Review - Climate Change

On Friday, April 28, 2017, Chance Love wrote a commentary for The Love Administration blog entitled, Climate Change. Love speaks passionately about the environment and his concern for properly caring for it. He goes on to express that damage that is being done and his disappointment in our government for what he sees as a lack of action on their part. It would appear that he is extremely disappointed in our President and in his lack of belief in global warming.

I believe that Love is genuinely concerned in the welfare and the environment that we are living in and in the apparent state of decline that it is in. I don’t think that our President is necessarily against supporting environmental change, I just think that he may have a different view on this subject and may be pursuing solutions in a different manner.

I do disagree with trying to point it towards the President as a negative thing though. The President himself is limited in what he can do. Everything that is done must pass through Congress first. Everyone knows that. According to an article on SNOPES, Al Gore, one of the most well-known environmentalists, has a home that consumes twenty times more electricity than an average household in an entire year. I think sometimes we get confused with what someone says, and with what a person actually does in real life.

Being the President is not an easy thing. There are millions of people watching your every move on a daily basis. Sometimes, they are not able to fufill all of the items that they have on their agenda.

The United States vs North Korea

Is World War III just on the horizon? Is war with North Korea going to be the next major confrontation that we are a part of? It would appear that North Korea is taunting the United States and daring them to take action. In a commentary found in USA Today, we are made aware that North Korea has test missiles near the Demilitarized Zone and they are threatening to blow one of our military ships out of the water.

Will our government be allowed to handle this war in our best interest or will this be played out in the media? President Trump has voiced his concern to China and instructed them to handle this, but if this doesn’t happen, he says that the U.S. will. Is diplomacy the best way to handle North Korea? There are thousands of people that will be affected if missiles are fired. It doesn’t appear that North Korea cares who is hurt in the process, their goal is to cause harm to the U.S.

The pressure that is put on our government to make decisions, and our military to perform the actions to defend our country, is great. It is more than just making an impulsive decision to go to war. There are lives to be considered and the aftermath to come. The young people of today have no experience with war or the effects that it can cause on our livelihood. The most memorable and recent act of terrorism on our own soil was back in 2001. Most of the young people today, were either not born or too young to remember the devastation that it caused. During the stressful time following the horrible attack on the Twin Towers, our country came together and became more unified in the goal to defend our homeland. Today, our country has become so lax when dealing with threats from other countries, and ususally tends to walk away rather than to engage. Will we do the same this time or will we stand up and be the country to be reckoned with like we used to be?

Review - Russia and U.S. Elections

In an article titled Russia and U.S. Elections posted on Washington Unfiltered, Chance Walters discusses the topic of our 2016 Presidential election and the role that Russia is accused of having in its outcome.

I completely agree with the statement that is made concerning a double-standard. The media had their minds made up before election day as to who was supposed to win. When their carefully laid plans did not pan out, they resorted to other means to try and discount the Trump Presidential win. I would also agree that cyber security is a big threat to our country. With the massive amounts of technological improvements that are constantly being made, there is a threat to us, and we must be vigilant in safeguarding our country.

To think that the media is not biased and doesn't show us only things they want us to see, is clearly not being honest. Do I think it works from both sides, yes. I am willing to acknowledge that. Do I think that Russia played a part in the Trump win? No, I do not. Trump had no prior political experience or intimate relations with Russia. Why or how would he have gained the knowledge or been able to contact Russia to set something like this up? Our government knows all. Would they not have know something like this? And if so, would they not have mentioned BEFORE they lost the election? Seems a little strange to me to pull out the Russia hacked us card.

2nd Amendment

On a daily basis, our 2^nd Amendment right is being challenged. Does the government have a right to change their mind on something as significant as our right to keep and bear arms? How far will they go in limiting us in one of our first and most important freedoms?

We are all aware that this is our 2^nd Amendment. In the degree of importance, this is right up there with our freedom of religion. This right was considered to be of utmost importance to our founding fathers. After all of the turmoil that our country went through in dealing with our separation from England, they wanted to make sure that we retained the right to defend and protect ourselves. Is it up to the government to regulate everything that we do? Are we supposed to just lay our guns down at the feet of the government and then hope that criminals do the same?

It has been proven that laws only affect the law-abiding. If a criminal is going to get a gun and shoot up a school, they are not going to follow the standards and protocols that are set forth to make sure that all the proper channels have been followed. They will meet someone downtown, behind a building, etc. and pay cash to purchase a lost/stolen fire arm. It is not the law-abiding, licensed gun owner who is shooting up our country.

The media presents a bias outlook on the destruction that firearms cause. No one is going to debate that they are deadly. However do they provide an honest comparison of deaths by firearms compared to deaths by traffic accidents? In a post on the CDC website, it lists deaths by traffic accidents as 10.6 per 100,000 and deaths by firearms as 10.5 per 100,000. Yet, if you went by what we see on TV, you would think that this number is completely off.

Don’t get me wrong. I do not have a problem with there being standards set or even background checks done before someone can purchase a firearm. I do think it is important that people are taught the dangers involved and the safety precautions that need to be used. Doesn’t our generation say “knowledge is power”? Knowing about guns and how to safely using them, empowers people. Knowing that I have the right and the ability to defend myself and my family against personal harm is paramount to my feeling of safety. Those that are true 2^nd Amendment supporters are not out there to buck the government or to shoot up the country, they just want to preserve their rights as free citizens. Since when did personal accountability go by the wayside? Why is the gun the guilty party and not the mindset of the person that used it? It is not the gun that kills people but the person behind it that pulls the trigger.

Healthcare

On, March 10, 2017, Chip Roy wrote a piece for the National Review titled Repeal Obamacare. In this commentary, Chip discusses the plight of healthcare for our country. He describes the extreme need that exists in comparison to the faulty program that has been put in place. There are so many problems that have been introduced by this plan that it seems to be more harmful than it is helpful. He expresses the conflict that exists between wanting to provide healthcare for all and yet eliminating the ability for companies to compete to provide this coverage. By removing the competitive edge to this, the government has in a sense, driven the price of healthcare up; the complete opposite of the plan’s original intention.

This article is written for all of the citizens in the United States that are affected by the high costs and the limited coverage that Obamacare provides. The opinion is stated in a very clear, factual basis, laying it out for us to read and evaluate the evidence for ourselves. I believe that he expresses genuine concern for where healthcare coverage stands today in our nation and the limitless possibilities with which it can improve. He even goes as far as to provide suggestions in ways to make this better. The points become valid when you realize that they come from someone who is actually touched by this situation as well. This is not from someone in government who has ties to this bill and who receives benefits from it. When we hear honest words from someone who truly wants to fix the program and make the system better, it becomes easier for us to accept and understand. Coming from someone who appears to have a conservative view, he is not afraid to call Republicans out on their faulty plan for fixing this system. To present a viable plan, you must be independent of either party and truly be speaking for the good of the whole country not just a political group.  

In Support of the Democratic View

On February 22, 2017, in the USA Today the editorial board wrote a commentary titled “What Democrats should resist: Our View”.  It was written as an encouragement to those who support the Democratic viewpoint and provided an opinion as to what areas to target in the current government. The writer proceeded to present ideas that suggested that the President and his supporters had plans for our country’s future that would not be able to come to pass. The idea of repealing the Affordable Care Act and restructuring tax brackets are suggested plans that Democrats don’t think will benefit the majority of our country. They also disagreed with the current plans in place to deal with our present situation of illegal immigrants. They suggested that there should be guidelines where exceptions could be made to the rule. Regardless of the fact that people are here by illegal means, this information doesn's seem to be considered in their decision making process.

The author presents valid points, but only searches long enough for data to support their claims when presenting this information. I would expect nothing less than full support of their political view. If this article had been written from the Republican stance on these issues, the outcome would have been just the opposite. Either side can find the supporting information that they need to persuade their audience that what they are doing is right.

In situations like these, sometimes there is no black or white but actually a grey area where we need to tread. Yes, there may be exceptions to the immigration rule, but ultimately those individuals came here by illegal means. Just as the Affordable Care Act may benefit some, in the end, it was ultimately forced on all Americans. We had no choice in the matter. We would be penalized if we did not partake of this plan. So yes, it might be a good concept, but the way it was executed is not the way it should have been. 

I believe that the author's argument is valid, however I do disagree with it. I beleive that supporting evidence can be found and presented that would benefit the more conservative view.

Immigration

On Friday, February 10, 2017, the Austin American Statesman posted an article dealing with the recent increased raids performed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Many advocacy groups are claiming that the increased number of raids is due to the actions being enforced by President Trump. The government stresses that these raids are focusing on removing those illegal immigrants that have criminal records. In defense of it's actions, ICE claims that this is no different than any other enforcement actions that they engage in.
This is a hot-topic that has very opposing views. It is difficult for many to separate the emotional from the legal. There are arguments for both sides. By reading this article, it will keep this issue in the for-front of our minds and keep us aware of how this is affecting those around. Our own city has been touched by these actions today and has caused outrage among many.