Leave Planned Parenthood Alone

    Planned Parenthood has always been a rival to Conservatives. This is because Planned Parenthood offers Abortion procedures, and to Conservatives, that is simply an abomination and unacceptable. Although, one wonders whether Conservatives know that Planned Parenthood is a health care provider that offers much more, for they offer birth control, Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) help and knowledge on the various diseases, knowledge on a variety of women's health issues (Cervical Cancer, Menstruation, etc), and much more. Why would a group of people, especially women who belong to this group, want to bring down an organization that cares for the welfare of women? I hope this doesn't happen, for I believe Planned Parenthood is working to help women. 

    Planned Parenthood has faced being shut down and defunded by Conservatives within the last couple of months, for they want to shut down PP and invest in other women's clinics that don't perform abortions. I thought this fight was finished after Roe vs. Wade. The country and it's people have already spoken on the abortion issue, for we voted that women have the right to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy. Also, this organization has done such a great service to women and girls in  need. For goodness sake, they offer knowledge on abstinence. They aren't a clinic purely to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, they are a clinic that firstly helps women to know how to prevent them. Nonetheless, the law is set, and it states that abortions are legal. That should be enough for the conservatives to know that they do not have the right to defund/shutdown an organization purely because it performs legal procedures that help women. 

    All in all, I believe in Planned Parenthood, and it's practices that support women's health and right's. This shouldn't still be a debatable issue, for it was settled decades ago. A women's body is her own, and PP has supported this stance. Planned Parenthood has been following the law, so why don't the Conservatives? To all of the Conservatives, if you want to come after an organization, find a legitimate and illegal issue tied to said corporation. Stop being children and going after health care provider that performs procedures that don't "sit right" with you. Exactly.

RE: Toes on the Nose, Eye on the Prize: Daylight Saving Time; Is It Really Saving Anything?

According to my fellow Colleagues blog, Toes on the Nose, Eye on the Prize, they write that Daylight Savings time isn't really saving anybody anything, for it's only still around for the ever important economy. As someone who doesn't really pay attention to it due to modern phones automatically adapting to time changes, this article got me thinking, and I realized that I experience a harder time sleeping during this time of the year, so I absolutely agree with their view. Thankfully due to electricity, and our accessibility to light, we shouldn't put our bodies through unhealthy and unnecessary changes.

In their post, they write that other states, Arizona and Hawaii, have already abolished Daylight Savings Time, so why haven't we? I understand that it's hard to change something that has been apart of society for decades of years, but we, the United States citizens and Government, need to adapt to the times. Arizona and Hawaii have already realized and come to terms with this unneeded change due to modern advancements, and it's time everyone follows. In the post it states, "Farmers have always been staunch opponents of the daylight saving time and oddly they are the group of people that most believe we adopted the DST for." This is an interesting point because I could understand if the modern day farmers of the 21st century have adapted to this change, for it would be hard going backwards, but they haven't. In fact, they oppose it, and these farmers are growing and producing our food. In my opinion, I think we should do anything that would make these people's lives easier. Especially a mundane time change that many people don't even pay attention to nor do they know the reason for it.

All in all, I agree with my colleagues points and opinions. Daylight Savings Time is just another pre-historic custom that American's haven't tossed out yet. I'm sure that life will go one just as it has for centuries if we don't get that extra hour of sleep. 

Bernie Sanders for President?

     What would you, the reader, think about a future president who opposes Large Banks, wants to make public college free and who is in favor of increasing the taxation of the top 1%? I would hope one would be for in favor of that certain candidate. Well, that candidate is Bernie Sanders. I will vote for Bernie Sanders because I think he should be the next United States President.

     Bernie Sanders, from what i've gathered, is an incredibly genuine and honest person. If one knows anything about past presidents or politics in general, then they would know that it's rare to find someone like this in the elections. For example, in interviews, Sanders never voices his future plans for the country without offering ways to make that plan a reality which in simple terms is "this guy isn't just all talk". In an interview, "Real Time with Bill Maher: Interview with Senator Bernie Sanders," Sander's makes a statement stating that he wants the country to offer free public college, and when Bill Maher asks how he'll do this, Bernie states that he plans to tax those high paid wall street fellows who drive cars that could pay for twenty-five public college tuitions. This is a logical and possible way to make public college a reality. As someone who has closely followed politics for a number of years and has seen candidates talk a lot with no action behind it, it's refreshing to see a transparent candidate who offers a possible roadmap to a promising future.

     As stated up above, Bernie Sanders is an incredibly honest person which goes hand in hand with him not caring about what the people think of him. As a president, you must care about the people, but you don't let them sway your ideals. Sander's has made it known that he believes in socialism, and to a lot of capitalist Americans, that's a bad thing; however, Sander's is high in the polls. One must ask why? It's because he's confident, and this is the kind of person the United States needs right now. Sander's has already shown that he cares about the people by his views on raising minimum wages, believing in women's rights, etc., so lets let him lead us. One can say that if someone has shown that they are honest, and their honest opinions are in favor of the people, LET US REJOICE!

     All in all, I vote YES for Bernie Sanders, and I hope you will too. At the end of the day we, the citizens of this country, need a strong and confident leader who's in our favor to lead us back to the top. Let's vote YES for Bernie and get rid of the ever growing gap between the rich and the poor. Let's vote YES for Bernie and say goodbye to citizens being denied college due to low minimum wage pay. Let's vote YES for Bernie and the United States will be great again.

          

Are Children the New Adults in the Justice System?

According to a CNN article written by Philip Holloway, which argues the idea of whether children in the United States should be tried as adults for committing adult crimes, “Should 11-year olds be charged with adult crimes?” Philip Holloway believes that children aren’t old enough to be held accountable for their crimes; therefore, they shouldn’t be tried as adults in a courtroom.

In the article, Holloway states that he has twenty-eight years of experience working in prisons and was led to believe that their sole purpose was to rehabilitate rather than punish. I agree with Holloway completely. Sending an eleven-year old child to prison will not teach them that what they did was wrong, for they wouldn’t be old enough to understand because they aren’t able to comprehend the severeness of said crime. In the article it states, “There is little if any evidence to suggest that treating juveniles as adults in the criminal justice system decreases crime or has any deterrent effect. In fact, what evidence does exist suggests the opposite. Studies show that incarcerating children more often than not results in higher rates of recidivism; essentially, it turns children into hardened criminals.” If there isn’t proof that sending these kids to jail won’t deter them from committing another crime, why send them? Children do not belong in an adult prison where they face the chance of being raped and hardened as human beings. We, human beings and United States Citizens, continually treat children as if they are helpless little people who need constant guidance. They will not find the necessary guidance in an adult prison. Instead, they will be traumatized and turn into the criminal that everyone believed them to be.

All in all, Hollaway believes that children are salvageable human beings and shouldn’t be tossed away. We allow adults to plead insanity, which states that the person who committed said crime wasn’t in their right mind; therefore, they can’t be held accountable, so why aren’t we considering this when it comes to children? These are the children whose brains haven’t fully developed yet and won’t for many years. The adults in this society need to make up their minds and decide whether or not they want children intermixed in their world. As long as a child is advised not to watch a movie on prison life that contains violence and sex, they shouldn't be put at risk of being put in one.

Giving Justice to the Just

According to a CNN article written by Cory Booker, which portrays the idea that if a person has lived out their prison sentence, they should be given a fair opportunity when looking for a job post prison life, "Cory Booker: How to give former inmates a second chance, " Booker believes that it would be in the United States best interest to give people with criminal records fair job opportunities. 

Booker is an African American United States Senator (2013-present) and was Mayor of Newark, NJ (2006-2013). He's directing this article towards corporations and companies of the United States because they are the ones that aren't hiring people with criminal records. I agree with Booker and his points. In the article he references a study that was conducted by the University of Wisconsin which states, "17% of whites with a criminal record were given a call back, only 5% of African Americans were given that same opportunity to continue in the interview process." It's not fair that these men and women who have lawfully paid for their crimes continually be punished for past wrongs; therefore, it’s equally, if not more so, unfair that African American men and women are more severely discriminated against. These men and woman are sent to prison in order to pay for their crimes and learn from their mistakes, so if they do that, why are we still treating them as if they just committed said crime? Booker also references that recidivism, a criminal relapsing into criminal behavior, is a direct effect of people with criminal records being denied jobs; therefore, it’s a cause and effect situation which can get better with a little compassion and understanding.

Booker concludes with stating that many businesses around the nation have started hiring people with criminal backgrounds. A group of Senators and Representatives have proposed the “Fair Chance Act” which proposes the idea that a business won’t be able to see a person’s criminal history until after they have gone through the beginning hiring stages. This helps said person to start with a clean slate and have a chance to present themselves without being defined by their past. I completely support this Act and Booker’s stance on Inmates having a second chance at life. These people don’t become less qualified or less intelligent when in prison, so why are they treated as damaged goods? If this Act is passed, recidivism rates would cut dramatically; therefore, prisons wouldn’t be overflowing with inmates which would cut down on tax support to prisons. This would also invoke a sense of hope for people with criminal backgrounds, for they would know that the American Justice System is rooting for them. The benefits of this are overwhelming and would help this country immensely. The justice system needs to do exactly what it is meant to do, give justice to the just.

Donald Trump anti-Muslim?

According to CNN's article, "Trump doesn't challenge anti-Muslim questioner at event," Donald Trump is still skeptical about Obama's religious background. In 2011, Trump questioned Obama's citizenship until Obama publicly released a copy of his birth certificate, but even then, there were still skeptics and are to this day. More recently, in Rochester, New Hampshire, a man made a rather racist comment to Donald Trump about Muslims. The man stated, " We have a problem in this country. It's called Muslims. You know our current president is one." Trump chuckled and didn't scold the man for his racist statement, but rather, he continued on to another audience member. Naturally, many people are outraged including Hilary Clinton, Chris Christie, and Keith Ellison. Hilary Clinton comments, "I am appalled", and Keith Ellison remarks that it's a "lack of moral courage." Trump is now being compared to an incident where John McCain, Republican nominee of 2008, told an audience member that Obama was a "good family man." In response to this, Trump's Campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, stated that Trump did not hear the first question and that he would be canceling his trip to South Carolina.

This is yet another reason why you, the readers, the citizens of the United states need to read this article and other's pertaining to the presidential election/political events. This country does not need a man who has continually shown us his racist fueled opposition to muslims.

Hello!