Editorial #5

I read an editorial about how politicians who go against the health care bill will not be supported. Some Republicans are campaigning on the fact that they will repeal the health care bill. However, most of the immediate effects of that bill will be ones that people will like, such as tax credits for small businesses who provide health care. The article referenced a republican presidential candidate of 1936 campaigned to repeal the Social Security bill, and he lost by a lot. I wonder if the republicans will learn from their history? I think that if politicians go against a bill that could help so many people, it could end some careers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/19/AR2010031902636.html

Editorial #4

The Article "Enough panda obsession! Throw your arms around the new octopus" is about how the national zoo should pay more attention to the new octopus it just got than to the panda. It not-so-subtly compares Washington's politicians to octopi(brilliant, with many grasping arms, disguises, and eating habits). She also compares the panda to our economic dependence with China, because the zoo pays millions of dollars to keep up the panda habitat and feed it massive amounts of bamboo. The octopus is smart, has three hearts, and is much less expensive than the panda.

I found this article fairly amusing. Comparing Washington D.C to an octopus is definitely an absurd idea, but it was well-supported in the article. I think that our government should not spend so much money on unnecessary things, but that that kind of spending keeps us high in the opinions of other nations. However, the change to a smarter, less appearance-oriented country is one I would welcome. I think that politicians do use disguise and other unsavory methods to get things done, and that probably won't change.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/08/AR2010030803875.html?sid=ST2010030804858

Editorial #3

Iraq has elections coming up and Obama has important decisions to make about relations with the new government and how many troops to pull out. He has for the most part not been very active in Iraq, because of all the problems Bush had with it. However, Iraq could become a democratic ally to the US and a big producer of oil in the middle east.

I think that if the US helps set up a government in Iraq, it might be good for the people there, but it wouldn't be a true democracy. The US would be doing this for oil, not because of good ideology, anyway. Obama has done a nice job putting the mistake in Iraq behind us, while not just leaving a mess behind.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/06/AR2010030601945.html

Editorial #2

Students in Winston Churchill High School in Montgomery County were caught changing their grades. That is a misdemeanor there, so the police got involved. Usually cheating is handled by the school, but this time it was handled more harshly by the law.

The author of this editorial thought that the police involvement was justified, and cheating should always be handled more strictly. I think that if you don't do something, you should not get the credit or the consequences for it. If the consequences for cheating in High School become very severe, and you are framed, then you will have your school career ruined for something you didn't do. The kids in High School are put through a lot and change a lot. Having life-long consequences for cheating in High School does not make sense to me.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030504237.html

Editorial #1

I read an editorial about the Supreme court rulings on gun control laws. The Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that a complete ban on guns is unconstitutional in D.C., but kept a ban on guns not kept in businesses or stored disassembled or locked. There is a case being considered in the Supreme Court on the gun control laws in the states. The 14th amendment protects people against the states taking away any rights without due process of law. The ruling will probably extend the 2008 ruling, and have consequences for other rights like the right to health care and wellfare, which, like gun ownership, were not previously considered fundamental rights of the constitution.

I think cities and states should be able to decide whether or not to enact gun control laws. I think that one law on gun ownership would not be optimal for all states.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030502873.html?nav=hcmoduletmv