Same-sex marriage (also called gay marriage) is a legally or socially recognized marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Same-sex marriage is a civil rights, political, social, moral, and religious issue in many nations. The conflicts arise over whether same-sex couples should be allowed to enter into marriage, be required to use a different status, or not have any such rights. A related issue is whether the term "marriage" should be applied. Kristin M. Perry v. Arnold Schwarzenegger:A federal judge in San Francisco struck down California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, handing a temporary victory to gay rights advocates in a legal battle that seems all but certain to be settled by the Supreme Court.
Current Event: Gay Public High School Opens!
The first stand-alone public high school for homosexuals in New York City will open this fall with 100 "gay" students. According to a report in the New York Post, the new Harvey Milk High School currently is undergoing a $3.2 million publicly funded renovation. The homosexuals-only program has operated with just two classrooms for two decades, but now is expanding.
I support gay marriage! I don't believe that it is fair for someone to judge another person for what they believe in, or limit that person to what they can do about their beliefs. Regardless of their sexes, if they love each other than that's all that matters. Would it be okay to you if people had to vote on whether or not you could marry your lover? I have gay friends and they are great people who don't deserve that :)
For most of human history, marijuana has been completely legal. It’s not a recently discovered plant, nor is it a long-standing law. Marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it’s been in use. Its known uses go back further than 7,000 B.C. and it was legal as recently as when Ronald Reagan was a boy. The hemp plant has also been used for everything from fabric and rope to ethanol fuel. Hemp was such a critical crop for a number of purposes that the government went out of its way to encourage growth. The United States Census of 1850 counted 8,327 hemp “plantations” (minimum 2,000-acre farm) growing cannabis hemp for cloth and canvas as well. Marijuana has been used throughout history in many different cultures to change mood, perception, and consciousness - in other words, to get high! Its effects range from increasing creativity to provoking mystical experiences, to heightening the capacity to feel, sense and share. After alcohol, it is the most popular of what are called "recreational drugs." Gonzales v. Raich, (2005), was decision by the United States Supreme Court ruling that under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, the United States Congress may criminalize the production and use of home-grown cannabis even where states approve its use for medicinal purposes.
Californians vote on legal weed
Current event(2010): California residents are expected to vote this year on whether legalization should be approved to raise nearly $1.4 billion in state revenue. That's based on an estimate from the State Board of Equalization, a tax administration agency. This form of legalization is not restricted to medicinal use of marijuana. The bill proposes that marijuana be regulated and taxed in a similar way to alcohol. According to the bill, people would have to be 21 years or older to possess, cultivate, or transport marijuana for personal use. Californians would not be permitted to use the drug in public or within the presence of minors, and would not be allowed to possess it on school grounds.
I honestly do not believe that anything positive or constructive could come from legalizing marijuana.Why make it okay for people to damage their own bodies and minds, and then potentially the people around them? I mean sure the crime rate would be reduced if it becomes legal but the crime rate would also decrease if burglary and murder was allowed. And if the state of Cali would legalize marijuana as another way to take someone's money, then that's just selfish. What good can come of marijuana?
Health care costs have been rising for several years. Stemming this growth has become a major policy priority, as the government, employers, and consumers increasingly struggle to keep up with health care costs. In 2008, U.S. health care spending was about $7,681 per resident and accounted for 16.2% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product; this is among the highest of all industrialized countries.Although Americans benefit from many of the investments in health care, the recent rapid cost growth, coupled with an overall economic slowdown and rising federal deficit, is placing great strains on the systems used to finance health care, including private employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and public insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
In August a federal judge in Richmond, Virginia, refused to throw out a lawsuit filed by the state's attorney general challenging the constitutionality of President Barak Obama's planned overhaul of the nation's health care system. An 18 Oct federal court hearing in the same city will decide whether the national health care law complies with requirements of the Constitution or exceeds the powers granted to Congress. The case represents an opening volley in the legal challenges by Republican-led states to the Democrat-led overhaul. Few observers expect the issue to be settled until the Supreme Court has weighed-in on the mandate that Americans buy health insurance by 2014 or face a fine. Total Health Care Spending
Does our government's health care plan need reforming?
Yes, i think that everyone should be provided health care. There are many people who's lifespan depends on health insurance. People are dying everyday w/o having any health insurance at any time because the government hasnt acted apon this issue. My grandmother suffers from diabetes as well and i want to when is the govt going to take action.
The background history of Abortion goes back to the 1800's when laws forbid the act after 16 weeks of conception. By the early 1900's the act was completely outlawed but even at that, women were still having abortions. Back then the procedure was very unsafe but even with the risks involved there were those who still sought after unscrupulous physicians who would do the procedure. So when did abortion become legal? The procedure became legal in 1973 through a well known Supreme Court case. This ruling took precedence over state laws that banned abortion. In 1973, in the landmark case of Roe vs. Wade, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution provided a fundamental right for women to obtain abortions.
Is abortion wrong if the fetus cannot feel pain?
Dr. Janice Crouse(arguing from a conservative side) believes that life begins a the time of conception while others believe that life doesnt begin until the egg develops into a fetus and it is able to feel pain. Monica Potts(arguing from a liberal side) says: conservatives use fetal pain to prove that abortion is wrong. Liberals say that abortion is more of a public health issue. Women are hurting themselves by getting back-alley abortions and whatnot. They also say that most abortions are done early in pregnancy before the fetus is actually a baby. It all boils down to the womans rights or the baby's rights!
I, myself, am more pro-life than anything. Yes i understand that there are some circumstances where it easy to consider abortion but there are other alternatives such as adoption. Whether the fetus can feel the pain or not doesn't matter. Once it is conceived, it has a right to its life just as much as you do to yours! If someone is paralyzed from the neck down, is it okay to kill them since they cant feel any pain? I didn't think so
