol. For example ''Lean" , Lean does not contain ANY form of alcohol, crushed pills, or other liquids in general. It is Promethazine with Codeine mixed with soda usually Original Sprite Soda and Jolly rancher candy. These mixes are uses differently due to the users desire. Lean is mainly responsible for the euphoric feeling after drinking lean. Promethazine causes motor skill impairment, lethargy, extreme drowsiness, as well as a dis associative feeling from all other parts of the body, specifically the stomach and digestive system. 

>Young adults in college won't get in trouble with the law

>Lowering the age will cut down on young adults drinking

>If you can fight for your country in Iraq, why can't you have a beer?

>they drink anyway why not let them do it legally

>you can vote at 18 why cant you drink?

>If you can drive a lethal weapon (motorized vehicle) why cant you drink?

>The min drinking age in Canada is generally 19 and 18 in Quebec

>19 out of 50 U.S states have not specified that 21 is the min drinking age

http://drinkingage.procon.org/

Underage drinking?

Underage drinking has become an enormous choice of discussion. In the United States you are considered an adult at 18. However, you are not allowed to drink until you reach the age 21. Turning 18 gives you the right and responsibilities of adulthood. This includes the right to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and join the military - which includes risking one's life. This is crazy to me because if you are an adult and can do all of these things then why can’t you be able to make the decision to drink responsible.

Allowing 18- to 20-year-olds to drink alcohol in regulated environments with supervision would decrease unsafe drinking activity. Stopping this age group from drinking in bars, restaurants, and other licensed locations causes them to drink in unsupervised places such as house parties where they are more likely to binge drinking and other unsafe behavior.

Lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18 would diminish the thrill of breaking the law to get a drink. Normalizing alcohol consumption as something done responsibly in moderation will make drinking alcohol less of a taboo for young adults entering college and the workforce.

Stopping the consumption of alcohol at a younger age make the youth disregard other laws. This in term encourages young adults to acquire and use false identification documents to consume alcohol. In this era of national security concerns, including terrorism, illegal immigration, and other threats, it would be better to have fewer fake IDs in circulation and more respect for the law.

Lowering the drinking levels would be good for the economy. More people would legally be able to drink in bars, restaurants, and other licensed establishments. Revenue would increase for private business owners, and greater amounts of tax revenue would be collected by the government. Over all it makes more sense to lower the drinking age to 18.

Our Responsibility to the Government...

Pictures are from google.

 

The criticism of government is probably as old any government itself. Some say the government is too involved, while others say the government can do more. Regardless of which side you are fencing government is an enormous asset to our civil rights. No government can function without the help of the citizens. There are a couple of essential responsibilities as a citizen in the United States of America to the government.

1. The first one would be to vote! Voting may be a right many people in the past have fought so hard to receive but it is also a responsibility. This is because it helps keep our country under the control of the people in this country. This is a way to stop corruption and not to have everything in the hands of our politicians.

2. The second is staying informed. Ignorance of what is going on is never an excuse. You should know who is representing you. You should know what they are being elected for and what their views are. You should also know what’s going on not only in this country but the other counties that effect America. This way you know why things are happening from laws that are being mandated to wars in which we are fighting.

3. Thirdly, a citizen must obey the law. These laws were made to protect everyone as equals. Without following them there would be chaos. You should also know about your rights. This will protect you if you ever have a run in with the law. It will make it so no one can take advantage of you and you know what any person in authority has the right to do.

4. The fourth one arguably the most crucial one. You have to pay your taxes. It doesn’t sound like the most ideal of the four because for obvious reasons you want keep your money but taxes help out not only but your country in so many different ways. We need to educate our children and in order to do so we need adequate federal funding which is provided through our taxes. We also need public facilities like libraries or community centers. Taxes also go as far as fixing pot holes on the streets that we drive, to helping out the elderly who can no longer take care of themselves.

Overall we are the government. Without any citizens, there would be no government. So it is our responsibility to contribute and build up our nation as a whole.