Bailing out the Former Student

I recently read an article by Carrie Burkett, titled "Bailing out the Former Student." Upon first reading the title I believed she would be in favor of the topic, but as the story progressed, I realized she was actually opposed to it. Carrie begins by explaining her own experience with student loans, and then proceeds to take full responsibility for her actions; including the debt she has acquired. I am a firm believer in owning up to your mistakes as well as recognizing them, in order to prevent wrong doings from reoccurring, and Carrie did an excellent job by doing so. She was up-front and offered no room for nonsense, all while illustrating the debt many student place themselves in, to achieve the "picture perfect college experience." Carrie then attempts to understand what the strategy of the government is. The taxpayers would be the ones paying off the loans, and would not offer a great stimulation to the economy, so what’s the catch? The author believes it is campaign gold for politicians, and I have to admit I agree with her.

I do not think the government should pay backs the loans of students, by reasoning of, students are well aware of what they are getting themselves into when signing loan papers. As a result of this, I do not have one student loan under my name. Not because I am a wealthy individual who can pay for my education up front, but because if I do not have the money, I do not attend college.  I depend on other resources such as scholarships, Pell Grants, or even (gasp) working more hours. It would be very easy for me to sign my name on a couple of forms and receive thousands of dollars; but it would be a very hard life to live with massive amounts of debt weighting on my finances.

Obama Trumpets Killing of Bin Laden, and Critics Pounce

On April 27, 2012, The New York Times printed an article, regarding President Obama using the killing of Osama Bin Laden, as a campaign tactic. As Vice President Joe Biden has stated the new campaign for the upcoming election will be: "Bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive." But not everyone is on board with Obama's camp and their campaign approach. Former opponent John McCain feels this "diminishes the memory of September 11." I cannot say I agree with McCain, in fact I feel quite the opposite.

September 11th brought pure panic and fear into America, all while uniting us as well. We all wanted Bin Laden to be caught and held responsible for all the people-innocent people-who lost their lives. That day is still fresh in every one's mind, and if asked, they could tell you exactly where and what they were doing when the news broke. This is not the first time a President has boasted about the death of a foreign threat in order to get votes. George Bush did it with Saddam Hussein in 2004 and defeated Kerry as a result. But so many republicans want Obama to fail that they’ll imply the death of a terrorist should be treated the same as a death of a saint would. I’m not buying it. If this is the route Obama wants to take to the polls, I'll follow him there. 

The Increasing Need for Jobs

I came across a blog title "The increasing need for Jobs," by Whitney, and I was highly impressed with her interest on the subject, as well as her ability to clearly convey the information. She composed a blog on how difficult it is for our veterans to find a job once they return home. This has been somewhat of a misconception by the civilian workforce. Before reading Whitney's post I was not aware of President Obama's 5 billion dollar proposal. She goes into further detail concerning the jobs that were in the center of this proposal (law enforcement, firefighting, in public parks, etc). From there she went into how difficult it is for anyone to get a job, must less our veterans returning home.

When my husband was honorably discharged from the Marine Corp. he found it extremely difficult to find a job in mediocre positions, if any at all. Considering this was a man who was a fire fighter while deployed in Iraq, his patience began to wear thin. Eventually after four months of applying to various positions and jumping through hoops-placed by the unemployment office- he decided to write a letter to Governor Rick Perry. In the letter he explained all he had done for his country, and how he was unable to collect unemployment due to the employees there not "receiving" his letters. Within in 6 days, a check was deposited into our account, along with retro pay for the two months prior. The relief and appreciation we felt is still present as I type this. 

Our veterans should not have to worry about health, well being, or a job when they return home. Their time would be better spent on getting reacquainted with the families they were apart from for so long. Deployments put a lot of stress on a family and the one who feels it the most is often the children. It's horrible to imagine the children of veterans who offer their parent-or parents in some cases-to a country and returns them full of worry and stress; it just doesn’t seem fair. Hopefully in the years to come more will be done for our veterans; I believe we are already on our way.

Same Sex Marriage

I recently read an editorial in the New York Times, regarding same sex marriage. To be perfectly honest, I was originally against it. Marriage was first intended to be between a man and a woman, but in recent years, more gay and lesbian couples have joined in matrimony. One of the major arguments regarding same sex marriage is the sanctity of it will be lost if gays and lesbians are allowed to marry. Really?? Marriage has not been taken seriously by straight couples in quite some time. More marriages end in divorce, and have spoke people such as Tiger Woods and Kim Kardashian to keep the "sanctity" of it alive.Who am I or anyone else to stop same sex couples from wanting to have their relationship validated?

Currently there are only seven states that have passed a same sex marriage law. But what is stopping others from passing the law? I believe it can be summed up with one word; fear. This is the same word that caused hesitation to let African Americans have the same rights as Whites, and it was also felt when women wanted to voice their opinion and vote. People do not like change. But I believe as a country we are ready. The gay/lesbian community is not asking for people to agree and join in on their lives, they're just asking for their relationships to be taken seriously by the country they work for and live in. America seems to forget that many of the men and women fighting for us come home and must hide their partners from everyone. I am for equality for all; I support gay marriage.

Sexual Violence in the Military

On March 8, 2012, The New York Times posted a comment in their editorial section, on the lack of action that has been taken to protect American women serving in the military, who are sexually assaulted. According to a 2006 between 23 and 33 percent of uniformed women had been assaulted. The author begins to explain how there might very well be more women, and men, who are assaulted, but are crippled by fear and therefore choose not to come forward. From there details are given of how Defense Secretary Leon Panetta claims to have a zero tolerance policy for these types of crimes, but yet has done little more than okay a poster to be hung, that reads: Ask her when she's sober."

I am glad some light is being shed on this heinous crime. When women join the military, many are looking to better themselves by fighting and serving their country. With that being said, it is ridiculous that more has not been done to protect them. And sadly it does not stop with sexual assault, but domestic violence, rape, and harassment. But what are the consequences are given to the accusers? The author explains that many are given the opportunity to just resign from their job, without consequence. I respect the men and women of our military, but I do not believe they are above the law, and should not be treated as such. For women to perform well here in America, and while serving overseas as well, they must feel safe and secure. The only way this will resonate to them is if the government defends them in their time of need, instead of turning a blind eye on the matter. 

Value Our Families

On Monday February 20th, New York Times columnist, Frank Bruni, made a compelling argument on society's view on the traditional family values; or lack thereof. He has worked for the the Times since 1995, and has held various positions with the paper, including chief restaurant critic. Bruni is confused as to why gay men and lesbian women are not allowed to take part in something that solidifies a couple's love for one another.  He first begins his argument by reporting on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, vetoing a same sex marriage bill, that was recently passed by the legislation. This of course did not sit well with Bruni. He further begins to give statistics on how more than half of the births to American women under the age of 30, are unwed. And the divorce rate has reached between 40 and 50 percent for first time marriages, and increasing thereafter with additional unions. What I don't understand is if marriage is not taken seriously by most Americans, than why is the go-to argument that gay marriage will depreciate the sanctity of marriage?

Personally I could not agree more with Bruni. He makes a wonderful argument without ranting. I consider myself a Christian, and I have read what the Bible says about a person being gay. For the record, yes it does that being gay is a sin, but this does not validate the hypocrisy many Christians express. They're constantly unwilling to point out, that under the same passage of sin is to not lie, cheat, or steal; something many politicians-John Edwards-seem to forget (I'm not exactly sure how Edwards ties into this, I just highly despise him). Gay marriage would not take away from the "traditional values" that America is based on. And what exactly are American Values? And who is to judge? We seem to all forget a time where "Real America" was thought of as a country made of White Americans; and now we have a black President. I am completely for the union of two people who truly love one another, and who are willing to face the challenges of life together. We can't choose who we fall in love with or our sexual preference, but we can choose equality for everyone. 

Obama Acts to Calm Furor on Birth Control Coverage Rule

On Friday February 10th, The New York Times reported on President Obama's new administration rule, making insurance companies responsible for offering free birth control to female employees. This new plan of action would also include insurance companies that are run by Roman Catholic hospitals.  After reading the article, I was happy that finally more emphasis would be placed on prevention, instead of assuming every pregnancy is wanted. This would bring the population rate down dramatically, and our tax dollars would not be used to fund the millions of families that are on a food stamp program. Furthermore, I believe the Catholic church  should not be allowed to have a say in how the government handles the new administration rule. They can voice their opinions, but ultimately they should not get to vote on the topic.