Blog #8

In her blog post, “Guns” Mari talks about how addressing our country's rampant gun problem is extremely important. 

As much as I'd love it, I don't think we will ever have an outright gun ban. Americans view the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as sacred and are reluctant to ever make any changes to it. An outright ban on guns would clearly violate the 2nd amendment so I don't see how we would go about it. We must make sensible gun legislation that restricts access to guns (especially assault rifles) a priority.

Cory Booker released a proposal on what he plans to do regarding gun control if he were to be elected President and I think it’s a major step in the right direction. His proposal states that he would require anyone who wanted to purchase a gun to submit their fingerprints, basic background information, and complete a certified, gun safety course. Booker goes further and states that he would eliminate loopholes that make it possible for a domestic abuser and people on the terrorist watch list to obtain guns. Cory Booker is not my preferred candidate, but I appreciate his platform on gun control.  I hope to see the other 2020 Democratic Candidates follow suit.

For too long now, our country has been plagued by gun violence. We have sat around idly while innocent people die. It is unfathomable that we haven’t passed any major legislation to try to prevent more tragedies from occurring. 

Since the mid-twentieth century, the issue of global climate change has become increasingly evident and is now not only undeniable but incredibly dire. Since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has caused CO2 levels to dramatically, causing great damage to the ozone layer. This, in turn, has resulted in sea levels rising, general weather patterns changing, and an alarming increase in natural disasters. It is imperative that action is taken here in the United States on a governmental level in order to help reverse these catastrophic effects. 

In the last few months, many Democratic candidates have announced their candidacy in the 2020 presidential election. Combatting climate change has been a cornerstone of many campaigns and will continue to be a hot-button topic in the primaries.

I have personally enjoyed researching each candidate’s plan to change policy related to climate change, as each candidate is devising big solutions for a big problem. 

For example, current New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand plans to put a price on carbon, combat unemployment through creating waste management jobs, and back the New Green Deal. Elizabeth Warren, my favorite potential 2020 democratic candidate, also endorses the New Green Deal. She has also placed a great emphasis on repairing and replacing current infrastructure, as well as taking revenue from her Ultra-Millionaire Tax to support her proposals. 

Though the problem of fighting global climate change is incredibly daunting and pressing to say the least, it gives me hope that we have such passionate and capable leaders to bring this issue to the forefront of America’s political agenda.

In his blog post, “Our Government, The Media, and Anti-Muslim Sentiment”, L. Anderson argues that since the terrorist attack on September 11^th, 2001, Islamophobia in America has vastly increased. He goes on to say that the anti-Muslim sentiment is still being used as an “inflammatory media and political tool”, especially by the current administration. He ends his post by citing the recent attacks Rep. Ilhan Omar faced to demonstrate how the administration has weaponized the tragedy of 9/11 to create “unrest and division.”

I agree wholeheartedly with L. Anderson. Trump has continuously tried to vilify Muslims with the intention of inciting hate and creating division. At the beginning of his term, Trump signed an Executive Order that banned people from 7 predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. There was absolutely no evidence to suggest that this would make the U.S any safer. It is clear that the only reason he issued this executive order was to try to encourage the public to irrationally fear all Muslims. It is telling that the President will fabricate reasons to fear and act against Muslims, yet, he won’t even mention the very real rise in white nationalism in the U.S. 

L. Anderson effectively highlights how Islamophobia has now become a political tool. In a time where the leader of our country ignorantly spews out vitriol to divide us, we must realize that no identity, whether it be race or religion, is inherently evil.

The 46^th President of the United States needs to be the antithesis of Donald Trump. America is at a critical point- the problems we face as a country are mounting. To tackle these issues the next president should possess an in-depth knowledge of policy and how the government operates. She needs to lead with compassion- caring for all Americans, especially the most vulnerable. She must come equipped with experience- prepared to deal with the looming threats that endanger our nation, such as climate change and the rise in white nationalism. The candidate that best embodies these qualities is Senator Elizabeth Warren.

Elizabeth Warren has frequently been labeled a “policy wonk” due to her deep understanding of domestic and foreign issues. Not only is she able to accurately pinpoint the underlying causes of problems, but she is also able to present comprehensive solutions. The Democratic primary has just begun; however, Sen. Warren has already started to showcase her affinity for policy. Since she announced her candidacy, Elizabeth Warren has unveiled a series of policy proposals. These detailed proposals give clear insight into how passing sensible legislation is at the forefront of her priorities. This is a stark juxtaposition to Trump’s vague and fickle policy stances.

The first policy proposal Sen. Warren revealed was her plan for universal child care. This plan would create government-funded daycares. Families would be charged on a sliding scale, up to a maximum of 7 percent of their income. Daycare staff would be thoroughly trained and paid salaries similar to public school teachers. This plan would be funded by a wealth tax on families that have at least $50 million in assets. Early childhood care costs should not be comparable to college tuition.  In a country as rich as ours, affordable childcare should be an option for all parents, regardless of income. This proposal exemplifies how Elizabeth Warren intends to pursue legislation that benefits everyone, not just a select few. 

Although Sen. Warren is currently my first choice, it is still early. We must continue to observe the candidates and their campaigns in the months to come. The Democratic Primary is filled with strong contenders and I can’t wait to see it all unfold.

"Republicans don't want to curb anti-Semitism; they want to weaponize it"

“Republicans don’t want to curb anti-Semitism; they want to weaponize it” is an article written by Adam Peck and published by ThinkProgress. In this article, Peck argues that the Republican Party’s attempt to lure Jewish voters demonstrates nothing but hypocrisy. He points out that Jewish voters have long been a fundamental part of the Democratic Party’s base coalition and the Republicans weaponization of anti-Semitism is an effort to undermine that.

Recently, both Republicans and Democrats rabidly accused Rep. Ilhan Omar of anti-Semitism due to some remarks she made on twitter.  Holding elected officials accountable is something politicians and constituents ought to do. However, Peck highlights how Republicans only call out anti-Semitism when it can benefit them politically but stay silent when it comes to blatant anti-Semitism in their own party. Peck even goes on to say that “If Jewish voters make up the base constituency of Democratic voters, anti-Semites have become vocal supporters of Republicans.”

According to the author, the Republicans, especially Trump and the White House, are creating the perception that there is a growing movement of Jews leaving the Democratic Party.  A far-right Trump campaign adviser has even gone to great lengths to validate this false notion by promoting “Jexodus”, which is simply the Republicans attempt to astroturf or mask where the message is originating.

While Peck’s message is clearly intended for a more liberal audience, his arguments are valid and supported by examples and opinions of subject matter experts, such as Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. “Any time you create a new term for the purpose of utter partisan politics, it’s really damaging, and I think it’s the dangerous weaponization of anti-Semitism”, said Pesner.

The Green New Deal Is Better Than Our Climate Nightmare, an editorial by The New York Times’ Editorial Board, argues that while the Green New Deal resolution may be overly ambitious, it is valuable because it is moving climate to the forefront of discussion. 

The Editorial Board highlights that although the goal of meeting 100 percent of the power demand in the United States through renewable and zero-emission energy sources in 10 years isn’t realistic, we have the technological capabilities to make substantial progress in this area. They do this by stating how in the last decade “wind capacity has increased more than fourfold” and that solar power increased at an even faster rate. The Editorial board goes on to say that 10 years ago electric cars were just a “curiosity” and now more than a million have been sold in the U.S. This underscores how far we have advanced as a society when it comes to reducing our carbon emissions, but we still have much to be done before we can become completely carbon-free.

The Editorial Board does an effective job conveying its message to their intended audience, the American people. They very clearly lay out that they believe the Green New Deal is overly ambitious, with their being little to no chance that we reach the goals it lists. However, the Editorial Board acknowledges that the Green New Deal is moving the country into a sensible direction, especially when compared to President Trump’s “bone-headed policies” regarding climate change.

Today, on February 15^th, the Washington Post released an article titled “Shutdown averted: President Trump has signed a sweeping spending bill hours before funding expired for parts of the government”.  Shortly after being approved by Congress, President Trump signed the spending bill.

While the US has avoided another government shutdown following the longest government shutdown in US history, President Trump has declared a state of emergency to fund the border wall.

President Trump laid out his case for declaring a national emergency during a press conference. He stressed that “we’re talking about invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, with all types of criminals and gangs”. However, he never presented any data to support his claim.

Democrats viewed the President’s actions as unconstitutional, stating that they are looking into various responses they could take to prevent him from receiving any funds for his self-contrived emergency.