Critique Towards Colleagues Blog Post (Blog 8)

After reading my colleague Sareh Siddiqi's opinion on the current standing of U.S. gun control, especially regarding the extremely poor job the government is doing keeping guns out of mentally ill citizens, many agreeing and controverting thoughts come to mind. In her Blog titled, "Reason Why I'm Unsatisfied With The Government", Sareh goes on to show a great understanding of how difficult keeping guns out of peoples hands can really be but never really shows a realistic solution to how we can stop this. She mentions how there should be tougher pre-screenings for buying a gun and how medical history should be accessible by the seller before agreeing to sell a person a gun, but according to NBC News, 80% of the guns used in mass shootings in the past ten 10 years have all been legally acquired. On top of that, 61% of all gun-related suicides in the last 10 years have also been with legally obtained guns. NBC News also goes on to mention how almost all of these gunmen/suicide victims would have still been able to legally acquire these guns after medical and background screenings. Having this being said, I completely agree with Sareh in the fact that the U.S. government is doing a poor job with the current state of gun control however I do not agree with the fact that she states putting all of the blame on the government when there is only so much the government can do. I say this meaning that at the end of the day if a human really wanted to acquire a gun for whatever reason, there are plentiful ways for one to be acquired illegally in the matter of just a day whether it be on everyday sites like craigslist, or through the many gun trading websites that currently exist.

Although I disagree with Sareh on what she thinks needs to be done to make accessing a gun more difficult, I understand this is going to be extremely challenging for the government and I don't necessarily know what could be the best solution. Yet I truly think taking more affirmative action, for example, taking down the many gun exchange and related websites entirely from the internet will be more effective than requiring screenings that are often easily avoidable and sometimes not even mentioned. Like mentioned before, the government only has so many "eyes" on its citizens so the complete vanish of illegally purchased guns is nearly impossible in current society.

A Major Topic of Concern for Americans: "The Wall"

It seems to be as if one of the main topics of concern throughout President Trumps presidency is the security of national borders, with the most concerning location being the Mexican American border separating the U.S. and Mexico. Whether a fan of President Trump or not, we as Americans must hope for an effective solution to the problem as soon as possible. Before we address the possible outcomes we really have as Americans, we must acknowledge the fact that even though President Trump has really emphasized building a physical wall to separate the two countries, he has been in power for nearly two years now and we are yet to see the start of it, so keep that in mind as we focus on realistic solutions.

To begin, whether a fan of the physical wall Trump has many times mentioned or not, we need to act on the problem quickly because illegal immigration is becoming a direct threat to many different factors of the U.S.A. Many pros of building the physical wall include drastically decreasing the number of illegal immigrants that enter through Mexico, the wall would be easily patrolled in comparison to the level of difficulty of doing so is currently at, it would keep our nation "safer" rhetorically speaking, and lastly, it would protect the jobs of our hardworking Americans in terms of less competition. While looking at all of these great effects that would come with building the wall, one might think to immediately start the construction, until the cons are mentioned. Cons include the tremendous cost of an estimated 12 to 15 billion U.S. dollars (we are currently in debt), illegal immigration wouldn't stop altogether, and it serves as a literal discrimination towards Mexico potentially ruining a relationship we have worked years and years to build.

In conclusion, as Americans, we must determine the correct solution to this enormous national problem we are currently facing and we all shall all agree that in order to act upon the best solution (whatever it might be) we will have to sacrifice many things we think are white or wrong regardless of a political party.

"We Need a High Wall With a Big Gate" Critique (Blog Stage 3)

On Novermber 27 of 2018, Thomas Friedman, American Journalist of the NY Times, wrote a "thought sparking" article regarding the state of the US-Mexican border in the immidieate future. While Friedman dose a good job in analyzing the borders condition from both a democratic and republican point of view, he critisices both parties solution to the problem. Personally, i agree with the fact he mentioned about how Democrats need to be the adults in the situation and offer a more realistic and comprehensive approach to handeling the problem instead of only being in oppose to the republicans dream of building the big wall. After stating both sides solutions and possibilities for the countries issue of national border security, Friedman tends to keep on mentioning how despite your political view, this problem must be resolved as soon as possible and that he believes democrats are going to have to be the "adults" and work together to make an impactful solution. I really like his claim and idea as I am one who believes this issue must be resolved quickly, no matter how dificult it will really be.

Lastly, Friedman does a great job of listing the major pros and cons that illigal immigrants provide for our nation. This article is a must read for anyone intereseted in the current state of our homelands national security, and goes on to mention the authors personal prediciton for our near future regarding the topic.

Critique Towards Classmates Blog Post (BLOG 6)

After reading about my fellow classmate, Katy Huynh's standpoint on the topic birthright citizen, many contradicting thoughts came to my mind that might make more sense for current America. To begin, she quoted that "Immigration is a topic of concern, but should not be a top priority topic". Although we can all agree there are more serious cases, this topic of immigration plays an enormous role in the future of America. A common claim people who are for not focusing on keep illegal immigrants out of our country is that they do the "dirty jobs" that Americans "don't want to do". Although I am totally on board with that claim and do realize that illegal immigrants work many of the jobs that keep major establishments running, but in order for us to make America great again, we must be able to offer these jobs to legal American citizens. If we begin to enforce stricter laws against illegal immigration, it will open many jobs for legal unemployed citizens. Even if they're not making a killer salary, it is better than being homeless and it can keep the economy running. Lastly, if we enforce stricter laws on illegal immigration, it will encourage illegal citizens to apply for citizenship and become a citizen legally.

Although my beliefs and claims are for the very longterm future of America, the "revolution" must begin eventually...if ever.

Legal Marijuana Might Just Be a Economical Boom

It seems to have been no shock to the nation that the few states permitting the use of recreational marijuana have seen enormous amounts of statewide benefits. With our current national debt in the united states, an instant question that comes to mind is what are we going to do to get rid of it? According to LiveScience.com, legal marijuana sales can potentially federally generate $131.8 Billion dollars in aggregate federal tax revenue by 2025. To back up the claim, Colorado in the year 2016 alone has generated $996 dollars in taxes and fees. Also helping the national debt is the amount of "criminals" in jail for the usage of marijuana that would no longer need to be in jail cells. Keeping more guys out of jail will drastically lower the amount of national funds that we spend on prisons around the nation potentially pushing the nation out of a big amount of debt. With these facts mentioned proving in favor of legal marijuana, it is clear to the nation that whether a fan of the plant or not, it might just be the economical answer the U.S. has been looking for.

The Current Social State of Gay's

On June 26, of 2017, Andrew Sullivan released a rather vulgar blog addressing the current social and political state of gay's rights. Andrew Sullivan, a current author, and commentator of The New Republic does a great job in spotlighting his main sole argument that whether the idea of legalizing gay marriage is disturbing to you, you don't mind it, or if you are fully on board with the idea, that gays are still human and deserve every right just as should every U.S. citizen.

As the law regarding U.S. rights gets brought in to a discussion in the blog, Sullivan even goes back to quote Gandhi to further support his view on the highly debated topic, a man that all political parties can come together and appreciate on. He also goes on to list cons of the futures of gay couples regarding there families, morals, and the impact they can have on young children. Although Sullivan does tend to show some conservative views when speaking among the topic, this blog is a must-read for socially interested young Americans no matter there political standing.

President Trump Feeling Horribly for Brett Kavanaugh

On September 18, 2018, USA Today released an intriguing article by David Jackson and John Fritze titled "President Trump says he feels terribly for Brett Kavanaugh". David Jackson, reporter of the white house for USA Today, along with John Fritze, White House Correspondent for USA Today, do a superb job in expressing both sides of the questioning story. The article is a comprehensive story of how Supreme Court Nominee and Primary candidate Brett Kavanaugh is being accused of "Sexually assaulting" accuser Christine Blasey Ford.

President Trump seems to be more on the belief that the accusations are just Democrats doing there best to keep Republican Brett Kavanaugh out of the position and that there is no need for an FBI investigation on Kavanaugh. However, all 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee "urged" FBI Director Chris Wray to reopen Kavanaugh's investigation of the accusation. The nation is desperately waiting for the decision of the court case to be made as it can play a huge role in future of the Supreme Court. This article is a must read for those interested in representatives portraying their political party as well as those interested in the accusation itself.