Gun control has been a major problem for the United States over the past decade and is something that needs to be addressed immediately. I completely agree with my colleague's view on gun control and that it is an important issue that is brought up time and time again but gets skimmed over and it feels as if very little is ever changed. The fact that we've had almost as many mass shootings as we have had days in 2018 is appalling and is something that we need to take a major look at and take action on. While there are still many laws that are currently being put in place, this is an issue that can no longer be looked over and brushed aside. I don't want to ever have to worry about the next generation fearing going to school, or going to a public outing and having the fear that it could end traumatically. The fact that there are nearly 52 thousand gun related violence incidents this year is something that not only needs to be drastically reduced but it needs to be put to an end. We can no longer have firearms out on the streets in the wrong hands. We need to ensure not only an America of new opportunity but a place that people can come to and feel as if they are safe and at home.

To be a leader or a follower

Earlier this year Canada was named the first major economy to legalize marijuana. An article published in the New York Times outlined this historic day in history. Why is this such a big deal? Their government is taking a huge progressive step in trying to release people who have been locked up for nonviolent minor possession charges. Their government is also trying to eliminate the minimum waiting period for a pardon to be approved so that the people who have served time so far can be released. What their government is trying to accomplish and has accomplished so far has been amazing to witness. If the United States could adopt these ideas as a whole that would mean the release of thousands of people who have been locked up for nonviolent minor possession charges over the last decade. The revenue that could be generated for our government could help to provide a more stable economy. In Canada just one of their marijuana producers was valued at over $10 billion. For the United Sates being in debt for as long as we have been this could be a way to start to make some more money stateside. Everyone seems to have their own school of thought on how marijuana should be handled. If it's something that should be done quietly behind closed doors, or if it's something that should be just as socially accepted as drinking alcohol. No matter what one's school of thought is it seems as if it should be brought to light the upside of what could happen if marijuana was legalized. It could be a pivotal turning point in the United States economy and is something that I believe we cannot ignore anymore.

Election Day

The controversial idea that Election Day should be a national holiday was not one I spent much time discussing until this past year. The time spent trying to find a place and exact time that I can vote with my schedule is a hassle to say the least. In a recent blog I read from Yaresi's Government Blog the author argued that Election Day should not be a national holiday because most people would use it as a day of luxury and would not use it for it's intended purpose. The author pointed out that people who aren't even allowed to vote would get a free day off and the increase in traffic that would arise from everyone using this day only to vote. These are some valid points, I do agree that the polling places would be a lot more populated and that not everyone is allowed to vote so they would in turn get a free day off. However I think about all of the people who can't seem to find the time to vote, or even don't have the interest to vote and all of the benefits that would arise by making Election Day a national holiday. People would see it on their calendar every year and it would raise that attention around the upcoming election and more people would be inclined to review the candidates who are on the ballot. I believe the elections themselves would be much more popular and people would want to do the work to feel a part of something that is much bigger than themselves. Making Election Day a national holiday would be a positive move allowing more people the chance to vote that they might not get otherwise, and it would raise the all around attention to what is being discussed in the elections themselves.

A Gateway to a New Beginning

America has taken a new stand over the last couple of years on the issue of whether marijuana should or shouldn't be legal to use for recreational use. It's been a controversial issue and has now been legalized for recreational use in nine states and medical marijuana is now legal in thirty one states. Colorado and Washington were the first two states to legalize marijuana and since then it's become a much more popular topic and is something that I weekly hear discussed about in lectures, the news, and even just daily conversation. Marijuana has been found to be very effective in helping people who deal with chronic pain, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and has even been proven to be a fantastic muscle relaxant. One may argue that marijuana should only be legalized for those who are using it for medicinal purposes only, but I couldn't disagree more. Legalizing marijuana would be able to significantly reduce the harm amongst the people who currently go out of their way to buy and use it illegally and would cut down on the number of people that serve time each year for a possession of the substance. Legalization of the substance could lead to a huge upswing in our economy and could create many jobs for people all over the country. A group in Nevada reports that just in their state it could provide up to 41,000 jobs and bring in about $1.7 billion over the next 10 years. Cleaning up the streets and bringing in money for our economy sound like some great editions for our country. I think it's time that we stop looking at marijuana as the so called "gateway drug" that I have heard it mentioned as for the majority of my life, and start looking at it's legalization as something that can provide many benefits for our country. I would like to see all 50 states adopt this law in the next couple of years so that it's benefits can be used for all and not just those who currently live in the states where it's already legalized. With the passing of this law it would provide every single American of age to be able to use it in any which way they would like to and there could be any number of ways to make sure that there are measures put into place so that it's use is regulated.

The New Age of Voting

An article was published in The New York Times on October and 18, 2018, titled Time to Close the Democracy Gap by The Editorial Board that proposed the opinion that America has too many restrictions on how we vote and who is allowed to vote. The article went onto describe how many elections have had votes that were revoked because there was supposed voter fraud and the people who had placed the votes themselves were allegedly not supposed to have placed the votes in the first place. This is not the only problem with our voting system in this country. Many states have done their best to accommodate voters and have made it easier for people to cast their vote in a timely manner while others are stuck in our "old fashioned system" that requires people to essentially go out of their way to vote for who and what they believe in. The article was very well written and has a fact based opinion approach that allows it's viewers to relate to their voting experiences in the past as well as the present. One can perceive that the audience that would grasp onto this article the most would be people with past voting experience, but I believe that this article is more geared to the population with little to no voting experience. It's astonishing the amount of Americans that don't vote every year and to think that there could be changes put into place that could diminish these numbers and could provide many more people with the opportunity to vote and these changes aren't being made is ridiculous. I do believe that many Americans simply don't make the time or even have the time to vote in the first place, but does the make us lazy? The answer is no, many Americans feel as if their not knowledgeable enough to vote for the candidates that are on the ballot. They don't want to place a vote for someone just because they have heard their name mentioned before without knowing what side of the spectrum that candidate stands on for very important social and political issues. I do believe that the article provided a very insightful view on what can be done to better provide voting opportunities for all, but I also believe that we need to do a better job of what we can do to better educate Americans on who and what they're voting for. These changes can provide a more knowledgeable progressive America amongst us.

How Brett Kavanaugh Failed

A recent article was posted in The New York Times on October 4th, 2018, called How Brett Kavanaugh Failed by The Editiorial Board which was able to offer the opinion on the recent trial that's been storming the nation. The article was able to voice the idea that Republicans have been ruling office and have been able to try and take hold of The Supreme Court and more importantly the justice system. It talks about how much of an outrage it would be if Kavanaugh was elected to The Supreme Court and in which way it would swing societies view towards politics and our justice system. Kavanaugh is on trial for sexual assault allegations which has skewed many politicians view of him being appointed a judge, and even though many Republicans are still backing Kavanaugh there are many more reasons why the rest of the people who have a say in him being appointed are not as confident in his ability be fair and open-minded. Not only are the allegations themselves enough to question Kavanughs character but the way that he's showed up in trial has raised some more eyebrows. He claims that his whole reputation and family life are on the line because of the trial but has shown up in the courtroom as if he has more to prove than just his innocence. Much of America has been following this trial and it's recent events and it does seem to raise more uncertainties than it does confidence in Brett Kavanaugh being appointed to The Supreme Court. He was able to hold himself together and show up professionally in an earlier interview about the recent events, but has shown flashes of anger and has been dishonest on the stand which brings people to question the ability of Kavanaugh to be transparent and genuine at all times especially when it matters. This brings across a very tough decision for America considering Kavanaughs track record with our government playing a very pivotal role in big cases. It's not an easy decision to make at all but I do believe the appropriate decision here is to turn down Kavanaugh as an option for The Supreme Court given the recent events, and also considering there are many other good options available to have fill the open position. Making this decision could balance out the recent uneven swing in politics and could give a new perspective on how we deal with these kind of situations as a country.

New Restraints on Cyberattacks

The New York Times published an article on September 20, 2018, called Trump Loosens Secretive Restraints on Ordering Cyberattacks by David E. Sanger which outlines the way in which America plans to use new cyber strategies. The new strategies and plans are to delegate more power to Gen. Paul M. Nakasone who was previously in charge of the Army's cybercommand. With the new orders in place its main goals are to improve our digital defenses, to work with private industry, and work with allies.  Even though technology has come a long way with how we use cyber operations, it's still hard to implement a cyber attack before a cyber defense is put into place which can come to be problematic. A main objective of these new cyber operations is to conduct cyber attacks and to be on the offensive.

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