The law says that when you turn 18 you are a legal adult. If you are arrested it goes on your permanent record that follows your whole life and when you are 18 you are allowed to fight and die for your country in a war. Though the government has made another age limit for drinking and smoking. You must be 21years old to drink and or purchase alcohol and you must be 19 years old to buy cigarettes. Why is it that the government has made a age limit of 18years old to fight in a war (something that benifits them) and makes the age limit of 21 to consume alcoholic beverages? If you are old enough to be given the responsibility of becoming a legal adult at the age of 18 you should be responsible enough to choose if you wish to consume alcohol or smoke.
-Amelia Earhart
Showing posts with label GNH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GNH. Show all posts
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Gun Control
American should have the rights to own firearms. Many arguments against this right concern the amount of gun violence in certain states. However one should look at both sides of the argument. Illegal possession of firearms is what causes many many gun violence crimes. There is an old saying that when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns. An example of positives in gun control can be seen by looking at Texas, a state where gun control is as lenient as possible however they have little gun violence because everyone else has a gun. One needs to look at the news as well for example the story about the World War II veteran who defended his house from a burglar with a gun, nobody was killed but because of his registered firearm his house was not robbed and he was safe from any injury. (aside accidentally shooting himself in the foot when police arrived). Gun rights should be allowed and with less restrictions, it should have ever be mandated that all gun owners take a gun safety class after purchasing a firearm, so that accidental shootings like this one do not happen.
Vlad Puntin.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Ridiculous Accusations That Get US Nowhere
A nation's people are most happy when topics of actual importance are debated and discussed. The politics of America have been reduced to ridiculous accusations that have little to no basis and in truth effect nothing. Recently there was a scandal regarding ACORN, an institution that has supported and worked with Barack Obama, which was discovered to have had members giving advice for prostitutes on how to obtain tax advantages. Now, without a doubt, this means that because Obama has worked with this organization, he is the head of a prostitution syndicate. Fox News has been especially proactive in getting this information out to us, to protect us from Barack, who will soon send all our children to sell their bodies on the street. This is the unfortunate truth about our country. Rather than opposing a party because of difference in opinion, they oppose a man because of outlandish claims. Not too long ago these same brainwashers were screaming out that the candidate Obama was a muslim, as if that really mattered or had any relevance as to whether or not he would be a capable leader. Now this is not an article promoting Obama or any party, it is just saying that one should oppose a man for the right reasons that pertain to the greater good of the country, not oppose him for ludricrous charges. It would greatly make this nation a happier place if we could focus more on debating the truth and what is revelant to bettering this country.
-King Arthur
GNH - Drug Policy
United States drug policy is ineffective and hypocritical. We chose to prohibit some substances, while outlawing others. Our "legal" selections of drugs do not seem to be based largely on medical information, abuse potential, but more on historical use, and where we have traditionally garnered money.
Primarily, the war of drugs is a waste of money, it has not really helped, and has only exacerbated the problem, by compelling drug producers to find more addictive and powerful substances. To enforce drug policy the government violates posse comitatus, which holds that the United States Armed Forces cannot be used to police U.S. territory. Also, due to the harsh penalties for drug offenses many people are forced to accept plea bargains. The government can seize your assets if they believe they you are producing drugs, without a trial. Finally, this also bends the fourth amendment (unreasonable searches) as what is reasonable in a drug search has become quite broad.
The drug was has also caused prisons to fill up with people who have not committed violence offenses. A prisoner costs the taxpayers $22,000 a year. I am sure we would all rather we paid less taxes and had reduced penalties for crimes. It would be much cheaper to flog them and let them go. Or better yet, to make them pay a fine, and then let them go, that way the government will be able to pay for rehabilitation programs.
If the government did legalize certain drugs, it could tax them in order to pay for other government programs.
Tobacco and Methyl Alcohol have shown to be more dangerous to people than Marijuana, and psychedelics. Yet they are legal while Marijuana is illegal. Not to mention, Hemp's value as raw material has been ruined by being classified as an illegal substance. Smoking and Alcohol kill many more people than pot does. This may due to the fact that it is near impossible to overdose of THC. Marijuana is schedule I which means that the Federal Government believes it to have no medical uses, and a high potential for abuse. This is simply incorrect.
The pre-1972 substance control policy was constitutional, the current policy is unconstitutional. It is also unclear as to whether or not the Federal Government even has the right to make drug policy and enforce it at a local level. Previously, the government restricted substances by making the laws about their trade so complex that they were impossible to carry out.
In terms of Gross National Happiness, the current drug war isn't helping anyone, it is an ineffective waste of money. Legalization has shown to lower the amount of people who use drugs, and reduce their impact on society. Directly in terms of GNH, why make something illegal that is for making people happy?
~Timothy Leary
Primarily, the war of drugs is a waste of money, it has not really helped, and has only exacerbated the problem, by compelling drug producers to find more addictive and powerful substances. To enforce drug policy the government violates posse comitatus, which holds that the United States Armed Forces cannot be used to police U.S. territory. Also, due to the harsh penalties for drug offenses many people are forced to accept plea bargains. The government can seize your assets if they believe they you are producing drugs, without a trial. Finally, this also bends the fourth amendment (unreasonable searches) as what is reasonable in a drug search has become quite broad.
The drug was has also caused prisons to fill up with people who have not committed violence offenses. A prisoner costs the taxpayers $22,000 a year. I am sure we would all rather we paid less taxes and had reduced penalties for crimes. It would be much cheaper to flog them and let them go. Or better yet, to make them pay a fine, and then let them go, that way the government will be able to pay for rehabilitation programs.
If the government did legalize certain drugs, it could tax them in order to pay for other government programs.
Tobacco and Methyl Alcohol have shown to be more dangerous to people than Marijuana, and psychedelics. Yet they are legal while Marijuana is illegal. Not to mention, Hemp's value as raw material has been ruined by being classified as an illegal substance. Smoking and Alcohol kill many more people than pot does. This may due to the fact that it is near impossible to overdose of THC. Marijuana is schedule I which means that the Federal Government believes it to have no medical uses, and a high potential for abuse. This is simply incorrect.
The pre-1972 substance control policy was constitutional, the current policy is unconstitutional. It is also unclear as to whether or not the Federal Government even has the right to make drug policy and enforce it at a local level. Previously, the government restricted substances by making the laws about their trade so complex that they were impossible to carry out.
In terms of Gross National Happiness, the current drug war isn't helping anyone, it is an ineffective waste of money. Legalization has shown to lower the amount of people who use drugs, and reduce their impact on society. Directly in terms of GNH, why make something illegal that is for making people happy?
~Timothy Leary
GNH-Health Care
The debate concerning if and how the health care system of the United States of America continues to rage on. Which is the best way to go? This must be solved using the principle of “gross national happiness” because in a society structured like the United States, the government’s primary goal should be to keep the people happy in order for the government to keep control and for the values it endorses to remain viable. According to the Pew Research Center…
· 53% of Americans want the debate to end and think the debaters are crude and disrespectful.
· 59% of Americans believe that the people opposing the legislation for a new system are causing most of the rudeness in the debate.
Therefore, if we want to keep the people happy, a bill that is agreeable enough to be passed is necessary. What constitutes as agreeable enough? According to Pew Research…
· 76% of Republicans oppose health care reform 12% support it, and 12% do not know, while 20% of Democrats oppose the bill, 61% support it, and 19% do not know.
· People who oppose the bill primarily oppose it because they think it will cause a raise in taxes. People who support the bill primarily support it because it will offer universal coverage.
Generally, the public opposes new healthcare primarily because it costs too much money, and having enough money is crucial to happiness. However, which makes people happier: good health or money? Assuming that the coverage covers the basic health needs of the human species, it seems more important to be healthy than to be rich, especially since dead people cannot spend money. How many Americans are uninsured? According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation…
· About 50 million Americans (around 17%) are uninsured. 20% are children.
If the bill is not passed, 17% of the population will be very unhappy and unhealthy, while about 60% of the population, which does not support or is not sure of the reform, will be somewhat happy. Those who supported the bill but were not uninsured make up the rest of the population, or 23%, and are somewhat unhappy. Although the population is generally in favor of the status quo, more unhappiness comes to the side that does not get a bill passed, and, as previously stated, the opposition to the bill makes more than half of the population less happy. Therefore it is important that a bill be passed to provide healthcare to the uninsured, even if taxes have to be raised, for the overall GNH of the nation to increase.
Links:
http://covertheuninsured.org/content/snapshot-us-physicians-key-findings-2008-health-tracking-physician-survey
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1343/health-care-debate-seen-as-rude-disrespectful-high-interest
http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1562
-Socrates
· 53% of Americans want the debate to end and think the debaters are crude and disrespectful.
· 59% of Americans believe that the people opposing the legislation for a new system are causing most of the rudeness in the debate.
Therefore, if we want to keep the people happy, a bill that is agreeable enough to be passed is necessary. What constitutes as agreeable enough? According to Pew Research…
· 76% of Republicans oppose health care reform 12% support it, and 12% do not know, while 20% of Democrats oppose the bill, 61% support it, and 19% do not know.
· People who oppose the bill primarily oppose it because they think it will cause a raise in taxes. People who support the bill primarily support it because it will offer universal coverage.
Generally, the public opposes new healthcare primarily because it costs too much money, and having enough money is crucial to happiness. However, which makes people happier: good health or money? Assuming that the coverage covers the basic health needs of the human species, it seems more important to be healthy than to be rich, especially since dead people cannot spend money. How many Americans are uninsured? According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation…
· About 50 million Americans (around 17%) are uninsured. 20% are children.
If the bill is not passed, 17% of the population will be very unhappy and unhealthy, while about 60% of the population, which does not support or is not sure of the reform, will be somewhat happy. Those who supported the bill but were not uninsured make up the rest of the population, or 23%, and are somewhat unhappy. Although the population is generally in favor of the status quo, more unhappiness comes to the side that does not get a bill passed, and, as previously stated, the opposition to the bill makes more than half of the population less happy. Therefore it is important that a bill be passed to provide healthcare to the uninsured, even if taxes have to be raised, for the overall GNH of the nation to increase.
Links:
http://covertheuninsured.org/content/snapshot-us-physicians-key-findings-2008-health-tracking-physician-survey
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1343/health-care-debate-seen-as-rude-disrespectful-high-interest
http://people-press.org/report/?pageid=1562
-Socrates
War in Iraq
The war in Iraq is obviously a big factor in determining the GNH. As it has been with all of America's past wars, there is always a pro-war side and an anti-war side. In this case the very formidable and significant anti-war side is very upset which drastically lowers the GNH of the United states.
-Aristotle
Gross National Happiness
During his coronation address on November 7, 2008, King Khesar of Bhutan made the following statement: "Yet we must always remember that as our country, in these changing times finds immense new challenges and opportunities, whatever work we do, whatever goals we have – and no matter how these may change in this changing world – ultimately without peace, security and happiness we have nothing. That is the essence of the philosophy of Gross National Happiness."
Your assignment is to post either an entry or a comment in which you discuss the principle of Gross National Happiness as it applies to the United States. Select an issue from the news and comment on how you think the issue could be resolved in a way that makes the greatest number of people happy. You can include links to videos, websites, articles, research, cartoons, images, anything. Just make sure it's appropriate for school, and use your APWorld name.
I'm really looking forward to seeing your ideas!
Oh, and please tag your entries as GNH. That will help me keep them all together.
Enjoy!!
And!! I've also found a BBC site about happiness. It includes a quiz to find out how happy you are, links to articles about the science of happiness, and an article about why the British are not as happy as they were in the 1950s. :D
Driving
I think that the age for students to receive their drivers license should be younger then 17 years old. It's important to have good driving skills before you enter college and leave home. Getting your license before the age of 17 will give people more time to master their driving skills. Hopefully, this would reduce the number of accidents. When new drivers park their cars in school parking lots, there tends to be many accidents because the drivers have not been driving for a long time. By making the age to get your license younger, I believe that the effect would be positive.
- Christina Aguilera
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