After Meeting With Obama, Governor Goes on the Attack

Lately Obama has been pushing to raise minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, and this clearly had some people upset as seen in this article. After meeting with President Louisiana Republican Governor Bobby Jindal came on the offensive and accused Obama of "waving the white flag of surrender.” I kind of love the chippiness between government officials it's always fun during an election year. I personally think raising the minimum wage would be great for me because I work off minimum wage, however I can see how it could cause damage to a recovering economy.

Tentatively, European Union Weighs Its Options on Support for a New Ukraine

Also this article has little to do with the United States, I still believe this topic is not being mentioned enlightened because it is a huge deal. Across the boarder in Sochi, Russia the Winter Olympics were being held and on the other side the Ukrainian citizens were overthrowing the government. This has created a tough situation for the European Union because they are currently under the European Neighbor Policy and want to keep their good standing with Russia. Ukraine is asking for the EU's support along with $35 billion over the next two years, which absolutely absurd. Obviously none of us know what is actually happening over seas but it's a big deal.

White House Meeting Turns Into a Lightning Round for Obama and Boehner

On Tuesday Mr. Obama and Mr. Boehner met to discuss a list of issues, spending less than five and a half minutes on each issue according to the article. After the meeting The Speaker went back and declared that he would not support the President's immigration reform ideas. That statement, as well as his obviously continued disapproval of the Affordable Care Act, doesn't show very much positive progress from that meeting. It seems that the partisanship and gridlock will not be stopping anytime soon in Washington. As usual this meeting was a show, and not intended to change anything. This showmanship on both the Speaker's and the President's part is part of the reason so many American's distrust their government.

Obama Tells Karzai He Is Moving Ahead Without Him

This article discusses a conversation Mr. Obama had with President Karzai regarding the Bilateral Security Agreement. Mr. Obama told him that the longer he sits on the agreement the less troops would most likely be left behind. On the other hand President Karzai has a fair point that the next Afghan leader should sign it since they would be the ones dealing with the aftermath. One problem that I see with this is that, as was mentioned in the article, their may be a period of uncertainty as to who the political leader will be therefore a gap in the negotiations. The other problem I see is that we can not have a full pullout of Afghanistan because if we do that we will have a terrorist safe haven once again, therefore the war was for nothing. That second problem is the real issue with Obama's threats regarding this negotiation, it's empty or he is serious and has not thought strategically about the future.

Ohio Gay-Marriage Push Divides Some Advocates

This article talks about reservations that proponents of same-sex marriage in Ohio have about putting the issue on the ballot for the 2014 election. Many of the organizations who have been working to reverse the ban in that state feel that 2014 is not their year, while others are arguing that they are tired of waiting and after all the work that has been done to advance the cause it should be put up for a vote. The major worry by people such as Micheal Premo from Why Marriage Matters Ohio who support marriage equality is that if the issue is put on the ballot and fails, it will give fuel to the opposition making it significantly harder to pass the reversal in the future.

G.O.P. Leaders Draw Re-election Challenges From the Right

We have talked about in class how the Republican Party has the more moderate wing and the Tea Party wing, and how these groups are struggling for control of the party identity. This article talks about how in the upcoming congressional elections there are more Republicans challenging each other in primary elections than ever before. In particular, many Tea Party members are trying to unseat high ranking Republican congressmen such as John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. This causes current members of Congress to make their main focus to be "keep my job" instead of providing for their constituents. It will be interesting to see how the results of the 2014 elections affect the Republican Party.

Archives’ Inspector General Enters 18th Month on Paid Leave; Taxpayers Footing the Bill

Inspector General Paul Brachfeld of the National Archives and Records Administration was put on leave in September of 2012 for allegations of professional misconduct. What's interesting is that he has been on PAID leave for the past 18 months now, costing tax payers $377,000. This outrageous sum is due to a very slow investigation conducted by David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States. Many questions have been raised as to why this investigation is taking so long which lead three senior Republicans in Congress to write a letter in disgust to Brachfeld's boss (Ferriero), and the man who place Brachfeld on leave. This enrages me that a man has been just sitting around for almost two years now and absorbing our money. What do you think?

Supreme Court Denies to Hear Gun Law Challenges

This article is about how the Supreme Court declined to review two cases involving the rights of those under 21 to own handguns today. One of these cases involved someone trying to challenge a law in Texas prohibiting people 18-20 years old from obtaining permits to carry handguns. Personally I am glad the the Supreme Court declined to review this case because I find it unnecessary for people that age to be carrying a gun around town. What do you think?

Obama condemns Ukraine violence; warns of consequences

For several months the citizens of Ukraine have been protesting and more recently these protests have become violent and even deadly. Citizens were originally upset when President Viktor Yanukovych decided to sign a trade deal with Russia instead of the European Union. This decision has outraged the citizens of Ukraine and since then they have been protesting against President Yanukovych. Just this past week though anti-protest laws went into effect and protests escalated into street brawls leaving 26 dead. Since these actions, President Obama and the U.S. government have taken into serious consideration the possibility of sanctioning Ukraine and potentially taking "other steps" in order to create an environment, in Ukraine, where the government and its people can peacefully compromise on the issues at hand.

Emails Released in Wisconsin Political Investigation

The governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, was under investigation last year for campaigning on government time in a county office. Governor Walker was not charged in that investigation but since then a second one has arose and is currently in action, looking into possible campaign finance violations, by Mr. Walker, involving illegal coordination with outside political groups. As a potential candidate for the 2016 presidential election Mr. Walker is not looking to good and a recent release of 2,000 emails from the former top aid to Mr. Walker may not help his "political future". 

5 Reasons Why Climate Change Is Back In The News

This CNN article is really cool, and talks about why climate change is being talked about now, when a few months ago no one was thinking about it. It's really a good example of how politics disproportionately shape the government more than issues and problems do, and it also shows the seriousness of a very serious problem we like to forget about. Really good read overall.

Minimum Wage Increase Would Have Mixed Effects

This article in The New York Times talks about the new proposal to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10/hour, which is a significant increase. Democrats argue that this would help to alleviate poverty, while Republicans argue that it would kill jobs (and is bad for business). Economists aren't exactly sure what would come of the bill most Americans support, and the article leads us to believe that most economists think Republicans are overestimating the effect it would have on jobs.

Kerry Makes Surprise Stop in Tunisia

Secretary of State John Kerry visited Tunisia to meet with its caretaker prime minister (Mehdi Jomaa) and its president (Moncef Marzouki) to discuss how the US can be of assistance to Tunisia's efforts to create a democratic government. Tunisia is still deeply divided between secular and Islamist communities but has managed to avoid civil war. With US assistance, Tunisia's struggle for a democratic government will hopefully go smoothly.

Why Hillary Winning Might Be Bad News for Democrats

This article points out the obvious reasons for why Hillary Clinton may be the Democratic favorite for the 2016 presidential election. It also highlights the potential negatives that would result if she decided to run. Since Clinton is already a well-known name, she would have an incredible advantage from the start. This would deter rising stars in the Democratic party from running and thus prevent any of their views from gaining ground. The author also likens Clinton's position in the next presidential election to that of George W. Bush in 2000.

Wage Hike Will Lift Pay But Cost Jobs

This article describes the findings of a congressional budget analyst on President Obama's proposal to increase the minimum wage. Before reading this article I was in full support of Obama's plan to raise the minimum wage to $10.10, but now I am reconsidering my opinion. If a wage increase will truly cost approximately 500,000 American's their jobs than the negative aspects of the proposal may outweigh the positives. Is it better to provide a lower wage for more people or a higher wage for fewer? This article really justifies the excessive debate over the minimum wage increase.

Obama Requests New Rules for Cutting Truck Pollution

President Obama recently urged his administration to develop rules to cut truck pollution. He is doing this without congressional consent. He hopes that these new regulations will drive down our nation's oil imports. Many vehicle manufactures are unsupportive of Obama's efforts for change while environmentalists are thrilled by them. The effects of Obama's decision to act independently of congress will be interesting to follow. This article should act as a good segue as we move out of a chapter concerning congress and into a chapter about the presidency.

Judge to decide proof-of-citizenship voting rule

This article discusses a current court case where U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren will have to make a tough decision regarding whether or not Kansas and Arizona can make their voting requirements more stringent. The states propose measures where voters would have to show proof of citizenship. If this law is passed it could have much broader implications, because it might set a precedent for other states. On one hand there has been instances of non-citizens voting in Arizona, and in a close election these voters might have an impact, but on the other hand more stringent voting requirements would decrease voter registration. 

The price of gold: Taking first place in Olympics could cost US stars as much as $10G in taxes

This article discusses the fact that with the way our countries tax code is currently written, Olympic Medalists are taxed. The US Olympic commission gives monetary awards to medalist, but these prizes are considered income and therefore they are able to be taxed. Last Tuesday Republican Blake Farenthold re-introduced a bill that would make these prizes tax exempt. In all honesty the first place medalists probably aren't heavily burdened by these taxes, considering all of their sponsorships, but this doesn't necessarily make this practice right.

Holder Urges States to Lift Bans on Felons’ Voting

Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. spoke today about state laws that keep felons from voting. He feels that today’s prohibitions resemble the past policies of the South; in many states, the citizenship of these felons remains non-existent for the rest of their lives. Not only does Mr. Holder feel that there should be a change in policy for felons and voting, but he also strives to have Congress eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses. He has made it known that he sees criminal justice and civil rights to be closely correlated. On one hand, I feel that all states should implement fair policies like that of Iowa. On the other hand, I'm not sure if Mr. Holder is right. Just because someone pays their court costs and fines doesn't make them sane. Am I wrong to feel this way? What do you think about what Eric Holder has said? 

House Votes to Raise Debt Ceiling, Without Conditions

Today the House voted to increase our nation's debt ceiling. The Democrats of the House were the majority of the 221-201 vote as only twenty-eight Republicans voted yes. Controversy surrounds Speaker John Boehner as he announced he would put a “clean” debt ceiling increase up for a vote. When the original package was presented last night, the Republicans were uncooperative which led him to depend on the Democrats. Do you think that Boehner has lost his ability to lead the House? Is a petition to end John Boehner's speakership a bit drastic? Let me know what you think.

The State of Mr. de Blasio's City

We've talked about the new mayor of New York City in class a few times, and this article is a good check-up on him. He seems to have a lot of big ideas for this big city, but a lot of people are wondering if the government in Albany is going to help him pass a lot of this legislation. He seems to be focused on the poor and underprivileged of NYC. He has plans for affordable housing, prekindergarten programs and even a city ID to give undocumented immigrants a chance to access many of the city's resources. Many of the city's residents wanted to know more about the broader picture. Do you think his plans are comprehensive enough?

Split-Second Justice As U.S. Cracks Down On Illegal Immigration

Most people, including me, do not know about this new streamlining process in the U.S. courts. People who immigrate to the U.S. illegally are punished as if they committed a federal crime to potentially deter future immigration hopefuls. This program was started under George W. Bush and has grown under Obama. In December, the number of deportees reached 1.9 million. The program seems to work to deter immigrants from trying to re-enter, but there isn't significant evidence right now. What do you think about these decisions being made in a matter of minutes? These sentences can place immigrants in jail for up to 2 years, which prevents them from finding jobs and working to get their families a better life.