Politics is the heartbeat of our nation. Politics go beyond numbers and chambers. Politics shows the drama, excitement and cutthroat ways of the U.S. Government.
John Boehner and Mitch Mcconnell lead a red wave set out to take down the progress of a six-year administration. On the other side of the aisle, President Obama and his progressive supporters are set to defend what they’ve worked so hard to build. The United States is a great nation built on freedom and justice with two factions fighting each other. Every week, I will take the news highlights of the day or week, and a provide analyses with a forward approach.
[divider] [/divider]POST #3:
PROPOSED MARIJUANA BILL
In early March, Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill that would limit the federal government’s ability to crack down on state level medical marijuana laws. The federal government has in a hard battle with the District of Columbia ever since the district legalized medical marijuana. The Obama administration, along with a few Republicans in congress, have tried to crack down on states that have looser marijuana laws or states that have legalized the substance. Under federal law, marijuana remains illegal in any form and is categorized as a drug. This contradicts the laws of states and have caused doctors and physicians to avoid distributing the substance because of the pressure from the federal government.
There are four main parts of the senate bill that, if passed, will drastically change how marijuana is treated by the federal government. The first is reclassifying the substance from a harmful drug to a less harmful drug able to be used for medical use. This would open the freedom of dispensaries to sell the substance without pressure. Currently 23 states, along with the District of Columbia, have legalized medical marijuana.
A major economic hurdle most medical dispensaries face when distributing medical marijuana is being forced to use a cash only transaction policy. Banks are too afraid of being prosecuted as money launderers by the federal government and therefore won’t serve clients in the medical marijuana business—estimated to be a $1 billion dollar industry. The senate bill would give distributors the ability to use a bank like a traditional business and make transactions easier for customers. Lastly, the bill would remove restrictions related to using marijuana for research.
[divider] [/divider]POST #2:
Land of equal opportunity not so equal
March 4, 2015: Six months ago there was an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown that was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri by a white police officer named Darren Wilson. The media’s reaction caused a public uproar. Twitter blew up with users using #blacklivesmatter to show their support for Michael Brown.
Following the news, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said they would investigate the Ferguson police department to see if racial profiling was a factor in the incident. The report, released just this week on March 4, stated that Darren Wilson, the police officer, would not be charged in federal court for racial profiling. The DOJ however concluded that the Ferguson police department “routinely violates the rights of African-Americans”. In a city of 21,135 people, about 33,000 people have been issued arrest warrants for minor offenses, like parking violations, by the majority white police force. A shocking discovery by the DOJ was a set of emails that were sent between the Ferguson police department that were racially charged. Leading up to the 2012 election when Barack Obama was a candidate, an officer sent an email to another officer with a racist comment about Obama. It said, “What black man holds a steady job for four years?” This heartless email was sent on the topic of a black woman: “A black woman in New Orleans was admitted to a hospital to end her pregnancy and then got a check two weeks later from Crime Stoppers, because she prevented a crime.”
A police force is supposed to help protect the rights of citizens, not become a force of racial superiority. The Ferguson police department is wrong and corrupt, but the DOJ stated that they have the capacity to change and hopefully they do. The last thing the US needs is an eyesore for the rest of the war to magnify. #Blacklivesmatter
[divider] [/divider]POST #1: JANUARY
The GOP (Short for Grand Old Party) started the inaugural week of Congress with a bang. Using their control over the U.S. House and Senate, Republicans attempted to pass an anti-abortion bill which would limit abortions after a designated date after conception. To the average American, watching these events unfold seems like another attempt by Conservatives to revoke the Roe v. Wade decision years ago. The bill is clearly part of the Republican Party’s strategy to glide them into a potential victory in the 2016 presidential election.
[one_third]A major factor in the abortion issue is the changing demographics of voters in America. [/one_third]
Given that Roe v. Wade happened 42 years ago, the demographics which the Republican party hope to pull support from when they go on these pro-life crusades are not there anymore. A major factor in the abortion issue is the changing demographics of voters in America. Baby boomers who are thought to be hardline conservatives are becoming a minority in the voting sphere as millennials gain their voting rights. Millennials are young energetic and in desperate need for change. These young voters have experienced the economic hardships of the recent recession and are disappointed at the two wars the Bush administration dragged the country into. Unlike their parents and grandparents, these voters are champions of liberal rights and show their support for LGBT groups along with pro-choice advocates. The Republicans are catering to an old group who will soon make up the minority of voters come 2016. With the way they’ve been acting recently, there is no chance they will be able to win in 2016.
When it comes to potential presidential candidates, the party isn’t going anywhere if flip floppy Mitt Romney wants to run again in the 2016 election. In the 1994 Massachusetts election against Democrat Ted Kennedy, Romney was grilled by Kennedy because of a statement Romney had made about being pro-choice. Romney was a believer in universal health care in the 1994 debate but in 2012, believed that Obama was a communist because of Obamacare (Universal Affordable Health Care).
Romney isn’t doing to hot in the polls if he has a 20% approval rating for the primary (according to a November poll conducted by CNN/ORC). Take a look to the other side of the aisle and HIllary Clinton, who hasn’t announced her candidacy for president, is polling at around 60% for by her Democratic constituents (CNN/ORC). If this isn’t enough of an arrow to the knee for the Republicans, the Supreme Court is expected to legalize gay marriage. Republicans can’t respond to this like how they have been doing for the past 50 years because a large wave of young voters are mostly supporters of the legislation. Instead, the Republican party is going to have to sit back and watch as millions of Americans gain their rights to marry the person they love, no matter what gender.
Just as things were getting good for the good ol’ GOP, things are beginning to turn south and fast. Republicans have two years to prove that they can get the job done and with a presidential election looming in 2016, containing yet another large group of young progressive voters, the Republican party better watch out.
